And so Navia unexpectedly became the barber of Eseled.
Returning to her bedroom, Margaret tutted over the last letter sent by Lark.
"It's unbelievably petty spite."
She was harsh in her assessment of her lord. But it was warranted.
"Moreover, a barber. If there's no hair to do, no salary comes out. It's clear why he assigned such a task."
Navia couldn't enter the 3rd floor. Yet, a barber.
'No money to earn if there's no lord's hair to trim.'
Barbers typically did more than just trim hair; they also took on shaving duties.
It was a job where tips were earned, but for Navia, there was nothing she could do.
Navia needed money and thus protested to Lark but received a reply to not fuss about it as she knew nothing.
'It can't be helped.' She thought, when suddenly...
"This won't do."
Margaret abruptly said it wouldn't do. Navia blinked her eyes.
Her expression read, 'What on earth?'
Margaret explained.
"Prepare for hair cutting conspicuously. I’ll tell him Navia is eagerly waiting. We need to scratch his conscience at least."
Navia wore a shocked expression.
What if Margaret hears something while doing this?
"No, Miss Margaret. Please don't. I'm fine."
"The lord must duly pay for torturing a child's hopes."
Minerva, quietly beside them, nodded in agreement.
"Ri, right."
So, Margaret and Minerva set up a space for hair cutting next to Navia's room, almost like staging a protest.
Navia followed them around, pleading with a troubled expression.
"There's no need for this, I'm really fine."
"We have scissors, a comb, and a curling iron, everything's here. Oh my, we could really open a shop like this."
"Th, there's a cloth for the floor and a gown to wear too...!"
They placed a cloth and stool in the middle of an empty room and brought a full-length mirror.
Next to it, a low storage cabinet reached up to Navia's waist.
Scissors and a comb were neatly placed on it. They also brought a lamp and placed a small pot nearby.
The completed setup was...
'It's just child's play.'
It was nothing more than a place for children's barber play.
"It's done!"
"It's wonderful...!"
But Margaret and Minerva applauded and celebrated its completion.
'Uh-hum.'
Navia reluctantly raised her hands and clapped.
Then Minerva pulled something else out of her bag.
"This, I made it, thinking you might... need it..."
It was a child-sized kerchief and apron.
"Wow, Minerva made this?"
Navia marveled at the black kerchief and cute black apron with pin-tucked pleats.
'Her handiwork is really amazing.'
Embarrassed, Minerva scratched the bridge of her nose and said,
"We, well, they were originally yellow, but I, I accidentally left them outside and they turned black..."
"Stained?"
Navia tilted her head in confusion as Margaret explained.
"Ah, in the mansion, non-living things like glass, transparent gems, silver, and gold turn black after a certain time. But if you store clothes in a golden wardrobe, they don't change color."
Could such a phenomenon exist in the world?
'Ah, that's why the wardrobe in my room was made of gold.'
Navia's mouth fell open at the phenomenon that seemed straight out of a fairy tale.
'Come to think of it, everything here was black.'
"It's a very mysterious phenomenon."
Navia's simple admiration made Margaret laugh.
Usually, people would consider it ominous or some kind of curse.
'Children would typically be more scared. Some might find it fascinating.'
But few people reacted as plainly as Navia did.
Navia, donning a bonnet and an apron, seemed unconcerned about the mansion where everything turned black.
She guessed it must be some kind of magical phenomenon.
And living inside it, she wasn't the type to be prematurely scared by baseless thoughts of curses or the like.
Navia put on a black apron over her white pajamas. Margaret adjusted the bonnet to complement Navia's hairstyle.
Navia briefly tilted her head.
'But why would I need a bonnet for hairdressing...?'
Was it just made as a set with the apron?
Navia was satisfied with that thought.
After she was all dressed up, Margaret clasped her cheeks and made a pained sound.
"Oh my, how cute!"
Minerva, too, clasped her hands together, her eyes twinkling as she admired how perfectly Navia suited the clothes she had made.
