Chapter Eighteen: Moonlight Like Water (4)

Chapter Eighteen: Moonlight Like Water (4)

If he had not still needed to go to Dawnlight Academy to teach his swordsmanship class, Lorist would probably have remained under house arrest by Miss Windsor, drawing princess dress designs. Especially after her two personal maids saw those designs, they became incredibly attentive, bringing him tea and water and caring for him so meticulously that Lorist was flattered and bewildered.

Lorist had the young lady and her maids choose their favorite twenty-four princess dresses and eight women's formal gowns from the more than fifty designs he had drawn overnight. He then spent the entire morning teaching them how to cut the patterns. For the next while, the three girls would have to stay home and make those thirty-two outfits first. Lorist planned to use them to create the Autumn Goddess Series, making it the signature attraction that would establish the future women's boutique's reputation.

Before leaving, Lorist encouraged the three girls to boldly give free rein to their imaginations. As long as they thought something was suitable, they could make changes and variations to his designs. Why? Lorist explained that it was to avoid matching outfits. What did that mean? It was simple. For example, if you went to a party and discovered that someone was wearing exactly the same thing as you, how embarrassing would that be?

Every girl was an angel who had fallen from heaven into the mortal world. Each of them was unique. Their clothes should therefore have their own distinctive features and avoid looking alike. Even dresses made from the same design could be changed in the details: a round neckline could become a sweetheart neckline, the colors of the decorative patterns could be altered, and so on. These were the strengths of you girls, so make full use of them. Understood?

After Lorist left, Miss Windsor suddenly noticed that her two little maids were staring blankly, their eyes practically turning into hearts. Both angry and amused, the young lady smacked them hard. "What are you doing? Have you both gone lovestruck?"

Susie murmured, "Every girl is an angel who has fallen from heaven into the mortal world. Each of them is unique. That was such a beautiful thing to say..."

Rina cried out and rubbed her forehead as she complained, "Miss, that hurt. But Young Master Locke looked so gentle and handsome when he spoke just now. And Young Master Locke is the kind of man who becomes more appealing the longer you look at him. Miss, you really found the right boyfriend."

The young lady sighed softly. "Some people can say things even more sweetly than he can, but it's all empty and deceitful, and they don't have his talent. Now we have to work harder too. These clothes concern the future of the Windsor Family, so we must put in more effort."

"Yes, Miss." "Mm, I'll work hard." The two girls nodded in response.

Two days later, Lorist came to visit again. The moment he entered, the three girls frightened him half to death. Why had they all turned into rabbits? Their faces were so pale and their eyes so red! When he asked, he learned that they had worked through the night to make the clothes, sleeping only eight hours over three days and barely eating. Despite all their effort, however, their efficiency was terrible. After three days and three nights, they had completed only four outfits.

Lorist pressed a hand to his forehead. Silly girl, couldn't you hire more people? At this rate, you wouldn't finish these thirty-two Autumn Goddess Series outfits even by next spring. How would you open a shop and do business?

The young lady weakly protested, "Didn't you say the designs had to be kept secret? No one can know about them before the shop opens."

Lorist said, "That's easy. Your home consists of three connected houses. Madam Winsor and the young master live in the one on the left, while the one on the right is meant to be rented out. Don't rent it out anymore. Open a garment workshop there and recruit some nearby housewives who are skilled with needle and thread to do the sewing. You can cut the patterns here first, then send them over for the women to sew and finish. You only need to guide and supervise them; there's no need to work yourselves so hard. Otherwise, even if you make money, exhausting yourselves into illness would be a terrible bargain."

The young lady nodded. "All right, we'll do as you say. I'm going to rest first." She yawned and went upstairs. Susie and Rina's eyes turned into hearts again. "Wow, Young Master Locke is so domineering and manly!"

After arranging the garment workshop, Lorist kept an eye on things for several more days. Only after seeing that the young lady and her two maids were managing the production and processing in perfect order did he finally relax and begin considering the decoration and arrangement of the two shops on Triumphal Avenue.

After conducting an on-site inspection, Lorist quickly came up with a renovation plan. The only problem was that it would cost quite a lot—more than sixty Gold Fude. Because of this, Lorist and Miss Windsor had their first argument.

The young lady felt they should not spend money decorating the outside of the shops. As long as the shops were neat and clean, that would be enough. They were selling clothes; no one would come to look at useless decorations.

Lorist patiently tried to persuade her. Only when the shop was decorated so magnificently and lavishly that it shocked people could its status be raised. Once the shop's status rose, their clothes would naturally appear elegant, noble, and exceptional. Only then could they charge high prices. Perhaps selling a single outfit would earn back the entire cost of decorating the shop.

