High-heeled shoes were originally designed for men. One theory was that male aristocrats of short stature wished to increase their height with them. Another theory was they were made to ensure your feet stayed in the stirrups while horse riding. Regardless of the true story, this has changed over time and high heels have become something only women exclusively wear. 1
There are many reasons for girls to wear high heels; increasing one’s height being just one of these. For example, the difference in height between the heel and the toe of a high-heeled shoe forces a woman who wears them to lift their chest and hips — this helps to increase the charm of one’s figure.
……But what does all this have to do with me?
I have no intention of showing off my figure. Besides, I have no idea how to wear high heels. I’d probably just fall over onto my face with a ‘crash~’ after one or two steps.
I can see that the [Unicorn Glass Slippers] had a beautiful shape that would probably touch the heart of any girl. As for me, I’m really sorry, but anyone who wishes to curry favor with me using these shoes would be sorely disappointed.
Fortunately, I’m not completely out of excuses that I can use to politely turn Enrique down: it is best not to accept a gift that you have no intention of using.
“Lord Enrique, I thank you immensely for your kindness. It’s just that a person of my status shouldn’t wear something that could impede movement as that would hamper their daily duties. I seek your understanding.”
Even though high-heeled shoes are able to emphasize beauty, they come with the side-effect of making it more inconvenient to move around. Once you’re accustomed to wearing them, walking is no issue, however, running in them would still be a headache. Consequently, high-heeled shoes were initially worn only by noblewomen. After all, all they had to do was wander around aimlessly indoors in their high-heels.
I am a maid, not to mention I have no experience wearing them. Just the fact that they are a hindrance to movement was good enough reason for me to pass on them. Imagine if in the instant that my master needs me I tripped over my own shoes and fell to the floor — a perfect clip for a comedy show.
The game provided no assistance in wearing high-heels; this was not an available in-game skill. Just like wearing female undergarments, one had to teach themselves how to do it the good old-fashioned way.
Upon hearing my tactful refusal, Enrique smiled. It was as if he was expecting that reply.
“Then, if I gave Miss Anastasia an appropriate social status, would that not perfectly solve that issue?”
Huh?
The shoes vanished from Enrique’s hand. He knelt down on one knee, and a large azure diamond suddenly appeared instead.
N-No, this is wrong––
“In the name of the Venetian Merchants, as Enrique of the Dandolo family, I hereby solemnly swear to Miss Anastasia: On the honor of the Dandolo family, I will protect Miss Anastasia with my life, and humbly wish for Miss Anastasia to become my noble wife.”
A diamond ring.
Enrique’s voice seemed to possess mysterious power. He was clearly kneeling before me, speaking with a gentle tone. However, I could swear I also heard another Enrique right next to my ear softly repeating those sweet words into them.
“Oho––”
“Marry him! Marry him!”
“Damn! Enrique––”
“What nonsense! Anna wouldn’t be moved by this poor imitation of romance……!”
Hey hey, where are these flower petals falling from? And this noisy crowd was like a bunch of rowdy children.
Enrique was a man with meticulous foresight. He had originally expected I would refuse in that way. Was this his trump card?
‘You’ll no longer need to be a maid and attend to other people; you can indulge in the princess-like life of a dame’ was what Enrique was implicitly asserting. To an ordinary girl, this would be a dream-come-true opportunity akin to an ugly duckling becoming a swan.
Charm + Unicorn Glass Slippers + Marriage Proposal + Diamond Ring. In typical circumstances, this would have captured the heart of any other woman. What tops it all off was that the ring didn’t appear to be an ordinary diamond ring.
Despite the huge din created by Enrique’s marriage proposal, my sensitive ears could still hear a small minority of people discussing that azure diamond Enrique was holding.
“That’s…… I’m certain of it! That’s the [Heart of the Sea]!”
“[Heart of the Sea]?! The diamond mermen royalty use for marriage?!”
“Despite info about the [Heart of the Sea] being so scarce…… as expected of the Venetian Merchants to have such blatant disregard of price”
Seeing so many treasures, I was half-expecting someone to appear and produce one of the spirit race’s family heirlooms.2 Though — on second thought — that was unlikely. Owning those heirlooms was a bad omen to the bearer.
Overall, this was an impressive four-pronged attack. On the face of it, it should have clearly won any girl over. Enrique had a confident smile of victory.
