Chapter 218
Chapter 218
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: Tricky Family Orders
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"Did you say fourteen years old?"
"That's right."
"Hmm..."
It was honestly a bit dizzying, but I could fully understand it.
He's a parent, after all.
Fourteen is an age that's not exactly young, but certainly young enough to call it that.
Even my older brother, who's already an adult with kids of his own, often gets those pitying looks from Mother or Father. At fourteen, she'd feel like a little lump of clay to them.
"From a parent's perspective, it's right in the prime of cuteness."
That's why, despite the fluster, I quickly pulled myself together and managed a smile.
"Might I ask what you plan to use it for as a gift for the young lady?"
"Just a modest little present. Wouldn't my daughter look utterly adorable wearing something like that for everyone to see?"
And just like that, my composure could crumble again.
"Uh, um... Y-yes, of course."
This is bad.
If it were just for family to wear casually at home, no problem.
I'd have listened to the design requests without a peep.
But showing it off to others? That's a whole different story.
A four-year-old in a fluffy skirt hitting above the knee is one thing. A fourteen-year-old girl in the same? Completely different.
Dress her like that, and she might actually get called a harlot.
Children's clothes get away with certain design elements precisely because they're for children—not because they're just scaled-down adult wear.
Should I revise the design?
It'd just end up as a plain blue maid outfit.
Dress with an apron and all.
Take off the apron, and it's some nondescript indoor dress that still wouldn't suit public appearances.
Turn a fourteen-year-old young lady into a maid... or downgrade her to a noble who can't even follow dress codes like a fool.
Either way, it'd shatter one girl's self-esteem. I have to stop this.
"Earl Coventry, first off, if you're after a dress, designing it for a seven- or eight-year-old style would be difficult."
"Then just tweak the design a bit, right?"
"Tweaking it would likely lose the vibe you're aiming for."
"So what vibe would it have instead?"
As the earl eyed me with a hint of irritation, I quietly pointed to Emily standing behind me.
"It'd end up similar to what that maid is wearing."
"......"
"I personally like the style, but a noble young lady in servant attire... wouldn't that raise some eyebrows?"
"Hmm..."
The earl's face started to twist in displeasure, but as his gaze landed on Emily, his furrowed brow slowly relaxed. He began rolling his eyes thoughtfully, his expression turning serious.
"Looks like young Lord Howard is right. My thinking was a bit narrow."
"Not at all. You understood my explanation right away."
He'd let fatherly bias cloud his judgment for a moment, but thankfully, the earl was rational and reasonable.
He could've gotten embarrassed and pushed stubbornly, or refused to drop the bias—but admitting a small mistake like this was true nobility.
A father came all the way to the atelier for his daughter. I couldn't just send him away empty-handed.
"Instead, how about this coat rather than the dress?"
"The coat?"
"Depending on how you shape the line from the upper body to the lower, it can give a fresh, cute feel... or an elegant, mature vibe like a sophisticated lady."
"Oh ho..."
The earl's eyes lit up again.
But this time, his expression softened considerably.
"As expected of an expert. This seems far more suited to my Sophia."
"I'm grateful you see it that way."
"But doesn't this kind of coat suit chilly weather?"
"Yes, exactly. Best to wear it starting from autumn."
"Hmm... Making it early might mean it doesn't fit by then..."
The earl stroked his goatee thoughtfully, mumbling to himself, then let his lips droop in regret.
"Sorry to trouble you, young Lord Howard, but can we postpone the commission?"
"Of course. Clothes are most beautiful when timed just right, aren't they?"
"Thanks for understanding. I'll definitely come back in autumn to place the order."
"Yes, we'll be waiting."
_
For people like Earl Coventry—dotting fathers—they can be swayed by envisioning their daughter even prettier and come around on their own.
But very occasionally...
There are natural disasters who won't budge no matter what.
"I want to put it on my wife."
"Oh..."
Enter the wife devotees.
If they married for love, of course they'd want to see their wife's adorable side and do anything for her.
It's only natural for someone who's chosen to bring an outsider into the family.
But wife devotees have a different pattern from doting dads.
If they evolve genteelly, they become pitiful romantics like my father, professing love even after forty or fifty years.
If they evolve poorly, they turn into maniacal obsessives like His Majesty the Emperor, dyed in madness.
Ultimate guardians of their favorite character, willing to do anything for their wife.
Unlike kid-doting types who always want their child to shine brilliantly, wife devotees mix in a touch of mischief.
"What do you plan to use it for..."
"A little surprise gift for my wife. Our sixth wedding anniversary is coming up soon, so I want some special time too."
In other words, a bit of playfulness is okay to refresh the spark and see a side of his wife only he knows.
"You won't show it to anyone else...?"
"Are you mad? It's just a tiny event for the two of us."
And he's objective enough to know it shouldn't be shown to others.
For private use in a bedroom only they enter, societal norms don't apply.
That makes it incredibly hard to dissuade him.
So you'd think: What's the problem?
Just take the commission, no sweat.
It's like dressing your wife in a school uniform or something skimpy from your past life.
That level of refreshment is fair game between spouses—encouraged, even.
But consider: even in the past life, school uniforms sparked debates. In this more conservative world, would it really pass without noise?
Especially the Church—would they sit idly by?
Watch quietly as pure children's clothes get used for lewd acts?
I don't know.
High chance they wouldn't.
I've already been warned once by His Majesty and once by the Church—two strikes.
One life left before out. Another morals scandal could be dangerous.
This customer feels like a heretic inquisitor; it's giving me PTSD.
Even if he swears secrecy, it'll spread. Love tips and kid hacks fly far and fast on wings.
Crackdowns can't stop it forever.
So I have to persuade him to change his mind—without offending this wife devotee.
"Don't do it, get out" would be easy, but it'd make an unnecessary noble enemy.
No need to create pointless foes.
"Whew..."
I paused my increasingly tangled thoughts and calmly sorted them out.
Event for the wife, a fresh twist for their solid marriage.
Without crossing swords with the Church. Tricky conditions.
But I've done this before.
And survived unscathed.
It's possible—the outfit that spawned rumors of me as the empire's top romance expert.
"Heh..."
I let out a faint chuckle, fixing the customer with a serious gaze.
Then opened my mouth with a subtle smile.
"Young Lord Bernard."
"Yes?"
"Have you ever heard of a bunny girl?"
Fight embarrassment with embarrassment.
"Bunny girl...?"
"This is seriously amazing attire. Let me show you."
Church- and inquisitor-approved couple event optimizer—perfection where no one gets hurt.
_
Days on the brink of death persuading lovesick fools like doting dads and wife devotees who make slightly wrong choices...
But not everyone's a one-eyed lunatic.
Occasionally, even one-eyed folks see with fresh vision.
"I saw Baron Burtley's heir wearing a sailor suit. Looked so cool, didn't it?"
"Ah, yes. If I had a son, I'd have tried it once myself."
"But I don't have a son yet."
"Oh dear..."
"So, is there a way to put a sailor suit on my daughter too?"
Even prophets who caught onto the women's sailor suits I planned to release slowly.
"Oh..."
To this lady who nailed the future trend, I couldn't help but sigh in genuine admiration from the depths of my heart.
She scratched the itch perfectly—like a fizzy soda on a hot day.
"Absolutely possible."
Thanks to her, I recovered my dwindling sanity and regained my vigor.
This is why the world progresses.
"Oh my, thank you."
"No, no trouble at all."
The world was still beautiful, after all.