He should’ve known better than to let the clerk prepare such an exquisitely wrapped gift box—there’s no way a thirty-gold dress should come in packaging this refined.

  But Caius had never been one to be easily embarrassed. The moment Belle lifted her head slightly, preparing to speak, Caius quickly raised his hand to stop her and said firmly, “Anyway, you can’t return it. I don’t wear dresses, and Little Meow is way too big for it. If you don’t wear it, I’m just going to throw it out.”

  Sure enough, that worked.

  Belle immediately clutched the gift box tightly, flustered. “Don’t… please don’t…”

  She couldn’t bear to see anything go to waste. Back then, she couldn’t even bring herself to waste a single drop of that eighty-gold rum.

  She wasn’t stupid. A dress packed in such a beautifully ornate box definitely wasn’t cheap. Since Caius had already paid for it, it couldn’t be returned—at least not without consequences.

  Technically, return policies did exist in this world.

  But she didn’t know that. Stores offering such services were usually high-end places she had never visited.

  Seeing that Belle was finally willing to accept it, Caius nodded, then asked with a hint of anticipation, “Wanna try it on?”

  Belle’s ears turned red again. She stammered, unable to speak, and didn’t dare refuse.

  Caius chuckled. “You won’t know if it fits unless you try it on. Sure, we can’t return it, but we can still exchange it if it doesn’t fit, right?”

  “You wouldn’t want such an expensive dress to go to waste, would you?”

  Hearing that, Belle hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded and walked into the room, hugging the gift box close.

  Caius happily gave Little Meow a high-five.

  Now all that was left was to wait for Belle to finish changing.

  But who would’ve thought that wait would stretch to over half an hour?

  Caius started to get suspicious.

  How long could it possibly take to change into a dress?

  What he didn’t know was that Belle, inside the room, stood frozen in front of the ornate box, unsure of what to do.

  Ordinary boxes just needed their lids flipped open.

  But this one was different. It had side clasps that needed unfastening, and after flipping those open, there were intricate mechanisms inside. Once unfolded, a small three-dimensional paper castle would pop out.

  The castle could later be used as a decorative piece. Beneath it was the actual compartment holding the dress. But even then, you had to open more clasps on either side...

  In short, the entire design screamed complexity—but also craftsmanship.

  Most people would have figured it out quickly with a bit of fiddling.

  But Belle was terrified of damaging it.

  The box was so beautiful, she couldn’t bear the thought of discarding it.

  So at this moment, she had just reached the part where the little paper castle emerged and didn’t dare go further. Eventually, she simply squatted in front of the bed, staring at the delicate little castle, slowly losing herself in thought.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The castle was gorgeous and finely made, white cardboard etched with golden patterns, as if hand-painted.

  She gazed at it in a daze, then reached out and gently touched the tiny crystal at the castle’s apex.

  It was the first time she had ever received such a beautiful gift.

  In that moment, whatever was inside the box no longer mattered.

  The corners of her lips, hidden beneath her collar, curled upward in an unconscious smile. Her eyes, partly veiled by her hair, shimmered with a soft light.

  Just then, someone knocked at the door.

  Knock knock knock.

  Belle jolted slightly, startled by the sound.

  Then came a familiar voice—“Done yet, silly mushroom?” Caius called from outside.

  Belle panicked, quickly stood up, and rushed toward the door. In doing so, she accidentally bumped the box sitting on the bed’s edge, and it started to tumble toward the floor.

  Alarmed, she reached out with both hands to catch it, but in her hurry, her shin caught the bedframe.

  Outside, Caius heard a loud thud from within, like something crashing to the ground.

  Startled, Caius pushed the door open without hesitation—only to find Belle sitting on the floor, holding the ornate gift box and clutching her forehead.

  The box was halfway open, but the paper castle stood proudly intact, unharmed.

  Caius rushed over and asked, “You fell?”

