“What.”
“A dress? Me?”
I leaned back, incredulous, as Arnold tilted his head and narrowed his brows.
“What do you mean ‘what’? Were you planning to go out in that outfit?”
“…Isn’t it obvious?”
Why on earth would I have to wear a dress?
Well, sure, I’m the protagonist of the banquet, but the fact that I’m going is what really matters. My outfit doesn’t really matter.
I don’t need to go out of my way to be polite…
Pouting a bit and turning my head away, Arnold slapped his forehead and spoke up.
“What’s so obvious…? If the other nobles see Harang-nim like that…”
“If they see me…?”
I swallowed hard, feeling tense at Arnold’s deliberate pause.
“Most of them will see Harang-nim as a pervert.”
“What.”
A pervert…!?
I looked down at my outfit.
“…”
Sure, it is a bit revealing, but that’s for convenience; it doesn’t mean I have that kind of taste.
…Now that I think about it, didn’t the Saint say something about this outfit before?
Hmm, not that it’s important.
As I opened my mouth to rebut Arnold’s misunderstanding, he seemed to have more to say, quickly continuing.
“And won’t Nameless be disappointed?”
Unlike before, Arnold smiled gently as he spoke, leaving me utterly speechless, just mumbling.
…Nameless would be disappointed?
I wondered, ‘Disappointed about what?,’ but Arnold’s serious expression kept me from asking, and I just let out a silent groan.
Nameless’s disappointment…
“Ugh…”
That was definitely a scene I didn’t want to see.
Just imagine—him looking down at me with an emotionless face saying, ‘Master, I’m disappointed.’
“Ugh.”
Just imagining it made my heart ache. If I actually heard those words, I would faint on the spot.
…I can’t let that happen.
With a dramatically despairing expression, I pouted and huffed.
“Then.”
Noticing my dilemma, Arnold stood up and swung open the door to the room, waving his hand outside.
It was an obvious invitation I couldn’t ignore.
“How about we hurry and get a dress made?”
With an annoying expression, he presented me with that option, and feeling mischievous, I puffed out my cheeks and muttered.
“But I know nothing about dresses…”
That was just a timid rebellion saying I didn’t want to go.
However, it seemed Arnold really wanted to get me dressed and show me off to Nameless.
“Of course, you shouldn’t go with me. It would be better to ask Professor Bell instead.”
“…Bell?”
He immediately came up with a solution.
It was a bit random, but I tilted my head at the mention of Bell.
“Why Bell of all people?”
“…You didn’t know?”
As if he expected my ignorance, Arnold shook his head slightly and added,
“Professor Bell is also a noble from a count’s family, so she must be familiar with banquets.”
“…Really?”
Surprisingly, I didn’t expect Bell to be a noble.
It wasn’t that I thought she looked like a mess; rather, she never showed any of that typical aristocratic attitude, which was surprising.
Plus, considering her shy nature, there’s no way I would have thought of her as a noble.
With my eyes wide open in surprise, Arnold continued speaking.
“Of course, the best option would be to go with Nameless himself, but…”
“Hmm…”
Seeing Arnold chuckling as if he knew everything annoyed me, yet I held back since it was true.
…Well, I guess there’s no helping it.
I might as well just go with Bell; I still had no idea why Nameless would be disappointed, but I really didn’t want to see that.
*
In Bell’s workshop located in the library corner, I explained various circumstances to her.
“Eh? You still haven’t gotten a dress made?”
“What are you so disgusted about?”
I scratched my head, taken aback by the surprised look on Bell, who stuck out her tongue.
Is it really that big of a deal for her?
There’s still time; why get all worked up about it?
“…Can’t I just buy something decent?”
When I asked with a hint of skepticism, Bell gasped as if she were in shock and shook her head.
“Is that even possible?”
“…No, it’s only buying a dress—”
As I shrugged, Bell interrupted with a somewhat shocking thought.
“You have to consider Harang-nim’s body type…”
“What?”
I shot her a piercing glare, and Bell, dodging my gaze, fidgeted with her fingers.
