Dressup Darling

The weekend arrived before I knew it. Though I normally didn’t get up this early on Saturday mornings, I didn’t have a choice. At the crack of dawn, I found myself waiting at the foot of the two conjoined dormitory buildings.

Nestled at the back behind the five dome-shaped elemental towers that made up the primary area of the academy, the dormitory had been divided according to gender. I didn’t have to wait long. Lumiere appeared a couple of minutes later, and I was mesmerized by the dress she had picked out. Instead of the usual red, white and gold uniform, she had chosen a simple black one-piece with purple ribbons that matched her shadowy theme.

I realized that this was the first time in weeks since I had seen her wear anything other than our school uniform.

“You look great.”

“Thank you.” She sniffed as she looked my outfit over, only to frown. “You…chose to dress like this?”

She didn’t have to say it aloud, but I understood she was wondering why I was dressed like a nerd. Well, obviously, it was because I was an otaku. Graphic designs were woven into my plain t-shirt, featuring the yellow mascot of my favorite monster-capturing game.

“What is that creature? I’ve never seen it before.”

“That’s because it’s from another world.” Specifically, a fictional world created within my original world, but it was best to refrain from confusing her further.

“Huh? Another world?”

“A made-up fantasy world,” I said hastily. I didn’t tell her I invested a lot of effort in fabricating this otherwise useless spell that allowed me to weave graphic designs into clothing. At least I would be able to make a living off selling merchandise, if I failed to graduate as a proper mage.

Lumiere looked at me quizzically, then spun on her heel and proceeded toward the main gate. “Well, shall we? Father should be here any moment now.”

“R…right.”

I followed after her. Despite her cool facade, the fact that she showed up for the appointment this early in the morning indicated how excited she was. Huh, I thought it would take a bit longer for her to get used to her father’s affections and 180-degree reversal in attitude, given her trauma, but I supposed she must have missed him after several weeks in the dorm and away from home.

Damien Ombre was no less excited, his carriage arriving a full fifteen minutes before the appointed time. I counted myself lucky that I had woken up early and was too anxious to go back to sleep. Otherwise, I would end up keeping a duke waiting.

“Lumi!” He smiled warmly as he poked his head out of the carriage, then opened the door and shuffled back to make way. I helped her board the transport before hauling myself inside, only to receive a lukewarm greeting from the duke. “Morning, Sir Trevor.”

“Good morning, my lord.”

“Shall we get breakfast, Father?” Lumiere asked, oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature. The warmth instantly returned and Damien nodded energetically.

“Of course!”

Breakfast at an opulent cafe was followed by a trip to the capital’s most renowned boutique. As the carriage pulled up by the street outside its grand entrance, I studied the mannequins at the storefront, awestruck by the variety of flamboyant designs catered to the highest-class nobles.

“My lords and lady.” The sales assistant at the entrance bowed and beckoned. “Please feel free to inquire if you’re searching for something specific. Our humble store contains every conceivable fashion, from the latest trends of the capital to the silk gowns from the eastern nations.”

“Do you mind if I look around?” Lumiere asked, her sharp gaze swiftly surveying the range of dresses that hung from multiple garment racks.

“Certainly! This way.”

As Lumiere disappeared into the depths of the boutique, Damien and I hung back. The duke glanced at me stiffly, doing his best to hide a grimace.

“I’ll be honest. I actually did not want to bring you along, but Lumi insisted.”

I nodded sympathetically and suppressed a sigh.

“I’ll be honest too. I actually did not want to come along, but Lady Lumiere insisted.”

He raised an eyebrow and shot me a glare. I met his gaze and shrugged. For a second, his glower intensified, but then he barked out in laughter.

“Don’t get me wrong, Sir Trevor. You’re a good person, and I personally like you.” He growled and rubbed at his temple. “But I find it difficult to entrust Lumi’s happiness to anybody.”

“Understandable.”

“I’ll say this, though. Aside from you, there is no other man I’ll entrust Lumi to. And I’m including his highness on that list.” He scowled. “After the stunt he pulled…let’s just say that if his highness wasn’t from the royal family, I would have hunted him down and flayed him alive.”

If you asked me, I would have said that the duke should have flayed Leonard regardless of whether he was from the royal family or not. But that was tantamount to treason, and I wasn’t stupid enough to voice my opinion when no one asked for it.

So I simply nodded in feigned agreement.

