A Princess in a Blue Dress
I led Rene out of the association and hailed a nearby carriage. “Since we’re already out today, I was planning to buy some clothes for you, Miss Rene. Do you need anything else while we’re at it?”
If she had anything she needed, I was willing to buy it for the sake of my own mental health. A hobby might help relieve some of her stress, after all.
Rene thought for a moment before answering.
“Umm… would it be okay if it’s a little expensive?”
She must have something in mind. I answered with a smile.
“As long as it’s not jewelry or some extravagant luxury item, it should be fine?”
Curious about what she could possibly want, I waited patiently. Rene asked in a cautious voice,
“Could you buy me a pen, some ink, and paper?”
That was completely unexpected. If she had asked for something she might need to escape, I would have refused without hesitation, but these were ordinary supplies.
“Hmm, I don’t see why not.”
Pens and ink were certainly on the pricier side. A basic set might cost around one silver, while a fancy pen could run as high as twenty silvers. In this world, pens were considered luxury goods. Even a dozen quills made from bird feathers only cost about ten copper.
Still, I was suspicious about what she intended to use them for. What she had mentioned was just writing tools, so they weren’t inherently dangerous, but it paid to be careful.
“But what do you need them for?”
She answered in a tone that suggested it was no big deal.
“I… actually have a habit of keeping a diary. If I don’t write in it, I feel a little anxious.”
I recalled hearing that writing in a journal could be good therapy for certain mental conditions.
“Alright, I’ll get them for you.”
The moment I gave permission, Rene’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Thank you, Master.”
Was it because of her natural beauty? Her radiant smile made her look even more stunning.
“Is there anything else you need besides that?”
“Umm… clothes and… underwear… that should be enough.”
I had planned to buy those anyway. Women were different from men—they had their monthly cycles. Without proper underwear, she might end up bleeding all over the house.
“I was going to buy those regardless. That’s why we came out, after all.”
Soon the carriage came to a stop. I paid the driver and we got off.
“Where are we?”
The first place I took her to was the clothing shop I had visited before.
“Shall we head inside?”
I opened the shop door and stepped in, with Rene following close behind.
-Jingle.
The chime rang, and the brown-haired woman I had seen last time greeted me with a bright smile.
“Oh my, is that you, sir? You’re the customer who came yesterday but left because we didn’t know the size, right?”
I smiled back at the clerk.
“Yes, that’s me.”
The brown-haired clerk looked at me and beamed.
“Oh my, your girlfriend is absolutely beautiful!”
Come to think of it, I had mentioned yesterday that I was buying clothes for my girlfriend. Rene frowned at the clerk’s words.
She declared firmly,
“It’s not like that!”
She was right. She wasn’t my girlfriend—she was just a slave I was training. Before the clerk could tilt her head and ask any follow-up questions, I spoke first.
“Anyway, I’d like to see some clothes and underwear in her size.”
“Oh? Then please wait just a moment!”
The clerk took Rene by the arm and led her toward the fitting room.
Whew. I could buy a few outfits here, then stop by the general store for a pen, ink, and a notebook. That should do it.
I sat down on a random chair inside the shop to rest. Before long, the clerk returned with Rene wearing a blue one-piece dress with white frills on the sleeves and collar.
“Sir, doesn’t this look amazing on her?”
Just as the clerk said, it suited her perfectly. The contrast between her red eyes, gray hair, and the blue fabric gave off an elegant, luxurious impression.
Maybe it was because she had such a great figure—anything looked good on her.
“Yes, I’ll take that one and…”
The clerk smiled and cut me off.
“We have so many other outfits that would look even better on her. Don’t buy it right away—take your time and look around more.”
Without waiting for my reply, she dragged Rene away again.
Haa… this is annoying. I had just wanted to grab whatever and leave. When selling at auction, the association handled all the styling. I had only planned to buy some simple clothes for around the house.
After that, Rene was hauled off to the fitting room five or six more times. Each time she returned, she appeared in another beautiful outfit. Gorgeous dresses, simple t-shirts with long skirts, even short skirts that exposed her shoulders and revealed a generous amount of cleavage.
But I had no desire to spend a fortune on clothes. Every coin spent here came directly out of my own pocket.
By the time she came out wearing a hat adorned with multiple colorful feathers and an outfit suitable for a noble lady’s outing, I was exhausted.
“Let’s settle the bill now.”
The clerk smiled and asked,
“What would you like to purchase?”
