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A moment later.
Pavela squatted in the corner of the shop, cautiously peeking toward the fitting room.
Lydia squatted right next to her. The two of them squeezed behind a soft chair like two cats watching their prey.
"Do you think..."
Pavela lowered her voice.
"Will Sister Eleanor actually come out wearing those clothes?"
Lydia hesitated for a moment.
"Hard to say."
She also lowered her voice, her amber eyes fixed on the curtain of the fitting room.
"Even though she agreed just now and took the clothes inside—"
"I've never seen Eleanor wear this style of clothing before."
She paused.
"It's not impossible that she'll get embarrassed and fly into a rage, giving us both a beating."
The corner of Pavela's mouth twitched.
"...Why are you only saying this now?"
"I didn't think that far ahead just now!"
Lydia defended herself in a whisper.
"When you suggested changing her clothes, the only thought in my head was 'finally, a chance to dress up Eleanor'—"
"And then I just grabbed that one—"
"Shh!"
Pavela interrupted her.
"There's movement!"
Both of them held their breath at the same time.
The curtain of the fitting room swayed slightly.
Then it went quiet again.
A few more seconds passed.
The curtain swayed again.
But still, no one came out.
Pavela and Lydia looked at each other.
"Could she be..."
Lydia whispered.
"...struggling inside about whether to come out?"
"Very likely."
Pavela nodded.
"After all, that outfit—"
"Is indeed a bit..."
"Cute?"
"Yeah."
The two fell silent for a few more seconds.
"How about..."
Lydia said tentatively.
"We call out to her?"
"You do it?"
"...I don't dare."
Lydia shook her head honestly.
"Then let's just wait."
Pavela sighed.
"She has to come out eventually, anyway."
Just then—
Lydia suddenly tugged on Pavela's sleeve.
"Look!"
She pointed toward the fitting room.
"There's movement inside!"
Pavela quickly shrank behind Lydia.
"If she comes out and tries to hit me—"
She whispered.
"You have to help me block her."
"Huh? Me?!"
Lydia's voice suddenly rose a bit.
"Why me?!"
"Because you're the senior!"
Pavela said righteously.
"Shouldn't a senior protect her junior?!"
"What kind of logic is that?!"
Lydia grew anxious.
"You were clearly the one who proposed it first—"
"But you were the one who picked the clothes!"
"That's because you said you wanted a cute style!"
"I only made a suggestion; you could have completely refused!"
"Proposing makes you an accomplice—"
"Then you're the mastermind—"
"Don't do this, you're her sister, she can't really hit you—"
"Well, you're her friend, she won't really hit you either—"
"You—"
The two were in the middle of their argument.
Suddenly, a hand reached over.
Slender fingers, pale skin.
That hand accurately grabbed Pavela's back collar.
The other hand simultaneously grabbed Lydia's back collar.
There was no warning.
And no sound.
Both of them froze at the same time.
"It was her suggestion!"
Lydia immediately pointed at Pavela.
"She picked the clothes!"
Pavela also immediately pointed at Lydia.
"You clearly were the one who took them!"
"You said you wanted a cute style!"
"You could have completely refused!"
Then, both of them simultaneously clutched their heads.
Cowering into two balls.
Like two small animals awaiting judgment.
And then—
They waited for quite a while.
The anticipated fists did not fall.
The shop was terrifyingly quiet.
Only the clock on the wall ticked away.
Pavela cautiously lifted her head from the gap between her arms.
Lydia also lifted her head at the same time.
Their gazes both fell on Eleanor behind them.
And then—both of them were stunned.
Eleanor was standing right behind them.
Wearing a pale pink dress.
The pink was very faint, but just right, like cherry blossoms that had just bloomed in spring, or like the morning clouds on the horizon.
The style of the dress was simple, but the tailoring was extremely exquisite.
The round neck design revealed her slender neck and delicate collarbones. The neckline was trimmed with a circle of white lace, and the soft fabric clung to the curves of her body, outlining elegant lines.
A matching silk ribbon was tied around her waist into a bow at the back, with two strands hanging down and swaying gently with her breath.