No matter how Lorist tried to persuade her, the young lady remained unmoved. She insisted that a simple arrangement was sufficient and that there was no need for extravagant decorations.

Why couldn't this young lady understand such a simple principle? Lorist was deeply frustrated. In the end, Rina secretly told him that the young lady had run out of money. There were only a dozen or so gold coins left at home, and she did not even know whether that would be enough to cover the household and garment workshop expenses for the following month.

Lorist suddenly understood. He nodded and went out. After a while, he returned and placed a bulging leather pouch on the table. He spoke gently to the wide-eyed girl. "You should have told me earlier that you didn't have enough gold coins. There was no need to worry alone. I'm your boyfriend now. We can face any difficulties together. These are my savings: one hundred and six gold coins. They'll be enough to cover the decoration costs and the household expenses for the next two or three months."

The girl stared at him with her beautiful wide eyes for a long while. Then she threw herself into Lorist's arms and burst into tears, hugging him tightly as she sobbed.

Lorist gently patted the girl's back. He knew that she had been under enormous mental pressure during this period. Ever since learning about her father and the family's territory, she had kept everything bottled up. After begging everywhere and finding no one willing to help, she had even begun contemplating suicide, seeking release and an end to everything. After he saved her and talked her through it, she had regained hope of reviving her family and reclaiming its territory. That was why she had used her beauty to win him over—she only wanted him to help her make money through business.

Although she found the princess dresses and women's formal gowns he designed beautiful and desperately wanted them, she truly had little confidence in the business. She did not know whether they would sell. On top of that, the small amount of gold she had was flowing away on materials, hiring female seamstresses, and other expenses, naturally making her eager to sell the clothes and recover some of her capital. She also knew that she had become Lorist's girlfriend to use him, not out of love, so she felt too embarrassed to ask him for help and could only worry secretly on her own.

The girl cried louder and louder, as though she wanted to weep out all the suffering she had buried in her heart. The two maids hurried over, but could only stare helplessly from the side because the young lady refused to let go of Lorist. Lorist could only pat her back and comfort her. "Stop crying. Your eyes will swell, and swollen eyes won't be pretty. If you're not pretty, I won't let you be my girlfriend anymore."

The girl broke into laughter through her tears and pinched Lorist hard. "How dare you!"

Then she buried her head in Lorist's chest and continued crying. Her sobs gradually grew quieter, until finally... the girl fell asleep.

From that day onward, the girl demanded that Lorist call her Wenna, because it was her childhood name and nickname. As her boyfriend, wouldn't it be too distant for Lorist to keep calling her "young lady"? Lorist was naturally happy to oblige.

Two months later, the Windsor women's boutique on Triumphal Avenue in Molent City opened. Yet for the first three days after opening, not a single person set foot inside. The reason was simple. The two-story, flat-roofed buildings that had once housed a general store were now decorated as magnificently as a palace. Though they were a little small, four neatly dressed Silver Swordsmen in silver armor still stood guard outside. Even the little square before the entrance had been paved with expensive Cloudgold Stone tiles. Under such circumstances, not only did customers avoid entering, even passersby deliberately detoured around it.

Miss Wenna was so anxious that she could barely eat, and several small cold sores had appeared at the corners of her mouth. She complained that Lorist should not have decorated the shop so extravagantly. Now that no one came in, there was no business, and all the women's clothes they had painstakingly made—including the thirty-two Autumn Goddess Series outfits—would remain unsold. Miss Wenna began to look as if she might cry again, but Lorist merely stretched lazily. "What are you panicking about? The time hasn't come yet. Our shop isn't like those ready-made clothing stores. Selling one item here will cover a month's living expenses. We don't need to sell a hundred pieces a day just to avoid losing money. As long as we get one customer, business will come pouring in."

"Hmph, as if I'd believe you..." Miss Wenna continued staring at the entrance, full of anticipation and worry.

On the fifth day, the first wave of customers finally arrived. It was rather amusing, because the person who truly wanted to enter and look around was the man among them. He was the owner of a gold and silver goods shop diagonally across the avenue from the boutique. Ever since the boutique opened, he had been curious. The sign said it was a clothing boutique, but what exactly did it sell? And why were four Silver Swordsmen standing guard at the entrance?

After hesitating for several days, he finally mustered the courage to enter that morning. But at the entrance, a Silver Swordsman stopped him. "Sorry, sir, men are not permitted inside this shop."

