A week has passed since that conversation with Esther. After gathering my things two days later, I was taken to her mansion to "learn" proper etiquette. There was so much I didn't know, and I was forced to learn it all.

And Esther's servants are strange... they seem... half-dead, as if they have no will, desires, or minds of their own.

It's not coldness or scorn when they look at me; it's just emptiness, as if they're dead inside. I don't know what Esther did to them, but it's disturbing in so many ways.

Fortunately, I have Eve and Syl'Vyr here with me. And as much as I dislike staying in this mansion, I am genuinely being taught a lot of things about this world that I never knew.

Though that's all I can do, since I'm not even permitted to wander the mansion. Everything I've seen of it so far is the outside, a few hallways, and 3 rooms.

During this past week, Esther hasn't come to see me once, but I know she's watching me through the servants, since her servants stare entirely too much at everything I do.

It's like a prison disguised as care and education, but since I can't do anything about it, I've decided to just accept it and make the most of the resources Esther gives me.

And unfortunately, I haven't seen my mother again either. Apparently, I can only see her next at the wedding due to noble conduct or something like that, which leaves me with only Esther as the thought that occupies my mind the most.

It hurts a little to know that Esther sees me as a trophy wife, and her words still hammer inside my head, but maybe it's better this way... It's not like I want her affection or care.

I just want to live and to stop her from killing everyone. And being close to her like this, I think I might find ways to learn how strong she is and maybe find her weaknesses.

"Evelyn-chan, you look thoughtful," Syl'Vyr asks while watching me observe Eve through the window. Eve is training with her sword, easily destroying training dummies.

She's been absurdly dedicated to training and getting stronger ever since we arrived at this mansion.

"Just... thinking about the wedding... it will be soon..." I say with a melancholic tone. I don't know what to expect from the wedding, and not knowing the future makes me anxious in a very negative way.

"Hmmm... Evelyn-chan, if you need a chest to cry on, you can certainly cry on mine," Syl'Vyr says in a teasing tone, using 'chest' instead of 'shoulder,' but not even her jokes help much in this situation.

"..." As she keeps talking, I look at my storage ring. For some reason, Esther didn't take it from me.

'Does she not care that I have this small bit of freedom?' Not even she can access what's inside here, so only I, the owner, know what's inside the storage ring.

"Syl'Vyr, I..." Before I can finish speaking, I hear someone knocking on the door, and the person who knocked immediately enters. I see who it is.

The person is a short woman with red eyes and long orange hair. She has a small, weak build with medium-sized breasts and an erect posture, exuding an air of elegance and nobility with a cute face, yet a seductive figure.

She's wearing a golden dress with various linear embroideries that are beautiful and create a strange synchronicity with her body.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Qheresha Yashyab, the Royal Stylist, and I've come here to take your measurements. I will be the one making your wedding dress," she says with a tone that's somewhat... critical? It's strange.

'What a strange name... it's not common among the nobility of this kingdom... which part of the continent is she from?' I'm left wondering about that, since different areas of the continent have different cultures in general, which leads to more unique names and appearances.

"H-Hello, I am..."

"I already know who you are. You are Evelyn, Esther's future wife. There's no point in introducing yourself. Shall we get this over with quickly? After all, I have to take all your measurements in at most 12 hours so I can start making your dress."

"Esther wishes for me not to touch you too much, so as not to 'damage' the product or something like that. So, the more you cooperate with me, the better for both of us," she says coldly to me.

"...Of course..." I get irritated by this. I was already frustrated with all the humiliation, and now there's this, treating me like a product.

'Why the hell does everyone think they can mistreat me like this?!!! It's so ridiculous. If only I could show them I can fight back... wait, she said she only has 12 hours?...' A slightly devilish smile forms on my lips.

"I don't want to," I say, looking at her. She looks surprised, freezing as she doesn't understand my refusal.

"What did you say?" she asks, shocked, while I rebelliously decide not to cooperate, just to show her she has no right to treat me with disdain. She doesn't even know me!!

"I'm not going to do anything. If you came here to take my measurements, I'm not interested. I won't cooperate with you. If we're done here, you may leave." I wave my hand with 'disdain' for her to leave.

