Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22

“I am Pahend Nouve. It is an honor to be summoned, Lady Belinda.”

“Nice to meet you for the first time. We are called Eshar.”

“I have always looked forward to meeting you. My name is Renhall!”

“I, I am Rohaz.”

“We are….”

A strange tension flowed among the people standing in a row introducing their ateliers.

They operated ateliers that had made quite a name for themselves in social circles, but were not successful enough to handle commissions from high nobility.

But this morning, like a bolt from the blue, a commission from the Blanche Family—specifically from Lady Belinda—had fallen into their laps.

Who was Belinda Blanche?

She was a notorious scoundrel whose name appeared in tabloids daily, and a famous celebrity whose clothing choices could be said to set the trends of social circles.

It was a heaven-sent opportunity.

If they could just catch her eye, leaping forward to become a high-class atelier serving only high nobility would no longer be a dream.

‘That’s what I was thinking when I canceled other appointments and rushed here.’

But she wasn’t the only one summoned.

Belinda, who was elegantly leaning against the couch listening to the atelier owners’ lengthy self-introductions, yawned languidly.

Then, like a tyrant looking down at gladiators in the Colosseum, she made a cruel declaration.

“From now on, you must make clothes for that impoverished-looking mage over there.”

“Excuse me? Me?”

Vivian, who had been diligently chewing on dried jerky as a snack, blinked her eyes.

Ignoring her, Belinda continued speaking.

“The one who makes the most suitable outfit will receive a reward befitting my name. However, if you present shabby clothes that don’t meet my standards….”

She finished her words quietly with a menacing smile on her lips.

“You’ll regret being summoned here today for the rest of your life.”

Fighting spirit flashed in the eyes of the atelier owners facing no fewer than nine competitors.

“Lady Mage!”

“Do you have a favorite color?”

“What style do you prefer?”

“Practical clothing would be better than fancy dresses, wouldn’t it?”

“Lady Mage, could you please look at these fabric samples first?”

“Wh, wh, wh, why is everyone doing this to me!”

Despite Vivian’s screams, Belinda nonchalantly flipped through a catalog.

“L, Lady Belinda! I don’t need new clothes. This is too much! So please get me out of here… Ugh, my waist, my waist is too tight, urgh!”

Vivian whimpered so pitifully that Belinda, unable to watch any longer, kindly relieved her burden.

“How long must I tolerate you wandering around my house looking like such a vagrant? This isn’t for you, it’s for me, so shut up and let them take your measurements.”

After a while, Vivian, both physically and mentally exhausted, collapsed into an armchair.

The seamstresses were frantically busy adding this and that to the sample garments they had brought and doing fittings.

Belinda asked Vivian casually, as if in passing, without taking her eyes off the catalog.

“Vivian, I looked at the formula you wrote down for me at lunch yesterday, and there didn’t seem to be anything particularly special about it.”

“The formula I wrote down at lunch yesterday… Oh, that one?”

Vivian barely managed to sit up and answered.

“The method isn’t complicated, so anyone with some knowledge should be able to make it easily.”

“I see.”

Belinda looked thoughtful for a moment, then opened a locked nightstand drawer beside the couch.

She took out a piece of paper from inside as if checking something, stared at it for a while, then shook her head.

“I don’t understand how such a simple formula could produce a poisoning effect. By the way, who is this Cecil written here?”

Just then.

“Ah!”

Someone’s scream burst from the group of apprentice seamstresses who were sewing combatively.

A woman who seemed to have pricked her finger with a needle and was clutching her hand slowly raised her head to look at Belinda.

An androgynous face of ambiguous gender.

Ash-colored hair cut short to reveal her ears.

A neat smile as if drawn was spread across that face, but it was eerie for that very reason.

There was no reason to smile, nor was it a situation for smiling.

Just as the woman’s mouth was about to open.

Thwack!

A middle-aged woman who appeared to be her superior hurriedly pressed down on the woman’s head to make her bow.

“I apologize. My daughter seems to be nervous in front of such an esteemed person. She’s not usually the type to make such mistakes….”

“A mistake….”

A strange smile appeared on Belinda’s lips.

“You, you said you were Merilyn from Bluebird Clothing Store, didn’t you?”

“Yes, yes.”

“And this child?”

“Her name is Terry.”

Belinda’s gaze now turned to the garment Terry had been working on.

The craftsmanship was so excellent that not a single stitch mark was visible on the robe that generously used green velvet.

“Excellent workmanship.”

Belinda, who had been examining the clothes carefully by lifting them with the tip of her fan, rendered her verdict.

“I’ll take this outfit. The rest of you may finish your work. I’ll pay sufficiently.”

“Th, thank you.”

Belinda then asked the bewildered Merilyn.

“Do you also make men’s clothing?”

“That’s my husband’s work, but he’s not feeling well right now and is resting.”

“That’s unfortunate. Since your craftsmanship is so excellent, I was looking forward to the men’s clothing as well.”

But contrary to her words, she didn’t look particularly disappointed.

Belinda returned to the couch and, as if nothing had happened, put the formula back in the drawer and locked it, then leisurely fluttered her fan.

“Vivian, we’re planning to dine out this evening, so prepare yourself.”

“Lady Belinda, I appreciate the thought, but now is not the time for….”

“I’m enjoying myself for once, so don’t spoil my mood.”

