Savior’s First Lady

Lydia said, “Hmm, you really are out of your mind.”

This time, I burst into laughter. It felt nice, like having a conversation with an old friend after a long time.

“Actually, I spent all the living expenses my husband gave me for the year. I used it to pay off my debt and yours.”

“I figured as much!”

Lydia turned pale at my casual confession.

“What are we going to do? Oh, I knew this would happen…”

“Yeah. So, Lydia, could you help me find some part-time work? Just something short while my husband is at work. It would be even better if it’s related to baking or cooking.”

I spoke confidently.

“Miss, you’re the wife of a holy knight. And not just any knight, but Sir Eden. People say he could become a chancellor or even the pope someday.”

“Sir Eden acknowledged that no job is beneath anyone. Oh, and make sure it’s somewhere that doesn’t check IDs. Right now, I’m the famous Sir Eden’s wife. I don’t want to attract unnecessary attention.”

Lydia looked like she had no energy left to be surprised anymore.

“Didn’t you just declare your ambition to own all the wealth in this city?”

“You don’t get it. Do you know how many successful CEOs started in a garage?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Anyway, it doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is reaching the top eventually.”

Lydia seemed to ponder over my words.

“Actually, I know of a suitable place. I haven’t quit my morning part-time job yet. It’s a 24-hour restaurant and café near the harbor. As you know, many people work at night near the city, so the place runs on a three-shift system. I heard that someone working a four-hour shift is about to quit. They’re looking for someone who can make simple breakfast menus. You’ll mostly work in the kitchen, so you won’t meet many people. And as long as you have a guarantor, they don’t check IDs for part-timers.”

“As expected, Lydia, you always have the answers!”

Not just anyone can rise from humble beginnings to become an elite.

I looked at Lydia with twinkling eyes. Her cheeks flushed.

So, I went with Lydia to secure the job, and I was hired on the spot.

My shift would start in five days, early in the morning.

“And do you know of a cheap salon? I want to freshen up, but I can’t afford to spend much on living expenses for a while.”

“Silin would probably do your hair for free. She’s very skilled.”

I happily accepted the offer.

That evening, I attempted to make a raspberry cake.

The cake turned out fairly well, and the stew I shared with Eden was rich and delicious.

My skills with knives and utensils improved day by day.

***

About a week later, in the afternoon. I was sitting at our kitchen table, flipping through Lydia’s school textbooks.

Behind me, Silin was curling my hair.

“Isn’t this hair treatment expensive?”

I looked in the mirror.

“That can be covered if I increase my sewing jobs,” Lydia answered for Silin, who was too shy to make eye contact with people.

I decided to change the subject, thinking I should give Silin something once we were done.

“Thank you, Lydia, and you too, Silin. You’re both so helpful,” I said, smiling at them.

Silin continued to work on my hair with careful precision, and I felt a deep sense of gratitude for these remarkable siblings.

“Anyway, please do your best with my hair. I really want to do something about this unruly mess. It would be better if it were completely curly instead of this awkward half-wave.”

“Don’t worry, Miss. You’re very beautiful,” Silin said directly to me for the first time, in a small but kind voice.

“Of course, you’ve had a reputation for being quite the beauty since you were young,” Lydia added.

“That was when I was a child. I’m not pretty now.”

I spent my sensitive teenage years trapped in a convent with people who disliked me.

The convent girls all said I looked unpleasant.

They said my cheeks were too chubby and my eyes were slanted upwards. They said my hair was like dog fur.

“They say my kind of looks are considered rustic in the empire.”

Silin opened her eyes wide and looked at Lydia. When Lydia approached, Silin quickly whispered something in her ear.

“Lydia?”

“Silin wants me to tell you that your appearance will definitely become a trend. Your face is small and your features are well-defined, giving you a delicate yet cat-like appearance. You look both cute and alluring, so you need to be styled properly.”

“…Silin, do you even know what alluring means?”

“She probably read it in a romance novel. Silin loves romance novels!”

Silin pinched Lydia’s arm gently, as if to scold her, and then whispered something to her again.

“Silin says she has a hairstyle she wants to try on you. She saw it in a magazine. These days, young ladies in the capital are wearing their bangs down.”

The hairstyle Silin created was very modern. It was a style that would be fitting even in Yun Si-hyun’s world.

She brought down the side and front bangs, straightened the rest of the hair, added a slight layer at the ends, and left it voluminous.

The ends of both the front and side bangs were cut straight and boldly.

“Wow, my hair is so sleek. I really love it.”

I looked at myself in the mirror.

“…”

Silin blushed silently at my pleased expression.

“Silin, how did you manage to straighten my hair so well? It looks fuller even though it’s straight. Amazing.”

-Once again, Lydia relayed Silin’s words.

“She says that with such good-quality hair, there’s no style you can’t pull off. It’s just that it hadn’t been cared for properly until now. She’s happy it turned out better than expected.”

“You’re going to be a fantastic hairstylist or a top-tier maid, Silin.”

Silin smiled shyly.

‘I wonder what Eden will say if he sees this? He probably won’t care.’

He never showed interest in whether I bought new clothes or not in my previous life.

‘When will Sir Eden come back? He said he’d be back in about a week, but there’s been no word.’

I hope he’s not avoiding coming home because of me.

‘Whatever. What’s done is done. I’ll just focus on what I can do.’

We spent the entire afternoon clearing out unnecessary items and dusting off old dirt in the house.

We laid down a new carpet bought from a second-hand shop and carefully arranged flowers we cut from the garden into vases around the house.

“How does it look?”

I stood there, looking at Lydia and Silin, wearing the pretty new apron with daffodil patterns that their mother had made and sent over.

“The house and Miss both shine so brightly.”

This time, it was Silin who spoke softly.

Receiving compliments from both sisters in quick succession made me feel good.

“Thanks for the flattery. Shall we have a meal now?”

I chopped fresh vegetables to make a chicken salad and served it alongside an oil pasta dish.

“You were hiding such skills?”

The two sisters ate with expressions of near shock. Today’s meal was the best I’d made so far.

Luckily, I had found a small grocery store in the capital that delivered fresh ingredients daily.

Eden wouldn’t mind if I didn’t scrimp on food expenses. He wasn’t that petty.

***

The next day, I secretly started my first day of work.

The four-hour morning shift was not difficult at all. In fact, it was nice to have something different to look at and do.

‘Hmm, the bakery culture of this era isn’t too shabby.’

Since it was a café with long operating hours, the menu wasn’t very diverse.

I was in charge of the tea and bakery section, where I mainly had to reheat already prepared bread or add simple decorations before serving it.

All I had to make were sandwiches and soups. This was no longer challenging for me.

‘Since bread is a staple here, the bakery culture is quite advanced.’

I pondered. This café wasn’t very upscale and served cheap pound cakes and tart slices.

Yet, the taste wasn’t bad. However, there were plenty of places in the city center that sold sophisticated bread.

‘If I could raise the capital to open a bakery…’

Of course, the baking techniques here are excellent, and the taste is good. But they don’t have all the types of bread from Yun Si-hyun’s world.

If I utilized all the techniques from that world to create new trends, I could certainly establish a successful business.

‘But what I want is a symbolic first business. Something that will make my name known.’

I want to be top-tier.

“Is that too ambitious?”

I muttered as I added cream to a cake. At that moment, Lydia called out from outside.

“One more slice of vanilla pound cake and a cup of coffee here!”

“Yes! Coming!”

…First, let’s handle this order.