—–However, this didn’t move my emotions at all.
Don’t make fun of me! How can any man be won over by a marriage proposal from another man?3 Even turning into a girl doesn’t change that fact!
But… Ehhhhhh, was there any excuse I have left to turn him down?
“Enrique, you’re……”
Enrique looked up at me, awaiting my reply with a smile.
“You’re…… You’re…… You’re not my type……?”
“…………………… Hah???”
Enrique, who up to now had managed to maintain his refined mannerisms, had a look of shock plastered on his face.
No, noo!! Why did I blurt something like that out! This was a terrible choice of words, such lack of manners!
“L-Lord Enrique, what I meant to say was, I can’t decide to marry someone on my own without permission from my master.”
“……But Miss Anastasia doesn’t have a master.”
Enrique was a man experienced in adversity. He quickly regained his senses, though now his expression was a little strained.
“That’s right, I require a master.”
“If Miss Anastasia marries me, she can give up the life of a maid.”
“But I require permission from my master for marriage.”
“Y-You currently don’t have a master.”
“Yes, without my master’s permission, I can’t get married by my own initiative.”
“After you’re married to me you won’t have to care for any master’s opinion.”
“I can only marry with permission.”
This repetitive conversation went on in circles.
After a while, Enrique finally figured it out: I didn’t want to marry him.
This was the most gentle way to refuse him that I could think of on the spot. As we were speaking very softly, the players outside of the courtyard without advanced detection skills couldn’t clearly hear our conversation.
Perhaps Enrique hadn’t thought this all-out attack had any possibility of failure; he stood there in silence for a while.
A few minutes later, Enrique seemed to accept his fate and sighed. His diamond ring returned to his Inventory.
“Perhaps I have acted with too much haste. At least take this pair of glass slippers as a token of my feelings to you. I humbly request Miss Anastasia to accept this gift.”
“This……”
Excuse me, for a ‘token’ this seems overly extravagant.
[Item: Unicorn Glass Slippers, successful transaction] [Congratulations, favorability has increased by zero]
“………………???”
Mr Enrique, why are you such a stubborn man?
High-heeled shoes were originally designed for men. One theory was that male aristocrats of short stature wished to increase their height with them. Another theory was they were made to ensure your feet stayed in the stirrups while horse riding. Regardless of the true story, this has changed over time and high heels have become something only women exclusively wear. 1
There are many reasons for girls to wear high heels; increasing one’s height being just one of these. For example, the difference in height between the heel and the toe of a high-heeled shoe forces a woman who wears them to lift their chest and hips — this helps to increase the charm of one’s figure.
……But what does all this have to do with me?
I have no intention of showing off my figure. Besides, I have no idea how to wear high heels. I’d probably just fall over onto my face with a ‘crash~’ after one or two steps.
I can see that the [Unicorn Glass Slippers] had a beautiful shape that would probably touch the heart of any girl. As for me, I’m really sorry, but anyone who wishes to curry favor with me using these shoes would be sorely disappointed.
Fortunately, I’m not completely out of excuses that I can use to politely turn Enrique down: it is best not to accept a gift that you have no intention of using.
“Lord Enrique, I thank you immensely for your kindness. It’s just that a person of my status shouldn’t wear something that could impede movement as that would hamper their daily duties. I seek your understanding.”
Even though high-heeled shoes are able to emphasize beauty, they come with the side-effect of making it more inconvenient to move around. Once you’re accustomed to wearing them, walking is no issue, however, running in them would still be a headache. Consequently, high-heeled shoes were initially worn only by noblewomen. After all, all they had to do was wander around aimlessly indoors in their high-heels.
I am a maid, not to mention I have no experience wearing them. Just the fact that they are a hindrance to movement was good enough reason for me to pass on them. Imagine if in the instant that my master needs me I tripped over my own shoes and fell to the floor — a perfect clip for a comedy show.
The game provided no assistance in wearing high-heels; this was not an available in-game skill. Just like wearing female undergarments, one had to teach themselves how to do it the good old-fashioned way.
Upon hearing my tactful refusal, Enrique smiled. It was as if he was expecting that reply.
“Then, if I gave Miss Anastasia an appropriate social status, would that not perfectly solve that issue?”
Huh?
