In the Doghouse - Chapter 101
The middle-aged woman manning the stall beamed as the two approached.
“Aren’t these pretty? My daughter made them herself. Feel free to take a look.”
The vendor quickly scanned her customers’ outfits. As someone who ran a fabric shop, she could immediately tell that the dresses worn by the two women were of such high quality that even wealthy merchants could hardly afford them. However, considering the occasion, it didn’t seem unusual for noblewomen to be out on the streets.
Though it was unlikely a noblewoman would wear cheap trinkets made from scraps of cloth, the vendor was determined to sell something. Nobles were often clueless about market prices and wouldn’t haggle, so she smiled brightly, offering various items.
“This would suit you well, miss. How about trying it on?”
“Hmm…”
Courtney held up a red ribbon to Richard’s wig. He averted his eyes, clearly uncomfortable. Courtney, with a teasing tone, asked,
“How do you like it? Does it suit you?”
“…Yes.”
Richard replied as quietly as possible. Though he wore a necklace that altered his voice, hearing himself like this made his skin crawl.
Of course, Courtney was having the time of her life.
For someone who could endure all kinds of bizarre things without flinching, it was amusing to see him so dastered by wearing women’s clothing. Teasing a deflated Richard was even more fun than she had expected.
This time, she held a light blue ribbon near his neck, which was concealed by lace.
“This one’s pretty too.”
Placing the ribbon at his neck was a deliberate move. Richard looked up from under his lowered lashes, meeting her gaze. He recognized the familiar desire in her eyes. Despite being trapped in a dress, his lower body began to heat up uncontrollably.
“Oh my, with such fair skin, it suits you so well!”
The vendor chimed in, oblivious to the tension between them. She was too focused on making a sale to notice the strange atmosphere or that the beautiful woman in front of her was, in fact, a man.
However, despite the vendor’s enthusiasm, Courtney set the ribbon back down and turned her attention elsewhere. She tugged at Richard’s sleeve and said,
“Thank you, but we’ll be going. Let’s check out that stall over there, Riri.”
“…Yes, Court— Of course.”
Richard replied, quickly swallowing the name he had almost uttered. There might have been many women in the capital with the same name as the Crown Princess, but one couldn’t be too careful. As he followed Courtney, he glanced back. Anton, along with two guards who had been quietly trailing behind them, nodded in understanding.
Anton approached the stall they had just visited and purchased a number of items, paying a generous price and ensuring the vendor would keep quiet.
“Let’s just say no one important stopped by today.”
“Oh, of course! I can’t seem to recall anything at all. Must be my old age. My memory’s not what it used to be,” the savvy vendor responded with a sly grin.
Meanwhile, Courtney and Richard arrived at a food stall. After browsing for a moment, Courtney pointed at some sugar-coated treats on skewers.
“I’ll take two, please.”
“Thank you.”
After paying with coins, Courtney handed one of the skewers to Richard and asked,
“Have you ever had one of these?”
“No.”
“Me neither.”
With that, she bit into her treat and continued walking with a lighthearted bounce in her step. Richard hurried to keep up, relieved that she wasn’t wearing high heels today, which would have made walking even more difficult.
As they strolled together, Courtney occasionally glanced back at Richard. For a hastily thrown-together disguise, his transformation was surprisingly effective. His long, flowing hair and heavy makeup, combined with his overall demeanor, made him look like an objectively beautiful woman, if only his expression wasn’t so strained from discomfort.
The entire situation was amusing to Courtney, and she couldn’t help but smile whenever she looked at him. Richard, noticing her amusxmxnt, awkwardly smiled back. Despite his discomfort, their first date was enjoyable. It would have been even better if he weren’t dressed like this.
They walked side by side, nibbling on their snacks, but as the market became more crowded, Richard finished his skewer and stopped Courtney.
“Courtney, wait.”
As she turned, her red hair swayed lightly. Richard fixed the magic hairpin that had slipped out of place.
“There, all set.”
She smoothed her now-back-in-place hair. The color change felt strange, but probably no more so than Richard wearing a dress for the first time.
As they resumed walking, Richard gently took her empty hand in his. She glanced down at their joined hands, then squeezed his hand back. With his wide-brimmed hat pulled low to cover his face, the tips of Richard’s ears turned red.
