Ch#53
It was the first day of Laslo's long-awaited vacation—the very day they decided to change his appearance. Edel took a deep breath and stood before Laslo's room.
“Count, it's Edel. I've brought the barber.”
“Come in.”
At the curt permission, Edel led the barber into his room.
He was waiting for her in comfortable attire.
“I've never let anyone else touch my hair or beard... Not sure if this'll be okay.”
Edel was even more shocked to learn he'd been trimming his own hair and beard all this time.
Of course, poor commoners don't waste money on barbers. But unless it was some impoverished fief, people usually visited one.
Unable to hold back, Edel let out a big sigh and turned to the barber.
*Spoils of war*
“As you've heard, this is the first time our Count is entrusting a professional with his haircut and shave. Please be as careful as possible.”
“Don't worry. I've handled everyone from three-year-olds to ninety-year-olds.”
*Duchess*
Edel trusted his confidence.
The barber she'd summoned was the same one her second brother often called.
Truly written by Lemon Frog
His skills were top-notch, of course, and nobles greatly favored him for maintaining a pleasant light conversation while staying unobtrusive.
Edel was certain he'd suit Laslo too. He particularly despised needless chatterers.
“Then, let's begin.”
He draped a white cloth over Laslo and first inspected his hair and beard.
“Do you intend to keep growing your hair?”
“I haven't really thought about growing it out.”
“Then, shall I cut it short?”
- 2 -
.
“Hmm. I've never had it cut short before either… Just do it moderately, as you see fit.”
And this barber was also a fairly skilled swordsman.
When Laslo shaved himself with a dull blade and clumsy hands, he often ended up with small nicks, but now there wasn't a single sting.
Listening to Laslo's reply, Edel decided not to leave the choice to him and made the request directly to the barber.
“Leave the bangs at this length, cut the back short. Trim the sideburns as neatly as possible.”
With only the snip-snip sounds and no words, Laslo even felt like dozing off right there. Just as drowsiness truly crept in, the barber wiped his face with a wet towel and spoke.
“All done. Time to finish up.”
“Understood. And the beard?”
“Shave it clean.”
At Edel's firm response, Laslo glanced at her in bewilderment, but the barber nodded in agreement.
Only then was the white cloth removed from around his neck.
“I think that's best too. Your skin looks a bit rough, so shaving clean and doing some skin care would be ideal.”
“It's finished. Thanks for sitting still.”
“Skin care—what's that for a man…!”
“You did the hard work.”
“Proceed.”
Laslo awkwardly touched his bare neck and chin while praising the barber's efforts. When the man finally held up a mirror, Laslo stared at his reflection in shock.
“Is this… me…?”
Laslo's view of 'skin care' as unmanly was lightly ignored, and without consulting his preferences, the haircut and shave proceeded smoothly.
The barber immediately began trimming Laslo's shaggy hair.
As the snipping sounds rang out and locks of hair fell in clumps, Laslo's eyes followed them, but he didn't seem particularly averse.
Once the haircut was complete, the barber prepared shaving foam in a small bowl and laid out several sharp straight razors on the table.
“Now, for the shave.”
“You've been hiding such a handsome face all this time. Bet you'll get a flood of love letters now? Haha.”
As Laslo's gaze chilled at the sight of the razor, Edel interjected.
“He's not the type to assassinate the Count. He loves his family, after all.”
The barber, grasping her meaning, swallowed dryly, while Laslo nodded in satisfaction.
A thick shaving brush spread soft foam over Laslo's face. Since he usually just scraped it off roughly with a razor sans prep, Laslo felt oddly embarrassed.
His straight forehead stood out anew, and the neatly groomed eyebrows gave him a refreshed look.
His nose bridge had always been straight, but without the scruffy beard, his plump, smooth lips and strong jawline emerged, utterly transforming his impression.
He was a handsome man—bold lines sharply chiseled rather than delicately refined.
And Laslo himself wasn't the only one startled by the change.
'I knew he was handsome, but not to this degree…'
'Still, it feels refreshing. Nice mood.'
Edel tried hard not to steal glances at his face.
It was astonishing—just a haircut and shave yielded such results.
The barber, having applied foam meticulously everywhere, tugged the skin taut and shaved with precise strokes, revealing smooth skin bit by bit.
The sharp, cool glide over his skin made Laslo think: even a razor is still a blade.
Linia, who had waited impatiently for Laslo's makeover to finish, burst in the moment the barber left and beamed at her sleek brother's new look.
.
