After the brief encounter with Kaylee…
“Ugh… I’m tired.”
Looking at the darkened sky, which had turned gloomy in an instant unlike the summer, Leje stretched out his arms.
And perhaps due to the cold air, he shivered slightly.
“So, what are you gonna do this weekend?”
“Hmm? Well, I was thinking of just reading a book in the dorm.”
There wasn’t much to do, and he didn’t have to worry about the church for a while.
In the original story, it took a whole 3 years for the church to become active again after the finals event.
Of course, there were so many unexpected events that had happened, so he couldn’t think that way completely, but the church has definitely suffered significant losses from this incident.
Plus, the fact that the goddess’s churches declared the holy war much earlier than in the original story meant that the church would struggle to act recklessly.
There seemed to be no need to worry about the church within the kingdom for the time being.
“Aren’t you preparing for the ball?”
“The ball? Hmm, I did forget about that.”
Come to think of it, there was that event.
Nodding in agreement with that thought, Rudell reflected on the Sabbath Festival that follows the midterm exams.
And the event that occurs after the final exams was none other than the New Year’s Ball.
“Have you decided on a partner?”
“Partner? Aren’t we going together?”
Rudell looked at her with a face that asked why she was even saying something so obvious.
“W-well, I just asked just in case! Who else would I go with if not you!”
Leje turned her head away, making a pouty sound at Rudell’s response.
Of course, on her face, an undeniable smile was creeping up.
“By the way, I might need to buy new clothes…”
With how rapidly she was growing, all the outfits from earlier this year were simply too small.
The uniform she brought when she enrolled must have already become ill-fitting.
“Then how about we go dress shopping together this weekend? I think I need to buy a new dress as well.”
“Well, sure, that sounds good.”
If they were heading out anyway, it wouldn’t be as boring with two people rather than alone.
With that thought, Rudell nodded.
Then, braving the cold wind, they made their way back to the dorm…
“Time sure flies, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s already been a year.”
Rudell nodded in response to Leje, who spoke while exhaling white breath.
Though the memories of the entrance ceremony were still vivid, the fact that a whole year had gone by invoked a complex feeling in Rudell that was difficult to describe.
“It’s been quite an eventful year, hasn’t it?”
Muttering as he recalled the events from the past year, Rudell listed them out.
Right off the bat, there were encounters with Silphier and Kurt, the assassination attempt on the princess, the appearance of monstrous beasts in the Count’s Domain, battles with the church in the slums, and lastly the finals incident.
For an ordinary person, experiencing even one of those events in a year might be quite rare, so for Rudell, the past year had been extremely busy.
Of course, things would likely only get busier from here…
“In that sense, I hope we continue to get along next year.”
“Likewise.”
Leje smiled lightly at Rudell, who was looking her way, and he replied with a smile of his own.
*
The next day, in the streets of Priscillium.
“Look at this. Doesn’t it seem like I’m smoking?”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
As Leje puffed out her white breath, Rudell burst into laughter.
Perhaps due to the cold weather, there weren’t many people seen on the street.
“Do you have a place in mind?”
“Yeah, there’s a shop that does business with the Duke’s House. I actually rented it for the whole day, so we can take our time picking.”
“Rented a shop…”
Should I say it’s typical of the Duke’s daughter?
Rudell forced a laugh at the disparity in spending.
After a bit of walking…
“We’re almost there! It’s just up ahead.”
“Wait, that building?”
Rudell struggled to hide his astonishment at the building Leje pointed to.
And why wouldn’t he when…
“You rented that building? The whole thing?”
The building before them was quite large without a doubt.
Compared to the other shops around it, its scale was remarkably massive.
To put it easily, it was comparable to the mansion that the Weinstein Count lived in back when he was still a Baron.
“Is it too small? Maybe I should have rented something bigger…”
“No, it’s not that! Isn’t it too big instead!?”
“The size? When Kaylee sister buys clothes, she rents out an entire department store! For me, this is modest!”
