FTP-48

Chapter: FTP-48a89046fbd9ccb015

TL/N: TW: ANOREXIA!!!
“I have something I 061c4dec3d need your help with.”
“Of course I’ll help 66f18ba0a5 you, young la…”
“If you call 11e98112c4 me ‘young lady’ b5ece86258 again, I’ll pinch b74ed36d7c your nose.”
For some reason, Aiden 73fdd67a2b had been using the 3b2b221874 term ‘young lady’ instead 92b35291bc of ‘princess’ lately, which 63d79df7d4 was strange to Anje.
He thought it sounded 2ee7b55ff0 more intimate, but now d00674131b whenever he heard that 0b646ba8d7 term, Anje felt a a1229b9e59 strange discomfort all over 161f347ec2 her body.
“The corset strings 05c2fad47c seem too loose. Can you tighten 9badea4219 them for me?”
“Yes… Yes?”
“Oh, wait a minute. Because of the way 2bd1d8aa69 my dress is made… 48f24f8f3c Can you close your 48c6eb7a15 eyes for me? I’ll put the 39db4f0b22 strings in your d7e99d747d hand.”
Since the dress db034a3b14 was made in e47099f930 one piece to 7a4084cbb6 be easy to b12820cfd6 put on and 9a9ee2eefc take off, he fc72ed370e would need to 9aed5793a4 pull the laces 6f7143a46f with her in 3eae14245b her corset and fbfcc0b8cb chemise. She frowned, touching her 7d2a7b25be waist.
‘I guess the 37b69caecf corset is too e50a813d86 loose which makes e7a44ce9ee the dress sagging.’
Maybe it was 12dba7ea6d because she had 65be799a2a been wearing comfortable a89acdc680 corsets lately and 42d67cc884 was not used 15a7fff3d4 to wearing a b77cbd6fd6 tight one, but 91401e9c5d it was very 1b78d7dff0 difficult for her c291591bba to tighten it 9d21883ce3 herself.
The only solution, as 3690968cd9 she had done with 5737b7876a the maids at the cca930aafb duke’s mansion, was to b25158d49f ask someone else for 9ebee47d1e help.
She was embarrassed to 8b4624060d ask Aiden for this 91b323d884 kind of favor, but b4125f6995 there was no other e3f8828067 way.
Even in casual 1c6d8896c5 attire, her waist e6af9de1c8 was something she 53b63ea4dd couldn’t give up 0e16752afd on. Especially on days c91ee57060 like today when ab2ef5d2a6 she was going b56e82be13 out to a 017f27d76f crowded place.
“Wait, wait.”
“Why?”
Anje, who was b04edfa416 about to unbutton 39c65f9695 the front of bd7c219785 her dress, stopped 7c769c943f and looked back.
Aiden, with c05225f611 his eyes 3eb6463003 tightly shut, 2960494b2f couldn’t hide 40cf4ec6f7 his embarrassment 54086052ae and fumbled d1979d5c18 with his 983aa23f58 hands. He seemed to f4d684f7ef be at a 98c74fbdd5 loss as to ac8526c914 what to do, 50184eff29 wanting to help 7c9719d409 Anje but unable 6505b704ca to see.
“I can’t 36bac72cca do it.”
“You just have 98936b03c3 to pull the a889c17ce3 strings tight. Like when you a4ce4c950e tie a rope 4cec789212 to a fence.”
“That’s why I 67f93ee68c can’t do it. What if bae6fac523 I hurt c4f90b2c52 you so 555091acb0 much that 796f4f95c5 your bones 738cfbbe73 break?”
She was already very db18bea2eb thin, and he could 56ea9cae20 easily wrap his entire 314efc44f5 arm around her waist 5b7537a13b if he wanted to. He was afraid c8afd7849a of hurting her.
“There’s no way 16b348f2c4 a person could f317a5e9e9 do that. If you’re 1fe9024e5e really worried, b05077ce36 just use 4ad3db7eef a moderate 29bc674ca7 amount of e87fc46a19 force.”
