Chapter 26: Long Dress
Evelia stepped into the changing room, carrying the lingerie set and dress.
While she was getting changed, the shop assistant asked her about Armand's height, seemingly preparing something. A short while later, she knocked lightly on the door and left a pair of white high heels outside, clearly meant to complete Evelia's outfit.
Evelia took off her pants and put on the dress that the shop assistant had picked out for her. Although the mornings and evenings in spring were still a bit cold, the sun at noon was really hot.
The long skirt that went past her knees kept her legs from freezing in the wind. The fabric was light but warm enough, so the dress didn’t look too bulky or stiff.
A pink ribbon matched the color of her long hair and was tied just below her chest. It not only highlighted the curve of her chest, but also made her figure appear taller and more graceful.
Clack.
Evelia stepped out wearing high heels. She normally wore flat leather shoes, so while she wasn’t bad at walking in heels, she wasn’t fully used to them either. The sound of her steps, click-clack click-clack, echoed clearly with each move.
“Miss…! You look like a model for clothes!”
The simpler the outfit, the more it shows off a person’s natural beauty.
Trying to act more ladylike, Evelia crossed her hands in front of her waist and turned slightly to look at herself in the mirror. The white dress looked beautiful. Still, maybe because of how she saw herself, she felt this outfit suited a girl named “Evelia”… but not someone like herself, the "Red Crow."
Compared to her past self, who was all shadows and darkness, this new look was really a big change...
“Excuse me, Miss. Let me braid your hair a little. This ribbon is a free gift.”
The shop assistant seemed very happy with Evelia’s look. She brought Evelia over to her personal vanity, picked up a wooden comb and a white ribbon, and began to work on her hair.
Evelia watched as two small braids were neatly tied at her temples, then gently twisted them together at the back of her head and tied them off with the white ribbon. It only took a few minutes, but this small change made her look completely different from before.
“……”
Evelia touched the ribbon at the back of her head. From the front, she could just barely see one tip of the white bow sticking out. As she felt around the back, she noticed the two small braids tied into a little bun, with the rest of her long hair falling gently behind her.
The scent of the shop assistant’s perfume had rubbed off on her hair. A soft, peach-blossom fragrance. When she moved her hair slightly, she could smell it.
“Next, you’ll need to find a place with some wind.”
“Wind?”
Evelia turned around in confusion and looked at the girl behind her, who was smiling mischievously like she was planning something silly.
“Yes, wind.”
The shop assistant stood behind Evelia and gave her own hair a dramatic toss, though since the shop assistant’s hair was short, it didn’t really move much. To Evelia, it just looked like soft cotton candy bouncing slightly, and for some reason, it seemed kind of tasty.
“Aww… if only I had some hair extensions ready…”
Seeing Evelia’s confused look, the shop assistant blushed with embarrassment. She giggled shyly, stuck out her tongue, and playfully tapped her own cotton candy head with a little fist. It really did look soft and squishy.
“I think… I get what you mean now.”
At first, Evelia wasn’t sure what the girl was trying to show her, but then she remembered something from a novel she once read. She finally understood.
That scene went something like this.
【When the knight arrived in the flower field, the girl had already been waiting for a while.
He had dressed up carefully for their date and rushed over as fast as he could. Breathing heavily, he called out to the girl who stood in the distance, looking up at the sky.
Just then, a breeze picked up.
Golden petals danced in the wind, glowing under the sunlight, carried gently through the air. The knight’s voice rode the petals and reached the girl’s ears. As she turned around, her long hair flowed with the petals.
She brushed her hair away from her face, revealing a sweet smile through the strands. Though half her face was hidden, that smile was clear and full of warmth.】
—So that’s what it was about.
“You mean… you want the wind to blow through my hair.”
“Exactly, Miss! You’re so smart.” The shop assistant nodded wildly with joy. “You totally understand! No man can resist a girl brushing her hair back in a gentle breeze… Oh, right, it has to be a gentle breeze though.”
“Got it. I understand.”
Evelia stood up, packed her old clothes with the help of the assistant, and also bought two more sets of carefully selected underwear. After paying, she left the store in her long dress. The shop assistant watched her leave and thoughtfully added,
“Actually… even if it’s not a gentle breeze, strong wind is okay too. That’s when the underwear really shines…”
“Hm?”
