In the Capital of the Republic of Selus, a shop opened for the day. It was a three-story building, and although it looked big on the outside, there were only two people working inside.
Most of the place was filled with cloth and instruments for mending, sewing, and stitching things together. There were also numerous devices and scrolls that contained spells and similar magical effects. This was the Roche family store of enchanted clothes.
The Roche family was one of the oldest in the business of making enchanted clothing. Their techniques were older than the Republic itself. They build their reputation by providing a variety of items and magical effects, from protection spells in a suit to shoes that make you run ten times faster. If there was some kind of unusual clothing or accessories that you wanted, they could probably make it for you.
Lia was standing in front of the store with a bag hanging from her side. After she came to her parents' house, she talked a bit with her mother and told her she was going to stay for a while. Elva, naturally, was happy to have her daughter back home, but her hopes of having her daughter finally start thinking about marriage were dashed as Lia denied any attempt by her mother to go meet potential suitors. She was just doing personal business in the Capital for a few days.
Her mother tried to accompany her and help her in case she needed anything, but Lia refused. I can't let mom find out I'm going to learn how to make magic cloth. Thank the angels, my dad wasn't home. He definitely would have followed me no matter what I said. Lia took a deep breath and opened the door.
The inside of the store was illuminated by a smooth light hanging from the walls. A variety of clothes and accessories were resting on mannequins. In the center, a woman, older than Lia but still young, was reading a catalogue when she noticed her presence.
"Ah, a customer welcome. Please tell me what you are looking for? We have the best enchanted clothes in the Republic. That is the Roche family warranty." She stood up and walked to Lia.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Lia Comtes Hildir. I'm sorry, but I didn't come to buy anything. I am here to ask you to teach me how to make enchanted cloth." She bowed respectfully.
To make herself more useful, Lia came to learn to make enchanted clothes. Her only talent was making clothes, which could prove useful to Thanatos and everyone else. She came prepared to pay any price for the teachings. As she opened her eyes and looked at the woman, her face had an awkward expression.
"Mmm, I understand, but… The truth is that I cannot teach you since I don't have my father's permission." She said while scratching her cheek.
"Your father? Sir Yohann."
"Yes, I'm his daughter, Anna Roche. "It's a pleasure to meet you, lady Lia." She offered a bow as well. She knew exactly the name of Comtes Hildir.
"I can't teach anyone the secret techniques of our family, unless I have my father's permission."
"Then, how about I ask your father directly?"
"That's... a more complicated thing..."
Lia didn't understand, Anna went upstairs to ask her father about it. After a couple of minutes of silence, Lia heard someone yelling above.
"A Hildir?" The sound of footsteps rushing from the floor above echoed in the building until a man came face to face with Lia.
It was Yohann Roche, the owner of the store and patriarch of the Roche family. A man in his fifties came running down. His long hair was pure white and the bags under his eyes made it obvious he was tired. He looked at Lia for a long moment. She felt nervous and couldn't speak.
"Why is a Hildir interested in our family teachings?" Yohann spoke with an inquisitive tone.
"Ah well, it's not for business or anything like that. We don't intend to compete with your family in that aspect. I just came here because, as a tailor, I want to learn new techniques and methods. I'm sorry for causing you the wrong impression."
"You are here for a personal desire then?"
"Yes, Sir Yohann, only for my own wishes. My family has nothing to do with this."
"Prove it. Show me your work. Your desire should be clear to me after I see an example." He sat down in front of the reception desk and waited for Lia.
"Oh, you mean you want to see a garment that I made? Sure, I brought a few items." She opened her bag and put the clothes in front of Yohann.
They were all of exquisite quality. A blue and purple men's suit, a deep red scarf, and a light green women's dress with a flower pattern sewn on the sleeves. Lia was proud of these items. Like her mother told her many times, the best way to impress another tailor is to show your best creations.
"No, it is all wrong."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't feel passion in any of these clothes. You can't even show me your passion, and yet you came to ask for my family's teachings. What a waste of time." He stood up and walked back to the second floor without looking at Lia.
BAM... The sound of the door being slammed shut was the only thing he left her. Lia was left dumbfounded. Her efforts and pride were ripped to shreds with a few words. Anna was at her side, watching with a worried expression.
