Anything But Study - Chapter 37

She had so many questions she wanted to ask. They felt like they were about to spill out of her mouth at any moment. But Melia couldn’t ask anything.

She didn’t even have the right to.

A brief silence lingered between the two of them. She needed to say something, anything, quickly. But stupidly, her mouth wouldn’t open.

‘At least I should hurry and read the book….’

Then.

An unexpected question came from Hailon.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

Melia’s eyes widened. In all the time she’d spent with Hailon, this was the first time he’d asked her something like this.

Why would he ask that?

Did he need additional tutoring tomorrow too?

That seemed likely. No matter how she thought about it, that was the only reason he’d ask about her schedule.

For now, Melia answered honestly. There was no reason to say anything else.

“I’m planning to visit my younger brother at the hospital for a bit.”

Melia went to visit Ervan every weekend.

“Then after that? You’ll have time, right?”

So he really did need more lessons.

Melia nodded.

“Okay, then I’ll come pick you up. Be ready around three in the afternoon.”

Pick her up?

“Mm, okay.”

Even as she answered, Melia couldn’t figure out his intentions at all.

If he was saying that, it was unlikely their destination was Melia’s house.

Did he have some other business?

***

Her questions were answered the very next day.

After visiting Ervan earlier than usual that morning, Melia waited for Hailon.

The curiosity gnawed at her the entire time she waited.

‘…What is it?’

She couldn’t guess his intentions at all.

Then, as time passed and it became exactly three o’clock.

A large, ornate carriage bearing the Alfred crest, the same one she’d seen before, arrived in front of Melia’s house.

No matter how many times she saw it, it looked completely out of place next to her small, shabby home.

The door opened, and Hailon stepped out.

Perhaps because of the day, his appearance looked even more striking than usual. With his neatly combed black hair, he looked especially handsome.

And compared to that, what about Melia’s outfit?

She was wearing ordinary clothes, but honestly, even her academy uniform might have been better.

Melia simply didn’t have the means to buy clothes.

Even though she’d put some thought into what she wore to meet him, her clothes still felt shabby, almost like rags.

Embarrassed for no reason, she couldn’t meet his eyes and lowered her gaze.

Whether he noticed her feelings or not, Hailon casually gestured toward the carriage.

“Get in, Melia.”

“E-excuse me.”

As she climbed into the luxurious carriage, Melia even felt apologetic.

As if this elegant carriage truly didn’t suit her at all.

The spacious interior was fascinating too.

On the last exam day, she’d taken the academy’s shared carriage to avoid unnecessary gossip, so this was her first time riding in an Alfred carriage.

‘It’s so soft.’

The seat felt even more comfortable than Melia’s bed.

“By the way, where are we going?”

“Curious?”

It was a natural question. Melia nodded slightly.

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Hailon answered playfully, as if he had no intention of telling her right away.

Melia puffed out her lower lip. What harm would it do to tell her a little?

A quiet settled inside the nearly soundless carriage.

Sneaking a glance at Hailon’s profile as he looked out the window, Melia began trying to guess their destination.

But no matter how she thought about it, there was only one possibility.

Had he found a good place to study? Were they on their way to check it out in advance?

Melia’s house was small and inconvenient, so that could be the case.

That was all Melia could imagine.

After all, was there really any other reason for her and Hailon to go somewhere together?

The only things Melia and Hailon ever did together were tutoring, and mixing bodies because of the relic.

As she was lost in thought, the carriage soon came to a stop.

“Let’s get off.”

The place they arrived at was….

A clothing boutique located right in the middle of the central district.

‘Charlette Boutique?’

That was what the sign said.

And it wasn’t a name she’d never heard before.

Melia’s eyes widened.

“Wow, Charlette only takes three clients per season. That must’ve been incredibly hard to get a reservation.”

She remembered Catherine and her group saying that on the day of the monthly exam.

Why are we here?

Suddenly, Melia recalled again that Hailon was attending the seasonal party this time.

He must be one of the three clients who’d booked this season. If so, maybe they’d come to have his outfit made.

‘But then why am I here?’

Soon, Melia arrived at what seemed like the most reasonable conclusion.

Just like Catherine brought other friends along when she had her dress made, maybe Hailon needed her for that purpose.

Still, even so, she was a woman. It would be hard for her to properly judge men’s clothing.

And she didn’t have any sense for judging what looked good, either.

Ah. Could it be?

Did he not have anyone to go with him?

Thinking about it, there was always no one around Hailon.

Even trying to recall who he was close with, there wasn’t a single person who came to mind.

Even before Melia and Hailon became entangled through tutoring, hadn’t he always been alone?

She had Rosha, but Hailon….

It seemed he didn’t have anyone he could comfortably visit a boutique with.

She didn’t know who was feeling sorry for whom, but it didn’t feel good.

Everyone found Hailon uncomfortable.

And honestly, once she realized the boutique was their destination, she grew curious too.

Without thinking, she imagined Hailon dressed in a splendid formal outfit.

What kind of design would suit him?

No. For Hailon, maybe anything would suit him.

Bright outfits, dark outfits, everything would probably look good on him. After all, he was Hailon.

As various images flickered through Melia’s mind, a high-pitched voice rang out.

“Young Duke! Welcome. Thank you for visiting our boutique.”

A red-haired woman who looked to be in charge hurried over to greet him.

She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, and when she noticed Melia, a broad smile spread across her face.

“So this is her! Please, come inside.”

“Take good care of her, Madame.”

“Of course. Leave it to me!”

Huh?

Something about this conversation felt strange. It sounded less like Hailon was here for his clothes, and more like they were here for Melia.

“Come this way, young lady.”

Before she could find an answer to that doubt, Melia was pulled inside the boutique by the madame’s hand.

From the ceiling to the walls, there wasn’t a single place that hadn’t been carefully considered.

The luxuriously decorated interior made her feel inexplicably small.

Erpen was just as splendid, but that was a school. A place Melia belonged to.

This place, however, was clearly somewhere people came to spend money. It didn’t suit her at all.

“Um, excuse me, I’m not the one….”

Melia tried to correct the misunderstanding. She meant to say they were probably here to look at Hailon’s clothes, and that there’d been a mistake.

But then.

“Of course you are! I’ve been looking forward to this.”

The red-haired woman, Madame Charlette, led Melia toward the fitting room as if there had been no misunderstanding at all.

‘H-huh?’

Before Melia could even blink, she was swept along and dressed.

From a lavish dress dusted with powdered jewels, to an elegant gown layered with overlapping silk.

She didn’t know why she was wearing these clothes right now, but it was a moment she’d never even imagined in her life, that she’d ever get to put on something like this.

“Oh my, your skin is so fair. Everything suits you so well.”

This one, and this one. And she said she’d add even this to the list of candidates, speaking rapidly as if excited.

Madame Charlette was that sincere.

She was happy because no matter what she put on her, the clothes truly came alive.

The reason she accepted only a small number of reservations was because it was exhausting to make clothes she didn’t want to create.

But with this young lady, she felt a surge of excitement, like she could create as much as she wanted.

Charlette examined Melia’s outfits with even greater enthusiasm than usual.

“Which one do you like the most?”

“I, I like… all of them.”

Melia meant it sincerely. Every single one felt far too good for her.

And yet, she was still conscious of herself.

She wondered if it was really right for her to be trying on clothes like these.

“Um, is it really okay for me to say that?”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

But Charlette responded as if it were only natural that she would be making Melia’s clothes.