EDIT: By not many chapters to catch up I mean that I will have caught up to the author, not that it has ended

TL: Not many chapters left to catch up, will be focusing on True history! and maybe another project after this. True history is hard to translate on a workday when it has longer chapters (500-1000 more characters than Revolution!) and the amount of research I have to do so that will probably be mainly on weekends. 

Women are very selective when it comes to shopping for clothes, even when they are not the ones wearing them, rejecting items because of this or that.

“Ugly.”

This was the 7th outfit that the shop owner had recommended and which was rejected by Alisha.

Is it really ugly?

I tried several poses in front of the mirror to see how I looked from the back and front, but I didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with it. Honestly speaking, I actually liked this set.

“Why don’t we just get this?”

I asked to test the waters.

“No, it’s in poor taste.”

Alisha lost her patience, hooked on her leather bag and dragged me out of the shop.

“Dear customer! We still have a treasured set of clothes that are sure to please you!”

“Forget it, your shop is way too lousy. I have been utterly disappointed the moment I saw the displays as I walked in. I gave you 7 chances and you won’t get an 8th.” Alisha said to shut down the shop owner who had chased up, “Molan, let’s go to another shop.”

“Another one again?”

We’d been browsing for a long while not but Alisha had not seen anything she liked. According to what was written in the application, we had to return to the school by evening. However at the rate we are going, even if we buy the formal wear for the state banquet, I won’t have time for my own shopping.

‘What sort of clothing are you looking for, if I were to say, I think the first few were not bad.”

Alisha raised her eyebrows.

“Which set are you referring to?”

“Like… The first set.”

“Too gaudy, not suited for a formal and grand event.”

Geh, it’s true that it is a bit gaudy.

I thought for a bit, “What about the second set? It shouldn’t be gaudy.”

“The second set barely pa.s.ses, but the material is poor and the workmanship is not up to par.”

“What’s wrong with the third set then?”

“The colours are too bright. For a normal banquet it’s fine but not for a state banquet.”

“As for the rest, don’t bother,” Alisha said before I could continue, “They’re all trash.”

I squeezed past the crowds and chased up to Alisha.

“You don’t need to put so much effort on this right, who’s going to pay so much attention to whether a slave’s clothing is appropriate or not.”

“No. You are the focus of this state banquet, have you not realised this?”

“I am the focus?”

“I must dress you up to your very best in appropriate clothing, and then I have to teach you proper dining etiquette as well.” Alisha said, with further emphasis, “You must give daddy a good impression. And the first step to doing that is your presentation, which we must score high points in.”

“Eh?”

Why am I the focus of the state banquet? Why do I have to give your old man a good impression? Ah, is it to lighten the punishment he will give me? If I put it like that, that does seem necessary.

“But if we don’t buy the clothes soon, we will run out of time.”

“No problem, I’ve already decided.”

“Decided on which set?”

Alisha smiled cheekily.

“No I’ve decided to tailor a set for you.”

She waved a piece of paper clenched in her left hand.

“I got the address from the shop owner and decided to go to the manufacturer directly and have them make a set according to my instructions.”

Alisha pulled the stunned me up the carriage. It was a good thing our destination wasn’t too far and it didn’t take long by carriage or I would have gone mad from frustration as I hadn’t bought what I wanted. On entering the place, Alisha called out to a nearby worker and requested him to bring the manager out.

“The manager is busy and isn’t here, what business do you have with her?”

“Get her to hurry here with a communication spell immediately or I’ll demolish her workshop!”

I waited silently by the side, speechless.

After about half an hour, a woman who was probably the manager came running over from the door and frantically looked about before she found Alisha who was having tea. She rushed over and bowed deeply, “I did not know that Your Highness would be paying us a visit, huu, I, I’m terribly sorry to have kept you waiting.”

The manager was sweating and panting profusely.

“Good work.” Alisha set down the tea-cup as she sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, exuding the aura of royalty, “Apologies for having you rush over and stop your work but I am seeking you because my time is short and I require you to tailor a set of appropriate clothing according to my specifications.”

“May I ask for whom?”

“For him.” Alisha said as she pointed at me.

“Ah for this sir, I got it.”

Because Alisha had taken off my collar, the manager did not know that I was actually a slave, and treated me with courtesy.

A worker pushed out a cart to where we were and the manager took out a measuring tape from the cart before bowing to me.

“Sir, please raise your arms and let me measure your chest width.”

“Oh.”

I raised my arms like the manager requested and she looked like she was going to hug me as she approached me with the measuring tape open.

“Your chest is—”

“Stop right there!”

Alisha suddenly yelled, scaring the manager stiff.

“May, may I ask, what is the matter?”

“…”

I looked at Alisha and for some reason she looked very unhappy.

“Hmph… I,” she raised her voice again, “I will do the measurements!”

“Eh? There is no need for you to trouble yourself…”

“Stop blabbering! I said I’ll do it so I’ll do it!”

The manager was now terrified and bowed at a perfect right angle as she pa.s.sed the measuring tape to Alisha with trembling hands.

