Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 4/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

***

A moment later, we discovered a serious problem.

“Too small.”

“Try this one.”

“It’s tight.”

“Then this one!”

“It doesn’t fit.”

The large ready-made jackets I was randomly pulling from the hangers and handing to Richard were all too small for him.

“Given your excellent physique, I’m afraid the average southern noble male measurements won’t do at all…”

Madame Tartine’s words decreased as she worried.

This won’t do!

“Regrettably, I won’t be able to buy my clothes here today.”

Unlike his words of regret, his expression had returned to that annoyingly pleasant look.

“Let’s buy more clothes for you instead. Hats or gloves would be nice too.”

Ah, no way. Trying to throw someone else into chatter hell!

I flashed my eyes and grabbed Madame’s shoulders.

“Madame. Alterations, you can do them quickly, right? Please say you can.”

“O-Of course.”

Caught off guard, Madame nodded and had her assistant bring a measuring tape.

The assistant who had backed away from Richard due to my earlier outburst approached while watching my reaction carefully.

“Um, to make alterations, we need to take the Admiral’s measurements…”

“Don’t you have records from previous orders here?”

“They might have changed since then…”

At those words, Richard gave me a smug smile as if to say ‘what now?’ Damn. I hadn’t thought of this.

“Huh-. So you dare to lay hands on Richard’s body?”

The assistant trembled at my sigh filled with irritation.

Seeing this, Richard spoke as if there was no other choice.

“Since my lover is like this, I suppose it’s not possible.”

“Not possible? That’s ridiculous!”

Until you experience the same ear-bleeding storm of chatter that I did today, I absolutely won’t let you go.

“Give it here. I’ll measure him myself.”

If I endure this brief annoyance, I’ll get to enjoy watching Richard suffer through Madame’s chatter.

“Since we’re measuring, we should place more orders. Where do I start?”

At my curt question, Madame chuckled and answered.

“Let’s start with the total length.”

…I should have known when the assistant brought the footstool.

“Sigh…”

“Callia, you look tired. Why don’t we stop?”

Measuring a man three times my size was definitely not an easy task.

“Stay still.”

“I haven’t moved.”

“Don’t talk either.”

Stretching out my hand with the measuring tape to measure the back width across the shoulder blades, it feels like I’m crossing the American continent.

Then there were unfamiliar measurements like sleeve length, armhole depth, and more.

Ugh, this is hard. You’d believe me if I said I was doing measuring tape stretches.

“I think the measuring tape is too short.”

When I got irritated while measuring his chest circumference and blamed the tool, Richard smiled with curved eyes and retorted.

“I think your arms are too short.”

“You’re just unnecessarily broad-chested.”

“It’s not just my chest that’s big.”

What did I just hear?

“Hey, Richard. Are you crazy?”

When I shot him a shocked glare, he raised one eyebrow in puzzlement.

“I meant height. What were you thinking?”

Damn. I threw the measuring tape on the floor.

“I quit.”

“Alright.”

As if he’d been waiting for me to give up, he smiled victoriously and said to Madame.

“Please use the measurements from the jacket I’m wearing as reference for alterations. Something with a similar design. No need for custom orders.”

Wow! Why didn’t I think of that?

No, more than that, this person knew the solution but still made me go through all that pretense!

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!”

When I opened my mouth wide and pointed at him, Richard gently took my hand in his gloved one and held it down.

Having barely regained half my sanity, I gritted my teeth and muttered.

“I didn’t think you were this kind of person…”

“I didn’t know you were this type either.”

As if all the proper behavior he’d shown until now was a fraud, he said with an innocent smile that made him even more annoying.

I want to completely cancel all the guilt I felt earlier about possibly causing s*xual embarrassment to an innocent person.

But incredibly, as we paid and left the salon, Madame said something like this:

“You two have such a wonderful relationship. Truly, it’s so lovely to see.”

Even the assistants standing in line nodded with faces full of smiles, which left me dumbfounded.

I understand that running a dress shop involves some level of customer service, but…

‘Or did I cause less trouble than I thought?’

But after enduring Madame’s chattering attacks for so long, I didn’t have the energy left to cause any more trouble.

“Thank you.”

“I’m not thankful.”

“Really?”

“Sigh… Why should I be thankful for stating the obvious?”

Though I mustered my remaining strength to deliver a final blow, the dress shop staff seemed completely unaffected and remained full of smiles.

“Thank you! Please visit us again!”

They even tell me to come back while looking at me.

They probably acted that way because Richard spent a lot of money today, and since he’s an Admiral, they extended their lip service to me, who appeared to be his lover.

***

I didn’t know how long we’d been in the salon, but when we came out, the sky was already dark.

Richard murmured while looking at the pure white moon.

“It’s past dinner time.”

“Let’s each go home for dinner. I don’t have the energy to cause any more chaos today.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I don’t want to make exceptions from our first date.”

Richard was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“Right, since it’s our first date. I’ll take you to the Rabius villa.”

I got into the Aquilus family carriage he had called for.

The moonlight shattered against the black leather gloves Richard wore. They were the gloves I had gifted him.

I ordered 50 pairs of gloves, all sturdy and with non-overlapping designs.

As I looked at the moonlit street with my arms crossed, Richard asked in a voice as deep as a double bass.

“Are you angry with me?”

“Not angry, but I realized the Admiral is surprisingly petty, mean, and narrow-minded.”

“Oh my.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Since you also made me quite flustered at the tea room, I hope you’ll let it slide.”

And here I thought that was acting too.

“Were you really flustered?”

“No man wouldn’t be flustered in that situation.”

That’s true, I suppose. This man’s voice was so pleasant to hear that even his calm statements somehow sounded more appealing.

“Fine. I won’t do that again in the future, so Richard, don’t tease me like today either.”

“……”

“Why are you quiet? Are you sleeping?”

“You seem to be the one who needs sleep.”

“Why are you deflecting?”

“Aren’t you sleepy?”

“Well…”

I was sleepy. Now that someone acknowledged it, I finally felt the fatigue.

I’m not usually someone who does this much outdoor activity, but what can I do?

As the accumulated tension and fatigue from the whole day loosened, drowsiness came like waves.

‘Giving in like this. Indeed, his face has plausibility…’

After I did some head-banging a few times, he lowered himself to let my head rest on his shoulder.

“It’s fine…”

“If the mistress returns home with a bump on her head, what would your butler think of me?”

“Mikhail would… yawn scold me… That wouldn’t be good… Despite his looks, he worries a lot…”

“…….”

How strange. This morning, I had thoroughly armored my entire body to avoid even the slightest contact.

Yet now I’m defenseless, borrowing his shoulder like this.

‘I need to keep my head straight.’

This is a contract relationship.

No matter how lonely I’ve been, I’d rather not make a fool of myself by misunderstanding.

I turned my head toward the carriage window.

“Don’t be so affectionate when there’s no one watching…”

Because your shoulder is unnecessarily too stable and I might get too comfortable leaning on it, please be careful.

That’s what I meant when I mumbled those words.

His reply came belatedly.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

***

How strange. This morning, I had thoroughly armored my entire body to avoid even the slightest contact.

Yet now I’m defenseless, borrowing his shoulder like this.

‘I need to keep my head straight.’

This is a contract relationship.

No matter how lonely I’ve been, I’d rather not make a fool of myself by misunderstanding.

I turned my head toward the carriage window.

“Don’t be so affectionate when there’s no one watching…”

Because your shoulder is unnecessarily too stable and I might get too comfortable leaning on it, please be careful.

That’s what I meant when I mumbled those words.

His reply came belatedly.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”