The next morning, Penelope couldn’t get out of bed until late.
Her entire body ached as if she had come down with a fever.
It was the aftermath of dancing in mid-air. She had been so tense that she had unconsciously stiffened every muscle in her body.
If she went on another date with the Tower Master, she’d likely end up bedridden.
‘My first date ever, across both my past and present lives, and it was more nerve-wracking than exciting!’
In that moment, it hit her again: Ahwin truly was the Tower Master.
Still, Penelope couldn’t help but think of the previous night as a date. Even though she was inexperienced in romance, she had enough common sense to recognize it for what it was.
And her first date had left her legs trembling from sheer fear.
‘But what was going on with Ahwin last night?’
Ahwin, demanding a kiss? She had been so flustered that she’d almost broken out in a nervous sweat.
For a brief moment, she considered grabbing him by the collar, but she quickly shook off the thought and lifted her head instead.
“My rosemary oil!”
She suddenly remembered the bottles of rosemary oil, argan oil, coconut oil, and jojoba oil she had purchased the day before.
Penelope hurriedly washed her face and changed into fresh clothes.
“Giselle! Could you bring me the aromatic oils I bought yesterday?”
Giselle arrived shortly after, carrying a wagon loaded with the colorful bottles of aromatic oils that the merchant had delivered.
“Here they are.”
“Thanks.”
Penelope’s face lit up as she took the rosemary oil and sniffed it. The scent was delightful.
If she diluted the rosemary oil and argan oil in a 1:1 ratio, it could be used as a hair essence.
‘Adding some green herb extract would make it perfect.’
And thus, the development of a hair essence prototype had begun.
By experimenting with different ratios of oils, she could create a variety of hair essences.
‘A new business idea.’
Penelope couldn’t stop smiling as she thought about it.
Giselle, who had been watching her intently, couldn’t resist commenting.
“I sent you to the festival to enjoy yourself, and yet you came back with more work. What am I going to do with you?”
“I enjoyed the festival.”
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“Oh, sure you did.”
Giselle gave her a skeptical look before setting down a cup of coffee for her workaholic mistress.
Penelope took a sip of the fragrant coffee and smiled brightly.
Giselle sighed internally, feeling both exasperated and helpless.
‘She’s so beautiful. If only she’d spend some of her youth and beauty on romance.’
Giselle felt deeply regretful that Penelope was dedicating her best years solely to reviving the estate.
At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling frustrated with Ahwin.
She had gone through the trouble of arranging for the two to spend time together, and yet they had simply returned from their outing as if nothing had happened.
‘Isn’t he relying a little too much on his good looks?’
As Giselle stewed over her thoughts, the butler knocked on the drawing room door and announced, “A visitor has arrived.”
“Who is it?”
Could it be Ahwin?
Giselle’s face lit up with a glimmer of hope as she turned to the butler.
“It’s Professor Orlan and Mr. Rector.”
“Oh, please show them in. Giselle, could you prepare some tea?”
“...Of course.”
Giselle sighed, picking up the kettle and muttering to herself, ‘Honestly, no one else is any help.’
A moment later, Professor Orlan and Rector appeared in Penelope’s drawing room.
Penelope greeted them warmly.
“It’s been a while, you two. How have you been?”
“We’ve been keeping busy, as usual, producing the items you ordered,” Orlan replied.
They had been so preoccupied with manufacturing the hair dryers that they hadn’t had time for anything else.
“If anything, the real work has been on your end, Baroness.”
“Oh, that’s all taken care of on my side,” Penelope said with enthusiasm.
“By the way, I heard the production of the hair dryers has picked up speed.”
“Thanks to the proper facilities and workforce we’ve set up. Rector’s assistance was invaluable.”
“You’ve both worked so hard. Thank you,” Penelope said sincerely.
"Not at all. Thanks to Baroness Halo, the Tower’s ventures are flourishing more with each passing day," Rector said, adding more explanation, as if feeling his previous statement was insufficient.
