Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Provocative Interview and the Mannequin
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After that, I spent some time just drawing.
Every time one of the drawings was completed, Emily's brow furrowed deeper, but having realized she couldn't stop me, she silently watched over me.
Ah, there was exactly one time when Emily freaked out and tried to stop me.
"Young Master, this really isn't some erotic painting?"
It was exactly once, when she saw the quarter-cup bra that was more like a breast pedestal.
"Is this a bit too much?"
"A bit? This looks like it'd get you arrested... No matter how I think about it, wouldn't something this size need to show more?"
"If I drew that much, I'd really get arrested."
"Then why did you draw it?"
"Just in case..."
"Rip it up right now."
"Okay..."
It was torn to shreds the moment it saw the light of day.
It was the one I'd put the most effort into, so I'd grown a bit attached to it...
It was my fault for releasing it into the world too soon.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Aside from the minor sadness caused by my hasty mistake, the catalog came together smoothly enough.
The problem was that after drawing so much, my hands were getting itchy.
I just had to endure it a little longer, but staring at the same clothes over and over made it inevitable that I'd get bored.
"Hm..."
Should I make something simple, at least?
"Young Master, the newspaper has arrived."
"What?"
Just as I was swept up in the impulse to touch some soft fabric, Emily approached and snapped me out of it, carefully placing the newspaper on the desk.
Thursday already?
I jumped in surprise and checked the calendar.
"No way, has that much time passed already?"
"Yes, it's July now."
I'd spent a whole week just drawing? No wonder the needle and thread kept dancing in front of my eyes...
"Time flies..."
I muttered to myself as I picked up the newspaper and unfolded it.
Right from the front page, smack in the center, my ad caught my eye.
The text was larger than expected, with bold font that stood out even at a glance.
They must have liked the interview a lot—great service.
"Hmm~"
A pleased hum escaped my lips.
With one corner of my mouth lifted, I rolled my eyes upward.
["Get rid of that bizarre corset." A sharp remark from the youngest honorary knight on active duty.]
"Oh..."
The title alone had a different vibe from usual, drawing an admiring exclamation from the start.
Normally, even critical content used more reserved wording, but this was straightforward.
Titles often got punchier to grab attention, so I skimmed straight to the content.
"Mm~"
There was some embellishment, but they'd included what I'd said almost verbatim.
'It's a shame knights are mending underwear' became something like 'Do knights not even get underwear, is that the state they're in?'
Even accounting for the tweaks, I liked the article overall.
The part that pleased me most was the corset exchange.
[I just want to meet a woman, not a knight armed to the teeth in a corset.]
It struck a chord.
And having the job ad right next to that interview made me look like a total clothing fanatic, which was even better.
It gave off the vibe of me jumping in because things were so frustrating.
"Heh heh-"
"What's so funny that you're grinning like that while reading?"
As I read the article with a full-blown smile, Emily approached cautiously, her face brimming with curiosity.
"The interview from the newspaper a few days ago got published, and they wrote it pretty well. Want to see?"
"Now I'm curious since you put it that way."
I shoved the newspaper at Emily.
Normally she'd say no thanks, but today she was genuinely interested and snatched it up, her eyes darting across the page.
"Hm...?"
A skeptical hum from the start.
Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing.
Reading on with a face full of doubt, Emily finally lowered the paper and looked at me like I was some freakish specimen.
"...You said all this yourself, Young Master?"
"Yeah."
"Wow..."
Letting out a quiet exclamation, Emily's eyes widened as she backed away step by step.
"You didn't secretly get into some pagan culture behind our backs, did you?"
"I'd never go that far."
"Lately your behavior doesn't make it seem that way..."
"Well... fair point."
I couldn't argue since I'd been acting on impulse lately.
"Mother's definitely sending a letter about this, right?"
"Madam might even come herself."
"Oh."
That could happen.
If Mother got mad, it'd be a disaster.
"What do we do?"
"Well... guess we start looking at coffins? Or maybe she'll bring one herself?"
