I Became a Clothing Designer in Another World - Chapter 39

Contrary to my worries, I thought the interview was proceeding smoothly.

It was starting and ending with a feeling of answering 'I'm doing alright' when asked 'What have you been up to lately?'

"There are many rumors swirling around Sir William, among nobles and commoners alike."

"Rumors?"

"The most famous one is the rumor that he might be His Majesty the Emperor's lover."

It was just when we were about to wrap up on a friendly note that a dagger suddenly plunged deeply into my neck.

There's a limit to how crazy you can be, but an affair with His Majesty the Emperor is too much, no matter what.

Love can come to anyone, but certainly not with a woman who is twenty years younger.

No matter how well Her Majesty takes care of herself, she'd still prefer a younger woman.

"Are you out of your mind?"

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Thomas, making it obvious that I was in a bad mood.

Thomas, who met my gaze, flinched for a moment, but quickly pretended to be calm and continued his questions.

"Are you saying they are all baseless rumors?"

"That's right, the way His Majesty and Royal Consort look at each other is so sweet, where would a crazy person even try to wedge themselves in?"

"Of course, the entire empire knows that, but doesn't the Royal Consort have mistresses? As many as three, so it's not impossible for Her Majesty either. That's the logic."

"Hah-"

I raised one corner of my mouth in a sneer, then lowered it and said.

"Try saying the same thing in front of Her Majesty, it would be interesting to see."

The whole nation knows about the outrageous things Her Majesty did to make the Royal Consort her spouse, and they're spouting such nonsense.

I wondered if their livers had jumped out of their stomachs.

"Haha... I'm not saying it, that's just what the rumors say."

"Okay... what else is there?"

"The next rumor is, aren't you slated to be Her Highness the Princess's fiancé? That's the rumor."

"Haa-"

Tired of the continuous nonsense, I sighed and raised my head.

I don't even know what Her Highness the Princess looks like, what nonsense about a fiancé.

And there's no way Her Highness the Princess would accept a knight errant with no territory.

Unless you're a noble who governs a large territory, you can't even apply for document screening, are you kidding me?

"I wouldn't feel so wronged if I had at least seen her face."

"Ah, so this is also a baseless rumor?"

"Yes."

I felt like the spirit that had been so lively until now was withering away with just two questions.

"Surely there's no more?"

"There are rumors that you are a homosexual because you don't have a fiancé or lover, and because you rarely go out, there are also rumors that you are a woman disguised as a man, and there are also rumors that you are a playboy who rides around with women from broad daylight."

If you only consider the rumors, William is the Emperor's lover, the Princess's fiancé, a homosexual, a woman disguised as a man, and a playboy who sleeps around with women.

What on earth is William doing in the rumors?

My head was spinning.

I can't understand the nobles who send letters with such rumors going around.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, men and heads of families might do it to build connections, but why the young ladies?

Do they want to marry such a crazy person?

Has the marriage trend changed while I wasn't looking?

"Not a single thing is true..."

"That's the charm of rumors."

I covered my eyes with my right hand and muttered in a listless voice, and Thomas replied in a gleeful, excited voice.

It wasn't intentional, but it almost scratched me and made me want to lash out.

"So, they were all baseless rumors."

"Yes, baseless rumors with no basis at all."

"Then, is there a reason why you don't have a fiancé or lover?"

"Maybe because I haven't found the right person yet."

"Some young ladies who have supposedly had engagement talks with Sir William have said that Sir William rejected them directly, but is this also a baseless rumor?"

"......"

I was momentarily speechless.

How did they find that out?

The reporters' intelligence is no joke...

"I'll leave it to your imagination."

"Yes, I understand. Then, what kind of woman is your type?"

"Is that kind of question important?"

"Many people are curious about it, so we can't help it, we have to make a living too."

"Geez..."

I pursed my lips slightly and leaned back in my chair.

If I think rationally, it would be right to give a textbook, exemplary answer.

Someone with a compatible personality, or someone who can respect each other, something like that.

But I had a feeling that it would be incredibly annoying if I did that.

I had a feeling that it would give unnecessary hope to the countless unmarried young ladies.

Then wouldn't it be better to just go all out?

Not many people would approach a crazy person.

"I don't look much at personality, I hope they are calm, but that's just a wish."

