Episode 29

'Miss Sonnet, this world is inside a romance novel.'

'...'

'More precisely, it is the world where romance protagonists reside.'

When I first heard those words, I dismissed them as utter nonsense.

Because...

'If that's the case, shouldn't Ute Velvet be the male lead?'

Ute Velvet claimed he was an extra, like me.

A role so insignificant, you wouldn't even know if he appeared or not.

'Does that make any sense?'

Having read a fair number of romance novels by now, I was even more convinced.

Ute Velvet is protagonist material.

A radiant smile, a gentle personality, and an upright demeanor.

When I first expressed my doubts, Ute Velvet firmly shook his head.

'I cannot.'

'Why not?'

'I am not qualified.'

Even men with flawed personalities who would kidnap and imprison others can be male leads!

What could you possibly be lacking?

But the reason was...

The strands of hair coiled around my fingertips were astonishingly soft.

Within the rectangular mirror, Ute and I were reflected side by side.

"Thank you. Whenever I do this alone, it takes a long time."

"Dyeing hair usually takes a while."

As the transparent liquid was applied layer by layer, the silver color gradually melted away.

Underneath, brown hair close to the color of wheat appeared.

'It's like a wheat field.'

As I stared blankly at the changed hair color, Ute softly added,

"It was dyed from the beginning. This is my natural hair color."

"This isn't dye...?"

"You need to remove the old dye before applying the new one."

This is a remover, and here is the new dye.

His long forefinger alternately pointed towards the remover I held and the dye that resembled paint.

"You never dyed your hair before?"

"Not once."

"People around here don't do it often. I was pleased they had dye in the capital."

Even his eyebrows and eyelashes soon turned the same color as his hair.

'Beautiful.'

I took a deep breath, clutching the comb and bottle tightly in both hands.

Under the brown eyelashes, his green eyes appeared gentler than usual.

"Why, well... why did you dye your hair? For style?"

Whether it's his natural color or silver hair, is there really a difference in his dangerously good looks?

Ute explained while grooming his thick eyebrows.

"Brown hair is dangerous."

"Yes?"

"Miss Sonnet, do you know the probability of death and risk exposure for men with brown hair?"

His green eyes reflected in the mirror were deadly grave.

I fixed my gaze on his brown crown, still holding the dye.

It was a relief that Ute Velvet was sitting.

"Brown hair has a historically high probability of premature death."

"..."

"Either dying in place of the protagonist, dying as a catalyst for the protagonist's awakening, or dying as a warning."

"A warning?"

"A death that signals the end of peaceful times and the beginning of the next chapter."

"What?"

"Or dying just before facing the final boss. Well, this too would be for the protagonist's awakening."

"..."

"Statistically speaking, brown hair has a higher mortality rate."

'I had my doubts from the moment he brought the talisman.'

I fiddled with the necklace string and rebutted.

"Isn't that because the majority of the kingdom's citizens have brown hair?"

The Count's assistant, the head maid, and even my friend. They all had brown hair.

"Even among the servants here, more than half have brown hair."

"Such a large number naturally increases the probability."

"That's different!"

"..."

"Good-looking brown-haired men are at most side characters!"

"..."

"Miss Sonnet, let me give you a quiz."

"Yes..."

"In a novel where multiple men compete for one woman, who ends up with the female lead?"

"The one with more money?"

Ute smiled subtly without saying a word.

"No, it's a romance. Uh... the more handsome one?"

"..."

"The one with a higher status?"

"..."

"The one who loves the female lead more?"

His smile deepened.

After listening to my answers for a while, he replied brightly,

"The one with black hair."

"Bl-black hair?"

"The protagonists always have black hair."

It seemed like a joke I couldn't understand, but his tone was serious.

"At the very least, blond or perhaps silver."

"Isn't hair color just a personal preference?"

"Normally, yes, however..."

His green eyes reflected in the glass moved side to side.

I followed the movements as I dyed his brown hair silver.

