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 2

There was no end to those days filled with such pain, and I continued to work tirelessly from morning till night, killing my spirit. I dyed my hair in a filthy manner, sometimes staggering from hunger.

The black hair dye powder I was making at the behest of Countess Everly, no matter how hard I tried, never turned out well. My hair was sticky and disgusting, and the dye stained my shoulders, making my shabby dress even dirtier. The area around my face was similarly smudged with dye, and I looked like a beggar on the street.

When my hair started to grow, Padma would usually come with scissors, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

“How unsightly. Cut it off! You don’t need long, beautiful hair! You don’t go to parties, and you don’t have a fiancé. You’ll stay in that filthy outfit and continue working as a servant in the Everly household until you die!”

Saying that, Padma grabs my hair roughly.

“Kyah…! It, it hurts! Please stop…!”

“You’re so noisy! …Hmph. Why do you have hair like that anyway… It’s so infuriating. Got it!? If you forget to dye it even for a day, I will never forgive you! I’ll tell Mother, and she’ll give you the strictest discipline ever!”

While shouting like that, Padma roughly chopped my hair up to my shoulders.

I eventually realized that Padma actually had a complex about her dull red hair. One day, when I quietly opened the door to Padma’s room to clean, I found her sitting in front of the vanity, sighing and talking to herself, even though I had assumed she was out.

“Sigh… Why is my hair this color? …If only I didn’t have these freckles on my face…”

She must be struggling with her appearance in her own way. I can somehow understand that the harshness she shows towards me is a reflection of that.

But having my hair roughly cut off like this is incredibly painful for me too. When I was young, my mother would gently comb my long, well-cared-for hair every day, put on cute hair accessories, and tie it up for me.

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

Every time I remember my mother’s kind words, I am enveloped in an unbearable sadness.

That said, Count and Countess Avery would never allow Padma to resist by saying, “Don’t do it anymore.”

Out of humiliation and sadness, whenever Padma roughly cut my hair, I couldn’t stop crying.

I work tirelessly without any fun, and I have no friends. Even the servants in the mansion don’t talk to me about anything unnecessary. It’s a lonely, desolate, and painful daily life.

However, there was only one person who was kind to me during those harsh days.

“Hello, Michelle. You seem to be having a tough day again.”

“Oh… Mr. Steve. Welcome.”

Steve Hazel, the Earl’s son. The second son of the Hazel family and Padma’s fiancé. Padma and I were the same age, both having turned eighteen, but Steve was four years older at twenty-two.

The day Lord Steve came to the Everly estate to meet Padma, my heart always felt a little lighter. However, it was never out of any feelings of unrequited love or anything like that.

“Thank you for your hard work every day. …Here, this. It’s a secret from everyone in the count’s family. Eat it secretly later. It’s baked goods from a shop that’s currently popular among young ladies.”

“Ah! …Thank you always, Steve-sama…”

Looking around cautiously to make sure no one was there, Steve gently handed me the small paper bag he had in his hand.

Mr. Steve snapped his fingers, winked, placed his index finger to his lips, and said in a low voice.

“Come on, put it in your room while you can. If Padma or someone else comes, I’ll handle it for you.”

That pretentious gesture didn’t really suit Steve, who was by no means a handsome man, but to me, he looked just like a prince.

The person who noticed that I am being mistreated in this Everly mansion and not even being given proper meals, and who occasionally shows me kindness.

The presence of the compassionate Steve was a great emotional support for me in my loneliness.