“Huh…”
Should I say that it’s typical of the Duke’s daughters?
Feeling the disparity in mindset yet again, Rudell spoke in astonishment.
“Come on, let’s get inside. I’m cold.”
“Okay, okay…”
Responding, Rudell moved forward toward the entrance.
Then they reached the doorway of the building…
“Welcome, Duchess Lagrind. It’s been a while.”
“It has! How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. You look healthy too, Duchess.”
The clerk in front of the store greeted her.
Nodding as if it was familiar, Leje followed the clerk inside the shop.
“It’s been a long time, Duchess.”
Upon entering, a warm-looking, elderly lady greeted Leje.
Her face was lined with wrinkles, featuring the typical narrowed eyes and a head of pure white hair.
However, each of her movements exuded a youthful energy that belied her age.
“It’s nice to see you, Pyrene. Have you been well?”
“I’ve been well, indeed. By the way, you’ve grown so much! I remember when you were shorter than me the last time you came.”
Leje’s growth was surprising even to Rudell, who had seen her grow.
Thus, it was no wonder that Pyrene was in awe at how much Leje had shot up.
“And this is…”
“Nice to meet you. I am Rudellheit Weinstein, Count Weinstein’s heir.”
“Nice to meet you, Count Weinstein. I’m Pyrene, the store manager here.”
Bowing at the clerk who was looking at him, Rudell received a gentle smile in return.
“So, what kind of clothes are you here to shop for today?”
“I’m looking for a party dress, a few winter clothes… and to buy him a formal uniform.”
“I see… Preparing for the New Year’s Ball, aren’t we? Then…”
Nodding at Leje’s response, Pyrene looked at Rudell, prompting him to cock his head in confusion, and her thin eyes widened with a meaningful expression.
“It’s not something you can take lightly, I see. First, would you please come over here, Count Weinstein?”
“Ah, yes.”
Feeling a strange pressure from Pyrene’s gaze, Rudell followed her.
The place where he arrived with Pyrene was a small room where several clerks were waiting.
“First, we need to measure your body size, so please don’t move.”
Pyrene said, lightly clapping her hands, signaling the clerks to approach him with measuring tapes.
The clerks skillfully began taking his measurements.
“Ugh…”
Low groans slipped from Rudell’s mouth as he observed the scene.
It wasn’t like he had never been through this kind of experience before, but it all felt incredibly unfamiliar.
It was understandable since back in his original world, clothes were never something he paid attention to, merely choosing outfits that didn’t look odd.
It wasn’t worth this level of effort.
“Do you have any preferred colors?”
“Bright shades of black…”
“That color won’t suit you, I think. Beige shades would look better on you.”
“…”
If you’re going to say that, then why even ask in the first place?
As he thought that, the measuring clerks had retreated, and another group of clerks came with hangers filled with suits.
“Do you see any designs you like among these?”
“Hmm… This one looks okay.”
“That one is nice, but I think this one would suit you even better.”
“Ugh…”
To him, they all looked the same.
He let out a low groan, but he couldn’t say that out loud.
The seriousness of Pyrene as she was picking out clothing was too palpable.
So, after a lengthy process of minutes with dozens of selections…
– We will start with the altar soon, so please wait a moment.
“This is exhausting…”
Although it was merely a short span of time, to Rudell it felt like several hours.
He dashed out of the room like he was escaping and asked a nearby clerk in a low sigh.
“Excuse me, have you seen Leje?”
“Yes! I’ll guide you.”
Nodding, the clerk began to walk, and Rudell followed behind them.
Passing through the various sections of the shop, they arrived at one area…
“The Duchess is over there.”
“Thank you.”
Offering a slight bow to the clerk, Rudell moved on, approaching Leje, who was standing in front of a mirror.
“Did you come? You got here faster than I thought.”
“Really? I felt like it took forever…”
Rudell trailed off as he suddenly couldn’t continue speaking.
“Ta-da! How do I look? Isn’t this dress nice?”
Leje smiled gently at him while showing off the dress.
