“It smells nice. What is it?”
“It’s an oil that you can use for hair care, and it will control your hair from becoming frizzy.”
“Oil! But don’t hair oils have a more peculiar scent? Most of them are white in color, but the bottle contents are transparent.”
“This one is made from vegetable oil, and no animal fat is used. It doesn’t have an unpleasant odor and doesn’t clump when applied on long hair.”
Rishe had made all preparations before leaving Garkhain.
Most of them were based on the premise that she would meet Myria at the Grand Shrine.
In addition to the stuffed animal she used for her magic trick, she also has an assortment of homemade hair oil, hand cream, and everything else that made Myria appreciated in her life as a maid.
The three bottles of hair oil she took out from her trunk were each Myria’s favorite scents in her previous life.
“Which one of these do you like best?”
“I’m not sure which one I like best! I like them all, but I think I’m in the mood for lilac.”
“Pfft. Then, let’s go with lilac today. Please sit here.”
She sat Myria in front of the mirror stand and poured out the bottle content into her palm.
A sweet, but not overpowering floral scent gently permeated. She rubbed the oil in both hands and carefully applied it into Myria’s hair.“I’ve never seen hair oil like this before. Is it distributed in Garkhain?”
“No, it’s mainly distributed in the eastern continent. It’s not easy to find on this continent, so I made them.”
“You made them? Rishe-sama?”
“Yes. It’s easy as long as you have all the ingredients, so let me teach you how to make them next time.”
After she finished applying the oil, she received the brush from Myria.
As she combed through the tangled hair, she tamed the hair that became frizzy from the humidity. Myria’s eyes sparkled, watching the change.
“Amazing… It was so shaggy just now.”
“We have plenty of time, so let’s just continue braiding it. Can I leave that to you?”
“O-Of course!”
Myria’s cheeks flushed as she looked at Rishe through the mirror.
“Somehow, it feels like when my mom asked me.”
It was an inaudible and brief soliloquy.
Myria probably didn’t mean for Rishe to hear it. She understood it, so she just smiled and she didn’t reply.Instead, she chatted with her casually as she let her braid her beautifully colored hair.
“Oh, by the way, how was your dress yesterday?”
“I didn’t try it on and put it right back! The measurements should be right, and I didn’t want to spend too much time changing.”
“Oh, you can’t judge the balance of the hem and sleeves until you try it on, can you?”
“Because we’ll dye the dress? It might be the right length for a white dress, but it will probably be different for a pink dress! If that’s the case, I’d better get it done fast. We’ll dye it beautifully, and if I feel that the balance is not right, we can adjust it on the spot!”
“Hmm, indeed. You’re right, Myria-sama.”
As they were talking, Myria suddenly looked out the window.
When Rishe followed her gaze, she saw Leo walking in the courtyard. He was not heading for the forest, so he was probably running an errand.
“Myria-sama, do you ever chat with Leo over there?”
“I don’t want to talk to that kid, because he takes me as a child all in all.”
“It’s true that you are a year younger than him…”
“Ah, it’s experience, not the number of years you’ve lived that determines your mental age!”
Myria’s gestures were childish as she sat on a chair and swayed her legs while stating something mature.
But all of a sudden, her expression clouded. She gently lowered her eyes and muttered melancholy.
“I’m sure Papa has no qualms about taking in a child from an orphanage.”
Rishe nodded, feeling the echo of melancholy in her words.
“Papa brought Leo in as a servant out of the blue. At an orphanage run by the Order, Bishop Schneider asked him to help because he was fighting all the time.”