64: Measurements After a Long Time
As I stood before “Tailor” for my measurements, raising my arms slightly, her slender, spider-like hands darted out from under my arms—and then Leticia cried out.
“W-wait a minute!”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Tailor,” who had stopped, tilted her head, a movement I could sense even behind me.
“B-but you already took my measurements! And you said you weren’t making any new clothes for Elder Sister…”
“Body lines are constantly changing. I need to check if alterations are necessary.”
If it turned out I only needed alterations to the bust area, I would cry a little.
But I wouldn’t let it show.
“C-can’t you tell just by looking?”
“By the time you can tell just by looking, it’s too late.”
Indeed.
By the time changes in physique were visible to others… it was too late.
Well, with enough effort, it could be fixed.
I believed that, but I also remembered how difficult it had been when I had gained a little weight.
There was a considerable difference between a healthy figure and the ideal figure of a Vanderwaals family head, who couldn’t show any weakness.
“Especially Lady Leticia, who is still growing.”
As for me, my growing days were over.
“Now then, Lady Adelheid… are you ready?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, and she firmly grasped my chest. …Though perhaps not as firmly as she could have.
As always, she was… thorough.
But she had been like this from the moment we met, so I had given up on protesting.
“Um… uh…?”
Leticia, her cheeks flushed, watched intently as my chest was measured.
…This was awkward.
Or rather, I was starting to feel embarrassed.
I couldn’t help but look down.
Being touched by a tailor was a normal occurrence.
When I was a child, perhaps out of consideration for my age, the measurements were taken quickly and roughly.
And when I was old enough to have proper dresses made, the family tailor was an elderly gentleman I knew and trusted.
I had never had my chest… handled so… firmly before.
…Come to think of it, my mother or father was always present during fittings and measurements… I recalled those days.
Perhaps they were walking a tightrope, knowing that any suspicion of impropriety with a noble’s daughter could cost them their heads.
Since becoming the head of the family, and since welcoming my sister, I felt like I was starting to understand my parents’ feelings in a way I hadn’t before.
Because I trusted Ciel and entrusted her with most of my upbringing, it must have seemed like neglect.
Being the head of the family was a busy position, and because of our family’s reputation as the “Coldhearted Vanderwaals,” social engagements, which were easily neglected, had been handled by my mother. I was starting to understand that now.
…Just like now, where Leticia had a higher favorability rating with the [Capture Targets]—the promising young men who would shape the future of Eustasia—than I did.
Our family tailor, already elderly when I was a child, had retired before I became the head of the family.
I had heard it was because his hands were no longer steady due to illness. When I visited him with a get-well gift to express my gratitude, I was startled to see tears in the eyes of the man who had always worn a stoic expression.
The tailoring industry was chronically short-staffed, and most skilled tailors were either employed by other families or running their own businesses.
Of course, I could have used the Vanderwaals name to pressure another family into releasing their tailor, or to acquire a tailor with their own shop, but…
Interfering too forcefully could damage relationships.
Naturally, there was nothing wrong with simply placing an order with a shop, and that was what I had been doing for a while.
Then, I heard about a foreign tailor in the “back alley.”
I went to check them out, and while they were a bit inarticulate and seemed to have some… personality quirks, they were skilled.
I was impressed, so I pulled some strings, took over their debts, and bound them to our service.
While our family name and the nature of our work were a bit… unsettling, being the exclusive tailor for a noble family, especially a ducal family, was a tailor’s dream.
They had apparently run their own shop before, so they must have been quite successful… or rather, they must have been unsuccessful, which was why they ended up in the “back alley” of Eustasia.
In any case, they were now a legitimate source of income.
When “Tailor” opened their shop, I had paid the elderly tailor who had served our family a proper severance and asked him to act as an intermediary for procuring materials, and even he was impressed with “Tailor’s” skill.
After freely touching, grabbing, prodding, and measuring me with a measuring tape, “Tailor” stepped back.
“Are you finished?”
“Yes. It doesn’t seem like any alterations are necessary. Next, I would like to check your closet to see if any of your clothes require maintenance.”
I nodded and gave her permission.
While Ciel would be present, this was a familiar task for our exclusive tailor.
Having an in-house tailor was certainly convenient.
“…Lady Adelheid, you are very diligent.”
I gave “Tailor” a puzzled look.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m impressed that your measurements haven’t changed since last time.”
So that was it.
