At the sofa placed by the window at the back of the room, Seriana was talking with the elderly woman across the table. As soon as she saw me approaching after my measurements were finished…

“You’ve done well. Did you grow a little?”

…She said that.

“Yeah. Nailed it!”

It was only a few centimeters, but I’d grown compared to last time, so I proudly gave my answer.

However, Seriana snorted at my words, then pointed to the paper on the table with what looked like clothing designs drawn on it and spoke.

“Hmph… Well, fine. Teresa, you’ve done well too. You all, have a seat.”

“…Okay.”

I kind of wanted to fire back a word or two, but right now, the clothing design was more important.

I had given them some of my preferences, but I didn’t actually know what sort of design they’d gone with.

Why don’t I get the final say in my own clothes?

And why doesn’t the elderly lady, who seemed to be the workshop owner, find that strange?

Maybe because she was called here by Seriana, not me, she’s under the impression that Seriana is the one commissioning the clothes for me…

Well, it is Seriana paying for them.

…Whatever, it’s fine.

“…Ohh.”

I pulled myself together and looked at the clothing design… and it was pretty impressive.

“Looks like you like it.”

I had been quietly staring at it for a while, but it seems my approval came across.

“Yeah yeah! I really like it.”

Just as I’d hoped, it was a one-piece style, with enough room around the neck and arms to allow for easy movement.

Normally, dresses are secured with a belt or sash around the waist, but this one was designed to be fastened slightly below the chest.

It resembled a maternity dress from my previous life.

This would suit me well, especially since I often sit on the 【Floating Orb】.

With regular dresses, the belt or sash tends to wrinkle when sitting, but I wouldn’t need to worry about that with this design.

It hadn’t been colored yet, but the description mentioned pale blue and red.

No unnecessary decorations, simple overall… I really liked it!

“There’s no time-consuming embroidery or complicated processes for this one, and we were able to take precise measurements today, so there’s no need for a mock-up either. If you give us three or four days, it’ll be done.”

While I was nodding as I looked over the design sketch, the elderly lady addressed me.

Apparently, since the clothing used standard fabric and had no complex processes, it could be finished quickly.

My jinbei was once made in a day, so I wasn’t sure if three or four days was fast or slow, but this was a commission from the lord’s wife.

They couldn’t afford any mistakes, so I guess they’re going to take their time with the work.

…Thinking of it that way, it actually feels pretty fast.

“I won’t rush you, so please make it something good.”

“Yes. Please leave it to me.”

The old woman smiled and bowed her head happily at Seriana’s words.

While watching them from the side, I glanced back at the design sketch and noticed the name “Gilly” written in the corner.

The elderly lady… or rather, that must be her name?

I’d forgotten the name, but I’m pretty sure the master of the last tailor’s workshop was someone else… so I guess this really is a different workshop.

When I looked over at Fiora, the measurements were being taken just as smoothly as they had been for me.

At this rate, the results should be promising… though I hadn’t had any complaints about the previous workshop either.

…Was there a particular reason for switching?

Like a bidding system or something?

◇

Fiora’s measurements were finished in less than 20 minutes, and Gilly’s group left the mansion.

They were going to start production right away.

Even though they’d been told not to rush, they seemed fully motivated.

Then we moved to Seriana’s room and had tea together.

We had the day off from work today… time to relax!

Though… I wonder if it’s really okay for everyone else to be slacking off too?

Right now, Elena, Teresa, and Fiora were preparing the tea together.

Since I was just waiting for them to bring it over, I had some free time, so I figured I’d ask.

“Hey, Seria-sama.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a bit late to ask, but… was it really okay to take the day off today?”

Seriana chuckled softly at the question.

“Ah… it’s fine. The post-rainy season clerical work has settled down. I shouldn’t leave the estate entirely, of course, but as long as I can be contacted at any time, there’s no issue. Alec and Zighart are both out of town, right? Until they return, there won’t be any major movements in the city. I’m planning to relax a bit.”

“…Huh.”

Seriana’s work is mostly related to adventurers.

Adventurers usually start hunting again after the rainy season ends, so maybe she’s got a bit of free time right now.

She also helps with Liesel’s work, but if she can be contacted at any time, then taking a break now and then isn’t a bad idea.

Makes sense.

“Oh! Then one more thing! Did you change tailor workshops?”

It’s probably not that big of a deal, but it had been on my mind.

Might as well ask while I can.

“Now that more people have come into the city, it wouldn’t be good for us to keep giving all our orders to the same place, right? The Commercial Guild distributes work among workshops that they’ve approved. The one we used this time was originally based in Zelkis, but they moved here last year.”

“…I see.”

It kind of sounds like a cartel, but maybe it’s more like a public contract system?

The authorities assign work to vendors who meet certain standards…

“Their skills are solid, so don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Important people really do have to think through even a single clothing order.

Me? I just leave it all up to whoever I know.

Well, whatever works, I guess.

With my questions cleared up, we continued casually chatting while waiting for the tea to be served.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garment】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】【Monkey’s Arm】・5 cards

Seriana・【Area Identification】・【】・39 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards