What to Do About Clothes
"What should we do about clothes?" Chester asked while resting until he could move his body properly. He was currently sitting in front of the campfire, wrapped head to toe in a blanket of moss. He kept his injured thigh stretched out to avoid putting pressure on it, eating the food Monia had prepared for him.
"No matter how you look at it, I can't go running around the forest naked."
"Is that the only problem?! Please show some consideration for my eyes!"
Yes. Chester was completely naked. And for good reason—his shirt had been shredded to ribbons by the bear. His trousers had to be cut and torn off to perform emergency first aid on his thigh. As a result, Chester was left with absolutely nothing that could be called clothing.
It was only natural. No matter how complex and exquisite the craftsmanship of Monia's dress was, at its core, it was still a massive piece of fabric. Even if it tore, she could stitch it back together using plant fibers, vines, or ropes found on the deserted island. She could easily tolerate a few rips and tears and keep wearing it.
But Chester's clothes were a different story. His coat and dress shirt had long since blown away in the typhoon, and the vest they managed to salvage was sleeveless and tiny to begin with. His trousers, too, had been the neat, tailored pants of a proper butler. They were made of such high-quality material that they hadn't hindered his movements much, but there was only so much fabric to work with. To make matters worse, that very durability became a curse; when his thigh swelled up enormously, Monia had to use her knife like a saw to hack through the tough, sturdy fabric. The shredded scraps of cloth that used to be called trousers were now barely fit to serve as bandages.
Consequently, Monia was forced to look at Chester's unspeakable parts every single day. It was manageable during the day, but the mornings were truly awkward. Truly.
"So, let's think about what to do for clothes together."
"...There's nothing to think about. We'll make them! Clothes! Brand new ones!"
"And how, exactly?"
"As long as it has the right shape and does its job, it's fine!"
Throwing Chester's own words back at him, Monia did her absolute best to keep her eyes away from his groin. But because his thigh injury—the most severe wound—naturally drew her gaze, her eyes inevitably drifted toward his lap.
I have to cover it!
She had to cover that thing!
If I keep looking at it, I feel like I'm going to lose my mind!
She would cover that monstrous, venomous snake-like thing by any means necessary! Monia pointed at the bear hide hanging outside. The bear hide was currently undergoing a drying process, with salt vigorously rubbed into both sides to draw out the moisture. Next to it hung the leftover ant-wolf hide from when Chester had crafted his armor.
"I'll make something out of those, somehow!"
Now that Chester's battle with the bear was over, Monia's battle with the snake had begun.
Should I just wrap the hide and tie it to his body with rope? That's probably what Chester would do.
When she declared she would make clothes, Monia had initially set that as her direction. No matter how sharp her eye for detail was, it was impossible to make proper clothes without needle and thread, especially using hides that hadn't even been properly tanned. Leather was a notoriously difficult material to work with, even for master craftsmen.
Then first, let's decide how he should wear it!
Setting aside those delicate, technical details, the most important thing right now was the design. Monia had absolutely no desire to make clothes the way Chester did—just sloppily wrapping a raw hide around the body and binding it with rope.
I mean, really! Roughly tearing a hide, wrapping it around, and tying it with a random rope! How can a person walk around like that? He's not a barbarian!
Monia thought to herself, recalling the descriptions of how Chester used to walk around. It was none of her business if anyone else dressed like that, but she could not tolerate the man she loved walking around looking so wretched!
He needs to look presentable! Yes, and while I'm at it, I should cut Chester's hair too!
Back when he was a butler, Chester had his hair styled every single day. Not by his own hand, of course; the Duke had employed a professional stylist specifically to maintain the hair of the butlers and maids to preserve the family's dignity. But since arriving on the island, he had completely neglected his hair, and after several months, it was naturally a mess. Thanks to the mysterious power of the island's water—which also made plants grow rapidly—his hair remained glossy and free of split ends, but Chester had simply been hacking at it with his talon knife whenever it started covering his eyes or ears. Monia, on the other hand, had been using the flat of the machete as a mirror to trim her own hair.
"..."
Pondering deeply over how to style Chester's hair and design his clothes, Monia picked up the machete. She would use the sharpest blade she had to prep the leather.
