BOVBD 04

Chapter 4

Not long after, someone knocked at the door.

I glared at it, on edge in case it was someone else.

But to my surprise, it was Keris who entered, carrying heavy-looking shopping bags in both hands.

‘Is he bringing clothes in those?’

I thought, forcing a friendly smile as I approached him.

“Welcome.”

Keris regarded me with a strange look, his eyes traveling up and down my body as if appraising me.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

I wondered. Of course he probably meant no harm, but the way he looked made me feel vaguely awkward, so I asked cautiously.

“Is something wrong?”

He averted his eyes, tapping his forehead with a finger.

“I bought clothes. Change into them.”

“Here?”

“…I won’t look, so don’t worry. If you’d rather, you can change in the storeroom you were in earlier.”

Ever since I became human, Keris had avoided meeting my eyes during conversation. Maybe years of living cut off from relationships had made him awkward with people; even when he didn’t try to show it, he came across as uncomfortable. I’d read hints about this in the book and heard it while I occupied the doll, but I hadn’t expected it to be so pronounced. Whatever the future held, I suspected living here with Keris would bring its share of difficulties.

I took the shopping bag from Keris and went back into the room where I’d been trapped. Even though he said he wouldn’t look, I felt uneasy changing clothes where he could see me, so I shut the storeroom door carefully and removed the outfit I’d been wearing. Only then did I properly see my human body. It suited the phrase perfectly: a doll turned human, porcelain-white skin and a mannequin-like figure. Even before I possessed the doll, I’d never seen anyone so doll-like.

As I fumbled with the new clothes, two problems became clear. First, I had no idea how people in this world were supposed to dress. Second, the clothes I’d put on—no matter how I’d managed it, were absurdly large.

I remembered Keris’s appraisal when he first entered.

‘He bought clothes without even knowing my size?’

I thought. He could’ve just asked. Then again, he rarely dealt directly with people; perhaps he’d never considered clothing sizes at all.

I looked down at what I’d put on and, despite having just dressed, couldn’t remember how I’d done it. Clutching at the garments that kept slipping, I opened the door.

“All dressed—”

At the sound of the door, Keris turned and froze the instant our eyes met.

“I’m sorry. The clothes don’t fit and I can’t remember how to take them off… I couldn’t get them off…”

Keris, clearly flustered, stepped toward me, his face uncharacteristically flushed. He reached out to undo the tangled waist ribbon, but the more he tried, the worse it became, probably because he wasn’t looking closely while fumbling. After a long struggle, he did something sudden and, frankly, awkward: he shrugged his coat over my shoulders and said in a rush.

“I think we’ll need someone else to help. I’ll call one of the housemaids.”

He pulled a cord in the corner, and a bell began to ring in the distance. I stood there stunned, coming out dressed like this had clearly been a mistake, but I really couldn’t have fixed the outfit alone.

A maid entered. She was healthy-looking—tanned and sturdy—an obvious contrast to Keris, who always looked tired, and to me, who was nearly porcelain pale. When she saw me, she stared as if her mind couldn’t reconcile what she was seeing.

“Um… who is this person…?”

“Help her change. There are other clothes in that shopping bag.”

‘The clothes I just put on didn’t fit—would any other outfit actually fit?’

I wondered at Keris’s suggestion, but I didn’t voice the question.

The maid’s mouth fell open at Keris’s request. Embarrassed by the situation, I forced an awkward smile at her. In a trembling voice she asked Keris.

“Who exactly is this lady?”

I’d known a reaction like that would come. I couldn’t very well answer.

I was a doll who became human. So I hesitated over what to say. Before I could think of an excuse, Keris answered the maid without a second’s pause.

“She’s an acquaintance of mine. She has some matters to attend to and will be staying at the house for a while, treat her as such.”

“What? But—”

“I don’t think it is your place as a servant to pry further.”

“……”

“She’s my guest; be polite.”

The maid didn’t ask me anything else. Quietly, she approached and began helping me change clothes with surprising ease. We tried on the other garments Keris had brought, but my suspicion proved correct: every piece was far too large. The maid, at a loss when none fit, looked to Keris and said apologetically.

“My lord, I’m sorry, but none of these clothes fit the lady.”

“Is that so?”

Keris sighed, raking a hand through his hair as if troubled.

“Then we’ll need to fetch other clothes.”

Even though Keris hadn’t scolded me directly, his frown made me self-conscious. He’d gone through the trouble of buying those clothes, now he had to go out again. I worried that bothering him would make him change his mind about letting me stay in the house.

‘He let me stay, and now I’m making him fetch more clothes, what if he decides to throw me out?’

The maid asked Keris.

“So she truly has no suitable clothes right now?”

I technically still had the doll’s outfit, but I couldn’t put that on openly, I might be suspected of being a doll. Keris seemed to think the same and answered vaguely.

“She can’t wear her previous clothes due to circumstances.”

“That leaves her in quite a bind.”

The maid hesitated briefly, thinking it over.

“Is there anything simple she could wear for the time being?”

“It’s not suitable for a lady, but if it’s urgent we do have garments the maids wear.”

The maid offered.

Keris made a small, reluctant sound. I had thought immediately that maid’s clothes would be fine, but Keris seemed uncomfortable at the suggestion.

‘What’s holding him back? Does he really think I can’t wear servant clothes?’

I wondered. But since I wasn’t actually nobility, I didn’t care.

I stepped forward and answered for both of us.

“I’m glad there’s something. I don’t know if it’s appropriate, but if you could bring one, I’d be very grateful.”

The maid’s face registered surprise, what did that expression mean? Perhaps she found it odd that someone she assumed must be of noble status would willingly wear a maid’s outfit without hesitation.

‘Is class in this world really this rigid…?’

Having lived as an ordinary person in Korea, all this strictness felt unfamiliar. Keris nodded.

“Then bring those clothes.”

“Very well. I’ll fetch them at once.”

The maid returned shortly with a simple, plain garment. It looked easier to dress in than the previous items, at least it seemed like something I could put on by myself. That pride was premature. I ended up fumbling in the storeroom for a long time, nearly half-wearing the dress when the maid came over to fix it for me. I worried she might find it strange that I couldn’t get into a simple outfit alone, but she showed no surprise; she treated my inability to dress myself as perfectly normal.

With the maid’s help, I finally managed to put the clothes on properly.