The clothing shop remained brightly illuminated despite the late hour.
Warm lanterns hung from wooden beams.
Rows upon rows of dresses lined the walls.
Elegant gowns.
Traveling attire.
Formal wear.
Casual wear.
Noble fashions from different regions.
Outside.
The city was preparing for sleep.
Inside.
A completely different battle was taking place.
A battle over clothing.
And somehow.
It had become far more complicated than fighting a centuries-old monster.
Evelyne stood behind a changing screen.
Wrapped securely in Kel's cloak.
The woman carefully examined the available dresses.
Then reached toward a dark-colored gown.
Long sleeves.
Conservative design.
Elegant.
Mature.
The kind of clothing worn by respectable noblewomen.
The kind of clothing she remembered wearing before her life collapsed.
The kind of clothing she felt comfortable in.
Meanwhile.
Not far away.
Kel was examining an entirely different section.
Inside his mind.
Seiren immediately noticed.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You're choosing clothes."
"Yes."
The Guardian covered her face.
"This never ends well."
Kel ignored her.
Then picked up another dress.
Light blue.
Simple.
Practical.
Youthful.
The type worn by academy students and young noblewomen.
Not by elderly matrons.
Not by retired grandmothers.
Certainly not by someone mentally trapped two centuries in the past.
A few moments later.
Evelyne emerged from behind the screen.
Still wrapped in the cloak.
Holding several dresses.
Dark colors.
Heavy fabrics.
Mature designs.
The silver-haired youth looked at them.
Then looked at her.
Then looked at the dresses again.
Silence followed.
A dangerous silence.
The kind of silence before disagreement.
Evelyne noticed immediately.
"What?"
Kel raised one of her selected dresses.
Then another.
Then another.
His expression became increasingly confused.
Finally.
He asked.
"These?"
Evelyne nodded.
"Yes."
The woman tilted her head.
"What's wrong with them?"
Kel looked at the dresses.
Then looked at her.
Then looked back at the dresses.
The process repeated several times.
Eventually.
He answered.
"Really?"
Silence.
Evelyne blinked.
"What does that mean?"
The silver-haired youth gestured toward her.
Specifically toward her appearance.
The woman followed his gaze.
Then froze.
For the first time.
Actually froze.
Because she finally noticed.
Not intellectually.
Physically.
Truly noticed.
The reflection in a nearby mirror.
The woman staring back wasn't the monster.
Wasn't the exhausted noblewoman she remembered.
Wasn't the grief-stricken person from centuries ago.
The woman in the mirror looked young.
Very young.
Mid twenties.
Perhaps late twenties.
No older.
Her skin looked flawless.
The corruption had vanished completely.
The centuries had disappeared.
As though time itself had been reversed.
Evelyne stared.
Then stared harder.
Then continued staring.
Inside her mind.
A realization slowly formed.
"I..."
The woman touched her own cheek.
"I look..."
The sentence never finished.
Because she genuinely didn't know how to describe it.
The mirror showed someone she barely recognized.
Someone younger than the person she remembered becoming.
The purification had done more than remove corruption.
It had restored.
Restored everything.
Kel folded his arms.
Then pointed toward the dresses.
"Exactly."
The woman slowly looked away from the mirror.
Then looked at the dresses in her hands.
Then at herself.
Then at the dresses again.
The contrast became painfully obvious.
Inside his mind.
Seiren laughed softly.
"She looks twenty-five and dresses like a retired noble grandmother."
"That is the issue."
The Guardian nodded.
"Definitely the issue."
Evelyne frowned.
"I always preferred these clothes."
Kel immediately replied.
"You preferred these clothes two hundred years ago."
The attack was critical.
The woman staggered emotionally.
The shop owner immediately joined the battle.
Unfortunately.
On Kel's side.
"Young master is correct."
Evelyne froze.
The shop owner nodded confidently.
"Absolutely correct."
The woman looked betrayed.
The elderly merchant continued.
"You possess a young appearance."
A pause.
"A very young appearance."
Another pause.
"A frighteningly young appearance."
The man pointed toward one of Kel's chosen dresses.
"This would suit you beautifully."
Evelyne looked at the dress.
Then immediately shook her head.
"No."
The merchant gasped.
As though witnessing a tragedy.
"No?"
The old man looked personally offended.
"Madam."
His voice became serious.
Very serious.
"The young master clearly cares about you."
Silence.
Evelyne immediately turned red.
Kel immediately looked confused.
Seiren immediately started laughing.
The perfect combination.
The merchant continued.
"A husband who helps his wife choose clothes is rare."
Silence.
Very dangerous silence.
Evelyne nearly dropped the dresses.
"H-He isn't—"
The merchant raised a hand.
"No need for modesty."
The misunderstanding evolved further.
"After all."
The old man smiled.
"He carried you here."
Point.
"He covered you with his cloak."
Point.
"He paid without hesitation."
Point.
"And now he is helping choose clothing."
The merchant folded his arms proudly.
"An excellent husband."
Inside his mind.
Seiren completely collapsed.
"HE'S GETTING WORSE!"
Kel frowned.
"He is incorrect."
"I KNOW."
Meanwhile.
Evelyne wished the ocean would swallow her.
Again.
Perhaps becoming a monster had been less embarrassing.
The merchant continued speaking.
Completely unaware of the destruction he was causing.
"Madam."
He nodded wisely.
"Many women would envy you."
Evelyne looked horrified.
The old man continued.
"A caring husband."
Another nod.
"Handsome."
Another nod.
"Responsible."
Another nod.
"Rich."
The final nod.
"A rare combination."
The woman's face became completely red.
Meanwhile.
Kel remained focused on the original issue.
The dresses.
Only the dresses.
Because unlike everyone else.
His priorities never changed.
The silver-haired youth picked up another outfit.
Simple.
Elegant.
Practical.
Then held it toward Evelyne.
"Try this one."
The woman looked at the dress.
Then at herself in the mirror.
Then at the older clothing she selected.
Then at Kel.
Then back at the mirror.
The battle inside her mind intensified.
Two centuries of habit.
Against reality.
Against youth.
Against common sense.
Against an overly persistent student.
Eventually.
She sighed.
A very long sigh.
The sigh of someone surrendering.
"Fine."
The word escaped reluctantly.
Kel nodded.
Victory.
Inside his mind.
Seiren immediately announced.
"The Great Dress War has ended."
"It wasn't a war."
"There were casualties."
"What casualties?"
"Evelyne's dignity."
The Guardian laughed again.
Meanwhile.
Evelyne disappeared behind the changing screen carrying the dress.
And for some reason.
The old merchant looked more satisfied than anyone else in the room.
As though he had personally helped save a marriage that never existed.