Episode 16
Monica insisted that she should just take the money and go, but Luis insisted that it was ridiculous. To be exact:
“It would be a mistake to give money to a lady and send her away.”
“Why not?”
“My pride will be hurt.”
“Is this what Garcia said?”
“No, it’s what my pride said.”
From the moment Garcia said he would pay for her clothes, Monica had already decided that she would never follow that man around to buy clothes.
But the person who actually showed up was Luis. She thought that even if it was Luis, her determination would not change, but the man was a strong opponent in a different sense from Garcia.
“It’s not enough to devote my whole body and soul in serving the lady who was troubled by Garcia, so paying you back with just some money is too shameful for a man.”
Monica looked up at him suspiciously.
“There’s something that bothers me a little.”
“Bother? Please tell me what is bothering you, and I will fix it right away.”
“The part about ‘giving it your all’…”
Luis smiled brightly and sinisterly. It was amazing how these two things could coexist in a man.
“That part is my true heart.”
“Flirt…”
“Please don’t say that, I’m a loving man.”
As he spoke, Luis skillfully escorted Monica. The series of events leading up to the commercial street with Monica was so natural that Monica only came to her senses in front of a gorgeous door with a checkered pattern of pink and purple.
The costume shop building was very large. It seemed to have three floors, and the walls were painted a light pink.
The luxuriously woven door opened on both sides and had a very cute handle. It seemed like a pretty decent place in this commercial district.
“Places like this only do customization, right?”
“Oh, trust me.”
While Luis and Monica were bickering, a woman in a beautiful green feathered hat came out of the dressing room and glanced at them.
“Welcome!”
As Luis opened the door and entered without hesitation, a clerk with a cheerful voice came running towards him. Monica felt intimidated and trembled without realizing it, but Luis smiled gently and whispered.
“Let me escort you, Moni.”
“Moni?”
“I can’t call you my love here, right?”
Monica gaped, but Luis gently patted her shoulder like water flowing and turned his gaze to the clerk.
“Have you made a reservation?”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that. But I guess there are clothes which is ready to wear right?”
The clerk nodded.
“Our boss is the fastest man in La Spezia! Most of the captains of the big ships always bring in their wives with them for ready made cloths!”
Only then did Monica realize that this was a port city. Sailors, who were out at sea for more than half a year, had no time to buy tailored clothes. Louis smiled broadly.
“Show me some clothes for my Moni.”
“Certainly sir! I’ll take you to the second floor.”
The clerk walked up first. Monica quickly whispered to Luis.
“That’s not true, Luis. The clothes I was wearing were just clothes I bought at the market.”
“If you look closely, this place is also in a market.”
“Luis.”
Monica sighed and opened her mouth.
“I didn’t want to say this because I found Garcia annoying.”
“You mean you want to tell this only to me? What is it? Your love for me?”
“Its about loss! The clothes which were torn were used!”
Monica stomped her feet in embarrassment after saying this. She couldn’t believe she even had to say this. Buying new clothes wasn’t an option for an eighteen-year-old girl who grew up in an orphanage.
It was a one-piece dress that she bought after searching and searching for a long time in the used clothing carts at the market, despite being glared at. So, it was absurd to buy new clothes in a place like this.
After explaining all that, Monica pressed the back of her hand to her face to calm her flushed cheeks.
But Luis didn’t care.
“Oh my, making a lady confess her secrets. I guess I was at fault.”
“Luis, please. Even though I had only 60 dollars back then, I don’t intend to accept more than that.”
“Um, Moni.”
Luis raised one eyebrow at Monica, who was now almost pleading. At that moment, the corner of his right eye twitched slightly. Just before Monica realized something, Luis quickly asked back.
“Garcia must have been extremely rude to you, wasn’t he?”
“Uh…”
“That wasn’t very polite.”
“When Garcia said he had to go see some lady and called her ‘the crazy ponytail,’ I was sure that Garcia had sinned again.”
Even in a serious moment, a smile escaped the corners of Monica’s mouth. There was a magic about Luis that made even the most serious things seem trivial. How should she put it? A light, fluttering… feather-like distraction.
“Consider this an apology on Garcia’s behalf, Moni. And I have a lot of money that I would never end up in loss.”
Instead, now that she was really curious, Monica quickly asked back.
“What on earth is your relationship?”
Luis winked one eye.
“I told you, we are inseparable.”
“Are you really twin brothers?”
“Well, it’s similar.”
Are they like cousins? But is there any sibling that looks that much alike?
