Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 26
Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing — Chapter 26
“His expression?”
“Yes.”
Everything had gone smoothly so far—why the sudden concern?
Was the quality lower than I thought?
“For now, I’ve shown him into the reception room.”
“I’d better go.”
Lion set aside his musings and headed for the reception room.
Click.
The moment the door opened…
“Oh my.”
The spacious reception room had turned into a dressing room. Just how much equipment had he brought?
‘No, he brought three mannequins all by himself? How…?’
And that wasn’t all. A formal suit that looked finished was wrapped elegantly off to one side.
‘His preparations look perfect, though?’
“Y-young master!”
Nevertheless, there was something urgent on Andrie’s face.
It was exactly the look of an office worker who hadn’t finished his tasks even at quitting time.
“What’s going on? Did the clothes not come out well?”
“No. The garments are completely finished. In my view, they are flawless; there isn’t a single imperfection.”
As he spoke, he immediately took out a wrapped garment and held it out to Lion.
“This is your suit, young master. I realize this is a bother, but would you be willing to try it on here?”
To be asked to change clothes so boldly in the reception room—
anywhere else, it would be called rude, but…
“Shall I?”
Naturally, Lion didn’t make a fuss and stripped right down to change.
Andrie bustled about, smoothing the creases of the suit and fastening the buttons, then dragged a full-length mirror out of somewhere and set it before Lion.
“Oh.”
Did the saying “clothes make the man” exist for moments like this?
Lion’s reflected figure looked quite decent.
No, more than decent—he looked remarkably handsome.
The sleeves and cuffs fit him perfectly, of course, and the garment was shaped to flatter exactly where it should.
At first glance, it appeared simple, but subtle patterns were woven into the collar and sleeves; the closer you looked, the more an air of luxury wafted from it.
And that wasn’t all. The jacket and the overcoat each had a different design, clearly showing their distinct character.
‘This is nice.’
The suit was fine.
No, it was perfect!
But—
[A Top-Quality Suit Made by a Tailoring Artisan (★★★)]
-An artisan’s masterpiece, stitched by hand one careful seam at a time from the finest fabrics.
-A rare garment, few of its kind in the Empire.
-However, you cannot wear it to a party. Something is missing.
Forget for a moment that the stars matched the fabric’s grade—three stars.
‘…What’s missing?’
That couldn’t be right.
Lion examined the garment once more.
There were no loose threads or unstitched seams.
He checked to see if the lining was missing, but it wasn’t. On the contrary, even the hidden interior showed careful detail.
And above all, Andrie—the artisan himself—had said the garments were “finished.”
So why this?
‘Ah…!’
Only then did Lion realize what the problem was.
“My neck feels a bit bare.”
“Oh, your eye is as sharp as ever, young master! Exactly. The suit itself is complete, but there is no focal piece. No necktie, bowtie, cravat… not even a handkerchief.”
Aha.
‘I never even thought about that.’
I’d been so caught up in a modern mind-set that I’d completely forgotten it.
Back in my past life, when I wore a suit, the most it ever involved was a necktie—and even that stayed off when there were no meetings, so I’d naturally come to see that as normal.
That was why it had slipped my mind: here,
you had to accessorize to that degree.
And ideally, the design itself had to differ to reflect each person’s character.
Not just the color or the material of the fabric; the very form had to change, the way a necktie differed from a cravat, as Andrie had said.
‘Grandfather would probably suit a necktie… and Rickshel, a bowtie, I suppose?’
Or maybe a jeweled cravat like one I’d once seen would work.
‘…Huh? Wait.’
Listening to Andrie, Lion stopped short.
It felt as if he’d just realized something:
the timing for when production-type talents awakened.
‘Necessity.’
In other words, the key seemed to be how badly I needed the item in question at that moment.
For example, when my Blacksmith talent had bloomed, I’d desperately needed a sickle and a hand hoe to make potions.
And when my Cooking talent had awakened, I’d needed oil and had made bread and sweets to share with others.
But no matter what I did, Sewing had never really leveled up. I’d only grown more practiced with repetition.
So what did I need right now?
Obviously…
“And so, even now…”
“Let’s make it.”
“Pardon?”
“May I try making it myself?”
“…P-Pardon!?”
At Lion’s words, Andrie’s eyes flew wide open.
“Of course, this might feel like I’m putting my hand to your work, but I must…”
“How is it that you read my mind so perfectly, young master!”
Huh?
“That is exactly what I came to request!”
Andrie began pulling fabric from his bag.
They were patterns already cut from various cloths.
Elven Tresses, Winter Moth Silk, and the like. All prepared in advance.
An enormous pile of them, too!
“Young master, please choose the ones you like best, combine them, and complete the outfits for your family. And…”
And?
“If possible, I think it would be splendid if you could add some embroidery!”
“…!”
A tie, and embroidery on top of that?
Since it took less fabric than a full suit, it might look easy, but this was far from a simple request.
