The reason Serdin purchased nearly two hundred sets of clothes for Formo despite Kert’s attempts to dissuade him was very simple. It was because he felt pleasure in dressing Formo. That was purely the only reason. Formo, who didn’t know this, looked at the order form Serdin was writing with a dazed expression.
When he lived in Arancha, he rarely had occasion to count up to units exceeding one hundred, so Formo, who was unaccustomed to large numbers, asked Serdin with surprised eyes.
“H-how many sets?”
“156 sets.”
The more he mulled it over, the more it was a number beyond imagination. Would he even be able to wear all 156 sets? Formo finally realized why Kert had tried to stop Serdin. This was overconsumption. Formo belatedly reached out to snatch away the order form Serdin was writing, but was blocked by Serdin’s hand.
“Pipi, what are you doing?”
“It’s too many! When will I ever wear all that!”
“What’s so many about 156 sets, Pipi?”
“I definitely won’t be able to wear them all.”
“If you’re really worried, just wear three sets a day. Then you’ll wear them all quickly.”
“What? Say something that makes sense, you wretched jaguar!”
Formo shouted with triangular eyes. Parodean and Kert, who heard the part about “wretched jaguar,” were horrified.
“Why doesn’t it make sense?”
Yet Serdin, the person in question, was completely calm. Rather, he looked like he was enjoying being called by such a title by Formo.
“……Th-there are many buttons. How can you tell me to change three times……”
When Formo muttered in a subdued voice, Serdin replied with a bright smile.
“As I said earlier, Pipi. You can just use me.”
Formo frowned at Serdin’s voice, which seemed somehow filled with pleasure. Serdin, who noticed Formo’s crumpled brow, pressed it flat with his long index finger and said.
“Pipi, now we need to take your measurements.”
Parodean, who had been blankly eavesdropping on Formo and Serdin’s conversation, snapped to attention at those words and gestured to call his assistant. When the assistant who approached took out a measuring tape from his bag, Serdin naturally extended his hand.
The assistant, who was about to hand the measuring tape to Parodean, looked up at Serdin with a troubled expression.
“……Uh, Luke? Give the measuring tape to His Highness.”
“Yes……”
The assistant, who answered reluctantly, handed the measuring tape to Serdin and stepped back. Serdin, who held the measuring tape in his hand, lifted Formo from the sofa and took him behind the partition.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“I’m going to take your measurements.”
“Why are you doing this……”
“Are you curious why I’m taking the measurements, Pipi?”
Serdin, who wrapped the measuring tape around Formo’s shoulders once, asked as he raised both of Formo’s arms up a little this time.
“Mm.”
Serdin’s hands came in between his armpits. When the measuring tape held in Serdin’s hands wrapped around his chest area, Formo flinched and trembled at the unfamiliar sensation.
“Pipi, think about it. Could I entrust such an important task to someone else?”
Serdin’s voice whispering near his ear was low. As if displeased just by imagining it, his voice was mixed with slight irritation. Was it something like not wanting his pet, in which he took great interest, to be handled by another beastman? Though he didn’t want to admit it, looking at Serdin’s actions, it was true that he saw him as something like a pet.
Formo concluded Serdin’s incomprehensible reaction that way and swallowed the answer that ‘I don’t care who takes my measurements.’ The hand that had been measuring Formo’s chest circumference slowly descended and soon reached his waist. While measuring Formo’s waist circumference, Serdin naturally touched his flat stomach.
“Our Pipi is thin even after becoming a beastman.”
“S-stop touching.”
“Even though you eat well, you’re not gaining weight…… Could there be a problem with your health?”
Serdin, who was measuring his waist circumference, muttered in a deliberately serious tone. Formo wanted to ask if this wasn’t something to talk about while taking measurements, but he swallowed that question too.
Kert swallowed a sigh while looking at the silhouettes of Formo and Serdin reflected on the partition. He was worried about what Parodean, a tailor renowned even in the capital, would think of Serdin. What if she saw him as a fool doting on someone, or a good-for-nothing who wouldn’t be fit to lead Tersium in the future?
Even if Parodean thought that way, the fortunate thing, if it could be called fortunate, was that it was unlikely to become a rumor circulating around. Parodean was not only outstanding in skill, but also famous for being tight-lipped.
He pressed his temples repeatedly while glancing at Parodean.
“……Oh my.”
Sure enough. Parodean was covering her mouth with her hand and letting out an exclamation. It seemed she had caught on to Serdin’s doting aspect that Kert had tried so hard to hide. No, perhaps she had noticed to some extent from when Formo and Serdin had that quarrel over the name.
Kert’s gaze turned to the partition. With the strange quarrel over the name, the silhouettes reflected on the partition, and hearing the bizarre conversation coming from inside on top of that, there was no way she wouldn’t catch on.
