Jasmine had been grateful for the rare coffee treat from Elise and was apologetic for not being able to reciprocate.

“The tea is excellent,” Elise sincerely complimented.

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

Their conversation was brief. Jasmine lacked topics being friendless, and Elise didn’t want to burden Jasmine with her concerns.

In a natural lull in the conversation, Elise pointed at Jasmine’s hair decoration. “It’s pretty and practical. I’ve never seen it in stores. Where did you get it?”

Knowing Jasmine had made it herself, Elise still asked playfully.

“This? Shall I show you?”

Jasmine’s face brightened when Elise showed interest in her creation. She quickly removed the pin, and her lush hair cascaded down.

“It’s shaped like a clamp.”

Elise inspected the pin handed over by Jasmine. Resembling a collection of animal ribs, it could easily twist up hair.

“Yes. I call it a ‘clamp pin’ for simplicity.”

Elise examined the pin from all angles. As she had thought before, it was a convenient item.

In Bedroca, unmarried women usually wore their hair long and loose, except on special occasions. Long, well-kept hair was a beauty symbol.

However, leaving hair loose was often inconvenient – while eating, writing, reading, or even closing doors, hair would get in the way.

Eating hair instead of food in front of guests was hardly dignified.

But tying long hair wasn’t always feasible either. It needed many pins and often left marks when loosened.

Yet, this clamp pin made it easy to put up hair and leave no trace when let down again.
“And then, when you let your hair down again, it leaves marks,” Elise thought.

However, with this clamp pin, it was easy to twist up the hair, and when released, it left no trace.

That’s why Elise had previously shown interest in Jasmine’s clamp pins, but they never became a popular trend and disappeared, as there were no models for it.

“Could you give me one of these clamp pins? They seem so convenient.”

“My clamp pin?” Jasmine was surprised.

“Of course, not for free. I’ll pay for it.”

“No! I’ll give it to you for free! One, no two! Even three!”

Jasmine hastily got up and disappeared into the room connected to the parlor. She returned quickly, her hands full of clamp pins.

“The sizes vary a bit. I made them from buffalo horns, so it’s inevitable.”

Jasmine laid the pins on a cloth on the table as if they were precious works of art. Displayed like this, they looked like sophisticated accessories.

Yet, they lacked the charm to captivate the aristocrats. They needed more glamour.

Just then, Elise noticed Jasmine’s nails, sparkling brilliantly.

“What’s that on your nails, Jasmine?”

“It’s…,” Jasmine hesitated, embarrassed, and clenched her fist.

Elise waited for an answer, and Jasmine sighed softly.

“Oh! I was making something and it stuck to my hands. My hands are not only ugly but now dirty too. I’m sorry for showing you such an untidy look.”

Jasmine took out a handkerchief and rubbed her nails.

“No! You don’t need to do that. Your nails look pretty because they’re sparkling.”

It wasn’t a lie. The tiny jewels on Jasmine’s nails caught the light, making her otherwise plain hands look beautiful.

“Really? They don’t look dirty but pretty?”

Jasmine peeked at Elise, who nodded. Jasmine’s smile began to spread.

Elise clapped her hands excitedly, having a great idea to transform the plain clamp pins into something glamorous.

“No, it’s perfect. How can you say Jasmine’s hands aren’t pretty? They create such beautiful things. And the jewels on your nails draw attention away from your hands. It looks like you did it on purpose. By the way, do you have many of those jewel-like things? It would be nice to put them on the clamp pins.”

Jasmine was flustered by Elise’s lavish praise.

“I do have some…”

“Jasmine, what if you attach those jewels to the clamp pins? Make them and sell them to me. I’ll buy them all. You’ll sell them to me, right?”

Jasmine nodded in a daze.

“I’ll just give them…”

“No. You must sell them. And I have a request. Can you make a lot of these jewel-encrusted clamp pins before the New Year’s party?”

“How many is ‘a lot’?”

“As many as you can make. Even if you have to stay up all night. Please.”

“Making too many might be a waste.”

“Not at all, Jasmine. People will line up to buy your goods. I’ll make sure of it.”

Jasmine nodded, not because she believed Elise’s words, but because the confident Elise was shining so brightly.

Jasmine loved all things cute and pretty, and the glittering Elise was beautiful, cute, and even cool.

So, she couldn’t refuse her suggestion, her request.

Elise was like a witch to Jasmine.

“Are you heading back home now?”

Elise handed the bundle of gifts she received from Jasmine to Regina.

As she climbed into the carriage, Elise replied.

“I’m going to the square. I have someone to meet.”

Thinking of the person she was about to meet, a faint blush appeared on Elise’s cheeks.