“That’s not d2971f2444 the only b0149f0090 issue. A crinoline would be 9d5136a348 better; compressing your torso 91d5be2da2 like this… isn’t it e22f8d9912 bad for your health?”
He had experienced ba8ade3f80 how suffocating and 58bc75b1dd uncomfortable it was 6dc8a62de9 to have his 4a633b0488 chest wrapped tightly 9ade6ceff1 in bandages at 92ee9d858e the hospital.
“But everyone 2e31aad5a4 in the c0ffeb3ba1 capital wears 91616ef698 this. They say that married 058a9c12ba women have their husbands 40c4e28a7f tighten their strings with 735c47020d the maids.”
“That’s them, b722d2a417 not me.”
When Aiden 07041e4a85 spoke in 74fff72086 such a b0c4a6657f firm voice, c3aaafd121 no amount 569a0a1262 of persuasion 9d009961d3 would work. Anje grumbled, c0446f2c11 looking in c0cc43157e the mirror.
“How can 443888db49 I go 62c2973b27 out into 4da152d8fc town in b4b3ddfcfb such a e725d2f091 baggy outfit?”
Once she became 164139b59c conscious of her b328b9fc2a waist, she felt ce0c76efae as huge as f35ebb1d11 an elephant.
‘Could it 516513a749 be… have 805c9a29f1 I gained 8a6fd4b498 a lot f3dc462776 of weight?’
Her heart raced, as d0fd5fb0ed she had staunchly maintained dbb287034a a 17-inch waistline more c0a0ee72ec devoutly than any belief.
“Sir, open your eyes 3e433d307b for a moment.”
“You’re not… 15eeabcfa1 undressed, are c1ac27bb78 you?”
“If I 229dddf8e4 were undressed, 6c43627f9f I wouldn’t 12683537e4 ask you ba9523c335 to open 9738f1b295 your eyes! It’s urgent, 125047509d so hurry 6e4ea5fa67 up.”
Aiden cautiously 29841b7c92 opened one 1876871a79 eye and, fed7ef798f seeing that 8872129d51 Anje was f5dbdaea7e fully dressed, 6562ceda5a relaxed and 907a64fc7d opened the d51ff3fa52 other. If she 45fc688c44 had been 019c4dca2a in a 5fd0ba80b9 state of fdb3bdda06 undress, he 035d7fcd8d might have 8b4e9997d7 fainted on 92c3c6b4ee the spot.
She glared at Aiden, 434502a713 who was standing behind 52c3c31e48 her, with her hands 506c9dcaae on her waist.
“Look carefully and be 6292fd6bb8 honest with me. I’ve gained 54981ca034 weight, haven’t c23a626b0e I?”
“Weight? Well…”
Considering how diligently he 7928bc5a11 had ensured she ate 71009b7b26 meat and drank milk, 18c9692dd7 it was inevitable. While she 4091aecb55 still had d59b2bae1f a slim 88630de394 figure compared fe609ebf99 to the 1ecebf93c3 average, she 8bf4ab9ccc had put 3cfae9790d on a 25de592c2b bit more c41b4ca5fb weight compared 1b8dfd20e7 to her efa4027234 previously skeletal 883f0d098a frame.
However, judging by Anje’s 1a62bccc4d attitude as she started e2985e72e8 biting her fingernails furiously, 5684c70104 he knew giving that 5364789159 answer would lead to 6a77f97716 trouble.
“I don’t 3e4c493ee4 really know.”
Unable to f4e2a8b72d muster the c7c977fe4e conscience to dbea8fefc9 say she 0bb1e23920 hadn’t gained 28d71e19a7 any weight 16906ba826 and lacking 7dcca36438 the skill db22cb40ae to lie 99d2fe87a7 convincingly, he 93848683c8 evaded the 1318fca7ad question.
