I Became a Clothing Designer in Another World - Chapter 29

Unlike a meal with my brother, we finished dinner very quietly, and I returned to my room to think about what kind of favor I could ask of His Highness the Crown Prince, but nothing came to mind, so I asked Lady Rachel if there were any spare uniforms left in the warehouse.

"It's difficult today, but it will be possible tomorrow."

"That's enough. If I have anything else to ask, I'll come find you, so you can rest comfortably in the meantime."

"Yes."

Having received confirmation that I could get a uniform, I smiled brightly, unfolded the paper, picked up a pencil, and wrote down the title.

Then, I put the pencil on my ear and looked at the ceiling.

The clothes worn by soldiers are more difficult to make than one might imagine.

Just thinking about it, wouldn't it be difficult to make clothes that can be provided to thousands, even tens of thousands of people, while ensuring mobility, being okay even when wet, and not tearing easily even when traversing forests or rocky mountains?

And on top of that, you have to take care of a certain level of style.

It's definitely not the kind of clothes that one person can whip up.

But this time, it's just slightly tweaking the design of an existing garment.

The male knight's uniform will serve as the standard, and all I have to do is slightly tailor it to fit the female figure.

It's something that most tailors could do, and it could be finished in a few days, even if it wasn't me.

Of course, just because it's a simple task doesn't mean there are no obstacles.

There are still problems that make me think, such as direction.

The first thing that torments me is whether the formal dress for ceremonial occasions should be a skirt or pants.

Considering uniformity and the identity of a knight, pants would be the right choice.

But, I have this opportunity to create an H-line skirt legally under the pretext of His Highness the Crown Prince's command, and it would be a shame to just pass it by.

A skirt that comes down to the knees, an H-line that tightly hugs the body and emphasizes the hips.

"I can't pass this up."

There's a saying that when the body suffers, the mind is at peace.

If I make both and let the wearer choose, I don't have to worry about it.

Because grinding people when work is blocked is common sense and the law.

I briefly thought, shouldn't I just ask the knights? But clothes look different when you hear about them, see them in a picture, and see them in person.

And, in order not to hear things like "this is a bit..." after actually making them, it's best to show them directly and let them choose.

Anyway, I'm making a practical and rational choice.

"Have you already thought of something?"

As I picked up the pencil that had been resting on my ear and tried to carefully sketch a skirt and lower body, Lady Rachel's voice suddenly pierced my ears.

"Yes, that's right... Ah...?"

I glanced sideways, dumbfounded, and Lady Rachel, slightly bending at the waist and staring intently at the paper, came into view.

Why... is she still in the room?

I clearly told her she could rest, didn't I?

I blinked rapidly and made eye contact with Emily.

"......"

Emily shrugged and shook her head slightly.

What is it, did Her Highness receive an order to monitor me...?

"Um... why are you still here?"

"I was waiting as close as possible to the Duke so that I could carry out His Highness the Crown Prince's orders at any time."

Lady Rachel straightened her back and answered calmly.

"I see, that's impressive."

I nodded immediately at the rigidity I felt in her answer, quickly ended the conversation, and looked at the paper.

Because it was obvious that only I would get frustrated if the conversation dragged on.

I started the second worry while sketching the skirt, pretending that Lady Rachel wasn't there.

This is what I consider to be the biggest challenge and the most important issue in this project.

It was underwear.

You might wonder what's wrong with underwear, but this is a really critical issue.

Because most women's underwear these days is made assuming they will be wearing a dress, there is no underwear that women can wear the moment they put on a uniform.

A corset that acts as a bra is a terrible thing to even talk about at this point.

You can't wear baggy skirts that come down to your ankles when you're wearing pants.

Then you naturally need panties and a bra, but if my memory is correct, those two didn't exist in this world yet.

To be exact, there is a garment that serves as panties.

A pair of undershorts called drawers is a friend that takes on that role.

It's an undershort that looks similar to modern women's drawers, or what we call pumpkin pants, rather than the men's drawers panties that we commonly think of, but the problem is that it's for men.

In the past, women also had underwear that covered the crotch, but it disappeared at some point.

I don't know exactly why.

There are stories that it's because of foreign tribes, and there are also stories that it's because it's not necessary since the dress is long and baggy, but what's important is that women's panties don't exist right now.

