I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54

 

“……”

Milia remained silent, bowing her head to my words.

Is her last remaining pride blocking her throat?

Then I’ll have to help her out so she can easily come out.

“Milia Floyd.”

I called out her name with a grin.

“I-I’m sorry, Lady Saila! That wasn’t my intention!”

A quick apology burst out.

Milia glanced at me as if asking if she could leave now.

I stuck out my tongue blatantly.

“It wasn’t your intention? It was your intention.”

“I’m sorry! I apologize, Lady!”

Alright, that’s tidy.

“W-Well then, I’ll be going now…”

“Going where?”

I grinned again.

“Aren’t there more people you need to apologize to?”

At the edge of my vision, there stood a seamstress, dazed, clutching her right shoulder.

“Are you suggesting I apologize to commoners too?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

I tilted my head.

“Isn’t it common sense to apologize if you’ve deliberately hurt someone?”

“……”

Milia looked at me as if begging, chewing her lips nervously.

But I continued to stare at her without giving in.

“…I’m sorry.”

With a click of her teeth, Milia apologized softly.

Then she turned abruptly and walked briskly towards the entrance.

“L-Lady Floyd!”

Milia’s companion, who was left alone, tried to follow her quietly.

Where are they going?

“Shouldn’t the Lady also apologize before leaving?”

“I’m sorry, I apologize!”

Quick apologies, quick exit.

The two stormed out of the store before the employee had a chance to say goodbye.

“Are you okay?”

Liena asked with a worried tone.

“Maybe she’ll seek revenge later for hurting her pride…”

“She doesn’t have the guts for that.”

Didn’t her trembling eyes prove it when I approached her earlier, threateningly?

She’ll probably gossip and criticize behind my back.

“And she’ll probably keep this incident to herself, won’t she?”

“She won’t tell Marquis Floyd?”

“Nah, she wouldn’t dare. Why would she tell the Marquis something so humiliating?”

She’ll probably get angry, stutter, and turn away.

I slumped onto the sofa and waved my hand.

‘To be honest, it doesn’t matter.’

I blinked slowly.

Although there wasn’t enough evidence yet, Marquis Floyd was likely targeting me using Orcs.

‘Why is he targeting me?’

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes.

What did I do?

Maybe because I’m not a legitimate heir of the Pandelion family.

‘But then again, I’m not even aiming to be an emperor.’

I had no abilities, no support base, no health, and not even the will to climb up.

I wasn’t someone who would be considered a threat to anyone.

Why? Why is he wary of me?

“Your Highness.”

When I heard the call, I lifted my head from my thoughts, and there stood the seamstress.

“T-Thank you.”

The innocent-looking woman with light beige curly hair smiled gently with her eyes closed.

“I didn’t expect to get an apology from Lady Floyd, let alone anyone else.”

“As you know, she’s quite stubborn…”

There was a note of weariness in the seamstress’ voice as she said that.

She’s been in trouble for a while.

“She’s stubborn indeed.”

I chuckled.

“She seems approachable, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

I addressed the seamstress, looking her in the eye.

“If things get chaotic from Lord Floyd’s side, let me know. I’ll handle it.”

I can at least grab attention by poking my nose into matters.

“Impressive, Your Highness.”

The seamstress blinked at my words.

“I’ve worked here since childhood, but you’re the first noble to treat me so kindly.”

Is that so?

Shouldn’t that be a given?

“You even considered possible accidents from the apology.”

The seamstress smiled broadly, a genuine smile born from gratitude.

“You’re truly a kind person, Your Highness.”

“Not as much as you think…”

I mumbled, and the seamstress nodded understandingly.

“People often look down on others just because they’re commoners.”

She laughed bitterly.

“And this is a shop frequented by nobles.”

In other words, such incidents occur daily.

‘True.’

I nodded.

I once briefly worked in the upper echelons, and what I learned there was that the world is wide, and there are plenty of scandals.

Many people resorted to all sorts of schemes.

‘There was even a guy who bought bread and then demanded a refund, claiming he had a flour allergy.’

Throwing back only the crust of the bread, he said,

“If you’re going to sell bread, huh? Huh? Shouldn’t you ask customers if they have allergies before selling? Ah, forget it. Refund the bread and pay for the treatment too!”

… He said.

It’s a story from hundreds of years ago, but it still makes my head ache.

‘There are many good people, of course, but the bad memories linger.’

Indeed.

The bread incident still feels like it happened yesterday.

“It’s hard to forget, I understand.”

I nodded, and the seamstress’ smile brightened even more.

“I’m grateful once again for your help.”

The seamstress bowed again.

It was more than just gratitude.

“And, allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Miller, the owner and seamstress of this shop.”

Miller’s eyes sparkled with innocence as she continued.

“You’ll be getting a dress for the upcoming ball, correct?”

“Yes.”

At Liena’s words, Miller smiled again.

