Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

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"That idiot Logan could never host a banquet for us; he doesn't have that kind of authority in his household yet. It must be a private invitation, so I would like each of you to craft a formal outfit for Malin, one that showcases your exquisite skills,"

These were the words of Faye when she entrusted Malin to her family's team of tailors.

"Have fun, Malin."

That was what Faye said with a smile as she handed Malin over before leaving the room.

Malin pursed his lips, feeling suddenly like he was in the shoes of Tanaka Kohei. Thankfully, the teachers here all seemed pretty normal.

He hoped he wasn't mistaken; otherwise, whether to escape through a broken window or a broken door would depend on what the ladies decided to do.

With this thought in mind, Malin noticed the tailors, with their tape measures in hand, smiling and surrounding him.

"Strip down, Mr. Priest,"

Malin was puzzled, then remembered they were supposed to measure him, so he obediently began to undo his priestly robe, revealing the neatly worn shirt and trousers underneath.

"Ah, truly the garments of the common folk," one of the tailors caressed Malin's collar, "The coarse texture, the erratic stitches, the haphazard cutting – every step makes my heart tremble."

"I'd bet this was the work of those pretentious folks from the Southern District," another tailor said as she examined the seams of Malin's trousers from behind, "Such a lack of patience. This isn't craftsmanship; it's just slapping something together like a mason doing a rush job."

"For them, making a silver corner per garment is already quite the business. Ladies, let's get moving. Miss Faye wants to see a completely transformed Mr. Malin in two hours."

So the ladies set to work taking Malin's measurements in a rather bustling manner, even unbuttoning his shirt to properly ascertain the measurements of his back.

Truth be told, Malin thought about running away more than once, but considering the ladies indeed had no other intentions, and their... their faces were sincerely devout.

That kind of passionate and sincere love for tailoring, Malin had seen it before when he was little in the orphanage, like the elderly lady who would hold her needle and thread with the same devoutness as a pilgrim on a holy journey.

......

Faye stepped out into the corridor and saw her Head Maid: "Good afternoon, Lena."

"Good afternoon, Miss Faye, is that...?" She wasn't referring to Malin. As Head Maid, understanding what should and shouldn't be noticed was a matter of survival. She was curious about the Leopard Girl sitting on a sofa on the first floor.

"Maya, my good friend. Right, prepare a glass of juice for us."

"Not a problem, Miss,"

After giving orders, Faye, with light steps, descended the stairs, smiling as she took out a hairbrush from behind her back upon seeing Maya turn her head, "This is said to be the hottest-selling grooming tool in The Great Forest Land. Want to try it?"

"Where's my brother?" Maya asked, neither accepting nor refusing the offer, but instead inquiring about her brother.

Faye pointed upstairs, "The tailors are preparing fitted clothes for him. As soon as they finish with him, it will be your turn."

"Me too?" After saying this, Maya instinctively glanced at herself.

Faye nodded with a smile: "Yes, even though you're a Cat Person, you need new clothes as well, so I have prepared an outfit as a birthday gift for you." With that, Faye again lifted the hairbrush she held.

"Alright then." Eyeing the brush before her, Maya decided to give it a small try. If it hurt, she wouldn't use it.

......

Malin finally finished playing the role of a human mannequin and was ushered out of the room by the tailors. He put on his shirt, donned his priest robes, and headed towards the staircase leading to the first floor. There, he noticed a portrait of Mowish hanging on the wall— the one from the hundred-dollar bills.

"Good afternoon, sir, this is my first time seeing you outside of money." Malin took off his cap and offered a salute with a bit of mischief toward the portrait.

Then Malin jogged down the stairs, finding Maya in the embrace of Faye, who was grooming the younger girl's fur.

"I'm done, Maya. You're up next."

So Maya went upstairs, looking back three times with each step, her face full of reluctance to leave the hairbrush behind.

"Maya is such a good girl. I really wish I had a sister like her. It's a pity that I'm the youngest child and it seems unlikely that my status will change anytime soon." At that, Faye sighed and added, "Speaking of which, Lord Gaiate really has no clue about children, you're such an idiot. Maya's fur is slightly discolored; a Cat Girl like her should be well taken care of."

Malin laughed somewhat apologetically. In truth, he knew nothing; combining both his lives, the only facial product he ever used was probably just Ponds.

"But no worries, leave it to me. I'll give Maya a bath today." Faye declared with a self-assured satisfaction, "Just leave it to me."

"Thank you so much." Malin never thought a girl like Faye would be willing to do such a thing.

"Well, I'm Maya's sister after all," Faye finished with a smile as a maid appeared in Malin's view.

Malin felt his hackles rise—this lady gave him an unease that far surpassed anything else he had encountered in recent times. If those were considered dangers, her presence might well be the equivalent of the apocalypse.

Yet, she smiled, placed the tray in her hands with coffee, milk, and sugar on the coffee table, and asked, "Coffee with milk and sugar, do you like it?"

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