“Gao-kun, are you alright?”
“That fleeting sense of déjà vu made my scalp crawl.”
He had seen something superfluous again.
Prior to this, Gao Sijin knew for a fact that he had never set foot inside this building, yet he couldn’t shake a vague, deeply unpleasant association.
The dim, oppressive lighting, the dark Gothic decor, the crimson carpets, and the long, ornate corridors…
Five times in one night, his brain trembling, his mind and body on the verge of collapse.
This was a building that filled Gao Sijin with profound unease. No matter how flawlessly magnificent it was, no matter how steeped in artistic atmosphere, he still wanted nothing more than to turn and flee. His body kept sending danger signals to him.
“Don’t be afraid, Gao-kun. I shall give you courage.”
Tsukiyuki Rio’s arm was wrapped even tighter now. Her sweet, doting smile put Gao Sijin at ease. In his subconscious, Tsukiyuki Rio had already become something akin to a first love. Both her physical form and her personality were flawless.
“Maybe I’m just nervous. After all, I’ve never been inside a building that feels like it was built for giants.”
“It’s no such thing for giants, Gao-kun. This is just a very ordinary building.”
“It seems our definitions of ‘ordinary’ are slightly different.”
They walked in the direction of the luxurious palace. Along the entire path, maids stood ramrod straight, lining both sides like soldiers loyal to their monarch.
That supreme monarch was Tsukiyuki Rio, and Gao Sijin was merely an accessory the monarch carried with her.
Right now, Gao Sijin had that exact illusion. Some people were born in Rome, while others were born as beasts of burden. The wealth Tsukiyuki Rio displayed filled Gao Sijin with awe.
“Welcome home, Young Lady Tsukiyuki,” the maids said in unison.
After crossing the Marble Courtyard, they finally arrived at the palace entrance.
“Weren’t we going to see the cherry blossoms?”
“Isn’t Gao-kun going to change clothes?” Tsukiyuki Rio pinched the sleeve of his shirt with her fingers. “I’m a girl who cares quite a bit about ceremony, so I think it would be best if Gao-kun followed the local custom and changed into a kimono as well. For today, I specially prepared several kimono sets for you. They’re all custom-tailored.”
“Custom-tailored? You know my exact measurements?”
“Of course I do. Senior Qingxue told me. Alright, let’s hurry.”
Seeing that he was so valued by the girl he liked swept away most of the gloom Gao Sijin had felt the previous day. Today, he would just focus on accompanying her.
Walking through the long corridor, the rooms inside were as numerous and confusing as a maze; long hallways stretched out everywhere.
“Sometimes I feel like I’ve visited this palace before.”
“Perhaps Gao-kun imagined palaces when you were creating your works. In the light novels Gao-kun writes, aren’t there nobles and kings? The places they live in are probably just like this, right?”
“Maybe…”
After walking for about five minutes, the two of them finally arrived at the walk-in closet. Though it was called a closet, its interior was as large as the living room in many ordinary homes. Rows upon rows of built-in wardrobes were astonishingly huge. Because the ceiling was so high, some clothes required a ladder to retrieve.
Two maids in attendance respectfully stepped forward and opened the large wardrobe doors, revealing exclusively men’s clothing.
“These aren’t Rio’s wardrobes?”
“My own dressing room is much larger than this,” Tsukiyuki Rio said, gently covering her face with her delicate hands. “I am a girl, after all. If I only had this many clothes, it certainly wouldn’t be enough.”
“You call this many clothes ‘this many’?”
A dazzling array of garments filled his vision, in every color and style imaginable, from modern to ancient, Japanese to European. There were even some peculiar ethnic costumes, and the craftsmanship of each piece subtly exuded luxury.
The maids nearby stated that not a single one of these garments was mass-produced by machine. Each piece was crafted by hand by world-renowned designers. Even the cheapest item here cost 200,000 yen.
“These clothes belong to Rio’s other relatives, right?”
“No. These clothes were all prepared specifically for Gao-kun. I’m Gao-kun’s fan. Thinking that one day we would eventually go out on a date together, whenever I saw men’s clothing that caught my eye, I couldn’t resist buying it. But I didn’t buy too much.”
“Rio, I honestly don’t know what to say.”
“Gao-kun, please change your clothes quickly. I’ll wait outside.” Tsukiyuki Rio glanced at the maids. “I’ll trouble you to help Gao-kun change into the kimono I prepared earlier. Once he’s changed, come find me in my room.”
“Yes, Young Lady Tsukiyuki.”
After Tsukiyuki Rio left the room, the two maids approached the wardrobe.
The kimonos were on the very top shelf, a full five meters from the floor, making a ladder absolutely necessary.
“Just grab any kimono that doesn’t require a ladder.”
“Kind Lord Sijin, please do not worry about us. Preparing services that leave you fully satisfied is our greatest honor.”
“Moreover, before reading Lord Sijin’s works, the Young Lady’s personality was far less cheerful than it is now. In a certain sense, Lord Sijin saved Young Lady Tsukiyuki.”
