Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Emily's Birthday Scrunchie
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I stayed up late and ended up falling asleep right at my desk without clearing it away, only realizing it belatedly when morning came. I paled and glanced nervously at Emily.
Whether by sheer luck or because she didn't think much of it, she let it slide without any harsh words.
I couldn't think of any excuse at all and was racking my brain over how to apologize to get her to forgive me mercifully, but thankfully, it all worked out.
As long as she didn't catch on that I'd gone to bed late, there weren't any other real issues after that.
Even in that short time, I managed to prepare the gifts for Emily one by one without a hitch.
I worked on the scrunchies bit by bit in between my regular tasks, finishing them one after another.
I asked Charles to secretly buy the comb and mirror while I was busy working.
If I made it too elaborate, Emily would feel so burdened she'd probably die of embarrassment, so I skipped any wrapping.
Instead, I sewed the leftover fabric scraps from making the scrunchies into long ribbons and tied them around the gifts in decorative knots.
Those knots could later be reused as hair ties or clothing decorations, so they were practically gifts in their own right.
By evening, as I prepared the gifts in stolen moments here and there, a simple yet thoughtfully assembled set for Emily sat neatly finished on my desk.
Of all the gifts I'd prepared so far, this was the least burdensome and the cleanest-looking.
Now I just had to hand it over naturally, and I'd be done.
Last time with the necklace, I'd put on too much weight and made it overly serious. This time, I needed to keep it endlessly light and casual.
"Hmmm~"
Humming a little tune through my nose, I neatly arranged the gifts on the desk. I ran mental simulations of how to present them tomorrow as I climbed into bed earlier than usual.
I hope Emily likes it.
_
The day of my birthday dawned.
I woke up about twenty minutes earlier than usual, received congratulations and cookies as gifts from the other servants, and stood before Young Master's door after tidying my hair and clothes even more meticulously than normal.
It's always a tense moment every single day, but today I knew Young Master had prepared a surprise event for me, so the level of my nerves was on a whole different scale.
The moment that felt most similar to my current state of mind was probably when Young Master asked me to put on stockings for him.
"Hoo..."
I took a deep breath and gripped the door handle firmly.
From here on, I just needed to keep my eyes from wandering anywhere else and act as calmly and normally as always.
Stepping lightly to muffle my footsteps, slowly.
I drew back the curtains, checked the water-filled basin, and spun around to stand about a handspan away from Young Master's bedside.
Then I bowed slightly at the waist and placed my hand next to his left forearm as I faced him.
"Gulp..."
Before lightly tapping Young Master's shoulder, I swallowed once to steady my trembling breath and relax my rigidly tense face.
Cautiously, I raised my right hand and touched his shoulder.
At the first touch, his eyelashes twitched faintly.
At the second touch, his head turned slowly toward where I stood.
"Young Master, time to wake up."
With his consciousness hovering between sleep and wakefulness, I parted my lips and woke him with a soft voice.
"......"
His eyelashes quivered finely, his eyelids parted gently, and his hazy emerald eyes turned toward me.
A few slow blinks.
Life returned to his once-blurry gaze, and my face reflected in Young Master's eyes.
This was the end of the moment when I could be closest to him.
I straightened my back and gave him a smile.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah... good morning..."
He greeted me in a slightly hoarse voice as he sat up, glancing once at my face and once at the basin before perching on the edge of the bed.
Then came the brief washing routine.
"Urgh...!"
After tidying his face as usual and quietly rising from his seat, Young Master stretched with a groan and stared straight at me.
"Is something wrong?"
"Today's your birthday, right, Emily?"
"Ah."
His direct question shattered the composure I'd barely maintained.
But I quickly schooled my expression, raised my eyebrows, and flashed a light smile.
"Time flies; it's that season already."
"What? You didn't even realize it was your birthday?"
Oh no.
In my focus on pretending I knew nothing, I'd made an absurd blunder.
Forgetting your own birthday...
I lightly bit my lower lip and gauged Young Master's mood.
"Well, that's perfect then."
"Pardon...?"