What did that mean? Men couldn't enter? The shopkeeper was baffled. The Silver Swordsman then indicated a notice on the wall beside the entrance. It stated that the shop was an exclusive boutique for women's clothing and accessories, and that men were not permitted to enter alone. Men could enter only if accompanied and vouched for by a woman. Beneath that was a line of gold lettering: This shop is an exclusive club for refined women. Accompanying men are expected to maintain gentlemanly conduct.

The shopkeeper returned to his own shop in a foul mood and remained unhappy all morning. At lunchtime, his wife asked him what was wrong. He told her about being turned away. His wife was a forceful woman and immediately said, "It only says men can't enter alone, right? This afternoon, our daughter and I will accompany you. Two women and one man should be allowed in."

With his wife vouching for her husband and his daughter vouching for her father, the shopkeeper was allowed inside. He soon regretted it, however, because his wife and daughter were practically delirious. The skirts and gowns on the wooden mannequins radiated a magical charm beneath the crystal candle lamps overhead.

"Oh, heavens, what beautiful dresses..." the shopkeeper's wife murmured.

"I want it. This is the dress of my dreams. It's mine..." That was his daughter. Her eyes were already lost in the clothes before her, unable to see anything else.

The shopkeeper nervously examined the price tags hanging beneath the clothes on the wooden mannequins. The numbers made his soul tremble. Since when had a piece of clothing been priced in gold coins? And Gold Fude at that?

In the end, the shopkeeper found his wife standing before a black velvet gown. The diamonds and gems on it shone like stars in the night sky, mysterious yet dazzling. But the number 188 on the tag immediately brought the shopkeeper back to his senses. He stepped forward and pulled his wife toward the exit.

His wife's feet seemed to have taken root in the polished floor, and no matter how he tugged, he could not move her. Helpless, the shopkeeper pointed at the tag below, hoping she would come to her senses. Instead, his wife flung his hand away and hissed, "I have enough saved in my private stash."

Just then, a voice like heavenly music sounded beside the shopkeeper's ear. "I'm very sorry, Madam and Sir, but this evening gown is called Night's Lament. Without a noble title, one is not qualified to purchase it."

Overjoyed, the shopkeeper pulled his disgruntled wife away from the Night's Lament gown. For the first time in his life, he felt grateful toward the nobility. They had saved him so much money—one hundred and eighty-eight Gold Fude, enough to cover a year of hard work.

But the shopkeeper was celebrating too soon. In the end, his wife and daughter spent fifty-six Gold Fude at the boutique. He truly could not understand why a women's house dress cost an entire gold coin when he could buy dozens of similar garments at an ordinary clothing store. But the look in his wife's eyes made him understand that if he said no, he would be kneeling beside the bed that night instead of lying in it.

Well, the shop's atmosphere was quite pleasant, and the service was very considerate. He had never enjoyed himself so much. The shopkeeper sipped fragrant tea, ate delicious pastries, and sat comfortably on a leather sofa. Since his wife and daughter had each chosen an evening gown, they were invited upstairs, where specialists adjusted the dresses to their figures so they would look even more charming when worn.

Three days later, the shopkeeper took his wife and daughter to a banquet held by the gold and silver goods trade association. He discovered that his ordinarily plain-looking wife and daughter had become the center of attention. They looked like a noble Queen and a beautiful princess. The two evening gowns glittered on them, radiant and dazzling. Countless eyes followed them, and they became the stars of the banquet. The shopkeeper suddenly felt that those dozens of Gold Fude had been worth every coin.

From that day onward, one luxurious private carriage after another stopped outside the Windsor women's boutique. Noblewomen and young ladies rushed toward the entrance like moths to a flame. The shop became packed, and Lorist had no choice but to prohibit men from entering even when accompanied. He arranged tea tables and chairs in the little square outside for gentlemen to rest while waiting, and opened a tea stall there as well. As time passed, a saying spread through Molent City: "Where have all the noble lords and officials gone? They're drinking tea and basking in the sun on Triumphal Avenue."

On the monthly settlement day, Miss Wenna stared blankly at the pile of gold coins heaped on the table. "Did we really earn all this?"

Rina was extremely impatient. "It's real, Miss. This is the seventh time I've answered you. I'll say it one last time: there are 3,083 Gold Fude on the table, and we earned every one of them this month!"

Miss Wenna suddenly jumped up and threw herself at Lorist, who had been watching them with a smile, then planted a kiss on his lips. "Thank you, thank you..."

"Ah! That hurt! Silly girl, that was biting, not kissing. And this isn't your first kiss, is it? Or should I teach you?"

The two figures merged once more.

Rina said, "How embarrassing..." She covered her face with her hands, then stared intently through the gaps between her fingers at the passionately kissing couple.