Chapter 81 - Girls And Dresses

While August made a call to someone, Winter went ahead and looked around the clothing store on her own.

She is not really that into fashion, and if she is to choose, she prefers wearing clothes that she feels comfortable in. When she told Marcellus about the old dress she wore at the prom during the former timeline, she knew for herself that she did like it. That's because she saw it as a perfect definition of 'simplicity is beauty', which she believed suits her character well.

"Maybe I can find something that looks like it…?" Winter said to no one in particular, having found a proper image to go for at last. 

"As far as I recall, it looks a little like-"

"How about this dress, Winter?" August chimed in from behind her out of nowhere, making her turn around and look at him. 

"Oh, done with the call?"

"Yeah. I decided to get some help from-"

"Wait, what in the world are you holding?"

Right then, she realized that the dress he was referring to was one that had an ankle-length skirt, a pair of long sleeves and a turtleneck – basically, everything about it was designed to cover most part of the wearer's figure. At that, she couldn't help but show him an unamused look, wondering if he actually had an exaggerated understanding of the word 'conservative' or he just really liked the design. 

"You can't be serious, August. That looks like a military gear rather than a prom dress. I feel I'm going to a battlefield with that instead of a promenade," Winter deadpanned.   

"What? It'll be cold that night, right? This will be perfect to keep yourself warm. Also, this won't leave little to the imagination. Boys will be boys, you know. I can't possibly let them make any dirty look on you while I'm not around," August reasoned out, serious and stern.

"Are you for real?"

"You bet I am. Now, go ahead and try this on."

She only slumped and sighed. Since she could not convince him unless she let him see it for himself, she decided to do as he said and show him just how ridiculous his idea was. But then, right when she was about to take the dress from him, a certain someone suddenly came to her rescue.     

"Winter~!" 

Violet made an appearance all of the sudden, much to her surprise. 

She jumped on her from behind and pulled her into an embrace, cooing her name out loud all the while. As usual, she is thrilled to see her. She was taken aback for a moment but soon went straight to being all smiley and giggly when she realized that it was only her.

"What a coincidence, Ms. Violet! I didn't know you're here," Winter tittered, pleased to see her. 

"Oh, Sir August called for me. And it just happened that I was nearby, too…" Violet said with a grin, looking quite ecstatic. 

"Isn't that right, Sir August?"

"Yeah, I called for her. I'm not really good in picking up dresses, so I asked for her help…" August explained, acting like summoning her like this was already a normal thing to the two of them.       

"Thanks for coming, Ms. Violet."

"You're welcome!"

Winter had to double take.

There's no denying it. Their relationship sure progressed fast. Now, they're treating each other in a casual, lighthearted manner. Even her elder brother seemed friendlier than she last recalled. And to think that he could call for her anytime he wanted to and she would go at once – that's some friendship over there.

"So, that's what the phone call all about," Winter whispered to herself, still a little dumbfounded.

"Your Senior Prom is taking place in two weeks, isn't it…?" Violet brought up while she only nodded in return. 

"I badly wanted to take Ace out to shop, but he said that Mother already ordered a suit for him online. Good thing Sir August called for me! Preparing for a prom can be such a fun thing even when you're only going to help choose what to wear."     

"How about this, Ms. Violet? Don't you think this is good enough for her…?" August asked away, showing her the dress he picked up.

"She said it's like a military gear, though, which I don't get at all."

"O-Oh, I can see why she'd say that."

"Huh, you agree with her?"

"Well, girls have a different way of thinking from boys. Considering that Senior Prom only happens once in their whole lives, it's only understandable that they'd wanna look good for that night. They'd definitely pretty themselves up and everything."

"Then, what's the problem with this dress? I think that she'll still look pretty in this."

"You really think so?" 

"I mean, my sister looks pretty in anything she wears." 

"Right. Okay. Allow me to tell you some fashion advices."

While Violet took August on some crash course about girls and dresses, Winter decided to slip out of there for a moment and continue to search on her own. She'd just let her handle him in the meantime. If she was to join them in their long-winded talk, they might end up taking too long there.

'What's the big deal about proms, anyway? It's not really that great…' she thought while she rummaged through one clothing rack after another.

'At any rate, I should find something before they finish discussing-'   

Then, she suddenly noticed a woman standing beside her, making her pause. 

Feeling like she recognized her, she turned to her and took a look. That's when her eyes fell on this certain someone and widened a little in surprise. She's already staring at her as she did so, which caught her off guard even more.

"Oh! Aren't you that young lady I saw with Sir Lexington's secretary before?!"

It turned out to be Anne, the heiress of Collins Firm.

Now, this is what Winter calls a coincidence. She is quite impressed that she still remembers her from that one time. But since she mentioned that encounter of theirs instead of the rumors about Marcellus courting her, she still probably does not know who she really is.

"Good day to you, Ms. Collins. It's been a while," she greeted with a polite smile.

"My, how sweet of you to take time to know me. I thought for sure that our meeting back then was nothing more than a mere encounter for you…" she replied with a smile of her own.

"Yet to think that the ever popular Winter Agreste would get to know a passing stranger like me – how sweet of you, indeed!"

"P-P-Popular…?! Wait, you know me, Ma'am?"

"Sure, I do! You're the reason why Sir Lexington doesn't go on dates anymore, after all. You're pretty popular, especially among those women who used to go out with him before."

Winter sees this as nothing but a 'yikes' situation. 

Attracting attention like that is the least that she wants to do. Right when she thought that Anne didn't know her, she went ahead and told her what she still didn't know instead. Now, she's starting to wonder what her intention is for talking with her like this. She did go out on a date with Marcellus back then, and she even visited him in his workplace just to invite him to hang out.

"Oh, don't be nervous, darling. I'm not jealous of you or anything…" Anne reassured Winter, having noticed that she got tense out of nowhere.

"I do find Sir Lexington as an enjoyable companion, but I don't really see him in a romantic way. I just think that it's kind of fun to mess with a guy like him from time to time. If he did happen to ask me out or something, I'd only agree since it would save me from getting all those marriage interviews."

"O-Oh, I see."

For someone Winter knows so little about, she feels like Anne is saying too much about herself. 

While that part about her concerns her for a bit, she at least can tell that she is not lying. If it had been other women, she would probably get mocked and insulted by now. She already had fair share of experiences in dealing with envious women, so she knew how things would most likely go down. And since she is only but an ordinary high school girl with no special traits, she will be exposed like one tiny little rabbit to a mad huffing lioness if a confrontation does happen. 

Not like she will not be able to defend herself at all, though.       

"Anyway, what're you doing here? Looking for dresses for your dates or something?" Anne asked with a teasing smirk.

"N-No, Ma'am. I don't really go on dates to begin with," Winter clarified, not wanting to spread any misleading rumors. 

"Why, doesn't that guy invite you to one?! What a lame ass!"

Winter tried not to flinch at that, not expecting that Anne could do something as audacious as calling Marcellus a 'lame ass' of all things – seems like she isn't known to be a bold daredevil for nothing, after all.