Fortunately, he brushed it off as no big deal, passing by me toward the desk.
He gathered up the items on the desk and walked back to me, then abruptly held out his hand.
"Happy birthday. I just happened to find these, so take 'em easy."
Curious about what he meant, I shifted my gaze to the items in his hand.
A bracelet-like thing with floral embroidery and dangling ribbons, a wooden comb, and a mirror.
Definitely the things he'd been busily making yesterday and some he'd bought somewhere.
"...?"
I tilted my head and stared at Young Master.
Was it a joke?
Or did he really pick up the comb and mirror?
Probably a joke, but I put on a serious face and grabbed his hand tightly.
"Y-Young Master, you can't just pick up other people's things like that...?"
Startled by my reaction, Young Master flinched, his shoulders jerking as his eyes darted around rapidly.
"No, I didn't mean I actually picked them up— I was just joking a bit so you wouldn't feel burdened..."
"I see."
I still didn't get how saying he picked them up made it less burdensome, but since his ears were turning red with embarrassment, I just nodded.
"So, what are these?"
"Oh, this."
As I pointed at the items in his hand to swiftly change the subject, Young Master visibly brightened and held up the bracelet-like object.
"Wanna undo your hair?"
"My hair...? Hmm..."
I'd styled it extra pretty today, so I didn't really want to, but with Young Master asking with sparkling eyes, it was hard to refuse.
Hesitantly, I reached back, undid my neatly tied and netted hair, shook my head lightly, and let it fall naturally.
This feels awkward.
What if Young Master thinks this doesn't suit me?
Anxious and embarrassed.
"...Why'd you suddenly ask me to undo my hair?"
To hide my embarrassment, I flapped my hair around pretending to fix it and asked him curtly for no reason.
"Turn around for me?"
"Hmm..."
But his response was yet another request.
I couldn't guess his intentions at all, which only made my anxiety grow.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, just stay still for a sec while I do something."
"Pardon?"
The moment I turned, ominous words came from Young Master, making me widen my eyes and start to turn back.
But he grabbed my hair, freezing my head—shoulders, collarbone, everything—before I could move.
"Young Master? Why grab my hair all of a sudden...?"
"I'm giving you a gift; you have to try it on right in front of me."
"Try it on?"
I didn't understand what he was putting on my head, but before I could question it, my hair was already neatly gathered in his hands.
Young Master lightly tugged the gathered strands and fitted something into my hair.
"Doesn't hurt, right?"
"No, it actually feels a bit loose."
"Hmm... I'm nervous about pulling too tight, so we'll stop here."
He pulled whatever he'd fitted into my hair snug against the back of my head, let the lacy ribbons dangle nicely, and then gently combed my hair with the comb in his hand.
"Take a look."
"Y-Yes..."
He suddenly held out the mirror, positioning it so my face filled it completely.
Cautiously taking it and pulling it back a bit, I tilted my head side to side to check what he'd done to the back of my head.
"A headband? No, a hair tie...?"
"Yeah, it's called a scrunchie. Great for tying hair simply. Normally it's just the band part, but I added a ribbon for prettiness. What do you think?"
I picked up the ribbon decoration on the scrunchie and tugged it to the side lightly.
The ribbon had embroidery similar to the flower design I'd seen on Young Master's desk yesterday.
As I thought.
He'd prepared it for me.
"It's too flashy for me to wear; I told you you didn't need to prepare something like this..."
Forcing down the smile tugging at my lips, I put on a prim expression and gave my usual response.
"You don't hate it, right?"
"Of course not. It's just too precious to use."
"Good enough."
Satisfied, Young Master smiled and handed me the comb and an extra scrunchie.
"Don't feel burdened—wear it often. If anyone complains, drop my name. If anyone compliments it, drop my name. Got it?"
"Yes..."
I nodded lightly and fiddled with the scrunchie some more.
"Hee hee..."
I'd never disliked any gift from Young Master, but this one touched my heart especially.
Including the one I was wearing, that made three scrunchies in total.
The one in the best condition, I'd treasure forever without ever using it.