As a girl, Emil was naturally born with a love for beautiful and elegant things. Whether it was jewelry, weapons, small animals, or ornaments, as long as she saw something beautiful and cute, she couldn’t resist wanting to buy it to keep or collect.
As the eldest daughter of House Lyonesse, Emil possessed more than enough wealth to support her habit of purchasing almost anything that caught her eye. While the Lyonesse family couldn’t quite compare to the Borbeck family, they were still one of the titan capital groups famous for their immense riches.
“Hey, Erika, how about this? A white hat—do you think it suits me?” Wearing her usual red dress, Emil tried on a white Western-style hat with a wide, long brim and turned to ask the girl beside her.
Erika was already carrying more than a dozen paper bags containing various dresses and tops. The thought of adding another one made her feel like life wasn’t worth living. Even though she had been in this world for a long time, Erika rarely went shopping. Most of her time was spent handling government affairs within the palace; her occasional trips to the streets were for gathering intelligence. She found it difficult to take any interest in this kind of activity.
However, for a sudden major customer like Emil, the young proprietress of the clothing store made no effort to hide her fawning joy. She stood to the side, introducing her products in a non-stop torrent of words.
“This hat is made from the silver mane of a Barberi Lion. It’s breathable and cool in the summer, and because of its unique properties, it’s also resistant to rain and dew. The feathers on top are from a Six-footed Peacock…”
“Lion’s mane? Not bad. I’ll take this one too; it’s fitting for the eldest daughter of House Lyonesse.”
Setting aside the time Emil had spent from morning until noon, she had already spent no less than 30 gold coins. In just half a day, she had spent roughly two and a half years’ worth of living expenses for a family of four. ‘You’ve really outdone yourself, you muscle-head.’
“And for this lady here, you have such a graceful figure and outstanding temperament. This new velvet-free dress would suit you perfectly, and also…”
“No need, thank you,” Erika replied.
Erika was, of course, wearing a veil. Although no one in this city should have seen her true face, ever since her Alluring Enchantress class reached Level 10, she felt that the gazes of those around her were always a bit strange. To avoid trouble, it was better to hide her face.
“Erika, you should buy a few pieces too! I’ll pay! You’re such a strange girl; I’ve never seen you wear new clothes. You just watch when we go out.”
The muscle-head seemed to have noticed Erika’s odd behavior of only looking for a seat whenever they entered a shop. She immediately pulled Erika up and called the shopkeeper over to help the girl try on some outfits.
“Hey, I really don’t need—”
“Zip it!”
Soon, Erika was changed into a ruffled white top. The sheer, transparent sleeves made her slender, pale arms look faint and ethereal, creating a different kind of alluring beauty. For her lower half, she wore a brown chiffon midi skirt that just barely covered her knees. This made Erika, who usually never showed her calves, feel slightly uncomfortable.
Erika looked down with a helpless expression. “Isn’t this a bit too short? I feel a bit chilly down there…”
“How so? I heard the school uniform skirts are even shorter.”
“…”
“Hmm, you look pretty good in that. Owner, wrap it up for me, and then let’s pick some more—”
“No more! I never intended to buy clothes; I only came today to accompany Lady Emil,” Erika hurriedly interrupted.
The muscle-head stared at Erika as if she were a rare animal. Feeling speechless, Erika could only say, “I am already satisfied just by seeing Lady Emil’s beauty.”
“Hmph!”
Erika wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but the muscle-head seemed to pick out clothes with even more enthusiasm after that. Another hour of shopping passed.
“Alright, Erika, let’s go check out the shoe store next. There’s a shop nearby with a pair of shoes in the display case that I’ve set my eyes on. They’re Glazed Shoes.”
‘Glazed Shoes? Like the ones Cinderella lost?’ Erika thought. ‘No, wait, those were glass slippers.’
‘Another ridiculously expensive luxury item.’
Accompanying Emil on her shopping spree, being dragged from street to street and shop to shop while using her thin arms and legs to carry the weight of 30 gold coins’ worth of clothes, was even more tedious than she had imagined. However, the reason Erika could barely endure it was because of what Emil had whispered to her when they left the bedroom this morning.
