Chapter 27
The Cherries Are Ripe
“It does seem necessary.”
Cedric glanced briefly at Rachel before speaking again.
“Exactly. If he doesn’t buy one this time, he’ll go to the Grace family’s ball wearing his knight order uniform. There’s no way Cedric owns formalwear for every season. Ah—though I think he has a few… relics from the past.”
Rachel rattled on at a speed I’d never heard from her before, then crooked one corner of her mouth into a sly grin.
“Relics from the past?”
Naturally, the collar styles that had once been popular in the Kingdom of Lundra came to mind.
Last year, extremely ornate collars had been all the rage among male nobles in Lundra. This year, no Lundran noble would dare wear something like that—anyone who did would stand out terribly.
Had Owen also gone through a rather unique fashion phase a few years ago?
“A veeeeery old ceremonial uniform that’s been passed down through the Deirton ducal family. Calling it formalwear is honestly embarrassing. It’s practically an artifact that belongs in a museum. You know that, right, Cedric?”
This time, I recalled illustrations I had seen in history books during my academy days. The ancestors of this land, as depicted in those paintings, followed clothing conventions quite different from those of today.
“Your Grace, do you keep ceremonial uniforms that have been passed down through generations?”
I asked Cedric, a little surprised.
“It’s not just kept—I was actually planning to wear it.”
Rachel answered in his place. In my mind, the illustrated garments from the history books began to float about.
Cedric wearing a shirt with flamboyant frilled sleeves…
“The Deirton ducal house places great importance on tradition.”
“You don’t mean that your ancestors kept their forebears’ clothing and wore it continuously, do you?”
“Something like that.”
Cedric replied calmly. Thanks to the high-level etiquette education in Lundra, I barely managed to refrain from blurting out, Really? It was a relief not to put him in an awkward position.
Rachel snorted.
“Tradition? Are you serious? That’s ridiculous, Cedric. I’m not letting you attend in your knight order uniform again. You’ll be escorting the princess! Do you understand? Do you really understand what that means?”
Rachel spoke with fierce determination, even as her hand busily scribbled notes onto the design of her own evening dress. She seemed genuinely passionate about clothing.
I wouldn’t have minded Cedric escorting me in the Deirton knight uniform. It reminded me of the time he had joked about becoming my knight.
What would Cedric look like in a knight’s uniform?
Still… perhaps formalwear would suit him better.
“Your Grace, would you like me to look together with you?”
“Thank you, Princess.”
Cedric picked up the men’s fashion catalog from the table and placed it on his lap.
“I’m not very familiar with Owen’s trends either, but the designs in this catalog should be fine—Designer Mia would have taken current social fashions into account.”
I shifted my gaze to the catalog resting on Cedric’s lap. He gently slid it closer to me, supporting the bottom of the book with his hand.
On the open page was a sketch of a rather plain yet dignified formal outfit. It didn’t look bad.
“The design you’re looking at now seems nice, Your Grace. Is this the one you like?”
I turned my head to look at Cedric. Naturally, my eyes met his as he was looking downward.
“Yes.”
With a face like his, even something so simple would probably look special. Still, I felt there might be an even better choice.
“Still, it feels a bit ordinary. Let’s remember this page for now and look at others together, shall we?”
“All right.”
I lowered my head again and flipped through the catalog page by page.
The stiff pages reflected sunlight, making some of the illustrations hard to see. Since I couldn’t simply take over Cedric’s catalog, I had to twist and lean at times to properly view the sketches.
“Princess, you don’t need to worry so much.”
Cedric’s voice came from above my head. I realized I was bent far forward—I must have been completely absorbed.
“Oh—my apologies, Your Grace.”
I straightened up at once. Cedric gave a small nod to indicate it was fine.
“I just wanted to find something that suits you perfectly.”
I added the words out of embarrassment. Cedric didn’t reply.