"This project has brought great pride to the senior mages at the Tower. It’s not just about efficiently utilizing mana stones—it’s also about creating practical tools for everyday life. Producing affordable magical devices that even commoners can purchase has always been one of the Tower’s goals."
Penelope was momentarily at a loss for words. She hadn’t expected them to wrap the project in such grand terms.
"The ones most pleased, however, are likely the lower-level mages and aspiring magic users who previously had little to no job opportunities," Professor Orlan chimed in.
Hearing this, Penelope managed a small smile. Regardless of everything else, it was good that mages were finding work.
Professor Orlan looked at her with an affectionate gaze, like a mentor admiring a cherished pupil.
Rector spoke again. "If you have any more ideas, please don’t hesitate to share them. The Tower will provide its full support."
"I’ll personally assist with anything related to magic engineering," Orlan added.
"Thank you, truly. If I think of something, I’ll let you know right away."
For a brief moment, the idea of a vacuum cleaner popped into Penelope’s head, but she quickly dismissed it.
‘A vacuum cleaner is still too advanced for now.’
It seemed more practical to think of simpler, more immediately feasible devices.
‘What would be a good option...? It should ideally be something useful for everyday life.’
As she thought about appliances from her past life, she felt certain she could adapt some of them to this world.
But why did it feel like she was forgetting something?
"Oh! Before that, could you take a look at the hair iron?" she suddenly exclaimed.
"The hair iron?" Professor Orlan asked, looking puzzled.
"It’s a device that uses heat to style hair. You’ll understand once you see it."
Penelope called for Giselle to bring the hair iron, a tool she had been using regularly and had nearly forgotten about.
When Giselle presented the hair iron, Professor Orlan and Rector examined it with curious eyes.
"This is the hair iron? It’s a magical device powered by mana stones. May I ask who made it?" Orlan inquired.
"Oh, Ahwin made it," Penelope replied.
"The Tower Master himself?" Orlan’s expression turned to one of astonishment as he turned the device over in his hands.
The Tower Master, unparalleled in magic, had never shown much interest in magical engineering.
‘He must have made it because Penelope asked for it. People always want to impress the ones they love.’
It was almost too easy to read between the lines.
Professor Orlan suppressed a smile, pressing his lips together. Just then, Rector spoke up.
"You use this to style hair? Could you show me how it works?"
"Of course. This button here controls the temperature. By applying heat and pressure, you can straighten or curl hair. Be careful not to touch the metal parts—they get very hot."
Penelope glanced around before asking, "Which of you would like to try it out? Ah..."
She trailed off mid-sentence. Professor Orlan’s thinning hair made him an unlikely candidate for a demonstration.
Rector stepped forward, catching on. "I’ll give it a go."
"Please sit over there in that chair. It’s best if you stay still to avoid any accidents."
Rector seated himself in the chair Penelope had indicated. A large full-length mirror stood in front of him.
"Now, if you hold a section of hair with the clamps and gently twist, you can create beautiful curls. Like this—see?" Penelope demonstrated deftly, curling a strand of Rector’s hair.
Both Rector and Professor Orlan stared in amazement.
"This must be a tool for noblewomen," Orlan remarked.
"It’s mostly used by women, but men can use it too. Like this." Penelope took another section of Rector’s hair at the crown and rolled it into a soft curl, making his hair look fuller.
Professor Orlan let out a small exclamation of admiration.
Rector grinned. "I understand now what you meant, Baroness. I think I might find this quite useful myself."
Professor Orlan, looking even more enthusiastic, asked, "Would it be possible for me to review the schematics?"
"Oh, those are with Ahwin," Penelope replied.
"I see. I was planning to visit the Tower Master’s residence anyway. Now that we have the prototype, developing the product should go smoothly. Shall we discuss the contract details later?" Orlan suggested.
"Of course," Penelope agreed.
Professor Orlan and Rector exchanged glances, their eyes glinting with excitement.
"We’re about to astonish the world once again."