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Chapter: 15
The Tiger Family’s Baby Wildcat
“Hmm, this isn’t great.”
But Sirka’s excitement was crushed in an instant.
“…Still, wouldn’t your opinion change a little if you tried it on?”
Sabrina, who had been pretending not to care, quietly joined in.
Sirka, who had been disappointed, gathered her courage again.
“Mother is right. Clothes always feel different when you wear them compared to just looking at them.”
“That’s right, young lady. Clothes exist to be worn. So why not try at least one on?”
Madame Lenoage, quick to read the situation, also stepped in to support her.
“No. This looks too childish.”
But Baria’s taste was firm.
The cute frills and oversized yellow dress with a giant ribbon looked far too immature.
‘To recommend something like that to a ten-year-old beastkin?’
Did they really think she was just a baby?
Sirka let out an involuntary sigh, disappointed in her sense of style.
“Then would you like to look around yourself? If there’s nothing you like, we can also do custom tailoring.”
Leaving the discouraged Sirka aside, Madame Lenoage handed the selection over directly to Baria.
“Custom-made is fine. I’m only planning to buy one outfit anyway.”
While Baria wandered through the boutique, the adults exchanged glances behind her.
‘Only one?’
Madame Lenoage signaled Sirka with her eyes.
‘No way. Send every outfit she shows interest in to the manor. Secretly.’
Sirka immediately shook her head in denial.
There was no way they had brought her all the way here just to buy a single outfit.
But if they told Baria, who didn’t understand why she needed multiple outfits, she would definitely complain.
That’s why they were buying ready-made clothes instead of custom ones.
“Wow! This! I really like this!”
At that moment, Baria shouted excitedly.
Sabrina and Sirka quickly turned their heads, eyes sparkling—
“……”
“……”
And then fell into despair.
“This is it! This is exactly the kind of dress I wanted!”
Her unusually excited face was adorable, but neither tiger could understand her taste.
A massive stiff collar reaching up to the crown of her head, exaggerated shoulder padding, and a skirt so puffed out that four adults could easily hide inside it.
The dark crimson color alone made it unforgettable even in nightmares.
“Why is this here? Don’t tell me someone actually wears this…?”
Wasn’t this design from hundreds of years ago?
“It, it was just something we made for testing.”
Madame Lenoage was just as flustered.
She had created it out of curiosity for old-fashioned designs and displayed it as a keepsake.
She never imagined someone—especially a ten-year-old girl under the protection of the Caliph’s guardian family—would choose it.
“Child, do you really like that dress…?”
Sirka asked desperately, but Baria nodded vigorously without understanding his concern.
“Yes! It looks really strong! If I wear that, no one will be able to look down on me!”
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
Even brighter than when she had ridden in the carriage.
Sirka felt dizzy.
‘Those hyena bastards!’
Just how much had they confined and raised her for her to think like this?!
His anger toward the hyenas surged more than ever.
Sabrina felt the same.
‘No. We can’t leave it like this.’
Noticing their intense emotions, Madame Lenoage quickly stepped in.
“Miss, I’m sorry. That piece isn’t for sale, and even if we made it custom, it would be very difficult to adjust to your size.”
Since it was her creation, she had to handle the situation herself.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. The high collar and heavily puffed skirt are very heavy, and they put strain on the neck and waist. Especially—”
“Especially?”
Baria, now fully engaged, leaned in.
“For children who are still growing, it’s not good. It might even stop you from growing taller.”
“…!”
Baria, who had been hiding her disappointment, gasped.
“That’s absolutely not okay. I’ll choose something else.”
For Baria, growing taller was the most important thing, so she gave it up immediately.
Sirka, Sabrina, and Madame Lenoage all sighed in relief.
Sirka silently vowed to give Madame Lenoage a generous tip later.
Baria ultimately chose a light lavender dress with lace accents.
It had a comfortable, non-restrictive design and was light enough not to affect growth, which made her happy.
Of course, there had been some trouble in between.
Although she had chosen only one outfit, the madame had insisted on adding five more.
“I don’t have money for this.”
