Chương 32: Chapter 31

Nina was guided by one of the servants toward a private room where she could change her clothing. The room contained everything she needed. A place to change. A place to wash. A private area away from the eyes of others. Before looking at the outfit that had been prepared for her, Nina first dealt with the state she was currently in. The clothing she had been wearing was not ordinary fabric. It was a part of the appearance the System had constructed for her.

With a thought, the outfit gradually merged back into her body, returning to its original state as part of her skin. However, the dirt remained. The coal dust that had gathered while helping Jake's mother was not a part of the constructed clothing. It was something that existed separately on her body. Therefore, Nina stepped into the shower. Only after removing the remaining dust did she properly look at the outfit prepared for her. It was elegant. Proper.

Far different from the practical clothing she had worn before. Nina stared at it for a moment. Her first thought was not about its appearance. It was about practicality. Could she simply recreate it using the System? Technically, yes. But that would create another problem. If she created an identical outfit from her own body while leaving this one behind, there would suddenly be two versions of the same clothing. That was dangerous.

Someone could discover that the clothing remained even when she was no longer wearing it, or that she could create identical outfits without explanation. The less people knew about her ability, the better. The System had already made an exception once. The clothing from the old woman she had helped was currently stored within its storage space. It was not stored because the clothing itself was important.

It was stored because the clothing contained the portion of Nina's constructed material that had been exchanged away. When Nina had exchanged appearances with the old woman, the System had created an equivalent exchange. The clothing Nina had created became the old woman's clothing, while Nina received the old woman's original clothes. The missing portion could not simply be recreated without consequence.

If Nina ever encountered the old woman again, they could exchange the clothing back and restore the lost material. Until then, the System kept it stored. However, because that portion of material was no longer available, creating new clothing became slightly more difficult. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The System had specifically informed Nina that, moving forward, it would be more efficient to create clothing directly from her own constructed material rather than relying on external fabric. The previous exception was too inconvenient. Too many variables. Too much risk. And without the missing portion, future creations would not be as efficient as before. Therefore, Nina could only wear the prepared dress and hope she would not encounter a situation where she needed to escape and immediately change appearances.

It would be troublesome. The fabric was lighter than her previous outfit. Unlike the older woman's clothing, which had been more practical, this dress carried a softer appearance. It still possessed a gradient design, beginning with white before gradually shifting into a faint red tint toward the lower edges. Looking at it, Nina thought it resembled a flower. A lily with its tips lightly dyed. After finishing, she stepped outside. Mrs. Roosevelt looked toward her. Then she froze. Her expression changed.

She looked at Nina. Then at her husband.

"Why has nothing changed?" Mr. Roosevelt blinked.

"What?"

"I was expecting to see my daughter." Mrs. Roosevelt narrowed her eyes.

"Yet this young lady looks exactly the same." Her gaze shifted toward her husband.

"Did you lie to me?" Nina paused. Then she understood the misunderstanding. They believed the ability worked through the clothing. Specifically, they believed wearing someone's clothes would immediately transform her into that person. Before Nina could explain, another presence stirred.

"Nina." Lily's voice appeared within their shared consciousness.

"Let me handle this." Nina hesitated. Then shrugged.

"Sure. Have fun." The active consciousness shifted. Lily took control. However, her appearance did not change. She could not. The clothing was actual fabric. Unlike the System-created appearance adjustments, this was not something that could simply become part of her body. Lily looked toward Mrs. Roosevelt calmly.

"I cannot." Mrs. Roosevelt frowned.

"You cannot?" Lily nodded.

"My ability requires certain conditions." The explanation was carefully chosen. After listening to the previous conversation, Lily understood what they believed. They assumed the clothing itself was the catalyst. Rather than correcting that assumption completely, she used it.

"Yes, I require the clothing of the person I am impersonating." She paused.

"However, that is not enough." Mrs. Roosevelt listened.

"I must know who I am becoming." Lily continued.

"If I am expected to create an appearance different from my current one, I require an old portrait of the individual from before the illness affected them." She looked toward Mrs. Roosevelt.

"I would also need to meet the young lady herself."

"To properly imitate someone, appearance alone is insufficient." Her expression remained calm.

"I must understand her personality, her habits, and her manner of speaking." The room became quiet.

"Especially because I will be attending a banquet." Lily continued.

"I need to know what etiquette the young lady has been taught, how she interacts with others, and what behaviors would be expected of her."

"If she has acquaintances, friends, or individuals who know her personally, I would need information regarding those relationships as well." She folded her hands.

"Otherwise, I cannot accurately represent her." A simple appearance could fool strangers. But not those who knew the person. Lily understood that. And unlike Nina, who often focused on solving the immediate problem, Lily understood the importance of maintaining the role. Mrs. Roosevelt stared at her. Then slowly, her expression changed. This was not a simple ability. It was far more complicated than she had expected.