Chapter 499: The Angel’s Halo
And at last, it was Mira’s turn. With so much fur, I carefully rinsed her down under the shower. Naturally, Mira’s coat became sleek and silky. After feeling it like this, her old fur now seemed coarse and rough in comparison.
“Alright, that’s the last of it. Your coat looks perfect now.”
“Kyuu, kyuu!”
She seemed delighted, bumping her head against me. Mother and Fabienne also looked pleased, running their fingers through their freshly washed hair again and again, savoring the texture brought out by the shampoo and rinse.
Now then, time to dry it properly. Once that’s done, their hair should become even more lustrous.
“The shampoo and rinse worked perfectly. With that, the trial is complete. Let’s get out of the bath and dry our hair.”
“Yes, let’s.”
“I think everyone will be thrilled with these.”
Mother and Fabienne’s voices were bright with excitement. Without a doubt, this would become a staple in the House of Heine. I’d better make a set for Baron Ambert’s household as well.
Once out of the bath and changed into fresh clothes, I quickly dried my own hair. The servants were about to bring over the cooling-and-heating blower from the dressing room, but I stopped them.
It was faster if I did it myself. Besides, I still needed to make another batch of shampoo and rinse afterward—I couldn’t afford to waste time here.
“Mother, Fabienne, I’ll dry your hair.”
“Oh my, would you? That would be lovely.”
“With Julius-sama’s magic, it dries so quickly… and it leaves the hair so wonderfully soft.”
Both of them beamed at me. They truly seemed happy to have me dry their hair. I had always thought women preferred not to let men touch their hair so casually, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Balancing this sort of thing would be tricky.
I moved behind them, letting the warm wind of my magic—like a high-class dryer—flow gently through their long, beautiful hair. In moments, their locks dried and began to shine with even greater brilliance.
Yes, I should create a specialized magic tool—a luxury dryer just for hair. The ordinary blower wasn’t nearly enough. Another task for my ever-growing list. If possible, I’d love to dump it on Rosalia and young Edward… but maybe that was too much to ask.
“All done. Now, Mira, it’s your turn.”
“Kyuu.”
I towel-dried her fur until it was only damp, then began drying her with magic. But behind me, a small commotion seemed to be stirring.
“What… is this…?”
“It’s amazing, Mother-in-law. Your hair looks so beautiful.”
“And so does yours, Fabienne. You’re sparkling.”
Their cheerful voices rang out, and even the servants seemed restless as they glanced nervously at me.
Looks like I’d need to prepare a supply for the servants too, to be kept in the bathhouse for free use.
“Wow, Mira, you look gorgeous too—wait, are you actually glowing? You’re almost dazzling.”
“Kyuu.”
Mira struck a proud pose. Though, to be honest, it looked more cute than dignified. Still, since she seemed satisfied, I let her be. The two of them rushed over to feel her coat for themselves.
“She’s so fluffy. The texture’s even better than before.”
“It feels wonderful. I’ve never touched anything like this.”
“Really? I didn’t notice at first but… oh, you’re right!”
Mira’s fur had leveled up. Fantastic. That probably meant her wool would be of higher quality too. I couldn’t wait for the next shearing. Grow quickly, won’t you?
Perhaps drawn by the noise from the dressing room, Nero came in once he saw we’d finished bathing.
“Julius-sama, it seems everything went smoothly. As expected of you—hmm?”
Nero froze the moment his eyes fell on our hair. Was it really that shocking? At my request, he fetched a mirror.
Whoa. A perfect halo shimmered above my head, my hair shining with a brilliance that went beyond glossy—like the tresses of an angel. Truly, the power of magical ingredients was fearsome.
“Julius, this shampoo and rinse are wonderful. Even just as they are, they’re incredible, but if only they had a fragrance, it would be perfect.”
“They can, actually. I didn’t have the materials on hand this time, but if you’d like, I can make a special set with fragrance just for you. You’ll only need to provide the perfume.”
“Of course I’ll prepare it. Rose fragrance, naturally. Yes, that’s perfect. Fabienne, is that all right with you too?”
“M-me as well? O-of course, yes!”
Mother smiled warmly. It seemed she would prepare Fabienne’s perfume as well, as a token of gratitude to me. Rose perfume was a luxury few besides high nobles could obtain.
The trial was a success. All that remained was to add fragrance and craft the custom shampoo and rinse. I also needed to prepare a set as a gift for Sister-in-law Mika. I could make hers alongside Mother’s and Fabienne’s.
Or so I thought. But just as we were exchanging impressions in the salon near the bath, Rosalia and Sister-in-law Daniela arrived.
It seemed they had returned early to the estate for lunch and happened to bump into us. Naturally, they noticed right away that our hair was anything but ordinary.
“Julius, what have you made this time? Something for washing hair, I presume?”
“Julius-niisan, that’s unfair! I want to be beautiful too!”
They’d quickly caught on that I’d created something unusual again. Their lack of doubt in me showed just how well-trained they were. Sister-in-law Daniela’s smiling face, however, was terrifying.
Rosalia puffed her cheeks and began smacking me with her little fists. It didn’t hurt, but I had the uneasy feeling this was about to become troublesome.