Anxiety and the Measuring
I sent an ordonnanz to Sylvester, explaining that I’d made an important discovery and needed to speak with him, then returned to the castle. He replied that he would see me tomorrow after dinner. Reevaluating Ehrenfest’s defense plans was his top priority right now, and with Bonifatius’s sudden departure for Gerlach, he couldn’t afford to spare even a moment.
But this is urgent!
Considering that the usual wait time for an appointment with a noble was three days, this was an exceptionally quick turnaround. Still, the situation was so dire that the thought of waiting an entire day was unbearable, especially when the information was too sensitive for an ordonnanz.
“Lady Rozemyne, we are so pleased you have returned sooner than anticipated,” Ottilie said. “We can discuss the clothes you are going to order tomorrow.”
She and Lieseleta then took out various boards for me to review. My sudden, unexpected growth had forced them to cancel all the outfits I’d ordered for my move to the Sovereignty at the end of spring. Now, the only way I was going to have my spring and summer outfits ready in time was if we mobilized all the relevant seamstresses. There wasn’t enough time for us to leisurely discuss designs when they arrived; we had to make up our minds here and now.
“And not just your outerwear,” Lieseleta continued. “You are lacking socks, shoes, underclothes—everything. If we do not discuss your preferences and make some headway on which designs to use now, a single day will not be enough.”
Bertilde and Gretia were summoned—as were Clarissa and Leonore, of all people—and the discussions began. The changes to my facial features and the general air I exuded meant the cute clothes we had ordered before no longer suited me. Their designs would need to be completely reworked.
“Redyeing cloth is a time-consuming endeavor... Would you consider using some not sourced from your Renaissance?”
“No, I would not,” I replied. “How am I to count her among my personnel if I do not use her cloth? I do not want her to feel out of place after we move, so let us think carefully about these designs.”
Since I had already been in the process of growing before my encounter with Erwaermen, the flowery cloth my mom had dyed was already more mature in style than that used to make my earlier outfits. Surely we could still use it in some capacity.
“Could we base my new clothes on the ones I’m borrowing from Brunhilde?” I suggested. “She has already expertly incorporated my trends into her designs. It should save us so much time compared to starting from scratch.”
I pinched the skirt I was currently wearing to demonstrate. We wouldn’t have much trouble replicating the designs, but my hair and skin tone weren’t the same as Brunhilde’s, so we would need to put more thought into the cloth we used.
“If we can, Lady Rozemyne, I would appreciate the chance to add something unique to your new clothes. We cannot have you wear exactly the same attire as one of your retainers.”
In other words, because I needed to introduce trends, it was better that I add something to Brunhilde’s clothes rather than simply replicate them. I paused to consider what I could do, but no matter how much I tried to focus, my thoughts kept wandering to Georgine and the temple. Preparing my clothes was an urgent issue—I understood that—but this was no time to discuss them.
Just as I tried to swallow the indescribable anxiety bubbling up my throat, I remembered something I could use to connect Ahrensbach and my clothes: the cloth that Ferdinand had sent me.
“What if we use the cloth from Ahrensbach?” I said. “It is thin enough that it should be ideal for summer clothing. We could stack petals over the skirt, and if we layer the sleeves like this, the dyed patterns beneath will appear transparent, making the garments feel entirely unique.”
“Oh, what a wonderful idea,” Bertilde replied. “I would very much like to wear such clothes.” She picked up the patterned cloth, a sparkle in her eyes, and started to layer it as suggested. The others looked on lovingly but had to remind her that these were my clothes, not hers.
Once we’d settled on a rough design to streamline tomorrow’s meeting with the seamstresses, it was time for dinner. I asked to have mine brought to my room, not wanting the others to see my embarrassing lack of coordination, and then ate at my own pace. The precise and delicate movements necessary to eat gracefully were simply beyond me in this new body. Anytime I tried to slice into the meat, my cutlery screeched against the plate, and when I eventually managed to bring a morsel up to my mouth, I would sometimes jab it into my cheek by mistake.
“You seem far more comfortable than yesterday,” Lieseleta said in an attempt to reassure me.