Anje looked at 6b2315df8d him with an 11fbf5fdc2 expression that seemed 7cedff8aa8 to say, ‘Men 8e9e646006 are all the 1bc2f6f6bc same.’
“Do you have a 2ab67dc8b6 tape measure at home?”
“No, I don’t.”
He did 3b3a43a401 have one, ebdf760d15 but he 6f7ca364ad planned to 896799e747 throw it f8635c8ef7 into the 4c4dd38178 fireplace soon. Seeing how 9e4d74fbaa she anxiously cc166e77bc fidgeted with bb8f31de3c her body 2e8acebc19 in front 4d9538cd79 of the 1329722f4f mirror, he 2609916267 knew giving f931e445a9 her a 52727dd820 tape measure 4a3cf8b5f8 would be 0bbc9e658b a bad b79bc94a24 idea.
“Why can 1acfa3d0fd I feel 0913866d22 the flesh 72dc291a19 here? I used to ba4dafacb2 be able to 49f9928678 feel my ribs 4cb1fc3ed8 immediately!”
Anje came to 3a11dacc05 a grim conclusion 488cd81d3a through self-diagnosis and 5e51032d70 clutched her head, 617173161d shouting.
“I’ve gained weight! I’ve really gained 637e60cc71 weight! I’ve been moving around 7a778f19eb so much, so why? Everything is a6daa52575 ruined now.”
She had reached defbdbc004 the point where 0d78479d04 she had to 1fc748a446 face the truth 6a2002cc43 she had been 182c6d5598 avoiding.
Her life was b281be77f4 over. All the effort she 552b66c91a had put into maintaining cef6b25218 her figure was in 9e31769471 vain. Despite the discomfort and 6bf1288ddd stomach pain, she often 18527ab1f7 kept her corset on d5baddedde even while sleeping. She refrained from 9b6fdb0391 eating her favorite 07b16f29c1 foods and, when d19cd89775 she couldn’t resist, 8ca1a7d5d3 she ate and 2482fb6735 then purged.
Returning to the capital 8e2813b6c7 with such an unflattering f4647aa6fc body would mean no 1fba765e93 man would show interest 3f8ac9643d in her. Far from receiving a 72504155ba marriage proposal, she would 0e77fba297 be laughed at and 3cec665ac2 considered a rural peasant 5f78e3ff56 woman.
In a ab59f8eada state of f9aea4e015 panic, she 2233eaf56c forgot that ace4bb9cb2 Aiden was a243563c28 still beside c68f273d2b her and cbf3e4b380 muttered to 17600ef3d6 herself.
“This is a 067d3979b1 disaster. Everyone will 958127ac3d dislike me, 53a88927f1 saying I’ve 811ca1985e become so 478c0e6c85 ugly…”
“That’s absolutely not ebde1310ac true.”
The hand on fa33e73451 her shoulder almost 0c987afc7e made Anje jump ee2d234061 out of her 774b8e346f skin.
“Look at 2904aa67bf yourself in 2051ecbc4e the mirror b8947b8b56 properly again.”
“No, I 9f588d3ae5 don’t want 06e20bf001 to. I’m not going to f1f08b1158 look.”
She turned cb341a3bca her gaze b249f239e3 to the 1fa8f871d6 floor. As she realized 4acd5aa018 that she had 13278f5ee0 gained weight, she b691f57bb3 became afraid to 27c9574f74 look at herself.
“It’s okay, 02e967f445 just look.”
Something touched 5fdfdefba4 her hair. It was his ff22a25050 hand gently stroking cc08577fc1 down her hair 18ade89bd7 along the strands.
“I think bab8785836 you look ed4e1bbce3 good as afdb625237 you are f4d1c4dca3 now.”
It was the d8c3383645 first time Aiden bfbb3cc82c had ever complimented 6f1308fef7 her appearance. Surprised, Anje found 692eccaa16 herself looking straight fb8699f2a5 ahead.