The hem of the skirt reached above her knees, revealing a section of straight, slender legs. Her pale skin shimmered with a soft luster under the dim light.
The sleeves were puff sleeves, with the voluminous fabric gathered at the shoulders and then tightening at the elbows, revealing her slender forearms.
Her dark long hair wasn't tied up like usual but draped over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled, creating a strong contrast against the pink dress.
Her ice-blue eyes were still clear, but at this moment, they held a kind of...
An indescribable awkwardness.
Her cheeks were flushed, but not overly so, as if they were just marks left after being blown by a cold winter wind.
Her lips were pressed into a line, and her brow was slightly furrowed.
Her entire expression looked very uneasy, as if she were trying hard to maintain some kind of composure but couldn't suppress the inner shame.
Her shoulders were slightly tensed, and her hands, which she had lowered at some point, now hung unnaturally at her sides, her fingers lightly clutching the fabric of her skirt.
That posture—
That awkward posture of not knowing where to put her hands—
Made her look nothing like the usually calm, elegant, and all-controlling "blood rose."
Instead, she looked like...
Like a young girl who had been forced into unfamiliar clothes and was trying hard to adapt.
A girl who was deadly cute.
Pavela's mind went blank.
Her mouth was agape; she couldn't say a single word.
Lydia was the same.
Her amber eyes were wide and round, and her mouth was open wide enough to fit an egg.
The air in the shop seemed to have frozen.
Time had also stopped.
Only the clock on the wall still ticked away.
"..."
Eleanor spoke.
Her voice was a bit lower than usual.
And a bit tighter.
"Have you seen enough?"
Pavela suddenly snapped back to her senses.
"N-no—"
"I mean—"
"Seen enough!"
She immediately changed her tune.
"Very much enough!"
"More than enough!"
Lydia also nodded frantically.
"Yes, yes, yes! Enough, enough!"
Eleanor's brow furrowed even deeper.
The red on her cheeks became even more apparent.
"Then—"
"Wait!"
Pavela suddenly called out to her.
"What is it?"
Eleanor looked at her.
There was a dangerous glint in her ice-blue eyes.
Pavela swallowed hard.
"I..."
"I think..."
"Sister wearing these clothes..."
"Really looks beautiful."
She said.
Her voice was very serious.
Without a hint of joking.
Lydia also immediately nodded.
"Right! Super beautiful!"
"I've never seen you wear this style of clothing, Eleanor—" freēwēbnovel.com
"But it really suits you!"
"Especially this color, it's a perfect match for your skin tone—"
"And this style perfectly sets off your figure—"
"Alright, alright."
Eleanor interrupted her.
There was a sense of helplessness in her voice.
"I get it."
She turned toward the fitting room.
"I'm going to change back—"
"No way!"
Pavela and Lydia cried out at the same time.
Eleanor stopped in her tracks.
She looked back.
"...What?"
"You can't change!"
Pavela stood up.
"This one is great!"
"Right!"
Lydia also stood up.
"Just wear this one out!"
Eleanor's [N O V E L I G H T] expression became even more complicated.
"Are you two..."
"...serious?"
"Very serious!"
The two spoke in unison.
Eleanor fell silent for a few more seconds.
She looked at Pavela, then at Lydia, and finally back at Pavela.
Then, she sighed.
"...Fine."
She said.
There was a hint of resignation in her voice.
"I've already been embarrassed enough today anyway."
The corners of Pavela's mouth curled up.
"Sister."
She walked up to Eleanor.
Looking up at her.
"It's not embarrassing at all."
"You're really cute right now!"
Eleanor's face turned even reder.
"...Shut up."
She reached out and lightly flicked Pavela's forehead.
"If you say another word, I really will hit you."
Pavela clutched her forehead, laughing even more happily.
Lydia stood to the side, watching the scene.
A certain light shimmered in her amber eyes.
"It's so nice."
She whispered.
Eleanor turned her head and looked at her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Lydia smiled.
"I just think..."
"When the two of you stand together, you look even better!"
