The Black-haired Noblewoman, Who Disguised Herself, Seems To Have Been Doted On While Serving As The Caretaker For The Duke Who Dislikes Women - Episode 18

When I went to the dining hall, breakfast had been prepared just for me at the large long table where I had dinner with the Duke and Mr. Curtis last night.

Freshly baked bread with the aroma of butter, omelets with cheese, vegetable-rich soup, thick ham steak, salad, fruits, and yogurt…

Everything is incredibly delicious and makes me happy, but the exceptional treatment makes me feel somewhat guilty and restless.

After returning to the room, I asked Amanda.

“Um… when and where do you and the others have your meals? There’s a separate cafeteria for employees, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. After we wake up and get ready, each of us has breakfast in the employee cafeteria before starting work.”

“……I knew it.”

“Oh, but Ms. Michelle, you are not a servant but a guest. … Hehe. If you’re being considerate, that’s fine. The master instructed us to treat you as a guest and take care of you so that you can recover your strength during your stay. So please, don’t hold back and take your time.”

Ms. Amanda says that, but thanks to her, I think I’ve already recovered enough. At least I’m much better than when I was at the Count Avery’s residence. I want to do something. I can’t just sit still when I feel this good.

“I also… would like to help with the work at the mansion. I’ve already had enough rest.”

I tried to convey that, but Amanda shook her head without hesitation.

“Stop joking around. My husband will get mad at me. More importantly… how about I trim the ends of your hair a bit? I’m quite skilled at it. I’ll make it look nicer than it does now. You have such beautiful hair, after all. You should take good care of it.”

“Ah, thank you very much…”

I feel like the conversation got sidetracked, but it’s true that my hair, which Padma roughly chopped off, looks terrible. I’m grateful for Amanda’s kindness.

Moreover, her words now were strikingly similar to those of her late mother.

“Your hair color is truly lovely, Michelle. Is it a gift from God to you? It makes your already cute self even more charming. Hehe. You should cherish it.”

We have to take good care of it.

Hearing those words, I suddenly remembered my mother, and my chest tightened painfully, almost bringing tears to my eyes.

I was instructed to sit in a chair, and to prevent the cut hair from prickling my dress, a large cape-like cloth was wrapped around my neck. Amanda-san, saying “Alright,” eagerly began carefully cutting near my side hair. In the bright room where warm sunlight streamed in, the sound of Amanda-san’s scissors was the only thing that echoed for a while.

The pink hair falling gently. Watching it, I feel inexplicably happy and my spirits lift. It’s been a long time since someone treated my hair so gently, and it’s the first time I’m cutting it this short. Amanda-san feels almost like my real older sister.

I had already fallen in love with her.

After that, after a while────

“Yes, it’s done! Wow, if I do say so myself, it’s really well done. So cute! I’m sure my husband will be surprised too.”

“Oh, thank you very much, Amanda.”

“Yeah. Hey, look, check the mirror.”

Prompted by Amanda, who had removed my cape, I moved to the mirror, my heart racing.

“Wow…!”

How is it? Doesn’t it feel much better than before?

“Y-yes…!”

Seeing my reflection in the mirror, I can’t help but smile.

The loosely wavy, pale pink hair, carefully trimmed to a length that doesn’t even reach the shoulders and falls around the chin, now shines golden under the sunlight.

All the young ladies my age have their well-maintained hair elegantly long and flowing, but… right now, I’m just a commoner named Michelle. I don’t mind at all.

“It’s light and beautiful, and I’m really happy…! Thank you so much, Amanda-san…!”

“If you say that, it makes me happy too. I’m sorry, but the lengths were so uneven… To make it look natural, I had to cut it to match the shortest part. But it looks really lovely. Pure and fresh, it suits your image perfectly.”

At Amanda’s kind words of praise, my cheeks and chest gradually warmed up.