Rustle. Rustle.

Whether the first two cuts were made with care, the subsequent scissor sounds were much faster than before.

The falling of hair strands was no longer as surprising as it was at first.

I narrowed my eyes and let out a big yawn.

‘Ah, I’m a bit sleepy.’

As someone kept touching and messing with my hair, for some reason my mind became peaceful and my eyes grew heavy.

So this is why animals fall asleep when you pet their heads.

‘Well, I did do a lot today. I waited for Jack’s treatment, and made a love potion too.’

It was natural to feel tired.

‘Oh? But it doesn’t feel like my mana is depleted. Is my condition just good today?’

My heart, which should be empty and causing pain, remained quiet all day.

I glanced at my chest and tilted my head curiously.

Maybe because I’ve been in constant contact with Cedar……

“Ugh!”

Suddenly reminded of the elf’s mischievous “skinship theory”, I quickly shook my head.

Cedar, who was cutting my hair, said in a stern voice:

“If you shake your head like that, you’ll really end up with patches in your hair.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Right, I was getting my hair cut. I stiffened my neck and held my head straight again.

How long had I been sitting still like that? My thoughts naturally drifted to the events of the day.

‘Grisha was really strange today.’

It felt like discovering that what I thought was just a cute rabbit was actually a huge beast.

‘I didn’t know those blue eyes could look so scary.’

I couldn’t help but feel it. That Grisha was no longer the pretty boy I used to know.

There were years of time that had passed between us.

“……”

Did my silence feel unnatural? While diligently moving the scissors, Cedar asked:

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing much.”

“That’s a lie.”

He’s so sensitive at times like this. Caught off guard, I replied in a higher tone than usual:

“It’s not a lie! What do you know about me?”

“Probably quite a bit more than you think.”

Having cut quite a lot of hair, long clumps were no longer falling.

Snip. Snip. Small sounds echoed near my ears. With that as background music, Cedar continued in a gentle tone.

The content was not gentle at all.

“You’re a picky eater, terribly clumsy, fall asleep quickly, but wake up often.”

“H-how do you know that?”

Startled, I turned to look at Cedar. He shrugged his shoulders and continued irritatingly:

“You’re the best at getting under my skin. You’re also good at smiling while seething inside.”

“I was being considerate of you! You complain even when I speak considerately.”

It’s not like I deliberately said those things to annoy him.

As I pouted and grumbled, Cedar held my chin with both hands and turned my head back to face forward.

Snip. Snip. After a few small sounds, Cedar put down the scissors.

“It’s done.”

I was starting to feel uncomfortable sitting. I quickly got up from my seat. When I untied the cloth around my neck, the hair on it spilled down.

I touched the nape of my neck with my palm.

All the hair that had been draped like a cloak was gone, leaving only bare skin.

“Wow, it feels so light. This is the shortest my hair has ever been since I was born.”

While neatly folding the cloth, Cedar quipped:

“You mean it’s not the first time you’ve cut your hair since birth?”

“I must have cut it a few times when I was young, right? Or not?”

“You mean before entering the academy. Here’s a mirror.”

“Wow.”

In the small mirror was a completely unfamiliar person looking back at me.

Hair with slightly curled ends that stopped at the chin, and perhaps due to the short length, it gave off a much younger impression than before.

“It doesn’t look like me.”

“It suits you well.”

Cedar’s voice from behind me was so unexpectedly ticklish that I didn’t think it was him.

Startled, I turned around, and he shrugged his shoulders and smugly retorted:

“See? I really do know my wife well, don’t I?”

“Ugh.”

I didn’t want to nod in agreement, but as he said, the short hair suited me so well that I couldn’t argue.

Pouting my lips, I put my hands on my hips and exclaimed triumphantly:

“I know a lot about my husband too!”

“Like what?”

“You’re good at flirting without realizing it!”

“What? Flirting…?”

Cedar’s face contorted in confusion.

Having successfully landed a blow on my husband, I quickly left before he could respond.

“I’ll go get a broom!”

After neatly cleaning up and disposing of the cut hair, we each dispersed to our own areas. Me to the second floor, Cedar remaining on the first floor.

I organized the completed love potions and roughly planned out the next magic potions to make.

‘If I use word of mouth for marketing, I might need to change the types of other potions too.’

While scribbling like that, at some point my stomach growled.

