‘Now it truly wouldn’t be strange no matter when or where I happen to dream that again.’
Thinking so, Yuder let out a small sigh.
“Since those bastards surely didn’t extend their hands only into the Empire of Orr, I hope we can quickly send warnings to other nations as well.”
“That’s why this trip to Nellarun is important.”
Kishiar reached out his hand. A larger hand settled on the back of the hand he had lightly placed over his knee.
“Given how much we’ve reined them in by now, they must surely have realized things aren’t going their way over there either. If they were cautious types, they’d hold back a bit in such a situation....... But I don’t think they will.”
“I think so as well.”
“Since the two of us think the same, the only thing left is perfect preparation of ceremonial attire.”
Why did the conversation suddenly jump there.
Before Yuder could answer, the carriage stopped. They had arrived on Cal Lorwick Street of the 4th Wall, lined with countless ateliers.
“Come. Let’s go.”
Kishiar strode forward without hesitation. Passersby, seeing the Duke of Peleta suddenly appear, gaped in surprise or went slack-faced, but Kishiar was as composed as if he couldn’t feel any of those gazes.
Yuder thought their destination would naturally be a shop that specialized in noble ceremonial attire. In the previous life, Yuder had also tried to have envoy attire made at such a place and then given up.
But Kishiar did not head for the large, splendid atelier right before them; he turned into a quiet alley. It was a lane so narrow even a carriage would have difficulty entering.
‘......What is this?’
He was curious where they were going, but he would know once they arrived anyway. Following silently, they came to a small building located deep in the most secluded part of the alley.
“Here.”
Kishiar stopped. Yuder looked at the small sign hanging above the worn door. On it was written “Est Atelier.”
‘So there was a place like this on the ostentatious Cal Lorwick Street.’
Hidden by other large buildings so that even light hardly reached it, and an exterior that made one doubt whether it was even open now.
‘To have envoy attire for going to Nellarun made in a place like this?’
As he was wondering, Kishiar knocked three times. There was a clatter inside, and before long the door opened.
The one who appeared was a young woman wearing very thick glasses. She looked up at Kishiar, who was smiling broadly, until her neck bent back, then asked in a slightly trembling voice:
“Are you perhaps the customer... who made today’s appointment?”
“That’s right.”
“To my eyes, you, um, look like His Grace the Duke of Peleta......?”
“That’s right too. I conveyed that I wanted to have ceremonial envoy attire made for the Imperial Household’s need—did the reservation perhaps not go through properly?”
“N-No, not at all. The reservation was received properly. It’s just that time had passed and you hadn’t come, so I was sure it must have been a prank......”
“Ah. Due to circumstances, I set out a little late.”
Kishiar expressed his apology politely.
“Not at all! I—It’s only because I was so excited that I’d been waiting for a long while, Your... no, Your Grace, you actually arrived within the appointment time. P-Please... come in.”
Contrary to the shabby exterior, the inside was fairly spacious and tastefully arranged. The proprietress, bustling about as she seated Kishiar and Yuder in the guest chairs, disappeared saying she would prepare tea.
Hearing the clinking sounds from afar, Yuder quietly asked:
“Weren’t the ceremonial attire for envoys representing the Empire only to be made at certain designated places?”
“It’s only an unspoken convention, not set by law.”
With a smile on his lips, Kishiar answered as if he had been waiting for the question.
“His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress have already granted permission, so don’t worry. As far as I know, the owner here may still lack fame, but her skill is not lacking.”
“How did you even know about a place like this.”
“I found it while looking for where to have the attire made. I combed through all the new outfits that appeared at recent society parties and the information on the ateliers that made them, and there were a few pieces I particularly liked. When I looked into it, they were all made here.”
He combed through all the outfit information that appeared at society parties? When on earth had he done that?
Perhaps finding Yuder’s subtly changed expression amusing, Kishiar laughed aloud with delight.
“For things like this, Madam Jusstine of the Shuden Company is the specialist. Jusstine attends nearly every party in the capital so as not to miss the swiftly changing trends. What she screened in the first pass, I only went over in the second, so it didn’t take that long.”
“I see.”
“Do you see there? Those sample outfits on that mannequin.”
Kishiar pointed somewhere. There were several ceremonial outfits dressed on a human-sized wooden mannequin.
“Though they aren’t gaudy, the use of color is excellent, and the shaping is captured astonishingly well. Dressed on a mannequin they might look merely like that, but when a person wears them, they’ll certainly have a different air. Making clothes so that whoever wears them looks like the most beautiful body is never an easy task. In that respect you can see the owner’s skill.”
“......I see.”
This “I see” came a beat later than before. No matter how he observed, Yuder couldn’t understand what Kishiar was talking about. Was there something visible only to Kishiar’s eyes? Since when were things like body shape and the garment’s form of any importance.
‘Isn’t it enough if you can just wear it.......’
“You were thinking it’d be enough if you could just wear it, right?”
As if reading Yuder’s thoughts, Kishiar spoke playfully.
“...I was, but I don’t want to be rude in front of the owner here, so please be quiet.”
Kishiar laughed even louder than just now. A sigh escaped on its own, but in any case his laughing face was beautiful, so Yuder decided that was enough.
“Besides, as for the owner’s background, as far as I know......”
“I’ve brought the tea!”
Before Kishiar could finish, the owner hurried in and set down the teacups.
“We should begin with taking measurements... Um... which of you shall I start with?”
“Oh. The owner handles even that?”
“Yes. Normally, it’s work for staff... but I’m the only one here for now.”
The owner’s face flushed slightly.
“I’m sorry if that displeased you.”
“Displeased? Not at all. To have someone skilled enough to have risen to the position of head at the glove-specialist atelier that supplies the Imperial Household—at the youngest age, at that—measure personally is something to call an honor.”
Kishiar smiled broadly. The owner started, eyes opening wide.
“How did you know that?”
“There are ways to know. I was a little curious because you abruptly left and set up your own shop even though, had you remained, you could have obtained both money and honor in abundance.”
“Ah.......”
The owner’s face grew a little dark.
“There was a bit of a difference of opinion with the owner there. Taking the chance, I boldly ran out because I wanted to start anew in my own way.”
“A splendid challenge.”
“No...... Perhaps because I decided too impulsively, the publicity didn’t go properly. Haha. I haven’t made even five dresses this social season.”
“Really? But I liked all five very much.”
“Pardon? You’ve seen the ones I made as well?”
“That’s why I made a reservation and came all the way here. Because I liked them.”
“......Goodness.”
Sensing the sincerity in that voice, the owner’s expression brightened considerably.
“...Thank you. It truly feels like a dream. That the day would come when I would personally meet His Grace the Duke of Peleta and make clothes....... I’ll work hard so I can answer that trust.”
“Good. Then take measurements for this one here, my aide. There’s no need to take mine—I already know all of them perfectly.”
Smiling, Kishiar pointed to Yuder. The owner’s gaze moved to Yuder’s face.
“If you’re someone who makes clothes, you surely know. How much my aide, Baron Yuder Aile—the hero of the Cavalry and the hero of the Empire of Orr—has led splendid trends in ceremonial attire until now.”
‘......Me? Led what?’
It was an utterly bewildering statement. But the owner nodded quickly as if she had heard something obvious, making Yuder even more flustered.
“Yes! Of course I know. So this is truly the gentleman himself.”