32: Ionia Again / Yuzen Dyeing of Tropical Scenery / Macaron Transformations 6

And so, the day of the tea party arrived.

Matthew, Garda, Maureen, and Ionia visited the forest mansion.

Unlike usual, there was an odd sense of tension among them all.

Meanwhile, Jill remained completely natural.

As always, she showed no signs of breaking her easygoing pace.

“Shall we take care of some work before tea? The fabric is finished.”

“It’s…finished, isn’t it…”

The four were led to the usual cloakroom, where they saw the fabric Jill had created.

They all wore expressions somewhere between awe and bewilderment.

Incidentally, this was also Maureen’s first time seeing it.

Jill had instructed her to stay out of the workshop, so she hadn’t seen the process.

“Well, don’t you have any thoughts?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Garda muttered under his breath, which wasn’t quite the reaction Jill had hoped for.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“No, that’s not it! It’s amazing, so amazing I don’t know what to say!”

“Oh, oh, is that what you meant?”

Jill let out a sigh of relief.

“What is this… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Me neither.”

Matthew silently nodded in agreement with Garda’s murmur.

“It’s Ionia’s drawing… bellflowers, right? I tried to recreate it on the fabric. I’ve changed the atmosphere a little, though. Is that okay?”

On the pure white silk fabric, vivid purple bellflowers were depicted. It was certainly in line with Ionia’s order, but as Jill mentioned, the atmosphere and touch were different from the original drawing. The drawing was realistic, with a texture so lifelike you could almost smell the flowers, while Jill’s fabric was more abstract in comparison. She had removed the background and the vase, focusing solely on the bellflowers themselves.

The dyes used for fabric and the pigments used for drawings were different, making it impossible to perfectly replicate the same colors. In fact, the more Jill tried to get closer to the original, the more the small differences stood out. So instead, she intentionally reduced the number of colors and refined the outlines, giving the fabric a different texture.

“This is more than enough… no, considering it’s going to be made into clothing, this might actually be the better choice.”

“I haven’t sewn a dress before, so for now, it’s just fabric. But if you place the prominent parts of the design on the skirt of the dress, I think it would make a fine gift.”

“Why don’t you just finish it entirely?”

“Ah, no, that’s a bit much…”

Jill showed reluctance.

Sewing a dress, after all, involved a different level of difficulty compared to dyeing or weaving.

Moreover, it wasn’t something that could be streamlined with Jill’s magic.

“What a shame. I’d love to see this sense of artistry applied to the creation of a dress.”

“Making a dress involves three-dimensional sewing, so it’s difficult… Honestly, only a professional can do it. Plus, you’d need to take measurements. I can’t go back to the capital without a royal decree, or else it’d be considered a crime.”

“Does it really have to be that way? Can’t we bend the rules somehow?”

“Why aren’t you giving up after hearing that!?”

Jill was beyond frustrated—she simply couldn’t understand.

Those who devote their lives to art have truly terrifying ways of thinking.

Jill, while aware of her own eccentricities, couldn’t help but think this.

“Isn’t there a problem with you making a gift for Lady Erinna in the first place…?”

Matthew asked cautiously.

Jill didn’t deny it and simply nodded.

“That’s certainly a possibility. Ionia could very well be plotting something troublesome, too.”

At Jill’s somewhat sarcastic remark, Ionia responded with a smile.

“It’s natural to have suspicions. But if that’s the case, why did you help?”

“I’ve made up my mind. I’ll create whatever clothes or trinkets I want here, without caring about what others think. I wouldn’t like to be forced to make something I don’t enjoy or give it to someone I dislike, but otherwise, I don’t mind.”

“So, you don’t feel bad about gifting clothes to Lady Erinna?”

“As I said before, my sister helped me a lot in the past. Honestly, I’m a bit curious to see what kind of face she’ll make when she receives this.”

Jill chuckled as she spoke.

“Besides, not sending a gift for her coronation could also be misinterpreted. Whether it’s seen as ‘rebellious to build relationships with other nobles or royals during suspension’ or ‘rebellious to not send even a letter of congratulations,’ both arguments could be made. In a way, Ionia’s suggestion gave me a good reason to think about it.”

“…So, it’s a difficult position where you don’t know what’ll happen whether you act or not.”

Jill quietly nodded in response to Matthew’s words.

“Yes. In that case, it’s better to send the gift and feel good about it. So, Ionia, please use it as you see fit.”

“I’m not planning on using these clothes for anything bad. This is purely a gift to celebrate her coronation and a top-tier work of art. As an artist, I’ll make sure it’s recognized for that. I may be a liar, but when it comes to art and beauty, I never lie.”

“That’s the only part where you sound serious, and it’s kind of annoying.”

At Jill’s blunt remark, Ionia let out a quiet laugh.

However, a hint of sadness crossed his face as he realized something.

“Still, Lady Erinna won’t be able to publicly praise your name. That’s a regret.”

Ionia was referring to the fact that Erinna, the next queen, couldn’t openly commend Jill.

But Jill didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Oh, it’s fine. All that complicated stuff is a hassle, and honestly, it was just a fun job. Plus, I was able to apply some of the techniques I used for this fabric in various ways.”

“Apply them? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, take a look for yourself.”

With that, Jill opened the closet in the back.

“What… what the heck is this?”

Once again, Garda exclaimed in surprise.

Inside the closet were colorful shirts, adorned with various designs like flowers, birds, and even crests.

“They’re called aloha shirts or Hawaiian shirts. Ah, and these are painted on linen, not silk.”

Jill had learned about this from reading *Acacia*.

While reading the book on Yuzen, she came across the existence of these shirts.

Aloha shirts, or Hawaiian shirts.

There are several theories about their origin, one of which is that they were derived from Japanese clothing. Japanese immigrants, after seeing European sailors’ shirts, repurposed their kimonos and fabrics into aloha shirts. Eventually, these shirts became popular in Hawaii.

The shirts Jill made were slightly more subdued in design compared to traditional aloha shirts. She thought that fully imitating the originals would make them too flashy and hard to accept, and she also simplified the process since she planned to make several. Still, the finished products were more than impressive enough to leave a strong impression on those who saw them.

“Wow… so you painted these shirts too… and the shape of the collar is fascinating!”

Matthew gazed intently at the shirts, breathing a sigh of admiration.

He seemed even more astonished by these than by the Yuzen-dyed fabric.

In fact, there was another feature of the aloha shirts that caught Matthew off guard.

It was the shape of the collar.

In the Magic Kingdom of Dailan, dress shirts didn’t exist. The collar-focused fashion shirts Jill had previously made were a hit with Maureen.

The ones Jill had now made were a further evolution of that concept. They had an open collar, designed to be worn without closing, a style known as a camp collar. To a strict person, it might prompt the question, “What’s the point of that?” But everyone here had a touch of eccentricity in their personalities.

“My word, this is marvelous. This could even be a gift in itself!”

“Amazing… this is such a fun idea, Jill!”

“I had a feeling you were up to something, hiding away in the workshop for so long.”

“This is wild! It makes me want to laugh! Is something like this even allowed?”

Jill thought maybe she had gone a little too bold with these, but the unexpectedly positive reactions left her surprised.

So, she casually suggested,

“Well then, since we’re at it, why don’t you all try them on? I’ve got the tea ready, so we could change and then start the tea party.”

“…… Huh?”

Jill loved making clothes.

Not only did she enjoy making clothes for herself, but she also liked creating garments for tall women like Maureen.

And she realized that she also quite enjoyed making men’s clothes and having them wear what she crafted.