Chương 91: Chapter : 91

"For... this young man?" the tailor asked, his voice dripping with judgment.

"Are you absolutely sure? This establishment caters to a very specific, high-society clientele. We do not usually dress... well, farm hands." Ken didn't care about the insult at all. He just raised his hand and pointed at a small bowl of mints sitting on the counter.

"Hey, are these free? Because my mouth tastes like sleep, and I skipped breakfast for this." Naomi's face turned bright red with embarrassment. She kicked Ken in the back of the leg.

"Stop acting like a peasant!" she hissed quietly. Sayma did not look offended. She simply reached into her uniform pocket and pulled out a small, heavy pouch. She placed it on the counter. The sound of solid gold coins clinking together inside the pouch made the tailor's eyes light up immediately. Sayma came from a very wealthy noble family, and she had absolutely no problem throwing her money around to fix a problem.

"We need a full set," Sayma said, her voice carrying the undeniable authority of a rich noblewoman.

"A clean suit, properly fitted shirts, new boots, and a tie. We need him to look like a respectable servant of the Royal family. Do you understand?" The tailor quickly grabbed the pouch of gold, his attitude completely changing in a single second.

"Yes, my lady! Of course! We can absolutely perform a miracle today! Right this way, young man! Let us get your measurements!" The tailor grabbed Ken by the arm and pulled him toward the back of the shop.

"Wait, wait! I didn't get a mint!" Ken complained, stumbling blindly as he was dragged into the fitting room area. What followed was a solid hour of pure torture for Ken Eliot. Sayma and Naomi sat comfortably on a plush velvet sofa outside the fitting rooms, drinking complimentary tea, while Ken was forced to try on outfit after outfit.

"Try the dark gray one next!" Naomi shouted from the sofa.

"I don't like it!" Ken yelled back from behind the curtain.

"The pants are too tight! If I drop a potato chip on the floor, I won't be able to bend over and pick it up! It is a massive design flaw!"

"Just put it on, Ken!" Naomi yelled back. A few minutes later, Ken stepped out of the fitting room wearing a bright, frilly suit covered in ridiculous silver lace. He looked absolutely miserable. The collar was so stiff it was pushing his chin up, and the sleeves were too short.

"I look like a pirate," Ken said flatly, staring at the girls.

"Not even a cool pirate. A very sad, very poorly dressed pirate. This material is incredibly itchy. I am going to break out in a rash." Laxmi would have laughed, but Sayma just shook her head.

"No, the lace is too much. It does not suit his personality. Tailor, please bring out the deep navy blue set. The one with the modern cut. No frills, just clean, sharp lines." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"Right away, my lady!" the tailor agreed, rushing back into the fitting room with a pile of fresh clothes.

"I am exhausted," Ken whined, grabbing the door frame of the fitting room.

"Taking my arms in and out of these sleeves is a full-body workout. My muscles are screaming. I think I am getting a fever. Can we please just buy a large potato sack, cut some holes in it, and call it a day? It is breathable and very cheap."

"Get back in the fitting room!" Naomi ordered, pointing her finger at him sharply.

"If you don't come out of there looking like a decent human being, I am going to start throwing daggers at you." Ken sighed the heaviest, most dramatic sigh of his life. He took the navy blue suit from the tailor and slowly closed the curtain again.

"Fine. But I am keeping the pants unbuttoned. You can't make me use buttons. Buttons are the enemy of comfort." Sayma and Naomi sat back on the sofa, sipping their tea. They honestly didn't expect much. They knew Ken was a sloppy, messy slacker who couldn't even comb his own hair. They just wanted him to wear something that didn't look like it had been chewed up and spit out by a wild animal. They just wanted him to look average. They had absolutely no idea what was about to step out from behind that curtain.

The thick velvet curtain of the fitting room slowly pulled back. Ken Eliot stepped out into the bright lighting of the boutique. For the first time all day, he wasn't slouching. He had just finished adjusting the collar of the crisp white shirt, so his shoulders were pulled back naturally, and his back was perfectly straight. Sayma and Naomi both stopped drinking their tea. They froze completely, staring at the boy standing in front of them. They were genuinely, completely stunned.

When Ken wasn't actively trying to look like a lazy, hunched-over idiot, his physical appearance was actually incredibly impressive. The deep navy blue suit fit him absolutely perfectly. It hugged his broad, well-built shoulders and highlighted a strong, athletic chest that was usually hidden by his baggy, wrinkled servant jacket. Without the messy collar and the crooked tie distracting them, the girls suddenly noticed the sharp, clean lines of his face.

He had a great, defined jawline and a perfectly straight nose. The tailor had even taken a moment to quickly comb some water through Ken's wild black hair, slicking it back just enough to look stylish instead of messy. He didn't look like a lazy, useless farm boy anymore. He looked like an incredibly handsome, high-ranking young nobleman. He looked sharp, confident, and completely flawless. Naomi's mouth literally dropped open. Her brain short-circuited for a second.

She blinked her green eyes rapidly, trying to process the fact that the good-looking guy standing in front of the mirror was the exact same guy who had cried behind a pile of garbage yesterday. Sayma's eyes widened slightly behind her thick glasses. She set her teacup down very carefully on the small table.

"Well," she breathed out softly, clearly impressed.

"That is... certainly an improvement." Ken stood in front of the tall mirror, turning slightly from side to side. He wasn't admiring how handsome he looked. He was actively testing the stretch of the fabric. Suddenly, he let his shoulders drop entirely. The perfect, straight posture completely vanished, instantly replaced by his usual, lazy, goofy slouch. He stuck his hands deep into the pockets of the expensive suit pants and let his mouth hang open in a silly smile.

The handsome nobleman illusion completely shattered in half a second, turning him right back into the slacker they knew.

"Okay, the stretch on these pants is actually pretty decent," Ken announced happily, completely ruining the majestic moment.

"I think I could easily curl up into a ball under a table while wearing this, and the seams wouldn't rip. That is a massive win for me. Plus, these pockets are huge! I could fit at least three sandwiches in here!"