Chapter 13: 12

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Vivian’s POV

“Aren’t you going to buy some?”

“I already have a lot, so you don’t have to worry about my clothes.”

“…Even so.”

“Have you ever seen me wearing the same clothes twice?”

Come to think of it, I don’t think that I have. I gave him a weary look, but he only gave me a smile in return. 

I don’t even know how many outfits I have bought so far. I had definitely followed him out in order to get matching outfits for the party, but he kept insisting on hoarding clothes for daily wear. 

Before, he had only requested for several brands to strictly select some outfits and bought them immediately. Edmund had said that it was something that he cared about, He didn’t listen to me dissuading him to stop caring about my clothings. 

“If you don’t really care about it, doesn’t that mean that you aren’t quite satisfied?”

Instead, he said those ridiculous words, and began selecting my clothes meticulously. 

Although time has passed, the clothes itself didn’t seem to have changed much.

Of course, there were designs that I was seeing for the first time. In the period of time I lived in, young ladies and married noblewomen often wore dresses with flowing skirts, but now such dresses were only worn at parties or balls. 

Anyways, those weren’t important.

“Edmund Deer. Why don’t we stop purchasing now?”

“It’s just the beginning though?”

“I tend to spend money without worrying about others’ moods.”

“Is that so? That’s great. This would fit you well too.”

He didn’t even pretend that he was listening to me.

As he stood quietly in front of me, he stealthily passed the blue dress over to the employee, before smiling satisfactorily. I glanced around at the luxurious room that was filled with clothes and sat down on the sofa.

At first, I chose this and that because I liked it, but at this point, I began to wonder if it really was alright.

“I’ve thought about this before, but I think that you go well with Morgan Summer.”

“…Fine.”

Edmund brought over a dress from a women’s clothing brand, Morgan Summers, and hung it on an empty hanger. And he then brought a trench coat by Kellyn. Kellyn was a famous dressing room even 200 years ago, so it was a place I was quite familiar with. 

“I think it’ll look pretty if you wear it like this. I heard that this style was popular in the past.”

“Right. But it’s not even my money.”

“Right, that’s right. It’s not your money, but it’s mine, so just spend it freely.”

“Can I try it on?”

“Of course, it will be my pleasure.”

I picked up Morgan Summer’s navy coloured dress that he had hung. 

The thin material of the shoulders, the backstitching line along the waist that cinched it, and the full skirt fell abundantly underneath. It seems quite simple at first glance, but it would look different once it’s tried on.

When I went behind the screen with the clothes in hand, the employees that were already waiting beforehand helped me to change.

Placing the blue fabric onto my body, tying the ribbon at my back, and buttoning up, a cool yet stiff luxurious fabric hugged my body. 

As I replaced the shoulder strap that dropped down and took a step forward, a gasp of admiration resounded from behind. 

“Wow!”

“Does it look weird anywhere?”

“Not at all. Miss really fits well with Morgan Summer.”

The length of the dress was quite long, so the ends would flutter around my ankle with every step. When I stood in front of the mirror, instead of looking simple, I was met with the reflection of me in a splendid dress. 

“What do you think?”

I walked out from behind the screen and twirled in a circle like I was showing off to Edmund. The skirt that stuck around my ankles slightly flared outwards.  At this point, I had no choice but to admit it. Edmund had indeed picked out clothes that fit me well.

“……”

“Eddie?”

The feeling of the dress brushing against my ankles felt pleasant, so I walked around for no reason, before raising my head. 

Without answering, Edmund was staring at me dazedly.

“…You’re pretty.”

“I know that.”

“… It suits you very well.”

“Thank you.”

He said that it suited me, but what he was actually looking at was not the clothes I was wearing, but my face. His breakdown seems to be because of me. 

As I strode towards him, his cheeks turned slightly red.

“Since you’re going to buy this for me, buy me shoes too.”

“It would be an honour to.”

He gave an enchanting smile as his anxious eyes were saying that wanted to buy another item and place it in my arms. He gave me a once over and said.

“Let’s have your dress for the auction party fitted by Morgan.”

