Countess Youngae’s Money-Sweeping Makeup Shop - Chapter 65

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

65

 

Upon arriving at the manor, Ricardo immediately returned to his room, removed his mask, and stood before the mirror.

 

He carefully traced the scar on his right cheek with his fingertips.

 

The sensation of lips touching and Sillia’s face smiling so prettily while looking at him came to mind.

 

The scar seemed to burn hot.

 

He couldn’t tell if his face was flushed or if the spot where her lips had touched still couldn’t let go of the heat.

 

“If you don’t like me during the vacation, I’ll like you even more when I come back!”

 

Such a thing was impossible.

 

Sillia seemed to know this too.

 

Yet she had made that strange proposal to like him even more if he didn’t like her.

 

His curiosity soon shifted Ricardo’s gaze toward the letter Sillia had given him.

 

Before dinner, Ricardo opened the letter to check its contents.

 

Hello, Jesuert Youngsik.

 

By the time you read this letter, we’ll have parted ways, right?

 

If you’re reading this when we haven’t even secretly parted yet, quickly close it again!

 

If not, then keep reading.

 

Actually, I was going to tell you this in person, but when I tried to say it out loud, I got nervous, and I felt like Ricardo would strongly oppose it.

 

So I ended up telling you like this, almost like a notification. I’m sorry in advance.

 

I’m going on a trip far away.

 

I’m not sure if it can be called a trip though.

 

A travel attempt? A trip where neither going nor returning is guaranteed.

 

I’m going to visit the Spirit World.

 

Ah, I’m going to see my mother, so you probably don’t need to worry.

 

I’m the daughter of a spirit!

 

So I’m going both to say hello and to secure a contract necessary for the process of making that business we talked about before successful.

 

But this does carry some risk.

 

If by any chance I can’t be reached even after the vacation period, please take good care of our shop.

 

I’m deliberately leaving manuals and makeup methods all on the back pages before I go!

 

Lucian will contact the Count’s family, so you don’t need to worry about that.

 

You’ll probably come running as soon as you see this letter, but you still won’t be able to catch me, right?

 

I’m going to attempt the trip with Lucian as soon as I arrive.

 

Ricardo, you trust me, right? Even if I fail, I’ll survive as long as I properly come up from the lake!

 

If I succeed in just getting to the world, returning shouldn’t fail.

 

My mother wasn’t such a cold person.

 

Wait well for me.

 

PS. I’m taking the video stone, but I probably won’t be able to use it. Still, if Ricardo wants to contact me, try muttering to yourself. Who knows? I might answer!

 

And my handwriting looks pretty decent now, doesn’t it?

 

From someone who might like Ricardo,

 

Sillia Ebennain.

 

As soon as Ricardo read the last word of the letter, his heart began pounding.

 

Sillia’s face looking up at the sky came to mind, and his body trembled with anxiety.

 

Looking down at his trembling hands, he gripped the letter tightly.

 

‘I have to stop her, I have to stop her…’

 

There had been countless times when he was confused because of Sillia.

 

But this was the first time in his life he couldn’t think of anything and was filled only with anxiety.

 

His breathing kept stopping.

 

He knew such behavior was strange, but that wasn’t important.

 

Ricardo immediately went outside, took his black horse, and headed to the Ebennain Estate.

 

Ricardo’s memory wasn’t clear during his journey to Sillia’s bedroom.

 

Several people seemed to have spoken to him, but since only Sillia occupied his mind, other elements didn’t remain in his memory.

 

As soon as he arrived at the bedroom, Ricardo opened the door while panting.

 

The bedroom, filled with moonlight, had no sign of human presence whatsoever.

 

Only the white terrace door was wide open, with white curtains fluttering in the wind.

 

He stared blankly at the moonlit terrace as if his soul had left him.

 

He repeatedly clenched and opened his empty hands.

 

“See you after the vacation!”

 

When Sillia came to mind, waving her hand gently with a bright smile, Ricardo’s lips twitched.

 

Soon, Ricardo closed his eyes to calm his emotions and slowly let out a sigh.

 

His pupils, beginning to show between his eyelids, flashed with a brilliant golden light.

 

Then a large golden bird like an eagle appeared before Ricardo.

 

“Lucian, I need to find that man.”

 

***

 

“So we’re really doing this.”

 

“Well, should we do it fake then?”

 

Standing in front of the huge crescent-shaped lake, I stretched long and did some stretching exercises.

 

I tried to look at the lake as if nothing was wrong.

