I Became a Clothing Designer in Another World - Chapter 116

"I had lowered my expectations due to the lack of news since your release, but you've completed it at just the right time."

"I was able to finish it thanks to being released a bit early."

"That's a relief."

When I informed the Centurion of the completion of the new ears, he rushed to the atelier the very next morning.

"So, can I take it right away?"

"Shouldn't you listen to the explanation about the clothes first?"

"Hmm... I see."

"I'll guide you to the lounge right away. Emily, could you please put the clothes on the workbench?"

"Yes."

While calming down the Centurion, who was impatient to receive the clothes immediately, I headed to the lounge.

After seating the Centurion at the head of the table and serving him the tea I had prepared in advance, Emily quietly entered the lounge, placed the requested clothes on the table, and stepped back into the corner.

"Hoo... Even at a glance, it looks highly complete. Despite having other tasks, you really made this in just four days?"

"The peak season has passed, so I have more time compared to when you were protecting me, Centurion."

"Even so, I find the speed remarkable."

"Thank you."

I bowed my head with a smile, as praise always feels good.

"Do you need an explanation for the maid dress or butler suit? It's the same except for the hole for the tail near the buttocks."

"Then it's unnecessary, an explanation about the ears and tail is sufficient."

"Understood."

After confirming the location of the tail hole with the Centurion, I moved the maid dress and butler suit aside.

Then, I lifted the drawers and garter belt with the tail attached, so that the tail faced the Centurion.

"This is underwear. This is for men, and this is for women. It's the same as drawers and a garter belt except for the tail. And the tail can be pulled through the tail hole in the pants and dress."

"Hoo..."

The Centurion, with his gaze fixed on the tail, let out a faint exclamation and brought his hand to his lips.

"May I touch it?"

"Yes."

I handed the garter belt to the Centurion.

The Centurion, holding the garter belt with careful and cautious hands as if he were holding a newborn baby, examined the tail with sparkling eyes.

"Huh... I thought you would make something like a belt with a tail attached, but something more serious than I imagined has come out."

"Since there are several demi-humans in the atelier, I had many opportunities to hear their stories."

"Aha."

One of the employees in the atelier is even a cat person.

Since I made it with that in mind, it would be a crime if it weren't detailed.

As I watched the Centurion nod as if he had realized something, I put the drawers back in the basket and took out the headbands with ears on them and placed them on the table.

"These are cat ear headbands. The one to match the butler suit has no frills, and the one to match the maid dress has frills. Unlike the tail, the ears do not move freely, but they are made to rotate about 30 degrees."

I wanted to put in a 180-degree rotation, but I gave up because it looked awkward aesthetically.

Since the root part also rotates together, the ears felt too separate.

"You really made this in just four days? No matter how I think about it, it seems like a lack of time."

"It's not as difficult as it looks."

"I feel like common sense is collapsing..."

The Centurion frowned at the headband as if he couldn't understand.

I can understand the Centurion's reaction, since it's a schedule that I couldn't do without Adelheid.

"Hmm? Sir William, why are there three headbands? I remember requesting two..."

"Ah, that's because the meaning differs depending on the location of the frills, so I made one more."

"The meaning is different?"

The Centurion's head tilted slightly to the right.

He probably heard it for the first time in his life.

Because it was a meaning we just created yesterday after listening to Elizabeth's words.

In the first place, demi-humans are often not suitable for maid duties compared to humans, so there are few families that hire them as maids.

Marie's hands are cat hands, so she can't do complicated work.

Adelheid is too big, so she feels uncomfortable in furniture or houses made to human standards.

If it's an elf, the person who has served since my great-grandfather might exist as a maid, which is quite burdensome.

There's no way there would be meanings or rules for the attire of demi-human maids in these situations.

But in other words, the rule is what I define.

If there isn't one in the first place, shouldn't I just define it and make it the standard?

I was really impressed by Elizabeth's letter yesterday.

The fact that the relationship with the maid can be defined by the location of the frills is romantic.

Isn't it?

Well, I don't care.

It's enough if it's good in my standards.

