CH 5

Was black hair supposed to be this colour?

Marienne was deep in thought. She swore she’d never fallen for a dark-haired male character before, and the attributes that made them so appealing were generally not to her taste.

Instead, if they were described as lightly pigmented or with soft brown eyes, she was immediately drawn to them. A gentle voice with a hint of wistfulness in it made her sigh.

It was the best when he became devoted to the heroine. It’s the best apart from the sadness. It means that he gave everything until he reached the level of a devotee.

Then, once in a while, they’d get desperate and black out, but the same black out was different when it was done by a sweet brunet sub. It would be nice if they didn’t use too much obvious sewage. Usually, it only brings the main characters closer together, and then they are cleaned up by the black-haired leads.

When praising brown hair like this, people sometimes misunderstood it. “If they have brown hair, do you like it no matter what?”

Marienne calmly replied, “No, I don’t like brown hair. It’s not that I like brunets, it’s that their natural attributes are enhanced by their brown hair.”

But despite her calm answer, her conscience was pricked. Am I really a colourist? She questioned herself.

Marienne Didi looked back on her past life today. It was all because of Vileon, who dyed his hair black.

‘You’re giving off a dangerous vibe.’

Dyeing his hair doesn’t change his face. Vileon’s gentle exterior remained the same: he conducted meetings, dealt with people, and laughed generously at the young maid’s mistakes.

It was Vileon Byers himself, with no signs of discomfort.

But then, strangely, things changed.

First of all, the darkening of his hair brought out his natural white skin. His green eyes, which had been reminiscent of a beautiful tree in the sun, turned into finely crafted emeralds to match his dark hair. Vileon’s green eyes were as sharp as his jawline.

In a word, the atmosphere changed to that of a cold, high-ranking aristocrat, and people reacted great when he smiled with this atmosphere.

‘By the way, we changed his hair for Odette to like him, but why is it only the distant, difficult women who like it?’

The maids, the staff of other departments, the ladies and noblemen who visited the palace, you name it, wrote love letters to Vileon. Women were constantly dropping their handkerchiefs in front of him.

That was Marienne’s new job. Marienne’s new job was to follow Vileon a couple of paces behind, and coldly pick up the women’s spilled handkerchiefs and hand them to him.

Now it was a matter of pretence. She could tell by the look in the women’s eyes when they were about to drop their handkerchiefs. To prove how good she was at this, one day she snatched the handkerchief out of the air before it even hit the floor.

“Whoa! Whoa, go away ants.’

Marienne was on the defensive with all her might. It was pointless to have a woman who wasn’t Odette clinging to Vileon. It would be better if he could at least induce jealousy, but Odette and jealousy were as far apart as heaven and earth.

It was the fourth day since Vileon had turned his hair black.

At last the news reached Marienne’s ears that he and Odette were to take a fifteen-minute walk in the rose garden. Marienne leapt for joy. It would be their first meeting since Vileon had dyed his hair.

As soon as she spotted him in the distance, Marienne, who had been staring in the direction of the rose garden with a lump in her throat, ran to him.

“How was it?”

Marienne asked, her eyes shining.

“What did Her Highness say? Does she think you look good? Does she think you’re okay? Does she think you look different?”

Marienne blurted out her questions without taking a breath. It was only when she heard Vileon’s answer that she could breathe.

“A familiar, yet somehow unfamiliar feeling! Are you the man I knew? Did she feel that way, that erotic, yet inexplicable feeling?”

“That.”

“Quick, quick, quick, quick!”

Marienne stamped her foot impatiently in place. Anything she could say would be good, and she couldn’t wait to hear it.

Even if Odette had no reaction to his new hair colour, she didn’t mind. This was just the beginning. I didn’t expect Odette to fall in love with him immediately when he dyed his hair black.

She might not get used to it at first, but the more she looked at it, the more she would linger.

“Did she say anything to you?”

“No.”

Vileon said simply.

“She just rolled her eyes as soon as she saw it.”

“Eyes… rolled!”

That’s a good sign.

“She was speechless for a moment.”

Even better!

“She smiled.”

“Heup…!”

Marienne was about to repeat Vileon’s words verbatim, but stopped herself. Laughing at someone usually meant something good, but she had a feeling this was an exception.

“It’s much darker than I expected. For a moment, I thought it was someone else.”

“Ah…”

Odette’s words echoed through Vileon’s gravelly voice.

“Dark hair looks good on you, but I somehow prefer your old colour. It suits you better.”

My point, Your Highness, the Fourth Empress. That’s exactly what I’m saying. It’s rare to have fine, almond-colored hair like Lord Byers’.

Marienne pursed her lips in frustration.

But why are you marrying a dark-haired man if you think he looks better with brown hair?

Marienne felt like crying a little. Everyone but Odette is raving about Vileon’s black hair! Odette actually said she preferred his old brown. It’s his hair, he just needs to dye it again. But it’s not the colour of his hair that matters, so what can I do about this foreboding discouragement?

“Aide Didi, you’re not going to cry, are you?”

