LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 277
-Swaaahhh…
“Hm?”
The sound of someone crying, a voice I was familiar with, echoed from the women’s bathroom.
-Sniff.
-Damn…!
-Huuuuuwaaaaaaah!!
-Hic! Hic! Ohoho…
It was so loud and boisterous that it was hard to believe it was a delicate woman’s crying. For a moment, I thought I must have misheard.
-Waaaahhhhh!!!! I don’t know!
Recognizing the familiar tone, I turned off the faucet and let out a dry laugh.
“Seriously, how long has it even been since she went in…?”
I really don’t know what to say.
-I don’t know what to say…!
“Hm?”
As if Shuen had read my mind, she blurted out exactly what I was thinking.
“What the…”
-I have absolutely nothing to say…!
“Pfft…”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Shuen’s characteristic whining. The absurdity of her tear-soaked lament made it funny.
-What is this! Isn’t the conversation supposed to be led by the commoner?! No… This kind of misguided thinking is unacceptable. Shuen.
“Ah, I shouldn’t laugh.”
But Shuen, who had hit a major roadblock right from the start, was so funny that I couldn’t hold back my laughter. She wasn’t even crying because she got rejected—she was crying because she couldn’t find the words to say. It made me feel sorry for her, realizing how much she must like Mikhail, but at the same time, her timid reaction was so amusing that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sigh… Keep it together… Keep it together.”
-Damn it! Completely!
“Pffft…!”
Even in her gloomy voice, Shuen managed to say something that was unintentionally hilarious.
I didn’t know why she had come all the way to the public bathroom to cry when the restaurant surely had its own facilities, but villains often had incomprehensible ways of thinking. Letting out a dry laugh, I wiped my wet hands with a towel.
“Sigh… Should I head out now?”
After composing my expression as much as possible in front of the mirror, I slowly walked to a bench near the bathroom and sat down to wait for her.
About three more minutes passed like that.
“My life is over…”
Shuen finally emerged from the women’s bathroom, dragging her feet. She held a notebook in one hand and a handkerchief in the other, staring intently at the notebook as if seeking the wisdom of life.
-Rustle.
“It’s not here…!”
-Rustle, rustle.
“This isn’t something a commoner taught me.”
“…”
“Ugh…”
Watching Shuen frantically flipping through her notebook, I pressed my lips together and waited for her to approach. It didn’t seem like the right time to tease her.
“Your makeup… is completely smudged.”
From a distance, I could see Shuen’s face, and it was a mess. Her poorly applied makeup had run down her cheeks due to her tears, and her shoulders were trembling as if she still couldn’t calm down.
“….”
Shuen’s pitiful state was enough to make anyone feel sorry for her.
“Ugh…”
I cautiously waved a hand in her direction.
“Miss Shuen.”
But the distraught Shuen didn’t notice me waving and remained focused on her notebook. I sent her a worried glance and muttered softly. She’s going to trip if she keeps walking like that.
“She’s going to fall at this rate.”
And sure enough, Shuen hadn’t walked far before she stumbled over a protruding stone.
“Oh no?! Is this it… Am I finally going to fly?!”
Losing her balance, Shuen flailed her arms wildly, clutching her notebook tightly as if she wouldn’t let go of it no matter what.
“Oh… I defied gravity!”
Seeing Shuen in her oddly transcendent state, I let out a wry smile and ran over to her.
-Grab.
“Huh?”
“You almost fell, Miss Shuen. You went through all the trouble to dress up, so what would you do if your clothes got dirty?”
“C-Com… Commoner?!”
Shuen looked at me with wide, startled eyes before suddenly throwing her arms open and pulling me into a tight hug. Her embrace was so firm, as if she wouldn’t let go, that I let out a dry laugh and gently patted her head.
“I have plenty to say, but if I say anything now, you’ll probably start crying again, so I’ll save it for later.”
“Hic!”
“I’ll scold you later, so be prepared.”
“It’s improper for a commoner to scold a noble!”
“It’s fine since I was born lowly.”
“…For a commoner, you’re quite clever.”
Shuen glanced up at me hesitantly, her trembling lips moving as she asked me a question.