"Miss Sonnet, what color is the Emperor's hair?"

"Golden?"

"And the royal seal?"

"Gold."

"What about your master here?"

"Black hair."

"Miss Sonnet, what about your previous employer?"

"...Black hair."

"See?"

Ute Velvet continued, humming lightly.

"Your point isn't entirely wrong."

"..."

"Usually, black-haired men are more handsome, wealthy, and powerful."

"Are you saying that being less handsome, less wealthy, and less powerful increases the probability of death?"

"In broad terms, yes, but brown hair is a symbol of the secondary male lead."

"Secondary male lead."

I wouldn't have known before, but I was aware of the term.

A character who loves the female lead but never ends up with her.

"The other meaning of the secondary male lead is sacrifice."

"Is that... so?"

"It's best to eliminate possibilities from the start. Commoners have their struggles, but..."

"..."

"It's definitely more likely for the secondary male lead to die, suffer permanent injury, or go into exile than an extra."

What kind of risks do brown-haired men face in a romantic world?

Ute sighed deeply.

"Assistants are treated similarly."

"Why that profession?"

"It is a popular job for smart brown-haired men. Although, if you go into details, doctors are at risk too..."

His eyelids closed slowly.

When they opened again, I couldn't read what was in his eyes.

"I have to go home."

"What does that have to do with..."

"Miss Sonnet, have you been okay all this time?"

"...I'm wondering if the madam will divorce her husband."

"The countess doesn't have divorce in her fortune. Perhaps a brief separation, but not divorce."

His crisp answer made my days of worry seem pointless.

Ute lowered his head to make it easier for me to apply the dye.

"Large dog types usually have that kind of probability."

"Who's a large... the master?"

"Isn't he? He seems indifferent but has high loyalty, like a Doberman."

A person who decides to fire others in a heartbeat, a large dog?

'Disgusting...'

Wouldn't he be more suited to a snake or a scorpion?

"Wouldn't Sir Ute be more fitting as a large dog?"

His hair is soft, his eyes gentle, his skin—

'Ah.'

I hurriedly returned my hand to its place, realizing I was about to touch Ute Velvet's cheek.

'You didn't see, right? Right?'

Fortunately, his clear green eyes were calmly blinking.

"That... Now that I think about it! The madam said something strange!"

I squeezed out the dye tightly and lowered my eyes.

"She told me she would never let me go through such humiliation again."

"Suddenly?"

"It wasn't a special incident."

"Just from the lines, it sounds like a common awakening. What happened?"

"It was nothing, really. Countess Cavlette spilled soup on my hands—"

"What?"

"I stood there until the meal was over. After that—"

"Treatment, treatment first!"

The person who had been quietly sitting suddenly jerked up.

His large hand twitched as if trying to grab something.

"Burns shouldn't be taken lightly!"

"But it's not serious."

"What are you talking about!"

"It wasn't that hot."

"Anyway!"

"Wait, wait!"

He showed no sign of backing down.

'Is this what they call professionalism?'

I pressed down on his broad shoulders and said,

"J-just let me finish the eyelashes...!"

I couldn't miss this chance to see his beauty up close.

"...I'll check your hands right after."

"Of course. You can look at it all day!"

Ute, who was pouting disapprovingly, relaxed and closed his eyes.

The sunlight pooling over his eyelashes resembled early autumn.

"Do the rest of your family members have this color as well?"

"...No."

Each time I lightly touched his eyelashes, it felt like my palm was brushing his lips.

Each time Ute opened his mouth, his breath tickled my skin.

"My mother has platinum blonde hair, my father has black hair."

"Ah."

"I heard my paternal grandmother had brown hair."

The light brown eyelashes gradually turned silver.

I carefully smoothed the ends to avoid clumping the dye.

"Did anything else happen during your trip?"

"I made quite a harvest. If we had counted the years, I wouldn't have been able to go, but I was lucky."

"There are many personal doctors. Why did you go?"

"Well..."

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