I didn’t exactly understand and just nodded roughly, but he seems to have noticed it, so he added.

“Usually, these brands sell ready-made clothes. Majority of aristocrats would just buy and wear them, but as you’re well aware, we have to always stand out from the rest.”

“Yes.”

“However, since there’s already a brand, there’s no need to order it from a boutique.”

“I guess that’s the case. 200 years ago, famous boutiques were always quick to meet the deadline.”

With shoes that came out of nowhere, Edmund knelt before me. It was a pair of pointed white leather shoes that revealed my heels and ankles. His long fingers brushed against my ankle. 

At the strange yet unfamiliar feeling, I flinched without realising it. 

The rope made of calf leather that I was wearing fell off lightly with a thud. 

My feet couldn’t fill one of his hands. 

He slowly put on the shoes on my feet, and this entire series of processes felt very sensual. It was even more so as it was contact without such intentions. It’s just his hand holding my heel, but the odd touch brought about ripples within my heart.  

“That’s why we’ll order party dresses or formal attire directly from the brand’s designer.”

“In that case, what’s the difference?”

“It’s different. This impressive brand would be making clothes for you only.”

Well. That could be something great in this era.

“Even generous nobles can’t place an order like that.”

“However, you are, after all, a Deer. I just need to thankfully accept it, right?”

“Our Vivi knows me well.”

Edmund placed my other foot into a shoe too.

In this era where the status system was more blurry, Edmund Deer was more like an aristocrat than anyone else. A strange feeling rose within at the sight of such a man bending down to put my shoes on for me. 

Just then, the employee returned with a white cardigan. The trench coat would be too warm, hence it was brought over. This white cardigan is short, so it ends above the waistline when worn.

Perhaps Edmund had really liked my current outfit, so he suggested that I just continue wearing these clothes and go for dinner. Although I had said to purchase moderately, I quite liked these clothes, so I pretended that I couldn’t win against him and nodded. 

“Will the designer take long to arrive?”

“She’s on her way here now. Please wait for a moment.”

Edmund had already called for Morgan Summer’s designer. Originally, the designer would be called to the mansion, but as the deadline was tight this time, we came here thinking that it would be better to move ourselves.

Edmund was as tired as I was, and he leaned on the sofa he was seated on. A familiar silence settled between us quietly.

Just as I was feeling drowsy from the silence, Morgan Summer’s designer appeared. 

The door opened smoothly and in came a woman with a short stature and curly brown hair. She looked like a lovely person from first glance, but I could tell that she was currently very tired from her haggard face. 

“I’m Edmund Deer.”

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“Hello, I’m the chief designer for Morgan Summer, Alice Didi…”

As she shook hands with Edmund with a tired face, she stopped moving dazedly. To be more exact, as soon as the tired eyes behind thick glasses spotted me, she stopped her self-introduction and stared at me blankly.

And her mouth opened slowly.

“Vivian…?”

…It seems that I really am famous.

“I’m Vivian Summers.”

She rushed forward towards me. She was half a head shorter than me, and the eyes that were half-dead disappeared, turning into gleaming eyes. Her black eyes sparkled exceptionally brightly.

“Oh, my. Does this make sense? How can this be true?”

“…….”

The designer kept exclaiming.

I had only thought that I must be very famous. My fame, was it due to being the subject of my sister’s paintings, or was it due to being Edmund Deer’s ‘her’?

“How can you pull off the clothes that I’d made so well?”

Hmm?

Alice grabbed my hand tightly even before I could properly comprehend the words that came out of her mouth. The exclamation continued to leave the designer’s mouth as she took another step closer to me.

Dark circles indicative of staying up for several nights, a gaunt face and twinkling eyes definitely weren’t good signs. When I called for Edmund’s help, he approached with a small smile.

“Alice Didi Stella.”

“Ah.”

When Edmund called her name, she seemed to have come to her senses, quickly stepping backwards. Soon after, she quickly spoke with a red face. 

“Please be my muse!”

“…What?”

“No, that wasn’t it.”

The designer’s hands were full of her curly brown hair. She was quite the odd person, with awkwardness and inexplicable happiness that rose on her weary looking face. 

