4. Suitable Haircuts


"Uh…does it matter?" she defended. Honestly, it wasn't too big of a deal if he found out she was a girl. What mattered was if he found out she was a princess…now that would be a problem.

He searched her eyes, probably looking for any signs of weakness.

The next second, any inch of concern or curiosity he had in her was gone. She didn't really see the point in having any concern in the first place. Weren't there a bunch of girls in the army anyway? Seeing a girl enlist these days was no big deal.

"Do what you want." His tone was cold as he released his grip. She glanced down.

Great. A bruise on her arm, probably a bruise on her stomach, a few open wounds from falling on the ground so often, and now she had a pink hand mark around her wrist, nail marks indented into the skin thanks to yours truly.

She secretly made an oath to pay him back for that but shrugged it off for now. Revenge would come later. She continued walking, paying him no mind as she went to grab the dagger. Here goes nothing.


Maybe it was because this was her first time cutting hair, or maybe it was because a dagger wasn't the perfect tool for haircuts, but it turned out horrible. Her hair was uneven, jagged, and just very unsightly overall.

Levi clucked his tongue in the background. She hadn't realized he was still in the parameter until he spoke up. "That's a haircut suitable for a piece of shit like you."

She was about to mumble a sarcastic "gee, thanks" when he continued.

"But no piece of shit should walk around like that in the military. Get your ass over here. I'll fix you."

He'll fix me, he says. She scoffs at his crude way of offering help but approaches him anyway. When she is standing in front of him, she sees his expression darken by the second. Without a warning, she is suddenly pushed down and forced to sit.

It is not until she feels his hands combing through her hair does she realize the source of his frustration: her hair was a mess. Knots and tangles from the wind (she winced as he forcefully detangled them), sand and mud from being knocked onto the ground, combined with her terrible excuse of a haircut…her hair was a real disaster at the moment.

"When was the last time you washed this?" he demands.

"Uh…last night?"

"Sure doesn't seem like it."

Well, she had been climbing trees and rolling around on the grass today. Oh, did she say that out loud?

She risked a peek at the look on the corporal's face, but before she could turn all the way his hand had shot out to steer her head back into place. "Don't you dare fucking move."

She stayed frozen until he was done. Surprisingly, he was quite gentle (or as gentle as one could be with hair as tangled as hers). When he gave a final flick to the tips of her hair and nudged her back to stand up, she mumbled a thanks. Reaching her hands, she felt the tips to see how long her new hairstyle was. Compared to her waist length hair before, it was now much shorter and ended slightly above her shoulders. Frankly, this style suited her tomboyish side more. She could feel the breeze on the back of her neck and it was definitely much lighter. However, another side felt a little sad to let go of her long hair.

He seemed to be admiring his work as well. After another moment of critiquing, he gave a firm nod. "We'll be leaving at 06:00 tomorrow morning. Pack light and meet here," he said with another expressionless face. He took out a handkerchief and thoroughly wiped his hands. (She didn't blame him -her hair was nasty!) When he was done, he looked up to stare at her.

His eyes were intimidating and she had to swallow before speaking up. "Yes?"

"Your name?"

"Oh, uh…Si…Sira." It wouldn't be a good idea to reveal her identity as Princess Sina just yet. A placeholder would do for now.

He eyed her suspiciously when she stuttered, but nodded and began to walk away. "I'm sure you've already heard my name, though it's Corporal Levi to you."

She nodded awkwardly, tested the name and title on her lips, and watched as he disappeared out of sight.