Free Web Novel"Eleanor?!"
The young girl's voice suddenly spiked.
Her amber eyes widened into circles, and her mouth hung slightly open in disbelief.
"How did you—when did you—"
Her words were fragmented, as if she had too much to say at once and didn't know where to start.
The corners of Eleanor's mouth curled up.
"Long time no see, Lydia."
"Long time no see?!"
The girl named Lydia rushed out from behind the counter.
She moved quickly—so quickly that the softness at her chest bounced twice.
Pavela quickly averted her gaze again.
"You were gone for two years!"
Lydia stood before Eleanor with hands on her hips, an accusatory look in her amber eyes.
"Two years! Two whole years!"
"And not even a single letter in between!"
"I recall writing one."
Eleanor said flatly.
"Just one!"
Lydia glared at her.
"It only had one sentence: 'Everything is fine, don't worry.'"
"Eight characters!"
"You dismissed our years of friendship with just eight characters?!"
Eleanor's expression didn't change.
"The front lines were busy."
"So busy you didn't even have time to write a letter?"
"Most of the time... yes."
Lydia opened her mouth.
Then she sighed.
"Fine."
She rubbed her temples.
"Considering you're not dead and finally thought to come find me today, I won't hold it against you."
Her gaze shifted from Eleanor to Pavela.
Her amber eyes suddenly lit up.
"And who is this?"
"My sister."
Eleanor pushed Pavela forward a step.
"Pavela von Schwartz."
"I adopted her last month."
Lydia's eyes shone even brighter.
Pavela saw her gaze sweep from her head to her toes, then back up, finally resting on her face.
That look...
Pavela felt a slight chill down her spine.
It was the kind of look...
A tailor gives a clothes rack?
No.
It was more like...
The look a hunter gives its prey!
"Silver hair..."
Lydia muttered to herself.
"Gray-blue eyes..."
"A slender figure..."
"And this face..."
She took a step closer.
Pavela instinctively took half a step back.
But Lydia's hand had already reached out, gently pinching her chin and turning her face to the side.
"Small frame, delicate features, and great skin—"
Her voice carried an irrepressible excitement.
"Eleanor, where did you find such a perfect model?!"
"Picked her up on the battlefield."
Eleanor said.
Lydia's movements paused for a moment.
"...Are you serious?"
"Serious."
Lydia was silent for two seconds.
Then she released Pavela's chin and turned to look at Eleanor.
"Just what exactly have you been through these past two years..."
"It's a long story."
Eleanor shrugged.
"I'll tell you when there's a chance later."
"Today, I'm mainly here to get Pavela some new clothes."
Lydia's expression immediately brightened again.
"Clothes!"
She turned to Pavela, a certain dangerous light shimmering in her amber eyes.
"Leave it to me!" ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"By the way—"
She reached out and lightly patted Pavela's shoulder.
"My name is Lydia von Waldenburg, a classmate from Eleanor's year."
"You can call me Senior Lydia."
Pavela nodded.
"Senior Lydia."
Lydia smiled.
It was a brilliant smile.
So brilliant that it made Pavela even more certain that she was in for a rough time.
"So well-behaved, what a good girl."
Lydia said.
"Come, follow me to the back."
"I need to take your measurements."
Pavela glanced back at Eleanor.
There was a hint of amusement in those ice-blue eyes.
Pavela sighed inwardly.
It's over.
I'm afraid today won't be a good day.
...
As it turned out, Pavela's estimation was not wrong.
The next hour or so was nothing short of a nightmare for Pavela.
Lydia's enthusiasm far exceeded her imagination.
From taking measurements to choosing fabrics, styles, colors, and accessories... Lydia invested two hundred percent of her energy into every single step.
"This one won't do, the color is too dark, it'll wash out your skin tone—"
"This one won't work either, the shoulder line is too wide—"
"This one... hmm, the cut is okay, but the collar ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) design is too old-fashioned—"
Standing in the fitting room, Pavela had already changed through at least seven or eight outfits.
Lydia found various problems with every single one.
Then she'd change into the next one.
Then more problems would be found.
Then she'd change again.
An infinite loop.
She felt like she was turning into an emotionless clothes-changing machine.
"Senior."
She poked her head out from behind the fitting room curtain.