“Hey, Commoner…”
“Yes.”
“Am I really that strange?”
Seeing Shuen’s trembling eyes, I chuckled softly and shook my head.
“Not at all. You might just be the most beautiful person in the world. Although, of course, not as much as the Young Lady I serve.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, and your dress and makeup turned out far better than I expected.”
“Ohoho… As expected, you have a good eye, Commoner. It was worth getting up at 5 a.m. to prepare for today.”
“W-Wait, you spent six hours on your makeup?”
“Yes!”
At Shuen’s enthusiastic response, I let out a dry laugh and shook my head. It made me think that perhaps the gods were fair after all.
Throughout my life, I’d seen many unfair situations, but when it came to Shuen and the Young Lady, I felt the gods had balanced things out in their own way. Otherwise, such disastrous results wouldn’t be possible.
Nodding awkwardly, I spoke to Shuen.
“You’re amazing.”
“Of course.”
Worried that letting her go like this might lead to trouble, I pointed to the bench and had her sit down.
“Um… Could you sit here for a moment?”
“Yes?”
Then, I pulled out some cosmetics and a hand mirror from the bag containing clown makeup and showed them to Shuen.
“Oh.”
Seeing her reflection in the mirror, Shuen touched her face and froze.
“Uh… Commoner.”
“Yes.”
“Who is this hideous woman?”
“That would be you, Miss Shuen.”
“Gasp! Don’t lie to me!”
Shuen hiccupped and then tugged at her cheeks while staring at the mirror.
“Huh?!”
“…”
“Why… Why is this hideous woman mimicking me?!”
“Because it’s you, Miss Shuen.”
Shuen pointed at the mirror and stomped her feet in frustration.
“What do I do?! I was going to confess today! It’s ruined! Even a commoner would reject me with this face!”
“Well, I’m not exactly picky…”
“Waaaaah! My first love is over!”
“It’s fine.”
I let out a faint chuckle and carefully picked up a brush, dipping it into the cosmetics used for Shuen’s clown makeup, and began fixing her makeup.
Startled by the approaching brush, Shuen leaned back and blocked my hand.
“What are you doing?! Are you planning to use my ruined face as a canvas?!”
“No.”
“Go ahead! It’s already ruined anyway. At least Senior Mikhail might get a laugh out of it!”
“Wow… That does sound amusing, but I’m actually pretty good at makeup.”
“How could a commoner know how to do makeup?!”
“I’m skilled. At a professional level.”
“How annoying!”
“Miss Shuen, trust me for now. We don’t have much time, do we?”
“Ah…”
Shuen glanced at Mikhail, who was checking the clock inside the restaurant, and lowered her head.
“…You’re right.”
“You’ve come all this way to enjoy a nice meal and dressed up so beautifully. It’d be sad if you ended up with an upset stomach.”
“That’s true…”
Bringing the brush closer to Shuen’s face, I spoke in a reassuring tone, sharing my impressive credentials with her.
“I’ve been fixing a Young Lady’s makeup since I was young.”
“Isn’t that something servants usually do?”
“Hmm…”
With a slightly embarrassed smile, I replied to Shuen.
“The Young Lady I served caused so much trouble that one attempt was never enough. If you took your eyes off her, she’d be pulling someone’s hair, and after a trip to the bathroom, she’d have her face in a chocolate fountain. Naturally, I ended up learning makeup.”
“You must have served quite the character.”
“Exactly. Haha… Anyway, I’m pretty decent at makeup. Better than most servants, I’d say.”
“Commoners are more versatile than I thought!”
“Of course. Unlike ordinary butlers, I’m an elite. Oh, by the way, doesn’t Miss Shuen have a personal butler? A marquis’s family should have one.”
“I do… but.”
Shuen blinked her eyes widely, as if reluctant to speak, and replied in a heavy tone.
“He wasn’t as competent as a commoner. He’d constantly tell me to do nothing, and whenever I tried talking to commoners, he’d scold me, saying nobles shouldn’t associate with them.”
“What a rigid butler.”
“Exactly. So when I became an adult, I fired him. After that, I told them not to assign me another butler.”
