Rex rode his horse at a gallop the entire way.
He had taken care of everything he needed to do.
The seeds had sprouted, and the waterwheel was now sorted, just waiting for materials to be built.
As for that fellow Aldo, he had no idea where he’d gone, but the current gold coins were sufficient.
More importantly, he could finally buy Hilda some decent clothes.
She wore that black and white maid uniform from morning till night, indoors and out.
Rex hadn’t paid much attention to it before, until a couple of days ago when he saw her standing in the snow, the thin maid uniform covered only by that fur coat bought at Wangfeng Fortress.
The coat was thick enough, but the clothes underneath were simply not acceptable.
For some reason, the streets of Frostwind City were quieter than the last time he visited, but the tailor shop was still open.
Rex reined in his horse at the door and dismounted, naturally reaching his hand out to Hilda.
Hilda took his hand and jumped down from the carriage, her silver hair tracing an arc in the wind.
The tailor shop’s storefront wasn’t large, but the few ready-made garments displayed in the window were exquisitely crafted, clearly not cheap goods.
Rex pushed the door open.
Warm air and the scent of incense washed over them.
“Welcome!”
A shop assistant came forward, her eyes sweeping over Rex before immediately putting on a professional smile.
Although this customer was dressed plainly, the cut and fabric of his clothes couldn’t be faked—it was the workmanship of the Empire Capital.
And looking at the woman behind him, though bundled tightly in a coat, that face and aura…
The assistant immediately made a judgment.
A noble or a wealthy merchant.
The type who takes his female companion or lover out shopping.
“What would the customer like to see?”
“Pick out a few outfits for her.”
Rex pointed at Hilda behind him.
“Warm ones. Practical ones.”
“Of course, of course.”
The assistant nodded with a smile, leading the two into the inner room.
The inner room of the tailor shop was much more spacious than the front, racks filled with all kinds of clothing, from everyday wear to formal attire.
Rex began to pick very seriously.
He picked up a dark brown heavy wool coat, weighing it in his hand.
The fabric was thick, the workmanship solid.
“How about this one? Warm.”
Hilda nodded.
“Good.”
He then picked up a plain, simple gray woolen skirt.
“This should go well with that coat.”
“Good.”
Rex looked back at her.
“Aren’t you going to look?”
“My Lord, whatever you choose is good.”
Rex thought she was probably just being polite, so he turned back to continue picking.
He picked up a dark green cloak, the fabric thick, the edge of the hood trimmed with fur.
“This one also…”
“Esteemed customer,” the assistant finally couldn’t hold back, a polite yet slightly awkward smile on her face, “if I may be so bold… the items you’ve chosen, they are indeed very warm, but…”
“What’s wrong?”
“But the styles…”
The assistant carefully chose her words, “…are somewhat… overly ‘plain.’ If you don’t mind, perhaps let us pick a few suitable outfits for your wife?”
“Wife?”
Rex was taken aback for a moment.
He was about to say she wasn’t, but noticed Hilda had already followed another assistant to the other side.
“Forget it.”
Rex swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
As long as Hilda liked it.
He completely failed to notice the assistants exchanging a ‘you know what I mean’ look.
Having worked in a border city like Frostwind for a long time, they’d seen all kinds of customers.
This one was clearly a young noble master taking his maid, who also happened to be his ‘lover,’ out shopping, seizing the chance while his proper wife was away to seek some excitement and fun.
They’d seen this kind of thing often and were used to it.
As long as they could make money, what did it matter to them whether the customer brought his wife or his maid?
Rex sat down on a chair, casually flipping through a fabric sample book.
After quite a while, rustling sounds came from behind the curtain of the inner room, followed by the assistant’s smiling voice.
“Customer, you can wait outside the fitting room. Your wife has changed.”
Rex stood up and walked over to wait outside the curtain.
He hadn’t held any particular expectations.
Warm, practical—that was his entire requirement.
As for whether it looked good or not…
It hadn’t even crossed his mind.
When the assistant pulled the curtain aside.
Every word Rex had intended to say got stuck in his throat.
Hilda stood before him, looking as if she had stepped right out of a painting.
On her head was a cream-colored wide-brimmed hat, the brim slightly upturned, one side tied with a delicate bow of the same colored ribbon.
