A moment later, he emerged from the dressing room. He looked awkwardly at his clothes, moving his arms. Seeing Carinne unable to close her mouth, he asked cautiously.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that… Would you mind turning around slowly?”

He did as Carinne asked.

‘Wow, shh… Pass.’

The clothes were like wings, they said. So, that meant if you wore the right clothes, you looked different. Still, wasn’t Archen, a handsome man with naturally outstanding looks? He was a good-looking man, and on top of that, he was wearing good clothes…

If she exaggerated a little, he was a beam of light. No, it wasn’t an exaggeration. He was a beam of light—the light itself.

There was no room for argument.

“If it’s not good, I’ll try on other clothes.”

“What are you talking about?! It suits you so well!”

Carinne waved her hands and scanned him from head to toe again.

Now that she looked at him, his pale skin tone and navy blue went well together. On top of that, with his gorgeous blonde hair and mysterious blue-green earrings, there was no better color palette for this year.

Was it just the colors?

The fabric was so luxurious that light was seen from the hem of the suit jacket reflecting the light. The dark gold accents on the suit collar didn’t give it a dull feeling at all. It seemed believable that the clothes were made for him. It was simple yet elegant, sophisticated yet clean.

Dressed in a stylish suit, he looked like a dignified crane.

“How about it? Will you take it? Shall I take your measurements?”

The clerk quickly brought a measuring tape, though Carinne quickly stopped him.

“Wait a minute.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that.”

There was no problem, it was perfect. It was perfect, but… it was 1% short.

‘There’s something bothering me, but I don’t know what it is.’

While she was thinking, Archen looked in the mirror. He seemed a little surprised to see himself dressed up, but he seemed to know that the clothes suited him well.

Carinne was lost in thought, and Archen was standing blankly in front of the mirror.

The clerk, tired of waiting, approached Archen, pulling out the measuring tape.

“Then, I’ll take your measurements. It might be uncomfortable, but please give me your gloves for a moment.”

At the same time, she realized what the missing 1% was.

‘Gloves…!’

Archen’s gloves were navy blue.

The problem was that the suit and tie were also navy blues. Maybe it looked a little stuffy because the clothes were navy blue and the gloves were also navy blue.

“Before you take my measurements, come here for a moment.”

Carinne motioned for the clerk to wait and called Archen over to the glove display. Then, she looked through the various gloves and picked one out, handing it to him.

It was a white cloth glove.

“This would look good. Try this on.”

Archen took off his navy blue gloves and put on the white gloves that Carinne gave him. A moment later, he put on the gloves and spread his palms wide.

“How is it?”

“It’s great.”

Carinne nodded vigorously. Then, she spotted a pair of dark brown leather gloves next to it and exclaimed,

“Oh, isn’t this pretty too? Wait a minute. What kind of clothes would go with this?”

Now that she thought about it, the brown check coat from earlier looked good. What if he wore that and these gloves? Carinne put her imagination into action. She called the clerk and asked for the brown coat, and then chose a matching top.

Of course, Archen had to try on the outfit Carinne had chosen.

He came out of the dressing room wearing a brown check wool coat that reached his knees, a black top, and dark brown gloves.

The moment she saw him dressed up, Carinne felt like maple leaves were fluttering behind him.

‘…Autumn has come. It’s autumn.’

On a chilly autumn afternoon, a young man with a fresh charm walks down the city street with his eyes moistened by the rain amidst the colorful maple leaves…

“Add this to the suit from earlier.”

She called the clerk and added the clothes Archen was wearing to the purchase list. The next thing that caught Carinne’s eye was a dark gray jacket.

Carinne ran around the store, picking out a top, pants, gloves, and a tie that went with the jacket.

She had already been a stylist, but she didn’t like it at all, and she felt like she had to choose it herself. When she finished choosing clothes, Archen went into the dressing room again and came out with a change of clothes.

She sat on the sofa and admired him as if she were looking at a pictorial.

‘This time, the year-end awards ceremony…’

The black van’s door swung open, accompanied by the popping sound of flashing cameras. The top star of the year stepped out onto the red carpet, his every move oozing elegance. Behind him, fans screamed, their faces a blur in his vision.

Dressing him was a joy, like playing dress-up with a perfect outfit.

Carinne continued to choose clothes, attending an opera performance, a wedding, and a corporate CEO meeting in quick succession.

“How long will you be choosing?”

He asked, only to find a shopping list of clothes for him exceeding five pages long.

“Just a little longer,” she said.

There were still many clothes she wanted to try on him. She wanted to see him in a beige trench coat and a dark blue suit. She needed to see him in different types of shirts and try on gloves in various colors.

