35 - Revenge Game? Breeding Game?
The day of the Hero's wedding reception. After a simple ceremony held in the early afternoon, starting from the seventh hour—which corresponds to two in the afternoon in the original world—the reception and party would begin from the ninth hour.
As a slave, Ray had no qualification to participate in either. He was carrying out his afternoon training, following his usual schedule.
About half an hour after he began training, two maids, whom he didn't usually see, appeared at the training ground. The two maids looked around, glancing here and there.
"There he is!"
Eventually, they found something and shouted loudly. The gazes of those around them gathered in the direction the maids were looking.
"...Ah, is it me?"
"Honestly, you're the only one here, aren't you? Do you not even remember my face?"
"...I do have a memory of meeting you before."
"How cruel."
It was cruel to blame Ray for this. The number of maids attending Princess Ekaterina was large. There were four people just in charge of the Princess's appearance, someone to style her hair, someone to choose her clothes, a dressing assistant, and a makeup artist.
There were various others as well. Not only were there many of them, but Ray had almost no opportunity to interact with the maids. One reason was the Princess's jealousy, but a larger reason was that he had almost no contact with the Princess herself during the day.
The one currently before him was in charge of meals. He had only met her around the time he first became a slave.
"So, do you have some business with me?"
"Please come to the Princess's room immediately."
"Did something happen?"
"That's... anyway, hurry!"
Without disclosing what had happened, the maid began to run back to the room. Ray followed after her. By the time they left the training ground, Ray was running far ahead of the maid.
――When Ray arrived at the Princess's room, many maids had gathered. Miria was also standing there with a completely troubled expression.
"Um?"
"You've come!"
Noticing Ray's arrival, Miria rushed over in a panic.
"What happened? The maid was quite frantic."
"That's..."
Miria also found herself at a loss for words. Ray had no idea what was going on.
"Where is the Princess?"
"In the bedroom."
"The bedroom? Is she unwell?"
"No, well..."
"If you don't tell me what happened, there's no point in me being called here, is there?"
"That's true. Actually..."
Ray was utterly appalled by the content that came from Miria's mouth as she finally began to explain. Not at Princess Ekaterina. But at Hinata and Akemi.
It happened during the ceremony held in the afternoon.
While the heavyweights of the kingdom and the invited nobles, both great and small, were in attendance, the Princess was naturally seated in the royal section.
The Heroes appeared there accompanied by a flashy fanfare.
Their attire was enough to stun the attendees. If it had been Ray, he wouldn't have been stunned, he would have been appalled, just as he was now.
The attire of the three, especially Hinata and Akemi, was far beyond common sense from the perspective of the people of this world.
In a word, they were wedding dresses. However, the people of this world could not recognize them as wedding dresses.
Dresses made by layering multiple sheets of pure white, glossy fabric and transparent lace. The design left both arms and the chest exposed. As for Akemi, it seemed she had exposed her skin down to below the knees.
From the common sense of noble ladies, it wouldn't be surprising if they were called shameless, but both were beautiful and possessed styles that were far from typical Japanese. The dresses suited them exceptionally well.
And many of the men attending, seeing the two dresses with their modern, sophisticated designs, had the same impression Ray had when he saw Princess Ekaterina's dress. That the dresses of this world were heavy and somehow clunky.
The women in attendance, sensing this acutely, became ashamed of their own dresses and could no longer lift their heads. And the same went for Princess Ekaterina.
Princess Ekaterina was more shocked than any other woman. In social settings, she had always been the protagonist. But looking at the two before her, she was clearly made to realize that today's protagonist was not her.
In reality, the protagonists were Fumiya and those two, but Princess Ekaterina could not accept that. In social settings, she could not be satisfied unless she was always the finest lady.
When the ceremony ended, Princess Ekaterina had a hysterical fit and shut herself in her bedroom. After this was the reception, a true social venue.
She didn't want to feel miserable there. Because her feelings toward the reception were so strong, the backlash had become equally great.
"I understand the situation. But she cannot simply not attend, right?"
"Of course not. Regardless of our plans and such, for a Princess to be absent from the banquet would be a blunder."
"Persuasion... that alone won't be enough, will it?"