“Pipi, you’re not tensing your stomach on purpose, right? I won’t tease you, so relax a bit. Hm?”
“……Are you joking?”
“Never mind then. If you’re this thin when you’re not even tensing your stomach…… I really need to call Sara.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me! If you keep doing that, I’ll peck you!”
“Ah, Pipi. Have you finally decided to give me a kiss?”
“What are you talking about! I said I’ll peck you, not kiss you!”
“Yes. I’ll look forward to it, Pipi.”
Kert glared resentfully at the silhouettes of Serdin and Formo, who were babbling as they pleased regardless of who was outside, then turned his gaze away.
“The two of you……”
Parodean’s lips, who had been silent for a while listening to the conversation, opened. Kert’s body tensed.
“Must be quite close.”
At the unexpected reaction, Kert let out an awkward laugh. It was an ambiguous situation to answer no, but also vague to answer yes. Still, it was true that Serdin and Formo weren’t on bad terms with each other, so he decided not to bother denying it.
“I suppose…… so?”
“Yes. It’s nice to see.”
Serdin, famous for his bad personality, treated Formo quite devotedly, so it couldn’t help but be nice to see.
At Parodean’s words, Kert laughed quietly, “Haha.” Parodean was one of those who knew very well the stories circulating in the capital. Since she ran a large clothing shop, she naturally would have heard many stories. Among them, there would surely be stories related to Serdin.
Yet seeing Parodean not saying a single word, Kert was inwardly relieved. At least there would be no stories leaking out about what Parodean witnessed here. The problem was her assistant Luke, but while thinking that Parodean would surely keep him in check, he kept glancing in that direction with lingering worry.
“Don’t worry, Chief Aide.”
Parodean smiled with pursed lips as if understanding Kert’s concern. At such an appearance from Parodean, a smile of relief also appeared on Kert’s lips.
After Parodean and her assistant left, the situation was settled to some extent. Kert caught Serdin, who was about to return to his room with Formo. It was Kert’s serious and resolute expression that he hadn’t seen in a long time. Serdin had no choice but to send Formo into the room first, then came to the office.
When Serdin leaned against the desk at an angle and sat, Kert opened his mouth.
“Your Highness, you must be careful of situations like just now.”
“Why?”
Serdin raised his eyebrows obliquely and asked back. Because he truly looked like he didn’t know the reason, Kert had no choice but to let out an empty breath.
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? We’re in a situation where we’re afraid people will find out that you’re living with Pipi-nim, but if it becomes known in the capital that Your Highness thinks particularly highly of Pipi-nim……!”
“Is that a problem?”
“It would be stranger if it weren’t a problem!”
Kert had no disagreement with the fact that Formo gave Serdin pleasure. He was just worried about Serdin, who didn’t even think of controlling his words and actions when it came to Formo. And also the nobles’ misunderstandings that would arise from it.
“Your Highness, aren’t you the Crown Prince? What will the nobles of the capital think? Surely.”
“Whatever those things think, what does that have to do with me?”
“Your Highness.”
“If they’re dissatisfied, tell them to wear the crown.”
“……Your Highness.”
Kert couldn’t help but gape. It was because he hadn’t expected Serdin to be so unreasonable at all.
“H-how can you say you’d hand over the crown so easily? If His Majesty heard, he would wipe away tears!”
“Kert.”
“……Yes.”
“Do you think there’s really a bastard who would take it and wear it just because I hand over the crown?”
Kert’s mouth snapped shut. Serdin was right. There were no nobles in Tersium Empire who coveted the imperial throne. The reason they didn’t covet the imperial throne was simple. As long as their own territory was preserved, they didn’t care about the imperial throne or anything else.
Not only that, but anyway in Tersium, one species couldn’t continue the imperial throne for more than three generations. So why would they bother to usurp the throne? The opportunity came fairly to anyone who belonged to the feline predator beastmen. Even then, many gave it up saying it was too troublesome.
Moreover, Serdin was scheduled to become the last-generation emperor of this jaguar imperial dynasty.
“Kert.”
“……Yes.”
“Instead of worrying uselessly, bring more documents.”
“Yes, yes?”
At words he hadn’t expected, Kert opened his eyes wide. He covered his mouth as if he’d heard a touching story and even got teary-eyed.
“Is Your Highness finally changing? Are you starting to prepare to bear the weight of the crown?”
“Pipi likes it.”
“What do you mean……?”
“Pipi said he likes my handwriting.”
At the somewhat deflating reason, Kert staggered for a moment.
“If you understand, bring the documents to my room. Don’t be annoying.”
Serdin spoke coldly and left the office without lingering attachment. What remained was only Kert, who had become a mess from consecutive shocks.