A few strands of silver hair escaped from under the brim, falling beside her cheeks.
She wore a cream-colored lace gown, the fabric with a fine sheen, the collar and cuffs adorned with pearls and gold thread.
The skirt flared out slightly, the waistline cinched high, making her already slender figure appear even more graceful.
This outfit was completely unlike the “warm and practical” he had imagined.
The neckline was cut somewhat low, her collarbones fully exposed, the fabric over her chest barely covering it.
The dress material looked light and thin.
Although the assistant said it was warm, Rex felt this dress was more suited for a banquet than for spending winter in the North.
“My Lord…”
Hilda’s voice was even softer than usual.
Her gaze was somewhat evasive, not daring to look directly at Rex.
“How… is it?”
Her fingers clutched the hem of the skirt, her knuckles slightly white.
Only then did Rex notice she was even more awkward than he was at this moment.
This dress made her very uncomfortable.
The exposed skin gave her a strange sense of shame.
She didn’t like this.
But she hadn’t refused, because Rex had asked her to try it on.
Rex didn’t speak.
He turned and saw a neatly folded white scarf on a nearby shelf.
The fabric was high-quality cashmere, light and warm.
He picked it up, walked over to Hilda, unfolded the scarf, and gently wrapped it around her neck, one loop after another.
The ends of the scarf hung down, just covering the exposed skin of her collarbones and chest.
The white against the cream yellow didn’t clash at all; instead, it added an elegant layer to the entire ensemble.
Hilda looked down at the scarf, then up at Rex.
“This is better.”
Rex took a step back, looked her up and down, and nodded in satisfaction.
“It suits you very well.”
The assistants gathered around, chattering with praise.
“Madam looks absolutely perfect in this!”
“That scarf is a wonderful touch, even better than we imagined!”
“Look at this fabric, it’s premium wool shipped from the south. It looks light, but it’s actually warmer than fur…”
Rex let the praise go in one ear and out the other, but one sentence he heard.
“This dress is warm.”
“My Lord…”
Hilda opened her mouth to say something, probably along the lines of ‘I don’t need these things.’
But Rex didn’t let her finish.
He directly pulled out his Magic Crystal Card from his robe and handed it to the assistant.
“Please.”
He then pointed to a row of pearl hairpins and gem brooches displayed in the counter.
“Wrap those up as well.”
Hilda’s eyes widened slightly.
“My Lord, I don’t need those.”
“No, you do.”
Rex’s tone was flat.
He added,
“And this outfit… I like it very much.”
Hilda said nothing more.
She tucked her face further into the scarf, hiding her slightly reddened ears.
By the time they left the tailor shop, the sun was already setting in the west.
Frostwind City’s main street actually became livelier at this hour, with more pedestrians than in the morning.
Rex and Hilda walked down the street, one after the other, and he soon noticed something not quite right.
Everyone was looking at Hilda and himself.
Pedestrians on the street, resting vendors, even cart drivers passing by—their gazes all drifted over.
Hilda’s walking posture was already quite elegant, and now paired with this outfit, it was no wonder she drew attention.
Just then, the crowd ahead suddenly stirred.
A wagon loaded with goods turned out of an alley.
The horse, spooked, bolted, dragging the wagon recklessly into the main street.
The crowd cried out, scattering to avoid it.
A vendor pushing a small cart was jostled, stumbling, and fell toward Hilda, cart and all.
Rex sidestepped, placing himself in front of Hilda.
His left hand pushed the toppling cart aside, his right hand naturally wrapping around Hilda’s waist, pulling her to his side.
His movements were crisp and efficient.
The vendor, pushed by him, stumbled a few steps but managed to stay upright.
The wagon rushed past them, overturning two stalls before several brawny men managed to pull it to a stop.
Only after the chaos subsided did Rex let go.
“Are you alright?”
He looked down at Hilda.
Hilda shook her head.
Her expression remained that same cool demeanor, but her fingers unconsciously clutched the cuff of Rex’s sleeve, holding on for a long time before letting go.
Rex, completely unaware, continued walking forward.
In the crowded flow of people, he reached out several more times to shield her shoulder, pulling her through gaps in the crowd, each time naturally.