The shoes vanished from Enrique’s hand. He knelt down on one knee, and a large azure diamond suddenly appeared instead.
N-No, this is wrong––
“In the name of the Venetian Merchants, as Enrique of the Dandolo family, I hereby solemnly swear to Miss Anastasia: On the honor of the Dandolo family, I will protect Miss Anastasia with my life, and humbly wish for Miss Anastasia to become my noble wife.”
A diamond ring.
Enrique’s voice seemed to possess mysterious power. He was clearly kneeling before me, speaking with a gentle tone. However, I could swear I also heard another Enrique right next to my ear softly repeating those sweet words into them.
“Oho––”
“Marry him! Marry him!”
“Damn! Enrique––”
“What nonsense! Anna wouldn’t be moved by this poor imitation of romance……!”
Hey hey, where are these flower petals falling from? And this noisy crowd was like a bunch of rowdy children.
Enrique was a man with meticulous foresight. He had originally expected I would refuse in that way. Was this his trump card?
‘You’ll no longer need to be a maid and attend to other people; you can indulge in the princess-like life of a dame’ was what Enrique was implicitly asserting. To an ordinary girl, this would be a dream-come-true opportunity akin to an ugly duckling becoming a swan.
Charm + Unicorn Glass Slippers + Marriage Proposal + Diamond Ring. In typical circumstances, this would have captured the heart of any other woman. What tops it all off was that the ring didn’t appear to be an ordinary diamond ring.
Despite the huge din created by Enrique’s marriage proposal, my sensitive ears could still hear a small minority of people discussing that azure diamond Enrique was holding.
“That’s…… I’m certain of it! That’s the [Heart of the Sea]!”
“[Heart of the Sea]?! The diamond mermen royalty use for marriage?!”
“Despite info about the [Heart of the Sea] being so scarce…… as expected of the Venetian Merchants to have such blatant disregard of price”
Seeing so many treasures, I was half-expecting someone to appear and produce one of the spirit race’s family heirlooms.2 Though — on second thought — that was unlikely. Owning those heirlooms was a bad omen to the bearer.
Overall, this was an impressive four-pronged attack. On the face of it, it should have clearly won any girl over. Enrique had a confident smile of victory.
—–However, this didn’t move my emotions at all.
Don’t make fun of me! How can any man be won over by a marriage proposal from another man?3 Even turning into a girl doesn’t change that fact!
But… Ehhhhhh, was there any excuse I have left to turn him down?
“Enrique, you’re……”
Enrique looked up at me, awaiting my reply with a smile.
“You’re…… You’re…… You’re not my type……?”
“…………………… Hah???”
Enrique, who up to now had managed to maintain his refined mannerisms, had a look of shock plastered on his face.
No, noo!! Why did I blurt something like that out! This was a terrible choice of words, such lack of manners!
“L-Lord Enrique, what I meant to say was, I can’t decide to marry someone on my own without permission from my master.”
“……But Miss Anastasia doesn’t have a master.”
Enrique was a man experienced in adversity. He quickly regained his senses, though now his expression was a little strained.
“That’s right, I require a master.”
“If Miss Anastasia marries me, she can give up the life of a maid.”
“But I require permission from my master for marriage.”
“Y-You currently don’t have a master.”
“Yes, without my master’s permission, I can’t get married by my own initiative.”
“After you’re married to me you won’t have to care for any master’s opinion.”
“I can only marry with permission.”
This repetitive conversation went on in circles.
After a while, Enrique finally figured it out: I didn’t want to marry him.
This was the most gentle way to refuse him that I could think of on the spot. As we were speaking very softly, the players outside of the courtyard without advanced detection skills couldn’t clearly hear our conversation.
Perhaps Enrique hadn’t thought this all-out attack had any possibility of failure; he stood there in silence for a while.
A few minutes later, Enrique seemed to accept his fate and sighed. His diamond ring returned to his Inventory.
“Perhaps I have acted with too much haste. At least take this pair of glass slippers as a token of my feelings to you. I humbly request Miss Anastasia to accept this gift.”
“This……”
Excuse me, for a ‘token’ this seems overly extravagant.
[Item: Unicorn Glass Slippers, successful transaction] [Congratulations, favorability has increased by zero]
“………………???”
Mr Enrique, why are you such a stubborn man?
