After breakfast, I had Lily bring a massive mirror. Lily whined and brought a mirror larger than her body. I scoured the furry reflection in the mirror. Although I was naked, I didn’t feel naked because of this expansive hair. The situation of this girl named Alexa in the mirror was, in a word, serious.
The first problem was that this whole body was covered with fur, the second problem was that the muscles were overwhelming, and the third problem was that the colossal size was unbelievable for a woman. Ah, one of these problems is too much, but I have three.
There was no reason for me to stand still, just because I possessed the kingdom’s biggest tool. Misfortune was like a bonus that always followed in my life. It was the same when both my parents died in a car accident when I was seven, and when my only brother died of pneumonia when I was ten. I’ve been robbed of insurance money, and I’ve been bullied, assaulted, and scammed.
After all, sticking to the misfortune you’re used to is like a familiar medicine. I’m not sure if I died when I got drunk and jumped in front of a car, but I’ve lived my life in a way where I worked diligently and have no regrets. To pay tuition, I ran several private tutoring sessions and studied persistently.
Thank goodness, I overcame the minor misfortunes I faced during that time. Because I could go to college, meet pleasant people, and at least live my life as a human being.
“I’m going to live here pretending to be human. What do you mean, beast?”
I grunted and began to scan Alexa’s body. I looked around, but it was hard to see my appearance because my eyes were surrounded by fur. I bet I could do anything if I get rid of this upper hair.
“Lily?”
I pulled the string by the bed, ringing a bell. Lily came running and seemed a little bit more at ease than before.
“You called for me?”
“Bring me sugar and water.”
I wish I had hair removal cream, but there is no such thing here. Fortunately, I know how to make a natural hair removal cream.
‘Why? Because I was poor, I didn’t have the money to buy shaving cream. Kya, someone might get teary eyed when they learn that, but it’s all I could afford.’
Lily returned after making a thick sugar liquid by boiling sugar and water, just as I told her.
“You’ve prepared all the fabric I asked for, right?”
“Yes, but why all of a sudden…?”
“Come, now look… If I apply it like this…”
I smeared sticky sugar liquid on my arms as I spoke. I felt the warmth seep through my thick hair.
“Now, press the cloth on top of it!!”
“What?”
“Stick it!!”
I had to do it quickly before it cooled down. Lily was puzzled by my hasty rush of words and put a cloth on top of the sugar fluid. I pressed it down until the sugar liquid adhered to the fabric.
“Phew. Alright… Now on the count of three, rip this cloth off. Okay?”
“What? This?”
“Mhm, this is very important. You have to take it off at once.”
If she couldn’t take it all off on the first try, the pain would be very, very terrible. I felt a strong need to explain this importance to Lily.
“You have to take it off at once. Even if I scream, do it anyway. Okay?
Lily nodded with a grim countenance.
“One… two… three! Argh!”
Tears welled up as I looked at Lily, who ripped off the fabric harshly. How much hair had she just waxed off?
“Ah!! Miss Alexa!! Hair!!”
The cloth Lily tore off had an immense amount of hair attached to it. And now my hairy forearms are starting to look flesh-colored instead of fuzzy brown.
“Awesome! That’s how it’s done!”
“Miss Alexa, is this a potion? I never even heard of a hair removal potion!”
“Magic, of course.”
After that, I slowly waxed my body hair over the course of a week because I was afraid it would strain my skin if I shed it all at once. I didn’t forget to put Aloe on the removed part to calm it down. Tears of blood flowed out when I removed the hair on the chin and forehead, but I clenched my teeth and endured it because beauty is pain.
‘I guess I’m tough.’
“Yay!!”
Lily exclaimed when she removed the last patch of hair from my back. I got up from my seat and stared into the mirror.
‘I look like a human being now.’
After the hair was removed, a full face was revealed. For a woman, I still had a considerable size and bulging muscles, but I was able to check my face properly.
