Chapter 49: A Casual Choice, A Startling Encounter

“Wait, I—” Setia began, about to choose an outfit for Eileen, when Eileen simply grabbed a dress. “This one will do.”

“What?” Setia stared at Eileen. “You didn’t even look at them! You haven’t chosen at all!”

“They’re all pretty much the same anyway,” Eileen replied, unconcerned about what she wore. As long as it was wearable, it was fine by her.

“No, no, no! This is a very important occasion; you absolutely cannot be so casual!” Setia insisted, already moving to select an outfit for Eileen.

“Let me see.” Setia held up several garments, sizing them against Eileen’s frame.

Indeed, Eileen’s figure suited any style of clothing perfectly. “Just holding them up won’t tell us much. Why don’t you try them on?”

Setia asked tentatively, but, as expected, Eileen refused.

“Let’s be clear, I’ll only wear it once,” Eileen stated. “And the dress I’m buying will be the one I wear.”

“Really?”

“Really. You can only choose one dress.”

“Then the one I pick, you absolutely must wear, without any excuses to refuse,” Setia said.

“Of course.”

Eileen was already accustomed to maid outfits; what other clothes could possibly intimidate her?

“Then I must choose very carefully.”

As Setia meticulously selected, her gaze fell upon a tape measure lying nearby, used for taking measurements.

A faint idea sparked in her mind. She glanced around, searching, until she found herself before a table. On it lay a cloth doll, the tape measure, scissors, and the very item Setia had been looking for:

Band-Aids.

‘This is what you said, Eileen! You’ll wear whatever I choose!’

At this moment, Faltis Calibot, who had returned to the Golden Dragon Temple, gave Setia a mental thumbs-up.

“Setia? What’s wrong? There shouldn’t be any clothes here, right?” Eileen asked, stepping closer.

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Setia quickly hid the Band-Aid behind her back.

‘Wait a minute! It’s just a Band-Aid, not something illicit. Why am I so scared?’

“What’s going on?” Eileen peered behind Setia.

“It’s really nothing.” This was likely the guilt of a thief; something entirely innocuous became something she didn’t want others to see, simply because of a strange thought that had bloomed in her mind.

A simple person like Eileen would probably just see it as a Band-Aid.

“Hey!”

However, Setia was no match for Eileen. Eileen effortlessly snatched the Band-Aid from Setia’s hand.

“This is…?” Eileen looked at Setia.

Setia felt a pang of guilt. ‘Oh no, Eileen, you wouldn’t know, would you? Have you and Lady Faltis already played this game in private?!’

[Faltis: Thanks for the invite, I was just about to play.]

“Setia, are you hurt? Where? Let me see.” Eileen reached out to grasp Setia’s hand.

The atmosphere had reached this point; it would be rude not to get hurt now!

Setia spotted a nail on the table and deliberately scraped her finger against it with force.

‘Ouch, ouch, ouch!’

Tears welled in Setia’s eyes, though they were hidden by her bangs.

Eileen, seeing Setia’s bleeding finger, didn’t think much of it.

The next second, Setia felt that the pain was entirely worth it!

She even wished other parts of her body would get injured.

Setia felt her finger enveloped by something soft and warm, and a tongue-like sensation touched her wound.

Lowering her head, Setia saw it wasn’t her imagination—Eileen was truly sucking on her finger.

“Plop!”

Setia’s finger slipped from Eileen’s mouth, making a rather suggestive sound.

Because it was so sudden, a faint arc of saliva hung from the corner of Eileen’s lips.

‘Thump! Thump!’

Setia’s heart pounded uncontrollably.

Setia’s injury quickly began to heal.

Dragon saliva possessed powerful restorative abilities and was considered a highly precious medical resource in the empire.

“Why didn’t you use healing magic?” Setia asked.

‘Damn it!’ Setia instantly wanted to slap her own mouth. ‘This mouth of mine! It’s really asking for trouble! If I ask now, won’t I lose the chance next time?!’

“Hmph…”

‘Right, why not?’

Eileen suddenly realized the question herself.

‘Don’t ask; just blame Faltis. Every time Eileen got hurt, she would stick out her tongue and lick it twice.’

Eileen had gradually grown accustomed to it.

“Emm… because! This method works much better than magic!”

“Do you do that with everyone, Eileen?” Setia asked.

“How could I?!” Eileen exclaimed. The premise for her doing such a thing was a very close relationship.

So, if Eileen licked you, it meant she had a good impression of you. Her tail operated on the same principle; Eileen would never let just any strange person touch her tail.

“Kiss! Kiss!” Just then, the cloth doll sitting on the table spoke.

“Huh?!” Setia shrieked, jumping up like a startled kitten and hiding behind Eileen. “W-w-w-w-doll! It talked?!”

A first-time visitor to this shop might indeed be startled by the doll, but Eileen now knew exactly what it was.

“Xiaoke, don’t scare other customers like that,” Eileen said.

“Eh? How do you know my name? Isn’t this your first time here?” The Gothic Lolita doll, named Xiaoke, looked at Eileen curiously.

She couldn’t recall ever seeing Eileen in this clothing store before.

‘Oh no…’

Eileen quickly twisted the doll’s small head. “Where’s Grandma? You’re running around again. What about Grandma?”

“Let go of me, you idiot!” Xiaoke looked cute, but her mouth was anything but. She struggled free, picking up the scissors and pointing them at Eileen. “How do you know Grandma?! Who exactly are you?”

Eileen figured the doll probably mistook her for Izawa’s group. “What else can you do at a clothing store? Buy clothes, of course.”

“Eileen… you know her?” Setia asked, having recovered her wits.

“Her name is Xiaoke, and she’s a ghost,” Eileen whispered to Setia, turning slightly. “She was born from… the souls of the deceased, and she returned here because she still has someone she’s attached to.”

“So Eileen means…” Setia looked at Xiaoke with some sympathy.

“The person she’s attached to is the old woman.”

“What are you two whispering about?!” Xiaoke charged forward, scissors in hand.

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