After Mother's icy warning, the dining room fell so silent that not even breathing could be heard—only the occasional clink of tableware.
Well, it was only natural. The second most powerful person in the estate was sitting there openly radiating displeasure.
"Hic…"
An uncomfortable meal for everyone.
The servants' faces were gradually turning pale, and Emily—who had unintentionally taken the brunt of Mother's anger from the closest seat—was trembling at her fingertips, desperately trying to suppress her cute little hiccups.
I couldn't just sit by and watch her be so tense. I set down my fork and, careful not to let Mother see, gently took Emily's hand.
"Eek…"
Her body flinched, and a small sound slipped out.
It wasn't loud enough for Mother to hear, but Emily glared at me with resentful eyes, biting her lip.
"..."
I gave a faint chuckle and met her gaze. She haughtily turned her head away and shook off my hand.
Is she a little mad?
Still, she seemed less tense now, which was good.
She'd been dragged into this because of me, and watching her walk on eggshells was killing me.
"Are you finished eating?"
"Oh—sorry."
As the corners of my mouth twitched, Mother speared the last piece of meat with her fork and glanced at me.
Her look clearly told me to stop fooling around and finish my meal. I picked up my fork and resumed eating.
—Clink!
"..."
After putting the final bite into her mouth, Mother set her fork and knife down on the empty plate, dabbed her lips with a handkerchief, and beckoned with her fingers to call over the head butler standing behind her.
The butler approached and lowered himself respectfully.
"You called for me?"
"I have something I wish to discuss with William alone. Everyone, leave."
"Yes, ma'am."
Placing his right hand over his chest and bowing crisply, the butler stepped back and conveyed Mother's order to all the remaining servants with a gesture.
Even Emily left, and the dining room was truly empty now.
Though everyone had gone, Mother remained silent for a while, staring at me with sharp eyes.
Ah… I haven't even finished half my food…
"..."
Feeling like I'd get indigestion if I kept eating under her gaze, I carefully set down my fork and knife.
"Do you know what you've done?"
"Hmm… Was it being late for breakfast?"
"No."
"Staying up all night?"
"Not that either."
"Running noisily through the halls?"
"Close, but no. And don't make it sound like this mother would scold her grown son over something so childish."
"Hmm… Is this about Emily?"
"Now that's finally an answer I like."
With a cold smile worthy of a northern duke from a romance novel, Mother raised her left hand and held up three fingers.
"You made Emily wear clothes no one has ever seen before."
Her thumb folded down.
"Then you held hands like you were the closest of companions."
Her index finger folded down.
"And you ran around the estate as if you meant to spread the news across the entire territory."
Finally, her middle finger folded down as well, forming a fist. She clenched it lightly and rested her chin atop it.
"What do you think?"
"I'm a complete bastard."
Mother curled the corners of her lips into a gentle smile.
"I'm relieved you at least know that. If you didn't, I was considering throwing you out of the house."
"Haha…"
"This is no laughing matter. She may be a maid, but she's a child I cherish. And thanks to someone, that cherished child's prospects for marriage have been thoroughly blocked. I could die of resentment."
"Ah… I'll take responsibility somehow—"
"How?"
"Um… If it really comes down to it, I'll take her in and live with her."
"Hah—"
Mother let out a disbelieving laugh and narrowed her eyes.
"Your attitude may be light, but I do admire the spirit."
"Haha…"
"I'll consider this a mistake and let it slide lightly for today. But if something like this happens again, I won't remain idle. Keep that in mind."
"Yes…"
I nodded, my voice barely audible.
Dropping her chin from her hand and folding her arms, Mother wore a displeased expression as she asked a new question.
"Putting that aside, what in the world possessed you to cause such a commotion? If this is some belated rebellious phase, this mother will be quite saddened."
"It's not that."
"Then?"
"Well… I made some new clothes for Emily, and they turned out really pretty. I just wanted everyone to see them."
"You cause trouble for the most idiotic reasons, you foolish son."
"Haha…"
"Good grief, you're so frustrating."
I scratched my cheek awkwardly with a sheepish smile.
I'd been so busy showing off our pretty Emily that I ended up doing something stupid.
Mother, who had been looking at me with exasperation, let out a deep sigh and lightly patted her chest a few times.
