The streets of Orissa City were lined with all kinds of shops. From high-end custom tailoring shops to affordable ready-to-wear stores, from jewelry boutiques selling exquisite ornaments to stalls dealing in specialty trinkets.
The display windows were filled with a dazzling array of goods, each one shimmering with an enticing luster under the magic lamps.
Helos, flanked by Gavi and Sylvia on either side, was dragged forcibly into a high-end clothing store that looked expensive, like an emotionless fitting dummy.
“Welcome!”
The shop assistant was a sharp-eyed middle-aged woman.
Although the group’s attire was somewhat strange—one looked like a swordsman, a tall and cold young man, a maid with a blank expression and gossipy flames in her eyes, and a girl who seemed like a refugee yet had the demeanor of a noble lady—she immediately recognized the unique aura these people possessed, far from ordinary.
Especially the black-haired young man, his calm and reserved temperament was even more striking.
The shop assistant greeted them warmly.
“Are you looking for formal wear for the festival?”
“Yes.”
Gavi nodded and stretched out her hand, pointing precisely at the most prominent row of display racks in the store.
“Bring out all the latest styles most suitable for a young lady. We want to try them on.”
“Okay, please wait a moment!”
The shop assistant’s eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to get busy.
Soon, a large pile of colorful dresses was brought to the entrance of the fitting room.
Helos looked at the pile of clothes and felt like her head was about to explode.
“So many? Do I have to try all of them?”
“Of course!”
Gavi pointed at the pile of clothes.
“This pink one is too tacky, it’s a disaster. Bring that blue one over! And that purple one! This green one looks like a big green caterpillar, this yellow one…”
Under the direction of the enthusiastic Gavi, Helos and Julius were forced to begin a long dressing-up play.
“Mr. Julius! Don’t just stand there, come pick something too!”
“Julius! You jerk! This is too revealing! I’m not wearing something that looks like it has no fabric!”
“This one won’t work, the waist is too tight, it’s choking me.”
“This one doesn’t work either, the skirt is too long, I’ll trip while walking.”
From the fitting room came Helos’s complaints and the rustling of fabric.
Outside the fitting room, Julius was sitting rather nervously on the sofa.
Though he held a fashion poster he had picked up from somewhere, his gaze was wandering and he hadn’t read a single word.
His hearing was excellent; even through a door, he could clearly hear every sound from inside.
The girl’s soft breathing while changing, the sound of fabric sliding against skin, and her bashful, slightly annoyed complaints—he heard it all clearly.
It was like countless feathers gently tickling the tip of his heart, making him restless.
Gavi had somehow come to stand beside him.
“Mr. Julius.”
She held two dresses of very different styles, the “finalists” left after she and Sylvia had screened them in the corner.
“Lady Sylvia and I had a disagreement on this issue.”
Gavi raised the light blue dress in her left hand. “I believe this one suits the master’s temperament better. Elegant, refined, and easy to move in. But Lady Sylvia…”
She raised the deep red off-shoulder gown in her right hand. “She insists this one better highlights the master’s charm. Though I don’t understand what use charm has, she is an elder after all.”
“So.”
Gavi handed both dresses to Julius, her gray eyes fixed on him. “The final decision is in your hands. Please choose one.”
Julius looked at the two dresses before him.
The light blue one on the left was indeed very suitable for Helos. Its moon-like color perfectly complemented the cold elegance of her silver hair. The style was also conservative, with long sleeves and a high collar, revealing only a slender neck.
As for the deep red one on the right…
Julius’s gaze lingered on it for a moment, then quickly averted as if burned.
It was a very daring gown. The deep red silk was like flowing flames, with a form-fitting cut that outlined the girl’s developing curves.
Most importantly, it was off-shoulder. Those fair, rounded shoulders, the delicate collarbone, and the skin flushed with shyness…
Imagine Helos wearing this dress…
“Cough!”
Julius coughed abruptly, feeling his cheeks heat up. He quickly picked up the cold water from the table and took a big gulp, trying to suppress the inexplicable agitation in his heart.
“I think…” He pointed at the left one. “This blue one is better.”
“Why?”
But Sylvia’s voice suddenly exploded in his ear.
“Do you look down on red? Red is so festive! And that girl’s skin is so white, wearing red would be absolutely stunning!”
Julius turned away and found a lame excuse.
“Too… too conspicuous. The festival is crowded with all kinds of people, wearing something too flashy might attract unnecessary trouble. Besides, it’s winter now, wearing so little will cause a cold.”
“Tch.”
Sylvia rolled her eyes contemptuously. “Hypocritical man.”
However, since the “moneybags” had spoken, she couldn’t insist.
“Fine, fine, then let’s do as you say.”
Gavi nodded and walked into the fitting room with the blue dress.
After a short while, the curtain of the fitting room was slowly drawn open.
“It’s… it’s ready.”
Helos’s somewhat awkward voice came through.
Julius subconsciously looked up. The next second, his breath suddenly stopped.
The girl standing before him was like a spirit stepping out of a painting. The light blue long dress perfectly fit her figure, like a feather robe woven from moonlight.
The skirt was layered like blooming petals, gently swaying with her movements. Her silver hair was simply pinned up, revealing her slender neck and small, delicate ears. Though her face was not made up, the blush from trying on so many clothes was more moving than any rouge.
She stood there a bit awkwardly, nervously twisting the hem of her skirt, her eyes darting away, not daring to meet Julius’s gaze.
She asked softly: “How… how is it? Does it look strange?”
