IRMLIMP 9

chapter 9

“Welcome!”

Ding! The clear sound of a bell rang out.

I tightly held the opening of my pouch bag shut and awkwardly stepped into the shop.

The doll shop owner recognized me immediately and rushed over.

“Oh my, who do we have here? The famous Lady Blandice I’ve only heard about in rumors!”

“Ah, haha…”

Those rumors… definitely not good ones, right?

I scratched my cheek with an awkward smile.

The owner clasped his hands politely.

“What brings you here today?”

“I’d like to look at some doll clothes. For a male doll.”

I pointed toward the clothes displayed on one side.

He guided me to the display stand.

“What size is the doll? Did you bring it with you?”

“Ah, no. I didn’t bring it.”

But the moment I said that, the pouch wriggled.

Startled, I quickly shouted at the owner—

“I’d like to browse alone, so please step away!”

“Ah—yes! M-my apologies!”

The owner hurriedly backed away.

As soon as he disappeared behind the counter, I opened the pouch.

Your Grace, are you okay?

I asked with my lips.

Rishid frowned and removed his hand from his nose.

It smells. Don’t close it.

He emphasized each word.

I lowered my eyes apologetically.

If I had known, I would’ve washed the bag yesterday too.

I should buy a new bag today.

With all this money, how do I not even have a proper bag?

When I asked Janice, she said nobles don’t carry things themselves—it lowers their dignity—so bags weren’t necessary.

Who said that?

Irel Blandice!

Anyway, I hadn’t planned to bring the Grand Duke with me at first.

But after the duchess swept through my room, I had no choice.

If she searched my room while I was gone, it would be a disaster.

After all…

“What was that sound just now? It sounded like something broke…”

I nearly died of panic when the duchess turned back just as she was about to leave.

Before her gaze could reach the wardrobe, I quickly stood up.

“S-sorry! My stomach’s been upset since this morning…!”

Clutching my stomach and forcing a strained smile, an awkward silence followed.

Fortunately, she left soon after, covering her nose—but not without casting me a suspicious, contemptuous look.

“You really are something, even this early in the morning.”

And so, I had no choice but to bring the Grand Duke out in the pouch.

I reached into the pouch and took the floral pajamas he handed me.

Let’s see… the size…

The doll clothes on display came in all kinds.

I compared the pajamas with different outfits, checking sizes one by one.

But somehow, none of them felt quite right.

Well… he’s too well-proportioned to be just a doll.

Glancing at Rishid peeking out curiously, I let go of the short sleeve of a uniform I had been examining.

It seemed I needed to call the shop owner.

But—

“I-I’m sorry, but we don’t carry clothes in this size…”

The owner returned the floral pajamas, watching my reaction nervously.

And the next shop was the same. And the one after that.

For some reason, there were no clothes that fit him at all.

Does that even make sense?

After crossing out the last store on my list, I let out a sigh and sat down by the plaza fountain.

As I rubbed my tired legs, people who recognized me quickly moved away, leaving the area empty.

What am I, a walking bomb or something…?

I felt a little wronged, but soon gave a bitter smile.

“Your Grace… shall we rest for a bit?”

At least I could speak freely now.

Rishid peeked his head out of the pouch.

“Already? You haven’t even bought my clothes yet.”

“I’m sorry… I think I overdid it yesterday. Walking this much is exhausting.”

“Lady, you really are…”

He shook his head and went back inside.

A small voice came from within.

“You’ve barely walked at all, yet you’re already tired. That says enough about your stamina.”

What did he just say?

If I weren’t in Irel’s body, I wouldn’t be this weak!

I clenched my fist, then slowly lowered it.

He holds my lifeline.

Smile. Just smile.

“Haha… you’re right…”

As I gave a weak laugh, he seemed to give up and asked,

“How many shops are left?”

“Well… about that…”

I hesitated, unable to admit we had already visited them all.

There were no more clothes that would fit him—and nowhere left to go.

It was time for the last resort.

“Your Grace.”

“What.”

“About that designer coming later… would you consider letting them measure you?”

I asked carefully, testing the waters.

The pajamas I made were too loose to serve as a proper reference.

He answered immediately.

“No.”

“….”

“Would you want people to see you like this? Who knows what kind of rumors would spread.”

His cold tone made me flinch.

Even if it wasn’t really me, this was all because of the curse placed by Irel.

“Irel Blandice, if there truly are no clothes that fit me, it would be best to say so honestly. I hate lies the most.”

He emphasized.

“Even more than crying.”

…I see.

He hates lies the most.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I remembered how confidently I had spoken yesterday.

Why did I have to boast like that?

Maybe I was too tense since morning—my brain felt overloaded.

Bringing him out in the pouch didn’t help either.

If I had come alone, I could’ve taken my time, bought materials, and figured something out.

But being on edge the whole time, afraid someone might notice him, drained all my energy.

“Haaah…”

I let out a long sigh.

The pouch moved slightly.

Looking down, I met his red eyes staring straight at me.

“…I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

Feeling guilty, I slowly reached out my hand toward him—expecting him to avoid it.

But unexpectedly—

He gently placed his hand on my finger.

“Your Grace…?”

I flinched at the warmth.

Leaning out of the pouch, he gave a faint, cold smile.

“Then let me propose a deal.”

His tone was unusually light.

“A-a deal?”

“I’ll pretend to be a doll and let the designer handle me. But make sure they don’t touch my body unnecessarily. You’ll stay beside me and supervise.”

Wow!

“Really?!”

At this unexpected agreement, I nodded eagerly.

“Yes! Of course! Then let’s go eat something—there’s a great restaurant over there—”

But he cut me off.

“In return, you will take me to the imperial banquet.”

“…What?”

I froze.

The imperial banquet…

He means his own welcome banquet, right?

Was that even in the original story?

In the novel, Rishid didn’t attend the banquet.

Instead, Seria—newly appointed as a saint—attended, accompanied by Irel’s brother, Edwin.

Tired from her first banquet, Seria escaped to the terrace and met Edwin.

Under the moonlight, they shared a romantic moment.

That episode existed to highlight Edwin and spark jealousy in Rishid.

Then why is Rishid…?

Confused by the change, I suddenly realized.

The original story had already changed.

From the moment I kidnapped the male lead.

Which meant—

I can’t rely on the original plot anymore. I can use it for information, but not depend on it.

I swallowed.

I had expected changes, but experiencing them this soon felt… strange.

I couldn’t tell whether this would turn out good or bad.

Still, I had to choose the best option in front of me.

I must not go against him. I need to stay completely on his side.

The difficulty level of survival just went up.

I quickly nodded.

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

But this time, he objected.

“But not in a pouch like today.”

Huh?