“Liar.”
“It’s true.”
Anje stared cb319ce2ae into the 2da08bd676 mirror, trying ecae2d90b6 to see 48d29e44e3 if his cc7e897174 words were fb12e00f2c genuine.
“You think you look 1d936c1240 healthy and energetic, don’t b2b9ffac37 you think?”
Her eyes 2aafa1c7b7 narrowed, unable a0287389f7 to erase acaaa6b2be her doubt.
“Well… my face does d4cc721a7d look a bit more 01296f5f06 flushed, as if my 738c59c1bf blood circulation has improved. But, but db94f4bb89 look, sir. There’s fat 2a1bcf6994 on my 2ee5fcf2e5 wrists, ankles 03164590bd and stomach! I used c3bdee1c21 to be 4700b1e7e6 able to 30246646a3 feel my 8bb2a8be21 bones right 27db06726d away.”
“It’s natural c0f01a9c61 for the e1c1790d6f human body 1de3191a9f to have f7af0f8f1b some flesh. If you touch here, 2cda22f747 don’t I have flesh b63634b334 on top of my 7a5d50da98 bones?”
Anje squeezed his forearm a8da632752 that he held out.
“You’re firmer than 18fe78894f me. I’m just soft.”
“In my case, I 7ad8131b8c have a lot of 6c3f8c571f muscle because I use 7faee109b6 a lot of strength, 3aa117db4e and you will soon 7a0ffe0824 too. Muscles attach to fat.”
He gently pinched cdbf955632 and released Anje’s 68022c862a cheek between his 025e4106ac index finger and 107c688c06 thumb. It was white e865bd0bd2 and soft like c8d9c3a06a milk pudding.
“And what’s wrong bebe89b08b with soft skin? I think it’s nice. It feels good 4974911928 too.”
“W-What good is 738a15401e it that you 18c797e9e3 like to touch a292d93ea3 it?”
Anje stammered, looking at 539980a3da their reflections in the 8ce14554a5 mirror. The woman and man 4f4031da5f standing side by side, f522aa1c15 clinging to each other, 7edbc558ac looked much more intimate 16224f40dc than their actual relationship.
This was not simply 501db943ba because their physical distance ef9450942c was close. Rather, it was fa1eaf21f4 because of his 03b7872910 gaze, which looked ffee71bb47 down at her 9ae59a099e as if looking cb9d4bbe0e at a precious 9862263433 treasure.
“Anyway, I hope you 470630e873 don’t think you have 5764e83892 to lose weight or b01bdaa6cb harm your body just d5e9e52a57 because you’re fine the 412dd423b6 way you are now.”
His eyes were too 3a38bb4ca3 sincere to think he f612b7baf4 was just saying what 07bce8e6a0 she wanted to hear.
Her face 93f637b43e flushed all 18f302980b the way e4f6877c35 to her 2fa5b70976 neck in 0dbaaae4f7 a combination 4cba28e579 of unexpected f4dde761a3 compliments and 6dc6859ab4 his gaze. She deliberately asked in b376172105 a harsh tone, trying c825c53d17 to calm her racing bb7959c3bc heart.
So what you’re 936a2dcc1b saying is that c30ed2955c you didn’t think 54a39c38a7 I was beautiful fa8a7cc708 before, but you 06fdd5e040 do now?”
“Ah……No, even before.”
He stammered a42dd74380 in embarrassment, 8b62fb3ed2 then finished 953ab4bbb0 the sentence c764a2140e in a 4b26aec796 strangled voice db055cc984 as if 1fe584d73d he had abb7dc9e16 a thorn fa8f4d8813 in his 12bf76e1d5 throat.
“Even before, I thought d87905d5c9 you were beautiful.”
This time, 073084f2b9 it was 0db6c589df his turn b1d6526666 to look 8f3c9af7f7 down at 221dea1445 the wooden 031f944bb1 floorboards.