Alex had a surprisingly regular face. It’s the type of face that looks ordinary, but changes when makeup is applied. Makeup would be a godsend for this face. I didn’t reckon plastic surgery was an option in this world, so I managed to be satisfied with these looks.
“Miss Alexa?”
Lily’s fears diminished noticeably, as my appearance after losing my hair wasn’t too threatening.
“Lily, call all the servants of this castle and gather them.”
“Is that all?”
The castle is quite large, but there were fewer than ten people working there. Any less than that, and it would not operate properly.
‘Right, that’s how much Alexa is worth to the rest of this world.’
_____
“Miss Alexa, we are all gathered…”
When Lily finished speaking, the servants who looked up from bowing their heads, shook and began chattering.
“Miss Alexa? Is that Miss Alexa?”
“It can’t be!! Alexa the Beast has fur!!”
“Woah, Jimmy, be careful.”
“Where is Miss Alexa?”
I stepped in front of the noisy servants, followed by curious glances.
“Lily, isn’t Miss Alexa here yet?”
“I am Alexa.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
There was a commotion among the servants for an instant, but my words did not work at all. Then Lily spoke up,
“She’s right. Miss Alexa and I worked on getting rid of all the fur. This is truly her.”
“What?!”
“I swear to God and my late mother, this is Miss Alexa.”
It was only when Lily swore with her determined face and a hand on her chest that the servants began to stare at me.
‘Is it getting hot in here? This manner of staring is a little awkward and burdensome… ’
“Sorry for making a fuss.”
A middle-aged woman who had been rebuking the one who called me a Beast came forward and bowed her back.
“She is the head maid.” Lily whispered quietly to me.
I told her to keep it secret that I lost my memory, so I guess she quickly noticed I couldn’t recognize the maid.
“Right. Don’t be surprised by this appearance. I called you because I had a favor to ask of you. Who’s the cook here?”
“Ah! Yes! Miss Alexa!”
A tense, burly man came forward. He seemed to be shrinking, especially since he was one of the people who rebuked my words earlier.
“My diet, it’s pretty high in calories.”
“Oh, that’s… I have been following the special diet Princess Ariel has prepared for Miss Alexa…”
‘Ariel? Why is Ariel being brought up right now?’
During the short week I was here, the diet I received was a high-calorie diet that maximized obesity into super-obesity. Ignoring all dietary fiber and nutrients, they were fat-filled foods, from meat to cheese to frying, only for fattening.
‘Ariel controls my menu? Something is suspicious.’
“Discard that diet.”
“But Princess Ariel said you must follow it! Princess Ariel prepared this by hand for Alexa!! It took a few days and nights to complete!!”
The chef stood up and confronted me as if I had insulted his lovely princess.
“It seems as though the chef isn’t afraid of me?”
When I shot him an evil look, the man let out a small gasp.
“I wonder which will be faster. Ariel in the capital coming to rescue you, or me punishing you?”
“I’m sorry! I’ve committed a sin worthy of death!”
No matter how lovely the princess was, she was not enough to overcome the fear of the beast. The cook bowed down and lay flat.
‘Aah, I guess I need to tell you in advance.’
I spoke up as I watched those who didn’t even try to hide their loyalty to Ariel.
“Listen everyone. I am your master. In the future, when you put the words of others, including Ariel, Ariel, or Ariel, above my own, I will consider it to mean that you are willing to fully bear the consequences. Do you understand?”
Emphasizing Ariel three times was no different from threatening to kill half of them if they listened to her in the future.
‘If you don’t understand after all this, you’re a bunch of morons.’
“Answer me.”
“Yes!!”
A response like thunder echoed through the hall. It had been over 30 minutes since I had gathered them here, but it was the first time I had seen them united like this.
“I am a fair person. If you do well, you will be rewarded, and if you do not, you will be punished. So, let each of you reflect carefully, very carefully—and act accordingly. Do you understand?”
“Please forgive the rudeness of the chef.”
The head maid came forward again and bowed down to me. Having a decisive position here, I nodded shallowly. It would be advantageous to discipline and warn, but not enough to buy grudges.
