“I don’t want to.” (Astel)

“Okay, then send it toㅡ What?” (Miles)

Astel answered him firmly.

“No, I do not want to.”

That was the end.

A huge, stern-looking woman who had been clinging to Astel’s side got up from her seat.

“What? Are you a thief?” (Rudel)

The director of the treatment center, which was ‘weak to the strong and strong to the weak’, shrugged at the overwhelming presence from the woman who stood in front of him.

“If you’re the head of the treatment center, you have to protect your dignity and principles. I couldn’t believe you’re tormenting the weak.”

The maid was a very prestigious figure in the north.

It was said that she was not from the four major families, but she was one of the most influential people in the north castle, and anyone could tell just by looking at her dignified dominance.

“…Astel.” (Miles)

“Call her Lady Astel.” (Rudel)

“Astel… Lady…” (Miles)

Reluctant to deal with the threat of the proud maid, the treatment director, confronted by the unresponsive Astel, turned around cursing at her, without knowing that Astel was looking closely at him, he gritted his teeth.

‘That ungrateful woman.’ (Miles)

Your habit got bad in that short time.

I’ll ruin your reputation, just wait and see.

‘She doesn’t even know the grace of not telling her teacher for three years about the secret to hair growth.’ (Miles)

✿

A few days later, and it was time for the Duke to return.

Astel had so much fun that she kept humming these days.

“Lady Astel! That bastard healer!!!”

“Rumors were spreading everywhere! That lady Astel betrayed him!”

“Oh, really?”

It wasn’t surprising. I have seen the director of the treatment center for three years.

The head of the treatment center knew a lot of people, and even his mouth was written in the original.

So, after our last meeting at the flea market, I thought he was going to spread rumors to pressure me.

However, there was something that the treatment director overlooked while gossiping about me.

Rather than hate me for being a human, the beasts here…

“Miss Astel!!”

The maid, Jenny, smiled broadly and waved the letter.

“My brother who lives outside the castle knows about the rumor that Astel made hair regrowth medicine.”

…Yes, they were more interested in hair growth products.

There’s a place for dog poop to use as medicine, and the director also has a place for a use like this.

The vicious treatment director was doing a great job as a speaker to spread my bait outside of Duke Castle.

Astel smiled satisfactorily, recalling him.

There was only one reason why I dared to sell hair growth products at the flea market.

‘Good. If rumors spread this much, it’s time for the artifact appraiser to come to me!’

There were only three hints that appeared in the original about the artifact appraiser who kept hiding his identity.

First, he resides in the Northern Dukedom.

Second, he was a male and bald.

Third, he’s very interested in dark artifacts.

Nothing came out just by wrapping my head with that simple hint.

Then on the same day that Jenny suggested a walk and tea time, I got a great idea during tea time.

Time goes back to that moment for a while.

“At this rate, I’ll be bald…”

Astel sighed and grabbed the teacup…

“Bald?”

At that moment, a male servant, who was pouring the tea in the tea pot was startled, and hurriedly covered his forehead.

“…I-I’ll leave now.”

Surprised by his trembling voice, I raised my gaze off the steaming teacup and looked at him.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

However, the servant had already left.

Instead, Sally whispered and brought it up.

“…that’s a bald weasel. I’m very worried these days about going bald.”

Jenny also started talking.

“That weasel, the last time he turned into an animal, he had lost a handful of hair.”

“Apparently, it’s not long before he’ll be bald even as a human.”

“Really, it’s not…”

Listening to their chattering in one ear and shedding it in the other ear, I blanked out quietly.

Sally and Jenny’s chatter on hairless weasels was not important right now.

It’s important how I would catch the artifact appraiser.

Then Astel suddenly tried to spit the words without realizing it.

“Sigh, bald…” (Astel)

“What? Do you like bald hair?”

“Huh? Oh, no.”

At that time, the image of the weasel beast with tears in his eyes came to mind.

“But are beasts ashamed of being bald…?”

…Come to think of it, none of the patients I have been dealing with have been bald.

