❀❀❀
WHEN we arrived, sure enough, four women were waiting in the room. The Queen looked to be in her forties, with her three attendants all perhaps slightly younger; I was told they hailed from aristocratic families, and indeed, they looked every bit as proud and haughty as one would expect.
“So you’re the hairstylist. I’ve been expecting you.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty. My name is Mayna Spring, and this is my apprentice, Kirion Soh.”
“Well then, Mayna, I should like you to style my hair at once. I have grown so terribly bored of my current style, you see.”
The Queen was a beautiful woman with pale lavender hair and a frank personality. Like most other Dragonkin, she was tall and slender, but the Queen in particular was endowed with a hefty bustline. And as with her three attendants, her hair was long and perfectly straight, presently cascading over her right shoulder.
“We want to have ringlets like the ones you gave Patricia yesterday.”
“In that case, I’ll need to use my curling irons. Not only can it create curls, but it can produce elegant waves as well. That said, with straight hair like yours, I can’t guarantee that it will last for very long. The hair simply isn’t predisposed to holding curls, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, that’s all right. If it lasts long enough that I can surprise the King for lunch, then that’s good enough for me,” the Queen answered with a mischievous giggle.
And so Kirion and I kindled a small fire in the fireplace and set about heating the irons. Then, once each of the four had determined her desired hairstyle, I immediately got to work.
Even with the balcony door open and a kind servant fanning me, the room was still sweltering—and I would need to do three more heads of hair after this. I hadn’t anticipated that all of them would want a wavy style, so this was a lot more work than I initially expected...but still, I didn’t want to betray their high expectations. If I was going to do this, then I wanted to do it perfectly.
“Are you okay? Should I take over?” Kirion offered quietly. As much as I appreciated the thought, I knew he had no prior experience with curling irons, and I couldn’t very well subject the Queen or her attendants to an amateur. Not only was there a risk of contact burns if the metal touched her skin, but excessive exposure to the intense heat could burn her hair, and then we’d really be in trouble. A woman’s hair was tantamount to her femininity itself, and as such, it was invaluable.
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” I replied, sweat beading on my brow.
Meanwhile, Patricia and the Queen were engaged in conversation:
“How are things with Dario? Are you getting along?”
“Oh, we most certainly are, Your Majesty. I understand he was rather busy yesterday, but nevertheless, he still set aside time to come and visit me in my chambers. He clearly cares for me. He wanted to know if I was adjusting to life in Vaxwald.”
“It must be quite the culture shock, living in a different country in which you are the minority.”
“I admit I was nervous at first, but I’ve since come around. There are so many kind people here...especially you, Your Majesty!”
“Oh, I’m just happy to dote on my new daughter, that’s all.”
I smiled to myself as I listened to their sweet little exchange. I was so glad to know that the Queen had accepted Patricia in spite of the nasty rumors about her floating around the kingdom. In my opinion, she and her son Dario were both crucial pillars of support in this trying time.
Once I finally finished curling all four heads of hair, the next step was to style it. Then, at long last, my work was finished.
“It’s so very elegant and beautiful,” the Queen remarked. I had tied her hair loosely at the base of her neck so as to keep those soft, flowing waves in line. Then I took her long, newly wavy bangs and pinned them back to cover her ears. With the ears covered, it produced an elegant and seductive look; conversely, exposing the ears would create an energetic, youthful effect.
The three attendants were all quite satisfied with their styles, too:
“Look at me! I’m like a whole different person! Why, I can’t wait to go home and show my husband!”
“I bet he’ll flip!”
These women were all twice my age and long since married, and yet they were squealing with delight as if they were young maidens all over again. The sight warmed my heart. Moments like these made my job worth doing.
“Thank you, Mayna,” said the Queen, her lips curled in a contented smile as she handed me my pay. It was a lot more than the work itself warranted, but I figured it’d be rude to decline payment from the royal family, so I graciously accepted.
After that, Kirion and I packed up our styling tools and left Patricia to enjoy a pleasant conversation with the Queen and her attendants.
“We can split this between us later,” I said, holding up the small sack of reward money as we walked through the corridor.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. I barely did anything at all. You should keep it.”
“No, that wouldn’t be right. You helped, and you deserve your fair share,” I insisted.
“You’re a real goody-goody, aren’t you?” he replied, smiling faintly. “You work hard, you have ambition, and yet you still manage to put other people first. I’ll bet you’ve put in a ridiculous amount of effort to hone your skills, too. You have a purpose in life, and so you have no reason to covet the achievements of others.”
“...Where did that come from?”
Ostensibly he was paying me a compliment, and yet his flat, detached tone made me feel more like a research specimen.
But then he grinned.
“I was just thinking you’re probably not that popular with the gents,” he teased. “You’ve got a pretty face, but I wager you don’t get approached too often—because you don’t let yourself appear approachable.”
“Mind your own business, okay?” I was starting to have second thoughts about splitting the reward with him.
“Personally, I find so-called ‘untouchable’ women like you far more interesting. Makes me curious to see what you’d be like if you actually fell in love.”