Free Web NovelChapter 253: Dressing Up
I should try making shampoo next, it’s not good to constantly wash your hair with hard soap, Lucas thought to himself in a daze as he stood in his guest room.
Why was he thinking about such irrelevant things right now? It was simple, really. He was trying his best to fill his head with distracting thoughts in order to forget about what had just happened back in the bathroom.
It was bad enough when Allina was standing on the other side of the tub, minding her own business. Lucas was still able to remain relatively calm so long as he kept his back to her, but when she walked over and began scrubbing his back, telling him it would speed things up, the young boy nearly passed out from all the blood rushing to his head.
What happened after that was something of a blur.
Lucas vaguely remembered his responsible big sister rinsing off the soap suds from him before turning around and asking him to do the same for her.
Needless to say, Lucas had a hard time concentrating on this daunting task, but somehow, someway, he got through it, then fled from the bathroom, dried himself off rapidly, threw on something resembling a bathrobe, and then dashed back upstairs, startling the maid, Lisa, who had been waiting outside for him and Allina to finish. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Seemed like the water was heated by a Spirit Array... how wasteful, Lucas continued to muse lackadaisically, Burning wood or coal would be much easier and more efficient, but I suppose you’d also need to build some kind of chimney to vent the smoke as well... hmm...
"Haaa...." Letting out a long sigh, the 10-year-old boy slumped over slightly and shook his head, "What am I worrying about? Even I don’t see myself as a man yet, so why would Big Sister Allina? If she doesn’t care, why should I?"
Doing his best to convince himself so, Lucas dragged his feet over to a large dresser where the Head Maid said a few changes of clothes had been prepared for him, and opened it, only to be faced with a new problem.
His face twitching slightly, Lucas couldn’t help marveling at the Carlson Family’s efficiency. There were at least 20 different outfits in front of him, in all kinds of styles and colours.
Sweeping his eyes around, Lucas felt a strong headache coming on, not just because of the number of clothes he had to choose from, but also because many of the pieces in this wardrobe were things he had never seen or heard of before, much less knew how to wear.
Slumping over again in defeat, Lucas rubbed his temples for a moment before deciding to just give up.
Shuffling over to the door again, he opened it and called out to Lisa, who was still standing there dutifully, "Uh, can you help me pick out something to wear and... help me get dressed?"
A brief flash of confusion flickered across the young woman’s face, but she quickly hid it and donned a professional smile, "Certainly, Young Master."
Lisa had been informed that both Lucas and Allina were extremely important guests and that they were to be served with utmost diligence; however, up until now, they had basically insisted on doing everything themselves, making her presence here somewhat pointless.
Allina Crest was clearly a powerful Spirit Initiate, someone who Lisa could only look up to, but Lucas was another story; as far as she could tell, he was just an ordinary boy. Lucas was more intelligent and mature perhaps, but he still came off as a naïve child for most of the time she had interacted with him.
Granted, that amount of time was quite limited, but as a Baron’s daughter and a maid trained to serve important guests, Lisa had learned to quickly make accurate assessments of others. In a world were providing excellent service to the right person could lead to a lifetime of prosperity, and offending someone you shouldn’t could lead to your entire family being exterminated, clear vision was an essential for anyone in Lisa’s position.
That being said, Lisa wasn’t so desperate or unscrupulous that she would go as far as trying to seduce an immature 10-year-old boy, but there was nothing wrong with her wanting to leave a good impression on an important Young Master.
Who knows? Maybe this coincidental encounter would benefit her in some way in the future?
How, however, was Lisa supposed to do that without even interacting with Lucas?
Thankfully, an opportunity had appeared before her, so Lisa was determined to make the most of it.
Excusing herself, Lisa stepped into Lucas’ room and proceeded to ask him about his preferences when it came to his clothes, thinking that he really was the Young Master of some big, important noble family, one so powerful that he might never have even had to dress himself before.
When Lucas awkwardly told her that he didn’t have any preferences and just wanted whatever was most comfortable, Lisa’s opinion of him increased further, thinking he was being humble.
