Royal Capital Barga (15)
Friends… so they really are friends… Thank goodness…
"You two seem quite close."
Of course they were close—close enough for marriage talks to have gone back and forth…
"Hahaha! No need to worry. We might have been something once, but these days we're nothing of the sort."
There was something loaded in the way he said it. Had they been special to each other before? A match under discussion? Betrothed, even?
"What an adorable young lady."
Lady Gerlach suddenly plucked off my hat and began stroking my hair.
"Such unique and beautiful hair. I can't imagine why you'd hide it."
"I-I have my reasons."
I couldn't exactly explain that it was because of the rumors connected to the temple.
"I see. Still, truly lovely hair."
"Y-y-yours is far nicer, Lady Gerlach…"
I had no idea why she was praising me. Compared to mine, a noble lady like her had far fuller, glossier hair.
"To be complimented by a young woman like yourself—that truly delights me."
It wasn't teasing. She meant it, and her bright smile only made her beauty stand out all the more.
Why on earth did Young Master Maximilian turn her down? Even a short conversation was enough to tell she was a good person. And she was from a marquisate, no less…
He could have inherited a marquisate instead of a barony…
"Max, you really are an idiot."
"Where did that come from…?"
Lady Gerlach had suddenly turned on him and insulted him. More than that—Max? Was that a nickname…?
Maximilian's full name was rather long. Shortening it would be convenient. I just called him Young Master for brevity, but among fellow nobles who were friends, using a given name was only natural.
I'm a little jealous…
"By the way, what's with that outfit?"
"What about it?"
"Those clothes are hardly fit for you, Max."
Lady Gerlach pointed out the commoner's clothes Maximilian was wearing.
"I just put them on for ease of movement. And aren't you dressed more modestly than usual yourself, Miss Rosemarie?"
That's modest…? Even at a glance, the quality of the fabric was top-tier, the buttons set with jewels, the accessories gold and silver. One look and anyone would know she was a noble.
And that was modest?
Then how extravagant was her everyday wear?
"You know I don't particularly care for clothes like these. I only wear them because the maids make a fuss if I don't."
The maids made a fuss? A noble being bossed around by her maids? Not knowing noble customs, I couldn't make sense of it.
"Hmm. Looking at the two of you, I think we ought to stop somewhere else before our destination."
"There's no need."
Maximilian tried to decline.
"Just think of it as an old friend wanting to have a little fun. Indulge me."
When I glanced at him, he wore a wry smile, as if there was no helping it. Just how close had these two been?
"Besides, I'd like to tease this lovely little miss a bit."
"E-excuse me?!"
Me? All of a sudden?!
Lady Gerlach informed her attendants of the change in destination.
"We'll start with a clothing shop."
Clothes?! I finally realized what she intended. She meant to use me as a dress-up doll.
"C-can I refuse?"
"I'm afraid I don't take refusals."
Of course…
"That cute face of yours simply doesn't suit what you're wearing now."
Ugh… I knew perfectly well I had no fashion sense. On top of that, the sensibilities from my life as a man still ran strong, and I still felt a deep resistance to women's clothes—especially skirts.
But the other party was the daughter of a marquis.
Someone I couldn't defy.
The carriage soon pulled up in front of a clothing shop, and the two of them began to step down. I had no desire to follow.
"Come along now."
With Lady Gerlach and Young Master Maximilian both holding out their hands from outside, I couldn't hold out any longer.
"A-all right…"
I hesitated for a moment over whose hand to take. Taking Lady Gerlach's might seem like I was snubbing him… but taking Maximilian's left me a little dissatisfied for some reason.
In the end, I took Maximilian's hand. As I climbed down holding it, Lady Gerlach smiled knowingly. What greeted me outside was an enormous clothing shop.
I couldn't tell how large or tall it was. There was ample space around it for carriages, and plenty of people as well.
"This is the finest clothiers' association in the royal capital."
As I stood there dazed, Maximilian kindly explained. The lower floors sold ready-made clothes and fabric; higher up, one could purchase dresses, tailcoats, and custom garments.
"W-why are we…"
I couldn't finish the sentence and looked at Lady Gerlach.
"Your attire is simply too disappointing. Don't worry about the cost."
She strode ahead toward the shop, while Maximilian and I just stared blankly at each other.
"She won't listen no matter what you say."
Nobles were all like that, I supposed… Maximilian had a touch of it himself, so that said everything.
Feeling like a beast being led to the slaughterhouse, I was dragged into the clothing shop.
The interior was dazzling. Fabrics of every color were on display.
"Straight to the third floor."
The first floor was so full of fabric that we barely glanced at it before climbing the stairs. The second floor had ready-made clothes lined up in rows.
Even someone as indifferent to fashion as I was couldn't help but let my eyes linger for a moment.
"We're not shopping on the second floor. The third."
As I stood there staring, Maximilian gave my hand a light tug.
"What?"
The third floor? Even the clothes on the second already looked better in quality and design than anything my sister or I wore.