‘And those eyes…’
Her mind was in disarray. But the situation was too busy to think about it any further. The clerk who had gone up to the second floor first came back down the stairs and asked, “Why don’t you two come up?” Finally, Monica sighed deeply and opened her mouth.
“…If you promise me just one thing.”
“What is it?”
“If only you wouldn’t call me by that nickname, Moni…”
Luis laughed beautifully and went one step further.
“Okay, my love.”
“Ah! Really!”
Monica stopped climbing the stairs and slammed her palm on the wall next to her. Despite her violent actions, Luis just laughed.
“My beloved tomboy, you are very active today.”
“You rascal! Stop calling me that!”
So, the two men were similar not only with their faces but also in their recklessness.
By the time they finally reached the second floor, Monica had regained her composure. Anyway, the incident had happened, and at first glance, Luis was dressed stylishly. He seemed comfortable enough to buy clothes in a place like this.
And besides, he said he would buy them for her? Crucially, Monica had a gut feeling that if she didn’t buy one outfit, she would never be able to leave Luis today.
“Something comfortable to move in. Sturdy and reasonably stylish.”
The clerk nodded at Monica’s order. But Luis, who was standing behind her, quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said one more thing.
“Beautiful and uncomfortable clothes. So much so that she would give up on those clothes before she could escape from me!”
“Luis!”
There was a hint of humor in Luis’ words, and the clerk chuckled.
Soon, several sets of clothes that the clerk had selected were displayed in front of the two of them.
“This is what the Lord wanted, and this is what the lady wanted.”
It was as he said. On the right were comfortable, work-friendly clothes that a sailor’s wife might wear, and on the left were several dresses with beautiful, delicate lace.
But Monica tried not to look to her left and quickly picked out a dress on her right. It was a gray linen dress. Luis grumbled openly.
“Oh, my love. I’ve seen enough rats on the boat.”
“Don’t keep nagging me. It’s my style.”
“Then please wear something that suits my taste too.”
The dress Louis chose was a white, green-striped, walk-in dress. The clerk clapped her hands in delight.
“You’re so picky! It’s a piece of clothing made of machine-made fabric that I haven’t seen in a long time, and it’s perfect even in the middle of summer. The lace on the end is also machine-woven, but it’s imported…”
“It’s okay, I won’t buy it.”
Monica waved her hand to keep herself from being hit, but Luis was faster.
“My love? Look at this. It really suits you.”
Luis lifted up the dress and spread it out, showing the green-striped dress in front of her body. His limbs, much longer and more muscular than Monica’s, almost swept her to the dressing room mirror.
Monica closed her eyes tightly, but Luis whispered softly in her ear.
“My love, I have a hundred ways to open your eyes.”
“Luis, no matter how much you say that, I won’t open my eyes. Just let me lose my eyes and buy that gray dress and go. White doesn’t suit me.”
“I will never let you do that. My love, please open your eyes just once. Okay?”
“…Ah.”
Luis was right. From the moment he said, “Never,” Luis whispered very softly next to Monica’s ear, and his hot, soft breath tickled Monica’s ear as he pronounced each syllable. Monica finally opened her eyes when Luis said, “Huh?”
‘This rascal! Are you crazy?’
She clearly intended to hit him like that. But the moment she opened her eyes, Monica gaped at the sight before her eyes. It was because of her reflection in the mirror.
To her chagrin, Louis was right. Monica had no choice but to admit that the dress he was holding looked amazing on her. Monica had always thought that white didn’t suit her. Her skin was tanned in the sun, not being able to be groomed under a parasol.
But the dress, which she thought was white, was actually a light ivory color. And that color suited Monica so well.
Moreover, the stripes were not the fresh green of midsummer, but the warm grass color of autumn, so they had a simple yet lovely charm.
“How is it? It really goes well with your lovely black hair, doesn’t it?”
“Flirt…”
‘You really deserve your nickname. You found something that suits a woman so quickly.’ It was a phrase that was full of implications. However, Luis understood all of it and continued to talk with an even more excited expression.
“No. Not anymore, my love. I will give you my all.”
“You two are such a great couple! Are you married?”
The clerk chimed in. Luis smiled back at the clerk.
“The shipboard doctor who drifted through the world, tossed by the wind, is now looking for an opportunity to settle down.”
Monica’s eyes widened at those words. You worked as a doctor on a ship? But she knew it would look really weird to ask that in front of the clerk, so she rolled her eyes and chose not to speak. She thought she should ask Luis when they were alone.
But she was so focused on waiting for her chance that when the clerk put the clothes on her and clapped his hands saying that they fit perfectly, she ended up clapping along with him.
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