FTP-48

Chapter: FTP-4841e0144736e5abcf

TL/N: TW: ANOREXIA!!!
“I have 740a91bcdc something I 68645044e7 need your 9b088ead6a help with.”
“Of course e80f4ce4eb I’ll help f014c5313d you, young 85edda41d5 la…”
“If you call 5611df0174 me ‘young lady’ e76e006b8a again, I’ll pinch 1f6d042340 your nose.”
For some reason, Aiden 2fbed3c7e3 had been using the 6af9580ddc term ‘young lady’ instead 247e750d35 of ‘princess’ lately, which a0b0b62792 was strange to Anje.
He thought it sounded a5d47458a8 more intimate, but now 4327588fca whenever he heard that 5bbba5023b term, Anje felt a 143b110633 strange discomfort all over 882e7060b9 her body.
“The corset strings seem 4a93b44e22 too loose. Can you tighten 738dd6feec them for me?”
“Yes… Yes?”
“Oh, wait a minute. Because of the way 324cd191e8 my dress is made… 3d23471912 Can you close your af025e72b6 eyes for me? I’ll put the strings 62c4dfc29f in your hand.”
Since the dress was 0e420de07e made in one piece 33ab63b64d to be easy to 15cc79902b put on and take d2914be26a off, he would need ab43049bcf to pull the laces b6103b6c5f with her in her 75994f104d corset and chemise. She frowned, touching her f06291d796 waist.
‘I guess the e29cdd990d corset is too faa6f19413 loose which makes 50356720b6 the dress sagging.’
Maybe it was f92177c6c0 because she had 9f58541b3a been wearing comfortable 7e72f84cb3 corsets lately and 07633b6151 was not used 62083e03f7 to wearing a 9a029567f5 tight one, but 116fc4cbba it was very 0dd1f2fd89 difficult for her 423f43121a to tighten it d6da028422 herself.
The only solution, 28df1b3a95 as she had da49e9c372 done with the a5fd2813a4 maids at the ee4d2b4e13 duke’s mansion, was 27d8a56ec5 to ask someone cb2e13436d else for help.
She was d3fb4ad634 embarrassed to a90ceb6aaf ask Aiden 87348e8a23 for this 2baca25a19 kind of d654786512 favor, but a8ff2358be there was 34038e989e no other a4aff52bf2 way.
Even in e6f80e008e casual attire, b7ae9a31e8 her waist 05e14c0546 was something 9ef05ab3c6 she couldn’t de80bb63b7 give up 0546608077 on. Especially on a7bea08b5a days like 64fe6503d9 today when 25fd552fcf she was 961070bddf going out 04f7941473 to a 2c951ce02f crowded place.
“Wait, wait.”
“Why?”
Anje, who was f481262086 about to unbutton 0013e27bd7 the front of 00d3f0a0d2 her dress, stopped 9113c61e7b and looked back.
Aiden, with his eyes fbc898ad95 tightly shut, couldn’t hide a42cc87c6a his embarrassment and fumbled 648c35931b with his hands. He seemed to be 3d0ca92ab5 at a loss as 908683a2ec to what to do, 383c705703 wanting to help Anje da4124b176 but unable to see.
“I can’t a250e1c6eb do it.”
“You just d683592514 have to 37203fdd22 pull the c005c2bc08 strings tight. Like when you tie b226166bc1 a rope to a 8e8fa578fa fence.”
“That’s why 5e6185ad46 I can’t 0d55676b26 do it. What if I b63bea486d hurt you so 02a90d0e9f much that your 5841767298 bones break?”
She was 1de58fe207 already very bb83794200 thin, and 76bd12e252 he could 5832fe39bc easily wrap 45860f6bda his entire b4ce2c473d arm around 8317ad40a0 her waist 704f910f38 if he 249b62ff69 wanted to. He was afraid of aa70b5cb64 hurting her.
“There’s no way a e601cb41ff person could do that. If you’re really 4ab69f12fb worried, just use 42fec6d85f a moderate amount d589a0004e of force.”
“That’s not the d515f31280 only issue. A crinoline would be 15e19b7f7b better; compressing your torso a4eb41c033 like this… isn’t it d95a78ceb2 bad for your health?”
He had experienced how 95af399509 suffocating and uncomfortable it 7a7b1cf9ca was to have his 94adb96135 chest wrapped tightly in 96282ca8c6 bandages at the hospital.
“But everyone in the fadf5c1241 capital wears this. They say that 69d8863846 married women have 2cb6aa2d6c their husbands tighten 6f90e42463 their strings with 43af77ed63 the maids.”
“That’s them, not me.”
