'Where am I? Who am I?'
For a brief moment, Penelope entertained a small escape from reality. But she quickly pulled herself together.
Right on cue, Ahwin approached, holding two massive cotton candies that looked sweet enough to make her teeth ache just by looking at them.
"Here, this one's yours," he said, offering her the sky-blue cotton candy. The pink one, it seemed, was for himself.
Penelope stared blankly for a moment before accepting the candy. She tore off a small piece and popped it into her mouth. As expected, an overwhelming sweetness exploded across her palate.
'Too sweet...'
It was a flavor that only children would likely enjoy. Proof of this was the crowd of children gathered around the cotton candy vendor.
'So for Ahwin, a date means cotton candy.'
For some reason, the thought amused her. Ahwin’s pure and earnest approach to love struck her as unexpectedly endearing.
'To think I ended up dating Ahwin so haphazardly...'
She still couldn't understand herself from an hour ago. How had she so easily accepted his sudden proposal?
'Ahwin is the Tower Master. Literally the strongest person in this world.'
The consequences of this were sure to fall squarely on her shoulders. And yet, here she was, eating cotton candy as if it were no big deal. Was she becoming too bold?
As she silently twirled the cotton candy in her hands, Ahwin asked, "Do you not like the color? Should I give you mine?"
"This one is already sweet enough, thank you."
"Good, then. Eating something sweet helps your brain work better."
When Ahwin extended his hand, Penelope instinctively took it. His face lit up instantly.
Penelope felt a sudden dryness in her throat and cleared it with a cough.
"So, where are we heading next?"
"We're just walking without a destination. Is that a problem?"
"No... That's fine. I like that."
She felt her previously stiff shoulders relax.
She had thought a date with him would involve something extravagant, but it seemed he wanted to do something as ordinary as strolling around. If that’s what he wanted, she could easily oblige.
The two walked side by side along the late afternoon streets.
People’s gazes naturally gravitated toward Ahwin wherever they went, though it seemed to be purely because of his striking looks. No one appeared to suspect his true identity.
His slightly overgrown hair, brushing against his eyes, seemed to soften his usual striking appearance and drew less attention than usual.
"Isn't your hair poking your eyes? It looks uncomfortable."
"Does it?"
Having already finished his cotton candy, Ahwin brushed a hand through his hair. The soft, golden strands rippled gently under his fingers like silk.
"I'll stop by the barber tomorrow. It's already getting late today. The sun will set soon."
"No, I wasn’t saying you should cut it. I just thought it looked inconvenient. If you want to grow it out, that's fine too."
"I prefer it short. And besides, you..."
Ahwin trailed off, clearing his throat awkwardly. Curious, Penelope glanced up and noticed a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.
"...you like short hair."
"Me?"
Penelope was stunned. Did she like short hair?
Ahwin, apparently confident in his assertion, tightened his grip on her hand.
"Of course. The last time I cut my hair, your eyes were different when you looked at me."
"Ah..."
That was because his transformation had been so shocking. It wasn’t just her; everyone in the Halo estate had reacted the same way.
Unable to tell him the truth, Penelope instead bit into her cotton candy. Instantly, her brow furrowed.
It was still far too sweet.
"Give it to me. I'll eat it," Ahwin said.
"It's fine."
Ignoring her protest, Ahwin swiftly took the cotton candy from her hand and shoved the entire thing into his mouth. In mere moments, it was gone.
'Why does that look cute?'
Penelope couldn’t help but think that something had gone horribly wrong.
Ahwin casually pushed aside the strands of hair tickling his eyebrows and frowned slightly. It seemed he really did need to get it trimmed.
'Come to think of it, there was that one time when Ahwin went to the barber and came back looking completely different...'
"Hair salon!" she suddenly exclaimed.
Penelope's sudden outburst made Ahwin flinch and halt his steps.
She grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically.
"We should open a salon!"
"...What?"
"A salon connected to the Halo Shop, where we can use all the beauty tools sold at the shop!"
Ahwin stared at her blankly, not fully grasping her idea.
'Of course! This is the solution!'
Penelope quickly organized her thoughts.
Everything she'd been worrying about could be resolved by opening a salon.
If stylists hired by Halo used the hair dryers, round brushes, hair essence, and flat irons, they wouldn’t even need to rely on newspapers or catalogs to advertise. The products would naturally promote themselves.
"Coming outside really does help with brainstorming."
Penelope cupped Ahwin’s cheeks with both hands and smiled brightly. His expression softened, like ice melting in the sun.
But a moment later, Ahwin grumbled.
"Where are you going?"
"Just follow me. This is still part of the date."
Penelope grabbed Ahwin's hand and marched ahead decisively. Though he allowed himself to be led, Ahwin made a small effort to protest.
"I think you’ve misunderstood the concept of a date."
"Think of it as a business-date. Just go with it."
"Penelope, that's not a date. That’s just work."
"Then we’ll meet Pablo and go back to the date afterward."
"...Fine."
Ahwin gave up and followed her without further resistance.
By the time their back-and-forth ended, they had arrived at Pablo's office.
Pablo, who had been absorbed in paperwork, jumped in surprise at Penelope’s sudden visit.
"Baroness, what brings you here? You were at the shop all morning. Aren’t you tired?"
"I just thought of something important and had to come. No tea, I’ll keep this quick. Just hear me out."
"Understood."
Pablo swallowed nervously, his face tense.
Though he noticed Ahwin standing beside her, he didn’t let it distract him. If Penelope had come all the way to his office, it had to be something serious.
Penelope began to explain.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
"I’m planning to open a salon tied to the Halo Shop. The main clientele would be noblewomen and wealthy wives. Stylists will use Halo products to style their clients’ hair."
In an instant, Pablo grasped her intent.
"That would naturally promote Halo Shop’s products," he said.
"Exactly! For tools like the round brush or flat iron, clients would also learn how to use them during their visit."
"That’s an excellent idea! With such an approach, even future products could be seamlessly marketed."
Pablo snapped his fingers, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Excited, Penelope added, "What about hiring professional stylists and training them?"
"That would be a smart move. I’ve already scouted a potential location for Halo Shop’s second branch. We could convert it into a luxurious salon."
"You’ve already found a spot for the second branch?"
"I’ve scouted up to ten potential locations," Pablo replied without a hint of pride, as though it were simply routine.
Penelope couldn’t help but marvel. Pablo was far more capable than she had even imagined.
'To think I have such a sharp and efficient subordinate!'
She felt an urge to pat Pablo’s head in gratitude. If she could, she’d pat her own as well.
It was at this moment that Ahwin, who had been watching with his arms crossed, interjected.
"Is the conversation over?"
"Mostly. I’d like to sit down and discuss the rest, but do you want to head home first?"
"No!"
Ahwin firmly stood his ground next to her, clearly having no intention of leaving.
"Business talk might be boring for you," she pointed out.
"I’ll still listen. I can’t have my girlfriend ditching me on the first day of our relationship."
"Cough!"
Pablo choked on his tea, coughing violently.
'Did I just hear that correctly?'
He set his teacup down and nervously swallowed, trying to confirm if what he’d just heard was real.