“That’s way too much of an exaggeration…”
“Please wait a moment, Lord Sijin. We will retrieve the kimono and help you change into it right away.”
“At least take your high heels off first, won’t you? Climbing a ladder is too dangerous. Let me do it myself.”
Gao Sijin stepped forward, trying to get to the ladder first, but he was immediately seized by the arm by the other maid. Powerful force quickly restrained him; the maid seemed to have learned joint-locking techniques.
The first maid smiled at Gao Sijin with doting gratitude, then used the ladder to swiftly climb to the five-meter-high position. She retrieved several men’s kimonos from the top shelf: a solid black one, one with blue and white stripes, a dove-gray one, and a navy blue one. A variety of kimonos in different colors were brought down.
Seeing that the maid seemed intent on pulling out every kimono from the wardrobe—nearly a hundred of them in total—Gao Sijin immediately shouted:
“Just one is enough! There are so many kimonos here, there’s no way I could wear them all. It would be far too much trouble for you to put them all back later.”
“Kind Lord Sijin, please do not worry excessively about us. Selecting the most suitable attire for your outing is our duty.”
The maids took the kimonos down from the wardrobe one by one. The other maid also released Gao Sijin’s joint slightly. However, before Gao Sijin could react, two pairs of slender, fair hands reached for his buttons and swiftly began unbuttoning them.
“Wait, I can undress myself.”
“Please allow us to handle these trifling matters as well.”
His shirt was first pulled off. Gao Sijin clamped his hands tightly around his belt. The two overly enthusiastic maids furrowed their delicate brows slightly.
“Lord Sijin, if you would cooperate, this will be over quickly.”
“It’s inappropriate for men and women to touch hands. How unseemly would it be to let you girls undress me?”
“Has our service not been thorough enough?”
“No, the main problem is that I’m not used to being waited on.”
Gao Sijin tried to evade the maids’ ministrations, but a pair of strong hands held his arm firmly, refusing to let go.
“Please, we must be allowed to serve you. Otherwise, Young Lady Tsukiyuki will think we have been poor hosts.”
“I truly don’t need your help. Your excessive enthusiasm is actually quite troubling for me.”
“Well then, we have no choice…”
The two maids exchanged a glance. Immediately after, one of them lunged like a ravenous tiger and restrained Gao Sijin with a cross armbar, while the other used the fastest possible speed to strip off his outer clothes. Such forceful service left Gao Sijin deeply mortified, but the maids acted as though this was perfectly normal.
“Kind Lord, we shall now help you put on the kimono. What do you think of this one?”
They led Gao Sijin in front of the full-length mirror and had him try on several different colors. In the end, Gao Sijin chose the navy blue one. It was less being served and more like he had become a dress-up doll for the maids. Even after changing, it wasn’t over. They pulled him over to the vanity table.
“Why would a man like me put on makeup?”
Gao Sijin tried to refuse, but they had already brought out all sorts of cosmetics he had never seen or heard of, dabbing various bottles and jars onto his face. Compared to usual, he saw in the mirror that he definitely looked fairer, and his hair had been sprayed with styling gel.
“Lord Sijin, you now look just like a male celebrity. This way, the Young Lady will certainly be very satisfied.”
“Seeing yourself in the mirror, you should feel more confident too, right, Lord Sijin?”
Gao Sijin had always believed men wearing makeup were effeminate and lacked masculinity. But now, seeing a reflection in the mirror that was several levels higher than usual… he was completely sold.
He really did look handsome.
“Even if your methods were a bit forceful… thank you.”
“No need for thanks. We also hope the Young Lady can marry a kind person. For the sake of the Young Lady’s happiness, this is what we should do.”
“Rio and I aren’t lovers.”
“We know. But we can tell that you must be someone very important to Young Lady Tsukiyuki. I came to work at the Young Lady’s mansion four years ago, and in all that time, she has never brought another male home.”
“What? I’m the first male friend Rio has brought to this estate?”
Hearing this news gave Gao Sijin a feeling of being flattered.
“Yes. As you can probably tell, Lord Sijin, the management of this estate—including the outer winery, ranch, and golf course—is largely handled by women. Even Young Lady Tsukiyuki’s parents have never visited here. We believe the Young Lady must see you as an extremely important person.”
“Perhaps it’s not an overstatement to say a future husband.”
The two maids played off each other, telling Gao Sijin that Tsukiyuki Rio likely also harbored feelings for him. Even though the Young Lady possessed immense wealth and status that was unattainably high, Gao Sijin was a special existence to her.
“Alright, Lord Sijin, let’s go find the Young Lady. With your current appearance, she’s sure to like you even more than before.”
“Perhaps soon, we’ll have to address Lord Sijin as ‘Master’.”
The maids gently nudged Gao Sijin’s back, escorting him out of the changing room. One on his left and one on his right, they accompanied him towards Tsukiyuki Rio’s room.