"Young Master, aren't you way too calm for someone in such deep trouble?"
At my smiling suggestion to check out coffins, Emily scolded me in a voice laced with anxiety.
I gazed at her with a gentle expression and posed a question.
"Emily, think about it—could I stop an angry Mother?"
"No."
"Right?"
Emily shook her head without a second thought.
"So instead of wasting time, I should just do whatever I want."
"Shouldn't we at least write Madam a letter?"
I nodded.
"Of course we should. If I see her now, I might die before I can even say my last words."
"......"
"Well, it was fun though, right?"
"I doubt anyone but you would think that."
- Knock knock knock.
A sudden knock interrupted my conversation with Emily.
"William, let's talk for a bit."
I turned to the door, and my brother's voice came from the other side.
"Uh oh..."
"See?"
Emily shrugged, pointing at the door.
Before letting my brother in, I looked at Emily and asked her for a favor.
"Emily, while I'm talking with brother, could you and Francis look into where to buy a mannequin?"
"Pardon? Oh... sure."
Emily nodded with a puzzled expression.
Then I shouted toward the door.
"Brother! Come in!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Thankfully, my brother didn't say much when he came and just helped me draft what amounted to a will and apology letter.
Everyone except our all-capable eldest sister had been thoroughly scolded by Mother at least once.
Anyway, we sent the letter to Mother together with my brother, but...
"Letter came?"
"Yes."
"Hand it over quick."
[Sure.]
A few days later, the reply came back with just those two words.
"Am I screwed?"
"Young Master, no matter how serious it is, you need to use proper language."
I muttered under my breath while staring holes through the letter in case of hidden ink, and Emily, who'd overheard, chimed in.
I turned to her with trembling eyes and said,
"Is my life over?"
"It seems like it."
Was it forgiveness, or a promise to kill me...?
If she'd just raged, I'd feel better, but not knowing Mother's thoughts was driving me insane.
"Tsk..."
I clicked my tongue and shoved the letter into a drawer.
Life over is life over, but enjoying the time left is enjoying it.
I cleared my head and decided to forget the letter's contents.
"Emily, what about the mannequin I asked for?"
"It arrived this morning with the letter. Francis is bringing it over."
"Okay."
I nodded and waited for Francis.
"Young Master, here's the item you requested."
"Thanks for the trouble."
Soon after, Francis placed the mannequin in the room and vanished.
"Nicely made."
I muttered softly as I inspected the mannequin in the middle of the room, woven from branches and reeds to mimic a human form from the neck down to the upper thighs.
Willow mannequin, I think it was called?
Made similarly to baskets from straw and twigs, but since it wasn't for holding or storing, the branches were interlaced with large gaps like a birdcage.
Compared to the precise plastic ones from the modern world, it looked crude, but it still captured feminine curves well.
Especially the groin and legs, which willow mannequins often skimped on, were properly formed here.
Complex structures drove up costs, so women's versions were usually just skirt-like approximations, but I'd specifically asked for one with legs.
Because I planned to dress it in underwear.
Bra and panties—pure triangle panties for the latter.
And for anyone coming for sewing or out of interest in me, I'd shove this in their face first and start the interview.
Why go to such lengths?
The newspaper article showed the aggro was insane, so I needed to filter out the riffraff for sure.
Even the coffee house and pub I'd gotten permission for as interview venues were shifting to full rentals, but if too many people showed, I needed a quick way to weed them out.
No resume screening, so the simplest was to put up a blatant barrier to entry.
For that, the drawers from last time weren't enough.
They were just men's underwear femininized in appearance, so by local standards, not really novel lingerie.
It was just unsettling because a woman was wearing men's clothes.
But triangle panties? The moment they saw that narrow strip covering just the buttocks and crotch, it'd be pure shock.
And if the guy holding it declares he's making stuff like this, most people won't stick around.
"Mm~ Perfect~"
I grinned and picked up the scissors.
I was looking forward to people's reactions.