 

This lake was also one that Lucian had found through someone he knew.

 

The rumors that had spread secretly seemed to be somewhat true.

 

According to what Lucian’s acquaintance said, it was true that you could go through the lake on a night with a crescent moon, but you couldn’t go through just any lake.

 

You could only go through one lake designated by the moon, or something like that.

 

Even spirits didn’t know this well and could only sense the approximate location.

 

And the exact location could only be known on that night. That’s something I can know too – was what they had said.

 

Looking at the lake, I definitely felt something different.

 

This feeling that there might be a mysterious door.

 

Lucian beside me tilted his head with his arms crossed.

 

“Do you feel something?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“It just looks like a lake to me.”

 

I glanced at Lucian shrugging his shoulders and finished my stretching.

 

Worried it might be hard to move, I deliberately tied my hair up tightly and wore a shirt and navy blue pants.

 

I wore a brown crossbody bag on my shoulder.

 

Inside it, I had put the video stone and necklace that Lucian had given me, wrapped in cloth.

 

The cloth was supposed to prevent the two items from exploding while being carried and moved.

 

He had bragged tremendously beside me, saying there were only a few of them.

 

I patted his shoulder gratefully, and Lucian made a “hmm” sound before becoming quiet again.

 

I let out a deep sigh and gripped the bag strap tightly.

 

Now I really have to go.

 

Come up right away if it’s hard, don’t overdo it, put my life first.

 

I swallowed hard while staring at the dark lake, then looked at Lucian.

 

“You remember the plan, right?”

 

“Yeah. I already sent the carriage off. I just need to laze around at that villa pretending to be you. Illusion magic is difficult even for me. I’ll charge you more when you come back.”

 

“That’s why I said I’d help you shop for cushions. If it’s made by a spirit, I’ll work hard to make it for you.”

 

“No matter how I think about it, I’m at a loss.”

 

Listening to his grumbling, my tension somewhat disappeared.

 

I pressed the area around my heart, then exhaled my last breath and smiled with confident vigor.

 

“Then I’ll go and come back, so keep watch well.”

 

“…Just come back alive, boss.”

 

Splash-!

 

With Lucian’s farewell, I jumped into the lake.

 

As for swimming, all I had learned was watching children learn to swim briefly in the past.

 

Still, thanks to not being afraid of water, I was able to awkwardly follow along and try swimming.

 

I flinched at the sensation of cold water soaking my entire body, but gradually relaxed as my body slowly warmed up.

 

However, the lake I thought was shallow turned out to be incredibly deep from the start.

 

I felt fear as my feet couldn’t touch the bottom.

 

‘I want to go up, I want to get out! I’m scared!’

 

In that moment, my body tensed up and I felt myself sinking as my posture collapsed.

 

The more I struggled, the more I sank, making my heart race.

 

I don’t want to die.

 

Was it wrong to start this?

 

Why did I do this?

 

I felt like I was going to cry.

 

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them slightly from the strain, only to see deep darkness before me.

 

When I lifted my head up, I could see moonlight just barely.

 

Bubble bubble.

 

Seeing oxygen escape between my lips made my eyes sting.

 

I can’t die like this!

 

Mother Sillia, I’m trying so hard, so you should take me to the spirit world!

 

Hey there-!

 

Sparkle.

 

As I screamed these emotions in my mind while wanting to cry, I saw a light shining in the darkness through my stinging vision.

 

At the same time, my mind became hazy and my eyes stopped stinging.

 

As if I had lost control of my body, I was entranced by the light and moved my feet deeper following it.

 

The moment I reached out toward the light while feeling sounds gradually disappear and my vision become cloudy,

 

My vision flashed bright white.

 

***

 

“Mmm.”

 

My whole body felt damp and wet.

 

The sticky discomfort lifted my heavy eyelids.

 

Then I saw flame-red hair curling and flowing down below my field of vision.

 

“Oh. Roo, that human woke up-.”

 

A person with a blank expression spoke slowly while looking the other way, then turned their head back toward me.

 

Then those gray eyes examined me and tilted their head.

 

“Huh, you did wake up, right? Can you see me, human…?”

 

The person waving their hand in front of me started poking my cheeks and head like playing with a toy when I didn’t respond.

 

Excuse me, my mouth won’t move, you know?

 

Stop touching me-

 

Smack.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

The hand that was touching me was caught by someone.

 

“Roo?”

 

“Phil, they just woke up so they can’t speak yet. What’s the harm in waiting?”

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