The question that arises at this point is, how are the female knights here solving this problem?

The upper body will be wearing a corset, but the problem is the lower body.

Of course, they wouldn't be going without panties.

They must be altering drawers to wear them.

Then, wouldn't there be no problem? But the empire's best knights don't have underwear that fits, so they're altering men's panties to wear them?

That's a terrible thing.

If I had to go through tough training and exams and then have to fix panties and alter clothes to wear them, I would have rebelled really hard.

But this terrible thing is happening in the empire in real time.

"......"

I glanced at Lady Rachel standing behind me.

If you think about it simply, you can find out right away by asking Lady Rachel, "Excuse me, but what underwear are you wearing right now?"

But then I'd be a super polite pervert.

"Hoo..."

To just ignore this problem and let the empire's best knights have their morale broken because of panties.

Or to become a pervert who asks women what kind of panties they're wearing today.

I was faced with a terrible multiple choice question, and cold sweat started to run down my spine.

"Gulp..."

I swallowed hard and ran a simple simulation in my head.

How would Lady Rachel react if I asked, "What kind of panties do you usually wear?"

Would she slap me in the face? Or would she draw her sword and slice me up...?

Either way, it's a terrible future.

But humans are curious animals, and I can't stand not knowing.

I opened my eyes wide and made eye contact with Lady Rachel.

"Lady Rachel."

"Speak."

And I called Lady Rachel in a trembling voice.

"I know this is a really sorry, rude, and shameless question, but I have a question that I really want to know and want to ask."

I started by getting permission to ask the question in the most polite, courteous, and non-direct way possible.

Lady Rachel hesitated for a moment, furrowed her brow slightly, and opened her mouth.

"... What is the question?"

"It's related to underwear."

"......"

Lady Rachel's eyes narrowed, and her expression turned cold.

No, her expression was originally like that, but the aura around her body became chilling.

Am I going to die like this?

Am I going to die without a chance to defend myself?

"I would appreciate it if you could explain why that is necessary for me to understand."

As I trembled with fear and waited for Lady Rachel's sentence, I was very fortunate that Lady Rachel gave me a chance to defend myself.

"As far as I know, the only underwear that covers the lower body for women is petticoats or chemises, is that correct?"

While still groping my neck, which was still intact, I asked Lady Rachel in return.

"That's correct."

"Most women wear skirts, so it doesn't matter, but there is a problem that those who wear pants cannot wear underwear."

"... That's correct."

"Because of that problem, I'm wondering if I should also design underwear that female knights can wear while designing uniforms."

"Is that so..."

Lady Rachel closed her eyes slightly and nodded.

"Then, what was the question that the Duke wanted to ask?"

"How do the female knights in the current knight order solve the underwear problem?"

"......"

Lady Rachel twitched her eyebrows.

And her face blushed very faintly as she answered.

"Currently... we are altering the drawers that men wear to wear them."

"The upper body is wearing a corset, right?"

"... That's right, how did you know?"

"I noticed it while explaining to His Highness the Crown Prince in the training ground."

I noticed it because I saw something like a string peeking out from under her clothes when I pulled on her waist.

I probably wore it to keep my breasts from shaking when I moved.

It was a garment that was tightened so strongly that the ribs would bend, so the effect of preventing the breasts from getting in the way would have been excellent, but it would have been very uncomfortable.

"I think there must be a lot of uncomfortable parts, is that right?"

"That's right, corsets are not suitable underwear for moving."

Lady Rachel smiled bitterly and nodded.

"What does the Duke think about this issue?"

"I think new underwear is needed. As I said in front of His Highness the Crown Prince, I think it's nonsense that an imperial knight is experiencing such discomfort, but since it's not the clothes I wear, I'm curious to know what the knights think."

Lady Rachel's eyes narrowed, and her pupils turned slightly downward.

Lady Rachel's answer came after a moment of thought.

"Then... I'll ask my colleagues about that issue while going to pick up the uniforms I asked for tomorrow."

"Thank you, I hope you ask as many people as possible."

I smiled and bowed to Lady Rachel.

And while feeling grateful for having survived performing 'OpenthePantsuWhat' on a female knight, I started thinking about underwear in one corner of my head.