Chapter 257: Aurelian’s Stroll Around The Family Market With Astra And Rhoswen 2
"Maybe..."
Rhoswen’s voice slowly faded away as she noticed Aurelian’s expression getting darker and darker.
Whatever argument she had been preparing immediately died.
A few minutes later, they entered one of the larger clothing stores on the second commercial level.
It was an older Arcturus family business that had been around for years, serving officers, shipgirls, nobles, and wealthy civilians who wanted quality clothing without all the ridiculous decorations some inner-world fashion houses seemed obsessed with.
The store itself was quiet, clean, and clearly expensive, though it never felt like it was trying to show off.
The attendants noticed Aurelian almost immediately.
Most recognized him as a member of the family, though not all of them seemed to know exactly who he was.
That changed after one of them discreetly checked his credentials. The staff became noticeably more attentive afterward, but thankfully, they didn’t become irritating about it.
Aurelian appreciated that.
An older attendant approached with a professional smile.
"Lord Aurelian, would you like private assistance today?"
Aurelian nodded toward Astra and Rhoswen.
"For them. Casual clothing, formal options, and anything practical they’ll actually wear."
Rhoswen immediately pointed at him.
"No boring choices."
"I said practical."
"Those are usually the same thing."
"No, they aren’t."
"They travel together often enough."
Astra had already wandered toward a display of civilian jackets and fitted coats. As expected, she gravitated toward darker colors and simpler designs.
Most of what caught her attention looked elegant without trying too hard.
The attendant showed her several options.
Astra reviewed them with the same focus she normally brought to tactical reports.
Within minutes, she had already narrowed her choices down.
Rhoswen, meanwhile, had gone in the complete opposite direction.
She found dark red jackets, sleeveless training tops, fitted combat-style clothing, heavy boots, and one formal black coat trimmed with silver that somehow looked like it belonged to someone attending a ceremony before immediately starting a fight afterward.
Aurelian looked at it.
"That one suits you."
Rhoswen froze.
Then she turned toward him.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I’m buying it."
"You were already buying it."
"I was waiting for commander approval."
Astra glanced over.
"Were you?"
"No."
"That’s what I thought."
"It sounded convincing."
Aurelian shook his head.
While Rhoswen disappeared into a changing room carrying what looked like half the store, Astra emerged a few minutes later wearing one of the civilian outfits she had selected.
At first glance, it looked simple.
The longer he looked, the more obvious it became why she had chosen it.
The dark coat fit perfectly. The lighter inner layer balanced it well, and despite being civilian clothing, it still carried the same calm authority Astra always seemed to project naturally.
Her silver hair stood out sharply against the darker colors.
Aurelian looked at her for a second longer than intended.
Astra noticed immediately.
"Does it look unsuitable?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"It suits you."
Her expression barely changed, but something softened around the edges.
"Then I’ll keep it."
Rhoswen’s voice immediately echoed from one of the changing rooms.
"If he says that about mine, too, I’m buying everything."
"You were already buying everything."
"That’s not the point."
"It absolutely is."
The attendants politely pretended they couldn’t hear any of it.
A little later, Rhoswen finally emerged wearing the red-and-black coat she had been obsessed with.
To Aurelian’s surprise, it actually looked good.
The coat didn’t hide her personality. If anything, it sharpened it. She still looked energetic and dangerous, but now it looked intentional rather than accidental.
She turned once.
Then twice.
Then stopped and stared at him.
Aurelian sighed.
"Well?"
"It looks amazing on you."
That answer seemed to make her entire day.
They ended up staying far longer than Aurelian originally intended.
Astra bought relatively few things, but every item she selected was something she genuinely liked.
Rhoswen bought considerably more.
Training clothes.
Casual clothes.
A few formal options.
And one dress she repeatedly claimed she wasn’t interested in until Astra pointed out that she had walked back to look at it four separate times.
After that, denying it became difficult.
Even Aurelian ended up buying several civilian shirts, jackets, and coats after an attendant gently informed him that walking around in formal family attire made him look as if he were either attending a meeting or about to create one.
Unfortunately, that observation was accurate.
At some point, while the staff prepared their purchases for delivery, Rhoswen started asking questions about the early days of his command.
She had been around for most of it, though apparently the small portion she had missed had become interesting enough to attract her attention.
"So Astra was first."
Rhoswen walked beside him as they moved through the store. "What was that like?"
Aurelian glanced toward Astra, who returned the look with her usual calm expression.
"It was quieter."
Rhoswen immediately looked offended.
"That sounds insulting."
"It wasn’t."
"It sounded insulting."
"It was an observation."
Astra’s expression almost changed. Almost.
Aurelian decided to help. "I started with very high standards because of her."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It was useful."
"And?"
"It made everything afterward more difficult."
Rhoswen grinned. "Your standards got ruined early."
"That’s one way to describe it."
She nodded as if she completely understood. "I understand."
"You do?"
"No."
Aurelian laughed despite himself.
A moment later, Rhoswen pointed at herself. "And then you found me."
"Yes."
"And everything improved."
Astra looked at her.
Rhoswen paused for a second before correcting herself. "Fine. Everything became more exciting."
"That is definitely true."
Rhoswen immediately accepted that as a victory, and by the time they finished their shopping and arranged delivery back to the estate, she still looked entirely pleased with herself.
The commercial district remained busy around them, though not overwhelmingly so. Most of the people moving through the area were officers, shipgirls, family personnel, and civilians tied to the holding.
Nobody bothered them.
At least not openly.
The trip became slower after that because Rhoswen kept stopping to look at random displays, while Astra occasionally found something genuinely interesting enough to examine more closely.