“Have Miss Rene pick out a few outdoor outfits and some clothes she’d like to wear indoors.”
Rene gave a small nod.
A little while later, I could hear the two of them laughing together.
“Kyaa! As expected, sis, you really have an eye for clothes!”
“How about this one?”
Weren’t there two people? Rene barely said anything—it sounded like the clerk was doing all the talking.
After quite some time, the clerk returned to the counter with an armful of clothes, smiling brighter than ever. Rene approached and sat down beside me.
“Are you okay?”
“Hmm? With what?”
She tilted her head cutely and said,
“Never mind.”
-Slide.
I slipped my arm around Rene’s waist and whispered softly into her ear.
“Later, I’ll check whether you picked out any pretty underwear.”
Rene’s face flushed bright red as she lowered her head.
“Answer?”
“Y-yes…”
Her timid little voice as she answered was adorable. She really was quite shy. I considered teasing her a bit more, but the clerk called out to me.
“Sir~ Here you are.”
The clerk handed me the receipt with a radiant smile. Hmm, how much could it be…? I rubbed my eyes at the absurd number written on the receipt. But the digits didn’t change. The total came to a staggering 292 silvers.
This had to be a mistake. I had never seen clothes this expensive in my life. I hurriedly scanned the list of items on the receipt.
Nine sets of underwear for 12 silvers. What? Nine pairs of panties and bras for 12 silvers? That was the equivalent of 1.2 million won for nine sets of underwear. I looked at the rest in disbelief.
Blouses at 80 silvers each? Skirts at 40 silvers? Dresses…? 100 silvers? Special underwear set for 10 silvers? Shoes at 50 silvers? What the hell was this?
I was utterly speechless at the prices. Anyone would react the same way if their clothing bill came out to thirty million won.
Wait, what kind of clothes added up to thirty million won? Was she out of her mind?
“Ahem… before we settle this, these prices seem… a bit too high.”
The clerk’s expression turned serious at my words.
“Oh my, sir, what are you saying! Do you have any idea how famous our designer is?!”
Was there such a thing as luxury brands in this other world too? I stared at her in disbelief. She disappeared for a moment and returned with a large plaque.
Chief Designer to the Imperial Family
Jean Jaro Le Rosé
“Even nobles can’t easily get their hands on Master Jean’s clothes!”
I had no idea who Jean Jaro was. If he was famous among the nobility, perhaps Rene would know. I turned to her.
“Is what she’s saying true?”
Rene nodded.
“Jean Jaro only accepts commissions from His Imperial Majesty. I heard that even nobles have to visit Bairen in person to place custom orders.”
So she had known from the beginning… That was why she had asked if it was okay earlier.
The clerk chimed in enthusiastically.
“Yes! Exactly! He’s that famous!”
It was too late to back out now. If I did, it would damage my reputation as a trainer. A trainer must always appear strong and commanding in front of their slaves. If a slave started looking down on their master or trainer, things would become incredibly difficult.
Hoo… I didn’t want to leave any stains on what would become my greatest masterpiece. The clothes were expensive, but if Rene started thinking less of me because of this… I couldn’t ruin a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece over something so trivial.
Besides, considering the fame and money I would earn once Rene was sold, this wasn’t an amount I couldn’t afford.
Although I was quite irritated, I didn’t want to show any weakness here. I told the clerk,
“Can I pay by check?”
The clerk smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Of course!”
I had plenty of gold anyway. I took out a check, filled in the shop name, the amount, and the date, then handed it to her. She performed a simple verification and began wrapping the clothes.
“Oh, right. Will you be leaving in the outfit she’s currently wearing?”
I glanced at Rene. The blue dress gave her an entirely different impression from what I saw in the training room. There, she had only ever worn a robe or been completely naked. And it really did suit her beautifully.
“Yes, we’ll go like this.”
We left the shop carrying the clothes packed in paper bags. The slowly setting sun bathed Rene in its warm light. The soft glow reflecting off her gray hair and the blue dress looked perfect together.
She truly had the appearance of someone you could believe was a princess or imperial princess from some country. It was hard to believe that just yesterday, this stunning beauty had begged me to fuck her.
For a moment I thought I should have claimed her regardless of aesthetics or anything else, but I quickly shook my head. She was mine now. I had to create the greatest masterpiece possible.
I gently took Rene’s delicate hand and said,
“Shall we go, my lady?”