"I'm sorry. He's a jerk without delicacy; he insults everything he doesn't like. I have been there before, don't take it personal." She grabbed Lia's shoulder to try to comfort her.
"It's fine, I understand. I wasn't good enough to satisfy his requirements." She smiled to hide the pain. She couldn't bother Anna by crying in front of her, it was best to hold up the frustration and...
'Please Lia, don't force a fake smile on your face.' Thanatos's words surfaced in her mind. 'You're your own person. No one else can tell you about your feelings. If you feel it is worth crying, then cry till your heart's content.'
She promised to not underestimate her own feelings anymore. The tears began to fall on her face.
"He was a bit too mean…" Her fake smile disappeared, and a pouting expression came with the tears. "Sob… he could have said it in a nicer way... Sob..."
Like a little girl, Lia pouted and cried as she tried to reassure herself.
"Ahhh, I'm sorry. Forgive my dumb father. Please, I'll make you a cup of tea." The sad image of Lia crying was enough to make Anna's heart break into pieces. Even though she was an only child, in that moment, she hugged and comforted Lia like a big sister. She gently patted the young girl on the back as she cried in her chest.
"Feeling better?" Anna asked.
"Yes, thanks for the tea." She was feeling much better after crying till her heart's content.
"Don't worry about my father. I've never seen him accept a student in all my life. There is nothing you could have done. is like trying to convince a wall."
"Your father seems like the type that is hard to deal with?"
"You have no idea. When my mother was alive, she had a ton of trouble trying to convince him to do things for the family business. Now I'm the only one that is trying to keep him on a leash. If it weren't for me, he would spend days without eating or sleeping, working in his office all alone. It's like he forgets this is a store and we have to make money to survive."
"I'm sure he appreciates your presence, Lady Anna..."
"Still thinking about it?"
"Yeah, I just wonder how I can show more passion in my creations. I thought those were good enough, but clearly, I was wrong.
"In my experience, when he asks for passion, he doesn't mean anything specific. is like his umbrella term for anything he doesn't like. Sometimes when he was teaching me the techniques, he would say, "I should be more selfish and express my true desires.' I didn't get what he was talking about, until I got so angry at him one day, and for some reason, he accepted that garment with a proud smile. He's too weird."
"Thank you for the advice. I'll come back when I prepare something good enough."
"Are you coming back? Believe me, he hasn't accepted anyone outside the family, and the older he gets, the crankier he becomes."
"Still, I have to try. I promised someone else that I was going to learn to help him."
"Good luck. If you need anything else, you can come to hang out anytime."
They said goodbye, and Lia returned to her parents' mansion. Her determination to learn had not diminished.
"Wrong!" "Not good enough!" "Too shabby!"
After three days of sewing, weaving, and stitching, Lia's mind reached the breaking point. None of these clothes are good enough. Her room was full of dozens of clothes. She had spent every moment of the past three days working tirelessly to make a good enough garment to present. No matter how much she worked, nothing was good enough.
The same, all these clothes feel the same as those I show him already. Why can't I make something better? She racked her brain, trying to think of something new or better. How could she show more passion? Was there a secret or something he was missing?
She threw herself on the bed with her tired arms and hands. So much work and still nothing to show. She looked at the mountain of clothes she had made in the past few days. They were pretty and of excellent quality. Her mother came into her room earlier and praised them all.
"I would sell them all in less than a day. I know a lot of nobles who spent a fortune to buy one of these. You're so good already, in a couple of years you're probably going to surpass me. My my, it is not fun getting old, but I'm still so proud of you."
Lia thought for a moment about her mother's words. She didn't care that nobles wanted to buy their clothes. She did previously, but now that was just a bonus. Her real reason for becoming better was to be useful to her friends…
My real reason? She thought about those clothes. Adel, Neo, or Eric wouldn't care about them. Even Thanatos would only use them for parties or simple occasions. In a real fight, a suit like this is useless. She had already learned that with her own eyes.
That's it. I have been making clothes for people I don't care about because those were the types of clothing I learned to sew first. I'm going to make something useful for them. Something that is going to surprise him so much that he's going to lose his mind.
Lia made a single outfit, but this time with her feelings guiding her hand, true passion.