Countess Youngae’s Money-Sweeping Makeup Shop - Chapter 82

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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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82

There were no customers, but there were!

The footsteps of nobles had stopped so cruelly abruptly.

But I was still busy.

Because I had gained a new customer base.

Sales had definitely dropped significantly, but at least it wasn’t zero, right?

After doing my best with the actors’ makeup, Caspian contacted me excitedly saying that the Acting Guild’s recognition was definitely starting to rise.

Then when I had time left over, I checked documents for operating the Downgrade Makeup Shop.

For now, Lucian was providing stable mass production.

Even though he grumbled every day, when I sent him gold he had no soul, but seeing him get motivated for about 3 seconds saying he’d work hard, I thought Lucian really did love money.

We had also found a decent location for the current shop and were in the middle of remodeling.

Now if there was a big problem, it would be that my finances seemed like they wouldn’t be able to keep up much longer.

With the Middle-aged Man’s investment, things were covered to some extent for now, but this would definitely hit rock bottom soon.

I needed to quickly find out why nobles weren’t coming and establish the Academy too…

“There’s too much to do!”

Crying out, I lay on the bed and stamped my feet like a child.

I was gradually getting properly hit by the karma I had brought upon myself.

Just what kind of people are business owners who run multiple businesses at once?

They must be superhumans, I thought as I closed my eyes.

Tomorrow I need to wake up early, put on makeup, get dressed, eat, take the carriage, meet Ricardo…

Snore.

***

“…Sillia. This might be unnecessary meddling.”

“Yes?”

“Are you really alright?”

“Me? I’m completely fine?”

“…”

“Did my makeup not turn out well today?”

“What? That’s not it. You seemed tired, so I asked.”

“Tired… hmm, that might be right? I slept properly, but I’ve had a lot of work lately so my body feels a bit heavy.”

Though I didn’t know it would show on my face to that extent.

I had even deliberately done bright pink-toned makeup to look cheerful.

Making a groaning sound, I squeezed my eyes shut tight then opened them.

Feeling a sharp gaze, I looked straight ahead then rolled my eyes upward, and there was bare-faced Ricardo looking down at me.

Why is he doing that?

It felt like I had done something wrong, so I smiled while breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Is there some problem?”

“Sillia, you seem to need to take things a bit easier. Have you forgotten that you collapsed from overexertion before? How many more times are you planning to collapse in front of me?”

“What? I haven’t collapsed in front of you except for that time at the lake, have I? And strictly speaking, the lake incident was more like you rescued me after I fainted.”

“You have collapsed in front of me. Before opening your current shop, do you remember when you collapsed then?”

“Before opening? Hmm, um. Ah, I remember! Huh? But wasn’t it Felix who found me then?”

“…Guardrid Youngsik came after Sillia had collapsed.”

“Then why weren’t you there when I woke up?”

“Thinking about it now, I’d like to ask my past self too. Back then, I really didn’t want to remain just friends or business partners, it seems.”

“Huh? What does that have to do with leaving?”

At my question, Ricardo turned his gaze away.

After a long silence, his eyes that had been looking out the window slowly turned back toward me.

“If I stayed there, it seemed like things would be settled into one of those two relationships.”

When he spoke so matter-of-factly without any embarrassment, my heart fluttered.

At that one statement, my lips stiffened and wouldn’t move.

I just avoided his gaze like Ricardo had done, fidgeting with my hands and only uttering words that flowed out naturally.

“Ricardo… it seems you’ve liked me for quite a long time.”

“Yes. It seems so.”

His voice held no hesitation.

My heart pounded and I felt heat rising to my face.

With the burning sensation reaching my brain, I threw out something like “Is that so” and stayed quiet until we arrived.

Ricardo was really a hard person to figure out.

Of course, he expressed his emotions properly.

However, sometimes he would timidly hint at things bit by bit, while other times like now he would calmly reveal everything at once.

He didn’t tell me exactly when he would make his move, so he would suddenly shake my heart without warning.

It wasn’t like he was protesting that I hadn’t properly reciprocated his feelings either.

Before, it seemed like Ricardo was the one being swayed by me, but since returning from the Spirit World, it felt like the initiative had changed hands.

Perhaps because I was thinking about Ricardo, when I came to my senses we had arrived at Juber’s Shop.

It definitely seemed like it had taken a long time.

