After dinner, Nightingale returned to the bedroom with the box in hand. Before she could open it, Lightning, Maxie, Lily, and Mystery Moon burst in, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the cardboard box in her hands.
"What's up?" Wendy couldn't help but laugh. "Want to see what it is?" All three nodded in agreement, except Lily.
"Your Highness is being biased!" Lightning muttered. "Not letting you drink is one thing, but why not even give you a gift!" "He said it's only for adult witches," Lily sighed. "You can ask him when you're an adult. And I don't care what's inside—why drag me into this." "Wait," Mystery Moon stammered. "I just called you, not dragged you." "I—" "Stop, that's not the point!" Lightning snapped. "Mystery Moon's grown up, Maxi's grown up, but they didn't get it!" "Exactly, Goo!" Maxi pushed aside her white hair that covered her face, lifting her chin in protest. "I didn't get it either!" "Well... Your Highness must have his own reasons," Nightingale muttered, puzzled. Roland never treated people differently before—why was he being selective this time? "Let's check what's inside first." They opened the box and saw a strange "clothing item" —it looked like a bundle of fabric straps and pockets, soft to the touch, clearly made of fine silk. But it didn't look like a proper garment because it was too small.
"There's a piece of paper down there," Lightning shouted.
The nightingale spread out the note and found it contained a description of the gift and instructions for use, with a picture provided alongside the instructions.
"Uh..." Wendy opened her own box. "This thing is called a bra?" "...It helps relieve chest pressure, improves blood circulation, maintains posture, and reduces friction discomfort." Nightingale's voice faded as she felt her cheeks suddenly burn. Was this really meant to support the chest? She instinctively glanced at Wendy, only to find the entire Witch group had turned their gaze toward her, their faces lighting up with sudden realization.
"Pfft," Lily couldn't help but laugh. "Now you know why you didn't get the gift, right? Tsk tsk, let me correct my earlier remark—Lightning probably won't have this gift after he turns adult." "You're implying you do," Mysterious Moon glared at her.
"I don't care." The latter rolled his eyes.
"Is this something like a corset?" Lightning was the only one completely unmoved, his eyes brimming with curiosity and envy. "Can you show me?" "Absolutely not!" Wendy's face turned awkwardly flushed, her embarrassment barely visible. After shooing the four out, she finally let out a sigh of relief. "How could Your Highness suddenly... give us this?" Nightingale felt a bit embarrassed too. While it was acceptable to give undergarments, everyone else wore clothes made from castle fabric, and no one ever felt uncomfortable about it. But this was clearly tailored to different sizes—did Roland have carefully measured each person's... measurements beforehand? The thought made her blush so intensely that she couldn't help but think of hiding in the mist.
Oh, and what would Anna do?
"I'll be back shortly," the Nightingale said, parting the mist and passing through the wall. When she reached Anna's bedroom door, she hesitated for a moment before finally knocking to enter.
The door opened swiftly. Anna stood in her nightgown. God was as usual, "Is there something?" "Uh, I just wanted to ask..." Nightingale turned and closed the door after entering. "Your Highness's gift... What do you think?" "I've already put it on—it's quite comfortable." The reply caught her off guard. "Put it on?" "Hmm," Anna nodded. "Do you want to see it?" "No, no need," she waved her hand nervously, hesitating. "I just wanted to ask—doesn't this seem odd to you?" "Why?" Anna asked, puzzled. "Your Highness said he wanted to promote this as merchandise, so we needed to help him try it on. And it's actually pretty good," she patted her chest. "Soft and lightweight. Except for the hook on the back that's hard to remove, it's better than wearing an extra layer of underwear." Now she understood... Nightingale couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She hadn't paid attention to such trivial details, focusing instead on Your Highness's goal. Perhaps this was what made her different—pure and straightforward. As a gift from Roland, Nightingale knew she'd try it anyway. So why be so coy? She'd done the same before. There was no need to hide things. Just tell him her thoughts openly. If it were Anna, she'd do exactly that.
With this thought, the Nightingale returned to her room, examined the bra intently, then slipped into the mist, fastened it, and slipped into her coat before reappearing before Wendy.
"It's a bit too big," she tried to bounce around, "but it's much more comfortable to wear. At least you don't have to endure the discomfort of rough fabric that causes chest irritation from rubbing. Plus, it doesn't restrict movement at all and eliminates the need for a bra strap—quite convenient... Why don't you try it?" "No, I still don't want to use it..." Wendy shook her head.
"That's not right," the Nightingale said with a wry smile, pulling him into the mist. "I always thought Your Highness designed this garment specifically for you."
Hilvy felt that she had seen more strange things today than in the past few years.
A pipe that flows water with a simple switch, soap that emits a faint fragrance, and liquor that burns the throat—yet Evelyn could still accompany Your Highness to finish all three cups?
The most baffling part was the complimentary clothing given after dinner... She knew Noble houses did offer corsets, but others would at least pair them with a fitted evening gown—why would they give them outright? Even when given as gifts, the recipients were usually very close ones... like a lover.
As you can hear, Your Highness isn't just handing out undergarments to witches—he's planning to distribute them across the Western Lands. Sylvie couldn't help shuddering. Who among the Nobles would personally handle such a business? Or is it... his unusual fascination with breasts and buttocks?
After the Nightingale lured Wendy into the mist, she could only vaguely see two hazy figures drifting near the bed—having stayed out for so long, it was clear that, under the former's coaxing and urging, Wendy had likely accepted the gift. What about the other witches? Did they all fail to grasp the meaning of offering intimate garments?
Hearing Ash's warning, Sylvie couldn't help but swallow hard.
She's absolutely right—Your Highness is a dangerous figure, and if you can, it's best to keep your distance from him.