Turning the pages slowly, I found a formal outfit sketched in a peculiar deep night-sky color—very much like Cedric’s hair. A long, cloak-like coat was drawn as part of the ensemble.
The design used as few types of fabric as possible to avoid being overly flashy, yet paid careful attention to delicate details like the collar and shoulders.
The silver embroidery finely drawn along the jacket’s lapels was especially refined. It felt as though it would suit Cedric perfectly—his striking appearance paired with his composed expression.
I tapped the sketch in the catalog with my finger. The paper pressed slightly under the touch.
“I think this design would suit you very well, Your Grace. What do you think?”
I turned my gaze back to Cedric. Once again, our eyes met.
I kept looking at him as I waited for his answer. Perhaps because of the shadows, his eyes looked slightly redder than usual.
The cherries are ripe.
His eyes were still like fully ripened cherries—darker toward the center.
“It’s very beautiful.”
“Ah—yes!”
Cedric gave his impression, and I called Mia over to ask for her opinion.
Mia, having finished her discussion with Rachel, came over. She examined the design in the catalog and offered several new suggestions.
Mia truly was a talented designer. It was impressive enough that she had enough ideas to fill several different catalogs on her own.
But what was truly remarkable was her ability to add details that would suit the client perfectly—without compromising their personal taste.
Mia handled the orders of all three customers flawlessly. Not only Cedric and me, but even the very demanding Rachel was shown sketches that delighted her.
It was time to return to the ducal residence. After hesitating for a moment, Mia approached me and spoke.
“Princess, how was it last time?”
“Hmm? What do you mean by ‘last time’?”
I asked back, not quite understanding her question. Mia’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“I enjoyed it very much then. Designing sketches according to a client’s request, like today, is also enjoyable—but being able to place different garments directly against the client and see with my own eyes what suited them best was a refreshing experience.”
Mia looked genuinely happy as she recalled that day. For a moment, the smiling face of her older sister, Mary Grace, overlapped with Mia’s.
“I had a lot of fun too. Walking among the clothes and looking at so many outfits was enjoyable. I’m glad to hear that Designer Mia enjoyed it just as much.”
“You felt the same way, Princess?”
Mia’s face brightened even more. Knowing that we had shared the same joy made me happy.
I thought that perhaps others—not just Mia and me—could enjoy this as well.
“I initially thought that in Owen, comparing clothes by placing them directly against the body was the usual way. Only after hearing others speak did I learn that, like in Lundra, it’s more common in Owen for designers to visit estates and show catalogs instead.”
Mia nodded.
“I think I understand what you mean. In truth, buying ready-made clothes has traditionally been how commoners purchase clothing. It’s not that nobles must never do what commoners do, but…”
I hadn’t known how Owen’s commoners bought their clothes. In Lundra, commoners didn’t go clothes shopping—they either made their own garments or paid a merchant who could sew, receiving the finished clothing later.
“Oh, really? Then, Mia, it must have been rare for you to meet another noble who enjoys trying clothes on directly like we did.”
“That would be so, yes…”
Mia’s expression turned solemn again. She maintained that serious look as she politely saw us off from Shop Mémettir.
When we stepped outside, the sky was glowing with sunset. As the sun dipped low, the temperature fell with it. The evening streets were pleasantly cool.
Rachel waved as she boarded the imperial carriage and departed. Watching the carriage grow distant, I wondered whether I had truly invited Rachel just to choose clothes together.
At first, I had clearly intended to create an opportunity for Cedric and Rachel—but I had ended up pouring all my enthusiasm into the clothes instead.
The Deirton family carriage carrying Cedric and me passed through a marketplace. It was a road I had never seen before; the scenery outside felt unfamiliar.
Still, I thought I knew the way back to the ducal residence fairly well.
Perhaps noticing my puzzled expression, Cedric explained that after dinner time, many carriages head home, so they sometimes take less crowded routes.
I found myself thinking that carriages, much like people, sometimes took detours too.