"That's also true, but..."
"Is there something else?"
"She has no dress to wear."
"Pardon?"
"The Princess tore it."
"...What about a replacement dress?"
"You're suggesting she wear a dress she's worn before? There's no way the Princess would accept that, right?"
"Even so... what about that dress?"
"It's over there."
Where Miria pointed, the maid in charge of costumes was standing dazed, still holding the dress. The maid seemed to feel responsible in her own way.
"...Where is it torn?"
"Ah, yes. The sleeve."
"Is that all?"
"But it's torn quite badly."
"Repair it immediately. Has that been arranged?"
"We've called for someone. They should be here soon."
"I see... for now, I will go speak with the Princess."
"I'm counting on you."
Even if the dress was fixed, if Princess Ekaterina refused to attend and threw a tantrum, that would be the end of it. Deciding that the Princess's persuasion was necessary first, Ray headed to the bedroom.
When he opened the door, the Princess was lying face down on the bed, her shoulders shaking.
"Princess."
"...Kamui."
Princess Ekaterina responded to Ray's voice, but her posture remained the same. Ray approached the bed, peered into Princess Ekaterina's face, and spoke to her once more.
"Princess."
"...Don't look."
Saying so, Princess Ekaterina turned her face away from Ray.
"What is the matter? Will you not look this way?"
"I'm sure my face looks shameful."
"Shameful?"
"I don't want you to see my crying face."
"...Then, please listen as you are. I have heard the story. Do you truly intend not to attend the reception?"
"I won't."
"Do you understand what kind of result that will bring?"
This reception was not just a party. For Princess Ekaterina, it was supposed to be a political venue.
"...I know."
"Even so?"
"I hate being shamed."
"Shame, indeed. I think the Princess's dress is very wonderful."
"Kamui, you can say that because you haven't seen those two's dresses."
"...If you come to feel that it is not shameful, you will participate, correct?"
Ray didn't understand such feminine feelings, but he knew that forcing her to attend would only lead to bad results.
"O-Of course. But..."
"I cannot promise the result. However, I will try everything I can."
"...Really?"
"I will do anything for the sake of the Princess."
"...Kamui."
"Anyway, please stop crying. Also, please give me permission to tend to your face."
"Tend to it?"
"Even if the dress is ready, not with a face swollen from crying. I would be happy if you didn't let my efforts go to waste."
"...I understand."
"Then, I will go call the maids."
With conditions, but he had somehow managed to get Princess Ekaterina in the mood. Now, he just had to act to clear those conditions.
"Kamui."
Princess Ekaterina called out to Ray as he was about to leave the room.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry."
"...There is no need to apologize. My Princess. I exist for your sake."
"Mm."
At the sight of Princess Ekaterina acting completely like a child, Ray inadvertently let those words slip, regardless of his revenge. Feeling a bit embarrassed by that, Ray began to rotate his mind at full speed.
"The Princess has been crying terribly. Her eyes might be swollen, so please treat them."
"Ah, yes."
"Please show me all of the Princess's costumes."
"Yes."
"Also, could you gather as many people as possible who can sew?"
"Yes!"
"Prepare every kind of fabric available. If fabric used by the two Heroes can be obtained, that as well."
"Understood!"
As soon as he left the bedroom, Ray gave instructions to the maids one after another.
"H-Hey! What do you intend to do!?"
"I don't know if it's possible, but I will prepare a costume that the Princess will be satisfied with."
"Can you do it?"
"I told you I don't know if it's possible!"
"Ah, sorry!"
Although he had made a promise to the Princess, Ray had no confidence at all. Feeling that Miria's words were irresponsible, he had raised his voice.
A maid stepped forward before such a Ray. The maid was equally frantic, she could understand Ray's feelings and didn't mind it.
"I will guide you to the costume room."
"Yes. Please."
Guided by the maid, he entered the costume room. Upon entering, Ray was surprised by the amount of costumes, which exceeded his imagination.
"This many?"
"We never use a costume twice once it has been worn."
"Then you should just dispose of them."
"They are items of memory."
"Is that how it is... there's no time to be talking about such things."
Ray looked through the vast number of costumes one after another. Even though there were many, there was nothing Ray was satisfied with. They all felt clunky.
