Although it was somewhat expected, Joseph’s (un)plan quickly revealed its limitations.

There was no need to say ‘quickly’. It was literally immediate.

“…It’s a difficult situation. But even if His Majesty Alperon says so, dresses and gowns are not items that can be prepared so quickly.”

“Isn’t there any way? I came here believing in Madam Petrika, who has always helped me.”

“Your Majesty, I appreciate your words, but the truth is… since it’s not the social season now, we don’t have much fabric left in stock. Especially for summer clothes, the demand is so low that we often only procure materials when an order is placed.”

“Then if we just get the fabric, would that be enough?”

“Even so, production inevitably takes at least a month. Especially now, without craftsmen, we’re short-handed.”

“…”

“Your Majesty, I’m sure every boutique in the Imperial City will tell you the same thing. I apologize for not being able to help.”

She was right.

After that, Joseph and I toured the boutique street of the Imperial City, looking for a place where we could urgently order clothes. But…

“As expected. It was impossible, just as Madam Petrika said.”

“…Hmm.”

Thinking about it, it was natural. After all, in early June, which is not the social season, there are hardly any nobles staying in the Imperial City.

‘Most of them are probably staying in their own territories. Or they’re on vacation, invited to another noble’s territory.’

So at most, there might be only low-ranking officials or knights in the Imperial City?

Even the Emperor had gone to the summer palace to escape the heat. So there was no way the Imperial City boutiques, which were so splendid during the social season, could be bustling.

It was evident from the fact that over 90% of the boutiques lining the streets were closed.

“I guess we have no choice. We’ll have to alter and wear the spring clothes I brought from Daiern.”

“But won’t you be too hot? It will get even hotter as July approaches.”

As you probably already know, Daiern, located in the northern part of the continent, is quite cold.

So even the spring clothes worn there would be made of material as thick as early winter clothes in the Imperial City.

I clicked my tongue and replied.

“What can we do? It’s not like we can walk around in thin, see-through nightgowns.”

“Since it’s just us at the hotel anyway, I don’t mind much, but…”

“It’s not just us, there are also the staff. You even hired staff in advance for today.”

“…Ah, I didn’t think about the staff.”

In the end, we had to admit that we failed to achieve our goal despite spending the whole day touring the boutique street.

Even though we had gone to great lengths right after arriving in the Imperial City, without even time to rest from our journey.

But Joseph didn’t look disappointed at all.

“Then there’s one more option.”

“Another option?”

“This way.”

Joseph had the carriage driven outside the boutique street. We arrived at a market in the district where commoners lived.

The residents of the Imperial City are people who have settled here. In other words, they are different from the nobles who only stay for certain seasons and then leave.

Because of this, the market was bustling, unlike the boutique street.

There, we were able to purchase several sets of ordinary summer clothes worn by commoners.

“This should be enough to avoid suffering from the heat for now.”

“Ahaha. That’s good to hear. Although it might not be to your taste, my lady. After all, the material itself… though quite soft, is too thin and not dyed at all, so it’s plain.”

“No, regardless of taste, the quality is quite good, isn’t it? It’s practical and cool too. It’s incomparably better than the thick dress I was wearing until just now.”

“Because of the prejudice against commoners’ fabrics, nobles aren’t interested, but commoners have developed their fabrics quite a bit in their own way. The high-end ones are almost comparable to silk in quality.”

Of course, it lacked the elegant sheen of expensive silk. But upon closer inspection, it had a natural texture that was quite attractive.

Above all, it didn’t wrinkle easily and was very comfortable.

After taking off the constricting dress, I finally felt like I was on vacation.

Thanks to this, I was finally able to relax and appreciate the sunset spreading across the city while riding back to the hotel in the carriage.

The irritation that had filled my mind since morning had somehow dissipated into the city. Just like the beautiful colors of that sunset.

‘Even though the vacation I’ve been looking forward to for half a year started off badly.’

As my mood improved, my brain finally started working smoothly. Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

“…I was a fool. I only thought about people staying at the hotel during the social season, not about people like us spending summer vacation at the hotel.”

“Pardon?”

“Really, how fortunate that we came here in advance.”

Joseph tilted his head. My words must have seemed quite out of the blue to him.

Regardless, I started to unfold the thoughts that had already been organized in my head. For the first time in a while, I felt enthusiasm welling up and energy overflowing.

“You said this fabric is common, right, Joseph? I have a good idea!”

In summary, it was a plan to create a dress code for people spending the summer at Hotel Chronos.

Implementing the idea wasn’t that difficult.

The most important thing was securing the fabric along with the production system, but since it was a product that nobles had no interest in at all, it was almost like a monopoly.

‘Well, that process is complicated and there’s a lot to explain, so let’s skip it.’

The next important thing was the design of the clothes, and I actually put a lot of effort into this part.

It had to be as light and comfortable as possible while still being beautiful enough to suit the tastes of the nobles. But it also couldn’t take time to tailor the clothes.

‘In the end, I have to make clothes that require almost no fitting process.’

Fortunately, the boutique street owners, led by Madam Petrika, were very cooperative.

In particular, they all seemed to welcome the fabric I proposed very much. After all, they were all commoners, strictly speaking, even though they were part of the bourgeoisie.

“So, this is the first sample.”

“It’s very beautiful.”

It was when only a week had passed. I received a dress from Madam Petrika.

It was a beautiful dress that could almost be called a work of art.

The part I liked the most was the skirt.

The skirt, made by stacking layers of pleats made from light and thin fabric, was puffed out like a bell shape even without wearing the heavy and uncomfortable crinoline.

“Just by tying a ribbon at the waist, it fits the body appropriately, giving it a natural elegance.”

I twirled around once in front of Joseph. He also nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with the dress.

“I’m glad things worked out well.”

“It’s because you helped a lot, Joseph. Now people who visit Hotel Chronos next summer will be able to enjoy their vacation in comfortable clothes.”

To do that, we’d need to introduce this new style of clothing to the nobles…

“Shall we spend next summer here too, Joseph? If we can get Her Majesty the Empress and Euphemina to wear these dresses, the trend will be created in no time.”

Then this business will be a huge success.

I can steadily sell fabric and increase sales, the commoners can expand their production systems that they’ve had to be self-sufficient with until now, and the boutique madams can breathe a sigh of relief because they can do business even in summer!

“Ahaha. You look quite happy, Lieselotte.”

“…?”

Wait a minute.

At that point, I noticed that the atmosphere around me had become quite strange.

Indeed, in this summer heat, goosebumps ran up my skin and I felt a chill on the back of my neck without realizing it.

The source was Joseph.

Though he was clearly smiling, a cold chill emanated from him. Why, why…

“Joseph…?”

“Yes, please speak.”

“You don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

Is the dress not to his liking? Or does he not want to come back to the hotel next year? I couldn’t quite grasp it.