I rubbed my stomach in curiosity as I got up from my seat.

‘At the academy, I never felt hungry no matter what I was doing. I guess my body is adapting to regular meals now?’

In any case, it seemed mealtime had come.

I was about to just go downstairs when I noticed the dresses piled on the bed.

As I was hanging them one by one on hangers, I tried on one of them.

It was a cute design with a light sky blue color and a white apron-like decorative overskirt.

‘This is the first time I’ve worn a dress like this. It seems like it would suit a young girl.’

Although I haven’t walked around town much or met many people, I do know that young children often wear these colors.

The frilly lace on the chest also reminds me of dresses worn by young girls.

While mentally listing the dress’s shortcomings as I changed, I found myself speechless when I stood in front of the mirror.

‘Ugh, I can’t deny it. He does know me well.’

The dress that I had repeatedly said would suit a child fit me perfectly!

‘Does this man always think about things like this?’

It was hard to imagine such a hobby from his seemingly gruff face.

I was curious about what expression he had when picking out such a dress in the first place.

‘Wouldn’t everyone around have looked at him with surprised faces?’

As I was thinking that, Cedar called me from downstairs, as if he had been waiting for me to change clothes.

“Nelly, are you coming down for dinner now?”

“Yes!”

When I ran down, a delicious meal was set on the table.

‘Oh? There are fewer vegetables than usual today.’

Boiled carrots and peas, which I eat relatively well, occupied one corner.

As I picked up my fork and knife, Cedar sat across from me and spoke:

“What were you doing? You were sitting at your desk without moving.”

“Just organizing a list of magic potions to make in the future.”

The meat was also cut into bite-sized pieces.

Excited, I put a piece in my mouth and chewed, then belatedly realized something odd about the question and furrowed my brow.

“Ah! But how did you know?”

Cedar just winked nonchalantly. Then, cutting the meat on his plate, he replied in a casual tone:

“It’s no big deal to sense presence within this mansion.”

“Do you know through the flow of mana?”

“No. My five senses are more sensitive than others. It’s even clearer because you move without being conscious of me.”

I watched a large piece of meat split open, revealing its red insides, as I chewed the meat in my mouth.

I wanted to swallow quickly and ask what I was curious about.

Fortunately, my meat was cut so small that even I, who takes a long time to chew, could swallow it quickly.

“That’s interesting. I know that swordmasters use mana differently from magicians, but I don’t understand the principle behind heightened senses.”

“Why are you thinking about that? You’re not going to become an aura user anyway.”

“Because I’m curious. Aren’t you curious?”

“It’s my body, but I’ve never thought about it in such detail.”

I found it even more fascinating that he didn’t seem to care.

‘This tastes good.’

When I first ate meat, it was uncomfortable, but now I can appreciate its taste.

‘But the sauce is a bit too salty.’

My mouth felt dry, so I reached for the boiled peas that I normally wouldn’t touch unless Cedar nagged me.

As I lowered my head to pierce them with my fork, my shortened bangs fell forward, brushing against the food.

“Ah.”

I quickly raised my head and grasped my hair, blinking at the unfamiliar sensation.

‘So this is the inconvenience of short hair.’

Well, but it would take less time to wash my hair, and it would dry faster too.

‘I just need to tuck it behind my ears while eating.’

I was thinking that as I was about to resume eating.

“Wait a moment.”

Cedar, whom I thought was eating, was suddenly standing behind me.

His large hands gently combed through my hair, gathering it together just like when he was cutting it earlier.

Then he carefully started to fiddle with it.

Rustle. Rustle.

It seemed like he was tying my hair, but the feeling of his firm fingers brushing against the tips of my ears was incredibly ticklish.

‘Ugh! Now that I’m experiencing it, this feels really strange.’

Unnecessarily tense, I hunched my shoulders and even held my breath.

Cedar, seemingly unaware of my discomfort, peacefully tied my hair in a half-up style and stepped back.

“This way, your bangs won’t interfere with your meal, right?”

“Th-thank you.”

Even without looking in a mirror, I could tell my face was flushed red to the tips of my ears.

Cedar’s finger lightly tapped the back of my hunched neck.

I blinked and looked up.

“Cedar?”

Cedar turned his head away before meeting my gaze and muttered in a low voice:

“…No, it’s nothing.”