DHMM 19

Chapter 19

“Welcome!”

The young tailor of Draphin, Leo, turned around with a bright voice.

The moment he saw the face of the person standing at the door, he almost screamed.

“W-What kind of clothes are you looking for?”

“I need a tailcoat for a banquet next weekend. Is that possible?”

“Yes, of course. We’ve been waiting for Duke Hermont to visit us. Please, allow me to show you inside.”

Leo recognized him immediately. He steadied his voice and walked toward the VIP room at the back of the shop.

“Please wait a moment.”

He calmly led him to the sofa and turned around as if nothing had happened, but his legs were trembling.

‘Could that really be Vitor Hermont? Here, right now?’

The hero of the Battle of Pularen.

The Admiral of the Storm.

A man who was truly a living legend!

Leo had once seen him while working as an apprentice at Espadan, the finest men’s clothing store in the capital.

Back then, he had not even dared to speak to him. He had only secretly watched him through the gap in the curtain of the fitting room.

And now that very man had personally entered his shop to have clothes made.

His heart was pounding like rough waves.

‘It was the right choice to quit and come back to my hometown!’

He remembered the days when he had worked his sewing machine through the night, desperate to be recognized in the capital.

But simply because he came from a commoner background, his skills had been looked down on, and he had suffered from the jealousy of his coworkers.

When he finally quit Espadan as if he were being chased out and almost gave up on his dream of becoming a tailor, he returned to his hometown with the thought that he would try just one last time. If it failed, he would give up.

In the end, opening Draphin had been the best decision of his life.

Clareville was a countryside village, but it was a summer resort for nobles, so there was a high demand for custom-made men’s clothing.

On top of that, there were hardly any proper tailors nearby, so he had almost no competition.

Thanks to that, word of mouth gradually spread among the nobles, and Draphin quickly became the most famous men’s clothing store in Clareville.

‘And now this person is standing right in front of me……!’

Leo had heard the rumor that Vitor was staying in Clareville after receiving the Imperial family’s summer villa as a reward for his victory, but he had never expected to meet him so soon.

Making clothes for Vitor Hermont had been one of Leo’s longtime dreams.

Vitor was dressed neatly for going out, but there was no way to hide the power that radiated from his body.

His physique, strengthened by years of military service, was solid and well-balanced. His chest was made of firm muscle that could be felt even through the thin fabric.

His straight posture and every restrained movement showed both the strong spirit of a soldier and the dignity of a great noble.

How could anyone have such a perfect body?

He was the kind of perfect person who would look like a heavenly light even if he wore nothing but a sackcloth.

He had not even taken his measurements yet, but Leo already had a feeling that he was going to create a masterpiece.

For the first time in a long while, his passion was boiling again.

He would use only the finest fabrics. He would make the best clothes possible.

He would put perfect clothes on that perfect body!

Leo suppressed his overflowing excitement and picked up his measuring tape. He immediately headed toward the VIP room with his employees.

“First, I’ll take your measurements, Duke Hermont. Would you please stand on the platform?”

“Not my clothes. These are for this man.”

“Pardon……?”

But then came a shocking answer.

Leo blinked in confusion.

The person standing behind Vitor cautiously poked his head out. Leo had seen him briefly when they entered, but naturally assumed he was a servant and had not paid him any attention.

‘But…… what is this?’

His gaze instinctively drifted toward the man’s appearance.

Silver hair, large clear eyes with slightly raised corners, and full, bright red lips.

Even though he was a man, his beautiful face was enough to steal anyone’s attention at first sight.

He was on the shorter side, but his arms and legs were unusually long, giving him excellent overall proportions.

Although the clothes he was wearing were somewhat shabby, his face and body were the kind that could make any outfit look like a model’s clothing.

‘But why is he having clothes made……?’

Of course, there were occasionally masters who had clothes made for their servants. But it was not common.

Rather, with a face like that, even though he was a man, he was almost certainly that kind of…….

Leo unconsciously glanced at Vitor to see his reaction.

“Is there a problem?”

Vitor asked with a beautiful smile that looked like something from a painting.

Leo’s heart dropped at that smile.

“N-No! There’s no problem. Sir, then I’ll show you this way.”

Leo hurriedly guided the man toward the fitting room.