"I think that blue one from earlier was quite nice—"
"No!"
Lydia's voice came from outside, carrying an unquestionable firmness.
"The waistline on that blue one was too high, it would make your legs look shorter!"
"..."
Pavela fell silent.
She looked down at her legs.
Compared to Eleanor's, they certainly weren't long.
But having it said so bluntly was still a bit...
"Here, try this one."
A deep red dress was handed through the gap in the curtain.
Pavela took the dress and looked at it.
The fabric was some kind of material with a silky sheen, very smooth to the touch.
The dress's style was very simple without much decoration, but the tailoring was exquisite. The waistline was perfectly positioned, and the hem length was just right.
She put it on.
Then she walked out of the fitting room.
Lydia was sitting on a soft chair, holding a cup of tea.
When she saw Pavela come out, her eyes lit up.
"This is the one!"
She set down her teacup, stood up, and walked over to Pavela.
"Deep red is a perfect match for your silver hair—"
"And this cut is perfect for flattering your figure—"
"Wait, the collar seems a bit loose..."
Her hands reached out and began adjusting Pavela's collar.
Pavela stood there, letting her fuss.
She had already given up struggling.
However—
Her gaze went over Lydia's shoulder to Eleanor, who was sitting in the corner.
Eleanor was leaning against the back of her chair with her legs crossed, also holding a cup of tea.
Her ice-blue eyes were watching them, a faint smile on her lips.
She looked like she was having a lot of fun.
Pavela narrowed her eyes.
Fine.
I'll remember this.
I'll give you what's coming to you in a bit.
"There!"
Lydia finally stepped back with satisfaction.
"Perfect."
Pavela looked down at herself.
The deep red dress was indeed very beautiful.
After Lydia adjusted the collar, it perfectly revealed a section of her collarbone—not too exposing, but adding a touch of elegance.
The waistline sat right at the narrowest part of her waist, and the hem fell below her knees, swaying gently as she moved.
"Spin around."
Lydia said.
Pavela spun around.
The hem swirled with her movement, tracing a beautiful arc in the air.
"Wonderful."
Lydia's voice was filled with contentment.
"We'll take this one."
"Plus that white shirt dress from before, the light gray knit cardigan, and that dark blue long skirt—"
She began counting on her fingers.
As Pavela listened to the list grow longer and longer, her mouth twitched.
How much is this going to cost...
Wait.
Eleanor is paying anyway.
It's not my problem.
Thinking of this, her mood improved slightly.
But only slightly.
Because she had still been a clothes rack for over an hour. freёwebnoѵel.com
This debt had to be settled.
She looked at Eleanor again.
Eleanor was drinking tea.
Her movements were elegant and her posture composed, as if she hadn't noticed Pavela's gaze at all.
Pavela narrowed her eyes even further.
"Senior Lydia."
She spoke up.
Her voice was very sweet.
"What is it?"
Lydia asked without looking back, busy tidying the clothes they had just tried.
"I have an idea."
"Go on."
The corners of Pavela's mouth curled up.
"Since all my clothes have been picked out—"
"Could we also pick out a few new outfits for Sister Eleanor?"
Lydia's movements froze.
Eleanor's hand holding the teacup also froze.
The shop fell silent for a second.
Lydia turned around and looked at Eleanor, a strange light flashing in her eyes.
"You're right."
She said.
Her voice was slow, enunciating each word.
"My dear Eleanor."
"Your casual wear..."
"If I recall, you don't seem to have much?"
Eleanor's expression began to grow a bit stiff.
The composed, elegant smile she had been maintaining began to show a hint of a crack.
"I have enough clothes."
She said.
Her voice was a bit faster than before.
"There's no need—"
"It's not enough!"
Lydia had already started walking toward her.
A raging fire burned in her amber eyes.
"I remember you're always in that military uniform!"
"Even when you occasionally change into casual wear, it's only those two or three sets—"
"You are the eldest daughter of the von Schwartz Family! How could you—"
"Lydia."
Eleanor's voice took on a hint of warning.
"Don't—"
"Don't what?"
Lydia was already standing in front of her.
Hands on her hips.
That bit of fat bounced twice along with her movement.
She was full of momentum.
"Since Little Pa said so, Eleanor, you won't escape today either!"
