Chapter 424

Words : 2183 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Merilda was already like that, but this time she became particularly talkative, perhaps because she was riding the flow. Everyone is burning with anticipation because of the upcoming ball and contest. Not just students, but teachers too, and internal staff as well, and even people who will be invited from outside are the same. Merilda poured out not just that, but all sorts of miscellaneous stories. Recently, the demand for dresses has increased significantly, and Royal Street has become even more crowded. “Because of that, all sorts of famous luxury makers are burning with anticipation.” “Why is that?” Bruno, who had just swallowed the mashed potatoes on his plate, asked curiously. Merilda raised her index finger and wiggled it as she spoke. “The gentlemen might not know, but Theon’s ball is very symbolic. Just look at how many guests came to Theon’s festival, the Magic Festival, you should know.” Rudger and Bruno glanced at each other and shrugged simultaneously. Seeing this, Merilda glared at them with half-opened eyes but thinking about it, it wasn’t strange. Rudger, who was both the Planning Department head and a teacher, was an extreme workaholic, while Bruno was always focused entirely on handling oil and steam-filled mechanical golems. They couldn’t possibly understand women’s desperate yearning for such balls. “I’ll have to kindly explain to you two how much attention Theon attracts.” Just take the Magic Festival. Major figures and high nobles from various countries gathered, and all sorts of people came. It would be the same for this upcoming ball. “Think about it. The sponsors who provide massive funds to Theon every year won’t spare any expense for events like this. And naturally, wouldn’t there be people who want to catch the eye of such people?” “So you mean the tailors.” Rudger nodded immediately as if he understood. He had been guessing since the dress talk came up and Merilda clapped her hands once. “That’s right. That’s exactly it. Famous tailors, designers, luxury brand owners. But would even they refuse greater fame?” “Holding a contest is essentially similar to planning a fashion show.” Along with the advertising effect, that is. He thought it smelled like business, and this was why. “Famous brand designers will try to showcase their masterpieces to the public somehow because they need to elevate their fame and they’ll look for models worthy of that.” “Models?” “People who can attend the ball. Among them, those who are worthy of receiving sponsorship. Students and teachers.” -Ooh. Bruno, sitting next to Rudger, finally let out an exclamation as if he understood. “In other words, this upcoming ball isn’t just about the students’ enjoyment, but a complex and large venue where people’s desires and benefits are intertwined.” Merilda knew everything about it. Looking at how she spoke with burning eyes, it wouldn’t be wrong to say she had staked her life on this ball. ‘Why is she showing such passion?’ Rudger and other fellow teachers couldn’t help but wonder but Merilda didn’t mind such gazes. ‘This contest is very important.’ Merilda imagined herself appearing at the ballroom wearing a beautiful dress. ‘The spotlight shining on me, and people around constantly letting out exclamations of admiration.’ She could vividly see gentlemen in fancy suits and tuxedos approaching her, trying to get friendly by striking up conversations. Then she would respond haughtily, as if she’d been waiting for it. ‘Oh, I’m a bit busy right now.’ With a slight eye smile. The sight of men looking desperate. What could be more joyful than just imagining it? That flight of imagination showed on her expression. Rudger internally cringed at seeing Merilda’s smile filled with desire. ‘What on earth is she imagining?’ Looking at Selina beside him, she just had an innocent expression. Rudger felt slightly relieved at Selina’s appearance. ‘Hmm. There must be individual differences between people.’ Just then, Merilda, who had regained her senses, said, “Anyway, this ball is very important. From getting a dress to who your partner will be.” “I see.” “Going back to the original point. Have you decided on a partner, Teacher Rudger?” “I have no plans.” Rudger’s answer was consistent. Selina’s expression, which had shown slight expectation, turned gloomy. * * * Thanks to Merilda’s wholehearted persuasion, Rudger started thinking about the upcoming ball again. If so many people’s interests were intertwined in this event, it seemed he needed to pay some attention to it as well. ‘Moreover, the fact that tailors are gathering means I can’t completely ignore it either.’ News about the Lumensis Order in the capital and the Elf trackers wasn’t something he could hear even if he wanted to right away. It would take time, and there wasn’t much else to worry about. Rudger headed to Leathervelk with some rare leisure time. This time, he was visiting not as Rudger Chelici, but as Oliver, the owner of Royal Street. “Owner. You’ve come.” Violetta, who had received notice in advance, greeted Rudger. Her public position is the manager of [House of Verdi] and she was also currently the designer gaining the most fame. “Is work going well?” “Yes. Business is smooth. Sales are steadily rising, and thanks to word of mouth, customers keep coming.” Violetta answered while looking at the currently prosperous street. However, there was a hint of worry in her voice and Rudger noticed it immediately. “You can ask if you have any questions.” “No. That’s...” “Is it because of the ball being held at Theon?” Violetta opened her eyes wide. Asking how he knew would be meaningless to Rudger, he was a teacher at Theon and her superior, after all. “...Yes, that’s right. Because of that, there are many things to take care of lately.” “Naturally related to dresses needed for the ball.” “Custom order requests have increased, but more than that, our competitors are paying enormous attention to us.” Violetta shook her head as if just thinking about it gave her a headache. “Although we have the advantage of Leathervelk being our home ground, our opponents are master tailors from famous brands. We can’t compare to them when we’ve just started gaining fame. We need to make a big leap forward with this opportunity, but the wall is too high.” Master tailors and famous fashion designers, all of them were people who either had their names in newspapers or made custom clothes for high nobles who had gathered for Theon’s ball. Rudger thought this scene was quite familiar. ‘Come to think of it, it’s similar to the Night of Mystery.’ The Night of Mystery is where magicians gather to share knowledge or compete with each other. Naturally, heated competition sometimes makes them turn hostile towards each other. For Violetta, Theon’s ball was the same as that. “Is it difficult with just clothes making alone?” “They’re all formidable. Everyone famous in the industry has gathered. It’s overwhelming just to make something comparable.” Violetta spoke candidly, seemingly having been deeply worried about this for a while. Looking closely, the area under her eyes was slightly dark. She apparently hadn’t been sleeping much lately. “Ideas are abundant, but the same goes for our competitors. Moreover, we can’t always compete with just flashes of wit.” Although Violetta’s design talent was innate, that didn’t mean other designers were all lacking. Rather, sometimes someone less skilled than her could create a greater masterpiece with a moment of brilliant inspiration, that’s the kind of industry this was. “And as you know, the clothes hanger is just as important as the clothes. Even with the same clothing, the reaction varies greatly depending on who wears it.” “Hmm. That’s certainly true.” There’s bound to be a different feeling between when an ordinary person you could see anywhere wears something versus when a tall, high-ranking person wears it. Moreover, if it’s a celebrity, just wearing it provides an additional advertising effect, making it even more so. The worry in Violetta’s voice stemmed from exactly that point. “So all the people worth knowing have already formed their pairs.” “Yes. As the owner knows, many of Theon’s students are of noble birth. But we have no way to even make contact with such people.” “Why didn’t you ask me for help?” Rudger is a teacher at Theon. If she had told him beforehand, Rudger would have gladly granted that request. After all, this street was something Rudger had built up. At that question, Violetta bit her lip slightly in apology, but her eyes flickered with an uncompromising light. “You’re busy, and I didn’t want to bother you with something like this. I’ve already received so much help, asking for more would be too shameless.” Her unwavering voice contained sincerity. She had already received an irredeemable favor and it would be too brazen to ask for help with something like this on top of that. “We can’t keep receiving your help forever. We need to stand on our own feet with our own strength.” “I highly value that determination. But sometimes there are things impossible to do with just your own strength.” Rudger created U.N. Owen, because he couldn’t handle everything alone, so he gathered trustworthy colleagues. “That’s why I help you too. You don’t just receive when you have something to give. The opposite is also true. We can just help each other. That’s what colleagues are for.” At Rudger’s warm words, slight moisture gathered in Violetta’s eyes. However, she didn’t let it fall because she had vowed never to cry again “Thank you, Owner.” “So what do you need?” “First, as I mentioned, we need someone to wear the dress.” “Don’t you need a suit?” At those words, Violetta smiled softly. “That person is right in front of me, isn’t he?” “Right. Then finding the person should be the priority.” “Yes. I need to see who will wear it first to envision a suitable form.” Violetta said that no matter how pretty and fancy a dress is, it’s meaningless if the person wearing it can’t pull it off. Rather than making the dress first and finding someone to fit it, it’s much better to choose the person first and make the dress to suit them. “However, since all the nobles have decided partners, we’ll have to avoid that direction. There’s no room to squeeze in.” “What about the teachers?” “Teachers are the same. The competition is even fiercer than among students.” “In the end, we have to look among the commoner students.” It would be painful to even mention appearance, so he deliberately didn’t bring it up. Rudger crossed his arms and fell into thought. Violetta quietly watched such a Rudger. She was already overflowing with gratitude just from him considering it this deeply. ‘The Owner is sincere.’ She had felt it since he presented the business vision to the slum people, but Rudger didn’t take even these matters lightly. To think he shows such remarkable talent in other areas while also being excellent at magic. By now she felt nothing but reverence. Just then, as if he had finished thinking, Rudger opened his mouth. “Violetta.” “Yes, Owner.” “What do you think about performance?” “Performance?” “Ah. You might not know.” Rudger realized his explanation was lacking and briefly explained to Violetta. The clever Violetta understood immediately. “Maximizing image through various external elements and devices... But would that be possible in the ballroom?” It’s not that she hadn’t thought of something similar but usually such self-contained performances ultimately depend on who wears it. The wearer’s social status and appearance determine that. “That’s why we need to make it possible in our own way.” “What’s that?” “Magic.” At Rudger’s firm answer, bewilderment settled on Violetta’s face. “Magic...” As she was about to say that would be impossible, she suddenly fell silent at a thought that struck her. Her eyes scanned Rudger’s figure at the same time. “That magic you used, Owner. It was definitely in the form of clothing, right?” Rudger silently nodded. This time it was Violetta who fell silent as if deep in thought. However, her sparkling eyes clearly showed countless ideas bursting like fireworks in her mind. All sorts of different thoughts bubbled up in Violetta’s head. But those bubbles didn’t pop. For clothing incorporating magic there were too many options to choose from. Considering the remaining time, they could only make one piece. Moreover, she couldn’t do it alone and would need help, but if they made it and if they showed it to people. “Owner.” “Speak.” “I need to see the model to decide. A model worthy of the finest clothing.” Rudger immediately stood up from his seat. “Are you leaving?” “If I’m going to bring Cinderella, I should move right away.”

Chapter 424

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