So the rumors were true. Even though he had such a beautiful appearance, he really did like men……!

The atmosphere felt strange for some reason.

Should I have never come here?

Roy stood with both arms spread out, trying her best to ignore the tailor’s glances.

Whenever the tailor called out a measurement, his assistants wrote it down beside him. The assistants also secretly looked over Roy’s face and body.

‘This is more embarrassing than I expected. Is it normally like this? And the touching is a little…….’

No matter how carefully they placed the measuring tape over her clothes, they could not take proper measurements without touching her completely.

On top of that, the more measurements they took, the stranger the tailor’s expression became, which made Roy uneasy.

“15, 33…… 21……?”

The tailor measured her shoulders and chest, then tilted his head. After measuring her waist as well, he raised his voice as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

The assistant writing beside him also seemed confused and stopped his pen.

The tailor narrowed his eyes and checked the markings on the measuring tape again.

Then he quietly nodded toward his assistant.

As if saying that he had heard the measurements correctly.

“……”

The bandages wrapped tightly around Roy’s chest felt as if they were squeezing her like a corset.

“Phew……”

“Why are you so exhausted?”

When Roy came out of the fitting room, Vitor asked from the sofa.

“I was a little nervous. It’s my first time doing this……”

She was anxious and uneasy, wondering if they had noticed her secret after seeing the curves of her body that had been hidden by loose clothing, and whether she had made them suspicious for no reason.

The employees left without saying much, but Roy’s head was filled with warning alarms.

Fortunately, Vitor seemed to believe that she was simply nervous and gave a light laugh.

“How about this fabric? I think this color would suit you too.”

He naturally held up the fabric samples he had chosen while Roy was having her measurements taken.

“I don’t know much about these things. Could you choose for me, Duke?”

“Then let’s use this blue-gray for the outer fabric and ivory silk for the lining. For the shirt, white linen with a stand-up collar. For the shoes, dark brown patterned leather. Something with a little texture would suit him better than something too smooth.”

The employee quickly wrote down everything Vitor said.

“Make the belt in the same color family as the shoes, and bring a few cravats that would match. Something with a little weight to it.”

“Yes, Duke. I’ll prepare them right away.”

Vitor chose everything without hesitation, and the employees immediately became busy without even having time to catch their breath.

They quickly and accurately selected things that would suit Roy.

He seemed quite skilled at this process.

Well, before being a soldier, he was the son of a prestigious noble family.

He must have eaten only the finest food and seen only beautiful things since birth. Of course he had excellent taste, and he must also be used to ordering people around.

Roy looked at Vitor with a slightly unfamiliar feeling.

“Would two days from now be okay for the fitting?”

“Yes. I’ll come then. Roy, is that time okay for you?”

“Yes.”

Everything was settled in an instant.

Roy could only nod with a dazed expression.

Anyway, it had ended without any major problems. Now all she had to do was leave……

“Looks like they sell ready-made clothes here too.”

But Vitor, whom she thought would simply pay and leave, walked toward the mannequins on display.

“Pick out a few more. You can buy them now and wear them home.”

“No. That’s enough……”

These clothes didn’t seem to be for the banquet anymore.

When Roy shook her head and tried to leave, Vitor gently held her shoulder and led her toward the mannequin.

“The first ones were for work. These are a real gift.”

Vitor lowered his voice and whispered near her ear.

“I really don’t need clothes. I don’t have time to wear clothes like these, and I don’t have anywhere to wear them.”

Even the ready-made clothes sold at Draphin were stylish enough that they could never be used as work clothes.

“You can wear them when you’re with me. Actually, I’m buying these because I want to see you wearing pretty clothes, so I guess I do need them too.”

“What kind of unreasonable excuse is that…….”

Vitor did not give Roy any more chance to escape. He pointed at the mannequin.

The employee, as if he had been waiting for this, quickly brought out the same design in Roy’s size.

“There are many buttons, so it may be inconvenient. I’ll help you change.”

He naturally tried to follow her into the fitting room.

Roy panicked and waved her hands.

“No! I can do it myself! It’s fine!”

Roy quickly snatched the clothes and rushed into the fitting room.

She closed the curtain and quietly listened for anyone nearby.

Fortunately, no one tried to follow her inside.

‘This is driving me crazy…….’