Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 60: Pricey Pretty

Chapter 60: Pricey Pretty

"Alright. I don’t really care. You’re not the only one who finds me embarrassing," Riona said.

From Thorin’s troubled face, she knew she was spot on. But it didn’t matter. She thought what Thorin hid would be something serious related to Florian, but now that she knew how trivial his reasoning was, she couldn’t care less.

As expected of someone as frivolous as Thorin, his worries were also pretty vain. Of course, he would think too much about Riona’s appearance.

Well, as long as he was paying, Riona didn’t mind getting a new dress.

"No, that’s not it," Thorin tried to make an excuse, but he struggled quite a lot.

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, Alpha, I truly, seriously, literally do not care. So let’s just stop here."

Thorin said nothing for a while, and Riona was grateful for the silence. The town was already near, and although trying on dresses was too much of a bother, she wanted to get it finished quickly so she could return to the palace and plead her case to her uncle.

The Alpha seemed to want to say more, but he couldn’t find the words, and they had arrived at the town. He had no choice but to swallow back whatever he wanted to say.

Right now, the most important thing was to make Riona presentable and return to the palace to sway the nobles to her side.

Thorin jumped from the horse and offered his hand to help Riona. However, she didn’t see his hand and got off the horse from the other side, causing Thorin to clench his fist in embarrassment.

"Where is the dress shop?"

"This way," Thorin said, leading the way.

As Riona followed him, she asked, "How do you know about this shop, anyway? You don’t live here. Are you, by any chance, a spy?"

He smirked and turned around, teasing, "Wouldn’t a spy with my charm get caught easily? Wait, on second thought, maybe my face could serve as a distraction. I’d make a good spy, wouldn’t I?"

Riona raised an eyebrow and replied dryly, "Yes, your face is certainly... distracting. To something, at least."

He chuckled, leaning in slightly, "Well, as long as it distracts you, I must be doing something right."

As Thorin and Riona entered the shop, a woman with a warm smile and bright eyes approached them. She was an eccentric lady wearing bright-colored accessories and makeup.

"Thorin! It’s always a pleasure to see you," she greeted him. Her eyes were twinkling. "You always bring such interesting company. And who is this lovely young lady?"

"This is Riona," Thorin introduced. He had recently tailored his clothes here for the Blood Moon Masquerade, along with the mask.

The shop owner turned to Riona, her gaze appraising yet kind. "Riona, what a beautiful name for such a striking young woman. Your beauty is so raw and natural. With the right dress, you’ll be absolutely stunning."

A wide smile bloomed across Thorin’s face as if he were the one being praised for his beauty. "Right? I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks so. It’s almost a sin to wrap her beauty in that dress." He motioned to Riona’s current dress.

Riona growled, "What’s wrong with this dress? It may not suit your taste, but I like this dress!"

The shop owner chuckled and took Riona’s wrists.

"You are gorgeous whatever you wear, but look at Thorin." She leaned in and whispered, "You don’t want to let him steal all the spotlights. A vampire should have all the spotlights, not a werewolf."

Riona smiled at that. She knew the shop owner was just trying to convince her and not because she was being racist. There was no malicious hint in her tone, and it was clear that the shop lady and Thorin had an amiable relationship.

"Come, child. Let me give you the best night there is."

The shop lady pulled Riona’s hand and led her into an empty room. The room was spacious, with a comfortable sofa sitting in the corner.

"My Lady, this is..."

"This is the changing room." She positioned Riona in front of a full-body mirror. "Oh, and call me Stella. I don’t bother with labels."

Riona grinned. "Me too."

Stella touched Riona’s collarbone, squinting and tilting her head in various directions. "Do you have any preferences? Color? Style? Gems?"

Seeing the grimace on Riona’s face, Stella laughed. "So you’re not a fan of gems. Alright, I’ll take that into account. What about the color gold? I believe the striking contrast will draw the attention of the whole room. If gold is too much, what about the color of blood?"

"I like that. The color of blood. Thinking about it makes me hungry."

Stella traced Riona’s shoulder and felt her waist. Lastly, she touched her breasts as if weighing them. "Gorgeous. I have a ready-made dress that might fit your curves. Wait here."

She disappeared out of the room. Moments later, she returned with an elegant but simple dress. It didn’t have elaborate ornaments. The patterns of the fabric were subtle but complemented the color really well.

She helped Riona into the dress, which, contrary to how it looked, was actually comfortable to wear.

The dress had no corset that choked Riona’s stomach. In fact, the waist area was made of elastic material, allowing movement while still fitting snugly to her skin.

Stella said, "Your waist is already small, so there’s no need for a corset."

The collar rested right below Riona’s collarbone, showing some skin but conservative enough to cover what needed to be covered.

"Your collarbone is pretty, and your shoulder line is elegant," Stella explained, running her fingers down Riona’s neck. "The sleeves are not too tight, so you won’t have to worry about lifting your arm to reach Thorin’s tall neck."

Stella seemed to assume that Riona would definitely share a dance with Thorin. She continued to touch Riona’s waist.

"Also, bulky skirts are no longer the trend. Noble ladies in Eira don’t know this yet, but vampires from other continents have shifted to more slender skirts."

Riona did not understand trends, and she certainly did not understand the technical analysis. What she knew was that she loved the dress. "I’ll take this one!" she exclaimed.

Her excitement was short-lived as she soon noticed how late it had gotten. The sky had grown completely dark. "Oh no, I’m going to be late," she muttered.

Stella checked the time and gasped, "The masquerade must have started an hour ago. You should hurry!"

Riona wished she could dash to the horse or fly her way back to the palace to make it in time—or at least, not any later than she already was. But she remembered one crucial thing: the dress needed to be paid for.