Having received permission to touch her body on the condition that I finish quickly, I began preparing to take her measurements, searching for a measuring tape and opening a book I had bought some time ago.
You might wonder what preparation there could possibly be for simply measuring lengths with a measly tape, but this was my first time making something to order, so I only had a vague idea of which parts I needed to measure.
Referring to the book, I marked each area I needed to measure on a rough human figure I had drawn on a sheet of pure white paper. Then I rose from my seat, stretched out the measuring tape, and approached Emily.
“Ready?”
“...”
Emily, her eyes wide open, nodded with a grave expression, as if she had just made some momentous decision to save the nation.
“Could you spread your arms a little? About enough to fit a fist under your armpit.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll start from the hips.”
After wondering where to begin, I simply chose the lowest point.
I wrapped the measuring tape around her in a wide loop, tightened it firmly, and read the number where the ends met.
Normally, you were supposed to lay it against the skin, but since I was measuring over clothes right now, if I didn’t tighten it, the clothes would end up one size too big.
“Hnng...”
As I tightened the tape and my hand pressed lightly against her hips, a faint, delicate moan mingled with Emily’s breath.
Reading the number on the tape, I spoke as indifferently as I could.
“It’ll be over soon, so bear with it a little.”
“Young Master, your touch is rougher than you look.”
“Uh......”
I was at a loss for words.
Because there was no room for excuses—I really had been acting roughly.
As I stood there dumbfounded, opening and closing my mouth, unable to find anything to say, Emily gave a soft smile and spoke playfully.
“Hehe... I’m joking. Still, it does tickle a little, so I’d appreciate it if you were gentler.”
Her smile was so gentle, her voice so calm, that for a moment I almost mistook her for being truly unbothered.
But her restless fingers, unable to stay still, and her ears flushed red as if they might burst, clearly revealed the embarrassment she was trying to hide.
“Mm...”
This was dangerous.
The sight of her pretending nothing was wrong despite being embarrassed made my chest itch.
I had thought the mood would become awkward because of my mistake, but an unexpected blow had put me in danger right from the start.
That blow, slipping in while my guard was down, changed the reason I needed to finish quickly for Emily’s sake into needing to finish quickly because I was the one in danger.
“... I’ll be careful.”
Suppressing the trembling corners of my mouth, I stiffened my expression and loosened the tape.
My ears and nape were burning, so I wondered whether there was any point in hiding my expression, but thinking it would still be better than openly showing how shaken I was, I wrote the number down on the paper.
_
“Phew...”
With her left wrist as the final measurement, I finished measuring every necessary part and let out a long breath that felt not merely warm, but hot.
As the tension drained away, fatigue and dizziness rushed in.
Only five minutes.
The measurements that had begun from her hips had taken only five minutes at most, but subjectively, it felt as if fifty minutes had passed.
“Is it over now?”
As I straightened my back and massaged my neck after tossing the tape and paper onto the desk, Emily, who had maintained her silence ever since letting out that soft laugh, finally opened her mouth.
Emily looked no less exhausted than I did.
I looked at her and grinned.
“Yeah, I found out everything I needed.”
“I see. You worked hard.”
“What do you mean, I worked hard? You had it harder, putting up with my stubbornness.”
“... Haha.”
Emily’s eyes trembled slightly, and she laughed awkwardly as she subtly looked away.
“......”
Watching her, I gave a bitter smile.
Now that my head had cooled, I realized all too clearly that I had acted like a scoundrel toward Emily today.
Belated guilt washed over me.
“Tsk...”
Clicking my tongue lightly, I opened the top drawer of my desk.
Among the odds and ends lay a cloth bundle by itself.
I picked it up and closed the drawer.
“Take it.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, take it.”
Then I placed the bundle in Emily’s hands as she stood there looking puzzled.
“What is this...?”
“Cookies.”
The contents of the bundle were cookies my mother had handed over to me yesterday, saying they were too sweet.
Originally, I had planned to eat them with tea during teatime, but I thought giving them to Emily as an apology would be fine too, so I handed them over just like that.
It wasn’t as if I couldn’t drink tea without cookies.
“Eat them with your coworkers, sneak them by yourself—do whatever you want. I’m giving them to you as an apology because I did a lot of things I’m sorry for today.”
“But this is...”
“Don’t refuse. Just take them. Otherwise, I think I’ll really feel bad.”
“Thank you.”
Emily put the bundle into her pocket and bowed her head politely.
It would have been easier on my conscience if she showed even a slightly cold attitude, but the more courteous Emily was, the more unsettled I felt.
“Then, is there anything else I can help you with today?”
As I scratched my cheek awkwardly and kept my mouth shut, Emily glanced at the desk and spoke.
