Volume 1 - CH 17

Alme and Ena enjoy a casual lunch with two chairs lined up on the table in the kitchen.

The topic of conversation that accompanied the meal was, after all, Campbellina.

While enjoying the sandwiches with lots of ingredients, the two of them freely said what they wanted to say about Campbellina.

“She seemed like a very noble young lady.”

“I was surprised too, because today was the first time we spoke alone… I didn’t think she was such a strong-willed person. I thought she was a little more dainty in front of Mr. Beatos.”

“I’m sure she’s a bit of a cat… but that’s the way she is. He will probably come crying to Alme later on and say, ‘I want to get back together with you after all’.”

“No way. He is a cheater, so I am sure he will find another woman before he comes crying to me.”

“Certainly. If that happens, Miss Campbellina and others will be sorry.”

While they were exchanging light talk, Ena suddenly turned serious. At the same time, the topic switched.

“Or rather, Alme, she said a lot of rude things earlier, didn’t she? You should have said a little more.”

Ena said with an annoyed look. She must be referring to Campbellina’s bad-mouthing earlier that Alme’s hair and clothes are ugly, and she looks unattractive.

She smiled wryly as she recalled the content of the conversation.

“Ah, well, it was troublesome to argue with her. I felt like she was right on target, and I guess you could say that she was hit by a boomerang so that she couldn’t say anything back…”

“Hey, what are you going to do now that you admit it? Because it can’t be helped that you’re trying to be tough… your appearance won’t change.”

Unfortunately, Alme does not have the looks to brush off the “tacky” snide remarks.

Her long black hair is just parted roughly in the middle and tied into a bun at the back of her head. Her dress is a faded gray, unadorned and simple.

The look that Julio called “a dull middle-aged governess” is still there. She is aware that her figure is probably tacky from a general point of view.

Ena looked at her with a sullen look in her eyes and let out a sultry voice.

“Somehow I’m starting to feel sorry for you…”

“I-I’m sorry. But this can’t be helped right?”

“It’s frustrating to say that it can’t be helped…Hey, Alme. Do you have any plans for the afternoon?”

“Huh? No, but…”

She shrugged a little at Ena, who seems to have come up with something.

“Well then, let’s head out to the city in the afternoon.”

“Uh, yeah. That’s fine.”

“Be prepared to be a different person by the time you return.”

“Uh…yeah?”

She wondered what she’s going to do in the city…she was worried, but she still nodded.

After lunch, Ena dragged her to a hair salon in town.

The hair salon that Ena frequented was a fashionable store owned by a plump lady.

It was a small salon facing the street, but it had a glamorous appearance comparable to its surroundings. The large windows were decorated with flowers, and there were many beautiful vases inside the store.

The owner of the salon called out to Alme and Ena, who had just arrived, in a relaxed and elegant voice.

“Oh, welcome. Would you like to make an appointment? Or would you like to have your hair done right now?”

“I’m here to discuss my friend’s haircut, is this a good time?”

“Yes, of course. Come on over to the sofa.”

“Uh, sorry to bother you…”

As she was guided, she sat down on the rattan sofa near the entrance of the store. She secretly talks to Ena, who is sitting next to her.

“Wait a minute, Ena. Are you saying I’ll be a different person if I cut my hair?”

“Well, for now, just consult with her. If you introduce a friend to this shop, they’ll give you a consultation for free! Since it’s a big deal, let’s hear the opinion of a fashionable professional. Whether or not you really want to change your hairstyle will be discussed later. If you think about it — I’m sure you’ll want to change after the consultation.”

She sat down on the small two-seater sofa, and while confused, she thought, hmm.

(Well, if it’s just a free consultation… I wouldn’t come to such a stylish beauty salon myself, so if I had to say, I think it’s a good opportunity.)

If she hadn’t been taken by Ena, she didn’t think she would have set foot in a salon like this on her own.

She used to cut her hair by herself or had a lady in her neighborhood who was good at cutting hair do it. Because it is common for ordinary people to cut their own hair, there are many people who have no connection to hair salons.

Alme looked around the stylish interior of the hair salon. Being in such a space, she felt as if her maidenly spirit, which lies deep in her heart, was being stirred to the surface.

She supposed this is also a strategy of the store. As a fellow business owner, she would definitely like to learn from this. When she got home, she would take a look at the interior of the shop.

The owner pulled a chair across from Alme and sat down, smiling softly.

“Once again, my name is Durie, your hair stylist. I will be happy to help you with any kind of consultation you may have.”

“My name is Alme, and I’d like to talk to you about…”

Struggling to answer, she glanced at Ena who is the one who pulled her into the hair salon, so she wanted to hear her intentions first. Ena started talking fluently without hesitation.

“She’s newly opened a shop selling sweets, and I was wondering if you could give her some recommendations on hairstyles and such for her work.”

“If you are dealing with customers, it is better to be glamorous and clean. With your current style, your hair is clean, but it looks stiff. It’s a good style for behind-the-scenes at a high-end restaurant, but if you’re going to be out front, you need to add a little more flair. If it’s a casual restaurant, it should be more cheerful than glamorous. The friendliness of the waitstaff will attract more customers.”

“I see…”

Alme couldn’t help but be impressed by what Ena had discussed and the shopkeeper’s advice.

She had been completely unconcerned about the fact that as one’s job changes, so does the way one dresses for work.

