The Ugly Lady’s Secret Pouch

He just wanted to get out of the capital as soon as possible.

“Lucas, we should go over there, there’s a huge line of people.”

Lila urged, casually linking her arm with his as they stood in the distance.

Lucas let his gaze linger on her arm for a moment, then lifted the corner of his lips slightly. He quite liked the warmth of it.

He slowed his steps to match hers.

“What kind of place is this, all these people?”

Lila lifted up on her heels in curiosity. Lucas, who was a couple inches taller than her, easily scanned the store before telling her.

“This looks like a place that sells small barrels… Why are they so popular?”

“Small barrels?”

“Yeah. It looks like they serve something in little tubs… Cream?”

“Is it a beauty cream?”

Lila was frustrated. It wasn’t a glass-fronted shop like the costume shop, so no matter what she did, her eyes couldn’t see inside.

Hanging on to his arm and standing on her tiptoes, Lila let out a small squeal at the sudden sensation.

“Gah!”

“Can you see through this?”

Lucas didn’t seem to be struggling at all as he lifted her onto his shoulders.

After staring at him for a moment, one arm around her waist holding her in place, Lila followed his gesture and turned her head.

She could see clearly into the store and all the people staring at her in surprise.

After a quick scan of the store, Lila tapped him on the other shoulder.

“Now put me down.”

“Have you seen everything already?”

“Yes, yes. So put me down.”

Watching her speak in a low whisper, Lucas quietly curled his lips. Her face flushed with embarrassment like a ripe tomato.

“Come on!”

“Pfft.”

Finally unable to contain himself, he turned his head and burst out laughing, then shuddered as he lifted Lila onto his shoulder.

“Put me down and then laugh!”

Lila clung to his shoulder and swayed with him, and not only did he laugh, but so did the people around them.

Soon, a crowd had gathered around them in front of the storefront where the couple was often seen.

It didn’t occur to them that they were nobles in a commoner’s district, but rather wealthy commoners, and they talked to Lila and Lucas with ease.

“You must have heard the rumors, the beauty cream here is so good, I’ve never seen you here before. You look so good with your boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend is very strong, a man should be strong, come on, I’m strong too, bro!”

The muscular man demonstrated, flexing his arms prominently.

Lucas snorted at him, then shook his head as he gently lifted Lila onto his opposite shoulder.

“Can you do this much?”

“… It’s not normal.”

The man’s expression was serious as he nodded in recognition of Lucas’s strength.

“You ever think about working at my shop?”

“Baby, I think you’d make a better living than that.”

At that moment, the curvaceous woman next to him leaned her face against the man’s shoulder and said affectionately.

“…I guess so.”

The man’s darkly tanned face flushed a little from the series of blows.

Lucas set Lila down safely on the ground and turned to the man.

“You’re the one I like, what do you do?”

“Where I work? Are you interested? I work at the Tenebris Company. Do you know how famous it is? It’s where the nobility of the empire, as well as the commoners like us, get their daily necessities.”

The man sounded very proud of his job, and Lila agreed.

“That must be a big company, that’s great.”

Lila had heard of Tenebris Company before. She remembered the servants talking about them when she was at the Barony.

“I used to buy fabric and embroidery thread and stuff from that company when it was on sale sometimes.”

Lucas listened, hearing her words for the first time.

“You’ve been there, too! They always sell things at a discount when we’re preparing for winter, and it’s all because our overlords look out for the commoners. If they sold it for that much, they wouldn’t have any left over, so they just sell it cheap because they feel sorry for commoners like us.”

Lila listened with narrowed eyes. She was planning a cosmetics business of her own, so she was very interested in the Tenebris Company.

“They have earned my respect.”

Lucas’s face flushed slightly at Lila’s words. It was a little embarrassing to be praised so openly.

Just then, the man’s girlfriend, who was sitting next to him, noticed Lila’s appearance and opened her mouth in surprise.  

“Oh, she’s so pretty!”

The woman’s tone of voice was sweet and her every action was cute. Lila couldn’t tear her gaze away from her own face and stared curiously at the woman shuffling her feet.

It felt strange. It was strange to show her bare face so casually, and it was strange to have someone admire it out of pure goodwill.

“I don’t think you need any beauty cream?”

The woman said, unable to take her eyes off Lila’s face. Lila nodded to herself and replied.

“No, we shouldn’t be satisfied here. You see, it’s our turn soon.”

She leaned in close to Lila and said.

“I’ll get you another one. You’ll have to wait a while.”

“… Is that okay?”

“They usually only sell them one at a time, but one of the employees here is a friend of mine, so just wait.”

The way he frowned was adorable, and Lila couldn’t help but giggle.

“Aww, honey, it’ll be our turn soon.”

“I see.”