But this time, it was a confident smile, different from the gentle one she showed earlier.

“I will demonstrate my skills. I swear that on that day, Your Highness will be the center of attention.”

It was a prideful smile, different from arrogance.

“Shall we start with the fabric? Some excellent fabrics have just arrived from the continent.”

Two employees entered with fabrics in hand.

“Indeed, there are many excellent fabrics here that you can’t find elsewhere.”

Liena’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Even though I don’t know much about fabrics, they all looked good to me. However, among the finest fabrics, one peculiar fabric stood out.

‘What’s this?’

Reaching for the fabric at the bottom, I picked it up.

The fabric, so thin that my hand showed through, seemed ordinary in color and material.

“Oh, that.”

Miller, after confirming the fabric in my hand, widened her eyes.

“I apologize, Your Highness. This fabric cannot be used. It seems the staff made a mistake and included it.”

“A fabric that can’t be used? Why? It looks ordinary and doesn’t seem to have any issues.”

I said, examining the fabric carefully.

But then, I paused.

‘Wait a moment, this…’

At first, I didn’t notice, but as I continued to touch it, I realized.

A familiar sensation, the intricate weave of Elven thread, and a faint flow of mana.

‘Is this Elven fabric?’

Miller confirmed my thoughts.

“It’s a fabric that my grandfather acquired long ago, but we couldn’t process it.”

“Couldn’t process it?”

“It doesn’t cut with scissors, knives, or even needles. It did cut a little when we kept cutting, but the scissors dulled first.”

Of course!

I shook my hand lightly.

This wasn’t fabric for making ordinary clothes.

It was fabric for making Elven battle attire.

‘Wearing clothes made from this would be akin to wearing light armor.’

While its defensive capabilities were significantly lower than real armor, it was much better than nothing.

It was perfect for Elves who mainly used bows or magic, moving swiftly.

‘But why is this here?’

Acquiring the material was difficult, and the process of making it was also tricky.

As a result, not much of it was produced.

Even Elves needed a certain status to access such items.

Why would such fabric be in human hands…?

“Oh.”

A name was inscribed at the end of the fabric. A name written in Elvish.

Realization struck, and I smacked my forehead.

Now I understood why this was in human hands.

“Miller.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Handing her the Elven fabric, I continued.

“I want to make clothes that can be worn underneath with this.”

“But, Your Highness, this fabric is-“

“I know how to sew.”

I chuckled.

 

* * *

 

A week later, I revisited Miller’s shop carrying a box.

“Let’s give this a try.”

“What’s this?”

Miller took out an item from the box I handed her.

“Silver scissors? And these are knives and needles made of silver?”

“Yes, they are silver scissors.”

Miller’s expression became subtle at my words. Silver was quite soft. Could it cut that tough fabric?

“Don’t worry, let’s see!”

As I handed her the fabric, Miller reluctantly accepted it with a doubtful expression.

Clang!

Contrary to Miller’s uncertain face, the fabric was cleanly cut.

“Wow.”

Miller’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“So this fabric could only be cut with silver!”

“Actually, it requires a special magic spell on silver-made scissors.”

And that spell was a secret known only to a few Elves who were skilled in handling fabrics.

I learned about it thanks to that scoundrel who sold the fabric to humans.

Anyway, as soon as I acquired the silver-made scissors, knives, and needles, I sent someone to the magic tower with a note containing the spell.

Normally, it would have taken a month just to place an order with the magic tower.

‘This is why connections matter, huh?’

On the day the items arrived at the tower, they immediately engraved the spell.

And it was done by the owner of the tower, Fordell himself!

‘Thanks to that, we saved a lot of time.’

I chuckled wickedly.

Whether she knew it or not, Miller was focusing on the fabric with shining eyes.

“I see. My grandfather and father had been researching the processing method of this fabric for a long time. I didn’t know it was like this.”

Miller smiled brightly.

“Thank you for letting me know, Your Highness. Then I’ll send two sets of clothes made with this fabric along with the dress.”

“Sure, please do.”

Oh, right.

I whispered to Miller.

“Could you make one more dress? Oh, and another set of everyday clothes. I’ll pay double the amount.”

“Is this the maid’s dress that goes with Lady Saila’s dress?”

How did she know? When I widened my eyes, Miller smiled.

“Because it was booked in your name, and your ladyship told me about your maid when she was being measured.”

Saying so, Miller stood up.

“You only need to pay the original amount. I’ll do my best for Your Highness.”

Not long after, beautiful dresses and clothes arrived.

Along with my clothes made of Elven fabric, there was one dress for Liena and another for Betty.

‘I’ll surprise them later.’

I hummed a tune as I placed Liena and Betty’s clothes in the wardrobe.

And time passed.

“Her Highness, the Second Princess, Lottie Pandelion, is entering!”

The day of the ball had arrived.