179: Chapter 179 A beautiful long dress! Melissa's first bloom!

It was late at night.

After leaving the study, Melissa returned to her room in the castle, gently closed the door, and stood with her back against it for a moment before slowly letting out a breath.

Her feelings were complicated, yet she wasn't surprised.

From the moment she decided to participate in the Beauty Pageant, she had foreseen the arrival of this day.

Over a hundred young girls were selected to enter the castle, and The Count had spent a fortune to host this grand event; it was definitely not just to pick a few clerks to handle paperwork.

She was a smart person and had been very clear about this from the beginning.

But when the day actually arrived, the complex emotions in her heart still took her some time to settle.

She walked to the window, looking out at the thousands of lights in Gino City under the night sky, and thought of her hometown thousands of miles away, Weixino City.

Because her mother believed in a cult from the Outer Sea, she was investigated by the local church, which not only exhausted the family's savings but also left them with a large debt.

Her father had died early, and her elder brother supported the crumbling family finances alone, yet he was repeatedly cornered by debt collectors coming to the door.

It was in such a predicament that she saw the notice for the Golden Flame Earl Manor's Beauty Pageant.

A generous prize and a chance that could change her destiny.

She gritted her teeth, signed up, and then followed a merchant caravan all the way to the Northern Territory, eventually placing eighth.

On the first day after receiving the prize money, she had already sent most of it back.

Although the amount wasn't enough to completely fill all the debts, it was at least enough to give her brother some breathing room and prevent her mother from being driven to a dead end by those debt collectors.

Thinking of this, a trace of stability was added to the complex emotions in her heart.

From now on, she belonged to the Golden Flame Earl Manor.

She walked to the simple wooden chest in the corner of the room, opened the lid, and carefully took out a dress she had long cherished from the very bottom.

It was a light blue long dress her mother had given her when she got into university; the texture was soft, and the tailoring was perfect.

Although the style was a bit outdated, it was well-maintained, with almost no signs of the passage of time.

She had only worn it once, thinking that perhaps one day, she would wear it for an important occasion.

Tonight was probably that important occasion.

She took off the gray long dress she had worn during the day and changed into the old light blue one.

The once custom-made dress still fit perfectly.

She breathed a sigh of relief, sat down in front of the floor-length mirror, and undid the bun she had worn all day.

Her long hair fell down, and she used a wooden comb to carefully brush it neat, then took out a bottle of hair oil with a faint scent of gardenia from the drawer—one she rarely used—and applied a little to the ends of her hair.

She hesitated for a moment, then dabbed a bit of lipstick from a small iron box and applied a thin layer to her lips.

The girl in the mirror seemed to have become a different person.

No longer the lady who handled ledgers and numbers with ease during the day, but a beautiful girl about to go on a date, filled with nervousness.

She looked at herself in the mirror, dazed for a while, her mind wandering.

Just then.

A gentle knock came from outside the door.

"Miss Melissa, the Master has returned to his bedroom. Please come over."

The respectful voice of a maid came from outside.

Melissa took a deep breath, stood up, and took one last look at herself in the mirror.

Then, she turned and opened the door.

The maid led Melissa to the door of the top-floor bedroom and retreated silently.

Melissa stood alone before that door, raised her hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally knocked twice softly.

"Enter."

The voice she was already familiar with came from inside.

She pushed open the door and walked in.

The light inside the bedroom was much brighter than in the hallway.

Rowan was not wearing his casual home clothes as before.

Instead, he had changed into a light-colored bathrobe, with the collar slightly open, making him appear a bit less majestic and a bit more lazy and relaxed than in the study during the day.

He saw Melissa walk in, and his gaze lingered on her for a moment.

Then, he nodded slightly.

"Come and sit."

He pointed to another armchair opposite him.

Melissa did as she was told, walked over, and sat down in the chair.

She clasped her hands on her knees, her back straight.

Unsure of where to put her gaze, she finally lowered her eyes to the tabletop.

Rowan was in no hurry to speak.

He poured himself another glass of wine, then picked up another empty glass and gestured to Melissa.

Melissa hesitated for an instant and then nodded.

Rowan handed her the glass filled halfway with wine.

She took it and took a small sip.

The wine had a fruity, woody aroma; it was soft on the palate but had a slight burning sensation as it went down her throat, making her cheeks flush slightly.

"This dress suits you very well."

Rowan suddenly spoke, his tone casual.

Melissa was slightly startled, looked down at the dress she was wearing, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"...This is a dress my mother bought for me. I've always been reluctant to wear it, thinking I should wait for a... special occasion."

Rowan didn't continue speaking; he just took another sip of wine, his gaze toward the girl becoming slightly deeper.

After a moment of silence, he changed the subject.

"Your report today was very well done. The data is detailed, the logic is clear, and the proposed plan is feasible. You have a lot of talent in this area."

Hearing this praise, Melissa lowered her head slightly and said softly,

"Thank you for the praise, My Lord. I only... did what I could."

Looking at the tips of her slightly reddened ears, Rowan set down his wine glass, stood up, walked to her, and reached out to gently lift her smooth chin.

Melissa couldn't help but look up into Rowan's handsome face, a trace of blurriness flashing in her eyes.

Rowan said no more.

He leaned down and kissed her cool lips.

That beautiful long dress quietly slipped down in the firelight of the fireplace, piling up on the soft carpet.

Like a blooming blue iris.

...

After an unknown amount of time...

The clouds cleared and the rain ceased.

Melissa had already fallen into a deep sleep.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sweat and a subtle hint of gardenia.

On the messy sheets.

A bright red plum blossom bloomed quietly.

Rowan leaned against the headboard, habitually calling up the system panel and glancing at it.

[Charm Lv3 Proficiency +36]

[Drain Lv3 Proficiency +108]

[Obtained Free Attribute Points +180]

The first bloom of an 85-point girl; the returns were good, slightly higher than the 84-point Sylvie.

However, Melissa's value didn't lie in her score.

Her talent in finance and commerce was her true shining point.

Tonight's harvest was just the icing on the cake.

He closed the panel, looked down at the sleeping Melissa beside him, and reached out to pull up the corner of the slipped blanket to cover her bare shoulder.

She seemed to feel the warmth in her sleep and unconsciously snuggled into his arms.

Rowan looked at her peaceful sleeping face, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Then, he also lay down and closed his eyes, his breathing gradually becoming steady and long.

...