Of course, there were those who said they were worried about losing a lot of hair.

However, looking at the weasel beast just now, baldness seemed to be quite a disgrace even in this beasts society.

“We don’t say it out loud, but there are a lot of cases where I’m ashamed of myself. Especially people who are interested in shiny fur.”

At that moment, the chin I was holding with my hand slipped down.

Wait, this…

“The bald ones, then, are they interested in fur or their hair?”

“Yes. Well, there’s no medicine to make the hair grow, so they’re just holding it in.”

“It’s an incurable disease, incurable…”

‘…Then, wouldn’t they want to fix it?’ (Astel)

Astel lifted the teacup with trembling hands and swallowed the hot black tea at once.

From then on, the journey to make a hair growth potion, and the preparations for the operation to spread the information into the ears of the bald Artifact Appraiser had begun.

‘Let’s proceed perfectly as planned!’

It was also naturally calculated that the director of the treatment center would participate in the flea market.

If it goes well as planned, the artifact appraiser will visit me soon!

But, what if he didn’t come?

Then there’s another way…

Astel smiled happily and hummed.

It was then…

“Miss Astel.”

A video sphere floated forward.

“His Excellency has contacted you.”

Astel eyes widened as she stared at the sphere in front of her.

“… should I contact him with that?””

“Yes.”

Astel smiled as the sphere was handed to her.

✿

In front of the ice wall at the northern base camp.

Duke Anais turned on the video sphere connected to Astel.

As soon as the sparkles and lights came in, Astel’s face was seen in front of him.

“Hey, was there no connection?”(Astel)

Astel tapped the video sphere with a half-impatient expression.

He stared quietly at Astel who appeared in the sphere.

He was about to let it go, but when he saw her face, he remembered the voices of those knights, who had been talking about such vulgar things about Astel.

So far, he had not been very interested in managing the interior of the northern Dukedom, including the Castle.

The obligation he received from the predecessor was just to protect the North from the monsters.

Fortunately, there were few people who disobeyed his orders as they were in the north who only followed and supported the strong.

So, how those who are weaker than them, and the deep-rooted hatred and distrust of humans in the North have been treated and ignored just like breathing.

‘But when I think about what kind of neglect Astel might have been treated in my absence…’ (Duke)

I felt my chest full of strange things.

“…Astel.”

Perhaps it was because of his shortness of breath, his voice was low.

“Oh, yes! Duke! How have you been?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s a relief! What I did recently was, I went to the flea market. Hmm…”

Astel’s expression, which had been busily speaking, hardened.

The Duke stared at her…

“Hey, you look a little… sad.”

As he said that, Astel was in tears, but he didn’t know exactly why he felt sad.

So he slowly lifted the corners of his lips and smiled at her.

“No, I’m smiling.”

Astel carefully tapped the sphere and stroke it.

It was a gentle touch that seemed to comfort him.

“What’s wrong?”

Looking at her innocent eyes, he slowly looked away.

“…There’s none.”

Why did the maid’s voice, who said, ‘Astel has low self-esteem’, pass by at this moment?

There was a slight pain in his chest, which seemed to be filled with something strange about her.

He turned away from the unfamiliar pain and muttered quietly.

“Keep talking… I wonder how Astel was.” (Duke)

“Well, I made a hair regrowth and sold it at the flea market!” (Astel)

“A hair regrowth?”

Astel deliberately replied in an excited tone.

“Yes! It’s a hair regrowth!”

“That’s amazing.”

There was a moment of silence at his short reply.

Astel suddenly noticed that Duke Anais was constantly looking at the daytime light.

She glanced at Duke Anais.

‘I wonder if my brother was at base camp by now?’

There’s also the possibility that it may not have flowed as the original.

The cello never arrived, and the video sphere that hee brother had handed her seemed to have been temporarily blocked from working there.

As she faced the Duke, she suddenly felt a little anxious at the thought that her brother might not have met his child.

‘What should I do?’

Astel decided to try her luck.