Countess Youngae’s Money-Sweeping Makeup Shop - Chapter 50

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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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50

 

I looked at the quiet street compared to the daytime.

 

Before I knew it, time had approached night and the world had changed to dark colors.

 

I walked toward the carriage and looked at Ricardo.

 

“Take my carriage to where Youngsik’s carriage is. My feet hurt.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Ricardo nodded easily.

 

When Lili and I got on the carriage and Ricardo boarded as well, the carriage slowly began to move.

 

Inside the carriage were only the three of us who were tired, so no conversation took place.

 

Lili seemed tired as she leaned against the carriage trying to take a nap, making it even quieter.

 

Then my eyes met with Ricardo’s as he regained focus.

 

His lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something.

 

“What is it?”

 

When I spoke first, Ricardo stared at me expressionlessly then leaned his head against the carriage.

 

“I was thinking that Yeongae seems truly amazing.”

 

“All of a sudden?”

 

“Yes. Even though I’ve only done this for one day, both my body and mind seem extremely exhausted.”

 

“I thought that might happen. I was startled earlier thinking you had fainted.”

 

“I’m just amazed at how Yeongae manages to do this work. To be honest, Yeongae could make money even while staying still, so why…”

 

“Why do I go through this trouble on purpose?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Why do I do it?

 

Well, because I want to become the best makeup artist in this world.

 

And by making makeup trendy, I want to tell people not to look down on anyone since anyone can transform,

 

to see complexes as individuality and have confidence in themselves,

 

because I want to convey that message.

 

But more importantly than that…

 

“To remind myself that I started this work because I love doing makeup for people.”

 

“Remind yourself?”

 

“Mm, there was a time when I thought doing makeup wasn’t enjoyable for a while. Of course, when something you love becomes your job, it’s hard to enjoy it.”

 

“Can you remind yourself just by running this shop? It seems like you’d enjoy it even less because it’s so hard.”

 

I blinked a couple of times.

 

It is hard, but thinking of my past when I had no customers, this is probably one of the most enjoyable moments in my life.

 

“I’m having fun. I mean, everyone who comes are customers who came to get makeup from me. It’s also interesting to hear their stories about why they’re getting makeup.”

 

“Yeongae is quite unique.”

 

“Is that so? Don’t you feel the same way, Youngsik? If someone seeks me out, it feels like that person has acknowledged that I’m the best in that field. Something like that.”

 

“‘The best.’ Do you have someone like that too, Yeongae?”

 

“Me? I do too. Lili and the color alchemists, in a different sense Galdrid Youngsik? Oh, and Jesuert Youngsik too.”

 

“What do you mean by different sense?”

 

“Exactly what I said. Galdrid Youngsik is a good helper when escaping from the manor. Hehe. Besides that, there’s no one like Galdrid Youngsik when it comes to thinking of me.”

 

“…More than that person?”

 

Ricardo looked at Lili.

 

Certainly Lili thinks of me a lot and helps me, but it was hard to beat Felix.

 

He was the person who prepared a birthday party on my birthday when no one else celebrated it.

 

As memories of that birthday came back, a smile naturally formed.

 

“Because Felix was the only person who prepared a party for my birthday. Everyone else was having birthday banquets but Father seemed to have forgotten.”

 

“May I ask when your birthday is?”

 

“Ah, the day Youngsik gave me a hairpin as a gift and did my hair. That was it. I had forgotten too but he remembered. We couldn’t have a proper party though.”

 

“Why couldn’t you?”

 

“Count Galdrid called for me, so I had already left before I could go to the room where the party was prepared. But I still shared cake with Lili, so we did everything we needed to do.”

 

“I see. Then where am I ‘the best’ for Yeongae? …Face?”

 

Ricardo’s ‘the best.’

 

Well, face isn’t wrong either.

 

I closed my eyes briefly and thought.

 

Soon I gently opened my eyes and looked at Ricardo.

 

He seemed to be full of anticipation.

 

Like a cat waiting for praise after doing a cartwheel.

 

I chuckled.

 

“Face is one thing, but Jesuert Youngsik is ‘the best’ at focusing on me. It’s different from Felix who thinks of me.”

 

“Did I show such behavior? I’m not sure.”

 

“Really? I’ve seen it a lot. You perfectly found what I wanted and needed.”

 

“As I recall, the only thing I specially prepared for you was hiring people.”