“Oh, and shoes! We need to choose shoes, too!”

“And socks.”

She added, her fingers flying as she counted.

“And socks, pajamas, and a bathrobe…”

Archen watched Carinne, his face pale, as she enthusiastically ticked off items on her fingers. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked the clerk where the clock was.

“Why are you looking for the time all of a sudden?”

“Didn’t we make a reservation at a restaurant?”

Oh, right. He had made a reservation at the best table in the shrimp specialty restaurant. The clerk told him the time, and Carinne realized that there wasn’t much time left until the reservation and that she hadn’t yet taken Archen’s measurements.

She urged the clerk to take his measurements quickly and paid with the money of the Second Duchy. Then, they left the store, receiving a ninety-degree bow from the clerks.

“Ah, it’s a shame. I didn’t know time would pass so quickly.”

“….”

Archen remained silent, his lips tightly pursed. Didn’t he hear? His face seemed paler than usual, probably due to his mood.

“We should come again next time. We only bought spring and fall clothes today.”

Carinne smiled brightly and linked arms with him.

“It’s so much fun. Isn’t shopping really fun?”

But he was still quiet, and she began to feel a little uneasy.

‘Was I the only one who enjoyed it?’

Just as she was about to say that he didn’t have to come if he didn’t want to, his cold face seemed to soften slightly.

“I enjoyed it, too.”

The corners of his stiff lips curved into a gentle smile. His eyes were as soft as rice cakes simmered in a pot. It was a relief to hear that he had enjoyed it. Next time, they would have to come early in the morning and stay until late in the evening.

In front of the shrimp specialty restaurant they arrived at after driving down the city, people were lined up. Thank goodness they had made a reservation, Carinne thought as she pushed through the crowd and entered the restaurant.

Archen helped Carinne take off her coat. He took the coat and turned as if to go somewhere.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t we need to check the coat?”

“You can give it to me.”

A waiter who had followed them belatedly said gruffly.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s nothing. You don’t have to apologize.”

As the waiter took the coat and stood in front of Archen as if waiting for something, he just stared blankly at the waiter, not understanding what his actions meant.

The waiter frowned slightly as if to say, ‘I’ve seen enough of this.’

“You need to give me the coat you’re wearing.”

Only then did Archen take off his coat and hand it to the waiter. As they followed another waiter to their reserved table, Carinne whispered softly.

“Is this your first time here?”

“I’ve been here a few times with the Duke, but this is my first time eating here myself.”

‘I see.’

Well, if it was his first time, he might not know. They would have to come here often in the future.

Their reserved table was right next to the window. The wide window offered a panoramic view of the city, and the scenery was outstanding. Carinne picked up the menu on the table and proceeded to recite all the dishes with shrimp in their names.

“We’ll order this. Tomato shrimp pasta, shrimp salad, shrimp tortilla pizza, and also…”

‘Did I order too much shrimp?’

She was about to ask if they should order a steak as well, but Archen was staring intently at the menu.

“What’s wrong?”

“You missed the cream shrimp.”

His voice was serious as if he were giving a work report.

“Oh, let’s have the cream shrimp too.”

Carinne barely managed to suppress her laughter as she finished ordering.

The food arrived sooner than expected. The glossy tomato shrimp pasta, the shrimp salad that looked refreshing just by looking at it, the shrimp tortilla pizza that was steaming hot, and even the plump-looking cream shrimp.

There had never been such a feast. And with Archen, his eyes wide with surprise and joy as he looked down at the food on the table, the sight was truly luxurious.

He twirled the pasta around his fork and then speared a plump shrimp, his mouth naturally watering.

Carinne watched the shrimp with longing eyes before quickly putting it in her mouth. The tomato shrimp pasta was heavenly.

“Wow, it’s really delicious. How about you?”

Archen was savoring the cream shrimp.

His expression was radiant. His face, which looked happy enough that she didn’t need to ask if it was delicious, reminded her of the kitten.

When it took a bite of the fish Marie had bought, its eyes widened in surprise, and it didn’t take its nose off the plate until it had finished the rest of the fish.

It was so cute.

Carinne took a bite of the cream shrimp herself and then asked, remembering something.

“Should we order something to drink, too? I’ll have grape juice. What about you?”

“I’ll have red wine.”

When she asked if it was okay for him to drink alone, he said that he didn’t get drunk easily, so she shouldn’t worry. So, she ordered a bottle of wine with peace of mind.

Ah, she shouldn’t have done that.

Seriously, she shouldn’t have.

—