Chapter 12 - Isn't That a Joy?
◆ The Way of Friendship Among "High-Ranking Nobles"
An offer from a "classmate" with whom I had hardly any exchange.
Something must have caught his attention in his network, piecing together a few fragments of information and deducing something covertly ongoing, in which I seemed to have surfaced as part of the picture. If I could do him a favor here, perhaps it would bring some future benefit to my family. Even if not, it wouldn't hurt, and gaining an acquaintance in the frontier wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This must have been his reasoning.
A single men's formal suit. The cost of a mass-produced formal suit to match the ceremony’s status was likely just a fraction of what he'd spend on a piece of jewelry for his fiancée.
As he instructed, I met him the next day. The vehicle waiting for me at the meeting spot was a black luxury carriage. There were many carriages in the noble district, but I had never seen one as opulent as this. The family crest of a marquis was engraved firmly on the door.
Was this really okay? Though I thought this, I followed his suggestion and climbed into the high-quality carriage. The velvet-upholstered seat felt as though I were sitting on clouds. The interior was completely soundproof, achieving the utmost tranquility, and it almost felt like a mobile drawing room. As I wondered whether it had been wise to follow him as he instructed, he brought the carriage, bearing his family crest, to a stop in front of a tailor’s shop.
--- Close to the noble district, this tailor shop stood.
The imposing storefront suggested it was a highly esteemed establishment. The main entrance facing the street was set back slightly from the road. In other words, this shop had a promenade prepared so that the visitors who come by carriage wouldn’t interfere with the street.
Ordinary businesses wouldn’t go to such lengths. No shop in the expensive center of the royal capital would sacrifice floor space to create a carriage drop-off. Yet, it was right before my eyes. This meant that this shop was regularly visited by high-ranking nobles.
...Hmm. It wasn’t just skill that attracted nobles here.
It was the prestige, the history, and most importantly, the status of having garments made by this tailor shop. I had to keep my composure. If I made any missteps, word would spread in no time.
As I gazed at the storefront, my body stiffened with nervousness. He gave me a sly grin, as if to silently say, You understand, don’t you, what kind of place this is? Completely unfazed by my growing tension, he ignored me and opened the tailor shop’s door.
"Welcome, Young Master. What brings you here today?"
"I'd like a formal suit made. If you start right away, it should be done in about four hours, right? Make sure it’s something that won’t shame my family. Oh, and it’s not for me. It's for him."
"......Understood."
The middle-aged craftsman, who appeared to be the shop owner, gave a polite bow. He stared at him with sharp eyes, but he ignored it and began wandering around the store. The owner looked as if he wanted to sigh. Now, he threw a sharp glance at me, scanning me from top to bottom. His piercing gaze seemed to measure something, quickly calculating and extracting something I couldn’t understand.
"Over here. I need to take your measurements precisely."
I was guided over, and at this point, I had no choice but to go along with it. If I acted against his will now, I might disrupt the craftsmen’s work, and that would also embarrass him. For now, well... I decided to behave quietly.
Perhaps because his family, the marquis house, had a contract with the shop, he easily accepted his unreasonable request and made it happen.
Wait a minute...
From his words, it sounded like this was a formal suit appropriate for the marquis family, right? How could it be completed in a mere few hours? And it was custom-made, no less! They measured me, and in about two hours, they did a fitting? After four or five adjustments and refinements, it was finished in four hours? What was going on here? The common sense of the frontier was completely useless, and I was left speechless, seeing the overwhelming power of the royal capital... especially the high-ranking noble families.
"...Your 'friend' has a truly impressive physique."
"Of course. His training is different, after all."
"It reminds me of the brave and fearless knights of your house, and you, Young Master."
"Hmph! So, whose pattern did you use?"
"...That’s a secret, Young Master."
The shopkeeper grinned, casually brushing his measuring tape around his neck. Seeing this, the marquis’s son smiled with satisfaction and gave a small nod. He told the shopkeeper to "send the payment to his house" before leaving the tailor shop.
In my hand, I was given a heavy garment bag, something far too extravagant for me. A sense of confusion rose in my mind, but I decided to accept it as a kind gesture.
"You already have your own shoes and undergarments, right? Inside is the full formal attire. You can dress yourself, right? Even though you're from a knightly family, you're still a noble. Well, for people like us without any titles or positions, there’s no need for decorations, so that should be enough."
"Isn’t it a bit too costly for the third son of a knightly family, especially from the marquis's house? And... what’s the payment?"
"......Just remember me. There's always calculation behind everything. If you can imagine what’s in my mind, that’s all that matters."
"I see...I see. I understand."
It felt a bit too pragmatic for something meant to be a favor, but that too was something I had to swallow. At the time, I had no idea that this would evolve into such a long-term, almost inescapable connection, one I would come to regard as an undesirable but inseparable relationship.
Still, well, I realized I would have to repay some of this favor sooner rather than later.
--- There was no doubt about it.
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