What’s wrong with my body type?
I’m just a bit shorter than others…
But there’s no way I look like a complete child.
And sure, I’m short compared to others; but in the world I came from, it’s right about average.
…Probably.
Pouting and snorting, I realized Bell’s face showed a bit of panic, and to ease the situation, she waved her arms and added,
“Ah, I meant it’s too late to have something custom-made…”
“Custom-made?”
“Um…”
If that’s the case, I understood what Bell meant.
Custom-made clothes are indeed made after measuring specific body dimensions.
But…
“Isn’t it unnecessary to have it custom-made?”
I wasn’t saying this without reason.
If my height was the problematic issue, couldn’t they just shorten the length?
I made my own clothes, so I could handle a simple alteration.
…Well, yes, it’s a bit loose because I made it, but still.
With those thoughts in mind, as I conveyed my opinion, Bell shook her head in disappointment and rolled her eyes.
“…Let’s go, for now?”
“What… Sure.”
I’d just strongly argue my point once we get there.
After all, no shop owner would be able to whip up a dress in three days, right?
“I have a place I often go to… I think we can go there.”
“Then let’s go.”
*
Leaving the Academy, we arrived at a suit shop in the capital’s downtown area.
“Ha… Let’s go in.”
Since Bell’s complexion had bizarrely paled upon entering, I tilted my head in confusion.
“Oh my, Lady Crowania! It’s been way too long! I almost forgot your face~”
“Ahaha… Yes, yes…”
Seeing the shopkeeper’s attitude towards Bell instantly clarified her earlier dread.
I’m not a fan of that type of person either.
With her long brown hair tucked up and looking at least a decade older than Bell, the shopkeeper smiled widely, revealing charming smile lines.
“Why have you stopped by after so long! Even if you became a professor, you should—”
“Ugh…”
As the shopkeeper’s words showed no sign of stopping, Bell timidly pointed at me.
“But today, I’m not here about myself… it’s for her…”
“Huh?”
With a slight tilt of her head, the shopkeeper turned to look at me, her eyes lighting up.
“Oh my, how cute!”
“C-cute…?”
The unexpected compliment made heat rise to my ears.
…I’m not a child, and certainly not cute!
Caught off guard by a compliment instead of criticism, I averted my gaze and simply mouthed in silence.
Maybe interpreting my reaction as shyness, the shopkeeper continued to chatter.
“So, little miss, what brings you here?”
“What.”
That was such a ridiculous way to address me.
…Little miss? Surely she can’t be talking about me?
With a blank expression, I turned to Bell.
“Oh, um, the little one…”
With beads of sweat pouring down, Bell flailed her arms and spoke in a rush.
She was so flustered that her eyes were practically spinning.
“…No worries, I only need to see you for a day anyway.”
Seeing Bell like that deflated my frustration, and I sighed softly, waving my hand.
“We came to look for a dress for the banquet…”
To escape this noisy place quickly, I got right to the point.
“Oh my, a banquet?”
At that, the shopkeeper’s eyes sparkled with far more enthusiasm than before.
“When’s the banquet?”
That was a perfectly reasonable question.
I felt embarrassed to respond, so I subtly averted my gaze and said,
“…In three days.”
“Gasp! Then we must hurry!”
However, the shopkeeper didn’t seem to care about the tight timeline; with a smile, she approached me, pulling out a tape measure.
“W-what?”
“How cute! It seems like the little lady is looking forward to the event!”
I instinctively stepped back, feeling a bit frightened.
“Heehee,” the shopkeeper laughed, snapping the tape measure, her smile devilish.
“…What do you mean by ‘looking forward’?”
“Huh? You’re not just wearing a bandage, are you?”
Caught off guard by her comment, I found it hard to reply.
If I said I usually dressed like this, they would definitely see me as a pervert, just like Bell said.
Suppressing those thoughts, I sealed my lips, and the shopkeeper, thinking I was simply being coy, flashed a knowing smile.
“Okay! Little miss? Let’s measure you first and try on some pretty dresses!”
“Ugh…!”
Nameless! Save me!
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