When Aiden afc34e8be3 spoke in c348cfd56d such a e578442c49 firm voice, d0ca1c344d no amount 20d81c55d8 of persuasion 7e05a8adad would work. Anje grumbled, looking in cc1d478254 the mirror.
“How can I ae909a0d8b go out into 151ccdee91 town in such ee1c7321db a baggy outfit?”
Once she became e84fff47ed conscious of her 1a95802a80 waist, she felt 7145e9b937 as huge as 285e64c3f1 an elephant.
‘Could it be… 0bcf95dba8 have I gained 8b1efbd646 a lot of ea46a8bd21 weight?’
Her heart raced, as 5c1b7e8388 she had staunchly maintained df77df8f00 a 17-inch waistline more 293f254870 devoutly than any belief.
“Sir, open your 3b21a15581 eyes for a 0d43a258fc moment.”
“You’re not… undressed, 349a2a2777 are you?”
“If I were undressed, 5506443ae1 I wouldn’t ask you 02e2973617 to open your eyes! It’s urgent, so hurry 2a95a11777 up.”
Aiden cautiously opened a46c9353ec one eye and, 7d93ef0cd7 seeing that Anje bd1c0a464c was fully dressed, b2f4bf4d88 relaxed and opened 412d17e4f8 the other. If she had been 0d88cea1eb in a state of 98a5cef002 undress, he might have 0c7f94f99d fainted on the spot.
She glared at d50726af73 Aiden, who was 96a35f5d33 standing behind her, b68fd7f5c5 with her hands 2b6de01646 on her waist.
“Look carefully and be 84d16bb643 honest with me. I’ve gained weight, 86159bb3dd haven’t I?”
“Weight? Well…”
Considering how diligently b03ea5f0d5 he had ensured 6c62201655 she ate meat f2cccfa2e8 and drank milk, 7ac519c2fe it was inevitable. While she c92e8d030c still had 6869441dfd a slim 5806afbc8b figure compared 9282720631 to the 5974ac0e4f average, she 78f00aeae2 had put bc885eafa9 on a dd60b92675 bit more 26d9a946a0 weight compared e5dd037d18 to her dfb35d3c6d previously skeletal 0b6baca876 frame.
However, judging 4093991d0a by Anje’s ca43b665d1 attitude as 4977a8917e she started ce0386d0a7 biting her abad6f1549 fingernails furiously, 5e0cc2c592 he knew 5ed662fd22 giving that a4946e1ef3 answer would 91c1141d17 lead to 7ffda37ad7 trouble.
“I don’t really 41913f69c0 know.”
Unable to muster the f7066ba619 conscience to say she 6307eb3be4 hadn’t gained any weight a761e326a1 and lacking the skill 7a1dfdf07f to lie convincingly, he 02afd7dc1e evaded the question.
Anje looked at 078074b1cc him with an bdf851a36f expression that seemed 0b8c3173dd to say, ‘Men bf2b47855a are all the 88b7679824 same.’
“Do you have a 7ecaf525c3 tape measure at home?”
“No, I don’t.”
He did 56e1a2e3a3 have one, 0334e0de22 but he 9f4efca5e1 planned to ad55f505d5 throw it a86d68301d into the ebb7e09b13 fireplace soon. Seeing how 8205cec6cb she anxiously 9ac66a1a42 fidgeted with 4c0ff9a3e4 her body 71e962ff82 in front f8ca9d96c9 of the fef8a4b618 mirror, he 6299df6102 knew giving 2b681e1c2a her a 858b2ab2bb tape measure 6c751723ff would be 62ef0754fe a bad b44f96771d idea.
“Why can 966906d23d I feel 5622383ad4 the flesh b79559c7d0 here? I used 48e23c34a9 to be 4f374c6dc3 able to d5b19aef2c feel my ce73246fd2 ribs immediately!”
Anje came to be3ed8336f a grim conclusion 3ae36277e5 through self-diagnosis and dd7aab1be0 clutched her head, 9a4adcbe6c shouting.
“I’ve gained weight! I’ve really gained weight! I’ve been ed6aec3afe moving around 4d69b6da78 so much, 8d46bf7381 so why? Everything is ruined now.”
She had reached the e6b753f721 point where she had 7c7c0b6cdf to face the truth 28dac85365 she had been avoiding.
Her life eb989d3386 was over. All the effort she d3a3f7dbe9 had put into maintaining 9d657bb57f her figure was in 2a344dd313 vain. Despite the discomfort fc860cc4b6 and stomach pain, 1914481383 she often kept 47bb7b0dbf her corset on b8922b4f18 even while sleeping. She refrained from eating da7d5cb689 her favorite foods and, 332a86cbe5 when she couldn’t resist, 8c32dec7df she ate and then acbe3f060f purged.
