episode_0179

[Episode 175] – Have You Gained Weight? (1)

When fitting a dress in Wangsung, it is usually custom-made. Inviting a famous tailor to Wangsung, taking measurements, choosing the fabric, and selecting the design through consultation was a common process.

For this year’s New Year’s celebration, it was decided to invite a famous tailor to Wangsung to make the dress to be worn. Although I already had enough dresses, Titania glanced at my figure and subtly hinted.

“Mother, I hate to say this, but…”

“…I understand, don’t say it.”

Anticipating what Titania might say, I cut her off. As I covered Titania’s mouth with my hand, she smiled and scanned me from head to toe with her eyes.

Unconsciously, I sighed and twisted my body under her seductive gaze. Was it because my heart had recently loosened up, or was it due to living a modest life in the countryside and then indulging in luxury in Wangsung?

To be honest…

“The dresses I used to wear, they don’t fit quite right anymore, do they?”

“I told you not to say anything!!”

I gained a little weight.

Really just a little.

Thanks to the maids who quickly noticed my weight gain, I was currently dieting. However, dieting was not easy. I tried to lose weight by doing exercises in the room, but…

“Indeed… it will be difficult to lose it in the remaining time, won’t it…?”

“That’s right, isn’t it? It’s hard to lose weight in the places where you’ve gained it. No matter how much you try to lose it…”

As Titania spoke, her gaze on my chest and hips made me feel so embarrassed. It seemed that those areas had also grown a bit due to the weight gain, making it uncomfortable as even my underwear felt a bit tight.

“Moreover, it seems like my belly has also grown a bit, which makes me feel depressed…”

Titania said I looked healthier than before, but that was nothing more than comforting words for someone who had gained weight. As I sulked, the sound of someone knocking on the smart reception room door was heard.

“Your Majesty, the tailor has arrived.”

“Tell them to come in.”

When Titania gave her permission, Sylvia, the manager of the tailor shop, and her assistants swiftly moved various fabrics for dresses and carpets into the reception room. Without making a fuss, Sylvia quickly turned the entire reception room into her “store” and elegantly greeted Titania and me with a noble gesture.

“This time, I sincerely thank you for calling our tailor shop, Your Majesty, Your Highness. I am Sylvia Sergio, the assistant manager of the tailor shop.”

“Assistant manager?”

Titania slightly furrowed her brow at the fact that an assistant manager, not the manager, had come to such an important position, but Sylvia calmly continued without any indication.

“Yes, our manager collapsed from exhaustion this morning, so I had no choice but to come as the assistant manager for today. Please don’t worry, the manager will visit on the next occasion.”

“…I see.”

Titania seemed to reluctantly nod after observing my reaction. From Titania’s perspective, there was bound to be dissatisfaction. Sylvia looked too young.

Sylvia’s appearance, introducing herself as the assistant manager of the tailor shop, indeed looked young. With black hair like Titania’s and deep green eyes, even if she was older, she appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties.

Usually, the artisans who made clothes at the tailor shop were older. The age of the artisans was also a symbol of trust. Therefore, even if a woman in her early thirties was an assistant manager, it was hard to trust her.

Moreover, the name “Sylvia” as a tailor was not heard of through rumors. There were no rumors circulating in society, and Sylvia, who looked young, was also difficult to trust in her position as assistant manager.

“…Wait, Sergio?”

Suddenly, although I hadn’t heard the name Sylvia before, I felt like I had heard the name “Sergio” somewhere. I couldn’t remember well, but it was definitely a familiar surname.

“Where was it? It wasn’t a bad memory…”

Furrowing my brow to recall the surname ‘Sergio,’ I flicked my finger at a sudden memory. It was definitely the last name of the woman I had met during Titania’s first “children’s social circle.”

“Oh, Elise Sergio’s wife?”

“Huh? Do you know our youngest?”

Silvia widened her eyes, expressing surprise. In a manner that seemed to say, “How do you know that child?” Silvia looked at me strangely, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her curious expression. What a coincidence in this world.

“I met the wife once in the past. I received great help from Mrs. Sergio’s story at that time. If your wife is the youngest, are you Mrs. Sergio’s elder sister?”

“Oh, yes. I am Silvia Sergio, the eldest daughter of Sergio. As Her Majesty said, Elise is our youngest.”

Silvia seemed flustered and smiled awkwardly. How confusing it must be; her calm demeanor disappeared instantly as soon as the topic turned to family, and she burst into a hearty laugh.

“It’s a bit embarrassing. I didn’t expect family stories to come up here. I’ve never heard a story about meeting Her Majesty from Elise…”

“Well, it’s been almost 10 years since I last saw her face, so don’t worry too much. I still remember the story she told me. She was truly one of the people I was grateful for.”

Perhaps it was because stories of mutual acquaintances emerged. The stiff atmosphere loosened, and before we knew it, the parlor had transformed into a warm space filled with laughter.

Just as we were starting to prepare for the dress fitting, Titania grabbed my shoulder with a smile in her eyes. Why did I feel strength in Titania’s hand as she held onto my shoulder?

“Oh, let’s start getting ready now. First, I plan to take accurate measurements for the dress design. Do you happen to have your measurements taken before our arrival? Or should we-”

As Silvia took out a measuring tape, Titania gestured to Silvia to hand over the measuring tape. Flustered by the sudden situation, Silvia eventually placed the measuring tape on Titania’s palm.

My mother said, “If you gain weight, I’ll have to measure your waist again.”

“You, you…! Why are you saying that…!”

As I blushed at the sudden disclosure and stammered, Titania, who had wrapped the tape measure around her finger, looked at me with a sly smile.