“I see. That was kind of you, Miss Shuen.”
“Huh?”
“If it were my Young Lady, she would’ve ripped out the butler’s hair. I’ve heard she actually did that once.”
“Wow…”
Nodding sympathetically at Shuen’s story, I lightly touched her moving jaw with my finger.
“From now on, hush.”
“Gasp!”
“Don’t hold your breath. You’ll pass out.”
“Huff…”
As Shuen flared her nostrils from the ticklish strokes of the brush, I said briefly, “Don’t move,” biting my lower lip and focusing on the finishing touches.
“Lift your head slightly.”
“Okay.”
“Good.”
“…Nod.”
Switching to a thinner brush, I applied color to Shuen’s lips and spoke to her as if it were nothing.
“Oh, by the way, I didn’t get a chance to mention it earlier, but I heard you crying in the bathroom earlier.”
“…Are you a pervert?”
“I didn’t want to hear it either, but you were sobbing so miserably.”
“Stop talking about it! It’s embarrassing!”
“Pfft… You’re quite amusing.”
Using a handkerchief, I gently blended the lip color on Shuen’s lips and asked her in a soft voice.
“You’re worried about talking to Mikhail, aren’t you?”
“…”
“You’re unsure how to start the conversation, and you want to mention things you’ve observed about him—no, not stalking—but you’re afraid he might dislike it.”
Shuen gave a tiny nod, responding to my words.
“That’s right.”
Lightly brushing Shuen’s face, I spoke quietly.
“That must have been tough.”
“…Sniff.”
“Don’t cry. Your makeup will smudge.”
“Oh-ho-ho…! I’m not crying…”
“You’re so kind. Hmm…”
Leaning in closer, I spoke to Shuen.
“If I may offer some advice, why not start with something light? Like how you first spoke to me, Miss Shuen.”
“…Should I say, ‘You vulgar commoner’?”
“Is that what you said when we first met?”
Shuen nodded heavily.
“…Don’t do that. Start with something simple, like talking about the weather. ‘The weather is lovely today,’ for instance.”
“Isn’t that too cliché? Anyone can see the weather just by looking out the window, so why bother asking…?”
“Miss Shuen, are you T?”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. It was just a joke. Anyway, that’s the best approach. Asking seemingly unnecessary questions helps break the ice. Start there and then shift to other topics.”
“What should I do after that?”
“Next, ask something like, ‘What did you do yesterday?'”
“Isn’t that too intrusive?”
With a small laugh, I packed the cosmetics into my bag and replied.
“You can start by sharing about yourself. Say, ‘Yesterday, I did this and that.’ Mikhail will naturally follow suit.”
“Oh…”
“Miss Shuen.”
Carefully holding up a hand mirror, I reflected Shuen’s face and said.
“Don’t be scared, and don’t overthink it.”
-Smirk.
“Alright?”
Shuen looked at me with bewildered eyes, her eyelids fluttering. Letting out a soft “Oh…?” she brought the mirror closer to her face, marveling at her transformed appearance.
“How did you manage this in such a short time…? I feel like a different person.”
“I just brightened your complexion. You’re naturally beautiful.”
Shuen smiled pleasantly and stood up from her seat.
“Alright!”
“Go for it.”
“Okay.”
As Shuen hurriedly trotted toward the restaurant where Mikhail was, she hesitated briefly before turning back to me.
“Thank you.”
“…Don’t mention it.”
“You even did that strange makeup because of me.”
“I did it because I wanted to.”
Shuen let out a small laugh and said.
“Your lies are terrible, commoner.”
“…”
Awkwardly smiling, I waved at Shuen.
*
The harmonious atmosphere continued to linger.
Shuen, who had stiffened up, was chatting as if she had a motor attached to her mouth, and even Mikhail, who was finally taking a break from training and enjoying his rest, began to show a blossoming smile on his lips.
A completely different mood from the original.
What had started as Mikhail’s “hospitality” to extract Shuen’s confession regarding the theft incident had now turned into a genuine conversation between “person” and “person,” bringing a light smile to my face.
But Shuen…
‘…’
Was awkwardly smiling and looking for me.
It felt like I was having arrhythmia.