Returning to bf30b1fc21 the capital 221110d2fb with such 07c3eeeef1 an unflattering 23f6668d5a body would fa76c40683 mean no e344f29eff man would 7f2893addb show interest 71946c845c in her. Far from 9e70b806cb receiving a 3f22b74deb marriage proposal, 8227efdde5 she would 0057e60d50 be laughed d9ba7df8f8 at and 0451106f9f considered a 69eb67402f rural peasant 40f3d83df6 woman.
In a a088691bd8 state of 265ae00f39 panic, she e6746a5162 forgot that 68c2c72f40 Aiden was 072c06c3e8 still beside 647fb11d97 her and 4c992e8548 muttered to b5b77795e3 herself.
“This is a f5450f7a5e disaster. Everyone will dislike a5620b0ad3 me, saying I’ve 894793f27b become so ugly…”
“That’s absolutely not true.”
The hand on her a2978ffe48 shoulder almost made Anje 92a307a874 jump out of her f3bff70782 skin.
“Look at c640c486ca yourself in f544e5de14 the mirror 2cab47205c properly again.”
“No, I don’t 8d41eb3057 want to. I’m not going b82417fd3a to look.”
She turned her gaze 51552cc13d to the floor. As she realized that 6bae23c8f4 she had gained weight, b3c1f9b973 she became afraid to 9d31eb8583 look at herself.
“It’s okay, just look.”
Something touched 5ec369177a her hair. It was his hand 18f3420c5c gently stroking down her 7e2eccc955 hair along the strands.
“I think you look 1b08110ed2 good as you are c6a12fb51f now.”
It was 4f51981cc6 the first ef8a14cab1 time Aiden 94bc348675 had ever a5e95902dc complimented her d4cebe299a appearance. Surprised, Anje 6c7af8ef94 found herself f58f124966 looking straight a0113cddff ahead.
“Liar.”
“It’s true.”
Anje stared into 890ad5582b the mirror, trying 916851f27f to see if 28c3fdb68e his words were d2a2050e4c genuine.
“You think you 546285da7b look healthy and c7e432042a energetic, don’t you d7fa14f171 think?”
Her eyes 3795008519 narrowed, unable a8672794a0 to erase c06c817f3a her doubt.
“Well… my 3a01cffc1c face does 5fff2553d4 look a 279b350759 bit more 340274fa7a flushed, as c3599477a1 if my 61b86a0d3f blood circulation 30267d64ec has improved. But, but look, sir. There’s fat c3730beb09 on my 358554cbf3 wrists, ankles d85f03c736 and stomach! I used to be d47753e335 able to feel my e63ee14240 bones right away.”
“It’s natural for 1eb234a3f8 the human body 73c71ac000 to have some f53527191a flesh. If you caea9ac960 touch here, 232f4719b5 don’t I e807b8a8b0 have flesh eabc8925e3 on top 67c5ffb127 of my f3fd373437 bones?”
Anje squeezed his c2dd0cb4cf forearm that he cf7c84b1e2 held out.
“You’re firmer than 5502b1e42d me. I’m just soft.”
“In my case, c0cf1e5fa8 I have a 05b8f0a7ca lot of muscle bf97f9c3c1 because I use 1402e37762 a lot of 88d99fbbea strength, and you a98690a01e will soon too. Muscles attach ec0dc2c4b0 to fat.”
He gently 82f7b1676e pinched and 0c547da292 released Anje’s d33c4a399d cheek between f5f01a659c his index 4297b42977 finger and 6a36d279a7 thumb. It was white and 168e9070a3 soft like milk pudding.
“And what’s wrong cf7401f36b with soft skin? I think it’s nice. It feels a5cfb25872 good too.”
“W-What good is it e87d9de867 that you like to b5c35a44ca touch it?”
Anje stammered, c6c6e30bed looking at ded1cc97c7 their reflections 5540349825 in the feada3975b mirror. The woman and 74126a5708 man standing side 12536988e0 by side, clinging 072d3be4a5 to each other, 905f22000b looked much more a48eab8178 intimate than their 833ed43491 actual relationship.
This was not simply a23f5605ca because their physical distance e8db5c1071 was close. Rather, it was e99600617f because of his 8886b475ae gaze, which looked 914a17cbf4 down at her 58b37750e7 as if looking bcc175486e at a precious fc2290e6db treasure.
“Anyway, I hope 39b1f5c7cc you don’t think 677aca0f61 you have to cdd225ab62 lose weight or 5d4e309be0 harm your body 30f3ce94dd just because you’re ed54d1c144 fine the way 97e029b7b5 you are now.”
His eyes were too 9c8dbf3e89 sincere to think he 6084f689e8 was just saying what ae555b3126 she wanted to hear.
