Chapter 36: What evil intentions does the young boy have?

To be honest, Helos never really cared about changing into new clothes.

In her eyes, clothes were just things to cover the body and keep warm—why bother with all the fuss?

When she was first asked to wear a skirt, she had thrown quite a tantrum.

After all, in her mind, she was somewhat of a tomboy—though this body clearly looked like a delicate young lady.

But in this world, she didn’t even have the right to choose what to wear.

“Why do I have to wear a skirt?!”

She remembered protesting like this once, only to be shut down by the Head Maid’s words: “This is the dignity befitting a Noble Young Lady.”

Over time, she had no choice but to accept this arrangement.

Besides skirts, the Duke’s Mansion hadn’t prepared any other clothes for her to choose from—in winter, the most they did was add a thick cloak over the skirt.

And over these years, she had hardly ever received any truly new clothes of her own.

Most of what hung in the wardrobe were dresses worn out and discarded by Eleanor—though they were officially twin sisters, probably because Eleanor lacked magic and couldn’t consume magic-laden foods, their physiques had long since noticeably diverged.

“Uh, Miss Helos……”

Julius’s voice pulled the girl out of her daze. “You don’t seem very happy?”

“Ah? Am I?”

Helos blinked, looked down, and tugged at the slightly worn embroidery on her skirt. Her voice suddenly became very soft. “I just…… don’t really know how to react.”

Hearing this, Julius tilted his head in confusion.

“Why?”

Helos suddenly raised her head, pouted, and placed her hands on her hips.

“I just don’t see the point~”

“If we have spare money, we might as well buy two sets of brand-new Alchemical Tools!”

“But your tools still work…”

“You don’t know anything,” Helos snorted disdainfully, staring at Julius with a look of disgust. “Good tools get twice the results with half the effort!”

“And honestly, I’m not interested in these kinds of clothes.”

Julius was stunned by her words, his black eyelashes trembling slightly.

The sunlight reflected off the shop’s glass windows, illuminating the thoughtful side of his face.

“Hmm…… is that so?”

He murmured quietly, unconsciously touching the coin pouch at his waist.

“How about this—”

Suddenly, he looked up, a sly glint flashing through his black eyes.

“Let me pick out a new set of clothes for you, and then I’ll get you a new set of tools afterward. How about that?”

Helos’s expression instantly froze.

She stood as if struck by lightning, her pale purple pupils slightly contracting, lips parting silently but no sound coming out.

Ah.

The sunlight quietly streamed between them, and the noise outside the shop seemed to fade away.

“R……”

Helos’s voice became very soft, drifting as if from far away. “Are you serious?”

The young man didn’t speak but only smiled faintly, nodding at her.

He even provocatively patted the coin pouch at his waist.

Helos took a deep breath, and a sudden spark of determination flared in her pale purple eyes.

She clenched her fists tightly, the silver tips of her hair trembling slightly with the movement.

It’s just a skirt!

What’s there to be afraid of!

If worse comes to worst, just think of it as wearing an experiment suit!

Do it!

“Fine!”

She suddenly straightened her back, eyes burning as she stared at Julius beside her. “Then buy it! Who’s afraid of who!”

However, the moment the two actually stepped into the clothing store, Helos’s spirit instantly wilted.

Ding-ling—

The magical wind chime on the door chimed crisply, and a faint, elegant scent wafted in.

Inside the spacious and bright shop, all kinds of exquisite gowns were neatly displayed, the soft satin shimmering delicately under the lights.

Several Noble Daughters, dressed in luxurious clothes, were choosing dresses; their laughter and the rustling of skirts made the whole space exceptionally refined.

So even these Noble Young Ladies personally come to the clothing store?

Wait a minute…… isn’t I kind of a Noble Daughter myself now?

Helos’s steps suddenly stopped at the entrance.

Her fingers unconsciously gripped Julius’s sleeve, and she shrank behind the young man like a frightened little animal.

“What’s wrong?”

Julius turned and noticed Helos staring intently at her own boots, her silver lashes trembling slightly.

Helos pursed her lips, voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, “I… it’s my first time entering a place like this……”

Her gaze swept over her washed-to-fading old skirt, then glanced at the gleaming marble floor inside the shop, suddenly making her feel completely out of place.

Those exquisite gowns seemed to silently remind her—this place is not for someone like her.

Julius paused for a moment, then gently held her cold fingers.

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

He lowered his voice, teasing slightly, “Helos, who’s not even afraid of explosions, scared of a few skirts?”

Helos suddenly looked up, locking eyes with the young man’s smiling gaze.

There was no mockery in those eyes—only warm encouragement.

“W-who’s afraid!”

She yanked her hand free from Julius’s grip, chest out and chin up, stepping forward boldly—only to shrink back again when she saw the shop assistant approaching.

Julius suppressed a smile and subtly blocked her from view.

“Excuse me, we’d like to see dresses suitable for this lady.”

His voice was steady and strong; his black uniform looked particularly sharp under the light.

Helos hid behind him, peeking out half a head.

A few strands of her silver hair slipped out from under her hood, glittering in the light.

“Of course! Please follow me, both of you~”

The shop assistant smiled sweetly and made an elegant inviting gesture.

As she turned, the curve of her skirt drew Helos’s attention, making her unconsciously tug at the crumpled edge of her own clothes.

Seriously, even the shop assistant is so elegant?

Who exactly is the noble here?

When Helos stood alone in the fitting room holding the chosen dress, her fingers trembled slightly.

The soft fabric slipped through her palms; she couldn’t quite tell the difference from what she was already wearing—after all, the old skirt had been worn by Eleanor.

In terms of price, it was definitely no worse than the one in her hands.

It’s just on her body… well, explosions happen, that’s normal.

She took a deep breath and began clumsily undoing the buttons on her own clothes.

“Damn corset…”

She muttered under her breath, struggling frantically with the laces behind her.

The girl in the mirror blushed, silver hair messy from the struggle.

The zipper on the dress got stuck halfway, forcing her to awkwardly twist her body.

“Need some help?”

The shop assistant’s gentle voice came from outside the door.

“No, thanks!”

Helos was so startled she nearly jumped, accidentally stepping on the trailing hem and almost tripping.

She scrambled to steady herself against the wall, her voice rising nervously. “I-I can manage myself!”

“Really?”

This time it was Julius’s voice, with a teasing edge. “If you can’t get dressed, I can come in and help you~”

“Get lost—pervert!”