Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Successor? I’ll Just Heal Myself, Episode 26

“His expression?”
“Yes.”

Everything had gone smoothly until now. So why the sudden shift?
Could the quality really be worse than expected?

“I’ve shown him to the Reception Room for now.”
“I’d better go see for myself.”

Lion set aside his concerns and made his way to the Reception Room.
Click.
The moment the door swung open……

“Good heavens.”

Andrea had brought so much equipment that the spacious Reception Room had transformed into a tailor’s workshop.

‘Surely he didn’t carry three dress forms all by himself? How on earth……?’

And that wasn’t all. The finished formal suit sat neatly wrapped in the corner.

‘The preparations look flawless?’

“M-My lord!”

Yet Andrea’s face bore an unmistakable urgency.
Like a worker who hasn’t finished his tasks even as quitting time arrives.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t the suit turn out well?”
“No, my lord. The garments are all complete. In my judgment, they are flawless—without a single flaw.”

With that, Andrea swiftly unwrapped one of the packages and thrust it toward Lion.

“This is your suit, my lord. I’m sorry for the trouble, but would you try it on here?”

Asking for a change of clothes right here in the Reception Room?
In other circumstances, he’d be accused of rudeness——but not here.

“Why not?”

Without ceremony, Lion slipped on the formal suit.
Andrea bustled about, smoothing the creases, fastening the buttons, and then dragged a full-length mirror over from somewhere, setting it before Lion.

“Ah.”

So this was what people meant when they said clothes make the man?
The figure reflected in the mirror looked quite impressive.
No——quite striking, really.
The sleeves and trouser cuffs fit perfectly, and every seam was precisely placed to showcase his frame.
Simple in overall design, yet subtle patterns wove through the collar and cuffs, giving it an air of refined elegance upon closer inspection.
The jacket and coat draped over it each had their own distinct design, their character shining through clearly.

‘This looks good.’

The formal suit was flawless.
No——it was perfect!
But then.

[Master Tailor’s Supreme Formal Suit (★★★)]
-A masterwork woven stitch by stitch by hand from the artisan’s finest fabrics.
-A rare garment, few of its kind in the empire.
-But I’m afraid it cannot be worn to a party as it stands. Something is missing.

Never mind that the three stars match the fabric grade.

‘……What do you mean, missing?’

That couldn’t be right.
Lion examined the garment once more.
There were no loose threads, no seams left undone.
He checked for missing lining, but that was intact too—in fact, even the hidden inner surfaces were rich with detail.
And most of all, Andrea himself, the master craftsman, had declared the suit “complete.”
Then why did something feel off?

‘Ah……!’

Lion suddenly grasped what was troubling him.

“The neckline feels rather bare, doesn’t it?”
“Ah, as expected of your discerning eye, young master! Precisely so. The garment itself is now complete, but it lacks any focal point to draw attention. There is no necktie, no bow tie, no cravat—not even a handkerchief.”

Ah, of course.

‘How could I have forgotten?’

His modern sensibilities had made him overlook it entirely.
In his past life, formal wear meant a necktie at most, and even then, he rarely wore one to meetings—so it had come to feel like the natural state.
He had simply forgotten.
That here, such details mattered.
And the design itself had to vary to suit each person’s character.
Not just in color and fabric texture, but the very form—neckties versus cravats, as Andrea had mentioned—had to differ fundamentally.

‘A necktie would suit grandfather best, I think……As for Richelson, surely a bow tie?’

Or perhaps one of those jeweled cravats he’d seen once would work nicely.

‘……Wait. Hold on.’

Lion fell still, listening to Andrea speak.
He had just realized something.
It was about the timing of when a crafting talent awakens.

‘Necessity.’

That’s the key—how much I actually need this item right now.
For example, when the blacksmithing talent awakened, I desperately needed a scythe and a hoe to make potions.
And when cooking talent bloomed, I needed oil, and I made bread and pastries because I wanted to share delicious food.
But with tailoring, no matter what I did, my skill didn’t leap forward. I merely became more skillful through practice.
So what is it that I truly need right now?
It’s obviously…….

“So, even now…….”
“Let me make it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Would it be all right if I gave it a try?”
“……I—yes!?”

Andrea’s eyes widened at Lion’s words.

“Of course, it might seem like I’m touching your work, but this isn’t something only I can—”
“How do you read my mind so perfectly, young master!”

Huh?

“That’s precisely what I came to ask you for!”

Andrea reached into his bag and pulled out fabric pieces one by one.
They were patterns cut from various materials.
Elven Hair Fabric, Winter Moth Silkworm Silk, and more—already prepared.
And a remarkable quantity of them.

“Young master, please complete your family’s clothing by combining whichever materials please you most! And—”

And?

“If possible, I would be grateful if you could add embroidery as well!”
“……!”

Embroidery on a necktie?
It might seem easier than formal wear since fewer materials are involved, but this was no simple request.

