“If nothing is done, we will only bring disgrace to Sigwell and to Fabrania.”
“…Head Maid.”
“All of the maidservants, except for myself, were assigned by the royal family of Fabrania. They do not have a trusting relationship with Her Highness Harriet, and only take a clerical attitude. It’s no wonder the maidservants don’t want to serve Her Highness.”
Rishe stopped dead in her tracks.
They were right in front of Harriet’s room. In front of the large door, she turned to face the Head Maid.
“Headmaid.”
Then, she smiled.
“The fact that she wants to change is a sign that change has already begun.”
“…T-That…”
Rishe turned to the door and knocked repeatedly, but there was no answer from inside.
Instead, Rishe heard voices of several people talking. The Head Maid also caught the sound and stared at the door with a frown.
“…What’s happening? That strange noise…”
“Fufu…Harriet-sama, we’re coming in.”
The moment Rishe opened the door, a vibrant voice echoed inside.
“Wow, you’re really beautiful!”
The Head Maid’s eyebrows twitched at the girl’s voice.
“Your skin is so white, really beautiful.”
“You don’t suffer from any makeup irritation…”
“The dress also looks great on you. It’s summery and refreshing!”
All the Head Maid could hear were the voices of the maids.
The Head Maid must have noticed the anomaly immediately. After a few seconds of silence, she jerked in astonishment and rushed into the room.
“What exactly…”
The Head Maid’s eyes widened as she gaped at the woman by the window.
“Is that Her Highness Harriet…?!”
There stood Harriet with a completely different attire.
With her bangs braided and tucked to the side to expose her forehead, Harriet shyly turned her olive eyes downcast.
“Um, this-that, um…”
The Head Maid stared at her, awestruck, her eyes blinking restlessly over and over again.
Her pinned down blonde hair was gently curled using a large iron. Her hair was put into a half-updo, and the lower part of her hair was given a curly style to make it look fluffy and light.
Harriet had her head buried deeply down, so her hair that was dipped in sweet-smelling perfume, swayed softly.
Harriet’s maids, who were surrounding her, were beaming.
“This dress is in fashion these days. It gives off a neat and tidy impression, which suits Your Highness’s innocent and gentle look.”
“Uh-oh!…T-Thank you…”
Harriet squirmed, but bowed politely to the maids.
Afterward, she glanced at Rishe in relief.
Rishe nodded and smiled at her in response.
It was Rishe who applied Harriet’s light make-up.
A light brush of white powder, just a bit of eyebrow tweaking, and her lips painted rosy.
That was all Rishe did except for her eyes, but she did put some thought into her eyelids and eye lines.
It changed the shape of Harriet’s almond eyes that she had been struggling with for years to a softer look.
With a makeup brush, she added a few touches of shadows and added some colors on the other side to attract light.
When Rishe was applying make-up on Harriet earlier, her countenance became brighter and brighter.
[One of the benefits of makeup is that it allows you to hide certain spots on your face that you don’t like.]
Rishe told Harriet, who was glued to her reflection in the mirror.
In fact, Rishe wanted to let her know about other distinctive effects. However, what Harriet was more likely to accept now was the makeup that “hid” her.
The Head Maid looked at Harriet in front of her with a complicated look.
“Your Highness Harriet, you look…”
“S-So-Sorrry…!”
Harriet, on the other hand, looked down uncomfortably, but tried her best to speak.
“Uh, yeah, that! You look strange…!”
“!”
The Head Maid’s eyes were still rounded.
Rishe somehow understood why she was so shocked.
If replaced with Harriet before she took this form, she would have said, “You look strange.”
However, the Harriet of today was different.
The Head Maid, who was closest to her, distinguished her change the most. Harriet had her head down and was quivering in fright, but she still managed to look up at the Head Maid.
Her thick bangs no longer hid her olive eyes.
Looking straight at them, the Head Maid slowly spoke.
“…You look beautiful, Your Highness.”
“!!”
Harriet’s face crumpled on the verge of tears.
It totally exuded her shyness.
But what was even more clear was the great relief she felt.
Having witnessed everything, Rishe was also happy and said to Harriet.
“Didn’t I tell you? Harriet-sama, I’m certain your Head Maid is utterly pleased with you…”
“Yes, but!”
“!!”
Harriet’s shoulders jerked at the scolding that ensued.
“Your Highness, what on earth is wrong with your posture? I’ve told you many times to watch out for your hunched back!”
“G-G-Got it!”
“Straighten up, keep your chest out! Otherwise, you’ll ruin your outfit!”
Harriet got flustered and tried to straighten her back in a hurry.
Their exchange made Rishe smile and chuckle.
She didn’t think that Harriet’s face, which was thus beaming, would turn dim any time soon.
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