"I can't shave you right now, but I can trim your hair."
Suleiman broke into a cold sweat as Navia approached him with a gown in hand.
"Oh, no, I mean..."
Before he knew it, Suleiman was sitting quietly on the stool.
Navia set up a footrest, climbed onto it, and calmly dampened Suleiman's hair with water.
Her serious demeanor, reflected in the full-length mirror, made it impossible for him to protest.
With a resigned smile, Suleiman laughed and let Navia take care of his hair.
"Suleiman is Navia's first customer. How monumental."
Margaret and Minerva were giggling nearby.
Suleiman felt a surge of emotion, but when Margaret offered to pay for the haircut, he accepted it nonchalantly.
Navia, combing through his hair, said, "I'll just trim the length a bit."
The scissors in her tiny hand opened wide like an alligator's mouth.
Suleiman closed his eyes, surrendering to the situation.
Swish- swish-.
Navia skillfully trimmed his hair, comb in hand.
Margaret, watching, was so surprised that her eyes widened.
Minerva, too, was so engrossed that her glasses slipped to the tip of her nose before she pushed them back up.
"What can't she do?"
They watched in awe as Navia neatly trimmed Suleiman's hair by about 2cm and combed it into place, showering her with compliments.
"Now you don't need to go outside for a haircut!"
Navia, setting down the comb and scissors, smiled thinly.
"I'm not that good."
"Don't be modest. This definitely deserves payment."
Suleiman glanced behind him at the commotion.
"Hmm?"
He was surprised to see that his reflection in the mirror looked quite decent.
Even closely inspecting his hair from various angles, it looked as neatly trimmed as if done by a professional barber.
"Is this really Navia's skill?"
"When did she learn such a technique? It's amazing."
Navia, unable to simply say "I learned it after 5 times," just smiled enigmatically.
"Hehe, I really like it. This is the best haircut of my life."
Suleiman kept praising the simple trim as the best haircut ever.
Margaret gave Navia a generous tip disguised as pocket money.
Navia, needing money for a carriage fare for her outings, accepted without hesitation.
"With my hair done so beautifully, tea time will be even more delightful."
Suleiman's face, tense until a moment ago, now beamed with a smile as he proudly presented the dessert he brought.
They moved to Navia's room to properly enjoy tea time.
"Here, this is coffee, quite popular in the Empire these days. Would you like to try it?"
Navia, after tasting the coffee Suleiman was drinking, coughed and choked.
"It's too bitter..."
At this, not only Suleiman but also the others burst into laughter.
Despite her many talents, Navia's reaction to the bitterness of coffee was childlike, sticking out her tongue in disgust.
As Navia neutralized the bitterness with her favorite dessert, Margaret remarked,
"It seems Navia likes new things."
"Really?"
Navia realized she didn't know her own preferences well.
Yet, the cake she was currently eating, drenched in lemon syrup, seemed particularly to her taste.
"I guess so."
'I like new things.'
It was a fresh discovery for her, having never consciously considered it nor had anyone point it out.
Navia became curious.
"What does the Duke like?"
At her question, the servants looked thoughtful.
They were at a loss for words, having never seen him eat anything in particular.
Margaret reminisced and said, "He isn't picky and eats anything. I've never heard him complain about any food."
"I see."
Navia nodded and then continued, "I'd like to use the kitchen for a bit."
As everyone looked puzzled, Navia smiled and said, "I feel guilty enjoying such delicious things alone. I'd like to make a simple snack for the Duke to enjoy."
"How admirable... My lord just sulked and told you to be a barber..."
They immediately moved to the kitchen.
"Shall we make a dessert? A cake, perhaps? We'll include lemons, as Navia likes."
At Margaret's suggestion, Navia shyly nodded.
"Yes, I'd like that."
Navia didn't make a big deal about her cooking skills.
Yet, her quick and efficient hands quickly completed the prep work.