“I’ll cut you some slack this time. Cook, from now on, you prepare food according to the diet I decide upon. Do you understand?”
“Yes, of course! Yes Miss!”
It was fear that caused the chef’s compliance, but in the current situation, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It takes too much time to build trust and positivity, so it is faster and simpler this way. Unfortunately, I myself am too secular to strive for the trust of unimportant people.
I offered the chef a diet rich in the five major nutrients. It is understandable that Alexa would become such a pig if she ate only the high calories she had before. What would you do if you added fat to a kid who already has significant muscle?
“And, head maid.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“The clothes in the dressing room, who picked them?”
“That would be Princess Ariel.”
‘Ariel picked this too?’
The dressing room, which I searched under Lily’s guidance, was full of dresses that didn’t suit me. Originally, Alexa was furry, so even if she tried on a pretty dress, she wouldn’t get the desired reaction. It was useless to even try because the room was lined with pastel, frill, and princess-like dresses.
I’m a muscular person, so wearing those things only added to my promiscuity. The dress I was wearing now was horrible with a gloomy gray and fluorescent ribbon.
“I can’t even imagine how fashion-less Ariel is. I don’t know if she’s an adverse fashionista or if she’s trying to screw Alexa on purpose.’
I somehow felt a strong instinct for the latter. After years of experience with instinct for disastrous situations, I’m almost always right.
‘I’ll bet my little finger on Ariel being a mischievous girl.’
To be honest, the possibility of misfortune hitting the back of my head was too great to bet all my fingers on it. But this is besides my adorable furry little fingers…
“And I’d like a haircut.”
“A haircut?”
“Yeah, do you think this hair looks normal?”
All that followed was silence. Damn. I know they’re agreeing with me, but it still kind of hurts.
“Jen is skilled with her hands.”
“Okay, who’s Jen?.”
A girl with silvery hair came out.
“It’s… it’s me.”
“Alright, Jen. May I ask you for a haircut?”
“Ah… ah! Yes, leave it to me!”
‘Lily and the girls here seem scared of me, but they’re strangely aggressive.’
Jen stared at my head with her fists clenched resolutely, and it seemed she unintentionally burned her will into my forehead. There was a small wish inside me for her to calm her enthusiasm a bit.
______
Jen began busily preparing something in my room.
“Hey… do you need that many scissors?”
“Of course, every time I see Alexa’s hair, I want to cut it! Oh, I’m sorry. Excuse me… a sin worthy of death…”
Jen, who was excitedly setting up the scissors, covered her mouth. Then she bowed her head, just like Lily had done last time. Haha, I let out a sigh.
“Hey, you guys, what do you think I am?”
“Um, what?”
Jen and Lily, whose faces had grown solemn, looked up at me.
“I know you’re scared of beasts, but wouldn’t it hurt me to hear such fear at the age of 18?” You think there’s a girl who likes being a beast?”
“No…”
The two girls shook their heads.
“Put yourself in my shoes. I didn’t do anything, but people are scared of me. They tremble in fear as if I’m going to kill them at any time. This curse is freaking crazy, and I can’t even refute it. Can you imagine how dirty it feels?”
“…”
“So I hope at least you guys would stop doing that, because I’m a human.”
“…”
“I’m not a killer. I’m not a lunatic who kills you for saying the wrong thing.”
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
Jen shook her head at me again.
‘I told you not to cry, but why are you crying again? Haa.’
I sighed.
“I didn’t consider Miss Alexa’s feelings! I’m so sorry!”
“I’m sorry too. I was grateful to Alexa, but I was still afraid. We are pathetic kids, we are.”
“No, I didn’t mean for you to feel sorry, I just wanted you not to be afraid of me anymore.”
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay. If you’re sorry, cut my hair well.”
“Yes! Leave it to me. I’ll make you a beauty!”
‘I think that will be a little complicated.’
I am a woman of reality. So I pointed it out quietly.
“Lying is wrong.”