As soon as I started talking without warning, Thomas, startled, started moving his pencil a beat late.

And he asked a question while looking at me with eyes full of anticipation.

"Is there anything else you look at carefully besides that?"

"I don't really care about looks, but I welcome beautiful women."

"And is there anything else?"

"I want them to have pretty legs without forcibly twisting their bodies with things like corsets."

"Pardon?"

Thomas, who had been diligently writing down my answer, blinked his wide eyes rapidly.

Then, he stared at me as if to see whether what I said was sincere or a joke.

I twisted up one corner of my mouth and asked Thomas a question in return.

"Then, why does the editor-in-chief think corsets should be worn?"

"Well, to maximize femininity..."

"Since when has a whalebone-stiffened plate been a charm of women? Don't you think it's too much? People are saying that a person's waist is 16 inches or 17 inches, no, I mean, such a circumference may exist, but isn't it too obvious that it was made artificially?"

"......"

"The skirts are greatly puffed up, and the waist is forcibly tightened, so everyone looks like an hourglass, is that beautiful? I don't think of this excessive artificiality as beauty, but rather grotesque."

"Y-you could think that way..."

"Besides, at banquets, women are fainting one by one because of their corsets, and they can't bend their waists properly, so they act like walking blocks of wood, and they're not only puffing up their skirts, but also putting bones in their petticoats, so they're almost heavily armed knights? There's even a rumor that corsets are so strong that they blocked daggers, don't you think this is too much, even for the sake of beauty?"

"T-that's right, good opinion..."

As I started to rant with a flushed face, Thomas, flustered, tried to stop me.

But I stared intently at Thomas and tapped the desk.

"Don't interrupt me, listen to me, there's more that I don't understand besides this."

"Ah, y-yes..."

Thomas, pushed back by my momentum, nodded with a sullen expression.

"Don't you think the skirt length is strange too?"

"Yes?"

"Think about it, why are skirts long? Why do they have to come down to the ankles?"

"For women's modesty."

"Didn't you notice something strange in that story?"

"Eh..."

Thomas frowned and pondered.

I gave him about 5 seconds and asked the question again.

"Why do women wear corsets?"

"To maximize femininity."

"And why is the chest so exposed?"

"Again, to emphasize femininity."

"But why is the skirt long to emphasize modesty? Femininity must be emphasized, but modesty must be maintained, and the chest is exposed, but the arms and legs are tightly hidden... Isn't the standard too strange?"

"Hmm... it does seem strange."

"I don't like that kind of thing."

"I see..."

Thomas slowly nodded and hurriedly wrote down the story we had shared.

After keeping his mouth shut for a while, frowning and staring with his eyes wide open, Thomas opened his mouth while keeping his eyes fixed on the notepad.

"But, Sir William."

"Tell me."

"How did the question about your taste flow this far?"

"Anyway, it meant that I hate corsets, and I prefer people who show off their natural bodies without wearing corsets, that's what I was saying."

"Ah..."

Thomas laughed in vain.

"Are there people like that?"

"The world is wide and there are many people, wouldn't someone be going around like that?"

"I think I know why you don't have a fiancé."

"Didn't I say they were all baseless rumors."

"That's right, but..."

Thomas put down his pencil and notepad.

"What you just said feels more like a baseless rumor."

"But wouldn't a great article come out of it?"

"I think it will come out so great that I'm worried about how to write it, it's such a bombshell that I'm afraid, is it really okay to publish this?"

"You're saying that, but the corners of your mouth are hooked on your ears."

"Worry is worry, but a jackpot is a jackpot, isn't it?"

"I like your honesty."

I want to send it out as it is to make me look like a crazy person, but if I answer right away, it will look strange, so I rolled my eyes slightly as if I was thinking.

And I opened my mouth while looking at Thomas as if I had made up my mind.

"It's okay to send it out as is, as long as you don't distort it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Thomas's expression brightened noticeably.

I got up from my seat and left a word for Thomas.

"Please take good care of the advertisement, in the most visible place."

"Ah, yes, I understand."

"Then, may I leave now?"

"Yes, of course, thank you for your time."

"It was a pleasant time."

After exchanging greetings with Thomas, I left the editor-in-chief's office as it was.

"Hoo... good..."

For now, I've solved one thing.