Chapter 19

“I’ve been waiting until my neck was about to fall off, Your Grace! And this lady here-“

“Mewony, fowr years owd. The Young Lady.”

“…Young Lady?”

The woman repeated in a questioning voice.

But that was short-lived.

“It’s an honor that you greet me first, Young Lady! I am Chaloa, the owner of this boutique. Now, please, everyone come inside. Hohoho.”

Chaloa, with her energetic voice, led us inside.

This place is-.

“A cwothing stowe.”

It was a massively huge clothing store.

The building was packed full of clothes in every color of the rainbow.

It was to the point where it felt like they had brought every single piece of clothing in the world and put it here.

“I heard you have no clothes to wear.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Marshmallow, you.”

“That’s not twue. I have pwenty of cwothes.”

It’s the truth.

It hadn’t been long since I came to the ducal estate, but my closet was full of clothes.

It was my first time in my life having this many clothes.

“That can’t be. The maids’ complaints were no joke. They said it’s all ready-made clothes and there’s nothing proper to dress you in.”

Ah, come to think of it, Ena did look like she was about to cry every time she dressed me.

“The cuffs are a bit long. The waist is a little loose too. Sigh, this won’t do. I’ll risk my life and go negotiate.”

Could today’s outing be the result of that negotiation?

“But I don’t think we need to buy cwothes…”

“Marshmallow.”

“Yes?”

“A Young Lady is supposed to wear custom-made clothes. It’s decreed by some law or another of the Empire.”

Gasp.

If that’s the case, it’s a different story.

‘Because I’m the Young Lady, I must follow the Young Lady’s laws.’

I spoke with a solemn expression.

“I’ll buy cwothes. Pwease buy me cwothes. Young Lady custom-made cwothes!”

“Good. You’re a truly excellent Young Lady.”

The Duke smiled softly and said.

I nodded and answered.

“Yeah. Mewony is an excellent Young Lady.”

Chaloa, who had been quietly watching us, jumped in at the perfect timing.

“Then, shall I guide you this way first? There are so, so many pretty clothes that would suit the Young Lady perfectly!”

* * *

Held in the Duke’s arms, I burned with enthusiasm for looking at clothes.

However, that was short-lived.

“How about this one? It will match the Young Lady’s white skin very well.”

“Buy it.”

“Hoho! Ah, this one is cute too. The ribbon here is the key point-“

“Buy that too.”

“Kyahaha! This one’s color is-“

“Pack it.”

“Kyahahahahaha!”

…Can this be called looking at clothes?

He’s just buying them the moment they’re shown.

Without even giving me a chance to give my opinion.

Later on, even this meaningless conversation disappeared.

The Duke, who had been listening to Chaloa’s recommendations with an expressionless face-.

“From here to there, just buy it all.”

Because he spat out the ‘from here to the end over there’ that you only see in novels.

Chaloa, covering her mouth with a touched expression, began to clap her hands ‘Clap, clap, clap’.

“Really… truly, truly! What an incredibly outstanding choice! He has appeared, the greatest father of this era! Kuuu.”

The Duke, looking somewhat proud for some reason, pointed to the opposite wall and said, ‘Pack all of that too.’

Clap, clap, clap!

Chaloa’s clapping grew louder.

‘…Mm, my mind is dizzy.’

I felt lightheaded from the tremendous overconsumption I was experiencing for the first time in my life.

* * *

“We will deliver the clothes to the ducal estate without delay. Then, please go safely!”

Receiving Chaloa’s fierce send-off, we left the boutique.

Still held in the Duke’s arms, I let out a huge sigh and muttered.

“Mewony is going to gwow up so fast, you didn’t need to buy so many…”

“If you grow up fast, we can just buy more. You need at least this much so you won’t be ignored anywhere as a Young Lady without clothes.”

No, you need at least this much so you won’t be ignored?

Truly, the path of a Young Lady is long and arduous.

“Where should we go now? Is there anything you want?”

“…No. Thewe isn’t. Weally, thewe isn’t!”

“Oh my, our Marshmallow has too little greed. Especially since you have a rich father for once.”