After a while of rubbing her chest to calm her rising temper, she leaned back in her chair, looking drained and weary, and spoke.
"So then, what did you mean when you suggested we dress the other maids in those clothes you were so eager to show off?"
The question I had been waiting for finally came from her lips, signaling the end of that hellish scolding.
I reflexively smiled and quickly answered.
"I tried making clothes as practice, and the results turned out pretty good. So I thought maybe we could have the other maids wear them too."
"Clothes? You used to say things like that when you were little and then gave up. What sudden wind has blown you back to that idea?"
"Because of what you said at the previous banquet."
"Explain that in more detail. I find it hard to understand how telling you to socialize more led to the conclusion that you should make clothes."
"Mother, I find people's clothes unpleasant to look at."
"William, you don't secretly hold some heretical belief in nudism, do you?"
For a moment, Mother seemed at a loss for words. She frowned, her voice tinged with genuine concern.
"No! I don't mean it like that!"
Startled by her offhand remark, I raised my voice and shook my head vigorously.
She lifted one corner of her mouth and said teasingly,
"I'm joking."
"Ugh…"
My stomach churned.
After recently being suspected of being impotent or even gay, it was hard to tell when she was joking, and it genuinely chilled me.
"So?"
"Sigh… Anyway, it's just that I feel uncomfortable looking at the clothes people wear. The corsets make everyone look like hourglasses, and everything's so flashy and chaotic that it all seems bizarre."
"Hourglasses? What an interesting impression."
Mother let out a small laugh at the word "hourglass" and nodded.
"So I ended up wanting to just shove all these kinds of clothes into the trash. I started wanting outfits with fewer decorations, ones that don't exaggerate the body shape so forcefully."
"Hm… That's something this mother of yours has wished for as well, at least a little. Dresses are terribly expensive, after all."
"Right?"
Seeing Mother glance at her own dress and shake her head as if she were sick of it made me feel a bit better.
Even if there were slight differences, we now shared a common ground: dissatisfaction with our current clothes.
While I was briefly imagining a hopeful future, Mother lifted her gaze from her dress, tilted her head slightly, and asked,
"But why the maids' clothes of all things? From the way you speak, it sounds like you want to change the nobles' fashion."
"Mother, think about it."
"…?"
"If I make clothes, do you think the nobles will actually wear them?"
"Oh…"
Mother let out a small exclamation as if she had reached a profound realization, clapped her hands lightly three times, then folded her arms again.
A cynical smile returned to her face.
"For someone who suddenly started spouting nonsense first thing in the morning, you seem to have a good grasp of your place. That reassures me a little."
I shrugged.
Even if I turn into a complete fool whenever I stand in front of Emily, I'm still someone who thinks things through.
"So I thought about what could build up results with minimal resistance, and figured maid uniforms would be a good choice. There's also my personal taste involved."
"Taste?"
"I like clean designs. Like the ones you just saw."
"I see…"
Mother gave a small nod and gently closed her eyes, sinking into thought.
Sitting quietly with her arms crossed, lightly tapping her forearm with her index finger, she finally spoke.
"I understand that you suddenly want to make clothes."
"Yes."
"But is there any reason we must designate the servants' attire in the first place?"
A reason…
Rather than launching straight into an explanation, I wanted to hear her thoughts first.
"Why do you view it negatively, Mother?"
"A maid is not a lady-in-waiting or a valet. Nor do they stand at the forefront of receiving guests like a butler. They rarely appear before people, and even when they do, it's usually only the head maid whose face is seen. So why should we provide uniforms for maids whom people rarely even see? Even if we were to make them, do you know how many maids we have in this estate? Have you calculated how much money it would cost to supply clothes to every single one of them?"
An extremely reasonable point.
"Ha."
A laugh slipped out before I could stop myself.
After all, I had been worried she might simply refuse out of hand, but instead she was voicing exactly the concerns I had anticipated.
"Well, of course I've—"
"It's not even coming out of my own pocket, so of course I've done the calculations."
"You have?"
Mother's eyes widened like a startled rabbit's.
Meeting her gaze, I gave her a relaxed smile.
"Would you like me to start with the reason, or the finances?"