…I have a bad feeling about this.

“I will measure your waist myself, so everyone else can leave.”

“…? Yourself?”

Sylvia and the attendants quickly moved at Titania’s command. In an instant, only Titania and I were left in the reception room, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

I had a feeling that something was about to happen. Sure enough, Titania grabbed my chin abruptly and made eye contact with me. In the swiftly changing atmosphere, I swallowed dryly.

“You wouldn’t, surely…”

Certainly, I expected her to go for my neck next, so I quickly covered it with both hands. But contrary to my expectations, Titania just chuckled and lightly kissed my forehead.

“That’s fine too, but I won’t do it now. Or would you like me to?”

“Oh, this isn’t…?”

Surely, I expected her to leave a mark on my neck or thigh, but apparently not. Feeling embarrassed by my mistaken assumption, I felt my face grow hot.

Titania smiled slyly and lightly kissed my face. Forehead, eyelids, cheeks, lips, chin. Kissing me slowly downward, she sighed and whispered in my ear.

“Mother, you’re quite jealous, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah… I know…”

As I nodded abruptly at the sudden question, Titania put my ear in her mouth and gently nibbled it. As I let out a soft moan at the sudden sensation, Titania whispered in my ear again.

“If you knew, you shouldn’t have praised another woman in front of me.”

“You wouldn’t think I praised Madame Elise a little, would you…?”

“Yes, because you were praising someone I didn’t know, I felt a little jealous. It didn’t feel good to see you having fun talking with someone else…”

“That person isn’t like that—hey! Don’t bite my ear!”

I tried to argue that it wasn’t me, but Titania bit my ear as if she didn’t want to hear any excuses and blocked my mouth. I knew Titania was prone to jealousy, but I never thought she would be jealous over something so trivial.

Really, I can’t even bring up other people’s stories in front of Titania. I tried to push Titania away somehow, but the more I tried, the more Titania pulled me in, and I already felt exhausted without even starting.

“Oh, really…!”

*

“Mother, you have to take off your bra too.”

After some level of physical contact, Titania brought Vivian to a makeshift dressing room made of curtains and told her to take off even her underwear. Vivian frowned as if she couldn’t believe it.

“…What? Isn’t it enough to measure over the bra?”

“What are you talking about? The tailor said it himself. You have to measure the ‘exact’ size.”

“He did say that, but…”

Even if it was too much, Vivian argued that there was no need to take off her underwear, but Titania was firm. Besides, the bra her mother was wearing now was a bit tight.

It was clear that measuring over such underwear would definitely yield the wrong size. And Titania was eager to know her mother’s exact size this time. She knew the old measurements, but…

“Mother, the underwear you’re wearing now is also small and uncomfortable, right? Because you gained weight.”

“Well, that’s true…? And don’t keep saying I’ve gained weight.”

“Will measuring over such clothing give an accurate result? Moreover, this measurement is needed not only for the dress but also when ordering your new underwear.”

“Um… Then can’t we just ask the tailor outside to measure it…?”

“…What? What did you say?”

At that moment, Titania’s brows furrowed deeply. She wiped the smile from her lips and bit her lower lip hard. Seeing Titania’s frightening expression for the first time, Vivian unknowingly held her breath.

“Mother, I just said that I’m feeling very jealous.”

“…I see.”

“Even though you know that, are you going to show your naked body to someone else in front of me? In front of me?”

…”

For a moment, a heavy silence descended.

Vivian tried to find a way to avoid the situation, but there was no suitable excuse or method. Vivian was simply embarrassed to be seen naked in front of Titania.

“…Promise me you won’t do anything strange now. There are people waiting outside.”

“Yes, I promise.”

With a resigned sigh, Vivian reached behind and unhooked her bra. With a snap, the unhooked undergarment slipped down her shoulders and fell to the ground.

As the covering garment for her chest disappeared, the cool air enveloped Vivian’s bare skin. Blushing with embarrassment, she glared at Titania.

Eventually, Vivian’s upper body, completely uncovered, was revealed, and Titania smiled as she admired her figure. From the slender neckline to the deep collarbone, and the shapely bosom below.

“…It’s cold, so hurry up.”

“…Yes.”

A lingering gaze swept over Vivian’s body. Particularly, the gaze lingered on the prominent peak at the large mound. Although she wanted to express her thoughts internally, it wasn’t the right time.

“Let’s start by measuring your chest circumference. Can you raise your arms?”

“…Okay.”

Titania took out a ruler and positioned herself behind Vivian. The impulse to cover her chest immediately enveloped Vivian, but she managed to raise both hands above her head and hold onto her nape.

The ruler grazed the side of Vivian’s armpit, then moved over her chest before returning to her back. As the cold ruler touched her bare skin, goosebumps rose on her flesh.

The sensation of a tape measure wrapping around the chest and pressing against the peak of a hill was always an unfamiliar feeling, no matter when it was felt. Titania crossed the tape measure in the center of her back and whispered the indicated number.

“B 97… It seems you’ve grown since last time.”

“You remembered that too…?”

When Vivian asked Titania as if she couldn’t believe it, Titania chuckled and unraveled the tape measure. The embarrassing part was over, but there was still a long way to go in measuring dimensions.

The chest circumference was done, but measuring the waist, hips, and thighs lay ahead. And then, measuring the distance between the real embarrassing chest and chest, and between peaks, remained.

Vivian bit her lower lip in embarrassment, but even so, this time wasn’t coming to an end. Vivian, who lowered her head and let out a deep sigh, glared at Titania with a flushed face.

“Ugh… Please, let’s finish this quickly.”