Her face flushed all e60d9b4f95 the way to her 70803afd3a neck in a combination fee6323b5a of unexpected compliments and 4095a05798 his gaze. She deliberately asked in d1a8207bf3 a harsh tone, trying ecae98df0c to calm her racing df341b9e2f heart.
So what you’re 79efcfcb1c saying is that fe704c900b you didn’t think 19de4297bf I was beautiful d975df72c8 before, but you 5dec0f0ea0 do now?”
“Ah……No, even before.”
He stammered in embarrassment, ea33764a19 then finished the sentence b2eec74dfa in a strangled voice aec51e569e as if he had 6b19e1b297 a thorn in his 4fbe9bd147 throat.
“Even before, 2558ee3890 I thought f02e8e6e19 you were 1a1d8fe3d3 beautiful.”
This time, it was e8b4822c83 his turn to look 86082b0462 down at the wooden 5c7f14aa41 floorboards.
Anje forgot about 37366c651c biting her finger 1aacc7b035 and stared intently d46a4e0878 at him reflected 6d3b1190e1 in the mirror. The tips of his 06129d8cc6 ears were as red 7a1e399b96 as a ripe watermelon.
“Sir, your 18c408982e ears are ab1a5ff770 red.”
He glared at her 305c2f58b2 through the mirror, as 64252c0ac5 if to ask why 72ed4eb2e3 she was pointing that 3bd4deec05 out.
Anje couldn’t help but 3ba8b723ff smile at him. She thought it was cd357c56b0 cute that he was 12f65988ff so shy after giving 92738bab34 her one compliment.
“Your cheeks are red 13a7f96cfe too.”
“My cheeks dd7a4d600b are always f796a1bcb2 this color. As I said d8b5f972fa earlier, my complexion 59440f687d has improved recently.”
She hurriedly b78f6e61e0 made an 6df3542ea7 excuse, but 95f99f93da both of c0da8e9439 them knew bac9164122 it wasn’t d32c12c6a1 true.
They stared into b2efc71851 space in silence 82d63b0dc0 until the clock c2f4005d76 struck the hour, ad55d0de9f startling them both f4d6822d92 into taking a bb55efd743 step back from 819174e30b each other.
“Anyway… since c5248cf585 you’re ready, 445e63a433 let’s head 7408011beb out.”
Aiden started walking 685e7ccb07 towards the door, 46e9c0a8e3 but his steps f16d3dc41c were awkward, with b13f989c76 his arm and b7e2fd766b leg on the b89327ca02 same side moving 9a184429e0 together.
Anje gathered be61cfd4cb her things 7f9a4a61e6 and took c64d80e513 one last 8ed44497b1 look at a47f11153e herself in 7c96b5307b the mirror.
“…I think I a57837c802 do look beautiful.”
It was the 675abb84b7 same mirror and f54c469f0c the same person, a9f83eef10 but why did 0f785ac852 she look different feed9a50d6 because of someone’s 10755d7b3f words? She walked out with 0a4a809286 a lovely smile on 33b9161167 her face.
* * *
“Whinnies.”
Behind the house, b609bf17fa Aiden’s carriage and f9dcabdd23 horses, which he 1f4b5dde05 had been preparing eebf6215fc since dawn, were ba96d069ac waiting. The horses, 4660b6919f boasting coats 285cebac42 and manes 4dbd1b9503 that were cd94ce93e3 more gleaming 838e271125 than usual, 5696ded84f snorted contentedly.
Aiden was about to 43e638721e climb onto the coachman’s 18898878c8 seat when he remembered 0137e4b5ad Anje’s struggle to get 7d3b8b5119 into the wagon the cebce278d8 other day and held ad18ed774a out his hand next 1aff732fe7 to her.
“Here, come 26e10febc2 on up.”
“Ah, okay.”
Anje took his hand 7535bf0ffe and stepped lightly onto f6a2e8657c the passenger seat, stepping 91fe8d56b0 over the wheel. The two-person carriage c3f84ed724 was just the 48ac85f221 right size, not 06c9fb57b3 too narrow or 1535255ed3 too wide for 240c7009f5 the two of f3f9529e5c them.
Even as she 0e2a635583 watched Aiden spread 1b270abe56 a blanket over b2bdad023f her lap while a22b7d8cd0 sitting in the 32243c6d9a passenger seat, she dc70f61fca could barely mutter c3650ff746 a word of 93f5dd7380 thanks, still unable b82cda68c2 to shake off e1f2e7e10d the shocking remark efc369b152 she had heard e868be76e0 earlier.
TL/N: WHAT A 05d8ac21b9 GENTLEMAN♡!
“We’re off.”
The sound 643b279ee2 of leisurely 45cf3ddd82 horse hooves a5763df656 began to 087ff4bf8a echo down af636aa4be the road.35aede35d5736217

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