CYMSMS 03

3: The Power of Transformation

The man, Kiel, looked utterly flustered, like an idiot. Yet, I continued to bombard him with words.

“Where do I need to lose weight? With a face like this, I think I have the best looks in the Empire.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’ve just realized the truth. Anyway, I wondered why the people in this house treated me this way…”

I rolled my eyes and surveyed the area. The people who looked like servants stared at me with expressions of shock or continued to look coldly. This was actually a relief. It meant I didn’t have to feel guilty about anything I did.

I stood up abruptly and walked toward the door. I grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open hard. Glancing back at my supposed brother, he looked at me with an expression that asked, Why is she acting like this? Seeing a man who didn’t even know why I was angry, I felt that even wasting words on him was too much.

I yelled, putting all my anger into my voice so the entire household could hear me.

“My appetite is completely ruined, so I can’t eat. Thank you so much for helping me with my diet. I’ll be leaving first. You can eat that yourself.”

“M-My Lady!”

Slam!

The loud noise of the door closing made me almost shout that it was the wind. If I get startled by things like this, how am I going to adapt here? If I’m going to survive here with that jerk, I need to practice not even flinching at a sound like that.

I walked down the hallway with Lily following right behind me.

Lily walked behind me, trying to gauge my mood. While she was hesitating, unable to speak, I overheard the low whispers of the servants gossiping.

“Why did the Lady suddenly come out? Did she go crazy after being dumped by the Crown Prince?”

“I know, right? But I heard someone that ugly confessed to him. How embarrassed must the Crown Prince have been?”

Lily, who had been struggling to find the right words, clenched her fists when she heard the words of the window-cleaning servants. She glared at the two of them, her usually gentle eyes intense with effort.

However, the two servants just sneered at us and moved away without offering an apology or even a greeting.

“Those…”

“It’s fine, Lily. I have a question, though.”

“Yes? What is it?”

At my words, Lily’s expression instantly softened again, and she looked at me. Pushing aside the thought that she looked like a puppy, I reached the door of Celia’s room and grabbed the doorknob.

From talking to Lily while changing clothes, I found out Celia was an adopted child. But even for an adopted child, was this how a noble should be treated? This kind of life would crush anyone’s self-esteem.

“Are my cosmetics here?”

“Cosmetics? Yes! We have some! Though not a lot.”

“Really?”

At Lily’s words, I threw the door wide open. I stepped inside and walked over to the dressing table against one wall.

They called this face ugly?

This face, with just a little makeup, could surpass any idol. If my treatment here is determined by my appearance, then…

“Lily, could you bring out all my makeup, please?”

Should I unleash the skills that made me famous in the university makeup scene?

Looking at the makeup Lily brought out, I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. I hadn’t expected there to be no foundation.

Well, perhaps I’m the idiot for expecting foundation in this world.

I stared silently at the unidentified powders, sighed, and picked up a brush. Lily watched me start applying makeup so suddenly, her eyes full of questions.

Watch closely, Lily. I’m about to show you magic.

A normal person might try to cover their face completely with the white powder, but to make that look even somewhat natural, you’d need to apply the white powder everywhere, including the neck. Why somewhat? Because the difference between the white powder and Celia’s natural skin tone was huge. Floating face makeup? No way, that’s definitely not happening. I couldn’t ruin this beautiful woman like that. Plus, why cover myself in mystery powders?

I put that idea aside and came up with another makeup plan. A look that could be covered entirely with color products. Ah, there is a way! A method that was briefly trendy!

The method I chose was to use the white and red powders to create a light pink powder. This method was originally for lips, but given the circumstances, I had to adapt. This was a makeup technique that influencers started as a kind of challenge. I remembered doing it for fun at home.

The key is controlling the amount. I lightly swept the brush, which had a moderate amount of powder, over her troubled cheeks, nose, and chin. Next, I blended the light pink powder with a little more red around the eyes, creating a subtle eyeshadow gradient. It already looked good.

Now, draw the aegyo-sal (eye bags of fat for cuteness), mix some water to make a lip color, and use the white powder as a highlighter! Then, thin eyeliner drawn up with the black ink…

Yes. This is it.

The woman in the mirror had a face that perfectly showcased the makeup I had envisioned. There were a few differences, but this was the best I could do given the current situation, so I was satisfied. I took two steps back from the dressing table and peeked at Lily behind me.

How is it, Lily? My skill?