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?" she says, incredulous at my 'childish' tantrum for not wanting to cooperate.

"Yes, I do. You are the stylist here. If you can't take my measurements to make the best dress, then it's your failure, not mine." I look at her with my nose in the air, feeling superior.

"I will personally speak to Miss Esther and..."

"Go ahead," I say, uninterested in this threat. I know it won't work because I know Esther relatively well, thanks to the game.

"B-But..."

"I know Esther, and she won't come running because of a tantrum of mine. And my father wouldn't care either." It's partially true. Esther won't come, but if she finds out I refused to cooperate, she will undoubtedly punish me later.

"You know what that means? That if you fail here, it will be 100% your fault." When I say this, she seems genuinely nervous. Both the Demon King and Esther are frightening demons.

"...What do you want in exchange for the measurements?" she asks, frustrated. She knows she doesn't have many choices.

"Respect. I am not merchandise or a product." I say with courage. It's bad enough that Esther walks all over me; I'm going to push back too!! I know she can't hurt me or force me to do anything because if she injures me, Esther will kill her.

Not that I want that! I don't want Esther to kill her! I just want her to respect me like anyone else!

"...I apologize for my... incorrect way of addressing you... Please allow me to take your measurements properly," she asks with a fake smile on her face. She herself said she has no time to waste; meaning, me not cooperating will cause problems for her.

"...Better... Syl'Vyr, stay seated there on the sofa and tell me if she does anything suspicious," I say in a considerably arrogant manner. I'm venting all my frustration on her. I'm going to make a point of complaining a lot about everything she does.

"..." I watch as she takes something out of a storage ring. It's like a small platform that she tosses on the floor. It expands a bit, glowing in shades of orange.

"Step on it... I mean, could you please step onto this platform? This will help me take the measurements without you needing to be naked," she says with barely contained disdain.

"Yes..." I step onto the platform and immediately feel a slight chill coming from it, just as I can feel the magic flowing.

'I've gotten better at sensing magic... strange... magic is such a strange thing...' I'm not quite sure what to think about magic.

"..." Qheresha takes a clipboard and writes some things down while I feel the magic in the air. I soon notice I'm wearing a strange, translucent, all-black dress, but I can't feel it on my body.

"What is this..."

"The mold of your dress. It helps to see the measurements."

"Why black?" I ask, confused. If this mold is for the wedding dress, shouldn't it be white to see how it looks on me?

"Because Esther decided you will wear black at the wedding. So your entire dress will be black. I'm thinking of using purplish obsidian black, along with softer layers of 70% black, and to highlight the dress's details, I'll use 80% dark gray," she says things I don't understand.

I end up not bothering her anymore as she observes me and takes notes. It seems everything is done through magic, so she only touches me to make slight adjustments to my position.

And despite trying to find things to complain about, I find nothing. She practically doesn't speak and just takes notes, and her touches are genuinely careful. Besides, I don't understand dressmaking that well, even though I've made a few dresses myself.

And after 5 hours of this, I'm tired of standing, to the point where I started following her instructions properly just to make it faster.

She saw way too much! I saw her clipboard, and it has absurdly intimate measurements of my body, even measurements of the length of my fingers and the musculature of my arm.

'What the hell are the measurements of my fingers for in a dress?! That doesn't even make any sense, right?!! RIGHT?!!' I'm tired, but fortunately, she seems to be finishing up with the measurements.

"I'm done..." she says while stepping away from me. I happily step off the platform, glad it's over.

"So now..." I try to speak, but she interrupts me.

"We are done here. I probably won't see you again, so I won't be... 'polite' as you wished. Frankly, you're quite annoying, you know?"

"Your dress is very complex! Why the hell is your body so peculiar? I've never seen the muscles of a body work in such a... uniform and balanced way."

"I hope I never have to work with you again. I'm leaving." She just says that, puts the platform back into her storage ring, and walks out the door.

"..."

"Pfff hahahaha," Syl'Vyr laughs at the interaction from her corner while I just get more irritated.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.