Countess Youngae’s Money-Sweeping Makeup Shop - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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14

“A proposal?”

“I’ll make it as close as possible to the feeling Your Highness the Crown Princess desires. In return, I’d like Your Highness to attend a place where many yeongae gather while wearing the makeup I’ve done.”

“Hmm, no additional payment needed?”

“Yes. But from the next makeup session onward, you’ll need to pay. Of course, if Your Highness the Crown Princess can do it yourself, you don’t need to call me.”

“What’s the amount I’ll need to pay from the next makeup session?”

“Oh, I won’t charge much. 10 gold.”

The Crown Princess looked at me with an even more bewildered expression than before.

Why is she like that?

She readily paid 50 gold but finds 10 gold expensive?

Though makeup is a one-time thing.

Still, isn’t that a decent amount?

“Th-that’s all? Isn’t that too little money?”

So flustered was the Crown Princess that she momentarily forgot the formal speech she’d been maintaining.

Hmm, it is quite little money.

But without samples or customers, business fails.

For a first customer, this kind of deal isn’t bad.

I’m also saving on marketing costs, right?

I smiled brightly as if asking what the problem was.

Then I brought one index finger to my lips and made a shushing sound.

“A special privilege for the first customer, you could say?”

“Oh my.”

The Crown Princess’s eyes widened, then she blushed slightly on her cheeks and let out a small laugh.

After some time passed like that, the laughter subsided and her gaze settled.

A gentle but bitter smile appeared on the Crown Princess’s face.

“Alright. I’ll accept that proposal. Um, Ebennain Yeongae.”

“Yes.”

“Can makeup change into any kind of feeling?”

“It would be difficult to become the same face, but as for atmosphere, I can change it however much you want.”

“Would it be possible to do the complete opposite atmosphere? Something completely different from me.”

“…Sharp and elegant yet charming, like a cat?”

“Does it suit me that poorly?”

“Is that His Highness the Crown Prince’s preference?”

“Oh my, you know about it.”

“I once liked him too, actually.”

A pitying gaze directed toward me then lowered.

Where that gaze touched were the Crown Princess’s hands.

Her delicate fingers fidgeted timidly.

No matter how old she was, she seemed younger than me or around my age.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess had been paired since childhood, and the Crown Princess had lived looking only at that trash until now.

The Crown Princess’s first love was probably the Crown Prince.

First love.

To give up a first love she’d had unrequited feelings for decades at this age.

The Crown Princess was definitely a strong person.

Unlike during our negotiation, I spoke carefully.

“If it’s not rude, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

“Yes?”

“How about trying a different atmosphere instead of His Highness the Crown Prince’s preference?”

“A different atmosphere?”

“Rather than matching someone else’s taste, I think it suits better to match one’s own desired taste.”

“One’s own desired taste.”

“To put it simply, something like ‘pursued beauty’?”

“I’ve never heard of ‘pursued beauty’ before.”

“Don’t you have something like that? Clean atmosphere, cute atmosphere, classical atmosphere, etc. Not simply His Highness the Crown Prince’s preference, but a taste your eyes are naturally drawn to.”

The Crown Princess tilted her head slightly, closed her eyes, and made a humming sound as if thinking.

Watching that, I picked up one gold coin.

Then I closed one eye and examined the sparkling gold coin with the other eye, put it down, and smiled brightly.

“That kind of thing is called ‘pursued beauty,’ shortened to ‘pursued beauty.’ My pursued beauty is being rich.”

“Rich, do you want to have more money than now?”

As soon as the question came, I answered immediately with sparkling eyes without any filtering.

“Yes!”

“I see. Um, my mind always only thinks of that kind of atmosphere. Other appearances are difficult.”

That’s understandable.

Next time she comes, if she has a desired image in mind, she’ll tell me then.

For now, customer satisfaction is the top priority.

I nodded and gathered the gold coins from the table, holding them with both hands full up to my chest.

Then the Crown Princess, who had been watching that sight, covered her mouth with one hand and let out laughter as if she’d never looked gloomy.

“Pfft. Put them down for a moment. I’ll have someone bring a pouch.”

“Ah.”

Did I look too materialistic?

But!

With gold coins sparkling like this right before my eyes!

How could I stay still!

I wanted to immediately hug them and go into my room to scatter them on the bed.

And if I could flail around on top of them like making snow angels on snowy ground, nothing would be happier than that.

