Published: July 26, 2025
Today, I visited Corinna's house to place a formal order for both everyday and ceremonial blue garments. The ceremonial ones take time to make, so I had already requested them through Benno. However, there were many things to decide, like the embroidery patterns, the weaving of the sash, and the pricing.
Corinna specified that a female family member should accompany me today. She is pregnant and asked for help with the measurements. Previously, Benno had taken measurements over my clothes, but since this will be a long-term relationship, they wanted to measure me properly.
Therefore, Lutz took the day off, and I went together with Tulli. My mother seemed a bit unwell; she wanted to come, but my father stopped her.
“The ceremonial fabric uses such wonderful cloth, doesn't it? This is the first time I’ve seen such soft and smooth beautiful fabric,” Tulli said, eyes sparkling as she touched the cloth after measuring me while I was in my underwear. Apparently, her workshop rarely handles such fine fabric. Watching Corinna’s work would be a great experience for her.
The fabric used for my ceremonial outfit was a gift to Benno. It had already been dyed blue at the dyeing workshop where my mother works and then returned to the shop. It was a deep blue like lapis lazuli, resembling the color of my hair.
“Myne, you can put your clothes back on now. Tulli, thank you for your help. For this ceremonial outfit, the edges will be embroidered with prayers from the Sacred Scripture in decorative lettering. When light hits it, it shines gold and silver—it becomes very beautiful.”
In the middle of the collar embroidery, the emblem is sewn on. Nobles embroider their family crests, but I don’t have a family crest, so it’s the workshop’s emblem.
“This is Myne’s emblem?”
“Yes. It’s the emblem of the Myne workshop. This is a book, this is ink, and this is a pen. Then, it combines wood used to make paper and flowers from the hair ornament. I came up with it, but Benno added a lot more to it.”
“Knowing Myne, you probably made something weird and then had to fix it, right?”
“...They just said it was too simple.”
Corinna chuckled as she overheard our conversation and spread the blue fabric softly across the large worktable. The smooth, glossy blue fabric covered the table like a wave-filled sea.
“Normally, for ceremonial outfits, you select the thread and specify the weaving pattern so that the fabric shows patterns. But since there isn’t much time this time, we’re using already finished fabric, right? I’m thinking of embroidering the same colored thread all over, so the shapes emerge when light shines on it. Myne, what kind of pattern would you like?”
When I heard they’d add patterns through weaving to the fabric itself, the first thing that came to mind was the “jimon” (base pattern) of a kimono. Maybe something like rinzu or donsu, with embroidered designs.
Though I’m small and the embroidery area is smaller than for an adult, there’s plenty of room and the sleeves are long like furisode, meaning the fabric is large. Even though it saves time compared to weaving fabric from scratch, embroidering it all would be a big task.
“Um, Corinna, I don’t really know much about ceremonial outfits, so I don’t know what would be good. But if the embroidery covers the whole thing, maybe something as simple as possible is better…”
I should have seen it during my baptism ceremony, but those memories were all taken by G○ko and the library. I barely remember the blue priest’s outfit. I do recall the Sacred Scripture the head priest had, but not the fancy-looking clothes.
“Myne! Ceremonial outfits for nobles can’t be simple!”
“Ugh! …But it’s tough to embroider all over, and Tulli thinks it’s better if it’s a bit simpler too, right?”
I tried to calm the flustered Tulli, while Corinna put her hand on her cheek and said thoughtfully,
“Like when we easily altered Tulli’s formal kimono to look luxurious, if the embroidery can look fancy but be simple, that would be great. Myne, do you have any ideas?”