 

“Even aside from that, reading my messy business plan and giving advice, telling me things I missed, putting in hairpins. Those things are included too.”

 

I folded my fingers and blurted out things that came to my tired mind.

 

Looking back, I realized Ricardo had been focusing on me more than I thought.

 

Ricardo, who had been fidgeting with his hair, looked at me.

 

“I will focus on Yeongae even more from now on.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I don’t want to lose my position as ‘the best.'”

 

‘Why?’

 

One word got stuck in my mouth.

 

Asking again would seem too much like an interrogation.

 

While I was thinking of another question, the carriage stopped.

 

“Thank you for the ride. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Ricardo got off the carriage without any lingering attachment.

 

When he bowed in greeting, I followed suit.

 

And the carriage started moving again.

 

Looking straight ahead, the carriage suddenly seemed incredibly spacious.

 

It felt like something was missing.

 

This view was familiar, but today it felt strangely awkward.

 

I leaned my head against the carriage.

 

I could strangely feel my heartbeat clearly.

 

Was it beating fast?

 

There hadn’t been anything surprising or exciting this time.

 

I lowered my head and curled up my body.

 

My ears grew hot with each heartbeat.

 

What if, just maybe, by any chance,

 

what would I do if I started to like Ricardo?

 

No, liking him wouldn’t be a problem in itself.

 

The problem would be if I couldn’t concentrate at work because of my feelings, or if my mind couldn’t rest because I was thinking about various things alone.

 

The makeup fees were not small amounts.

 

In such a situation, the moment I made a big mistake, the business could really fail.

 

Moreover, here the consumers almost all knew each other like one group, so there would be few chances to recover.

 

This wasn’t just my business alone but a business with Ricardo’s money invested too.

 

‘I can’t become an idiot who ruins the business because of personal feelings.’

 

I took a deep breath.

 

Think about money, money.

 

Do you want to live laughing happily in a stable future, or live alone struggling with money?

 

The former. The former. Definitely the former.

 

As long as emotions don’t die, I can fall in love anytime.

 

But here, if you mess up in the early stages of business, you can’t just do it again anytime.

 

I have to think of this as the first and last chance.

 

I clenched my fist tightly, then slowly released the tension.

 

So I need to keep a clear distance.

 

I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again and straightened my posture.

 

***

 

Everything depends on your mindset, and once I started focusing on work more than I expected, Ricardo didn’t even catch my eye.

 

Work, take Lili home as soon as work ended, go home and write daily reports.

 

By repeating this routine, before I knew it, the time working with Ricardo had passed.

 

It seemed like Ricardo tried to talk to me here and there, but I deliberately ignored him.

 

As a result, the two of us no longer engaged in small talk.

 

“Hello!”

 

“Welcome!”

 

As if keeping his promise with me, Ricardo sent 3 employees the very next day.

 

Even if they didn’t know makeup in detail, they were all good at finding combinations that suited different images and tones.

 

These kinds of people could easily settle into the job once you taught them to some extent and let them gain experience.

 

Starting an hour before opening, I taught the new employees the manual and educated them about cosmetics.

 

When they had learned to some extent, opening time approached.

 

I helped Lili, who had been cleaning alone while I was teaching, finish the remaining setup.

 

Seeing diligent Lili made my heart ache.

 

Even though it wasn’t her own shop, she said she quit her maid job to fully support my shop.

 

According to Lili, she could earn more money here, so she wanted to focus on this place.

 

For such a Lili, I bought a house that was a bit far from the shop but relatively safe.

 

It wasn’t big, but it was sufficient for Lili to live alone.

 

All of this was possible thanks to Helena’s emergency makeup classes.

 

Even though it was difficult, I didn’t regret being able to give a house as a gift to Lili, whom I wanted to repay like this.

 

And so I opened the shop today as well.

 

In the early stages of opening, there was a slightly chaotic feeling.

 

But thanks to the hard-working employees, the shop’s atmosphere gradually found stability.

 

Working constantly was no different from usual, but I felt less fatigue.

 

Among the employees, there was one person who particularly stood out.

 

“Lucy.”

 

“Yes! Did you call me?”

 

Lucy had the unique appearance of white hair and truly perfect personality for a salesperson.

 

She was a woman who was bright, kind, playful, yet knew how to maintain boundaries.

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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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