Get it together, Sillia!

This is the important part from now on.

Don’t space out and miss something important!

I clapped my cheeks with both hands and took Ricardo’s hand as he got out first, then got down myself.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Hello, business spy has arrived!

***

Juber’s Shop had a completely different feel from our shop.

While ours had a fresh, high-class feeling, Juber’s Shop felt antique and like it would obviously only sell expensive things.

There were even nobles bustling about inside.

Wow, so jealous~!

I managed my expression with effort and looked around.

The overall furniture arrangement and such was similar to our shop.

A space for selling cosmetics, a space for receiving makeup, a space for hair, and a waiting space.

The system seemed similar too.

The slightly strange thing was that they were definitely doing makeup, but as Pebello had told me, there was no trouble coverage at all, and the colors didn’t match at all either.

Honestly, it was seriously terrible makeup.

Was that the standard of beauty here?

The thought that I wanted to fix it right away dominated my mind, but I forced myself to calm down and approached the counter.

“Oh my, welcome! How may I help you?”

“Hello. I’d like to make a makeup appointment – when would be the earliest available time?”

“Just for Miss Ebennain?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll help you next!”

“Is that really okay? There are people waiting over there…”

“The Marquis firmly instructed us to schedule the next available time as soon as you arrived, miss.”

He said to schedule me immediately when I came?

What about the other people?

No matter how much I wanted to find out quickly, I didn’t want to find out like this.

This could be another trap too.

“I just came to look at cosmetics today. The other customers all have schedules too, and it would be awkward for me to interfere with that.”

“Everyone would say it’s fine.”

“…If it’s alright, could you schedule me for later?”

“When would be convenient for you? We’ll accommodate you as much as possible!”

“Um, would there be any available time next Wednesday?”

“Next week, Wednesday… Ah. 4 o’clock works for me.”

“Then please schedule it for that time.”

“Understood.”

I thought they’d tell me to do it right away, but they scheduled the appointment more smoothly than expected.

Juber didn’t even look this way.

He was doing makeup while talking with a customer.

Seeing how happy he looked, I wondered if Juber was someone who purely enjoyed doing makeup.

I made the appointment and looked around at the cosmetics with Ricardo.

Looking at the cosmetics in their luxurious containers, I wanted to buy them for collection even if I wouldn’t use them.

I applied one of the sample shadows on the back of my hand to test the color payoff.

It’s incredibly smooth. What is this made of?

That’s when it happened.

“Ah!”

“Sillia, are you alright?”

Ricardo, who was beside me, caught me and examined me with concern.

Am I alright?

No, not at all!

My head hurt so badly it felt like it would split open.

At the same time, my stomach churned violently and I felt like I was going to vomit.

My strength suddenly drained away and I was trembling, practically being held up by Ricardo.

Through my blurred vision from the throbbing headache, I could see the cosmetics.

What did they do to those cosmetics?

No, there’s no solid evidence yet.

Maybe I just had indigestion today…

Still, I hurriedly wiped the cosmetics off the back of my hand with a handkerchief.

Then the pain completely disappeared as if it had never been there.

“Huh…?”

“Can you move? Let’s go to a nearby physician first.”

“Ah, yes…”

In a dazed state, I left the shop with Ricardo’s support.

Before leaving the shop, when I looked around, I felt chills for some reason.

Not a single person in the shop was paying attention to me or looking my way.

Like dolls, they were all looking only at Juber and smiling.

That sight was somehow eerie.

We left the shop and visited a famous physician who lived nearby.

After examining me, the physician tilted his head.

“Aside from some fatigue, you’re perfectly healthy with no particular problems.”

At those words, I looked at the handkerchief I had used to wipe off the shadow earlier.

Then could it be a magical rejection reaction?

But Lucian clearly said that what he uses doesn’t cause harm.

If they try to force a change…

‘It was like they were under some kind of spell.’

‘If it’s dark magic, doesn’t it cause all kinds of harm? Like to the mind and such.’

‘It’s high difficulty but not impossible.’

‘Things related to the mind or life are dark magic, after all.’

A chill ran down my spine.

The words I had heard before flashed through my mind.

Could there be magic that makes you change something mentally?

As I walked out of the building in a serious state, I heard a familiar voice.

“Yes, I just went somewhere briefly. I’m open for business today.”

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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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