‘Rushing something together and experiencing it—that’s easy enough.’

The real problem was that it had to match the caliber of Master Tailor Andrea’s own formal suit.
The neckties especially would catch the eye first.
As accent pieces for formal wear, they had to look—how to put it—impressive.
Which meant important details would be necessary, and Lion would have to make and embroider them himself?
An ordinary person wouldn’t make such a request, nor accept it, but…….

“So the reason you came here today is……!”
“Yes. I came to teach you how to make various types of neckties today.”

These two knew no such thing as restraint.
They clasped hands in the air between them.

“I’m counting on you!”
“I’ll do my absolute best!”
“But may I ask why you’re making such a request of me?”
“Ah, I hadn’t mentioned that. Actually, when I took the lord’s measurements a few days ago, I heard something. That the young lady I had sewn clothes for……”

was the young master’s mother.
Andrea continued with great deliberation.

“Someone of little consequence like me, a tailor… but he thanked me.”
“Grandfather did?”

That was surprising.
Patrick Asterion expressing gratitude.

“That’s when I understood. This formal suit is not merely clothing meant to be seen—it is clothing that connects the lord and his sons. So I realized there were parts I, as an outsider, could not touch. That’s why I had no choice but to make this unreasonable request.”
“And you entrusted it to me.”
“Yes. That is correct.”

Andrea fixed Lion with a solemn gaze.

“As a tailor, I shouldn’t speak this way, but this is a realm I cannot enter. And you, young master—you can. Entirely.”

So Andrea’s words meant that even if his work had some flaws, he would focus more on its meaning.
For a tailor of his caliber to speak this way, there must have been considerable deliberation behind it.
No one lacks attachment to their own work, and if things proceeded smoothly, Andrea might well receive numerous offers from the nobility again.
He was, after all, the tailor chosen by the Marquis Asterion Household itself.
And truthfully, there would have been no problem hiding it.
Lion hadn’t noticed, had he?
Once Andrea realized the truth, making the Necktie alone would have solved everything.
In fact, the preparation would have proceeded smoothly without a hitch.
Yet Andrea remained properly focused on Lion’s commission.
On the clothes bearing the meaning of family togetherness.
He truly was a remarkable designer.

‘Then I must give this my all.’

Lion set his resolve firmly.
He owed Andrea at least that much, after all the thought she’d shown him.

“Understood. I’m counting on you.”
“Of course.”

And the two promptly set about making the Necktie.

“First, we should decide on the design.”
“I’ve been thinking about something.”

Lion sketched a rough drawing in his notebook beside him.

“I see. So you want to give the lord a clean, refined look, and the second young master an air of dignity?”
“Exactly. He’s the heir, so that needs to be clear.”
“Mm-hmm. Though compared to the Marquis, perhaps a slightly fresher touch would suit him better.”

Grandfather certainly had standing enough that keeping things impeccably neat would serve best.
So they decided on a basic Necktie with an accessory from the household collection added to it, and Richelson would have a jeweled Bow Tie.
The graceful curve of the ribbon and the gleaming gems would convey the sense of a precious, distinguished presence perfectly.

“And what of you, young master?”
“Hmm……”

That was the problem.
Lion, truth be told, wasn’t particularly fond of accessories.
So nothing fitting came to mind.

“Let me think about it once we’ve finished the other two.”
“Very well. It’s usually the most agonizing part, dressing oneself. Shall we start with the simpler Necktie then?”

Andrea withdrew the prepared pattern and explained it.

“The part that looks like a large sword determines the overall impression, so it requires the most detail. The second is the part that goes around the neck, and the last, the narrow part like a small sword, is the back of the Necktie. The rest is the lining.”
“Expressed in terms of swords, I see.”
“Well, er—that’s how it’s typically called—but is it strange in this case?”
“As long as you don’t do it in front of Grandfather, it should be fine.”

Lion gave it no particular thought.
Once he’d grasped the pattern, the process turned out to be more manageable than he’d expected.

“By the way, don’t people usually use Interfacing?”
“You’re perceptive! Yes, typically we use Interfacing to maintain stiffness, but with Winter Moth Silkworm Silk, the angles hold their shape long after pressing alone, so artificial structuring isn’t necessary.”

Ah, so that’s the benefit of expensive fabric.
Following Andrea’s guidance, Lion joined the outer fabric and folded in the Seam Allowance, then pressed, turned, and pressed again, learning the method as he went.

“If you pull the lining in just a bit to match the outer layer, it’ll be much easier. Yes. Exactly right!”

With one final pinning and a blind stitch, everything would be…….

[Humble Necktie]
-A necktie made from quality materials, yet the craftsman’s skill is lacking.
-Still, it’s not quite poor.
-Look closely, and flaws become apparent.

It was finished, at least.

“…….”
“…….”

They both knew.
This wasn’t a finished piece—it was practice, nothing more.

“Shall we move on to the next one for now?”

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