“Perhaps,” I replied. “Though I still have a long way to go...”
Once I’d eaten, I bathed and climbed into bed. Tomorrow, I would finally have a chance to speak with Sylvester. Matthias would also return with Bonifatius, hopefully bearing some good news.
“You look a tad unwell, Lady Rozemyne. Did you get much sleep?”
“Lieseleta... It would seem Schlaftraum did not grace me with his blessing last night.”
An awful nightmare had jolted me awake. In it, I’d warned Sylvester of the impending danger too late, and the consequences had shaken me to my core.
Still anxious, I went to the hall where I was going to be measured. Florencia, Elvira, Brunhilde, Charlotte, and their retainers had gathered so that I could order my spring and summer clothes all in one go. We had decided to break our day into chunks, taking care of the main garments in the morning before moving on to the shoes and accessories in the afternoon, but I was still met with a huge crowd when I arrived.
“Lady Rozemyne is here.”
The seamstresses reacted to my entrance in one of two ways: they looked either completely taken aback or completely unfazed. It was easy to tell which of them knew me well and which of them I’d never interacted with before.
Tuuli was among the shocked-looking seamstresses; she was able to come to the castle now that she had come of age. It was important that she feel comfortable here—after all, she would need to enter the royal palace when she accompanied me to the Sovereignty. This came as no surprise, considering her role as my craftswoman, but she really was moving up in the world.
Look, Tuuli! Look! I’m all grown-up!
The moment I saw her, the anxiety eating away at me vanished, replaced with complete happiness. I stood up straight in an attempt to look even taller, but not for long—the fear that I might suddenly collapse brought me back to my senses. In an attempt to reinforce the regal air I now exuded, I approached my chair as carefully and as gracefully as I could.
“Bertilde, Ottilie,” I said, “please inform my mothers of the designs we decided upon yesterday. Lieseleta, Gretia, attend to my measuring.” The others would discuss which clothes to order while my new measurements were being taken.
“Understood.”
Ottilie explained today’s schedule; then the Gilberta Company’s seamstresses divided themselves between the two groups. Tuuli came over to me with a tape measure in hand.
“Will you be the one measuring me?” I asked.
“Yes, my lady. The hairpins I make will need to complement whatever designs are chosen.” Tuuli then started to take my measurements, with help from another seamstress, and wrote them all down on a board. “Messengers from the temple informed us that your growth was the result of blessings from the gods. Looking at these numbers, they certainly were not exaggerating.”
“Indeed. My new appearance was a blessing from Anwachs the God of Growth, but none of my clothes fit me anymore.” I gently touched the ornament in my hair. “At least I can still use your hairpins.”
Tuuli gave me a bright smile. “I designed them to be usable for a very long time.”
Hmm... I’m not as tall as Tuuli. Am I still on the shorter side?
Nobody here knew this, but Tuuli and I were sisters; I couldn’t help but compare our heights. I’d been determined to beat her for the longest time, but not even Anwachs’s blessing could give me the advantage.
“I was so extremely worried about you when we were told to stop working on your orders...” Tuuli admitted. “I am so relieved to see you are well.”
Well, the dangerous parts are yet to come.
As it stood, nothing had actually happened yet. Our suspicions that Georgine had our key and was planning an attack during Spring Prayer were just that—suspicions. If someone accused us of having a persecution complex, we wouldn’t be able to argue.
“Tuuli... No matter what happens, I will protect you.”
She froze, and the professional smile she wore when dealing with nobles started to waver as if she had come to a sudden realization. I gave a more genuine smile to calm her.
Once my measurements had been taken, we began to focus entirely on the designs. We had discussed them before, but now it was time to make up our minds.
“Sister, which designs would you prefer?” Charlotte asked. “This one is splendid. I would also quite like to incorporate it into my autumn clothes, so it has my recommendation.”
Before I could respond, Elvira chimed in: “If you wish to match Rozemyne, why not wear similar clothes at the Royal Academy?”
Our meeting was interspersed with short breaks and more casual conversations. And as expected, it ended up consuming my entire day.
I still need to speak with Sylvester...
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