Chapter 14:
The maids stood silently in front of the eastern room as if paying their respects.
“…This feels strange.”
One of them murmured as she opened the door.
The eastern room.
The most precious room in the entire ducal castle, positioned in the finest location.
“Wait a second… I think I’m going to cry again.”
“Hey, stop that… You’ll make me cry too.”
One maid pinched the bridge of her nose and lifted her head to hold back tears.
Hazel blinked her own moist eyes.
It was a child’s room.
A space personally decorated by the Duke and Duchess.
“My goodness, they even prepared an academy uniform.”
One maid said while looking into the dressing room, her voice choked.
The room was filled with belongings ranging from those for a newborn baby to items for a child around ten years old. Clothes, books, shoes, bags, toys… everything imaginable, all jumbled together.
What kind of feelings had Leviathan and Rosetta poured into this room as they filled it?
And when they eventually had to close the door on it all…
How painful must that have been?
A heavy silence settled over the maids.
“Found it.”
Hazel, her eyes red, pulled out a small box from one of the drawers. It was filled with cute hairpins and hair ties.
“She always said it would be a girl… and look at this, they really bought nothing but girls’ things…”
Rosetta used to rub her round belly and say, out of habit, that it would surely be an adorable little girl.
And just as she had imagined, it was.
‘If the young lady had been here… by now…’
She would have been around the same age as Lady Rubian.
‘And since girls are so rare in House Zevert, she would have been loved beyond measure.’
Hazel shook her head to push the thought away.
“This is too sad. I’ll stop thinking about it.”
Sniffling once more, she left the room with the other maids.
The walk back was silent.
“But… do you think Lady Rubian will stay here permanently?”
Someone asked.
“Of course. His Grace cares for her this much.”
Only one person in this castle had been able to reopen the eastern room, which had long remained closed in darkness.
“But she hasn’t been officially adopted yet. You never know.”
“What? What do you mean ‘you never know,’ Hazel?”
“They said Lady Rubian has to like it here.”
At that, all the maids stopped walking at once, as if on cue.
Shock slowly spread across their faces.
“No way.”
“That means we have to do our best.”
“……”
“…Even though I messed up today.”
Hazel squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing her despair.
Her grip tightened around the hairpin box.
Of course, she couldn’t crush it to dust… so instead Hazel punched the wall beside her.
A dull vibration echoed.
“……”
The other maids—who used to be her mercenary comrades—walked past her one by one, each giving her back a firm smack.
“Fix this with your life, Hazel.”
Thud. Thud. Ouch.
“We’re watching you.”
“Make up for it, got it?”
Their hands were just as brutal as ever.
But Hazel, furious at herself, willingly endured the punishment.
“Oh.”
I let out a small exclamation while looking in the mirror.
My troublesome bangs were neatly fixed in place now—with a tiny strawberry-shaped hairpin.
“Ohh, it suits you perfectly!”
Hazel’s eyes softened completely.
But where in the world had such a tiny pin been kept?
“Let me see.”
Uncle, who had been standing quietly behind me, spun me around to face him.
“……”
He fell silent for a moment.
I couldn’t read his expression. His violet eyes seemed to sink deeper.
‘Does it look weird?’
Maybe.
Then he tapped my cheek lightly.
“It suits you. Keep it.”
I didn’t know why, but his faint smile looked a little sad.
“By the way, Ruby—were you scared of the scissors?”
Uncle suddenly asked. I shook my head.
“It wasn’t that I was scared of scissors, it’s just… having a stranger hold something dangerous near my neck was a little…”
I glanced nervously at Hazel. She was biting her lip so hard it looked like it might bleed.
“I think I was just nervous because it felt awkward…”
It wasn’t because of some bad memory. I’d just grown more wary of strangers.
Maybe it was because I was living while hiding my identity, constantly being chased.
“I’m so sorry, Lady Rubian. I didn’t realize…”
“N–no, it’s okay! I just need a little time…”
I didn’t want Hazel to misunderstand.
“I just need a little more time!”
Hazel nodded gloomily.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I wasn’t careful enough.”
“That’s enough. You may leave.”
“Yes.”
The dejected maid disappeared.
Uncle examined the pin in my hair for a while, then fiddled with the back of my head.
