Third Arc: Fourteenth Chapter

A heavily made-up shop clerk eagerly brought out the wares. Cream in round cases, powder in white boxes. They came in beautiful boxes that made the heart dance, and just looking at them was fun.

"These are the cosmetics all the fashion in Ringosta right now. Why, it's said that even Her Majesty the Queen herself uses them!"

"Oh? The Queen, you say..."

As I picked up a lipstick in a seashell case and tilted my head at the unfamiliar claim, the clerk nodded with a beaming smile and explained.

"Yes! They say Her Majesty suffered from rough skin for years, and once she used this, it cleared right up..."

"Hmmm..."

High-end cosmetics shop or not, for the state of the Queen's skin to be common gossip seemed rather fishy. Lady Julia and I looked at each other and traded a glance.

"Oh, perhaps this didn't interest you. My apologies. ...By the way, we have another new item over here..."

Flustered, perhaps, by our doubtful looks, the clerk hastily brought out a new product. When we saw the thing she held out with a face full of confidence, we froze.

"This is..."

"These are shoes called slippers, brought in from the neighboring country of Altria! They caught people's attention because the young lady betrothed to Lord Elliot, His Majesty's younger brother, was seen wearing them. A rare find, hard to come by!"

A bold design, light on the feet, the clerk went on, and I put my head in my hands. And then my inner voice slipped out.

"Slippers are shoes, but they are not shoooes!"

"Fweh?"

The clerk, dumbstruck at my outburst, let out a witless little sound.

---

"Step right up, step right up, one and all! You there, sir, madam, miss, passing by! Lend me just a moooment of your ears! The product I want to show you all today, special, is... this! The diet slipper! A limited item, imported specially from the neighboring country of Altria! Yes, now only! A limited release, for now only! Oh, miss, you're wearing slippers this very moment! What a thing...! How about it, how do they feel?!"

I pointed a stick, standing in for a microphone, at a young lady who happened, conveniently, to be wearing slippers.

"Hm? Yes, well, I do like the design. But they're a little hard to walk in... the heels are so short, you see..."

"Th-at's ex-act-ly it!! Look at this bold design! The heels are short? No, no, no! Make no mistake! This is on purpose! They are shaped this way deliberately!"

"On... on purpose??"

"Yes! This slipper is a diet slipper! Let me show you its true worth! Julia!"

"Ready when you are!"

At my call, Lady Julia made a splendid entrance in bold pleated culottes that bared her slim lower legs, and gasps and murmurs of admiration escaped the gathered crowd.

"Is that a skirt? Or trousers?"

"How fresh... it looks cool and airy."

The knee-length culottes, which some in Altria would frown at, were welcomed warmly in Lumelica. And no wonder. In Lumelica women have gone further out into the world than in Altria, and women's fashion has been freed up more. Even so, ankle-length skirts are still the norm, and few women wear trousers or slacks.

Lady Julia, who had appeared with a walk fit for a runway model, swept up her thick hair smoothly and struck a crisp pose.

"This slipper deliberately does away with the heel. By putting your weight on the balls of your feet, it works to tone and firm the legs! Here is your chance for beautiful legs like hers! ...And the one thing I want to tell you all at the top of my voice is... slippers are indoor footwear!!"