“I… I’m sorry!!”
‘Fuck, don’t apologize. Now I feel worse.’
Jen stopped apologies and picked up the scissors. She started to trim my hair with sullen hand gestures.
“I… Alexa?”
“Why?”
“I think I should get a new pair of scissors.”
‘Eh?’
I opened my eyes wide. My hair was so brittle that all the cutting blades were gone.
“Great, Alexa. That’s just amazing.”
I paid tribute to Alexa, who lived a strong life with this body. Meanwhile, Jen appeared again with new scissors.
“So many?”
“Just in case!”
After making exactly seven new scissors obsolete, Jen finished my hair.
“Yay! Miss Alexa, you look great!”
Lily was amazed. Jen’s dexterity really was good. She had my heavy hair neatly trimmed to a few layers. My hair, which used to have reached my buttocks, was now only hitting my shoulder blades, making me look like a bright and active, large woman. Preferable to the gloomy beast I used to be. Of course, it is decisively helpful that fur is no longer covering every inch of my body.
“I’ll take care of your hair from now on.”
“You don’t have to…”
“No! If we use a special hair treatment I make, you’ll have silky hair.”
‘Don’t tell me to pay later. I am very sensitive to payment after pre-service.’
“Me too! I’ll give you a massage.” Lily, who was quietly gazing at my hair, led me to bed and applied white cream all over my body.
“It’s my mother’s special lotion that smooths the skin.”
‘You know, I think the service is getting better all of a sudden.’
While receiving massages and hair care from my two new children, I tilted my head at the obvious change.
‘Oh, you guys don’t have to have so much energy…’
“This way, you can get rid of edema and make your body beautiful. In a while, Miss Alexa will be in the same shape as Princess Ariel.”
“Wait, wait. What’s wrong with you guys?”
When I got up, Lily pushed me back and laid me down.
“It’s because we’re ashamed. Let us help Miss Alexa.”
“Shameful? Why?”
“…”
Are they still keeping what I said in mind? It’s nice to be favorable all of the sudden, but it is burdensome for me to be courteous by nature, not expecting anything in return. After living alone, I felt awkward getting help from someone.
“I just wanted you guys to stop being afraid of me. There’s no obligation to do this.”
“We just want to be of help to Miss Alexa.”
“…”
“For me… I didn’t know Miss Alexa had such pain. At some point, I was swayed by what people said and judged Miss Alexa, and even when Miss Alexa was present, I participated in slandering. Considering the infidelity I’ve displayed so far…”
“It is natural for a child like you to be influenced by the majority. You don’t have to be sorry.”
“But Alexa never scolded me. Why did we hate and fear Miss Alexa so much when she never got angry or hit us like people said she would?”
“Jen.”
“I didn’t even think about Miss Alexa’s pain. I supposed all the accusations and fears were natural and deserved. It was because assumptions so surrounded her we couldn’t even know the real Alexa.”
“…”
“So I’ll let others know. How we blame and criticize a girl who’s healthy and friendly. Miss Alexa will show them that there’s no reason to tolerate this one-sided attack!”
Tears welled up in Jen’s eyes. I know the meaning of those tears well. It was guilt. The human guilt of turning a blind eye to a person in need.
“I’ve been naughty to a witch, haven’t I? I’m sure there’s a reason I deserved this.”
“At the time Alexa was only seven! What would a baby know!”
‘Lily, you look a little amped up as well. Why are they so sentimental?’
I looked at them with a slightly uncomfortable expression. Then Lily wiped away the tears she had shed and blew her nose on her apron.
“This punishment is too harsh for Miss Alexa! I don’t understand at all! I’m sure the witch is an old maid with wrinkles and a small heart.”
“Hey, calm down.”
“Miss Alexa is not the one to be treated like this! She’s the hero who saved our kingdom, and everyone thinks about Miss Alexa’s appearance. In fact, we are all ungrateful people who should be ashamed.….”
