Perhaps she should find a few maids to test it out—her hair, due to her constitution, always remained delicate and smooth.
With that thought, Finihiya opened the bathroom door.
However…
Who would be willing to let her conduct such an experiment?
The lightning flashing through the thick clouds lit up the corridor brightly.
Just as Finihiya was seriously considering how to ask the maids for help, her slightly lifted gaze inadvertently caught sight of two figures outside.
Despite the terrible weather, the two were taking shelter in a small wooden shed a little ways off.
Though called a wooden shed, it was actually quite rudimentary, usually just used to temporarily store garden trimming tools.
At this moment, the two were chatting in gentle voices.
One was standing, the other sitting.
The standing maid seemed to be Monisha. From her slightly deeper skin tone and pointed ears, it was easy to guess she was a Dark Elf.
The sitting maid was Fiora, whose features closely resembled those of a human.
In this city—Yabadawi—those who looked so similar to humans were basically only demons.
Although Fiora lacked the goat-like horns typical of demons, she still belonged to one of the demon clans.
In the rain outside, casting a murky dark hue, Dark Elf maid Monisha held a delicate, slender pair of scissors in her right hand.
She was carefully trimming Fiora’s honey-colored long hair.
The coarse linen spread on the floor caught many curled, dry strands that had been cut.
“Hm?”
Looking at the hair on the linen, a faint, pleased surprise flickered across Finihiya’s delicate face.
She then shifted her steps toward the small wooden shed where the two were.
The pale white parasol, edged with several layers of lace, blossomed like a delicate flower amid the curtain of rain.
“Lady Finihiya.”
Their clear figures emerging from the rain naturally caught the attention of the two.
Just as Finihiya closed her parasol and stepped into the shed, she heard their polite greeting.
Brushing water droplets off her golden hair with her right hand, Finihiya smiled a courteous social smile and gave a slight nod to the two.
“Good afternoon!”
“Good afternoon, Lady Finihiya,” Monisha responded politely, setting the scissors down on the nearby wooden table. “If you have any orders, please do not hesitate to tell us.”
“… It’s not really an order.” Finihiya carefully considered her words, trying to sound as natural as possible when making her request. “There’s just something I’d like to ask Fiora.”
Fiora, standing next to Monisha, immediately put on a serious expression upon hearing this.
“Please, Lady Finihiya, feel free to ask.”
“Hehe…” Seeing Fiora’s earnest expression, Finihiya gave a dry smile, then slightly parted her cherry lips, a little embarrassed. “Um… you don’t want this anymore, right?”
Huh?!
This?
At her words, Monisha and Fiora both looked toward the spot Finihiya indicated.
Seeing nothing on the floor besides the dirty linen and the trimmed hair, the two tilted their heads in confusion.
Their synchronized head tilts were so perfectly in sync it was like they were twins, causing a faint smile to flicker across Finihiya’s lips.
“It’s the hair,” Finihiya explained gently, “I need to use this right now. Could I take some of the hair on the floor?”
Perhaps thinking the request was odd, Monisha and Fiora exchanged glances.
After a brief silence, Fiora smiled.
“Of course, Lady Finihiya, as long as you don’t mind.”
“Thank you~”
After the polite thanks, Finihiya smoothed her skirt and slowly crouched down, careful not to let the fabric drag and get dirty.
Just as she was about to collect some of Fiora’s hair, the two maids knelt down first, tidying up the strands scattered on the rough linen.
While tidying, Fiora asked, “Is this amount enough? If Lady Finihiya needs more, I can cut some hair for you.”
“N-no, no…” Startled for a moment, Finihiya quickly raised both hands and waved them vigorously to refuse. “I only need a little.”
The hair Monisha had cut with scissors wasn’t much.
That made sense—they were only trimming split ends, dryness, and tangles, so naturally, it wasn’t a large amount.
But…
This small amount was completely sufficient for her experiment.
***
After a little while, Finihiya’s left hand held a small bundle of hair.
She whispered thanks to them once again, then elegantly opened her parasol and stepped back toward the manor with quick, light steps.
Watching Finihiya’s figure gradually blur within the rain, Monisha turned her gaze aside.
At this moment, both Monisha and Fiora wore expressions mixed with confusion and puzzlement.
Monisha picked up the scissors she had placed aside.
“All done. Stop staring. I’ll help you trim a little more.”
“Okay.”
Fiora responded lightly and sat back down on the wooden chair.
After a moment of silence, Fiora, sounding slightly curious, asked Monisha.
“What do you think Lady Finihiya wants my hair for?”
“You’re asking me? Who else would I ask?” Monisha shrugged lightly. “I’m curious too why she would want such a useless thing.”
“Maybe it’s for a curse or something? A lot of curses need something personal…”
“That’s impossible.” Before Fiora could finish, Monisha interrupted. “We elves have a special sensitivity to magic. Lady Finihiya’s magic is gentle, warm, pure white—it wouldn’t be that kind of person.”
“Oh, I was just joking.” Fiora snorted lightly in annoyance. “Saying that makes it sound like I’m a narrow-minded, dark-hearted villainess.”
“I know Lady Finihiya is kind, gentle, and polite.”
“Do you take good care of your hair?” Monisha furrowed her brows. “Fiora, your hair has been very dry and tangled recently.”
“Is that so?”
“Don’t you usually comb it?”
“I do!” Fiora raised her voice slightly, then whispered, “I just don’t do it often enough.”
“I told you, you should comb it every morning when you get up.”
“Our hair is just like this; it’s not like you Dark Elves’ hair.”
“Don’t make ugly excuses to slander an entire race.” Monisha snorted disdainfully. “Lady Darlian is a demon too, and her hair is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Lady Darlian uses powerful magic to nourish her hair. We little demons don’t have that much magic to do the same.”
Knowing Fiora spoke the truth, Monisha remained silent, offering no rebuttal.