Chapter 33
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Chapter 33
Chesa had been enjoying a peaceful meal amid the chaos, when suddenly her appetite vanished without a trace.
She set down the fork she'd been about to plunge into the succulent roasted lamb, returning it to her plate.
Then she pinched her own forearm to test reality.
Hoping desperately it was all a dream, she pinched hard—but unfortunately, it hurt terribly.
Chesa glanced beneath the table.
There sat a puppy wearing an expression that screamed, "Is this a dream?"
Regardless, the twins were deep in earnest conversation with each other.
"But the shop might have gone under."
"What do you mean?"
"When I went by last time, it was a complete mess. Still, they probably closed up after organizing the remaining inventory."
Karha spoke with genuine conviction, mentioning that since there were plenty of decent hats and accessories, they could just grab a few.
Beneath the table, Hata wagged her tail while pretending to be someone else entirely.
Even amid the shock, she seemed delighted to receive praise.
Ishuel responded with a skeptical tone.
"If it's a shop operating in the Underworld, the designs must be impossibly obscure."
"They're not, I'm telling you. Come on, just trust me."
"Hmm."
Yet something felt off.
Setting Karha aside, even Ishuel seemed to possess considerable knowledge about the Underworld.
She'd always found it strange—what possible connection could the House of Basilian, buried deep in the Eastern Black Forest, have with the Underworld?
And they were still just boys at that.
'Karha even has a history of visiting the Hat Shop.'
While Chesa's mind raced, Ishuel and Karha had reached an agreement.
"Fine, let's go."
"Yeah, let's go. When should we?"
"Since it's urgent, as soon as possible? Want to go tomorrow?"
"Sure."
Watching the twins plan their futile errand, Chesa clicked her tongue in amusement.
The shop would certainly be closed when they arrived.
'After all, the Hat Shop's proprietor is currently gnawing on meat scraps beneath this very table.'
She'd been startled when Hata's Hat Shop was first mentioned.
But thinking it through calmly, everything would resolve itself if she simply stayed quiet.
'I'll just pretend I know nothing.'
Her appetite, which had fled moments ago, seemed to be returning.
Chesa resumed her meal, leaving the bickering twins to their spirited debate.
"Why must you be so loud? I've told you to mind your table manners."
At that moment, Belzeon appeared in the dining hall.
Having just finished his paperwork, a faint trace of ink still clung to his fingertips.
"Big brother!"
Ishuel sprang from his seat and rushed toward Belzeon.
Belzeon was momentarily taken aback by Ishuel's enthusiastic welcome.
"The clothes I ordered arrived today—have you happened to see them?"
However, upon hearing Ishuel's lengthy tirade about the tackiness of the Capital's Dressmaking Establishment, his expression shifted to one of complete understanding.
As he listened to Ishuel's chatter, he regained his composure with perfect indifference.
Eventually, he merely nodded along.
It appeared this had happened quite often before.
'At this point, perhaps it's not the clothes that are strange—it's Ishuel's standards that are too high.'
I found myself entertaining such suspicions.
Judging by Belzeon and Karha's apathetic reactions, it was entirely plausible.
"They claimed to be the most renowned Dressmaking Establishment in the Capital, so I entrusted them with care! They must have deliberately disrespected House Basilian."
He grumbled that had he known better, he would have simply placed an advance order with the Dressmaking Establishment he always used in the Eastern Region and collected the garments beforehand.
Now, in his fury, Ishuel began advancing conspiracy theories.
"They gave superior goods to other families and sent us the worst clothing and accessories imaginable!"
Yet the more I listened, the more plausible it seemed.
'It could actually be true.'
Hata had mentioned receiving an order for hats destined for the Basilian Count Estate from the Dressmaking Establishment.
'If it had been a hat made by Hata, Ishuel would certainly have been pleased with it.'
But looking at the current situation, it appeared Hata's hat had gone to another family instead.
The fact that Hata had poured such meticulous care into creating it precisely because I was to wear it seemed to have been a strategic blunder.
'It must have been an extraordinary hat, after all.'