I was actually embarrassed by the outburst of Jen and Lily’s sincerity. In fact, I wasn’t the one who deserved their sincerity. Suppressing that uncomfortable truth, I tried to smile.
“Thank you, both.”
“I’ll do my best to help Miss Alexa!”
“I’ll make you the most beautiful woman in the kingdom!”
“Isn’t that goal a little too high?”
In the midst of this, I pointed to reality. Just as it was impossible for me to be Audrey Hepburn, it was almost impossible for Alexa to be transformed into the greatest beauty in the kingdom. Silence filled the room.
“No… The higher the goal, the better!!”
“Right, of course!! The higher the goal, the harder you work!!”
I looked up at Jen and Lily shouting “fighting” with a smile. Yeah, I’m glad I met good kids anyway.
‘Damn it, but the beast still looks like a $%&#.’
* * *
The chef’s balanced diet quickly emptied the fat in me enough to be seen with the naked eye. At least according to the king’s command to spare no expenses for food—or, to be more precise, it was Ariel’s order—there were many ingredients in this castle.
When the chef offered a vegetables and fruit-oriented diet, all the ingredients prepared for high-calorie cooking were taken by the servants in the castle. Cheesecake and thick steak, my worst enemies on a diet, I shared with my servants, tears in my eyes. Hence, the informal likeability of me increased rapidly, Lily later hinted.
I also started working out to get rid of Alexa’s size and muscles. It was a typical muscle exercise that focused on stretching out muscles that were created by taking care of body aches and making them pretty. I worked as a health trainer when I worked as a part-timer at random, so I was very particular with which muscles I was breaking down.
‘Kya, this is the life of a human.’
Accidental luck that outweighs misfortune. That is the driving force that overcame my rotten luck so far.
In fact, I couldn’t believe Alexa was marching around the battlefield and defeating enemies. How could such a slow-moving child survive in the face of death? Muscles only serve to make Alexa look bigger, but they didn’t help her agility at all.
“How did you fight with a body like this?”
Jen informed me that I possessed a bit of mana. It was the magic that came with the witch’s magic as an equivalent exchange. Soon, I had changed my appearance with my magical powers.
Well, whether it’s tremendous magic or small magic, it doesn’t change the fact that Alexa was mostly muscle fat. Since she rarely left the room, her movements would have been confined, so of course she couldn’t have lost weight.
‘Did you do photosynthesis while basking in the sun?’
I think the more I know, the more I feel sorry for my life.
‘Baby, why didn’t you live your life proactively?’
I focused on stretching my calves. After exercising heavily on thinning the lines and muscles, I was soaked in sweat. This is because they were unexpectedly high calorie-burning exercises.
“Miss Alexa, it’s time for a face mask.”
In the afternoon, after the workout, Jen put a hair pack on my head and a beauty pack on my face. Lily applied body cream to my body to get rid of edema, and gave me a body massage to revitalize my body lines. They all said they use their own special products. I didn’t really believe it, but it worked so well. I decided that before I returned to the modern world, I would entice them to find out their secrets.
‘If I make these and sell them… Hehehe, I could sell them on the home shopping channel, right? How much will I charge~’
“Alexa, don’t laugh weirdly with the face mask on, it’s wrinkling!”
I grinned as I listened to sharp Jen.
‘I’m gonna have to find out their secrets.’
* * *
After a month, I noticed my body getting a little cleaned up, so I called the butler. When I asked him about the current financial status of the castle, I couldn’t get an answer that fitter my expectations.
The royal family has been sending a certain amount of living expenses monthly due to Alexa’s superficial rank as a princess. Most of it goes toward food and shows Alexa is poorly treated. All other necessary living expenses were omitted.
Even when Alexa was away from the castle to carry out the king’s military orders, Alexa had to pay for her stay – I said ‘Fuck’!
“What is she? A pushover?”
So how could all this rent cost be covered? It’s because she had extra income from her family. In other words, Alexa’s grandfather, Earl Ergen, the father of Camilla, who owns a cross-border group between kingdoms and empires, made a certain percentage of his income go to Alexa.