“So forgive my, uh, crankiness.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. A squeeze so hard it actually hurt, but fortunately, I wasn’t a petty individual, and I maintained what I hoped resembled a stoic expression. I must have failed, for when he looked at my face, he quickly withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. “It’s just that…there’s a gap in my memories, which caused my, shall we say, misguided behavior toward Lumi. I simply wish to make up for the lost time and savor her company before I give away her hand in marriage.”

“You needn’t worry, my lord. It’s not as if you’re bound by some arbitrary deadline. You should spend as much time with Lady Lumiere as you want.”

He shot me a disbelieving stare, as if to ask what planet I was from. Justifiable, considering that I was, in fact, actually not from this world.

“Our family owes you a great debt,” he finally said, presumably deciding that my lack of common sense was down to me being a backwater noble from the border. “A debt that we can never repay throughout our lifetimes. We’re extremely grateful to you. You’re the only man outside my family that I trust.”

“Thank you for that, my lord. I’ll endeavor to live up to that trust.”

“B…but!” He held his head with one hand and pointed dramatically with the other. “This is this, and that is that! Trusting you is one thing, but marriage is another!”

“As it should be,” I concurred mildly. His brow furrowed.

“Hey, why do I get the feeling that you’ve no interest in marrying Lumi? Is there anything about her that dissatisfies you?”

How damned troublesome…

“Father? Sir Trevor? What are you doing?”

Lumiere returned, with a single black gown in tow. Damien welcomed her with a warm smile.

“Oh? Have you already decided, Lumi? That was sooner than I thought.”

“Yes. I found one that really suits me.”

“Oho! Let me see, let me see.” He peered closer, only for his face to turn pale. Aghast, he recoiled. “Are you sure you want this dress, Lumi?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Please, please, please reconsider!”

“No, I’ve already decided.”

“At least take more time to think about it! Anything but this dress!”

“No. I want this dress. What’s wrong with it?”

“Are you kidding? Everything!” He hollered, waving his hands and gesturing. “You should wear something that covers you more! What if you catch a cold?!”

“This is fine. We’ll be inside the main hall, anyway. You don’t have to worry about it being cold.”

I studied the dress curiously. It seemed fine to me, a long sleeveless dress with stylish frills and a sharp, mature look. I honestly didn’t understand why Damien had a problem with it.

“Sir Trevor, why are you standing there? Why haven’t you looked for a suit?” Lumiere sighed and rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “No, this works out. I actually spotted one that might suit you. Come with me.”

“Er…” I looked to Damien for help, but he was too busily burying his face in despair. He let out a muffled groan and waved me away.

“Just follow Lumi. I…I need a drink.”

At this time of the day?

With no other recourse, I obediently followed Lumiere through the winding aisles of the boutique and toward the men’s section. She stopped and pointed at a smart, stylish black suit with a white shirt, draped neatly over a tall mannequin.

“I believe that suits you.” She gestured with her selected dress. “And it’ll be good to wear matching colors.”

“Matching colors?” I repeated incredulously.

“Of course.” She paused, as if realizing something. “You have no objection to being my partner at the debutante ball, do you?”

“Not at all, as long as you’re fine with me. But…is it really all right?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, you know.” I peered round the corner of the aisle, in the direction where a distraught Damien was waiting. “I was so sure you would ask your father to be your partner for the debutante ball.”

The disgusted expression on Lumiere’s face told me she found the very idea gross. Recalling Damien’s doting demeanor, I briefly closed my eyes and whispered an apology to him.

“How did you ever arrive at that conclusion…?” She paused and shook her head, shooting a dark glare in Damien’s direction. “Don’t listen to Father. I don’t know what he told you, but most of it is nonsense.”

“No, it has nothing to do with your father. I just assumed…I mean, I read it from somewhere.” I regretted using a certain otome isekai anime for reference. I guess not every girl would wonder who made her a princess.

“Anyway, try it on.” Lumiere twirled and raised her dress to her shoulders, as if to measure the size. “Come to think of it, I should give this a try to make sure it fits.”

“Sure, let’s do that.” I tried not to sigh as I reached for one of the neatly folded sets that lay on the rack in front of the mannequin. Unfolding the black jacket and trousers, I examined it in dismay. The damned fabric felt uncomfortable to the touch, and I already dreaded wearing it all night.

Still, I had no choice but to comply, otherwise I would be in for a dramatic dressing-down.