Chapter 9: A Tangled Web and a New Dress

Xiluo’er sat on the edge of her bed, contemplating her next move. Her magnificent, violet-like eyes were fixed on the moonlight outside the window, her legs swaying rhythmically. Though she had only transmigrated two days ago, Xiluo’er already felt the situation she faced was incredibly intricate and complex.

First, there was the Chaos Cult. She absolutely had to find a way to resolve the poison issue; without doing so, she would remain perpetually under their control. Next, there was Eve. It seemed… she wouldn’t be able to shake off her identity as an infiltrator anytime soon.

Given this, she had to maintain her disguise flawlessly. If Eve were to discover she was a cultist, Xiluo’er doubted she would be left with a complete corpse. Finally… there was Rona.

“Alas…”

A deep sigh escaped Xiluo’er’s lips as Rona came to mind. Honestly, the previous issues weren’t major concerns. Rona, however, was currently the most troublesome person Xiluo’er had to contend with.

The words Shadow spoke tonight made Xiluo’er realize that Rona’s situation was far more complicated than she had initially understood. Moreover, Rona already harbored suspicions about her.

Xiluo’er rose from the bed and pulled open the bedside table drawer. Inside the empty compartment, a small, brown seed lay silently. If possible, Xiluo’er hoped to acquire some leverage against Rona. That way, even if Rona discovered her true nature, as fellow “cultists,” she would at least have something to negotiate with.

****

Warm-toned light illuminated the desk, while thick curtains blocked out the moonlight from outside the window. Even in the depths of this night, Xiluo’er was not the only one still awake. A knock echoed from outside the door, interrupting the rustle of papers Rona was flipping through inside.

“Rona, you’re still not resting?”

A young woman, also clad in knight’s attire, appeared in the room. She seemed to be Rona’s colleague.

Rona offered a small smile, yet her gaze remained fixed on the papers in her hand. “I want to review the missing persons case files again, just in case I’ve overlooked any clues.”

“Alright, well, sometimes I truly envy you. You always seem to have boundless energy.” The young woman yawned widely, then, as if suddenly remembering something, she spoke, “Oh, right, I finished looking into that thing you asked me to check on earlier today.”

“That quickly?”

Rona finally lifted her head, turning her attention to the young woman.

“Yes, I checked the recent entry records for vagrants in Kana City. I didn’t find anyone named Xiluo’er with physical characteristics similar to what you described.”

“I see…”

Rona pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you for your trouble.”

The young woman waved a hand dismissively and retrieved a few binders from the bookshelf. “Well, I’m off to deliver these to the Lord Mayor. You should get some rest soon.”

The door clicked shut, and Rona once again picked up the papers on her desk. However, a moment later, she rose again, walked to the window, and drew open both the curtains and the window itself.

Rona took a deep breath of the fresh air, her gaze sweeping over the quiet Kana City, which had long since drifted into slumber. In her eyes, a spark of contemplation flickered. On the windowsill, a tiny blue flower, resembling a star, was in bloom.

****

Before a large fitting mirror, Eve held up a small dress, continually sizing it against Xiluo’er. Xiluo’er consciously averted her gaze, somewhat hesitant to look at her own reflection. ‘Oh, dear. Wearing a dress… it truly felt too…’

Perhaps because she had always worn gender-neutral clothing, Xiluo’er had never truly felt like she had become a girl. It wasn’t until today, when Eve suggested going out to buy dresses, that Xiluo’er was abruptly startled.

‘What was that? Dresses? Over her dead body!’ Though there was no physical way to reverse her transformation, Xiluo’er still wished to retain a sliver of her spiritual defiance.

However, Eve’s stance was resolute. “No, how can a girl keep wearing these kinds of clothes?” Up until this point, Xiluo’er was still dressed in the same vagrant’s attire she had arrived in.

Xiluo’er naturally couldn’t grasp Eve’s “dress-up game” mentality, but she couldn’t out-argue Eve either, so she could only resign herself to fate. Yet, now that it had actually come to this… she still felt a little embarrassed.

Xiluo’er looked up, blinking her wide, watery eyes at Eve. “Maybe we should… forget about it, Sister Eve.” “This dress looks quite expensive.” Xiluo’er decided to make one last attempt to resist.

Eve reached out and gently ruffled Xiluo’er’s hair. ‘Was she worried about spending her money? What a good child!’ ‘No matter, what was money? Buy it!’ Thus, Eve patted her bulging coin purse. “It’s fine, don’t underestimate adventurers. At least, money for clothes is nothing to worry about.”

Eve’s words, coupled with her expressionless face, momentarily made Xiluo’er imagine some domineering, cold-faced female CEO. ‘If that were the case… wouldn’t she be the young male kept by a female CEO?’

“This one then, it’s quite suitable.” Eve tucked the black, playfully adorable dress into Xiluo’er’s arms. “Alright, go change and try it on, Xiluo’er.”

“Oh…”

A reluctant Xiluo’er shuffled step by step into the changing room. That single change took her a good half a day.

It wasn’t that Xiluo’er was deliberately stalling due to inner resistance. Rather, having never worn a dress before, she quickly encountered a problem. ‘Dresses, it seemed, weren’t so easy to put on?’ Xiluo’er stared at the haphazardly worn dress on her body, a headache beginning to form.

What was originally a rather pretty dress now looked as if Xiluo’er had donned it with the air of a “runaway princess.” The ribbon at the waist, whose purpose she couldn’t fathom, had even been tied into a perfect, intractable knot.

“Xiluo’er, aren’t you done changing yet?”

Evidently impatient, Eve poked her head into the changing room entrance.

“Uh, Sister Eve, I should be… almost done.” Her answer was utterly unconvincing.

Eve’s gaze immediately fell upon Xiluo’er’s appearance, and for a moment, she couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘This child truly was adorably clumsy.’

“Xiluo’er, that’s not how you wear a dress.” “Never mind, let me help you.” Eve knelt before Xiluo’er, beginning to untie the intractable knot she had created.

“This part goes like this… wrap it around here, then pull up this zipper…” Eve’s hands moved up and down, up and down across her body… Xiluo’er involuntarily tensed up.

The proximity was too close! So close that she could detect Eve’s faint, natural scent. Yet, Eve remained utterly expressionless, her usual serene demeanor undisturbed.

Xiluo’er’s gaze lingered on Eve, who was kneeling before her, for less than two seconds before she quickly, blushingly, averted her eyes. ‘Mustn’t look, mustn’t look, mustn’t look…’ Following the wide folds of Eve’s mage’s robe, Xiluo’er’s eyes inadvertently dipped into her neckline, catching a glimpse of alluring cleavage.