It has been more than a decade since the Earl of Ergen passed away, and Alexa’s current negative perception in the kingdom could have ignored the will and swallowed the income alone, but he was said to be an uncle to Alexa – a fairly conscientious man. Although he does not have enough affection to visit and take care of his niece, at least he has maintained his support honestly.
Overlooking the income from the top over the past 11 years, I deleted Earl Ergen’s name from my handwritten ‘fuck you list’.
“Miss Alexa?”
“Huh?”
“The designer you mentioned from the capital is here.”
“Take him to the drawing room.”
In the midst of looking at the financial documents of Connecti Castle, the butler informed me of the arrival of the designer I specifically requested. I hurried to the drawing room. I’ll burn this shitty dress when it’s over. When I opened the door to the drawing room, a man with a curly beard, who looked intense like Mario, welcomed me. Like most people who encounter me for the first time, he was lying flat on the floor and trembling
‘This guy and that guy…’
I clicked my tongue and sat down.
“Miss Alexa, I… I’m… what… what work…”
“Get up.”
“What?”
Did I stutter?
“You don’t have to be so scared. Look at me.”
It was not long before Mario glanced up and looked at me.
“Hot!”
“Are you still scared of me?”
“Are you really, Miss Alexa the Beast… Ah! What am I saying? Forgive me!”
‘His accent is a bit strange?’
Lily, who was standing next to me, tilted her head and said, “Designer Jamie was studying in the Bichon Kingdom, so she’s still clumsy at Felipe.”
‘What do you mean? Studying abroad means Felipe is your native language, but you’re not a foreigner.’
“I’m Alexa, but I don’t think I’m The Beast, you see?”
Jamie nodded fervently.
“I expect you’ve heard the misconceptions about me in advance, so I’ll tell you. I’m not a killer or monster. You know now that you’ve seen me in front of you.”
“I heard you’re… hairy?”
“Do you see any fur right now?”
“So the rumors were false!”
I actually wax my hair, but I didn’t think I had to enlighten him to that. This is because the fur is waxed periodically, and the speed of growth has slowed significantly since I began using magic.
“I didn’t know you were like this! You’re beautiful! Oh! Beautiful! Beautiful! I’m getting inspiration! A wild horse that traverses the burning jungle!”
‘I think he’s a bit stupid. Will he do his job properly?’
I couldn’t shake my air of doubt. Jen noticed and said quickly, “Miss Alexa called Jamie for a new dress.”
“Jamie, tell me what colors look good on me.”
“Yes… If you say so.”
With a strange noise, Jamie stalked around me. Soon he clapped his palms.
“Smooth copper skin and golden eyes! The beauty of the sun itself! I would like to recommend cream and gold, or super sexy black or white! As for the dress, I prefer a drape and body cone that can show Miss Alexa’s body in the best way, rather than frills or lace! Ooh, I have perfect luck! Perfect luck!!”
“Oh, you have an exemplary sense.”
As Jamie said, my skin color was far from pale white. I’m big and tall, not a slender and small image. Then, I should go with a healthy and sexy image. In a way that would maximize my charm.
Due to gathering a lot of information here, I knew the kingdom’s fashion pursued the image of a fragile and slender woman. Then I’ll go for the opposite image. More peculiar, more intense, more unusual.
There is no public image for me to protect because it has hit the bottom anyway. What I create here will be my beginning.
“Then Miss Alexa wearing pastel colors like light pink and mint…” Lily asked in a doubtful voice. She began to question Ariel’s choice of dress, which filled the changing room.
“What do you mean pastel? No, no, that’s a nightmare. It doesn’t flatter the Princess at all!!”
“Princess?”
I repeated to the unfamiliar word. I never thought it would come out of Jamie’s mouth.
“You’re a princess, aren’t you?”
Jamie asked back as if it were natural.
“She is the Princess!” Lily and Jen held hands squealing.
‘Don’t be so energetic again, guys.’
