Chapter 602

Debut Party (11)
While we were still talking about the Dragon Scale Armor, Elder Bastaraf came back—bringing along a young girl with beautiful flowers blooming from her head. She was clearly one of the Flowerkin.

“Ho-ho-ho, pardon the intrusion, looks lively here, doesn’t it?”

“Duke Bastaraf, where have you been all this time?”

“I went to fetch the Aliulus girl. The lass kept me waiting forever, fussing about which dress to wear.”

A dress, huh.
It was elegant but modest, the kind that didn’t try to make the wearer the center of attention.
And with her being around my height, the princess-line silhouette suited her perfectly.
The color scheme was spot on too—nothing to complain about.

“Duke Bastaraf! I really did my best, you know! Meeting an unknown foreign merchant—no, the daughter of the Grand Duke Sazaby himself—and her savior, who’s also a dressmaker? You have no idea how nervous I was!”

“There, there. So then, Lily, what score would you give this young lady’s dress?”

A score, huh… if I had to nitpick…

“Ninety points. Her accessory choices are a bit lacking.”

“Accessories? You mean gemstones?”

“Not necessarily. Hair ornaments or brooches made with silverwork could also work.”

“I-I see. In my territory, we hardly have any accessory artisans. Perhaps this is the time to start recruiting some from other domains…”

She started muttering to herself—seems like she’s pretty serious about her work, though not exactly aware of the setting.

“Now, Aliulus girl, introductions come first, don’t they?”

“Ah! You’re right! My deepest apologies! I am Flegra Aliulus, head of the Aliulus Ducal House, one of the Seven Ducal Houses of the Darshe Principality!”

“Lady Flegra, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lily.”

“Yes! I’ve heard many things about you, Lady Lily!”

My rumors, huh?
Hopefully not the bad ones.

“I heard you command a spider monster, using its silk to weave clothes. Spider silk is almost impossible to obtain in my lands—just hearing about it makes me admire you even more!”

Ah, so that’s what she meant. My circumstances, huh.
True enough, I can use as much spider silk as I want, as long as I’m not picky about the kind. Not many can say they’re that lucky.

“Flegra, I’ve told you before—if all you do is envy others, you’ll never move forward.”

“Lord Sazaby!? Y-Yes, sir!”

“Good grief. I thought you’d gone missing, Bastaraf, but turns out you went to fetch Flegra.”

“Ho-ho-ho. I thought two dressmakers might get along well, you see.”

Oh, so Flegra’s a dressmaker too.
I wonder what kind of work she usually does.

“Duke Bastaraf! You weren’t supposed to tell anyone I’m a dressmaker!”

“Everyone knows, child. It’s what they call an ‘open secret.’ Besides, haven’t you been struggling with new designs lately? That Lily over there is a dressmaker too. She might give you the inspiration you need.”

Well, in that case, I wouldn’t mind helping her out a bit.
Though there’s something that caught my attention.
I’m called a ‘Tailor,’ but—

“Ah, in Darshe, we make clear distinctions. Those who only handle sewing but not the final fitting are called sewing artisans. Those who do fittings are tailors. And those who handle every step from start to finish are dressmakers.”

Ah, I see.
Then I’d be a dressmaker too, by their definition.
Still, it’s hard to study design properly here at a party like this. I can’t exactly bring any of my textbooks along.

“Lady Flegra, if you’d like, please come visit me another day. I’ve put together a few design textbooks—they might help inspire you.”

“Really!? … Ah, forgive my excitement.”

“Flegra truly is adorable.”

Bastaraf said with a chuckle.

“Even though she’s already over a thousand years old, she still gets so easily flustered. Especially when it comes to making clothes—she gets as giddy as a child.”

“Duke Bastaraf!”

“All right, all right. Lily, Flegra will be staying at the Darshe Embassy for a few days. If she comes to ask you something, look after her, will you?”

“Of course. I’d be glad to.”

“Good. Now, Flegra, I hear there’s a delicious dairy confection over there.”

“A dairy confection? As long as it doesn’t have sugar…”

“I hear it doesn’t. Supposedly, it’s made using only the natural sweetness of milk.”

“That sounds intriguing! Then, Lady Lily, if you’ll excuse me. I’ll come by later about that consultation.”

“Yes. Please enjoy the party.”

A dairy confection… maybe something like a cream puff?
Well, I’m glad Elder Bastaraf seems to have found something that suits his taste.
… Still, she wasn’t even invited—so how did she get into the venue in the first place?

What do you think about this chapter?