"Miss, you are the most perfect model in the world......"
She was so overwhelmed that she didn't even stutter.
"Eh? Were you all here?"
Just then,
"I came to say let's eat dessert together after buying it."
Suleiman, having bought necessities, came to see Navia's new pajamas but was puzzled to find everyone in an unexpected room.
"What's all this?"
Margaret quickly informed Suleiman about what Lark had written during his absence.
"Suleiman, the Lord has asked Miss Navia to be a barber."
"Do you want to see the letter?"
Suleiman, bewildered, continuously stroked his white beard.
A barber? To an eight-year-old girl? From someone who doesn't come down from the third floor?
"Oh...... the Lord, really...... What do you plan to do?"
Navia thought of Lark's long hair.
Tied up in a high ponytail, his strong jawline would be exposed, giving him a warrior-like look; half-tied would be somewhat sloppy, but have a scholarly vibe.
All this was only possible if Navia could actually fulfill her role as a real barber.
Navia shrugged.
"Who knows? It would be great if I, as a barber, could neatly trim the Duke's hair, but will I get the chance?"
Hearing Navia's calm speculation, Margaret quietly bit her lip, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous Lark's response seemed.
Suleiman also pressed his forehead and sighed.
"Phew."
Margaret, trying to hold back her laughter, wiped away tears and said,
"It would be good to trim lord’s. Hasn’t he been growing it for 9 years already?"
Navia realized from Margaret's words that he hadn't always maintained long hair.
'He's been growing his hair for 9 years. That's quite a long time.'
Navia imagined Lark with his hair cut short in her mind.
'He looks good with long hair, but short hair would definitely suit him too.'
It was natural considering he possessed a beauty that wouldn't fade no matter the hairstyle.
Navia, feeling awkward about her own position, said to Suleiman,
"Every position has its opportunities for promotion."
That was the conclusion Navia had come to after receiving Lark's reply.
"How can every word you speak be so exquisite!"
Navia, praised again for a mere trifle, dropped her gaze to her fingertips.
She couldn't always be modest, but she also lacked the audacity to accept the praise outright.
'The important thing is to achieve results.'
Navia already had a plan for that.
'It's Theorban who manages Eseled's living expenses.'
In the 8th round, the first thing Creed did upon his arrival was to expose Theorban's unfair contract and reclaim the rights.
He cited the fact that the head of the family was only eight years old when Theorban snatched the business from Lark as evidence of Theorban's wrongdoing.
'Of course, that alone wouldn't be enough to reclaim the business.'
Even after becoming an adult capable of understanding the unfairness of the contract, Lark had not reversed the decision.
This became a weak point in Creed's argument, yet for some reason, Theorban had readily returned the business.
'There must be some other critical weakness of Theorban that hasn't been revealed.'
Finding that weakness on her own was difficult.
Navia had no guardian, no money, and was young.
However, there were organizations that could help her.
'I can use information brokers.'
But to reach them, she needed to hire a carriage, and Eseled didn't have a resident coachman.
She would have to hire a day laborer coachman from outside.
Navia couldn't shamelessly ask for money. Being fed, housed, and even provided with nice pajamas was enough for her.
'Margaret said to just ask for help, but that's something to be said in a moment of absolute desperation.'
An annoying child is unwelcome anywhere.
'How am I going to earn money...?'
She had planned to get a reasonable position and earn activity funds. But as a barber, there seemed to be no answer.
As Navia was lost in thought, Suleiman looked at the makeshift barbershop they had set up and chuckled.
"It's quite well equipped, isn't it?"
"Of course. It's not a joke."
"I guess I should try a haircut now that it's all set up like this?"
Suleiman said teasingly, to which Navia turned her head.
"Oh, would you like that?"
"…Huh?"
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Access 5 advance chapters with the Agnes of Water Tier ($10) or 10 advance chapters with Duffman of Dominion Tier ($18) For every $15 collected on Ko-fi, I will release an extra chapter. Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones. Happy reading!
