WSRN 22

Chapter 22

‘This is a place I’ve never seen before.’

I’d been to the commercial district before, but this area felt a little different. It wasn’t crowded; rather, it had a calm, almost private atmosphere.

All the buildings lined up seemed to be shops, but… how should I put it?

‘Ah!’

It was like one of those reservation-only influencer-famous restaurants kind of streets. No wonder it looked familiar.

While I was busy looking around, Blair slipped into one of the shops.

Oh—so that one wasn’t closed after all.

I quickened my pace and stepped inside, just in time to hear Blair arguing with someone.

…Blair, arguing? My curiosity piqued, and I hurried closer.

“I told you, I’m not in the mood to work today.”

“Are you ever in the mood to work?”

“How could you say such a hurtful thing! You’re even wearing one of my masterpieces right now.”

Blair let out a soft, cold laugh and lowered her voice.

“That mouth of yours… I wonder if it would still float if I dunked it in water. Wanna find out?”

“…Oh my. Huhu, Lady Blair, sometimes your jokes are truly frightening.”

What on earth were they talking about? Tilting my head, I was just about to get closer when a startled cry rang out.

“Oh my goodness—!”

And then something slammed into me.

“Ugh!”

I couldn’t breathe! Whatever it was, it had hit me hard and wrapped around me tightly. I flailed, gasping for air.

Then suddenly—thud, crash, bang! There was a loud commotion, and my vision cleared. I could move again.

‘What… what was that just now?’

Marianne rushed over and helped me up, holding me steady as I tried to shake the dizziness from my head.

“Are you all right?”

“Y-yeah. I just couldn’t breathe for a moment.”

“That lunatic…”

Marianne muttered something under her breath. Finally coming back to my senses, I looked ahead—

—and froze.

‘Whoa, what the…’

In just a few minutes, the place had turned into a disaster.

A red-haired man was sprawled across the opposite wall. Judging by his clothes, he must’ve been the one Blair had been arguing with.

‘So people can get knocked out like that, just like in cartoons.’

I was too astonished to even be scared; I just stared in disbelief. Blair dusted off her hands with an irritated look.

Switching my gaze between the two, I ventured cautiously, “Um… did that man just… jump at me?”

‘I don’t know why, but…’

Judging by the situation, he must have lunged at me—and Blair had thrown him off, straight into the wall.

Blair’s sharp eyes turned toward me. Her gaze swept over me from head to toe, and I tensed up.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

Then her expression softened. She walked toward me and reached out her hand.

I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut—but nothing happened.

“…?”

When I slowly opened them, Blair’s hand brushed through my hair gently, as if fixing it.

I blinked, awkwardly accepting the gesture.

Blair’s eyes stayed on me as she spoke in a clear, deliberate voice.

“I don’t make jokes.”

Her words fell like a quiet declaration.
Before I could answer, someone else did.

“Ahaha, of course. I know that very well.”

The red-haired man, who’d apparently recovered, stood up and answered as if this were all routine for him.

When his eyes met mine, he smiled brightly and strode toward us.

He was taller and broader than I’d realized while he was down. Maybe that’s why he could take a hit like that and still get up.

His hair was as vivid as a rose, and his clothes were even more extravagant. He didn’t look scary—just… odd.

Unbothered by my wary expression, he dropped to one knee.
Both Blair and Marianne glared at him sharply.

“I’m sorry. You were just so cute walking in, I couldn’t help myself…”

“…Excuse me?”

My face twisted before I could stop it.

‘What kind of ridiculous reason is that…?’

Completely unfazed, his eyes sparkled as he clasped his hands together, looking absurdly sincere.

“My name’s Theodore. I run this boutique.”

‘…Theodore?’

The name rang a bell.

He was that Theodore—famous across the Empire. A tailor whose craftsmanship was unrivaled, though he was notoriously picky about commissions.

Basically, the archetypal “eccentric genius designer” straight out of a novel—one of those people who set fashion trends.

Even in my previous life, his fame had spanned the entire continent.

‘I didn’t realize he was this eccentric, though.’

Strange, yes—but he didn’t seem like a bad person.