“I, I understand, please…”

Alisha s.n.a.t.c.hed the measuring tape and stared at me angrily.

“Molan! Raise your arms!”

“What’s with the temper.”

“Do it quickly!”

What a strange moody fellow, to throw a tantrum out of nowhere.

I raised my arms, “Come on.”

Alisha did not come to measure me. She stood at her spot and seemed to be hesitating about something, and looked over at me now and then. After a bit, she seemed to have finally decided on something and took a deep breath before she spoke in a small, thin voice.

“… Your shirt… Strip.”

“Why!?”

“Be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-because that way is more accurate!”

“How much of a difference can there be, it’s negligible!”

“No! I will not allow slipshod work! It must be perfect!” Alisha yelled fiercely with a scarlet face, “Quick! Strip! Stop blabbering!”

“No! Won’t I have no face if I strip just because you told me to!”

“How am I going to measure you if you don’t strip! Don’t you have something to buy? Stop wasting time!”

“But you can measure me without stripping! If you don’t want to waste time, then hurry up! It’s not a body check up, why do I have to strip!”

“Are you stripping or not!”

“Not!”

“Strip!”

“No! No means no!”

The books said we must protect our chast.i.ty!

“No dinner tonight if you don’t strip!”

“What!”

What humiliation… What humiliation! Being a slave is far too cruel! Not only do I have want for food and lodgings and have limitations on my personal freedom; I am even forced to do erotic things for the sake of leftovers!

Against her threat, I hesitated but eventually stripped. It was summer and I only wore one piece of clothing so it was all I wore above. The only time my body has been seen by girls is during basketball in high school gym cla.s.s. Wu, so shy.

Alisha stared fixedly at me.

“… Hehe.”

“What was that lewd laughter!?”

I hurriedly hugged myself.

“I did not!”

“You clearly did! I heard it!”

“No no no I did not! Don’t think that I’m a pervert like you! Qu-qu-qu-quickly take your hands off, I’m going to measure you!”

For a man to not dare to show one’s upper body and be afraid of being taken advantage of. When I thought of this, I felt disgusted at myself and took my hands off.

“I, I’m going to measure now.”

Alisha slowly hugged me.

“… Is there a need to stick so close.”

“…Ye, yes there is.”

“… Oh.”

“…”

“…”

“… Eh, umm, qu-qu-quite solid huh…”

“… Is that so…”

“… Un, yes…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… You’ve lost weight… You should eat more…”

“… I would like to as well…”

“… Sorry… I can’t give you proper meals in front of everyone…”

“… I know…”

“… I left some food for you in my room… But you won’t come…”

“Wu, thank you for thinking for me.”

“… Really, what is holding you back…”

“…”

“…”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Are you done measuring?”

“Eh? Ah, ye, yes I am done.”

Alisha let go of me unwillingly.

“Next is your waist…” She looked at me, “*Ke*, take off your pants.”

“No way!!!!!!!”

The measurement was finally over after much trouble. Usually the earliest that the clothes would take to finish was 25 days but Alisha gave the manager a bag of gold pieces and requested them to do it in 5 days with a completion bonus. I began picking my gift for Tina as we walked out of the workshop.

What do you want to buy? Alisha asked me but I felt that I did not need to tell her and made some random excuse. We walked through several streets but I couldn’t find anything I was satisfied with. I was downcast as there were simply too few shops here to browse. Time pa.s.sed us by as we window shopped and before we knew it, the sky was dyed red by the sun. It was soon to be the time we had to return to school and the last carriage would allow us to get back just before the time limit. There was still 15 minutes till the last carriage and so Alisha and I came to a coffee shop near the station and ordered some iced drinks to pa.s.s the time.

Alisha silently watched the pa.s.sersby outside the window as she held the starw in her mouth.

I hooked out an ice cube and bit on it, hu~ so cooling. I’m tired out after this whole afternoon of activity and roasted by the summer heat like a hotdog but just a simple ice cube rejuvenated me.

“I say.”

Alisha slowly spoke.

“Could it be that you are… Buying a gift for a girl?”

I hid my shock at her unexpected words.

“How did you find out?”

“Where ever you went, the things you looked at were hair clips, female clothing, accessories, only things that girls would use.”

“Wu.” I scratched my head, “You found out.”

Alisha’s gaze sharpened at my reply.

“Who is the one you want to give a present to? It wouldn’t be… For me right?”

“…”

“If it’s for me, you should let me try it out, or could it be you want to surprise me? Doesn’t seem like it. Then who could it be? From what I know, the number of girls you are close with is low,” she nodded, “.. Tina?”

I didn’t answer.

Alisha leaned over and spoke in an ice-cold voice.

“That’s right isn’t it? You’re buying a present for Tina… Right?”

I met Alisha’s gaze head on.

Her eyes weren’t big, and were the upturned type, which made me think of a snake who had locked on to the silent me with a cold stare and would immediately bite if I made a wrong move.