To her flustered remark, the madame responded with a gentle smile.
“These are gifts for first-time visitors to our boutique. It’s our way of encouraging you to visit us again.”
“A gift…?”
“Yes, so you don’t need to pay anything!”
There was such a rule?
Baria glanced at Sabrina and Sirka.
“Yes, we received them too.”
“So don’t worry about it and just accept them.”
They nodded as if it was obvious.
“O-oh, then I’ll accept them gratefully.”
Since it was free, Baria accepted.
It wasn’t costing the Caliph anything, so there was no reason to feel burdened.
“Please visit us again!”
And so, Baria left the boutique with boxes of clothes.
She had no idea that Sabrina, Sirka, and Madame Lenoage were exchanging meaningful smiles behind her.
Next stop was a restaurant.
True to Sabrina’s refined taste, the restaurant she selected made Baria melt the moment she tasted the steak.
“It’s so delicious.”
Sirka, who had personally cut her steak for her, smiled warmly at the child’s happy expression.
“If you want more, just say so.”
“No, this is enough. Besides, I think I’ve been eating meat too often.”
Not just today, but yesterday, the day before, and the day before that.
Thinking about it, ever since coming to the Caliph, she had been eating meat every meal, every day.
“I’m fine with once a week. That was part of the contract.”
It was nice to eat often, but since this was a contractual relationship, she felt a bit uneasy.
They gave her food, clothes, and shelter, but she wasn’t giving them anything in return.
“We are following the contract.”
However, Sirka only shrugged calmly.
“The condition you requested was ‘at least one serving of meat per week.’ We’re fulfilling that.”
“That doesn’t mean every day.”
“Either way, it’s not a contract violation.”
“Well… I guess not.”
“Then it’s fine. Don’t worry. We will keep the contract. It’s officially notarized.”
In fact, a few days ago, Bayden had shown Baria a contract stamped with the seal of the Aldros family of the stork beastkin, a highly credible noble house.
If the contract was broken, even a ruling family like the Caliph could not avoid punishment.
That was the “authority” of House Aldros.
“So eat up. Your meat is getting cold.”
Sirka placed a piece of meat into Baria’s mouth.
She ate it reflexively, but something still felt off.
Everything he said was technically correct, but why did it feel like she was being tricked?
Was it just her imagination?
“If you want to grow big and punch the hyenas, you should eat properly.”
But the moment Sabrina added that, the uneasy feeling vanished instantly.
She was right.
Even if she was currently only receiving everything from the Caliph, if she grew up strong enough to beat the hyenas, then the Caliph would be glad their investment paid off.
Everything they were doing for her was for that future, so she shouldn’t feel guilty and should just eat well.
‘But I should stop accepting clothes.’
Food and shelter were necessary for growth, but clothes weren’t.
A few outfits that fit her as she grew would be more than enough.
“Thank you for buying me clothes today.”
Still, Baria didn’t forget to express gratitude.
“This is the first time I’ve chosen my own clothes.”
At the Mariner family, she had only worn whatever the hyenas threw at her.
When she ran away, she had no money for clothes and had to patch up old rags to wear.
And yet the Caliph kept insisting on giving her better and better things.
‘Honestly, even that yellow dress wasn’t completely bad.’
The dress Sirka had picked earlier.
She had rejected it as childish, but in truth she had avoided it because it looked too expensive and fancy.
Not only that—
Everything in the boutique was so extravagant that finding something simple had been exhausting.
“I really like it. I’ll take good care of it. Thank you.”
Even so, this outfit was the best she had ever owned.
“…I see.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
After thanking them, Baria continued eating with a lighter heart.
So she didn’t notice the glance exchanged between Sabrina and Sirka.
‘We bought over ten outfits today.’
‘As expected, she didn’t notice. Five were disguised as free gifts thanks to the madame… but how do we get her to accept the other ten?’
There was no way a boutique would give away that many clothes for free.
Of course, it had all been a coordinated scheme between the three of them.
Now only ten outfits remained.
And they were already worrying about how to make her wear them.
