Eighth Day: Severed Bonds
The next morning, I woke up well into the day.
I had some of the food and candy Lulu had given me.
Though my mouth was still irritated, the pain had lessened considerably.
After preparing a makeshift meal, I found myself feeling thirsty.
Leaving the storage room, I made my way to the well, quietly navigating through the corridors.
Considering the time, it should be around lunchtime, so I thought I wouldn't encounter anyone.
However, just as I stepped out of the building, I unexpectedly bumped into the second princess.
I quickly moved aside, yielding the path, but it seemed she was not pleased.
"I am passing, so prostrate yourself!"
She spoke as if she were the first princess.
Come to think of it, the second princess is often seen with the first princess, so maybe she admires her sister.
As instructed, I got down on the ground with hands and feet touching. As I bowed my head, a voice spoke.
"Long and messy hair. Yes, how about using those scissors to cut this untidy hair?"
The second princess said to the maid who was standing behind her.
The maid showed a momentary sign of hesitation.
Perhaps cutting a woman's hair might be a significant issue in this world?
Well, even in my previous life, forcibly cutting someone else's, especially a woman's hair, would be considered a crime.
However, the maid put on a smile on her face.
"If that's what you desire, Your Highness."
"Then go ahead and cut it."
"Understood."
The maid approached me with pruning scissors in her hand. Another maid held flowers, likely the ones the second princess desired.
Bowing before me, the maid grabbed the scattered hair on the ground and began cutting with the scissors.
A faint intake of breath accompanied the sharp sound of the scissors slicing through my hair.
I kept my face down, waiting for the process to conclude. The sound of hair being pulled and the sharp cutting noise repeated a few times.
Meanwhile, the second princess chuckled.
"I'm running late for lunch, so that should be enough."
Finally, words of forgiveness were spoken, and the maid replied with a "Yes," standing up. Brown hair was scattered at the edge of my vision.
"Haha, it suits you well!" the second princess said with delight.
Simultaneously, a strong gust of wind swept through. A high-pitched scream echoed, followed by a thud as something fell. When I lifted my face a little, I saw the second princess sitting on the ground, covered in my hair.
I quickly returned my gaze to the ground.
"Ouch! What was that wind just now? Why didn't anyone support me? My dress is all dirty now!"
She shouted in a shrill voice, clearly irritated.
The maids hastily helped her to her feet, brushing off the dirt and hair, but it seemed they couldn't get everything.
With a high-pitched voice, she exclaimed, "I'm changing!" and the sound of footsteps returning to the building followed.
The maids hurriedly followed her.
With the place now quiet, I lifted my face and stood up.
My hair, which had reached my knees, was now cut to just above my buttocks. However, due to the haphazard cutting, the length was uneven, and strands of hair scattered on the ground.
Well, if they had cut it a bit shorter, bathing would be more comfortable. The wind blew gently again.
The cut hair that had scattered now gathered near Lulu, who had recently arrived.
"That brat, should I kill her?"
It was a lower, less elongated voice than usual.
I shook my head.
"You don't have to do such a thing."
"Lucienne, your hair got cut, you know?"
"Yeah, but it's okay. It was getting in the way because it was too long."
As I spoke while holding my hair, suggesting it could have been cut shorter, Lulu's demeanor relaxed slightly.
"Also, that strong wind earlier, it was probably you, Lulu, right? Thanks for retaliating. And, thank you for yesterday as well."
I approached Lulu and hugged him tightly.
In response, she ruffled my hair with her free hand.
"You're welcome. Well, if Lucienne doesn't mind, it's all good."
With that, Lulu looked at my cut hair.
"Hey, can I take this bundle?"
"No."
The words slipped out before I could think.
Lulu squinted discontentedly.
"Why not? You don't need it, don't you?"
Well, that's true, but...
"It's not very clean, so no."
I didn't want my current hair, which had only been bathed and not properly cared for, to be left in Lulu's possession. It was damaged, and leaving it behind felt unpleasant.
"What if it's clean?"
After thinking for a moment, I nodded my head.
Lulu then said, "Got it," and the hair in his hands burst into flames, turning into ashes in an instant.
"Well, give it to me someday when it's beautiful, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. But I want yours too."
"An exchange, huh. I'll have to let mine grow a bit."
It felt strange to be holding each other's hair. But doing so might alleviate the loneliness even when we're apart.
The ashes from my hair drifted away in the wind.
"So, why are you here?"
Lulu asked, and I remembered.
"Oh, I came to get water..."