With a few misunderstandings piling up, the young woman became determined to dress Lucas up in the best clothes available and began rifling through the various outfits in the closet.
10 minutes later, after a lot of hemming and hawing and no small amount of belt tightening and strap fixing, Lucas stood in front of a small polished metal mirror of sorts in a typical noble’s high-class formalwear. freewebnovel.cσ๓
The mirror wasn’t comparable in quality to the ones from his inherited memories, but it still showed a stiff looking Lucas in clothes he felt were far too tight, far too hot, and far to flamboyant.
"What do you think, Young Master Lucas?" Lisa asked with a big smile on her face, clearly very proud of her work.
Had it been someone he was familiar with, Lucas might have told them the truth, but not wanting to come off as rude to a stranger he had just met, especially one who had, in his opinion, gone out of their way to help him, the young boy forced out a smile and replied, "It’s... certainly eye catching."
"En, en," Lisa nodded in response, as if that was exactly what she was hoping for, "This kind of style is what all the big nobles are wearing nowadays when it comes to parties and banquets. I’ve tried to make it a little more subdued like you asked, but any more than this and others may think you are underdressed."
Seriously? This is subdued? Lucas felt like he wanted to cry when Lisa told him this, but he somehow choked it down and thanked her once more, asking her to retreat for a moment to allow him some time to rest.
As soon as the door was closed behind the oddly enthusiastic maid, Lucas flopped down at the nearby table and sighed, already wishing for this evening to be over.
Hell, he’d settle for just going back to work at this point instead of attending a social event he didn’t even want to in the first place.
It wasn’t until another 15 minutes later that a knock brought Lucas out of his stupor. Getting to his feet, he walked over reluctantly and opened the door to find his partner for the evening standing there.
The pair stood there, exchanging a glance, seemingly reading each other’s thoughts through their expressions.
The result? A mutual sigh.
Allina was in a rather over-the-top dress with a high collar, puffy arm covering sleeves, and multiple layers for her skirt, all of which was decorated with numerous colourful patterns.
It hardly looked comfortable, and from the look on the Peak Spirit Initiate’s face, Lucas was fairly certain it wasn’t. He even felt some pity for Allina, who he frankly thought was more attractive in her clean yet functional armour than this extravagant getup.
Checking to make sure they were alone, Lucas asked in a slightly distraught voice, "Is this really what nobles wear to parties?"
"Not just to parties," Allina shook her head in an equally exasperated manner, "Many nobles wear these kinds of clothes all the time."
"How can you even stand that?" Lucas gawked slightly, his words just slipping out.
Flashing a wry smile, Allina snickered, "I couldn’t. That’s why I left home to join the army and worked so hard to become General Balfour’s adjutant. Amongst all the nobles, Lady Balfour is the one who cares the least about formal protocol."
Thinking back on how his Master dressed and acted when she wasn’t working, Lucas couldn’t help but agree, "I see. That makes sense."
Just as Lucas was thinking as such, he noticed Allina tug slightly at the side of her dress around her ribcage, a frown covering her face as she grumbled something inaudible under her breath.
"Is it the dress that’s uncomfortable, or... the undergarments?" Ever the curious type, and having just seen this woman naked, Lucas decided to be shameless and ask the question bluntly.
Unsurprisingly, Allina didn’t seem to mind and instantly replied, "The latter. I think the size is a bit too small, or they tied it on too tight."
"My condolences," Lucas bowed slightly, earning him a head pat.
"It’s fine," Allina sighed, "I’ve worn worse at bigger parties, and it’s certainly better than being shot through the chest with an arrow or cut open by a sword."
Lucas didn’t have a response to this extreme comparison and wisely decided not to ask whether Allina knew this from personal experience.
Shaking his head, Lucas offered Allina his hand with a cheesy smile, "Shall we go then, My Lady?"
Slightly taken aback at first, Allina soon let out a small laugh, her mood improving at the little joke as she nodded, "With pleasure, My Lord."