Vivian’s mouth shut tight, but she couldn’t hide the anxiety and restlessness in her eyes.

Belinda covered her mouth with her fan and whispered as if comforting her.

“Some things resolve themselves naturally when you wake up the next morning. So just take good care of yourself as I tell you to.”

As she said this, Belinda’s gaze remained fixed on Terry, who kept her head down without moving.

* * *

Late at night.

There was a night visitor who had leisurely infiltrated the manor, breaking through the Blanche Estate’s ironclad security.

Moving silently like a shadow, this person didn’t even glance at the main building of Blanche Manor, which was said to be like a dragon’s lair with all sorts of treasures piled up.

Instead, they moved their steps familiarly as if using a frequently traveled walking path, heading toward the unusually deserted annex.

Finally, murderous intent appeared in the intruder’s eyes as they looked up at the antique exterior of the annex.

“How dare you do such a thing….”

Crack.

With this thin sound, they immediately climbed up the wall and crossed through a second-floor room’s window.

All movements were as natural as flowing water, without even the slightest noise.

In their urgency, they didn’t properly examine the room and hurriedly reached for the nightstand drawer beside the couch. The locking mechanism was no problem for them.

Click.

The intruder easily unlocked the mechanism with a thin wire and hurriedly grabbed the paper placed inside the drawer.

The intruder’s eyes narrowed as they checked the formula written on the paper. The handwriting was quite poor, making it difficult to immediately understand the content.

He fumblingly read the top line.

“Cecil’s….”

Just as the intruder’s face was about to brighten.

“Did you come here targeting the recipe?”

“…!”

At the sudden voice, every nerve in his body tensed as if struck by lightning.

Instinctively, he surveyed the escape routes. It took only the blink of an eye to identify all escape routes and find the most efficient path.

Just as he was about to put strength into his feet to leap.

“Remember not to kill him. And don’t make any noise since Jui-bam-tol shouldn’t wake up.”

“Yes.”

Faced with the shadow of a giant demon blocking his path, the intruder instinctively stepped backward.

He already knew that Belinda had been assigned a knight of unknown origin from the North as her guard.

The martial prowess of Northern knights was already renowned throughout the continent, but they were still human.

He thought it would be entirely possible to avoid a direct confrontation and escape.

‘Wow, isn’t this a bit too much, humanly speaking?’

No, even thinking inhumanly, this isn’t right. That guy is supposed to be the same species as me?

Cold sweat ran down his back from the overwhelming pressure and fear, as if he were facing a demon itself.

If he showed even the slightest movement, death would greet him in that instant.

In the end, he made a quick decision.

“I surrender, I surrender!”

He obediently declared surrender, deciding to preserve his life for now.

Just then, the moon emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating the interior of the room.

Belinda shrugged as she examined the familiar face revealed under the bright moonlight.

“Terry, wasn’t it? You’re not here to deliver finished clothes in the middle of the night, I presume.”

Terry answered with his hands raised high, pouting his lips.

“Our atelier’s service spirit is so thorough, you see. I was so eager to show you the completed garment that I rushed here in the middle of the night.”

“You’re quite the talker for someone who came empty-handed.”

Even at the blatant sarcasm, Terry didn’t get excited.

The recipe was still in his grasp.

If he could learn the manufacturing method of ‘Cecil’s Lullaby,’ he could create an antidote in reverse, and that would surely save that person.

‘If I steel myself to sacrifice an arm or so and escape….’

Just as Terry’s eyes darkened with grim resolve.

“Wouldn’t you like to check the recipe?”

Terry felt a strange sense of unease at Belinda’s softly questioning voice.

He didn’t decline Belinda’s suggestion and slowly examined the contents of the paper in his hand.

And….

Cecil’s Special Lemon Tart Recipe

Freshly squeezed lemon juice and two thinly sliced lemons, three spoonfuls of fresh butter, sugar generously….

“What is this….”

Belinda leisurely savored Terry’s face contorting mercilessly.

Then, as she recited the last line of the recipe, her voice carried the leisure of a victor.

“Guarantees an addictive taste so good that if two people eat it, a third would die without knowing. Secrecy required. I didn’t know you liked lemon tart enough to steal the recipe.”

“You definitely mentioned ‘Cecil’s Lullaby’….”

Only then did Terry realize.

“How does such a simple recipe create a poisoning effect….”

“More importantly, who is this Cecil written here?”

That Belinda had never once mentioned ‘Cecil’s Lullaby’ with her own mouth.

If he weren’t a resident of the slums, he wouldn’t have reacted to the common name ‘Cecil.’

Everything had been his own misunderstanding from making hasty judgments based on fragmentary words.

Belinda smiled with a cruel face as if savoring the sense of defeat on Terry’s face and whispered.

“You must have been quite desperate. For the great Sewer Rat to fall into such a sloppy trap.”

However, it was Cesar, not Terry, who reacted to those words.

“Sewer Rat?”

A strange tone, as if he knew what secrets were hidden in the word ‘Sewer Rat.’

“Let me introduce him. This is Terry, an apprentice tailor at Bluebird Atelier and a member of the information organization Sewer Rat.”

“How did you know about Sewer Rat?”

Cesar asked, and Terry, who had been about to lower his hands, raised both arms again at his gaze, showing agreement.

So what happened was….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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