Evelia heard that last sentence just as she stepped out and closed the door. She didn’t really understand what it meant, but she didn’t go back to ask.
When Evelia left the house in the morning, it was already noon by the time she walked out of the store. She looked up, spring’s strong midday sun was shining right on her face, making her squint a little in discomfort.
She held the shopping bag with her new clothes and walked along a shady side path. Her white long dress and pink hair were far too eye-catching. After just a few steps, Evelia could already feel many eyes turning to look at her.
Men and women, young and old, everyone noticed her. With her perfect looks and figure, Evelia easily became the center of attention.
Tap tap.
Of course, it wasn’t just their eyes she caught.
Tap tap.
She could hear footsteps behind her, light ones that were clearly trying to stay hidden, following her rhythm. Evelia immediately picked up on it. Even in this busy street, she could tell someone was tailing her.
“……”
Evelia turned around completely and saw a man walking in a straight line behind her. She stared at him silently. The man froze up at once.
He didn’t say anything. Clearly embarrassed, he looked at Evelia, who was still staring directly at him. Normally, someone would run away if they were caught following someone like this. But this man must’ve thought he was tough, he didn’t back off. Instead, he took Evelia’s reaction as a kind of challenge and took two steps toward her.
Maybe if she were still wearing her usual pants, the man would have hesitated more. But now that she was dressed gently and elegantly, unless she purposely put on a cold face, she didn’t look as intimidating.
“……”
Evelia still said nothing, but took two steps back as he moved closer.
That only seemed to excite the man more. He took a few more steps forward, and Evelia moved back again.
“……”
She didn’t say a word. She just watched him quietly, then turned around and calmly continued walking as if nothing happened.
People love beautiful girls, and Evelia was definitely one of them.
As the shop girl said earlier, there are always people who want to ruin that kind of pure beauty. The more pure and proud a woman seems, the more certain types of people are drawn to her.
Evelia, for now, saw the man behind her as a test subject. She figured maybe the shop girl wasn’t completely wrong.
But since she had already proven the girl’s point, there was no need to keep observing him.
Evelia picked up her pace, hoping to lose him. She didn’t want to cause a scene in this busy area. But the man, not knowing any better, kept following her, thinking her quickened pace meant she was scared.
“…Haa.”
Evelia let out a small sigh, then turned and walked into a quiet alleyway nearby where trash bins were stored. It was empty.
A few moments later, the man sped up and followed her in, his creepy chuckle echoing as he disappeared into the alley’s darkness.
Crack.
Then, in that dark alley, there was a soft sound, like a neck snapping.
Only Evelia walked back out.
She calmly carried her shopping bag as if nothing had happened. Her hair and clothes were still perfectly neat, she didn’t even need to fix anything. Not a single spot was dirty.
"Didn’t the knights already head that way? I don’t have to write an official letter, do I? You know I hate paperwork…”
“It’s the proper procedure. You’re still just as lazy as ever. You can’t just skip things like this.”
While Evelia was walking down the quiet path, thinking about whether to browse more stores or head back to the estate, she heard some familiar voices.
“Ugh, this is such a pain…”
“You’ve said that at least six times already.”
“Because it really is a pain…”
Evelia looked toward the voices and saw she hadn’t heard wrong. Not far away stood Armand in his knight uniform. He was arguing with another knight, Vice Captain Carle.
“Alright, alright. Once you finish up here, go check East Street too.”
“Yeah, yeah, got it. Not like I’m the one in charge anyway…”
“Hm?”
“You’re the boss, you’re the boss, okay? My wise elder. Let’s go already.”
Armand seemed fed up with Carle’s nagging and gave him a push on the shoulder to move him along. Then, as if looking for someone, Armand glanced around, and right away, he spotted Evelia across the street.
“Ev—”
But as soon as their eyes met, he froze, as if unsure it was really her. He stared straight at Evelia for a few seconds, then awkwardly looked to the side and blinked. His hands suddenly didn’t know what to do, so he placed one on his neck.
Then his eyes returned to Evelia, slowly looking at the white dress she wore. For reasons he couldn’t explain, his hand moved forward, and he gently pressed his curled fingers to his lips. His eyebrows raised a little. His expression was hard to read.
He hesitated, then carefully opened his mouth to say.
“Eve…?”