Before long, the workshop Elise had led them to came into view, its heavy wooden doors giving it an imposing air.
A finely crafted sign hung over the entrance, and its ornamentation spoke of refined taste.
"This is the Belclair Tailoring Workshop."
The moment Elise opened the door, a harsh voice rang out from inside.
Startled, Yuri peered in to see what was going on, only to find several burly men standing there in an openly threatening manner.
At their center, a somewhat heavyset man stood with his hands planted on his hips, glaring at a female artisan.
At the woman's feet lay a dress torn so badly it looked little better than a rag.
Threads were fraying loose from the hem, and the fabric had been left in a state of utter ruin.
"Quite the nerve, handing over something this half-finished! The stitching came loose at the ball and the whole thing nearly slipped off her. She was made a laughingstock! How exactly do you intend to take responsibility for this?"
The man went on, his voice rising even further.
"Because of you, the viscount's daughter had to leave the ball in tears. If this ruins her engagement, what then? Huh?"
Under the man's furious shouting, the female artisan went pale, her legs giving out beneath her as she collapsed to the floor.
"My lord..."
Lily murmured it under her breath, clutching at Yuri's hem with an anxious look on her face.
"Lily... It's all right. Really, it's all right."
Yuri smiled to calm her, gently laid a hand on her shoulder, and then asked Elise,
"...Do you know who they are?"
"The man in the center looks like an employee of the Rosenkreuz Trading Company.
The men around him are Fielders, I think.
A hired combat outfit—one that even takes dangerous jobs."
At Elise's hushed reply, Yuri nodded inwardly.
Ah. Right. So people like that were around too... Now then, how should I play this?
If their claim was true, then the fault lay with the Belclair Tailoring Workshop.
And if a viscount's house was backing them, making a scene here would only be counterproductive.
If he provoked them carelessly, the situation could easily get worse.
As Yuri stood there frowning in thought, Elise turned her eyes toward the woman still sitting on the floor and explained,
"The one over there who's too shaken to stand is Elena Belclair."
When Yuri looked toward her, Elise opened her mouth again, hesitantly.
"Elena is a friend I've known for quite some time.
But... I think it would be wiser to think very carefully before we step in.
The people from the Rosenkreuz Trading Company are troublesome,
and if we move rashly, the pressure on the workshop may only grow worse..."
Elise gripped the hem of her skirt tight and forced the words out as if enduring them.
"So... would you let us wait and see a little longer, Lord Strauss?"
Seeing Elise plead so earnestly, with tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, Yuri smiled, placed a hand lightly on her head, and stroked it gently to reassure her.
"All right.
If it comes to it, I'll do something. So when the time comes, leave it to me."
At the sudden gesture, Elise jerked her head up and stared at Yuri in surprise.
A faint flush spread across her cheeks, and she blinked rapidly.
"Ah... thank you very much, Lord Strauss..."
The tension seemed to melt from Elise's face, and she smiled softly.
The sight was so endearing that Yuri felt warmth bloom in his chest before he knew it.
But that brief moment of comfort lasted only an instant.
Once more, the man's shouting rang through the workshop.
When Yuri turned his eyes back toward him, Elena was desperately forcing words from her lips.
"I'm terribly sorry...
It truly was finished when we handed it over."
"If it was finished, we wouldn't be standing here, would we?!
You're just an apprentice—there's no point talking to you. Isn't the master here?"
One of the Fielders surrounding her hurled the cold words at Elena with deliberate cruelty.
"I'm very sorry...
The master is away at the moment..."
But before she could finish her excuse, the man cut her off with a derisive snort and an obnoxious wave of the hand.
"Oh, come on now. Don't tell me the apprentices handled the tailoring while the master was absent.
We paid a lot of money for this.
If the master wasn't here, who was supposed to guarantee the quality?
Does the tailors' guild in this city actually allow that?"
The color drained from Elena's face in an instant, and she answered in a trembling voice.
"Th-that...
While the master was away on urgent business,
I had to do everything I could
to make the deadline..."
But the man showed no sign of listening to her explanation, only sneering at her.
"Everything you could?
You think that excuse is going to fly?
We paid for a perfect job!"
Elena drew her shoulders in and struggled to force the words out, but tears were already brimming in her eyes.
Yuri frowned at the man's sheer arrogance.
They had no intention of listening.
All they did was shout and intimidate.
The longer he watched, the more irritation began to gather inside him.
Just standing there and looking was enough to make his disgust spread little by little.
I can't make the first move here... Fine. Plan G it is.
Elena tried desperately to speak again, but another man stepped forward and cracked his knuckles right in front of her, cutting her off.
"You do understand how much damage this has caused, don't you?
A shabby little workshop like yours couldn't possibly pay it all back."
A sneer twisted his lips, and the contempt in his face was unmistakable.
Yuri knit his brows at the sight and leaned close enough to whisper to Lily.
"Lily, we're going with Plan G. Get ready."
Lily looked up at him in surprise.
"Huh? What's that?"
But Yuri only pressed a finger to his lips and gave her a quiet look.
At last, tears spilled from Elena's eyes.
"When the master returns, I will explain everything again properly and offer my apology—"
"The master?
You think we have time to sit around waiting for that?"
One of the men gave a malicious smile and shrugged.
"If you can't pay... then here's an idea.
Go earn it with your body.
I know a nice brothel.
I'm sure there'll be customers there who'd be more than happy to take good care of you."
Saying that, one of the Fielders grabbed Elena by the hair and yanked her head up roughly.
"Wait!
Let go of the young lady!"
An artisan who had been peeking in from the back rushed out to help Elena, but the man gripping her hair turned, drew back his fist, and moved to meet him head-on.
Now's my chance!