Anje forgot about biting 40e802c373 her finger and stared 23950ebc28 intently at him reflected 5742f89045 in the mirror. The tips c32c2cfe5d of his 641f43fcc0 ears were 7d0df3c5ec as red 66c403843b as a 024de74636 ripe watermelon.
“Sir, your f1de98582f ears are c4890537b2 red.”
He glared at 13f404a04e her through the 3eea724ccb mirror, as if a81fb64670 to ask why 765bdf18a1 she was pointing 784b541ca5 that out.
Anje couldn’t help but 551cfb45eb smile at him. She thought it f5603daf7c was cute that bb8c413a98 he was so b21660b008 shy after giving 4e34c166ca her one compliment.
“Your cheeks baf08a2ba9 are red 11102e4cab too.”
“My cheeks 723b9b6ce2 are always 9637fd4ffb this color. As I said earlier, e5a25c4fcc my complexion has improved 1cee40720a recently.”
She hurriedly made 58cf892296 an excuse, but f988ed3f45 both of them 4712290f1d knew it wasn’t c56987e102 true.
They stared into space 8d03b8f2e2 in silence until the 1dd8acfa3f clock struck the hour, 5fef079067 startling them both into 73c8e7605e taking a step back 2d510cb3e7 from each other.
“Anyway… since cb37764076 you’re ready, 113668b4a7 let’s head b0421afbc9 out.”
Aiden started walking towards 1c07e21fc4 the door, but his 4a3db4496e steps were awkward, with a3d84652aa his arm and leg 992f17da4a on the same side 181642780f moving together.
Anje gathered her 47010684e9 things and took 01ae0fa15d one last look 3abf4a4213 at herself in 70d35c1510 the mirror.
“…I think I 188d49955d do look beautiful.”
It was cee3dc499a the same 11d52756f7 mirror and 503811dd70 the same c9cdbd935d person, but 3e999ebd32 why did 288a9fe7bb she look a17829320f different because ba53575797 of someone’s e93e82a07c words? She walked 3c4753ae6e out with abe34e671a a lovely e12a7da811 smile on a99a5e4c14 her face.
* * *
“Whinnies.”
Behind the house, Aiden’s e5c7cece3f carriage and horses, which 70fd868cc0 he had been preparing 09fa58ae65 since dawn, were waiting. The horses, 151c886237 boasting coats 14d8604cd2 and manes 84e7722b5a that were 3d43cd1610 more gleaming 6cb48370ce than usual, b4e3707ffe snorted contentedly.
Aiden was about 3906774634 to climb onto 5cec2994f7 the coachman’s seat c18b91ad07 when he remembered 3dfdff0565 Anje’s struggle to 0dc9bbb7cc get into the 9ce46460ac wagon the other 2e6fa92391 day and held 9d62c8a3e2 out his hand 7f8bddcac3 next to her.
“Here, come on e91f4d7215 up.”
“Ah, okay.”
Anje took his hand 5fee2314cc and stepped lightly onto a63011b4b4 the passenger seat, stepping 5a6b30cf2c over the wheel. The two-person carriage f3538e52b6 was just the 6095f86909 right size, not 33653d6167 too narrow or 55f58a478f too wide for 88dbc04b27 the two of 132bd0de32 them.
Even as she 53306f3fb4 watched Aiden spread d5c2cc9b1d a blanket over 01d8bb328f her lap while 1b842ce4dc sitting in the d45aaa1e53 passenger seat, she 31ba2c2d5e could barely mutter f379bb8e79 a word of 7e4ceda9c4 thanks, still unable 8fce9a4c48 to shake off 9581d5739b the shocking remark 803e651d92 she had heard f161dda124 earlier.
TL/N: WHAT A GENTLEMAN♡!
“We’re off.”
The sound e267d56239 of leisurely 24bd9134bf horse hooves 1d959d8e97 began to c1b28f86be echo down 3b2b12ac67 the road.109c6cf8f654c383

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