I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace - Chapter 2415: Spreading Aftermath ⑯

Marie is the fourth daughter of the Barony, and since she is neither an heir nor in line for succession, she rarely appears in social gatherings. Although Baron Ritch does differentiate among his heirs, he loves all his children equally, so occasionally she is allowed to attend less formal parties. Still, her position is such that she could never dream of interacting with influential people, and her experience is overwhelmingly lacking.

……Yes, to put it bluntly, Marie’s mental capacity had already been thoroughly exceeded the moment she faced Elune, and even though it concerned her own affairs, it all felt like an unreal, dreamlike state.

Even now, to escape the pressure of such intense mental strain, she unconsciously avoided thinking about difficult matters, keeping her thoughts somewhat optimistic.

(……As expected of a high-end store favored by the nobility. Was that a Countess over there? I’m not very familiar with the nobles’ faces, so I can’t say for sure, but being able to come to a clothing store I’d always thought I’d never have access to is, after all, a little thrilling. Though perhaps I’m a bit too nervous, I thought I heard Kaito-sama say the budget was “three gold coins”. Fufufu, it’s embarrassing that I was so surprised when I should have realized it was ridiculous with just a little thought. After all, that kind of amount is for dresses that high-ranking noble daughters wear for special parties on commemorative occasions, not for someone like me, the fourth daughter of a Barony.)

Her sense of money is closer to that of a commoner than a noble, and since she usually wears her sisters’ hand-me-downs, anything costing gold coins is far beyond her expectations.

Thus, she had convinced herself that the budget Kaito mentioned was three silver coins…… or rather, it could be said she was desperately averting her eyes from reality.

If she thought about it rationally…… a gift of clothing from someone who had previously sent her a teleportation magic tool in return for ripples…… could it really be contained within such a modest budget? Dıscover more novels at novel⦿fire.net

But no matter how much she avoided reality, the time would come when she had to face it…… and so, when the shop assistant presented the candidate dresses, she had no choice but to confront reality.

[This dress, while having a generally calm design, features decorations made with a special thread called Stardrop, which sparkles as it catches the light.]

[I- I- I- Indeed. It’s certainly dazzling.]

Kaito remarked on the dress’s sparkling effect under the light, and Marie, flustered, nodded while her eyes darted around.

(……Stardrop? W- Wait a minute. I heard about it from Elder Sister…… Isn’t it a super-high-end thread that easily exceeds the cost of an ordinary dress, even for just a few meters? And they’ve used so much of it…… N- No, that means, no matter how I think about it, this can’t possibly be measured in silver coins…… E- Ehhh?)

Yes, that’s the issue. The dress brought by the shop assistant was, quite literally, on a completely different scale from what Marie had imagined.

To Marie, it was the kind of clothing that could only be seen in magazines or admired on display in stores, a class of dress that should not exist within her reach.

[It’s just, if it’s too flashy, I suppose it might not suit Marie-san’s purpose, wouldn’t it?]

[T- T- T- That’s right. Something of calmer colors would be better……]

[In that case, how about this one? We focused on the texture, with a calm color palette and design.]

[Ah, t- this is nice. The colors are subdued, and……]

The next dress the shop assistant presented was a set of top and long skirt with a balanced, subdued tone, giving off elegance without being flashy or overly dress-like, matching Marie’s taste.

Feeling that it had a good atmosphere, Marie accepted the outfit, but inside, she was once again deeply flustered.

(……No, umm, the texture is unbelievable…… Isn’t the material used for this thing clearly not ordinary? It’s so soft and pleasant that I want to keep touching it, and it’s incredibly light…… And looking closely, the quality of the material is obviously……)

Unlike the previous dress, which was visibly dazzling, she could understand by touch that this one was still clearly far above ordinary clothing.

[Would you like to try it on?]

[……Ehh? Ah, y- yes.]

Once again, Marie’s capacity had long since been exceeded. In her confusion, she couldn’t properly think through her answer, so she simply went along with it and began to try the outfit on.

Fortunately, the size seemed to fit, so changing was smooth…… but once she wore it, she realized even more clearly just how incredibly high-end it was.

(Amazing. The texture is incredible…… Eh? How much is this? I can tell it’s an unbelievably good dress, but with my knowledge, I have no idea about the price…… But then again, in this situation where Kaito-sama is purchasing it, would it be rude for me to ask the price? Ah no, and it’s not like it’s even decided that I’m buying it……)

Having finished trying it on, she stepped out of the fitting room, and Kaito smiled as he spoke.

[It suits you very well. The subdued color palette seems to match you, Marie-san.]

[Yes, indeed. A gentle and refined young lady like you looks best in calm, elegant clothing.]

Following Kaito’s praise, the female shop assistant also complimented her with a smile, but Marie forced a somewhat strained smile in response, unable to fully express her feelings.

(Praise like this, I’ve never heard in my life…… I’m not particularly beautiful, so I feel like the dress is completely outshining me…… N-no, more importantly, I want to know the price of this dress. Kaito-sama! Please! Just one sentence, one simple question!!! Ask the shop assistant “How much is this dress?”. I can’t calm my mind if I’m wearing something so obviously high-end without knowing the price……)

Of course, her wish went unfulfilled. Kaito didn’t ask about the price and simply listened attentively to the shop assistant’s explanation of the dress.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [I think Marie’s sense of money is probably about the same level as Kaori’s, but Kaito seems to be estimating her level much higher just because “she’s a noble”, right? Her lack of experience with nobility is backfiring…… Wait, this guy, the nobles he interacts with most were high-ranking ones like the Head of her Duchy, the heir of Marquisdom, and even a Prince, right!?]

? ? ? : [It’s the same with titled ranks, but somehow, Kaito-san tends to become close with people starting from the highest ranks first. The Hamilton Marquisdom is one of the largest noble families in the Archlesia Empire, and the Sharon County is among the top domestically in terms of wealth…… On the other hand, the Ritch Barony might be considered a rare exception.]