Vileon tilted his head slightly to study Marienne’s face. It was the only way his six-foot-four1 frame could see into Marienne’s tiny face.

“I’m not… cry…ing…”

“You sound like you’re crying.”

“I’m not…”

“I guess Aide Didi had higher expectations than I did.”

Vileon smiled gently.

“To see you so upset when you said you didn’t care what Her Highness’ reaction was.”

Marienne strained her facial muscles to keep from actually crying. She’d been so fine just a moment ago. Just a little down, but bearable. But now that Vileon was being so sweet to her, she felt like she might actually burst into tears.

“I’m not hurt… Heuung…”

“If not, what is it then, changing my hair colour was your first mission as a spy?”

“I’m not a spy, heu, hng.”

“It’s not even an important first mission, which brings us back to the reason we were just talking about.”

So much for the secret service mission. Vileon knows now that Marienne Didi is not a spy. Apart from taking her up on the offer to dye his hair, he’d done some research on her that day. She was a solid worker.

He’s so good at his job, but he never puts himself out there like he’s in love. If only he’d been a little bolder with his approach, Odette wouldn’t be so squeamish and express her dislike.

Vileon simply dyed his hair after being tipped off by a subordinate that Odette liked black hair. And he liked her enough to do so, but now he was trying to placate Marienne.

‘I really don’t know what to make of this guy. Who’s comforting whom now?’

He could have said something in front of Odette, at least. It would be nice to use his eloquent speech in a situation like that. If Odette says that his old hair color was better, he could use that as an excuse to continue the conversation. I don’t want to go to work. If only I could, he should have said that he would walk around with Her Highness in the garden forever.

But Vileon’s fifteen minutes is a knife, and here she is, feeling like a child.

A fool.

“You’re upset.”

At Vileon’s words, Marienne shook her head desperately.

“It’s okay, I feel bad too.”

“…”

“I guess I’ve been getting my hopes up a bit these past few days, too, and after all that Aide Didi has done for you, it’s a waste.”

Vileon laughed wryly.

“Actually, who cares what colour my hair is, its my qualities that aren’t good enough to win Her Highness’ heart, so don’t be so upset, it’s not because Aide Didi’s schemes are bad, it’s because I’m not good enough.”

He asked Marienne if she had a handkerchief, and if she said no, he was prepared to offer her his.

This man is dangerous. You know what they say about reaching for a place to lie down. There are some people in the world who are grateful for favours, but there are many more who are not. It would be hard on you if you were perceived as the kind of person who takes everything.

“Why are you so nice?”

It wasn’t meant to be a question, but it sounded like one, even to Marienne’s ears. A flash of puzzlement crossed Vileon’s face.

“You don’t like me being nice?”

“No, I didn’t mean that.”

“Then why are you angry?”

Vileon’s voice trailed off.

“For being nice to anyone without speed?”

“…”

“Since you can’t talk back, I guess I’m right.”

He asked Marienne again if she had a handkerchief. She remembered the handkerchief in her back pocket, but for some reason she didn’t want to pull it out in front of Vileon.

Yesterday, Marienne had missed the laundry drop-off time, so she had done her own laundry. The stains didn’t come out as well as they would have at the laundromat. It was also wrinkled because she had skipped the ironing.

It’s a handkerchief, after all. Vileon wouldn’t care if his subordinate’s handkerchief was a little wrinkled. It’s not the handkerchief he cares about, it’s the person in front of him.

It’s Marienne herself who wants to hide the handkerchief.

“I don’t need a handkerchief for these tears.”

Vileon laughed a beat too late as she wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. He hadn’t thought of wiping like that since he was a very young boy. She wondered if she looked like a child, but then a soft voice spoke.

“I remember hearing a similar story.”

Vileon slowed his pace. Marienne finished wiping the sleep from her eyes and quickly followed him.

“Except the person who said it wasn’t crying or angry like Aide Didi, she just said it calmly.”

Somehow, even before I heard it, I have a hunch he’s referring to Odette.

“I hate her because she’s good to everyone.”

Words that don’t appear in the original novel.

“I need something of my own, someone who won’t hesitate to get their hands dirty for me. Someone who is willing to turn the tables on… if not for me, then for a common goal.”

That sounds like something Odette would say.

“So you can’t, Vileon.”

Vileon said in a whisper.

“That was the first and last time you ever called my name.”

“…”

“Does that person know? That Vileon Byers is a good person, but he is not good to everyone.”

Vileon turned his head and glared at Marienne. She remembered calling him a heartless fool in a fit of pique. Even though she hadn’t said it out loud, Marienne felt her insides flush. Then, as if reading her mind again, Vileon smiled.

“She’s only good to good people.”

The smile grew a little more pronounced.

“If I seem kind and nice, it’s because I’m acting like it, and that means Aide Didi is a nice person, too.”

“…”

“Thank you for making me feel so sad that I could see tears.”

I couldn’t say anything. Strangely, my voice didn’t come out well. Marienne just watched the back of Vileon’s head as he slowly walked ahead of her.

I’m completely screwed now.

186cm