Among them, he finally found one.
"That is mourning attire. She cannot wear such a thing."
Just when he thought there was a smart design, it was mourning attire and could not be used. Without looking until the end, Ray left the costume room. In the end, he realized that the dress prepared for today was the best.
When he returned to the room, Miria got involved again.
"Hey! That's mourning attire, isn't it!?"
"I'm not using this. I'm just using it as a reference. Don't make me explain every single thing."
"Sorry..."
"Where are the people who can sew?"
Having silenced Miria, Ray returned to work.
"They have arrived."
"The fabric?"
"Not all of it, but what has been gathered is spread out in the next room."
"Understood. I'll go see. Ah, regarding the dress, please remove all of those flower decorations."
"Eh?"
"Is there a problem?"
"The marks from removing them will remain."
"What about repairing them? I'm not saying to erase them completely. It's fine as long as you can't tell unless you look closely."
"...If that's the case, somehow."
Things that would normally be unacceptable were now an emergency. The maid decided to do as Ray said.
"Please."
After giving those instructions, Ray entered the next room. As the maid had said, various fabrics were spread out here and there in the room.
Ray didn't look at the fabrics immediately. He was thinking hard about what kind of dress to make, the image of it.
(Since she is a Princess, something too innovative is no good. It must be modest. As for a reference...)
Ray had absolutely no design sense. In that case, he had no choice but to imitate something within his knowledge. The most suitable, noble, and modest clothing for a Princess. He arrived at an actress for that image relatively quickly. She happened to have played a princess role.
It was just that she was the only one he could think of, but anyway, he brought the images and videos of that actress to mind and thought about the dress. Even so, not many designs came to mind.
(Will it work? But there's no time to worry.)
He searched for fabric to match. His memory of the original dress's color was black, but that couldn't be used as is. Imitating only the shape, he thought in terms of the blue and white of the original dress. He didn't choose many pieces. Picking up several fabrics, Ray returned to the original room.
"I have no knowledge about clothes. Therefore, I will only convey the image. Please think of a way to realize it somehow."
Ray spoke thus to the woman in charge of costumes. It was impossible to think of everything himself. This was the result of deciding that he should rely on a professional for the final part.
"Y-Yes."
"Have you seen the dresses of Hinata-sama and Akemi-sama?"
"Yes."
"Please remove the sleeves in the same way."
"That would be too much exposure!"
For a woman, and one of the Princess's status, to expose bare skin. That was impossible by the common sense of this world.
"Please erase that way of thinking from your head. Otherwise, you cannot create something the Princess will be satisfied with."
"I understand that. But..."
If that resulted in Princess Ekaterina being shamed. She had that worry as well.
"It's not that we'll expose the arms entirely. Please make gloves out of white fabric. We'll hide them with that."
"Gloves? That alone..."
"Gloves that go up to the tips of the elbows. With the highest quality fabric possible, and an elegant shape."
"...I see. If that's the case."
"The opening will be from the neck to the chest. And the upper arms."
"Will you open the chest area after all?"
"To keep it from looking vulgar, how about adding a necklace?"
"No, it's not that, there's another problem."
The woman in charge of costumes had no resistance to showing the chest. She had thoughts about whether it was right for the still-young Princess Ekaterina to do so, but it wasn't as if such dresses didn't exist.
"What is it?"
"How will it be supported? If the sleeves are gone, there's no support, and the chest area will open up."
"Can't you do something about that?"
"I think if we fix the shape well, but there's no time to do that. Even if it doesn't open with the current dress, the underwear will be visible."
"...Then, underwear meant to be seen."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, you don't have any, do you?"
"Of course we don't!"
Walking around showing underwear. Such a shameless idea could not be accepted by the people of this world.
"...How about wrapping fabric? Wrapping a blue fabric with a slightly different texture around the chest. How about that?"
"Please wait a moment. I'll think about it."
The costume designer began to think, picking up several fabrics. Eventually, she began to actually wrap fabric around the chest of a nearby maid. After trying several fabrics, she finally spoke.
"I think it's possible to some extent. Cover the chest with fabric, tie it tightly, and sew it to the dress."
"Is it possible?"
