Chapter 39

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Mirrors and Scissors
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But no one answered Aileen. They were all frozen, their eyes wide.

Aileen immediately lowered her gaze. She had revealed her face because she hated being the cause of their fighting, but she knew this was the reaction she would get.

*‘They’ll probably tell me to just cover my face again.’*

The grotesque, hideous eyes her mother had hated more than anything in the world.

Suppressing the urge to hide, Aileen slowly inhaled and exhaled. Then, she raised a hand and unfastened the pin. With a soft rustle, her bangs fell, obscuring her vision. It was the world most familiar to Aileen.

Until that moment, neither the dressmakers nor their staff had said a word. They all stood with their mouths agape. The first sound they made was a gasp.

“…Good heavens.”

That breathless gasp was the signal for a sudden flurry of activity. The atmosphere in the dress shop, which had been filled with despair just moments before, was now buzzing with energy. The owners, who had been busy fighting with each other, were now in perfect sync.

“Innocent. It has to be innocent. Like a fairy! It’s an outdoor wedding, after all.”

“Yes. We can just replace the sleeves on the current dress with lace. And we should add a touch of uniqueness, so it’s not too classic.”

“Let’s go with chiffon. Something light that will flutter gently in the wind.”

“For once, you’ve said something useful.”

They exchanged sharp remarks, barking orders at their staff in complex, technical terms. The employees scrambled to follow their commands. The woman in the flamboyant dress pointed a finger and shouted.

“Get a hairdresser, now!”

As if this were the most important thing of all, a staff member rushed outside. The woman in the solid-colored dress gently guided Aileen. She belatedly introduced herself.

“You can just call us by our shop names.”

The woman in the clean, monochromatic attire was the owner of , the one in solid colors was from , and the one in the flamboyant patterns was from .

The three women, with their starkly different tastes, clearly did not get along. Even in the brief moment they introduced themselves to Aileen, they were busy glaring at one another.

However, when it came to dressing Aileen in a wedding gown, they were of one mind. Aileen changed into the wedding dress in the back of the shop with their help.

“Let’s pin up your bangs until the hairdresser arrives.”

“I’m going to tighten the waist. Please breathe in!”

“Let’s try these lace gloves on your arms.”

The three of them chattered as they dressed her, leaving her utterly bewildered. Feeling like a doll, Aileen was swept along by their ministrations. Once they had her changed in a flash, they gazed at her with expressions of pure awe. Roseto declared with a serious face.

“You will be a bride remembered for all of imperial history.”

They fussed over Aileen as they led her back out. Diego, who had been talking to one of the staff, widened his eyes in surprise. He was momentarily speechless, then stammered in a flustered tone.

“You’re so beautiful…”

He looked genuinely astonished, praising her beauty over and over. He even seemed frustrated that he couldn’t find a better word than ‘beautiful’. As Diego’s compliments flowed endlessly, the tips of Aileen’s ears turned red.

“Please, look in the mirror.”

Bellezza turned Aileen toward the mirror. But Aileen quickly looked at the floor instead.

It had been years since she had faced a mirror with her face fully revealed. For others, it was a daily occurrence, something they did several times a day, but for Aileen, it required immense courage.

*‘But they all said I was beautiful.’*

It was likely just empty flattery to lift a customer’s spirits, but they all sounded so sincere that Aileen was swayed. Dressed in such a beautiful wedding gown, she thought, maybe it would really be okay.

She secretly took a deep breath, steeling herself. Then, she cautiously raised her gaze. The moment she finally looked at her reflection in the mirror.

“…”

Aileen gave a hollow laugh. She had just remembered why she hadn’t looked in a mirror for so long.

In the mirror stood a woman whose face was painted pitch black. It was a mess, as if a child had scribbled all over it with a black pencil. The wedding dress worn by such a monstrous woman didn’t even register.

*‘My face… I couldn’t see it even if I wanted to.’*

Ever since her mother had given her the glasses and she had started wearing her bangs down, she had thought of herself as hideous. As a result of constantly running, hiding, and looking away, Aileen had truly become unable to see her own face.

Her eyes were fine, so something in her mind must have broken, but she had never thought of fixing it. She had no desire to see such a monstrous sight.

“I love it. May I change back into my clothes now?”

Aileen forced a smile and praised their work before changing back into the clothes she had arrived in. The twisting feeling in her heart eased somewhat.

Just then, the hairdresser arrived, brought in by a panting staff member. She ran a salon right near the dress shop and had rushed over in the middle of a late lunch.

The moment she heard she was to style the hair of the future Grand Duchess of Erzet, she had dropped everything, meal included. The hairdresser sat Aileen in a chair and draped a cloth over her clothes.

“I’m just trimming your bangs, so it won’t take even ten minutes.”

They suggested she try on another dress after the haircut, so Aileen simply agreed. If she had her way, she would have fled to the safety of her bed at the brick house, but she forced herself to endure it.

But the moment the hairdresser picked up the scissors, Aileen felt something was wrong.

Her heart pounded as she stared at the scissors. The hairdresser’s movements seemed to slow as she brought them toward her. The silver blades glinted under the light.

Her vision narrowed to a black tunnel. The voices around her sounded distant and indistinct, and the only thing filling her ears was the frantic beating of her own heart. A high-pitched ringing followed, so loud it felt like her eardrums would burst.

*I’m going to die…*

The moment primal fear filled her to the brim, Aileen frantically opened her mouth.

“S-Sir Diego.”

She instinctively sought out the one person who could help her. The instant he heard her trembling voice, Diego rushed over. He pushed the hairdresser aside and knelt before Aileen. He took both her hands and met her eyes, whispering in a low voice.

“It’s all right. Breathe slowly.”

“Hah, hah…”

“Inhale, and exhale. Slower. You’re doing well.”

Aileen trembled violently, desperately clutching Diego’s hands. She followed his instructions, breathing in and out.

Thankfully, after a few moments of regulating her breathing, she returned to normal. Aileen looked up at Diego, her face pale. He smiled gently and whispered to her.

“How about we stop with the dresses and go get a cup of tea?”

***

The terrace café, bathed in the afternoon sun, was peaceful. It was a place frequented more by the middle class than the nobility, and being set back from the road, it was quiet and calm.

An elderly woman with a magnificent voice like an opera singer took their order with an elegant air. She exchanged a brief greeting with Diego before heading into the kitchen.

“I’m a regular here. They make excellent cornetti and cappuccinos. I get my breakfast here most mornings.”

Having ordered for Aileen, Diego picked up a piece of paper and a pencil from a nearby table. He quickly sketched a cat on a small memo pad and handed it to her.

“This is the little guy I own. Cute, isn’t he?”

Looking at the drawing, which resembled a tiger more than a tabby cat, she couldn’t help but laugh. When Aileen smiled brightly, Diego, having achieved his goal, smiled back with satisfaction.

“There’s also a white cat that’s been hanging around my house lately. We’re pretty close. He might just move in soon, too.”

As they were talking about the fat white cat, the old woman returned with foamed milk, a cornetto, and an espresso. Diego pushed the milk and the cornetto toward Aileen.

Aileen wrapped both hands around the glass of milk. She focused on the warmth spreading through her palms, trying to shake off what had happened at the dress shop.

More than anything, she felt ashamed. *What must the people at the shop think of me…* It was a small mercy that she hadn’t collapsed pathetically on the floor.

“Thank you, Sir Diego. You must have been startled because of me…”

“I wasn’t startled. You see things like that often on the battlefield. But this is the first I’ve heard of you being afraid of scissors.”

Diego waved a hand as if it were nothing, then paused for a moment before asking.

“…May I ask?”