Compared to the clumsy silly mushroom, Little Swan was far more efficient.

  She opened the outer packaging and took out the beautifully crafted 3D miniature castle. A look of delight appeared on Hilda’s face.

  "What an exquisite piece of papercraft. Did you make this?"

  "Of course not," Caius shook his head and added, "Keep going. There's more."

  That only heightened Hilda’s anticipation. She peeled back the next layer of packaging—her eyes lit up.

  "What a beautiful dress!" she exclaimed in surprise.

  She pulled it out and unfolded it, her gaze full of affection for the gorgeous garment.

  She never liked those overly elaborate, heavy evening gowns. This lightly luxurious style was much more her taste—elegant, unrestrictive, and modest.

  However...

  Her expression turned slightly odd as she looked at Caius. “Why would you buy a dress?”

  Indeed, what business did a grown man like Caius have buying a dress?

  But Caius was already prepared for this question.

  This dress was originally one of a pair he had planned to gift Belle. But now that he thought about it—pure white suited Belle better, while this one, with gold and silver embroidery, was more fitting for Hilda.

  It hadn’t been given away yet, and Hilda happened to need a dress—so why not go with the flow and earn a little goodwill?

  As for the excuse… that was the easy part.

  Caius kept a neutral face and said, “I bought this dress to take it apart.”

  “Huh? It’s so pretty—why would you do that?” Hilda clutched the dress a little tighter, already distracted.

  “I’m planning to design a set of light armor for women. The one you currently wear is decent, but in my opinion, it still has room for improvement. So I’m thinking of designing a skirt-style armor, and I need this dress as a prototype.”

  “I need to see where armor plating can be added, which areas need extra protection, and how to keep it lightweight without compromising aesthetics.”

  “I see…” Hilda nodded. She didn’t doubt him—Caius’s explanation sounded entirely professional.

  Buying a dress to dissect and use as a design model for light armor? That made perfect sense.

  “Are you giving the dress to me now?” Hilda asked, her eyes holding a hint of anticipation.

  Naturally, Caius wasn’t going to disappoint her. Smiling, he said, “The armor design isn’t urgent. But you need a dress the day after tomorrow, right? So I figured I’d show you this one. If it fits, you can have it.”

  “Really?” Hilda beamed with joy, her cheeks dimpling with a sweet smile.

  “Of course.” Caius nodded calmly and sipped his tea.

  “Then I can’t just take it for free. How much is it?” Hilda asked.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Caius replied, “Not much—150,000.”

  Little Swan was no silly mushroom. She could tell the dress wasn’t cheap, so she had to be honest.

  “One hundred and…” Hilda froze.

  She looked at the dress again. Her taste was sharp—she could see the exceptional craftsmanship and agreed it was worth the price. But the issue was… she didn’t have 150,000 on her right now.

  Sure, her sword cost over 100,000, and she had spares and multiple sets of equally expensive light armor. But those were things she brought from home. She didn’t have much liquid gold at hand.

  Her monthly living allowance was 100,000 gold.

  If she needed more, she could ask her family. Even a million gold wouldn’t be a problem.

  But she didn’t want that.

  She had even told her family to stop sending her money—she could support herself through income generated by running Student Council projects.

  However, Little Swan was just getting started. Right now, she had only managed to save up seventy to eighty thousand gold. She simply couldn’t afford the 150,000 price tag Caius just named.

  Suddenly, she looked a little downcast, holding the dress in her arms and casting a reluctant look toward Caius.

  Caius nearly burst out laughing.

  He knew she was fiercely independent and didn’t want to rely on her family. Otherwise, 150,000 gold would be nothing.

  So he smiled and said, “If you want it, you don’t have to pay.”

  “No way!” Hilda responded instantly. She wasn’t the type to accept gifts like that, even from a friend.

  But Caius waved his hand and said, “Hear me out.”

  “You don’t have to pay, but there are conditions.”

  “What kind of conditions?” Hilda asked quickly. She was genuinely worried he’d just give it to her without asking for anything—that would put him in the same category as all those annoying suitors who made decisions for her she never asked for.

  “First, help me get into the ball. I’m quite interested in those merchants you mentioned,” Caius said.

  “Second, help introduce me. You know what I do—I’m a mercenary. And the best partners for a mercenary are weapon dealers. I want introductions to those merchants who sell weapons or Magitech Devices.”

  He stopped there.

  Hilda mulled it over, then nodded. “That’s not a problem. When I submit the guest list, I can include you. You’re currently the Captain of the Security Squad, so it’s perfectly reasonable for you to attend as a guard. Of course, you’ll also be partially responsible for Student Council security.”

  “And as for the second request, that’s also doable. I was already planning to help the Student Council secure sponsorships from Hydis. You can come with me—I’ll look for an opportunity to introduce you. The rest will depend on how you handle it.”

  “Absolutely!” Caius nodded.

  Then Hilda gave a cheeky smile. “So, does this dress belong to me now?”

  “In your dreams. There’s a third condition,” Caius replied.

  “Name it,” said Hilda.

  “The third condition… You have to try it on for me first,” Caius said, speaking absolute nonsense with a perfectly serious expression.

  “I can’t deconstruct the dress, but as long as I have a model, I’ll find inspiration. I truly believe the light armor I make will blend defense and beauty into one seamless piece!”

  “Tch, just thinking about it is intoxicating…” Caius sighed wistfully, as if the real focus was the armor—not the person modeling it.

  Hilda didn’t think twice. She nodded immediately. “No problem!”

  She wasn’t some silly mushroom. Little Swan could hold her chin and neck high with elegance, displaying her beauty confidently and generously!

  To her, Caius’s third condition didn’t feel like a condition at all.

  “Is there a fourth condition?” Hilda asked.

  Caius shook his head. “Nope, that’s all.”

  Adding more would only raise suspicion—this was just right.

  “Heehee, then I’m going to go change~” Hilda hummed cheerfully, hugging the dress as she skipped toward a room inside the office. Clearly, it was her usual resting place.

  Caius stretched out comfortably on the sofa, crossing his legs and basking in the brilliance of his own mind.

  How am I this damn smart…

  But he hadn’t even finished his self-congratulation when he suddenly shivered. Turning his head, he noticed one of the windows had been left open. The temperature seemed to have dropped today.

  “Little kitty, go close the window.”

  “Okay, meow~!”

  The window was soon shut, and the breeze was gone, but Caius still felt a chill creeping along his back.

  It wasn’t even winter yet, and it was already this brisk. When winter actually arrived, people might freeze to death…

  At the same time, on a high-rise building far away—

  Mack was grinding his teeth so hard they crackled, a picture-perfect display of someone gnashing their teeth in fury.

  “Well well well, two dresses in one day—you’re really something, Caius…”

  “You bastard, you seriously deserve to die…”

  “Just wait till tonight…”

  “If I don’t break at least ten of your ribs, I swear I’ll blow myself up on the spot and drag you down with me!”