Chapter 007: A Shopping Date

Compared to Zelda’s shock, Seraphina remained calm from beginning to end. She maintained a dignified and elegant smile, fully embodying the grace of a high-born lady.

With great patience, she repeated: "I will invest in your studio, but I want to become one of your fashion designers."

Relying on Zelda alone, that studio of hers would likely never take off, even with sufficient funding. In her past life, one of Solas’s girlfriends had been a relatively famous fashion designer.

Before this moment, Seraphina hadn't considered this idea, but hearing Zelda’s complaints triggered a sudden inspiration. It was, in a sense, a whim.

Solas might be a bit "foolish" when it came to women, but he was undeniably brilliant. The women who managed to get close to him were never ordinary. To prevent him from being deceived by those "rotten peach blossoms" again, she had decided to try and outshine them in their own respective fields whenever possible.

If Solas saw a more brilliant version of her, he likely wouldn't even notice those other women. And if he didn't notice them, they wouldn't have the chance to deceive him.

She didn't need to be preeminent in

every

field those women occupied, but she wanted a place for herself in the world of fashion design at the very least. The opportunity was right in front of her, and since it only involved sketching a few designs, it wouldn't take up much of her time. Why not?

Furthermore, even putting Solas aside, diversifying into industries beyond her expertise in music was beneficial for both her and the Pierce family. Ultimately, venturing into a new field offered only advantages and no drawbacks.

"Sera, we grew up together; everyone knows how talented you are. But your brilliance is limited to your own field. You've poured all your energy into music for years. I could hand you any instrument, and even if you aren't an expert, you could still play a few notes—I don't deny that. But every profession has its own specialty. To be blunt, fashion design really isn't your forte," Zelda said, sounding utterly helpless.

If she didn't know Seraphina so well, she would have thought her friend was pulling her leg. But she knew Seraphina wasn't joking, which made the situation all the more baffling.

"I’d love for you to invest, of course. You aren't short on cash, and I’m not worried about losing your money—worst case scenario, if it fails and I'm forced to join the family business, I'll just pay you back. But as for being a designer... shouldn't you give that more thought?"

Seraphina didn't offer a long explanation. She simply asked, "Do you have a pen and paper?"

Zelda was a fashion designer—or at least, someone with the dream of being one—so she naturally carried a pen and paper to record any sudden bursts of inspiration. Seraphina knew this habit of hers, which was why she asked.

Confused, Zelda nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Borrow them for a second."

Zelda reached into her bag, pulled out a pen and an exquisite small sketchbook, and handed them over. Under Zelda’s watchful gaze, Seraphina opened the sketchbook and began to draw.

As the minutes ticked by, Zelda’s expression shifted from confusion to surprise, and finally to total shock. She didn't interrupt. Perhaps she was too stunned to speak, or perhaps she was afraid of breaking Seraphina’s concentration.

In less than ten minutes, a simple design was complete. Seraphina closed the book and handed the items back.

Zelda’s hands were trembling as she took them. "Sera... how... how can you...?" Zelda might lack top-tier design talent herself, but that didn't mean she couldn't recognize quality. After all, she had a degree in this field.

Seraphina smiled faintly. "Do you believe me now?"

Of course she believed her! The proof was right there in front of her eyes. But was "believing" even the point anymore? She had known Seraphina since they were children and never knew she had such a gift for fashion design—or even for drawing.

It took a long while for Zelda to recover from her shock. "...Sera, when did you learn fashion design? And why did I never know you were this good at drawing?"

She used the word "also" because Seraphina’s talent had always manifested in music. Aside from her orchestral pieces, her solo performances and daily practice sessions almost exclusively featured her own original compositions. Seraphina had been composing since the age of eight.

Seeing how shaken her friend was, Seraphina joked half-seriously, "Maybe it's... just natural talent?"

Natural talent alone was impossible, of course. For twenty years, she had lived alone in a state of endless isolation. When she wasn't working, she had to find things to occupy her mind; otherwise, the memories of the past would consume her. Twenty years was enough time for a person to master many skills. Drawing was just one of the more minor ones.

Design was an extension of drawing. With the life experience of her previous existence and her own intellect as a foundation, creating fashion sketches was no difficult feat—even if she hadn't formally studied it in her past life.

Seeing Zelda’s lingering disbelief, Seraphina added, "You know how it is in families like ours. We’re taught various arts from a young age. I naturally learned drawing, but once my family realized my talent for music—especially since my mother and maternal grandfather’s family were all in the music profession—my focus shifted. I just didn't spend as much time on other things."

"But just because I didn't pursue it doesn't mean I forgot what I learned."

Zelda’s lips twitched as she began to question her own reality. "So, you're telling me that the things I spent years studying aren't as useful as the things you learned as a hobby when you were a kid?"

Before Seraphina could answer, Zelda sighed in defeat. "If that’s true, it’s really discouraging."

Without needing any comfort, Zelda quickly talked herself through it. "Forget it. I’ve known you long enough to know how much of a 'freak' you are. If you hadn't focused on music and took an interest in something else, I’m sure you would have excelled at that too."

And she

had

excelled, hadn't she? Despite being a music specialist, she had consistently ranked first in academic subjects and graduated early.

"But Sera, since you're this good at design, why didn't you help me sooner? If you had joined my studio earlier, even if my own work didn't stand out, the studio at least wouldn't be in such a mess."

Seraphina took a sip of her coffee. "Well, you hadn't reached a dead end yet, had you?"

Zelda: "..."

"Fine! But you promised to join and invest—no backing out later!"

"I won't. However, I won't be involved in management or promotion. I’ll only provide five designs a month; you handle the rest."

Zelda understood this without being told. Given Seraphina’s many titles, her existing workload, and her preference for quiet, Zelda never expected her to dedicate much time to the operational side.

"Don't worry, I get it. But Sera, isn't five designs a month a bit too few?"

"Rarity increases value. I'm sure you understand that principle."

That was true.

"Alright, I see your point. So, I take it you don't plan on showing your face? You want to be the mysterious designer behind the scenes?"

Seraphina didn't answer, offering only a faint smile that gave Zelda her answer.

Fine, she just wants to avoid trouble,

Zelda thought.

What Zelda didn't know was that avoiding trouble was only one reason. A more important one was the impending return of Silas Pierce and Fiona Foster. For now, Seraphina didn't want to appear too extraordinary and put them on their guard.

She wanted to remain, in the eyes of the world, the eldest daughter of the Pierce family who was useless at everything except music. A sheltered, innocent young lady who knew nothing of the world’s darkness.

With her mind at ease, Zelda’s mood improved tremendously. She finished her coffee and checked her watch; it was 3:10 PM.

"It’s still early," she said to Seraphina. "Where to next?"

"Let's go shopping. It feels like I haven't been in a long time."

Technically, for the current her, it had only been about two weeks since her mother dragged her to the shops. But including the memories of her previous life, it had been twenty years. The last time she remembered shopping was with Solas. For the twenty years following that, she had simply had everything she needed delivered to her door.

After finishing their coffee, the two women left. Since Zelda had driven herself, they headed to the shopping mall Zelda frequented most.