"Hehe..."

With a confident smile on my face, I picked up the cat ear headband with frills and showed it to the Centurion.

"Maids must basically hide their emotions, and their attire and roles are restricted by their employers."

"That's right."

Even female attendants must dress more modestly than the person they serve and wear slightly outdated clothes as a courtesy, but if they are commoners like maids or butlers, the restrictions are even more severe.

The color of the fabric is also restricted, accessories must be approved individually, and furthermore, some houses do not even allow low-ranking maids to show themselves.

"And demi-humans with ears that stick up like this use their ears as a means of expressing emotions."

"Ah, that's one of the most important elements in demi-human investigation methods. Tails and ears, which only demi-humans have, are places where emotions cannot be easily hidden."

The Centurion adds a good word at just the right time.

Thanks to that, the content that had to be explained in detail was reduced.

"That's exactly it. The inability to easily hide emotions can be said to be a flaw for a maid, so whether a demi-human maid exposes her ears or not is a device that shows the relationship between the employer and the employee."

"Device?"

"A maid who is allowed to expose her ears means that she has proven her value to her master."

A maid who will not make mistakes even without the help of tools.

Or a maid who is allowed to reveal her inner thoughts.

Either way, it is only possible if the employer's trust is deep.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to give such privileges for matters related to facial expression management.

Who would want to hire a maid who can't even manage her facial expressions in front of her employer?

"It's somewhat complicated. Is it of great significance?"

"Haha, to be honest, it's not. It's just one of the detailed productions. It's nothing more or less than showing how close and trusting the maid is to the other person, so please wear whichever one you like, Centurion."

"......"

The Centurion stared blankly at me with his lips slightly open at the miraculous interpretation of our atelier.

He may have felt like I was a quack doctor, but originally, with things like this, the interpretation is more important than the dream itself.

The interpretation of the frills can change completely depending on the perspective from which you look at the object.

I interpreted the frills as a tool to hide expressions, but others may interpret it as meaning that they know you well even without those ears.

The expression is covered in the same way, but the meaning is the opposite.

If you think it's far-fetched, think about raising your thumb. Isn't it a compliment in some cultures, but an insult in others?

It's similar to that.

"Hehe..."

While waiting for the Centurion's reaction while thinking useless thoughts, he burst into a hollow laugh about two beats late and leaned back against the backrest.

And with a complex and subtle expression on his face, he said to me.

"How can you be so perverted in every detail? It seems like you need to be detained again."

"Uh..."

My head became very complicated.

Did I do something wrong?

Honestly, this one wasn't that lewd, was it?

I just defined in detail that Myoin maids are like this, that's all.

What's the problem?

"Haha! I'm just kidding. If I arrested you, I'd be arrested along with you because I commissioned it. Am I crazy to arrest you?"

"Haa... Anyone would react like this if you made jokes like that..."

I felt the tension that had suddenly risen ease and the energy draining from me as I watched the Centurion, who was holding his stomach slightly while laughing heartily.

It didn't sound like a joke at all, since it had only been four days since I was imprisoned for a ridiculous reason.

"I thought I had become close to you in my own way, but it seems I still have a long way to go. I won't be able to stop making these kinds of jokes until we become closer."

"Hehe..."

I smiled awkwardly and gently put down the headband.

The Centurion is surprisingly vicious.

"Do you have any questions after hearing this far?"

"No."

"Then you can take it with you right away if you pay."

"Um... here it is."

The Centurion handed me a pouch filled with money without hesitation.

A fairly full pouch compared to the cost of the materials that went into the custom order.

When I received it with both hands and checked the contents, golden and silver circles were boasting their sparkling appearance.

"... Yes, I have confirmed it. Thank you for trusting us with the commission."

"What are you talking about? Rather, I want to thank you for making it so well."

After exchanging the payment and the clothes, we got up from our seats, extended our hands, and shook hands with a smile.

I made eye contact with the Centurion, who was quite cool compared to the other nobles who were picky and asked a lot of questions, and thought that I hoped he would use us more often in the future.