  “…Yeah.” Belle nodded.

  He helped her up and placed the box gently on the bed, then brushed aside her bangs to check her forehead. “Did you bump your head?”

  Sure enough, there was a reddish patch on her forehead—likely from striking the wooden bedframe.

  Fortunately, it wasn’t serious. Just a bit of a scrape.

  Caius let out a sigh of relief, then said helplessly, “I told you to change your clothes, and you still managed to hurt yourself. Silly mushroom.”

  Belle looked a little aggrieved, eyes avoiding Caius’s gaze, her face tilting downward again.

  But Caius gently lifted her delicate chin and said, “Hold still.”

  She obeyed, lifting her face to look at him, her lips slightly parted.

  Those soft, pink lips… Caius felt a stirring in his chest, the urge to kiss her rising.

  But he resisted, pulling out a bottle of healing potion and dabbing a bit onto her smooth forehead. Belle felt a cool sensation wash over the scrape, and the pain quickly faded.

  “Better?” Caius asked softly.

  “…Yeah,” Belle nodded, whispering, “Thank you…”

  “Be a little more careful, will you?” Caius lightly tapped her forehead.

  Belle covered her forehead in silence, her eyes fixed on Caius.

  Caius, however, looked at the gift box, then raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’ve been fussing over it all this time just trying to figure out how to open it?”

  Belle’s ears flushed slightly, but she nodded honestly. “I was afraid I’d damage it…”

  Caius let out a chuckle but didn’t say anything more. He simply reached out and started fiddling with the box. It didn’t take long for it to open, revealing a dress inside.

  A pure white dress.

  In the end, Caius decided that pure white suited Belle the best.

  There was another dress, one even more ornate with threads of gold and silver—but that one could wait until his silly mushroom gained a bit more confidence.

  “Well? Beautiful, isn’t it?” Caius held up the dress, smiling.

  Belle, however, just stood there, staring blankly at the snowy white garment.

  Beautiful…?

  Of course it was beautiful. She had never seen a dress so beautiful in her life.

  Even the finest ones displayed in the boutique windows of the outer city didn’t come close to this.

  She couldn’t help but be entranced.

  Seeing the dazed look on the girl’s face, Caius was quite satisfied. He then handed her the dress. “Here, try it on.”

  With that, Caius turned to head out.

  Belle snapped back to her senses, clutching the dress carefully and turning around in a bit of a panic.

  “W-Wait a moment…”

  “What? Don’t tell me you want me to help you change?” Caius said with a teasing smile as he looked back.

  Belle’s ears turned red again. Head lowered, she mumbled, “Can I… maybe wear it another time?”

  Caius could tell—she was feeling insecure again.

  She clearly wasn’t ready yet.

  Now was not the time to pressure her, and certainly not with some “If it doesn’t fit, we’ll have to exchange it” excuse.

  Belle genuinely loved this dress, and cherished it. Whether it fit or not didn’t really matter at this moment.

  Besides, the fabric of this dress was said to adapt automatically to the wearer’s body temperature, adjusting to fit perfectly—no need to worry about size.

  So, Caius gave a small smile and nodded. “Of course. Wear it whenever you want. That shop offers lifetime washing and adjustments anyway.”

  He wasn’t lying. That boutique—Britney’s—truly did offer lifetime care. Their after-sales service was exceptional.

  Hearing this, Belle gave a small nod. She then spread the dress out carefully on the bed, gently folded it, and placed it back into the exquisite gift box.

  Caius didn’t look back. Instead, he stepped into the living room and pulled out a cigarette.

  But glancing around at the clean and cozy little home, he reconsidered and put the cigarette away.

  Before long, Belle emerged, presumably done with her tidying.

  Though he didn’t get to see her in the dress—something he regretted slightly—

  Caius wasn’t in a rush. This little mushroom girl was worth the patience and care. Only with such tenderness could the most beautiful mushroom blossom bloom.