I composed myself and gave a polite greeting. After all, Blair had brought me here.

“Nice to meet you, Theodore. I’m Elena Hill.”

He just kept staring at me.

‘This is… kind of uncomfortable.’

“So you’re the one who…”

“Yes?”

“Ah—no, nothing.”

He fumbled awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, to apologize for earlier, I’d love to gift you a few outfits. Please accept them! You won’t regret—”

“No need for your creepy generosity. I’ll buy her what she needs,” Blair cut in coldly.

Theodore immediately started talking at lightning speed.

“So that’s why you called me here? You should’ve said so earlier! I would’ve gone to you!”

“I did say so.”

“When?! You only said it was for a chick—never that it was for such a lovely young lady!”

“That’s the same thing.”

Their endless back-and-forth was so exhausting that I was getting tired just watching.

“I was heartbroken, you know! I thought you wanted me to make clothes for your pet.”

“……”

How could he talk like that after being thrown into a wall? The man had guts.

‘Does he have a spare life or something?’

But Blair’s eyes were starting to look dangerously sharp again.

‘Oh no, someone’s going to go flying again.’

I needed to step in before that happened.

“Um, how about I accept both of your offers as a gesture of gratitude?”

“Oh, how touching…”

“W-what is?”

“I never imagined someone from Hilberg could be so pure-hearted. But this isn’t the time for sentiment! Come in, come in!”

Finally getting up, Theodore briskly led us toward the back.

We exchanged glances and followed him slowly. Blair clicked her tongue and muttered under her breath.

“…Should’ve asked someone else.”

I had to bite back the urge to nod in fierce agreement.

Theodore guided us into a sitting-room-like space. Once we sat, he slid a catalog across the table.

“If you have any preferences in style, let me know first. I’ll take them into consideration.”

The colorful designs were dazzling to look at—just flipping through them was fun.

‘So these are what’s trending right now.’

Learning that alone was useful—it might help me plan some business ideas later.

I turned the pages like I was studying, until it suddenly hit me.

‘Right, I’m here to pick out my clothes.’

I glanced over the selections. Honestly, they all looked more or less the same to me.

“Um… they all look fine.”

The truth was, I never cared much about dressing up.
I’d never gone shopping for clothes like this before.

For some people, this might be a dream—but for me, it always felt too real, too heavy.

The more expensive the fabric and the more ornate the decorations, the higher my own price seemed to rise.
That was all it ever meant.

Suddenly, I remembered Aria’s gentle voice humming as she untangled my hair ornaments.

‘…It’s fine. Things are different now.’

Worried my mood might show, I forced a quick smile.

Just then, long slender fingers slid the catalog out of my hands.

“…?”

It was Blair. She didn’t even glance at me.

“I’ll choose. I know what suits you best anyway.”

“That’s fine.”

At that, she finally looked at me and—just like before—lightly patted my head.

It almost felt like she was telling me to relax.

“If you’re bored, go look around. There’s plenty to see here.”

For some reason, it sounded like she was telling me not to worry. Feeling oddly shy, I looked down.

“Okay, thank you.”

Then, accepting her consideration, I left to look around the shop. But before I could take a step, Marianne suddenly spoke up.

“Pardon me, but…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“May I stay? I’d like to offer some opinions on Lady Elena’s casual wear.”

Marianne looked deadly serious—like she was going into battle.

I wasn’t sure it was that important, but I nodded anyway.

“All right. I’ll stay close by.”

“…Thank you.”

If she wanted to, who was I to stop her? Leaving them behind, I wandered off to browse.

Without the pressure of choosing something for myself, it was easier to enjoy.

‘But still…’

Formal wear really was over the top. Whether men’s or women’s, everything was covered in decorations.

Wouldn’t clothes that heavy be hard to move in?

While I was engrossed in looking around, I suddenly heard a faint rustling sound.

‘…?’

It didn’t sound like an employee. It was too cautious, too sneaky.
Surely there wouldn’t be mice in a place like this, right?

‘If something happens, I’ll just scream.’

Still, I had to check. Quietly, I softened my footsteps and approached the sound.

‘…That’s a person.’