KTYLBH 17

Chapter 17

“Are you looking for a party dress? Or an outfit for going out?”

“A casual outfit,” I quickly answered before Eon could say anything. Now that it had come to this, I figured I might as well get something practical out of it.

There was no occasion where I would wear a dress anyway. I needed something plain and comfortable in case I had to flee the Magic Tower.

“Do you have a specific design in mind?”

“Yes, I’d like the skirt to be wide. The length should fall just below the knees. Please keep mobility in mind for the sleeves. And for the color…”

No particular color came to mind. I glanced around, wondering what would be a neutral, unnoticeable color.

“Make the skirt olive green and the top coral pink.”

Eon said something that was hard to believe.

Olive green? And what? Coral pink?

It was the first time I’d seen a man request colors like olive green and coral pink. The men I’d known only went as far as dark green or basic pink.

“Miss Selenia looked like she was struggling to choose, so I made a suggestion. If you don’t like it, feel free to change it.”

“Oh my, how considerate to even pick out the colors. You’re quite lucky, miss.”

Since Jeanne was reacting so enthusiastically, I felt no need to change the colors. Though I felt a bit uneasy, I chose the fabric in those colors.

Eon looked at me with a satisfied expression and asked,

“Did you know? Olive green and coral pink suit brown hair like yours very well.”

Ah…

So that’s why he was so picky about the colors—it was all because of my brown hair.

Unaware of Eon’s real thoughts, Jeanne continued to gush about how beautiful my hair was and how meticulous the marquis was. I, on the other hand, wanted to strip away the beastly gaze entangled in my hair, so I wound it up into a bun.

“You really do have a good eye. Now then, I’ll take your measurements.”

She led me to the inner part of the boutique, a room that looked like a fitting room. Jeanne spoke to me in a whisper.

“It’s the first time the marquis has visited this boutique with another lady.”

She must’ve said that to make me dream rosy dreams. But what bloomed in my mind was not rosy but bloodstained imagery.

Clothes from a high-end boutique like Jean Tier’s were noticeable. It would be easy to identify who bought them. Dressing victims in them would only add to the evidence.

“Then why me…”

The words slipped out in a sigh-like murmur.

“Oh, but of course. It’s because you’re special.”

“Ahaha… right. Special.”

It was hard to tell if my life was getting longer or shorter. Jeanne placed the measuring tape over my shoulders.

“A man who chooses the color of a woman’s clothing—there’s no need to worry anymore.”

“Sorry?”

“Most men don’t care about things like dress colors. Even the marquis is the same. He always orders dark-colored suits.”

Next, she moved to measure my waist.

“And yet he recommended a color for your casual outfit? What do you think that means? That he was thinking about you all day, obviously.”

“Ah… yes.”

I gave a vague reply. I understood what Jeanne meant, but she was far off the mark.

Maybe he did think about this brown hair all day—for years even.

“Besides, picking the exact colors that suit you shows how much thought he put into it.”

“I hope that’s true.”

How nice it would be if Eon were just a regular man with a crush on me, like Jeanne thought. Life would be so much easier.

When we returned, a coat that had been displayed in the shop window was now on the counter. Even to someone like me who knew nothing about fashion, it was clearly the most expensive item in the boutique—white fur.

Eon added a matching hat and gloves and said,

“Please add these to the purchase as well.”

“My, what a wonderful gift this will make. The clothes will be ready in two weeks. I’ll put extra care into them since it’s for someone important to the marquis.”

Jeanne bowed repeatedly, beaming.

“Let’s wear the coat now. Throw away that shabby, tattered cloak.”

Eon smiled as he draped the coat over my shoulders. To me, it was a chilling smile, but Jeanne seemed to interpret it differently. She gave me a look as if to say, See? I told you so.

A sigh slipped from my lips.

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t this a bit much for a welcome gift from the Master of the Tower?”

“Ah, your form of address has changed.”

“Well… I couldn’t keep calling you that forever. Earlier, I was just playing along with your joke.”

“A joke?”

“You seemed like you wanted us to look like a couple or something. Was I wrong?”

“A couple, huh? You don’t have to go that far to avoid using the word lover.”

Hearing the word lover come from his lips made me question why he was even pretending in the first place.

“And as you said, I did want us to look like lovers.”

Eon paused and stared at me.

What is it that he wants from me?

This difficult predator seemed to want more than just flesh from his prey. But from a prey’s perspective, reading the predator’s thoughts was impossible.

“How about calling me Eon from now on?”

Suddenly, Eon leaned in and smiled with narrowed eyes. Despite his words, it felt more like a warning not to carelessly say his name again. I regretted my earlier boldness—it felt like I’d just shortened my own lifespan.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I was unsettled. I hadn’t even managed to visit the herbalist today.

It was already past two when we left the boutique. Had I parted ways with Eon then, I might’ve made it in time. But instead, Eon “escorted” me—more like supervised me—and we ended up visiting a jeweler to buy raw gems. Now we were heading back to the Magic Tower.

“I apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“I won’t carelessly call the Tower Master by name again.”

Eon let out a soft laugh that sounded like a sigh.

“You’re quite the little rebel, Miss Selenia. But I suppose your fussiness about titles suits you.”

He was teasing me for refusing to let him call me Selli earlier.

“…Anyway, these clothes…”

“You see, Miss Selenia, I feel like you’ll be going out quite a bit from now on.”

Going out a lot? Don’t tell me he knows my plans?

In that moment, I imagined myself struggling helplessly in the palm of his hand. My heart began to race.

“Wh-why would you say that…”

For once, even my bold mouth couldn’t stay calm. I found myself stuttering.

“Who knows.”

Eon’s smile remained light. But to me, it no longer looked like a smile—it looked like a beast debating whether to bare its fangs.

“Why don’t you guess, Miss Selenia? Why do you think I said that?”

Eon posed what had to be the most unamusing riddle in the world. I couldn’t afford to look any more suspicious. I’d already stuttered once.

I quickly racked my brain for a plausible answer.

“Ah… right. Since I just started my research, I’ll need to buy new materials or equipment, right? Like other newcomers.”

To make it sound more convincing, I even dragged in the other researchers.

 

“There are materials already prepared, but the ones we use tend to vary a bit…”