“No.”
Julius stood up and walked over to Helos, his gaze focused as if to etch this moment into his memory forever.
“It’s not strange.”
His voice was hoarse, with a trace of unconcealed awe. “Truly beautiful.”
“Very beautiful.”
Hearing this straightforward compliment, Helos’s face instantly turned crimson. She lowered her head, looking at her toes, feeling like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
“Then… then I’ll take this one.”
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s.
“Wait!”
At that moment, Sylvia suddenly floated out. She circled Helos twice and said with a frown: “Something’s still missing.”
“The dress is chosen, but…” She pointed at Helos’s bare neck. “Accessories! How can such a beautiful dress lack a necklace? And earrings! Bracelets! We need to arrange everything!”
“But…” Helos touched her neck. “I didn’t bring any accessories out.”
“Then buy them!” Sylvia waved her hand grandly. “Anyway, our family has money—no, anyway, that kid Eisende certainly won’t mind spending a bit more for his own daughter, right?”
As she spoke, she also winked at Julius.
Julius smiled helplessly. He took out a money pouch from his chest—of course, the money in it wasn’t his, but the funds Eisende had entrusted to him—and was about to pay when his gaze was caught by something in the corner of the counter.
It was a necklace that wasn’t particularly expensive, but had a very unique design. Beneath a silver chain hung a deep blue gemstone pendant. The gem wasn’t a perfect circle, but had been polished into the shape of a teardrop.
Under the light, it emitted a faint blue glow, like a frozen teardrop from the deep sea. That color was very similar to her light purple eyes that shimmered under the moonlight, and also to the tears Helos had shed that night from pain.
As if possessed, Julius picked up that necklace. He said softly to the shop assistant, “Wrap this up too.”
When they walked out of the clothing store, the night was already deep. The pedestrians on the street were gradually thinning, only the magic lamps on the roadside still emitted a warm glow.
Helos carried the bag with her new dress, feeling exceptionally good. Though the process was a bit tortuous, the result was unexpectedly satisfying.
She suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at the young man behind her.
“Julius.”
“Mm?”
Julius also stopped.
“Thank you.”
Helos raised the bag in her hand, a bright smile on her face. “I really like this dress.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Julius looked at her smiling face, a warm current surging in his heart. He hesitated, then reached into his chest and felt the small box containing the necklace.
“Um… Helos.” His voice was a bit tight. “Actually… I bought something else.”
“What?”
Helos leaned in curiously.
Julius took a deep breath, pulled out the deep blue small box, and handed it to Helos.
“Open it and see.”
Helos froze for a moment. She took the box and opened it carefully. The deep blue teardrop-shaped gem lay quietly on the black velvet padding, emitting a charming luster.
“This… this is for me?”
Helos looked up in surprise.
“Yeah.”
Julius nodded, his gaze shifting, not daring to look into Helos’s eyes, but the tips of his ears were already red.
“I think… it suits you.”
“Just… just like your eyes.”
After saying that, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. This was probably the most cringeworthy thing he had ever said in his life.
After all, you couldn’t expect an innocent young man who had lived an ascetic life in the church since childhood, practiced swordsmanship every day, and rarely spoken to girls his age, to say advanced romantic lines without blushing, right?
Helos stared blankly at the necklace in her hand, then at the blushing, flustered young man in front of her. A huge surge of joy instantly filled her chest. She didn’t speak, just hugged the box tightly to her chest, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.
Then, the girl suddenly remembered something. She looked up, a mischievous light gleaming in her light purple eyes.
“Julius.”
She called his name softly, her voice carrying a meaningful smile.
“Do you remember? Before you left Olivius City, we had a promise.”
Julius was stunned.
“What promise?”
“You said that once I became a true lady, you would come back to see me.”
Helos stepped forward, closing in on him. She reached out a finger and gently poked Julius’s chest.
“So now that you’re back, does that mean you admit I’ve become a lady?”
Julius’s breath caught, and that buried memory instantly surged into his mind. At that moment of parting, to comfort the little girl who was crying like a tear-soaked kitten, he had indeed said those words.
“What? Trying to weasel out?”
Helos looked at his dazed expression and raised an eyebrow.
“I’m already a lady now—at least when wearing a dress.”
“So…”
She stood on tiptoe and leaned close to Julius’s ear.
“Shouldn’t you praise me more? Idiot.”
Julius looked at the girl so close in front of him. Looking at her eyes full of expectation and pride. He suddenly smiled. At that moment, all the shyness and panic in his heart disappeared, leaving only a deep sense of relief.
“Yes.”
Julius replied softly. He thought of what Sylvia had just said. The young man reached out and gently tidied the silver-haired girl’s windblown bangs.
“Helos.”
Julius looked into her eyes and said, word by word, with utmost seriousness: “You always have been. No matter in the past, present, or future. You are, in my eyes, the most charming girl.”
Hearing this answer, Helos froze, but her face involuntarily turned completely red. She had originally only wanted to tease this blockhead, to see him flustered. She didn’t expect this guy to… to actually say it! And he said it so seriously!
“You… you…”
Helos stammered, wanting to retort, but found herself unable to find any words. In the end, she could only, like a cat with its tail stepped on, spin around abruptly, hug the box, and run ahead.
“You’re such an idiot!!”
The girl’s clear shout echoed in the night sky, tinged with unmistakable shyness.
Julius stood still in place. He watched her fleeing figure, unable to help the corners of his mouth lifting into a silly grin.
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