“That’s only natural.”
“No, it takes effort to maintain your figure. Your waistline has become more defined as well.”
I was a little pleased.
Perhaps it was worth abstaining from unscheduled snacks, aside from the cookies Leticia had given me.
I had reported those to Ciel later, so she could adjust my diet accordingly.
…Once, when Ciel was away and I was swamped with work, I had indulged in snacks during parties and outings, and I had gradually gained weight.
While she didn’t scold me, it was… unsettling to have my former governess, who had been with me since birth, silently scrutinize my figure.
“――Now, Lady Leticia, it’s your turn.”
“Tailor” looked at my sister with a sharp glint in her eyes.
If I didn’t trust her, I would have called for Ciel.
“Y-yes. Please… be gentle…”
“Of course. …As a tailor, I would never harbor inappropriate feelings towards a client.”
Was that true?
――I had to believe it was, or I couldn’t entrust her with my sister.
Leticia raised her hands in surrender, and “Tailor,” approaching from behind, firmly grasped my sister’s chest, which was more ample than mine.
I watched intently.
My sister glanced at me and then quickly looked away.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed.
So, she was embarrassed.
…Come to think of it, earlier, I had been more embarrassed about Leticia seeing me being touched and measured than about being touched by the tailor myself.
However, such expressions from my sister were precious and adorable.
Even as she averted her gaze, she would occasionally glance at me from the corner of her eye, then slowly look away again, which was also adorable.
And the fact that she thought I didn’t notice was even more adorable.
…I wondered what kind of face she would make if I touched her.
Would she push me away, like she did with “Tailor” the first time?
Or…
Perhaps…
…would she accept it?
“There, that’s all. Thank you for your cooperation, Lady Leticia.”
I flinched.
My vision cleared, like a dissipating mist.
I seemed to have been lost in thought.
Leticia had just been released from “Tailor’s” grasp.
“Your bust has grown slightly.”
Mine hadn’t changed.
…It was good that my sister’s nutritional state had improved.
It was a good thing that she was developing well.
I told myself that, trying to maintain my composure.
“And your overall physique seems more toned. Have you been exercising?”
“It’s thanks to Elder Sister, who practices dancing and horseback riding with me.”
“Is that so?”
I wanted to retort something to “Tailor,” who nodded with a smile, but Leticia’s explanation was factual, so I couldn’t deny it.
Since horseback riding required a trip to the countryside, now that the [Horse Riding Event] was over, I probably wouldn’t have time for it.
Though I did want to say goodbye to Lillie.
However, with the [Final Ball] approaching, I couldn’t neglect dance practice, and since I had a suitable environment for practicing at home, I tried to make time for it.
Lately, she hadn’t been getting dizzy after our practice sessions… or so I thought, but even so, it had become her habit to rest her head on my lap afterward.
Since I hadn’t objected the first time, I couldn’t very well object now.
I was concerned about… the smell of sweat, but I couldn’t ask her about it.
While Leticia’s sweat didn’t bother me—I even found it somewhat… endearing, a sign of her hard work—I didn’t know how she felt about mine.
“Since your everyday clothes aren’t too tight, they probably don’t need alterations. I’ll just confirm that later, as I did with Lady Adelheid.”
“Okay…”
Leticia nodded.
As “Tailor” took out her notebook and pen, starting to scribble notes, I sat down on the sofa, resting my arm on the armrest.
Then, Leticia walked over, looking a bit unsteady, and sat down next to me, even though there was plenty of space on the sofa.
And she leaned against me.
Our arms touched.
Even through our clothes, I could feel her warmth.
I glared at her, but whether she noticed or not, Leticia smiled weakly.
“…I was a little nervous, since it had been a while since my last fitting.”
“…I see.”
I was the one who was nervous now.
…What was I thinking, with my sister right next to me?
“I’m looking forward to the trip.”
“It’s not a trip, it’s an inspection.”
…But I was also a little… excited about going somewhere with Leticia.
A little emotional indulgence was… permissible for a villainous sister, I thought. Probably.
As long as I didn’t show it outwardly.
I thought it was… permissible to care for my sister.
“Tailor” looked up from her notebook… then closed her eyes and looked towards the ceiling. She opened her eyes wide, as if suddenly realizing something, and then abruptly turned back to her notebook. Her pen strokes became more frantic.
…It seemed like her pen strokes had shifted from writing words to drawing.
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