WCMP 19

chapter 19

Startled by the sudden gleam in her eyes, I failed to respond—but Roseni cheerfully continued anyway.

“We have quite a few riding outfit samples. I personally adore riding attire.”

“……”

“Did you know, my lady? In a small kingdom called Noras at the far northern edge, women wear trousers as well. I have designs inspired by their garments!”

Beaming from ear to ear, Roseni flapped her hands even more energetically than before.

At her signal, the staff wheeled away the rack of dresses and returned with another rack filled with what appeared to be riding outfits.

No—rather than the rack, it was Roseni’s eyes that shone the brightest as she looked at them.

“I’ve also made tailored suits with trousers for women as a hobby. Would you like to take a look?”

“Ah—yes, yes….”

She selected clothes with far more enthusiasm than when she had brought out the dresses.

Truthfully, the reason I had specifically come for riding attire wasn’t anything grand.

It was simply because I would need to climb a mountain range to find the Holy Sword.

Having suddenly found myself in a position where I had to go hiking, I urgently needed practical clothing.

The problem was that there was no such thing as hiking gear or boots here, and most noblewomen wore skirts.

But I had absolutely no intention of doing something as insane as climbing a mountain in a skirt.

After much thought, riding attire had been my solution.

“If it’s not too rude to ask, may I inquire when you began enjoying horseback riding?”

I instinctively avoided her sparkling, expectant eyes.

Meeting that gaze head-on while lying would have pricked my conscience far too much.

“I wouldn’t say I enjoy it… but I was thinking of learning.”

I had no intention whatsoever of learning to ride.

But I couldn’t exactly say, ‘I’m going mountain climbing with the Archduke, so I need something to wear.’ So I offered a vague excuse instead.

At my flimsy explanation, Roseni’s eyes flashed as she launched into an enthusiastic rapid-fire speech.

“That’s a wonderful idea! I ride often myself—it’s such an enjoyable exercise. And above all, riding attire is truly splendid clothing. Even though they’re both trousers, the impression is completely different when worn by a man versus a woman.”

She continued cheerfully, words pouring out without pause.

I listened in a daze, unable to get a word in.

“And compared to dresses, they’re incomparably more comfortable. The samples were made in my size, but since your build is similar to mine, my lady, a few minor adjustments should make them fit you perfectly.”

Roseni was clearly a riding-attire enthusiast.

While explaining with her mouth, her hands were already swiftly combing through the rack, selecting several outfits.

For a moment, I even had the illusion that her red eyes were blazing.

Please calm down, unni… your eyes look like they’re on fire.

“Um…”

“There are so few ladies who enjoy riding, so I’ve always felt a bit lonely. Ah! This color would suit you beautifully, Lady Robert. Please, do try it on.”

“…All right.”

I already felt strangely exhausted.

Roseni was talkative and lively.

I wasn’t used to being around someone so chatty, so it drained me a bit—but she had such a pleasant personality that I couldn’t help but like her.

As I tried on various outfits, we exchanged many words, and I learned a few things in the process.

First, when nobles visit a salon, reservations are generally essential.

In our case, we had simply been lucky because the previous guest had canceled.

Without a reservation, custom tailoring wasn’t possible; one could only purchase ready-made pieces.

Then Roseni asked whether I had boots to go with the riding outfit, and I found myself at a loss for words.

I had planned to choose the clothes first and then buy boots at a nearby shop—but whether I could do so without a reservation was another matter.

Sensing my dilemma, Roseni recommended a store.

It specialized exclusively in high-grade leather shoes and was the largest footwear shop in the area.

They carried plenty of ready-made items, so visiting without a reservation would be fine.

For me, that was a tremendous relief.

‘I almost ended up hiking in dress shoes.’

While we were at it, I casually asked if there were any good places to eat nearby, and she kindly offered to reserve a restaurant for lunch, insisting I must try it.

When she said that, her expression looked almost like someone watching a country girl who had just arrived in the big city and didn’t know her way around. Feeling oddly exposed, I subtly avoided her gaze.

I just haven’t lived here long, that’s all…!

And as for the clothes—I didn’t even know how many I ended up buying.

I hadn’t planned on saving money to begin with, but once I tried them on, they were so comfortable and flattering that I couldn’t resist.

They might have been called riding outfits, but the trousers felt like skinny pants—highly elastic, hugging my legs smoothly.

The top resembled a short tailored jacket, yet moving my arms felt completely unrestricted. I found myself rotating my shoulders a few times for no reason.