“The bangs are one thing, but the back is terribly tangled. Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“Yeah…”
Honestly, it was.
My hair was unusually thin and tangled easily, and right now it was beyond saving.
“What about me cutting it for you?”
“Hmm?”
I blinked in surprise. I thought he was joking, but Uncle looked unexpectedly serious.
“Would that be okay?”
Seeing him cautiously watching my reaction, I thought it over.
If it’s Uncle Leviathan…
Well…
“Not okay at all?”
Uncle blinked.
“Uncle, have you ever cut someone’s hair before?”
“…No.”
Cutting off a monster’s head, maybe—but hair?
“See! No experience! Disqualified!”
“That was your reason?”
It was an important issue!
“Tch. You’re a boy—your hair will grow back anyway. What’s the big deal?”
“Then I’ll cut your hair too!”
“Go ahead.”
Wow. Just because he’s handsome, he doesn’t care about his hair at all.
Uncle chuckled and gently stroked the back of my head.
“Forget it. If you don’t want to, we won’t do it.”
The way he backed down so easily made me feel like I’d somehow lost.
I thought for a moment. It really was inconvenient whenever I washed it…
“Then call Hazel back.”
“Why?”
“If Hazel gives instructions and Uncle does the cutting, I think it’ll be okay.”
“Hah. I’m her superior, you know.”
Uncle let out a dry laugh.
But seeing my firm expression, he didn’t argue further.
“Bring Hazel.”
At his short command, Hazel quickly reappeared from nearby.
The same chair and tools were set up neatly again.
I sat between Uncle’s knees. His long legs stretched out beside me.
While fiddling with the back of my head, Uncle muttered casually,
“Are you sure you won’t melt if I put you in my mouth?”
…Did I make the wrong choice after all?
I quietly covered the back of my head.
In any case, a one-of-a-kind salon had opened!
“Uh, Your Grace! You can’t cut there!”
“Why not? It looks like it’d feel refreshing.”
Now I was getting nervous for entirely different reasons.
“Yes, hold it firmly with your fingers and cut along the line.”
“Seems simple enough.”
“Ah! If you cut it like that—!”
“……”
“…Gasp.”
“…What was that?”
I clenched my fists tightly in my lap. I was sweating for a completely new reason now.
“What do you mean ‘gasp’?!”
“Ohoho. Nothing at all, Lady Rubian! Everything’s perfectly fine!”
The fact that Hazel was laughing awkwardly like “ohoho” was proof something was definitely not fine.
“…Ruby, you should probably cut my hair too.”
Uncle’s oddly solemn voice came from behind.
“…Please do.”
“Geez…”
It seemed like everything had gone completely wrong!
But strangely enough, I ended up falling asleep halfway through.
The whispered voices, the warm large hands combing through my hair, and the soft afternoon sunlight mixed with the snipping of scissors made me drowsy.
Just knowing Uncle Leviathan was behind me was enough to make me feel safe.
How strange.
“Huh?”
When I looked in the mirror, I was a little surprised.
“It’s better than I expected…”
“Not bad, right?”
Uncle looked smug.
To my surprise, my hair had turned out perfectly neat.
‘Completely.’
I’d become a proper boy!
“It suits you wonderfully!”
Should I be happy about that?
Either way, my messy broom-like hair was gone, and I felt refreshed. Even the bangs had been trimmed nicely.
“The pin suits you, so don’t take it off.”
Uncle said as I touched the pin on the right side of my hair.
“Hmm.”
He covered his mouth with his hand and spun me around in a circle.
“Cute from every angle.”
Hazel and the other maids nodded enthusiastically, their fists clenched like they were holding something back.
“Thank you for cutting it so well!”
I happily boosted the confidence of the self-satisfied novice hairdresser.
Uncle raised an eyebrow, then suddenly leaned down and bit the top of my head.
“What are you doing?!”
“Yep. Definitely doesn’t melt.”
Has becoming a hairdresser messed with his head?!
I ran away in horror.
The amateur stylist just stood there chuckling after casually kissing my hair.
“……”
The next morning.
As Void entered the dining room, he froze.
Tap, tap. He nudged the attendant beside him and whispered,
“…Is it possible for a fairy to become your sibling?”