A nobleman visiting the Dressmaking Establishment might have seen the items destined for House Basilian and demanded them for himself.
From the establishment's perspective, they would naturally prefer to give superior goods to the renowned families of the Capital they already dealt with, rather than to provincial upstarts from the Eastern Region.
After all, having a famous person wear their garments would be tremendous publicity.
"Shall we find a new Dressmaking Establishment?"
Belzeon, who had been listening quietly, offered these words to appease Ishuel.
But Ishuel shook his head.
"With only days until the gala, I'll simply add some accessories to the dress, but I absolutely must find decent hats and hair ornaments."
Ishuel exhaled lightly with a soft sigh.
"This is House Basilian's very first debut in the Capital's High Society, after all...."
And his eyes gleamed as he spoke.
"I'll find a way to make it work, brother."
***
No one could stop Ishuel when he was seized by such fervor.
Even Belzeon deferred entirely to Ishuel's judgment.
Kieran hadn't returned home today, but had he, he likely would have granted Ishuel the same freedom to do as he pleased.
Such was the extent of Ishuel's obsession with clothing.
The men of House Basilian knew this well, so they all stepped back without protest.
"Sigh, this is utterly provincial."
After Belzeon took Karha away, saying he had something to discuss.
Ishuel, who remained in the dining hall, made his way to the Dress Room with Chesa and the puppy in tow.
Five mannequins stood in the Dress Room, each dressed in garments received from the Dressmaking Establishment.
The moment Ishuel laid eyes on the clothes, his irritation flared anew.
"I could tear these up and use them to clean windows—they'd be perfect for it, wouldn't they, sister?"
Chesa examined the garments carefully.
Four formal dresses, one small infant's gown, and various accessories besides.
The custom-ordered pieces weren't particularly poor.
In fact, they were quite respectable by any standard.
After all, they came from a renowned Dressmaking Establishment—quality was assured regardless.
'But I understand why he's upset.'
What Ishuel wanted wasn't merely "respectable" clothing.
He demanded perfection.
'It's his debut in High Society, after all—he'd naturally want to be meticulous.'
Everyone in House Basilian possessed the kind of striking appearance that made dressing them worthwhile.
For Ishuel, the desire to dress them magnificently and make House Basilian the centerpiece of that evening's gathering was irresistible.
"This dress, really...."
Ishuel grew particularly cold before Chesa's gown.
He fingered the fabric while muttering in a voice even colder than Belzeon's.
"It's only because I selected the material myself that this isn't already in the trash. I could strip the curtains from Castle of Serpents and they'd be lovelier than this."
Chesa, recalling the drab curtains of that dreary castle, thought otherwise but held her tongue.
Hata, nestled in Chesa's arms, was somewhat intimidated by Ishuel's terrifying presence.
Just slightly, mind you.
"I explicitly told them to add lace here!"
Still, Ishuel's eye for detail was undeniably keen.
As he swept through the four garments, planning what to alter and which accessories would conceal the flaws, every criticism rang true.
Chesa, who had been watching while touching Hata's paws, responded enthusiastically the moment Ishuel finally tore his gaze from the mannequins.
"You've worked so hard!"
Ishuel let out a weary groan before pulling Chesa and the puppy into an embrace.
"I'm still not satisfied."
He pouted his lips petulantly.
Watching his sharp expression, curiosity arose naturally.
How had Ishuel come to take such interest in adornment?
Castle of Serpents, which House Basilian owned, had always been a dreadfully drab place.
Kieran dressed well enough, but he wasn't obsessed with grooming to the fanatical degree that Ishuel was.
Having grown up alone in a place with absolutely no such atmosphere, I couldn't help but be curious.
Chesa couldn't contain her curiosity and asked.
"Brother, why do you like clothes so much?"
"Hmm? No particular reason."
Ishuel brushed it off casually, saying he simply enjoyed dressing up.
Yet Chesa remained curious about whether there might be some catalyst behind his preference, so Ishuel paused to reflect.
Then, as if suddenly remembering, he opened his mouth.
"Ah, at first...."
As if it were nothing, Ishuel smiled faintly.
"I didn't want to look like I had no mother."
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