‘…Seeing it like this, the vibe is completely different.’

In the mirror, I looked sharp. Cool.

I was briefly immersed in admiring myself when Amon, who kept praising me for looking beautiful in everything, and Roseni, who fetched more outfits like a fish in water, led me into impulsive purchases before I realized it.

That was the day I learned I was this easily persuaded.

I nodded absentmindedly as Roseni said she would alter and send the remaining pieces, while I took only a few to wear immediately.

By the time we left her salon, it was nearly noon.

It felt awkward to visit another shop with the time being what it was, so we chose to walk leisurely toward the restaurant instead.

I wanted to look around the streets—and frankly, I needed some mental rest.

We stopped at a café along the way and bought ice cream together.

The sweetness revived me a little.

Then it suddenly occurred to me that I had only focused on my own shopping, so I turned to Amon, who was quietly eating his ice cream.

“Amon, was there anything you wanted while we were out? Or something you needed?”

“You’ve already bought me everything I need. I have more than enough.”

“Even so… no one lives with only what they need. If you ever see something you like or want—even if you don’t strictly need it—tell your sister. Even if it’s a pretty piece of trash that looks completely useless… I mean, an ornament. All right?”

After all, I had just impulsively bought far more clothes than necessary myself.

Human greed has no end, little brother.

“I will. If there is something I like—whatever it may be—I’ll be sure to tell you.”

As he answered, his small lips curved into a soft crescent smile.

I wanted to poke his plump cheek so badly that my finger twitched, but I restrained myself for the sake of maintaining my dignity as an older sister.

To think that such a gentle, beautiful child would one day become a devil with the face of an angel in the original story…

Even knowing that future hadn’t come to pass, my chest still ached.

Not wanting to ruin the warm, peaceful mood, I took a large spoonful of ice cream and shoved it into my mouth.

Then I smiled brightly at Amon, who did the same.

“Ice cream really is best when it’s a little cold—it doesn’t melt as fast. Aren’t you chilly?”

“No. I don’t feel the cold much.”

After finishing our ice cream, it was time for the lunch reservation Roseni had made.

And indeed, the restaurant was excellent—delicious enough to justify her confident recommendation, with equally satisfying service.

Afterward, we stopped by the shoe store, conveniently located nearby.

Thankfully, there was no one there with sales skills as formidable as Roseni’s, so I managed to purchase a suitable pair of boots without further financial damage.

And then… there was nowhere left to go.

“…Hmm. Where should we head now? Anywhere is fine—was there someplace you wanted to stop by? Even somewhere that simply caught your eye.”

I felt reluctant—and a little guilty—to return home just like this. I’d dragged the poor child around for my shopping spree.

Amon fell into thoughtful silence before finally speaking.

“…Near Lady Roseni’s salon, I saw a shop that deals in gemstones. There was one gem on display that caught my attention.”

“A gemstone? What kind?”

“It was a deep blue, uncut stone… rough in shape, but the color was beautiful and it was fairly large. It stood out.”

“Then shall we go take a look? Come to think of it, I was so busy buying necessities before that I didn’t get many accessories. Let’s go see.”

Amon nodded with a clear, bright smile.

Though the weather was cool, the sunlight along the way was warm and comforting.

Fortunately, the presence of the knights and Edgar following behind us wasn’t as uncomfortable as I had feared.

They maintained a proper distance and were so quiet that I sometimes forgot they were there.

Well, they were attendants. Unless I addressed them first, remaining silent was part of their virtue.

That wasn’t the issue.

The issue was that Amon reacted in much the same way.

Whenever I spoke to him, he answered properly.

But he almost never initiated conversation first.

As a result, our exchanges always consisted of me asking something and Amon responding with agreement and his thoughts.

Unless I explicitly asked for his opinion, he would simply accept and follow whatever I said.

I wasn’t sure what to do about that.

Still, that was something to think about later. What mattered now was—

Since getting to know Amon, this was the longest stretch of time we had spent together like this.

“……”

The silence born from a complete depletion of conversation topics was driving me nearly insane.

Trying to force something out made my brain feel like it was cramping.

I prayed silently for us to arrive at the shop quickly.

And after enduring that agonizing stretch of quiet, we finally stepped into the gemstone store.

“So this is it…!”

Perhaps because we arrived just as the silence was becoming suffocating, I felt oddly moved simply to see the raw stone in front of me.