"No, it should be fine if she stays still, but if she dances..."
"Ah, there's such a thing, is there?"
"Yes."
"It can't be helped. Then, let's pass a thin fabric through the shoulders so it's not noticeable. Ah, how about tying it at the back of the neck?"
"...We'll go with that. Using the same fabric that covers the chest. If we make it so ribbons are formed at the neck and back."
The costume designer thought of making it look like a decoration rather than hiding it.
"That's good. As expected."
"N-No. In that case, the necklace..."
"I think something that doesn't interfere with that fabric would be good."
"Please leave that to me. But still, the exposure..."
"You're quite insistent, aren't you?"
"Because she is the Princess."
Modesty as a lady over design. This priority was non-negotiable.
"...Shall we cover the shoulders with lace? With a fluffy feel. Since it's transparent, it'll feel light."
"That's good. But the balance between the upper and lower body. I want to make the lower body a bit lighter. Boldly remove the inner fabric, reduce the volume, and cover that part with lace from above..."
The costume designer was completely on board now. While looking alternately at the dress and the fabric, she began to mutter to herself. Once it came to this, there was no more role for Ray.
"Do you understand the image of the current dress?"
Next, he spoke to the maid in charge of hair.
"Roughly."
"For the hairstyle, if possible, a shape that isn't heavy. I think it would be good if it's not curled much, but straight or only slightly waving."
"...But if there's too little ingenuity, it'll look plain."
"I don't think so. The Princess possesses a noble atmosphere even if she does nothing. Please don't think of the hairstyle first, but think about how to make the Princess look most beautiful."
"That's..."
"I apologize for being presumptuous. But I believe the Princess is beautiful even without unnecessary decorations."
"T-That's true. I think so too."
"Could you consult with the person in charge of makeup? I believe that for the Princess's translucent skin, there's no need to apply anything. Her cheeks are already faintly colored, and the same goes for her lips. I think she'll be beautiful enough just by adding a bit of gloss to her lips."
This was something he had always thought, not about Princess Ekaterina's beauty, but that in the original world, he didn't like that the Princess, who was still around middle school age, wore full makeup.
"U-Um?"
"Yes?"
"That is the current Princess."
"...Ah?"
Turning around at the maid's gaze, Princess Ekaterina was standing there with her makeup, ruined by tears, cleanly wiped away, in a bare-faced state. The fact that her cheeks were redder than just 'faintly' was likely because she was blushing at Ray's words praising her.
"Is that Kamui's preference?"
"W-Well."
"Then, I'll do that."
"...Thank you."
"The dress?"
"They are preparing it now. I hope you like it."
"If Kamui likes it, then I... I believe in you."
"Y-Yes."
From there, it was a whirlwind. The dress was being fixed with tremendous momentum. In parallel, the gloves and the veil were rapidly taking shape.
In the meantime, Princess Ekaterina's hair was being combed, and while watching the dress being completed, several hairstyles were being tried. As for makeup, nothing had been done yet. She was still bare-faced.
Looking at that face, Ray was convinced that his words were not wrong. The hairstyles and makeup until now had been too flamboyant for Princess Ekaterina.
That was as far as Ray could watch. When the work reached the point of confirming measurements, he was kicked out of the room.
Even then, Ray's thoughts didn't stop. Since he had no confidence in his own sense, he didn't think this was enough.
The goal was to make Princess Ekaterina the protagonist of the venue. For that, there were other things he could devise.
"...Miria-san."
"What?"
"Please prepare clothes to wear."
"Me? This Royal Guard ceremonial armor is enough for me. I'm not wearing a dress."
"That won't do. Listen. What you'll prepare is..."
"...N-No. I hate that. I hate that."
"It's for the sake of the Princess. The point is to draw attention. Your face isn't that bad, Miria-san. I'm sure it'll suit you."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yes, quite a lot. Now, please."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm serious. There's no time! Hurry!"
"Y-Yes."
Ray gave instructions to Miria for one further touch. Eventually, he heard a voice calling him from inside the room and entered.
(At this rate, this isn't a revenge game, it's a breeding game.)
There stood Princess Ekaterina, perfectly embodying Ray's preferences, looking shy and happy.