ttznovel Chapter 351 --351
Chapter 351 --351
Despite the sheer, bone-aching exhaustion of carriage travel, Heena had to admit one surprising fact: she wasn’t bored in the slightest.
Samuel made absolutely sure of that. Half of their travel time was spent locked in sharp, witty, and entirely relentless arguments. They bickered over everything from the changing scenery to the fundamental philosophy of human greed, trading verbal blows with the ease of seasoned duelists. It was a highly entertaining way to pass the time.
And, of course, there was the added benefit of watching Samuel freely spend his considerable wealth to ensure she was as comfortable as humanly possible. She reminded him daily that she was technically no longer his wife, but she certainly wasn’t going to stop him from paying for the premium tea and the best cuts of meat at dinner. If he wanted to waste his money on her, who was she to stop him?
Finally, after nearly a week of travel, the towering, heavily guarded stone walls of the capital city loomed on the horizon.
But soon, they were finally in the capital. And even though Heena already has the memory of where the Marquis mansion is, she cannot just barge in, right? Well, of course she could. But she needed to change her clothes first. So of course they first stopped at a clothing store.
And you would ask, does Heena not have clothes? Of course she does! Samuel bought her plenty of good stuff. But come on, when you are going to meet your family after years of separation—yeah, about two years of separation where you supposedly fell off a mountain—of course you need to act like a pitiful beggar!
In the high-end district of the capital, the tailor shops were a completely different world.
Heena wandered through the aisles of an expansive boutique, her eyes scanning the exquisite garments on display. It was a breathtaking showcase of ancient artistry that would one day be entirely lost to time. Many of the robes featured elaborate, haunting illustrations painted directly onto the silk. Others utilized a technique where the drawings were meticulously crafted using dyed threads, sewn so flawlessly into the fabric that it looked like a living painting.
It was all undeniably beautiful, but none of it was what Heena was looking for.
Then, tucked away in the shadowed back corner of the shop, her eyes locked onto a bolt of dark fabric.
She froze for two full seconds, completely captivated. It was a gorgeous, pitch-black material that possessed a subtle, iridescent sheen—mimicking the sleek, deadly scales of a snake. It caught the light in a way that was simultaneously beautiful and deeply unsettling.
The shopkeeper noticed her staring and rushed over, looking genuinely shocked. He explained that the cloth had been gathering dust for years; no one wanted to buy it. The noblewomen felt the material looked far too ominous, and because it was so deeply, purely black, it was impossible to paint or dye over.
Heena didn’t care. She bought it immediately.
Carrying the heavy bolt of fabric to the master tailor, she issued a simple, non-negotiable demand: "I need a dress stitched from this. You have two hours."
The tailor scoffed, shaking his head dismissively. "Two hours? Madam, that is impossible. It simply cannot be done in such—"
*Clack.*
Heena didn’t argue. She simply pulled out five solid silver coins and slapped them down onto the wooden cutting table.
The tailor stared at the silver, swallowed hard, and suddenly decided the impossible was entirely within his schedule.
But his shock didn’t end there. When Heena handed him the blueprint she had roughly sketched, the tailor’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. He flipped the parchment over, completely bewildered. "Madam... where in the heavens did you get a design like this?"
Heena gave him a flat, impatient glare. "Just make it and stop with the nonsense."
The design was a masterpiece of fusion, seamlessly blending sleek modern fashion with the flowing elegance of the ancient era. The top half of the dress was designed to hug her curves perfectly, maintaining a tight, form-fitting silhouette all the way down to her upper thighs before dramatically exploding outward into a flowy, layered skirt. It was to be paired with a sheer, elegant shawl that would drape over her arms. It was so radically unique that the tailor’s professional curiosity completely overtook his confusion, and his shears immediately went to work.
With two hours to kill, Heena headed straight for an upscale beauty parlor. She spared absolutely no expense—purchasing the finest cosmetics, having her hair intricately styled, and undergoing a complete, luxurious pampering session.
And, of course, every single coin spent was entirely funded by Samuel’s bottomless coin purse.
When Heena finally stepped out of the parlor two hours later, the transformation was absolute.
Waiting outside, Samuel turned around—and literally forgot how to breathe.
The air seemed to leave his lungs completely. Heena stood before him looking exactly like a legendary serpent queen ripped straight from the ancient storyteller myths. The dark, scaled texture of the dress clung to her figure like a second skin, while the sheer shawl billowed softly in the breeze.
She radiated a mesmerizing, breathtaking, yet profoundly dangerous aura. It was the exact, fatal allure of a viper: drawing you in with its stunning beauty and hypnotic grace, making you feel completely captivated, right up until the very moment you got too close... and it bared its fangs.
She was a lethal trap wrapped in black silk, and Samuel couldn’t tear his eyes away.
Heena arched a perfect eyebrow, entirely unfazed by his intense stare. "What? Lost your mind?"
Samuel blinked, shaking off the trance, though his dark eyes remained fixed on her. He took a slow, deliberate step forward, his voice dropping an octave. "You look... lethal."
Heena offered him a sharp, brilliant smile. "I know."
*[Host,]* the System interrupted, its mechanical voice completely devoid of the awe Samuel was displaying. *[You are clearly not planning to act like a pitiful beggar anymore.]*
*Are you crazy?* Heena shot back mentally, her tone dripping with mock offense. *Of course I am still playing the beggar.*
If the System had a physical form, it would have gestured wildly at her entire outfit. *[Where the heck do you look like a beggar?! Host, please, have at least an ounce of shame! You are wearing custom-tailored, iridescent black silk and expensive cosmetics funded by your wealthy husband!]*
Heena’s mental smile was wickedly smug. *When did I ever say I was going to be a penniless beggar? No, no. I am a beggar of affection. A tragic, emotionally starved daughter completely devoid of familial love.*
The System let out a heavy, digitized sigh. *[Host, stop spouting nonsense. Just give it to me straight.]*
*Alright, fine,* Heena mentally purred, elegantly adjusting the sheer black shawl over her shoulders. *Today, we are going to crash into the Marquis’s grand estate like a Category 5 tornado. When you are about to kick in the front door and ruin your enemies, you obviously need to dress for the occasion.*
The System fell completely silent, "looking" at her stunning, pitch-black attire.
Suddenly, it understood perfectly. This wasn’t just a high-fashion statement. That sleek, gorgeous black fabric had just turned into a preemptive mourning dress for the Marquis family.
The System mentally lit a small, solemn candle in its database for the poor souls inside that mansion. Because if there was one universal, terrifying truth the System had learned over their many worlds together, it was this: whenever Heena dressed up this beautifully, someone’s life was about to be absolutely, utterly destroyed.