When they reached a street corner, there was a ring-toss stall by the roadside.
Various trinkets were laid out on the ground: wooden carvings, clay figurines, tin whistles.
The farthest row held a few items that looked slightly more valuable.
The stall owner was a tall, thin young man leaning against a post, yawning.
Rex stopped to watch for a while.
“Want to try?”
He asked Hilda.
Hilda glanced at the trinkets and shook her head.
“Come on, give it a try.”
Rex took out a copper coin and handed it to the stall owner, exchanging it for five vine rings.
He weighed the rings in his hand, casually tossed one, and the first ring landed around a small wooden carving in the farthest row.
Rex threw another, landing it around a clay whistle next to it.
The third, fourth, fifth—each one accurately hit its target.
The stall owner’s expression shifted from surprise to heartache, then from heartache to resignation.
Rex gathered the won items, picking out a silver hairpin from among them.
Though the workmanship wasn’t particularly fine, the pattern on it was quite distinctive.
He handed the hairpin to Hilda.
“For you.”
Hilda took it, looking down at it for a long time.
She carefully pinned it onto her scarf.
The silver hairpin against the white scarf actually looked quite nice.
Rex handed the remaining trinkets back to the stall owner.
“Take these back. I have no use for them. Just came to play.”
The stall owner accepted them with relief, his expression as if he’d gotten half his life back.
By the time the sun set, Rex was ready to head back.
He untied the reins, mounted the horse, and skillfully pulled Hilda up to sit in front of him.
Halfway through the return journey, the sky had already darkened completely.
Rex suddenly reined in the horse. He took off his own coat and draped it over Hilda’s shoulders.
The coat was large, enveloping her completely.
“My Lord.”
Hilda wanted to refuse.
“I do not feel the cold here. There is no need…”
“I know.”
Rex cut her off, picking up the reins again.
The horse continued forward.
Halfway, he suddenly asked, “Do you like the clothes you’re wearing now?”
Hilda was taken aback.
She looked down at her new outfit.
“…I like them.”
“Then don’t always wear that one maid uniform from now on.”
The horse walked slowly through the night, its iron shoes making dull sounds on the frozen ground.
Hilda was silent for a long time, so long that Rex thought she wouldn’t speak again.
Then she spoke, her voice very soft.
“That one… I prepared it myself when I came to the Ancient Castle.”
“Because before you left, you said,” her voice grew even softer, “the Ancient Castle needed a ‘maid.'”
Wind blew from the valley, ruffling a few strands of her hair.
Rex didn’t catch the little bit of hidden meaning in her words, just laughed and patted her shoulder.
“Well, you can alternate what you wear from now on. You can’t be a maid forever, right?”
Hilda didn’t speak.
She buried her face in the scarf, hiding her expression.
The lights of the Ancient Castle shone from the windows.
The fireplace fire was still burning, casting a warm glow on the stone steps at the entrance.
Rex tied up the horse and pushed open the castle’s main door.
Warm air and the scent of burning wood washed over him.
He stretched and headed upstairs.
“I’m going to rest first.”
He waved without looking back.
He climbed the stairs and pushed open the door to his room.
The room was unlit, only the embers of the fireplace glowing in the ashes.
He was about to close the door when he heard extremely light footsteps behind him.
“What is it?”
Hilda didn’t answer.
She walked in, coming to stand before him.
Then she stood on her tiptoes, her lips lightly pressing against the side of his face.
This kiss was noticeably heavier than the first one.
Not a mere peck, but a solid contact that lingered for several seconds.
Rex could feel the temperature of her lips and the gentle brush of her breath against his cheek as she breathed.
Then she slowly pulled away.
“Good night, My Lord.”
Her voice was calm, her expression calm, as if she had done the most normal thing.
She turned and walked out of the room, the door closing softly behind her.
Rex stood where he was, reaching up to touch the spot where she had kissed him.
He stood there dumbfounded for a good while.
“Hilda… why has she been acting stranger and stranger lately?”
He shook his head, unable to figure it out, then, not bothering to think about anything else, simply lay down on the bed and fell asleep.
And in the hallway outside the door, Hilda leaned against the wall, standing there for a long time.
She reached up and touched her own lips, then tightly clutched the scarf at her chest.