Beauty Appliances Are a Matter of Grave Importance to the Princess
There was a reception room inside the Energies Mansion.
It wasn't overly ornate, but every material used was worth a fortune that could make you gasp.
As it was meant to show sincerity to guests, they couldn't skimp on the spending.
"Young master, that bit of your attire…!"
"No time. Tighten it on the way!"
"Young master, you've memorized all the etiquette I taught you, yes?!"
"Butler, that's the twelfth time you've said that."
But the maid wasn't heading there…
"Of all places, the workshop…!"
Akion was in his workshop.
Why? There wasn't even time to question it.
"Ah, Akion! Come in, come in!"
"Uh… yes."
As he stepped into the workshop, his birth father Delpord was there waiting, along with Lady Lucrecia, Goldie, and the Tower Master.
And at their center,
"Hmm."
Stood a middle-aged maid with faded blonde hair.
Beatrice, the head maid of the Seventh Princess.
An imperial servant backed by the pinnacle of authority, capable of crushing even a typical earl.
The moment Akion Energies laid eyes on her,
Thud.
"I behold the seventh blessing bestowed upon the Empire, the glory of Her Highness the Seventh Princess."
He dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and paid his respects to the princess's maid.
He always felt this way in moments like these—etiquette was such a pain.
"Akion, son of the Energies Count family, stands ready to receive Her Highness's command."
"Thank you for observing proper decorum, Young Master Akion."
He couldn't help thinking it was just like a romance fantasy novel. Or maybe like a mid-modern class society.
"Her Highness took great interest in the many magic tools you've crafted. She was especially impressed by that electric heater used by the finance ministry official."
"I am humbled by Her Highness's undue attention."
"Hehe… Now, please rise. And may we ask the others to step out? I'd like to discuss the main matter just between us."
"Ahem. Understood. Everyone, out we go."
And thanks to seventeen—no, now eighteen years of noble life, he'd caught on that the maid wanted to speak with him alone.
Thump!
Delpord led the household staff out of the workshop, and with the door closing, only Akion and Beatrice remained.
Gulp…
Akion rose slowly and carefully, straightening his clothes.
Every action could sway the fate of the count family.
Of course, they wouldn't snap the neck of a founding contributor like Energies… but Akion's own fate? That they could toy with.
For instance, "The northern front is in danger—send the youngest."
Of course, Akion had no intention of going quietly.
He had the Tower Master, after all.
That said, he wasn't about to recklessly call on her.
He'd already been rude enough during that duel incident.
So he'd resolved to handle this on his own,
"Word even reached the palace that the head of the finance ministry's tax division two was so obsessed with your electric heater, he went digging through tax exemption clauses on his own. To disarm the notoriously strict Viscount Daléon—truly impressive skill."
Akion felt a twinge of regret under Beatrice's sharp gaze.
This lady… why does she twist words so masterfully!
Akion was starting to wonder if he was being interrogated or simply receiving the development request as written in the letter.
"I merely shared my warmth with someone shivering at the banquet. I never dreamed it would come back as an official order laced with imperial command. You should've seen my shock when the order arrived at my office, stamped with the imperial seal."
For now, he'd explain the situation to dodge responsibility.
It was that viscount who got hooked and dragged in the imperial order—not me pulling strings.
Smile.
'Ah, no way…'
The instant the maid smiled, he intuited the seal was the Seventh Princess's.
That Daléon guy must've begged her to stamp it…!!
Pushing aside a flicker of betrayal, Akion waited for Beatrice to speak.
"Hehe, Viscount Daléon is also Her Highness's mentor, you see. You wouldn't know, but right after the banquet, while meeting with her, he went on and on praising that electric heater as a wondrous marvel."
'Phew.'
He breathed a quiet sigh of relief inside.
At least it wasn't negative.
The princess must've heard about the heater, thought of something, and wanted him to make it for her.
"Had I known Her Highness's interest would be so swift and direct, I might've been more cautious."
In that case, he could proceed with a bit more confidence.
Akion swept back his hair and gazed steadily—yet earnestly—at Beatrice, the Seventh Princess's maid.
"It seems the viscount's praise outpaced your caution, young master. Thanks to that, Her Highness is even more convinced that your ingenious talents shouldn't be wasted merely warming rooms."
"Her Highness's trust weighs heavily on me like a solemn duty. So, what challenge will you place on my workshop bench next?"
Akion felt seasick.
He hated noble speech patterns. Especially the etiquette demanded for imperial folk!
So he cut straight in. Let's get to the point.
"You catch on quickly."
Beatrice smiled in satisfaction and handed over a single sheet of paper.
Imperial Secret Commission
Request: Magic tool emitting warm wind rather than direct flame.
Primary function: Hair drying (모발 건조)
'Ah, that one.'
Akion recalled the rumors about the Seventh Princess.
"Every morning, Her Highness endures the grueling labor of drying her long, lush hair. Even with maids toweling it and applying brazier heat, it takes far too long and only damages the strands."
The imperial youngest, just like Akion.
They said she was a peerless beauty with hair that trailed ten paces when let down.
Her locks grew back to full length in a single day no matter how much was cut—a "blessing" from her dragon bloodline.
Whether blessing or curse, who knew. Anyway.
"Her Highness desires a wondrous magic tool applying the heater's principles to dry her hair in an instant."
And Akion already had one idea in mind.
'A hair dryer would do it.'
An indispensable modern essential after washing your hair: the hair dryer.