I can't cut the hide horizontally. If I cut it horizontally, the fabric will be too small for Chester's frame.
If she cut the bear hide horizontally, using only the section near the hind legs, the resulting piece would be far too small for Chester to wear. It would be tiny enough that even Monia couldn't fit into it—something fit only for a child.
I should cut it vertically. From the bear's head to its groin... Monia imagined it for a moment, then shook her head.
The top will be too short. Chester thinks winter is coming soon, so that won't do.
In that case, she would cut slightly off-center to make the hem as long as possible. Next.
I can fill in the gaps with this.
The ant-wolf hide. She could use a whole piece to wrap around Chester's waist. This would cover his waist and stomach, which would otherwise be exposed due to the short hem, and she could use the ant-wolf hide along with ropes to secure the bear hide to his body.
But the bear hide is still a bit of a problem.
If she cut it vertically, Chester could drape it over himself, but it would still leave him quite exposed. It would likely end up hanging precariously over his shoulders, leaving his chest completely bare from his neck down to his sternum...
Oh, actually, that doesn't sound too bad.
Monia entertained the thought for a second before vigorously shaking her head. Absolutely not. She was definitely not thinking about the tantalizing exposure of his firm pectoral muscles. Instead, adopting the cool, rational mindset of Lady Monia, the Duke's daughter, she carefully weighed her limited materials and skills to reach a logical conclusion.
Chester said it himself. What keeps you warm isn't one thick layer, but multiple thin layers. For now, we'll leave it open, and when winter comes, he can layer the ant-wolf hide underneath!
Of course, the Monia of the past had possessed neither coolness nor rationality, let alone the ability to make basic, common-sense decisions.
Perfect! It's absolutely not because of the exposure! I'm just doing the best I can with what we have! Yes, exactly!
Monia shamelessly finalized her decision, all while the image of Chester's broad chest flickered vividly in her mind.
Now, the trousers are the real issue.
Should she cut the bear hide into pieces and tie them together to form pants?
No, that would look hideous. I'd rather...
Yes, if that was the case, why not just cover up the unsightly parts altogether? The guards patrolling the streets of the royal capital wore armor, but their lower halves were wrapped in a skirt-like fabric. A kilt, as it was called.
I'll make him a kilt! That way, I can hide his clumsily covered groin.
It would be troublesome if she tried too hard to make proper pants and ended up restricting Chester's movement. Besides, she highly doubted any makeshift pants she made could properly contain that thing between Chester's legs. It would probably just end up uncomfortably tight and suffocating for him.
I also have to consider his thigh wound. I need to make the lower half as loose and spacious as possible.
He would wrap his thigh wound in bandages when moving around to prevent the fabric from chafing and worsening the injury, but it was still best to minimize any irritation.
"...Yes, this should work perfectly."
Sizing up the hides hanging from the branches, Monia mentally mapped out the cuts. Now, she had to figure out the ropes. How thick should she braid them so they would blend seamlessly into the overall design?
Oh, right. Should I make a hat too?
Though she had impulsively declared she would make clothes solely to cover his groin, the ideas were flowing much easier than expected, and she was starting to enjoy herself. Above all, what made Monia happiest was the fact that while she had always depended on Chester, Chester was now depending on her.
Chester was eating the food she cooked, and soon he would be wearing the clothes she made. Because of the wounds in places he couldn't reach, Monia even washed his body by hand every day to keep him clean. From head to toe, Chester could barely do anything right now without Monia's help.
"Ehehe."
The guilt that had weighed heavily on Monia's chest ever since Chester pushed himself to the limit to kill the bear for her...
"Hehehe."
...was slowly dissolving as she devoted herself to him in return. In its place, a ticklish, warm sensation was beginning to bloom.
Fulfillment. Happiness. A deep, swelling sense of satisfaction. The way Chester relied on her was incredibly endearing, and caring for him brought out a maternal instinct she didn't even know she possessed.
"I hope he likes the clothes."
Doing something for the person you love. Being able to do something for them. Monia realized that a person could find absolute bliss in that alone.
At the same time, she realized just how deeply she had fallen for Chester. If it was within her power, she wanted to give him the entire world.