At his extremely blunt remark, I smiled awkwardly and sniffled.

‘It’s not that I have no greed, it’s that my spirits were crushed after seeing that massive mountain of clothes just now.’

Hehe, it was when I was letting out an awkward laugh.

Roll, roll, roll-, thud.

Something that rolled over quickly stopped at the Duke’s feet.

I widened my eyes and looked down at the floor. That is…

“A tomato?”

The identity of the rolling object was a bright red tomato.

Not only that, but the tomato rolling on the floor wasn’t just one.

Behind the tomato that hit the Duke’s foot, a dozen or so tomatoes were rolling fiercely toward us.

“To think tomatoes are rolling in the street. I’m seeing quite the bizarre sight.”

Muttering in an absurd tone, the Duke lightly flicked his fingers.

Snap.

At the same time, the dozen or so fiercely rolling tomatoes came to an abrupt halt in place.

“W-Whoa!”

It was a mysterious sight that drew exclamations of awe.

“Gasp, is that youw abiwity, Duke?!”

“Yes. It’s an ability. I caught their shadows with the Authority of Darkness.”

Caught their shadows with an ability?

What is that.

‘…Isn’t that cool?’

The Authority of Darkness is really cool.

My ability is, at best, just tinkering and repairing things.

‘Besides, using the ability was so natural.’

Usually, when using an ability, it’s normal for a unique mark and light to appear.

But when the Duke just used his ability, there was nothing like that to be seen.

Come to think of it-.

‘I have heard that the more proficient someone is with an ability, the more they can use it without showing off.’

But how many people could use it this naturally?

It certainly wouldn’t be common.

‘It seems there’s a reason he’s called a genius that will go down in history.’

I felt anew just how great a stroke of luck it was that the Duke took me in.

With such an incredible person volunteering to be my father, keeping my life will be much easier.

‘…Let’s become the best daughter.’

I’ll become the best daughter and stick right by the Duke’s side!

I looked up at the Duke with eyes burning with passion.

“…What is it, that look in your eyes?”

“T-That is! Youw abiwity… is weally cool, Duke!”

It was a comment that was half genuine, half flattery.

A small daily effort to keep sticking by the Duke’s side, so to speak.

“I’ve nevew seen anything so cool! You go wike bam bam and… the tomatoes… woll woll…”

…Smack.

Trailing off excitedly, I subtly shut my mouth.

Because the Duke’s gaze looking down at me was strange.

On his tightly closed lips, even the usual polite smile was nowhere to be seen.

‘…I didn’t actually make a mistake, did I?’

Was overdoing it the problem?

Because it didn’t feel sincere?

Should I have admired him in a more serious way?

But then, at that moment.

Whoosh-!

The strangely stilled tomatoes began to float up into the air.

That wasn’t all.

“Huh?”

The floating tomatoes spun round and round in the air, repeating a cycle of stopping and spinning.

Oh, my god.

What kind of chaotic tomato show is this.

“Wow, Mom look over there! Tomatoes are flying!”

“What is this kid saying. How can a tomato… fly? Why is that flying?”

It was such an amazing sight that passersby stopped to watch.

I was also watching it with my soul sucked out of me-.

“How about it, Marshmallow.”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t this cooler than the thing from earlier?”

Blink, blink.

At the Duke’s playful words, I pondered for a moment.

‘…Is he showing off to me, by any chance?’

Because I said his ability was cool?

It seemed unlikely, but there was no other answer.

…If that were the case, the answer was already decided.

“Yes! It’s supew cool!”

“How cool is it?”

How cool is it?

At the unexpectedly specific question, my eyes trembled again.

But the bewilderment was short-lived.

I spread both arms as wide as I could and drew the biggest circle possible.

“Thiiiiis much! Ow abouuuuut this much?”

“Only that much?”

Ah, so it’s not enough.

Then.

“…Aww of this much, minus this much?”

Only then did the Duke wear a satisfied expression.

Phew.

‘Man, being a daughter is hard work.’

It was then.

From the direction the tomatoes had rolled from, hurried footsteps could be heard: tat, tat, tat.