Chapter 64

Both her parents and those around her supported Schnell's dream.

They even arranged for her to have an excellent sewing teacher, and as she became more and more engrossed in the kind and skilled seamstress, Schnell delved deeper into her craft.

It was a happy time.

Schnell didn't know she was a boy, but she loved watching her girlfriends dress beautifully and could make their dresses, albeit clumsily.

They asked Schnell to make their wedding dresses and encouraged her not to die until she completed the requests, truly providing a supportive environment for her to hone her skills.

Then, a powerful wind spirit descended upon Schnell.

Whether a magical illness is congenital or acquired, it can improve with the protection of a spirit.

The worry about her life was gone.

And the fact that the spirit protecting her was of the wind element had a good effect on Schnell.

Normally, as the eldest son with a spirit's protection, she would have been on a direct path to succession. However, high-ranking wind spirits have a free-spirited nature.

While spirits of other elements rarely leave the person they protect, wind spirits will easily abandon their charge if they are oppressed or forced into a path they don't want.

Schnell already had a capable younger brother to succeed the family, was raised as a girl, and was happy to be able to sew without worrying about her lifespan. The spirit itself had taken a liking to Schnell's dress designs and decided to protect her.

Despite being the eldest son of a high-ranking noble, Schnell was almost entirely accepted as a seamstress who made dresses.

"Well, when I found out I was actually a boy, I did feel a bit conflicted, but my friends were all such good girls! They didn't cancel their dress orders and encouraged me, saying that if the dresses were good enough for a spirit to protect, other women wouldn't care about my gender once they wore them."

"Even if he wasn't seen as a boy, Schnell-sama herself didn't really have a strong sense of being one, so it was really the best environment...," Endelia said with a puzzled expression. I tilted my head as well.

I couldn't think of any reason for her to leave such an environment.

Schnell covered her face with both hands.

"It was the fifth prince, or the youngest, who started shouting that he would marry me."

"Huh?"

"Even when I told him I was a boy and that I was going to be a seamstress, he wouldn't listen! That damn prince!"

A voice filled with intense resentment, muffled by her palms, resonated deeply.

"Ah," Endelia said, as if she had realized something, and Arjitt-sama, stroking his chin, closed his eyes and opened his mouth as if recalling something.

"I remember, a few years ago, there was an epidemic of a disease that killed men in that region, right?"

"Schnell-sama's home country lost most of its heirs, leaving only the youngest prince..."

"The king was also bedridden with the disease, and although he didn't die, he never recovered enough to perform his duties as king."

"Fortunately, that idiot had the qualities to be a king! He supported and rebuilt the country, which had been devastated by the disease. He was a wise king. The only problem was that he kept insisting on marrying me, which was just delirious talk!"

"......That must have been tough."

Arjitt-sama, as a man, seemed to be at a loss for words to say anything else.