"Is there anything else you need me to do?"
"Oh my, are you already done?"
Navia had cleaned the fruits and prepared the ingredients, even arranging tools like cutting boards and knives without being asked.
Her efficiency left everyone in awe.
"Navia is really smart."
"Indeed."
Navia, though, felt a bit discontent, thinking that a child's body hinders more than it helps.
Margaret chopped the fruits and baked a texture-rich sheet.
Meanwhile, Navia prepared the lemon cream cheese.
"Now, all we need to do is spread the cream."
Navia spread the cream cheese between the halved sheets.
Finally, a flavorful and textured snack was ready.
Navia, gazing at the halved cake, asked, "Can I take this to the Duke?"
Margaret, recalling Lark's earlier dismissal, hesitated.
Meanwhile, Suleiman offered, "I'll take it to him."
Navia curtseyed slightly.
'It's nothing special, but serving homemade food certainly has its unique meaning.'
She wondered if a person who grudgingly writes lengthy letters would consider such sentiment.
Suleiman had been in a great mood all day.
He couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but one thing was certain.
'It feels like living.'
For the first time in a long while, the mansion was filled with a homely scent.
Even Navia, despite her unhuman-like traits resembling her master, contributed to this feeling.
The child had many scars.
That's why, at some point, he genuinely hoped this place would become a sanctuary.
Suleiman visited Lark's bedroom, his face brimming with a smile.
"My lord."
Lark, having lit his room brightly for the first time in a while, summoned a high table in the center and was busy with something.
He casually tied up his long, bothersome hair and sorted through papers.
Suleiman particularly enjoyed these moments when Lark was deeply immersed in something.
Lark was currently studying magic theory.
'No matter what anyone says, he's definitely one of Eseled's own.'
Despite his appearance being more intimidating than scholarly, he was undoubtedly an elite of Esseled.
Suleiman approached him, grinning and fiddling with his hair.
"My lord, don't I seem different?"
Lark responded without even looking at Suleiman.
"Have you gone senile?"
"Calling a man in his prime senile, my lord?"
"You're definitely senile. I'll transform your body later to fix it up, so leave."
Suleiman shook his head and spoke in a sly tone.
"I'm in awe of your discernment, my lord. How did you perceive Navia's skill from three floors up and decide to have her as barber?"
Lark raised an eyebrow and looked up.
"What?"
"Look at my hair. Navia trimmed it."
Lark, with a disgusted expression, slammed the paper down.
Such nonsense, and now suddenly he's skilled at cutting hair?
"Always something new."
"A genius with many talents."
"Genius? That's not even funny."
"It's true. This too, Navia just made it as a special treat for you."
Suleiman revealed the lemon cream cheese fruit sheet cake he made, lifting the plate cover with a flourish.
"Please try it."
Lark replied curtly.
"Take it and get out."
Then he resumed writing equations on a blank paper.
'I can't understand it, written in some ancient language.'
Suleiman glanced at the table, then sneakily placed the plate down and activated a pocket watch magical device with his magic.
"I'll be leaving then."
"With this..."
Suleiman had already disappeared.
Lark sighed briefly and muttered gruffly.
"I didn't give him a magical device for space magic for this kind of thing."
Suleiman was a wind magician.
He could hide or teleport thanks to the magical device created by Lark.
Lark, seemingly too annoyed to even glance at the cake, continued to immerse himself in his research.
He always studied magic theory when he had the energy.
In truth, this was closer to theology than magic theory.
He was researching a way to break the cycle of reincarnation and achieve eternal death.
But the answer remained elusive, despite repeatedly recalculating the same unresolved content.
The conclusion was always the same: an infinite cycle of reincarnation.
"Damn it!"
He impulsively threw his pen and almost overturned the table but hesitated.
That's when he noticed the nicely browned cake.
He picked up a piece of the cake, cut into several portions, and stared at it thoughtfully.
'The kid made this?'
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