Lily was frozen, her mouth wide open. Thinking this might be strange, I cautiously asked for her opinion.

“Is it weird?”

“W-Wow. No, not at all! You look truly, truly beautiful! You’ve changed completely; anyone seeing you for the first time won’t recognize who you are.”

“You think I’m unrecognizable?”

I set the brush down and looked at the mirror again. I didn’t think I looked that different. But Lily disagreed, tilting her head and staring at the Celia in the mirror. Even though I hadn’t done anything special, my heart pounded from Lily’s words. I tried to suppress the rising joy, but a smile couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of my mouth.

Turning around, I faced Lily with a more confident smile than before.

“Then that’s a relief. Hey, should we go for a walk?”

“A walk, suddenly?”

“Yes. I did my makeup, so I can’t just stay in here, right?”

“Ah, that’s true! Should I bring something light to eat while we walk? I don’t know if I can get anything, but you must be hungry.”

“Won’t it be hard for you to get food if you go alone? I’m also worried you’ll be harassed. I’ll go with you. Let’s go to the kitchen and get something to eat.”

Lily met my sparkling eyes, then squeezed hers shut and nodded vigorously.

What was Lily’s relationship with Celia, anyway? How can someone be so pure? Seeing the enthusiastic Lily made my heart ache a little. It’s not that I was using her, but Lily truly seemed to only care about getting food. My motives, however, were slightly different. Call it an escort for confirmation.

The food and the walk were just excuses; this was an experiment to determine the value of my makeup skills in this world. To restore the honor and position of Celia, who couldn’t even eat properly, I needed to understand and break the role the original author gave her. Otherwise, it was clear she would be stuck living this life until she died. And if I can’t return to my original world, I would have to live that life.

I will absolutely not tolerate this kind of life. I won’t live a life of being ignored while barely earning any money again.

With that resolve, I forcefully opened the door and walked with Lily toward the kitchen.

“Haaa…”

Soon after I descended the stairs, I ran into that damned brother again. What are the chances of running into the same unlucky person repeatedly in such a large place? What kind of situation is this?

I tried to suppress my anger and ignore him. Until I heard the words that came out of his mouth.

My heart instantly started beating fast. That’s right. I put on makeup, didn’t I?

“My Lady, are you perhaps lost?”

Confronting my brother, who spoke kindly and gently, I was dumbfounded. Was the man standing before me, acting perfectly polite, really the same one who had been taunting me moments ago? Lily was also bewildered, her eyes vacant, displaying a look of utter disbelief.

But wait a minute. My brother reacting like this means…

I mouthed the words as if searching for them. Then I smiled elegantly, like the wealthy characters in dramas, and lightly closed my eyes.

“Hmm, I’m not lost. I just had a lot on my mind and was taking a walk.”

“Ah, who could have troubled your thoughts, My Lady? If it’s alright, may I accompany you? It might help you clear your mind.”

“Lily is helping me, so it’s fine.”

“I may know more than a maid. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kiel Ebennein, the eldest son of this family. If it is not too rude, may I ask for your name, My Lady?”

“Ah, me?”

I opened my eyes, glanced sideways, then looked at Kiel and let out a small scoff.

“…My Lady?”

“My name is Celia Ebennein.”

“What?”

“Yes.”

“What? Are you out of your mind? Huh? Is that you, My Lady? Hahaha! My Lady, what a joke. Stop playing a trick…”

“Believe it or don’t. I just told you the truth. Now, if you’re not going to bring me a proper meal, step aside.”

Kiel’s eyes trembled at my words, and he continued to stare at me rudely. But he had no intention of moving; as I tried to walk past him, he moved sideways to block me. I irritably raised an eyebrow and looked up at Kiel.

“What is it?”

“You are Celia?”

“Yes, I am Celia.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know how you managed to use high-level magic, but becoming a Mage without reporting it is illegal. Look, your brother here is helping you avoid jail, don’t you get it?”

I was an idiot for thinking he was worried for a second. Seeing this man immediately assume I used high-level magic just because I put on some makeup made me question how the author set up this world.

I looked at Kiel and let out a deep sigh. I didn’t even want to answer him. He treated me with such contempt earlier, and now that my appearance has changed a bit, he’s suddenly clinging to me. What is he trying to do? I didn’t want to experience a drama trope of the ‘regretful ex’ type like this.

I pretended not to notice, pushed Kiel with my shoulder, and continued walking.