It makes sense to dress for work in a way that makes a good impression on customers. It is a good thing to consider if she wants to attract more customers.

Alme was impressed and, feeling uplifted, asked a question of her own.

“Umm, even with black hair like mine, is there something you can do to give it a more glamorous impression? Because the store is a casual sweets shop for the common people.”

“Of course. I’d like to break up the mature look you’re having now a little – well, let’s see, I’ll make bangs, undo the bun and arrange it to the side…Excuse me for a moment.”

The shopkeeper, perhaps feeling more comfortable, undid Alme’s bun and let the hair fall loosely to the side. That alone gave her a soft impression, and Alme, who looked in the mirror, blinked her eyes.

“What do you think? Doesn’t it change quite a bit? If you cut the whole thing a little more and cut the bangs, it will give a brighter impression.”

“Um, is that so…I see.”

Alme replied to the smiling shopkeeper with her expectations and hesitation.

She also wants to take the plunge and change her hairstyle as suggested. However, she’s so used to the hairstyle she’s had so far that she can’t take the plunge easily…

After tapping Alme on the shoulder, Ena said.

“The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have a good idea of what you want to do. It’s not that big of a haircut, is it? If you like your hair the way it was, you can always change it back.”

“…Well, if you put it that way, that’s true. Alright.”

Ena’s words pushed her back to face the shopkeeper. She’s just got an extra income, scrap money. Let’s just say that the money gods have her back.

“May I ask you to cut the hair as you suggested?”

The owner smiled broadly and led Alme to the cutting table with fluid movements.

Changing to a hairstyle suitable for a new job was one reason, but another reason might have been she wanted to remove the hairstyle she had when she was the fiancée of Julio and feel refreshed.

As the hair was being cut off, she felt as if all the bad memories were also being removed.

Half an hour later, Alme left the hair salon and walked around town with her long, silky black hair.

Since she changed her appearance, she decided to spend today without tying her hair up and enjoy her new hairstyle.

“I’m not used to it, but changing my hairstyle for the first time in a while makes me feel excited.”

“It suits you very well! I’ve always thought that it would be nice if you let your hair down. It’s not that the bun didn’t look good on you, but I’ve always thought that it’s a waste because your hair is smooth. You used to put it down a lot before, didn’t you?”

“Come to think of it, I did.”

Ena reminded her of this. Come to think of it, in the past, she used to wear her hair down, braid it on the side, or tie it up in a ponytail.

It wasn’t until she got engaged to Julio that she fixed her hair in a tight bun.

(After I got engaged, Julio’s mother at the time was very strict, so I had to choose a bun.)

Julio’s mother was a strict person. — to put it correctly, she was a petulant person.

The previous head of the Beatos family died early, so Julio is the head of the family in a sense. In reality, however, it seems that his uncle is almost always in charge.

Julio’s mother is not on good terms with his uncle. She had intended to be in charge of the Beatos family after her husband’s death, but she was angry that his uncle has taken over the authority.

Julio’s uncle decided to engage Julio and Alme. It seemed that his mother was opposed to this engagement.

Because of this situation, whenever Alme met her, she always scolded her.

“If you are going to help Julio, don’t wear perfume, hand cream, or anything scented. It would distract Julio.”

“What if the makeup powder stains the grimoire? Makeup is forbidden.”

“You must tie your hair up and put it back. It will get in the way.”

“And no high-heeled shoes. They are too noisy and will disturb Julio.”

“Your dress should be simple and easy to move in. And of course, no flashy colors. It’s too much for the eyes to take in. I feel sorry for Julio, who has to spend time with you.”

These were the kind of criticisms that came her way. To avoid this, she bought a few inconspicuous gray dresses to wear around the house, and decided to fix her hair in a bun every day.

(She stopped being so nagging after I started looking the same every day.)

Thinking back on it, she laughed a little inside. Now that she thinks about it, it’s really not so trivial.

She wondered what Julio’s mother’s attitude is toward his new fiancée, Campbellina. She wondered if she is happy since it is a marriage proposal that doesn’t involve Julio’s uncle and she is a noble’s daughter.

(…No, stop thinking about it. It has nothing to do with me anymore.)

She shook her head to shake off her thoughts. She is no longer her future mother-in-law, she is now just a stranger. Her current state of mind is completely unimportant.

(From now on, I have to call her Mrs. Beatos, not mother-in-law.)

Just as she shook off the thought, they arrived at their next destination.

It was a clothing store for the common people, dealing in second-hand clothes. Even though it’s used clothes, it not rags, and there are many beautiful and stylish bargains.

She had been to this store several times before, but she had not had the chance to come here recently.

“When you change your hairstyle, don’t you also want to change your clothes? I thought we’d come here.”

“Thank you, Ena. I haven’t been here for a long time! Hey, can I ask you a favor?”

In front of a shop overflowing with colorful clothes, Alme strongly took Ena’s hand.

“I’m thinking of selling all the work clothes I’ve had so far, so could you find some nice clothes for me instead?”

“Of course, leave it to me! I’ll show you how to choose clothes that will make you cute! A cute salesperson will make the shop prosperous, so I’ll pick it all out!”

As expected of the flower shop’s signature girl. Alme is sure she can count on her.

However, she hoped that Ena would refrain from picking out clothes that would expose her bosom, though.