Hearing her question, I immediately shook my head.
“No, nothing. Could you come again tomorrow morning?”
“Yes. I have to come change your bedding anyway.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s nothing.”
Emily lifted the corners of her mouth, wearing a faint smile.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Yeah. Sorry for bothering you.”
“If you’re sorry, then please be careful next time.”
“Got it.”
“Then, Young Master, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
After leaving a polite farewell, Emily closed the door and disappeared.
As soon as Emily vanished, I turned away from the door, headed to the desk, and picked up my pen.
“Mm~ Shall I get started, then...”
For Emily’s sake, I’d better work hard!
_
“... ......”
Someone was whispering in a gentle voice by my ear.
I wondered if they were trying to wake me, but the voice was far too kind for that; instead, it made me sink deeper and deeper into sleep.
It would be fine to fall asleep using that voice as a lullaby, wouldn’t it?
“......!”
“Ssgh... ugh...?”
A voice tinged with irritation.
Then, at the soft touch grabbing the nape of my neck, I hurriedly swallowed the drool that had been dribbling out and opened my eyes.
“You’re finally awake, Young Master.”
“... Emily?”
Emily was standing beside me, looking down at me as she kneaded the nape of my neck.
I hadn’t called Emily, so why was she standing here?
As I blinked my bleary eyes and stared blankly at her, Emily let out a small laugh, bent her knees slightly, and brought her eyes level with mine as she spoke.
“Yes, it’s Emily.”
“Why... why are you here already? It’s still dawn...”
“Because it’s morning.”
“Morning...?”
I turned my head and looked out the window.
The sun had fully risen, and a vast blue sky filled my vision.
“Huh?”
“Young Master, when did you go to sleep yesterday?”
“Uh... I put my head down for a moment when the sun was coming up... blinked once, and Emily was here.”
“You didn’t answer when I called, and you didn’t appear even though it was breakfast time, so I came looking for you.”
“Breakfast time?”
If it was breakfast time now, then I had slept for at least two hours.
“Oh, no... I’m in trouble.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I was going to rest for a bit and fix any strange parts, but I fell asleep...”
“...?”
Both Emily’s and my eyes turned toward the desk.
Where our gazes landed, there lay a black one-piece dress, a snow-white apron, and a hairband, all neatly stacked together.
“... You made this in one day?”
“Yeah. I made it in a hurry, so the finishing is a little rough, but you can wear it right now.”
Honestly, even I thought it was pretty impressive.
I hadn’t expected to make something wearable in just one day.
“That’s impossible...”
As I glanced at Emily with a proud smile, she muttered in disbelief, then carefully picked up the dress, turning it this way and that as she began inspecting it piece by piece.
The way Emily thoroughly examined the seams, sleeves, and hem was so solemn that she looked like a soldier searching for landmines.
I watched her with satisfaction, then tossed out a casual remark.
“Want to try it on?”
“Pardon?”
“Since you’re here anyway, if you try it on and we adjust the parts that don’t fit, we won’t have to do the work twice. It’ll be easier.”
“... Me?”
Emily opened and closed her mouth like a broken machine, then tilted her head like a clueless puppy and pointed at herself with her finger.
I was certain I had said I was making clothes to give to Emily, but she was acting as if this were the first time she’d heard it. Did she think it was a joke?
That was a little annoying.
“Hurry up and try it on.”
“Uh... um, Young Master, this is so sudden, so...”
“You know where the dressing room is, right? Go put it on there and come back.”
“Young Master?”
Ignoring whatever Emily tried to say, I bent down and pulled out the box I had hidden under the desk.
I roughly brushed off the dust piled on the box, opened the lid, and took out the black flat shoes and white socks inside.
“Change into these shoes. Are you barefoot, by any chance?”
“Why are you asking that...?”
“If you are, then wear these too.”
I neatly placed the flats and socks on top of the apron and held them out to Emily.
“What are you doing? Take them.”
“Can’t I wear it later? The family head and madam are waiting in the dining room.”
“If Emily doesn’t hurry up and change, my parents are going to get very angry.”
Emily, who was hugging the dress tightly to her chest, flinched.
I felt bad for her, but if I skipped breakfast and pretended I didn’t know, I wouldn’t be the only one getting scolded.
The class system was truly unreasonable, so when someone above made a mistake, the people below got scolded along with them.
My mother might only scold me, but the head maid would be a different story.
“My arms are starting to hurt.”
“... Understood.”
Emily, being smart, surrendered quickly.
After neatly folding the dress and taking the other clothes on top of it, Emily trudged toward the dressing room.
I was really looking forward to seeing how she would look.