Of course, I didn’t have that many gold coins right now.

But someday if I earn a lot of money, a bucket list item was born that I’d like to try at least once.

Please. Success. Gold coins. In heaps!

When she called for someone, a person quickly entered the room, and the Crown Princess gave orders to that person as if accustomed to it.

How long had we been talking when someone who appeared to be a maid returned with an ivory-colored pouch and placed it in front of me.

I immediately worked hard to put the gold coins wrapped in my skirt hem into the pouch.

I stood up from my seat, preciously hugging the now-heavy pouch.

When the Crown Princess bid me farewell, I greeted her back asking her to contact me three days before her desired date, then left the reception room.

Thud.

As the reception room door closed, my legs trembled.

“I somehow pulled it off.”

It was like this when I got accepted to university as a backup candidate in the past, and when I got hired as staff at a makeup shop.

A strange sense of liberation and achievement from having accomplished something.

Anticipation and anxiety from things going so well, etc.

Various emotions crashed like waves simultaneously, then suddenly became calm, and my strength drained away completely.

“Huh.”

Was that why?

My body swayed.

My vision blurred, then clatter, thud!

When I came to my senses, I seemed to have already kissed the floor.

Even so, this had never happened before.

If anyone steals my gold coins, I’ll call the forensic team and do fingerprint investigation!

***

“Meow. Meow.”

I heard cat sounds by my ear.

This chirping sound is somehow familiar…

Wait, this is Cheese!

As soon as the thought occurred to me, I opened my eyes wide.

Then I saw the ceiling of my apartment, and when I sat up abruptly, a short-haired cat with orange fur looked at me and tilted its head.

Looking at the food bowl, it was completely empty.

Must have been hungry.

“Oh, food. Our Cheese was hungry, right? I’ll give you food right away.”

I got up and opened the old sink cabinet.

The cat food and treats inside were expensive and recently purchased.

When I brought the food container and poured the kibble with a rustling sound, it made a clanging noise against the metal bowl.

Meanwhile, Cheese rubbed against my calves below, urging me to hurry up.

“I’ll give it to you quickly, so wait just a little, Cheese?”

As I was laughing and measuring out the proper amount, I was startled when Cheese hissed at thin air and looked in that direction.

***

Blink.

“What are you doing?”

“Aaaahhhhh!”

What I discovered as soon as I opened my eyes was my precious, beautiful, one-and-only angel in the world—Kiel reaching for my money pouch.

And as soon as Kiel made eye contact with me, he was startled as if he’d seen a ghost, withdrew his hand, and comically fell backward by himself.

Did he just let out a high-pitched scream and fall over after being caught trying to steal?

What is this.

Were you just trying to touch my babies?

Fatigue still remained in my body.

So things that I would normally ignore were all irritating me.

“Hah.”

I exhaled deeply and then inhaled again.

I put strength in my stomach and screamed shrilly.

“Get out right now, you thief!”

I think there was a squeaking sound in the middle, but Kiel’s face turned pale as he crawled on the floor and then hurriedly opened the door and left.

My head hurt after screaming.

I pressed my head firmly at the throbbing sensation.

But Kiel wasn’t the type to run away so easily.

Of course, he did have some cowardly aspects though.

While thinking it was strange, I closed my eyes, thinking it was fine since I protected the gold coins anyway.

‘How did I get back?’

‘No, no. Let me sleep first and think about it later.’

‘Ah, I think I’m a bit hungry.’

‘No, no. You’ll gain weight. Sleep more and eat when you wake up.’

As soon as I closed my eyes, various thoughts came to me as my mind remained awake.

But fatigue overcame all those thoughts, so I relaxed my body to fall asleep again.

“…”

‘Is that really 50?’

I had dismissed everything, but suddenly thinking about money, headache or whatever, I sat up abruptly and opened my eyes again.

My money!

I brought the money pouch that was on the table into my arms.

I sat cross-legged like I remembered dividing cash the day before going down to my hometown for holidays.

With a serious expression, I poured the gold coins between my legs.

And I carefully counted the numbers as I moved them one by one to the pouch.

“One, two, three, raccoon, squid sounds delicious. Six, seven…”

Clink, clink.

Every time a gold coin disappeared from between my legs into the pouch, my heart rode a roller coaster.

“Huh.”

When I counted the last number like that, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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