“I’m the chief designer of Morgan Summer, Alice Didi Stella.”

Even before I could give her a response, she started to speak.

“I didn’t think that there would be someone that can pull off my clothes like this! It’s a miracle. How can such an existence appear right in front of me? You even look the same as ‘that’ portrait of Vivian Summers.”

“…Excuse me.”

“Please be my muse. Yes? Miss Vivian, please.”

No. This, what in the world…

I turned again and sent Edmund another look for help. Edmund looked as shocked as I was.

Help me.

“An idea just hit me. When a collection is released under the theme of reinterpreting the classics… Please be my muse!”

“…….”

“…Miss Vivian.”

“Eddie, can you help me instead of laughing there?”

“Right.”

Edmund approached me and naturally dragged me over.

“I want to see you wearing a genius designer’s masterpiece, but I don’t want you to be seen by others…”

After contemplating for a moment, Edmund shook his head. 

“Do whatever you want to.”

As soon as he said that, Alice grabbed my arm.

“I have confidence that I can interpret Sasha’s Vivian well and reinvent it.”

“……”

“There isn’t anyone in the Empire that can make clothes that’ll fit Vivian as well as I do.”

Hey, if you could listen to my words.

When I pushed Alice, who was clutching me, a little, their gazes turned towards me.

What do you mean by Sasha’s ‘Vivian’?

I had quite a lot of fun today, but my mood dropped instantly. 

It was because this was one of my biggest concerns recently. However, the more I thought about it, the more the outcome would be too difficult for me, so I also gave up thinking about it.

Do these people see me as Vivian, or as the ‘Vivian’ in the paintings?

“……”

And Edmund was included in those people.

At the sight of my expression that darkened suddenly, Edmund started to worry whether I was feeling unwell. I shook my head hurriedly, shaking off his hand that was trying to measure my body temperature. 

Instead of criticising Alice, I said something else.

“I do want to request a dress from you this time. But I’ll need more time to think about being a muse.”

“You can take your time to think about it. First of all, I will do my best to make a dress for you to wear to the auction. Could you make your decision after that?”

As she had said it like that, and the fact that I quite liked the clothes that I was wearing currently, I had no choice but to nod. 

Instead, I added conditions about things that were weighing on my mind.

“…I don’t want to remain as Sister’s ‘Vivian’. Please interpret it in a new way.”

“Of course. There isn’t a sin greater than imitating the old in art.”

Her answer was quite satisfactory. I turned away from Edmund, who still had a doubtful gaze, and faced Alice.

“By the way, how did you recognise me?”

While it seemed like she knew me, she seemed to recognize me as ‘Vivian Summers’ too easily, making me feel complicated.

“……I was born and raised in Toyo, the old capital. There was a large art museum in front of my house, and I would go to the art museum every day after school. One of the paintings that I frequently saw while growing up were Sasha’s paintings. There was obviously a painting of Vivian amongst them.”

Alice, who rattled off without taking a breath about how much she loved me, looked up at me with a burdensome gaze again. 

“Ever since then, my muse has been Vivian Summers. But how can I miss this opportunity when you’re right in front of me.”

I felt awkward by her stabbing gaze of longing. 

“Please take care of this dress first.”

While her employees were busy measuring me, Alice leafed through the thick book that she had taken out from somewhere in front of me.

“What style of dresses do you like? Do you have any special requests?”

“I’m not quite sure.”

“Then I’ll make it up on my own! Just tell me what kind of atmosphere you’d prefer.”

Edmund who answered on behalf of me, who was embarrassed.

“Something different from others, but not old-fashioned.”

“Very well.”

After taking all the measurements, the employees rearranged the dress that I was currently wearing in a tasteful manner. Edmund watched the entire process with a complicated expression. When our eyes met, he gave a soft smile.

He came over and pulled my waist closer as he spoke.

“Should we just not go to the auction?”

“Why, all of a sudden?”

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“I don’t want others to gossip about you.”

I stared at him, my eyes telling him to speak words that made sense. Edmund turned his head with a sullen face.

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