From what Akion had heard, the palace employed mages for hair drying.
But that was reserved for the emperor or crown prince… naturally excluding the Seventh Princess.
At this point, Akion sniffed out something uncanny.
"Her Highness's concern seems less a grave national secret and more a deeply personal, practical matter."
The sweet scent of a hefty budget…!
"Young master, this is a matter as urgent to Her Highness as national security."
Beatrice, the Seventh Princess's head maid, was also her nanny.
From the princess's birth until now, at eighteen, she'd cared for her like a mother—closer than the empress herself.
"So she knows full well the immense stress that endless hair causes the princess.
Luxurious red tresses that regrow to their original glory no matter how much is cut.
Thankfully, they stop beyond a certain length, but
"No, no! If it's like this, I'd rather be bald!!"
"P-Princess! Please calm yourself!"
To the girl herself, it was a curse.
Hair that reverts to full length overnight, even shaved to the scalp!
"The young master can surely resolve this with ease."
"I understand Her Highness's plight, but engineering-wise, it's no simple task."
Beatrice had watched it all unfold, yearning for the princess to sleep just one more hour.
Then Viscount Daléon, her mentor, had shown that electric heater—and both princess and maid saw their breakthrough.
Half under orders, half of her own volition, Beatrice had rushed here.
"Controlling heat and airflow simultaneously requires a full redesign from the ground up…"
But to see this count's son play hard to get? Beatrice was inwardly dumbfounded.
Of course, she didn't know that in his past life, when Akion was a ministry director told "You did it on a shoestring budget, so we'll cut it more…"
"Minister, you're the starting point. The starting point of talent drain, fuck it."
"That had some accent in it…"
That he'd cursed the man right to his face.
"I'm also strapped for time with the Ridaside sewage project…"
Even so, to dally before the Seventh Princess's proposal?
Beatrice remained the supplicant, though.
Without an assigned mage, the princess had no other breakthrough but this Akion Energies.
Expecting a spoiled shut-in, Beatrice clicked her tongue inwardly and doubled down.
"Public bathhouses and sewage facilities, was it? Her Highness has heard all about your public hygiene efforts. However, it seems Count Energies faced disputes over repair rights with neighboring territories and the resulting administrative friction. A coordination request has already reached the palace."
Akion's eyes lit up.
Beatrice had caught on too: public hygiene was a money pit of a public works project, but its benefits were immense.
The costs would pale against losses from plagues.
"Upon reviewing the report, Her Highness was deeply moved by the benevolence you and the count bestowed on your people. Thus, a positive review for that request is complete."
"We are honored."
The princess valued Akion for this very reason.
One who looked after those beneath him might extend a hand to her too.
Beatrice wanted to shout that was wrong. Anyway.
But she'd prepared a gift the princess and Akion couldn't refuse.
"Accordingly, Her Highness pledges full support for all your civil engineering endeavors, including sewage—including full authority to resolve administrative frictions."
"Yes?!"
The recent letter from Count Energies to the palace: a request to mediate water rights disputes with neighbors and squabbles over Ridaside land with other lords.
Hearing they'd back it all full throttle, Akion shot to his feet.
"Ahem. My apologies."
"Hehe."
Even called Energies's other genius, he hadn't expected such a massive gift.
The princess had made her own resolve, of course.
So please, let the answer be good… As Beatrice's anxiety peaked,
"I salute Her Highness's resolve. Then, as an engineer staking my honor, I shall deliver a revolutionary change to Her Highness's mornings."
"I like that confident response."
Deal. Akion accepted!
Beatrice sighed inwardly in relief.
"Excellent. Her Highness and I eagerly await the warmth you'll bring to the Empire from the Energies Count family."
She'd send an overseer to check progress, but their expectations for Akion were high.
Hoping he'd solve the princess's worry, Beatrice slipped quietly from the workshop.
"Akion!"
The moment Beatrice left, the family rushed in, pressing him for details.
"Well, you see…"
Akion spilled most of his talk with the maid.
Among the quietly listening group, Delpord spoke first as representative.
"Son. Are you insane? Gambling your house and fate before the head maid?"
"It worked out, didn't it?"
"Worked out my ass, you fool—!!!"
Bonk!
The first fatherly flick he'd ever given him.
Of course, a light one. Anyway.
"Ow! Domestic abuse! Tower Master, help!"
"Looks like Delpord needs to put some love into it…"
"Even you, Tower Master?!"
It was reckless enough that even the Tower Master shook her head.
No, for a young master to demand more and risk imperial insult?
Even from the dominant position?
Delpord's heart must've dropped.
Today, the Tower Master sided with him.
A moment later,
"So… son. Got any ideas?"
"Already planned it all out."
Akion, cheeks pinched by Goldie and the Tower Master as extras,
Rubbed his reddened cheeks and bumped head as he explained.
For the hair dryer: the electric heater's filament and a portable fan's motor.
Honestly, those two sufficed. Two weeks tops.
So the key was,
"With that in mind… Goldie, Tower Master. And Lady Lucrecia?"
"Y-Yes?"
Reviews from early adopters.
Or feedback, as they called it.
"I'll make some for you to try. Leave detailed reviews? Gotta pass them to the princess too."
"Hieeek, to the princess…?!"
"Hmm. To this lady's distant grandniece…"
"Uh, uhm… Got it."
Akion planned to hand them to the three women first for reviews.
Beauty appliances thrived on vivid user feedback, after all.