Lila looked up at Lucas as the couple walked toward the front of the store with their numbered tickets.

She looked happy and excited, and it made him happy.

The couple entered the store and exited shortly thereafter, coming straight to Lila and Lucas. The woman pulled a barrel out of a small bag.

Lila took the barrel with both hands and bowed.

“Thank you.”

“Well, it’s fate that we met, and for your kindness to my eyes, this is my gift to you.”

She added with a twinkle in her eye at Lucas, who casually pulled out the money.

“Be nice to such a pretty girl. You two look so good together.”

Putting her arm around the muscular man, the woman said affectionately.

“He’s just like us, honey.”

“Hmm, yeah.”

Lila rolled her eyes, accepting the gift from a stranger, then reached into her own pouch and pulled out a small tin.

It was her cosmetics, which she had set aside to give to Jessie and Henry.

“I can’t just just take it, I mean, I’ll give you this instead.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a beauty cream. I want you to try it.”

“Really? I thought you need beauty creams too?”

The woman was delighted and took the cream.

“What’s so shiny about this barrel? It’s like jewellery. That’s it, honey.”

“Hmm, this is nice. It’s fate that we met like this, and I’m glad you two girls like it.”

The man held out a gnarled hand to Lucas.

“It’s Gail Marcus.”

“Lucas.”

Lucas shook the hand roughly.

“Where do you work?”

Gail beamed at his question.

“If you’re interested, come on down to Capital Three. I’ll be there.”

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders and took Lila’s hand. Lila, still talking to the woman, smiled and looked up.

“Didn’t you say you were going to buy some desserts for Michael?”

“Oh, yes, I did.”

Lila greeted the woman across from her.

“Karin. Have a nice day, and thanks for the gift.”

“It’s a shame, I hope to see you again. We come to this street a lot, so I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

Lila gave Lucas’s hand a firm squeeze and shifted her feet. Lucas watched her as she bounced lightly on her feet.

“You seem to be in good spirits, wife.”

“Yes. They are delightful people.”

“I see.”

“The owner of Tenebris must be a nobleman, I’m very curious to know who he is. He must be a good man, as he cares about the lives of the commoners, isn’t he?”

“… Maybe?”

“I’d like to have a business, too.”

Lucas asked, surprised by her unexpected statement.

“You’ve thought about that?”

“Actually, my original plan was to go to another country, set up shop, and get started.”

A sweet scent caught his nose. It wasn’t his or her scent, but something savory and appetizing.

Part of her reason for stopping in the Commoner’s District was market research, but mostly she wanted to get to the bakery Jessie had told her about.

Lila continued, walking casually following her scent.

“But I thought it wouldn’t be bad to try it in the Empire. In fact, I wondered if it would sell better in Empire.”

“Hmph, what kind of business did you have in mind?”

Lucas wondered. Being a businessman himself, he asked, trying to think of items she could sell.

Lila smiled brightly and replied.

“I want to sell cosmetics, beauty creams.”

Upon hearing her answer, Lucas immediately summarized the beauty creams available at the Tenebris Company.

In reality, there were only a few beauty creams available. Commoners would buy them from shops, but nobles would hire their own alchemists or make their own natural creams using family secrets, so it wasn’t a popular item.

“That’s a good idea.”

“I don’t know about that, but I’m confident.”

“I’m sure your secret formula will be a hit. You’ve had such a beautiful face for ten years, and yet you’ve lived as an ugly child, so why not change the lives of people who aren’t confident in their appearance?”

Lila stopped in her tracks in front of the bakery. Her cobalt eyes, wide with surprise, stared up at Lucas.

It was a thought she’d had since she Yoon Seol. She loved the new faces she could create at her fingertips, and it filled her with pride to see them so happy.

It didn’t seem like much, but she realized that makeup could change lives.

It’s not just for women, anyone who cares about their appearance can get makeup, can do it, and it can change their life…

She always thought so. How attractive it was to be able to satisfy the lacking part, the part where you do not have confidence, on your own.

It was the beginning of her love affair with makeup.

But hearing it from Lucas was different, somehow validating.

The bakery, as popular as the beauty cream shop, was packed with people.

Lila turned on her heel, pushing past the people bustling by them.

Pushing her bonnet back slightly, she turned to face him. Lucas grabbed her around the waist she barely touched his lips due to their height difference.

With his help, their lips pressed together and then parted.

“It’s a shame there’s still so much I don’t know about you, wife. So be more honest.”

His sweet voice, laced with laughter, settled in her ear. Lila threw her arms around his neck and smiled back.

Lucas stretched his lips into a smile as she smiled back.

Her bonnet, dangling precariously, fell to the floor. Lucas swept a gentle hand through her mauve hair, which glistened in the sunlight.

Completely oblivious to their surroundings, they stared at each other.