From Hero to Her: Cale's Quirky Adventure

Chapter 5: The Dress-Up Dilemma

Cale sat in his room, still reeling from the breakfast debacle. After his family had gotten over the shock of seeing him as a woman, they had moved on to a new topic of conversation: clothing. Apparently, the fact that Cale now looked like a beautiful young lady meant he was expected to dress like one too. And Cale was about to discover just how far that expectation would go.

His stepmother, Countess Violan, was determined to embrace this new version of Cale with open arms—and a whole wardrobe of dresses. The clinking of hangers echoed through the room as Violan rifled through the garments, excitement radiating from her.

"Oh, Cale, you're going to love this!" Violan chirped, holding up a pastel pink dress that seemed to shimmer even in the low light of the room. "I've always wanted a daughter, and now I finally have one! Just look at this fabric—it's so soft and flowy!"

Cale stared at the dress, his expression a mix of horror and disbelief. "No, no, no! I'm not wearing that! This is torture!" he protested, backing away as if the dress were a wild beast ready to pounce.

Lili, his younger sister, had her own idea of what this meant. "Ooh, it's like having a live doll!" she squealed, bouncing on her toes. "Can I help, Mother? Can I? Can I?"

Cale's heart sank. "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed, eyeing the two of them warily. "You both are going to make me look ridiculous!"

But it was too late; the girls were already giggling with glee, completely ignoring Cale's protests.

"Come on, Cale! It'll be fun!" Lili insisted, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Just think of it as playing dress-up! You always said you wanted to try it when we were younger!"

Cale groaned internally. "I didn't mean it literally!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surrender. "You two are impossible!"

Violan, however, was not to be deterred. "Nonsense! You'll look absolutely stunning, I promise!" She held up another dress, this one a bright blue with frills, and clapped her hands together in delight. "Now, let's get started!"

Cale resigned himself to his fate as he was pushed into a chair. "This is so unfair," he muttered under his breath. "I never signed up for this."

As Violan began to drape the first dress over him, Cale caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. The contrast was stark—there he was, Cale Henituse, the notorious troublemaker and slacker, draped in a fabric that felt more like a prison than clothing. The long skirt swished around him, making him feel like he was trapped in some sort of fairytale gone wrong.

"What do you think, dear?" Violan asked, her voice filled with excitement. "Isn't it lovely?"

"Lovely? It's a nightmare!" Cale exclaimed, his face flushing with embarrassment as Lili giggled. "I look like I'm going to a ball, not just trying to survive my day!"

"Oh, just wait until I get you into this one!" Violan declared, holding up a dress with more sparkles than Cale thought was possible. "This will really bring out your features!"

Cale slumped in his chair, defeated. "Can't I just wear my old clothes? They were perfectly fine!"

Before Violan could respond, a knock came at the door. "Cale, is everything alright in there?" Ron called, his voice laced with concern.

"Everything's great! Just peachy!" Cale shouted back, forcing a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Nothing strange going on here!"

The door creaked open, and Ron poked his head in, instantly assessing the situation. His eyes widened at the sight before him: Cale, draped in layers of fabric, and Violan holding yet another dress as if it were the holy grail.

Ron's expression was a mix of surprise and amusement. "Young Master, is that you? Or did I accidentally walk into a fashion show?"

Cale shot him a glare, his cheeks flushing deeper. "Very funny, Ron. Just... do something!"

"Oh, I think it's adorable!" Ron replied, stifling a laugh. "You look like a princess. I dare say, a rather fierce one at that."

"Fierce? I'm going to be fighting for my dignity if this keeps up!" Cale groaned, glancing at Lili, who was beaming with delight.

"Please, Ron, help me!" Cale pleaded, his tone exaggerated. "You're supposed to be my loyal butler, not a bystander at a royal pageant!"

Ron's eyes sparkled with amusement as he chuckled. "I believe this is a matter best handled by the ladies, Young Master. But I can assure you, you'll survive this ordeal."

Violan chimed in, "See, Cale? Even Ron thinks it's all in good fun! Now, let's try this one!" She held up another dress, this one in a dazzling shade of green.

Cale could only groan in resignation, feeling utterly hopeless as they continued to dress him up in various ensembles. It was one thing to have his life turned upside down by a god's whim; it was quite another to have to endure the torture of fashion under his stepmother's enthusiastic guidance.

Meanwhile, as Cale's world was engulfed in dresses and frills, Ron, Choi Han, and Mary gathered in the corridor outside, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Choi Han asked, shaking his head. "Cale is being dressed like a doll!"

Mary chuckled, "I can't say I expected this when I woke up this morning. It's almost too amusing."

Ron crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It's all in good fun, but we should consider how to help him as well. He needs to regain control over his situation. A few dresses won't fix the underlying problem."

"Right," Choi Han replied. "But what can we do? Cale is handling this with surprising resilience, all things considered."

At that moment, a sudden ping from Mary's communication device caught their attention. She frowned as she pulled it out, reading the message with furrowed brows.

"It's from Cage," she said, her tone shifting to serious. "She's calling for a meeting at Cale's villa in the Forest of Darkness."

Ron nodded, the mood shifting as they realized this could be a pivotal moment. "Let's get Cale and discuss it with the others. This might provide us with a lead on how to reverse this transformation."

Inside the room, Lili was in the process of attempting to tie a ribbon around Cale's waist, while Violan was busy adjusting the fabric, blissfully unaware of the serious discussion taking place just outside.

"Why can't I just wear pants?!" Cale shouted, wrestling against the fabric. "This is madness!"

"You'll look so cute!" Lili chirped, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. "Just trust us!"

At that moment, Ron stepped back in, taking in the sight before him once again. "Young Master, we have some important matters to discuss. How do you feel about leaving the world of fashion behind for a moment?"

Cale blinked, finally relieved at the prospect of escaping the dress-up torture. "You have no idea how much I appreciate that."

Ron turned to Violan and Lili. "I'm afraid we'll have to postpone this fashion show for now. Cale needs to focus on more pressing matters."

"Fine!" Lili pouted, crossing her arms dramatically. "But I wanted to see the sparkly dress!"

Violan chuckled, giving Cale a reassuring smile. "We can always come back to this later, darling. Let's get to the villa and see what Cage has to say. You're going to need all the help you can get!"

Cale nodded, grateful for the reprieve. "Thank you. I can only take so much of this... this insanity."

As they made their way to the Forest of Darkness villa, the group shared glances, both amused and concerned about the path ahead. With the prospect of meeting Cage, Cale's friends were hopeful they could uncover the mystery behind the transformation and perhaps find a way to return him to his former self.

And as they set off, Cale couldn't help but think that even amidst the chaos, the warmth and support of his family and friends provided a comforting blanket against the absurdity of the situation.

Though he may have been dressed like a princess for now, Cale Henituse was still determined to reclaim his identity, no matter how many dresses it took to get there.