"She says we're buying from the third floor."
So the third floor had even higher-quality clothes? Led by Maximilian and Lady Gerlach, I passed through the second floor and climbed to the third.
The third floor was entirely different. There were far fewer ready-made pieces on display, the designs were a touch different, and to my commoner's eye, the clothes looked extravagant.
"These should do."
Even at a glance, they seemed on par with what Maximilian usually wore.
"Th-these look terribly expensive…"
There were no price tags, which only made me more afraid. The textiles looked luxurious, and there were ornaments as well.
"Well, Lady Gerlach is the one buying, isn't she?"
Maximilian looked thoroughly put upon.
"Max, pick out your own clothes."
"Yes, I'll manage."
"And you, young lady—this way."
Lady Gerlach took hold of my wrist and strode purposefully toward the clothes. Where she stopped, dresses and one-piece garments were on display.
"Hmm."
She began looking back and forth between the clothes and me.
"C-could we maybe choose something other than a skirt…?"
I knew I needed new clothes, but skirts still frightened me.
"Would this suit you, I wonder?"
She wasn't listening to a word I said. She pulled a garment from its hanger and held it up in front of me.
"How about this one?"
It was a blue one-piece. Relatively plain, without too much flash.
"A-a skirt is a bit…"
"Is there a reason you must dress as a man?"
"That's not it…"
"Then what's the problem?"
When she put it like that, it was hard to explain… I couldn't exactly say that having once been a man made skirts feel awkward. If she hadn't realized I was a woman, I might have kept up the pretense of being a boy—but she had seen through it at a glance, so that was impossible too.
"Could it be that you're embarrassed to show Max?"
That—! Just picture myself in this one-piece… and Maximilian standing right beside me…
Heat flooded my face. It must have gone bright red.
"Haha! So that was it?"
"N-no, it wasn't!"
I denied it, but she clearly didn't believe me. Absolutely, absolutely not for that reason.
It was just… just awkward and mortifying, that was all.
"Even your shy face is adorable."
Humming cheerfully, Lady Gerlach dragged me around looking at more clothes.
"Does this bother you?"
"N-no…"
It wasn't that. I was simply curious why she was doing all this.
"I'm an only daughter, you see. This is my first time shopping like this."
That…
"I have no mother, and as the heir to my house there's so much I must learn. So this really is the first time."
"I-I see…"
"I imagine shopping with family might feel something like this."
"Uh, well… I think it's similar."
"Haha. Pleasant words to hear."
In the end, Lady Gerlach selected two outfits.
"Which of the two do you prefer?"
One was a pure white one-piece. It had rather a lot of frills, which felt a bit much.
The other was the blue one-piece—plain in feel, but the skirt seemed a little short. Even on someone as small as me, it would probably fall only just below the knee.
If I had to choose between them, the white one was less daunting. The skirt reached below the shin, so it felt safer, and while there were frills, they were still within what I could tolerate. For someone unaccustomed to skirts, a short one was still too much.
Skirts required a surprising amount of attention.
"Hmm. No need to deliberate."
"Pardon?"
"We'll take both."
Huh? Both of them?!
"Th-that's all right, really."
"No need to worry about money."
Lady Gerlach handed both outfits straight to the attendant behind her. When we approached the counter—or rather, the staff—Maximilian was already there. He seemed to have chosen an outfit of his own.
"You always pick the same sort of thing."
What he'd chosen was a black ensemble rather like a formal suit. It was clean-looking, at least…
"This will do, won't it?"
"I suppose so."
Lady Gerlach paid for the clothes. A single outfit cost more than five gold.
"Cheap."
She calls that cheap… From a commoner's perspective, five gold for one set of clothes was far too expensive. Maximilian's, being larger, came to seven gold. Just like that, I had acquired two whole outfits.
"Well then, go change into them at once."
"What?!"
I'd realized that was the plan, but hearing it said outright still threw me. Before I could protest, one of Lady Gerlach's attendants hustled me into a fitting room.
I stared blankly at the white one-piece. I was supposed to put this on all of a sudden?
I wanted to sigh.
But I couldn't refuse. If I walked out without changing, they would almost certainly force me into it. There was no way out. I obediently stripped and put on the one-piece. How had it come to this…?
The lace frills at the cuffs and collar felt a little uncomfortable and overdone. I studied myself in the expensive mirror inside the fitting room.
It was my own body, and it felt vain to think so, but… I really did look cute.
"Whew. Seeing how well it suits you puts my mind at ease."
When I stepped out of the fitting room, Maximilian and Lady Gerlach were waiting. I suddenly felt so embarrassed I tried to cover myself.
More than that—why wasn't anyone saying anything?
It does look strange, doesn't it? If I'd worn things like this more often, it wouldn't feel so awkward…
"Whew…"
Lady Gerlach was the first to react. Young Master Maximilian just stood there with his eyes wide open.
I felt a little deflated.
I'd thought it suited me when I looked in the mirror… and yet there was no reaction at all.