“Remember what I said? After we’re done shopping, I’ll give you a surprise… yes, a reward!”
‘A reward?’
‘Does she want to kiss me again? No thanks!’
‘No, it’s not that.’
‘Then what kind of reward could this muscle-head even give?’
But because Emil remained mysterious no matter how much she was asked, Erika had no choice but to accompany her with a heart full of curiosity. ‘Maybe it’s something good. But can I trade it for cash?’
If that muscle-head tried to say something like, “The reward is letting you rub my chest again,” Erika would definitely jump up and give her a karate chop to the neck! Who would want to rub those two irritating things? It was hard not to suspect she was using the name of a “reward” to secretly reward herself!
Currently, it seemed Emil intended to visit every corner of prosperous Rigetaya before sunset, buying a mountain of precious accessories and clothing to empty out the shopkeepers’ prized inventories. The shopkeepers, naturally, chose to sell to this young lady, weeping as they made a bloody profit.
“Hey, Erika, what do you think? These Glazed Shoes… let me try them on first.”
Sitting on a soft chair in the shoe store, Emil stretched out a long, white limb toward her. It was a leg—a well-proportioned, slender, long leg. It was the alabaster leg of a Valkyrie, looking lean but brimming with explosive power. Beneath the side-slit of her red dress, Emil’s exposed thigh and straight calf looked no different from the back of her neck—equally snow-white, smooth, and delicate. Especially the rounded ankle tapering down from the calf and the feet that looked like white jade pearls; they were like pieces of fine jade carved by an artist.
Erika had no choice but to grab that leg, pick up the Glazed Shoe, help her put it on, and adjust the fit. Then she asked, “Does it feel uncomfortable? I touched it, and these shoes really are made of precious cave glass.”
But that material meant there was no flexibility. They looked good, but wearing them was a torment. Erika, who hadn’t even tried high heels yet, definitely wouldn’t touch them.
“They say these shoes are enchanted. They aren’t particularly uncomfortable. Besides, what I care about is whether they are beautiful and whether they suit me.”
Since Emil was determined to buy the shoes no matter what, Erika didn’t bother wasting her breath. However, seeing the price tag of 50 gold coins still made her vision spin and her eyes twitch. Even though she knew she shouldn’t try to reason with a muscle-woman, she couldn’t help but say jokingly, “Lady Emil’s legs are as long and slender as a forest fawn’s. You look good in anything.”
“What are you saying… Isn’t that… just common sense?”
[ **Invisible and Lethal Charm!** ]
[ **Experience points for the ‘Alluring Enchantress’ class: +5** ]
[ **Others will find it even harder to resist your temptation now. You can do so much more!** ]
Erika was silent.
“Alright, I’ll take them. I’ll pay with a royal check; send the bill to House Lyonesse.” Emil’s face, likely flushed with the excitement of buying something she liked, quickly turned away as she stood up.
However, the dwarf shop owner, who had been watching the scene with an uneasy and strange look, explained awkwardly, “Um… I’m terribly sorry, but this item has already been reserved by a distinguished guest. The price was 50 gold coins…”
“Then I’ll pay 100 gold coins! Will that do? Besides, who is more distinguished than I, Emil La Lyonesse? If anyone has an objection, give them my name and tell them to come find me.”
“Oh my, thank you so much! It’s truly hard to run a small shop…” The dwarf owner’s smile was so wide his mouth couldn’t close. ‘Hehe, one sale feeds me for three years! I don’t have to open again for another three!’
The moment Emil stepped out of the store, the owner packed up and closed the shop. He had clearly made a killing today and was in high spirits.
“Alright, that’s enough shopping for now. It’s almost lunchtime; shall we go eat? Erika, do you know any restaurants around here with good food?”
‘It’s my first time here too, how would I know?’
She had followed Emil through almost every corner of Rigetaya. The clean and orderly streets were like an archery target, radiating outward in circles with the Great Cathedral and the Academy Arch at the center. Due to highly developed magical engineering, the streets were pristine. There were even steel trains floating and running on tracks. If one were here simply for a trip to see the sights, it would probably feel quite nice.
“If you aren’t familiar with the area either… should we go to that tavern I scouted earlier?”