Heading to the well, Lulu followed me. He watched as I drew water from the well, and when I dipped my face into the bucket to drink, he silently laughed.
After all, there were no cups, and the water-filled bucket was too heavy to tilt. So if I wanted to drink, I had to do it by putting my face on the water's surface.
With small hands, I couldn't scoop much, and it quickly spilled and disappeared.
After drinking water, I poured the remaining water outside the well and returned the bucket.
"Going back to the room?"
I nodded in response to Lulu's question.
Roaming around the inner palace would get me scolded. No matter whom I met, they would treat me coldly. So, it's better to stay in the storage room.
"What about you, Lulu?"
"I'm still working~."
"I see..."
Then, going back together to chat might be impossible.
I looked up at Lulu beside me.
"Good luck with your work."
Presumably, Lulu had infiltrated the inner palace due to the coup. Maybe he was monitoring the queens.
If that's the case, the day of the coup might not be far away.
Lulu's eyes narrowed happily.
"Yeah, I'll do my best."
He gently patted my head, and Lulu's figure disappeared.
I touched the head that was patted.
... I met him again today.
Feeling happy, I unintentionally let out a smile.
Returning to the room, I rolled onto the blanket.
My unkempt hair spread out on the blanket.
The fact that my hair was cut no longer mattered because Lulu had worried about me.
More than anything, I was happy that Lulu got angry for me.
Just that made all the unpleasant feelings disappear.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
The second princess had Lucienne's hair cut by that brat.
Cutting someone else's hair is considered taboo, not just in this country but in any country.
Magic resides not only within the body but also in the hair. It has long been said that magical power accumulates more easily in long hair. The act of cutting someone's hair is, therefore, a way to decrease their magical power.
Hence, cutting someone's hair without their consent is an absolutely forbidden act.
In any country, cutting hair without the person's agreement is a punishable offense.
It should be the same in this country.
Even if there was no magical power, cutting a woman's hair is, sensibly speaking, an outrageous act.
Fortunately, Lucienne, perhaps due to her life in the inner palace, seemed oblivious to such common sense.
She showed no signs of caring at all even after her hair was cut.
On the contrary, she even said, "It could be shorter."
It was the same when I expressed a desire for her hair. Hair harbors magical power. Therefore, it is sometimes used as a medium for magic, and its misuse is more common. Normally, people would be reluctant.
However, Lucienne said, "I don't like it because it's not pretty."
She didn't seem to mind handing over her hair to me.
Moreover, she even wanted my hair because she planned to do something with it herself.
Lucienne wanted me.
In distant lands, there is a custom where married couples use a strand of each other's hair to create ornaments, exchange them, and wear them close to their bodies.
Lefebvre recalled this tradition.
And he wanted it.
That's why he wanted Lucienne's hair.
Although he couldn't obtain it, he certainly secured a promise to receive it eventually.
For that, Lefebvre had to let his hair grow.
But that was a joyous thing for Lefebvre.
Lucienne was seeking Lefebvre herself.
"However, that's a different matter altogether."
The second princess must face the same consequences.
She needs to be made aware of how humiliating and painful having her hair cut is.
... I should report this.
Thinking about Lucienne's tangled hair, it was already quite damaged. But just because it was in a neglected, messy state doesn't mean it's okay to cut it. With proper care, it could become soft and pleasant to the touch. The hair that used to reach her knees was now a bit longer than her waist.
Maybe the maid who cut her hair was afraid of cutting it too short. If it had been even shorter, the maid might not have lived to see the morning sun, as Lulu would have made it seem like she died from an illness.
Still, I won't forgive that maid. I'll report it to the employer and ensure she pays for the crime during the coup. Until then, it shouldn't be a problem if she falls a bit ill. I won't kill her, just gather evidence.
It's a bit disappointing not being able to do it with my own hands. But in return, I'll make her do various things.
... That disheveled hair looks pitiful.
But during the coup, that appearance might be fitting. Covered in scars from violence, emaciated, small, wearing tattered clothes crudely torn, and with unevenly cut hair that clearly doesn't suit royalty. No one would say she hasn't been abused.
... The way she clung to me was also adorable.
It's unbearable when she looks up with that small body. But it's just one more week. If I endure for one more week, I can be with Lucienne without hesitation. For that, I can tolerate a bit of patience.
... Well then, shall I return to monitoring the queens?
Their lives are likely filled with extravagance and indulgence. Even so, as a job I've taken on, I won't do anything inappropriate. Lefebvre, hidden in the ceiling, continued to monitor the queens and princesses' boring and luxurious lifestyles.
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