‘It’s easy enough to throw something together and have the experience.’
The problem was that it had to be worthy of a suit by an artisan like Andrie.
Especially because ties are what catch the eye first.
They are the accent accessories of formal wear, so they had to have real presence.
That meant they required crucial detail—and now Lion had to make them himself and add embroidery?
An ordinary person would neither make such a request nor accept it, but…
“Then the reason you came here today is…”
“Yes. I am here to teach you how to make various types of neckwear today.”
Neither of them hesitated—they
instantly clasped hands in midair!
“I’ll leave it to you!”
“I will give it my all!”
“But may I ask why you’re entrusting this to me?”
“Ah, I didn’t mention that. You see, a few days ago, I took the lord’s measurements, did I not? That’s when I heard it. The young lady I once made clothes for…”
Was Lion’s mother.
Andrie continued very cautiously.
“He… went so far as to thank me. A tailor as unremarkable as myself.”
“…My grandfather did?”
This was astonishing.
Petrick Asteri, of all people, expressing gratitude.
“That was when I understood. This suit is not only a garment meant to be seen; it is also something that connects the lord and the young masters. And so I realized there is a part of it that an outsider like myself cannot touch. That is why I had no choice but to make such an unreasonable request.”
“And you entrusted that to me.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
Andrie fixed Lion with a solemn gaze.
“As a tailor, I should not say this, but that part lies beyond my reach. But you, young master, can do it. More than enough.”
So what Andrie meant was: even if it meant a few imperfections in his own work, he wished to focus on that meaning.
A tailor of his caliber must have wrestled with this for a long time before saying it.
No one lacks attachment to their own creations, and if everything went well, Andrie might soon be inundated with commissions from nobles once more—
because the House of Asteri, of all houses, had chosen him as its tailor.
And in truth, he could have hidden the issue and suffered no loss.
Hadn’t Lion failed to notice it himself?
The moment Andrie realized it, he could have made the neckties on his own and resolved everything with ease.
The preparations would have stayed on track and proceeded smoothly.
Yet Andrie had deliberately kept Lion’s commission in focus—
the meaning of garments that a family would wear together.
He truly was an extraordinary designer.
‘If that’s the case, I have to give it my all too.’
Lion steeled his resolve.
At the very least, he had to match the consideration Andrie had shown him.
“I understand. Then I’ll leave it to you for now.”
“Yes.”
And with that, the two of them immediately began making neckties.
“It would be best to start by deciding on the designs.”
“I already have a few ideas.”
Lion sketched rough drawings into the notebook beside him.
“Oho, hmm. So you want to give the lord a clean elegance, and the younger master a sense of refined dignity?”
“That’s right. Since he’s the heir, we need to make that clear.”
“Mm-hmm. Still, compared to the marquis, a slightly fresher atmosphere would suit him better, I’d say.”
Given the grandfather’s station, it seemed best to keep things as immaculate as possible.
So they decided on a basic necktie supplemented with a family accessory, and for Rickshel, a jeweled bowtie.
The ribbon’s flowing curve and the glittering jewels would effectively convey a sense of precious refinement.
“Then how shall we proceed for you, young master?”
“Hmm…”
That was the problem.
Truthfully, Lion wasn’t very fond of accessories.
Maybe that was why nothing came to mind.
“Let’s make theirs first, and I’ll think about mine after.”
“Understood. Choosing what to put on one’s own body is always the hardest part. Now then, shall we start with a simple necktie?”
Andrie took out the prepared patterns and explained.
“The wide part, shaped like a greatsword, determines the overall impression, so it demands the most intricate work. The second is the band that wraps around the neck, and the narrow part like a small sword is the back of the tie. The rest is the lining.”
“You’re describing it in sword terms.”
“Ahem, that’s the common way to put it… Is that a bit awkward here?”
“As long as you don’t do it in front of my grandfather, won’t it be fine?”
Lion didn’t particularly mind.
In any case, now that he understood the pattern, the process was more manageable than he expected.
“By the way, don’t people normally use something like interfacing?”
“Sharp eye! Yes. Normally, interfacing is used to add stiffness, but with winter moth silk, the creases from pressing hold their shape for a long time, so there’s no need for artificial stiffening.”
I see. Expensive fabric really is wonderful.
Following Andrie’s guidance, Lion learned to construct the tie: joining the outer fabric, folding the seam allowance, pressing, turning, and repeating the steps.
“Pulling the lining a little taut to match the outer fabric makes it easier. Yes, just like that!”
Finally, after securing it with basting pins and closing the opening with a whip stitch…
[An Undeserving Tie]
-A tie whose maker’s skill is regrettable next to the luxurious materials.
-Nevertheless, it isn’t too bad.
-Flaws are visible upon closer inspection.
It was finished, but…
“…”
“…”
Both of them knew it.
This wasn’t a finished product; it was just practice.
“Well then, shall we try the next one?”