Roger said calmly, "The way I do business is a bit different. I don't just take on any commission. So I'll need to have a deeper conversation with your wife first."
As the second-in-command of the Skeleton Faction, Kurinan had never been treated this way by a commoner.
But instead of getting angry, he became even more intrigued by Roger.
"Very well, we'll do it your way then." As he spoke, he turned to his wife. "You stay here and talk to him. I've got a pile of things to deal with—I'll head back first."
Kurinan's wife, Hathaway, nodded. "Mm."
Since she was Kurinan's wife, referring to her as "Mrs. Kurinan" was simply common practice.
"Goodbye, darling." Kurinan gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, then turned and left.
Hathaway was a beautiful woman of twenty-three, married to the middle-aged Kurinan. She had a voluptuous, seductive figure, wore her fiery red hair in long waves, and her tight, low-cut fishtail gown highlighted her near-perfect curves.
"I'll be heading off too," Celine said, giving Roger a playful wave. "Remember to finish my outfit properly and deliver it to me, okay?"
With that, she left.
Inside the shop, only Roger and Hathaway remained.
Hathaway wandered through the shop with keen interest, her eyes eventually settling on Roger.
Roger gave her a faint smile. "Mrs. Kurinan, if you don't mind waiting a moment, I'll tidy up a bit first."
Watching him move about busily, Hathaway smiled sweetly and said, "You're young and handsome. Why would you want to be a tailor?"
"This is a family craft," Roger replied. "It's the only thing I know how to do."
Hathaway leaned forward against the wooden table used for ironing clothes, staring directly at him. "Don't you know? Those noble ladies from high society love young men like you. If you got close to one of them, you'd be set for life."
Is she trying to seduce me? Roger thought to himself, but out loud he said evenly, "I've got strong teeth—I'm not used to being fed."
Hathaway covered her mouth, giggling. "Men like you always say one thing but think another."
Roger didn't respond. He quietly went about gathering the items scattered on the floor.
He had a general sense of how this world operated.
The wealthier and more powerful someone was, the stronger their desires tended to be.
Rich men keeping mistresses. Wealthy women seducing lovers. All perfectly commonplace.
Still, Roger hadn't expected Hathaway to show such intentions on her very first visit to his shop.
Then again, what could he do? He was young and attractive.
And that just happened to be the type high-society ladies were drawn to.
A little flirtation face-to-face was nothing unusual. Taking things further wouldn't be difficult either.
It all depended on Roger's choice.
Soon, he had cleaned up the mess and was ready to officially discuss her custom clothing.
Leaning casually against the counter, Roger smiled and said, "Mrs. Kurinan, I don't think you're the right kind of client for me."
Hathaway looked at him in surprise. "Why not? You're running a business to make money. Why would you be picky about your clients? Do you just not like the look of me?"
Roger gave a slight shake of his head. "No. You're beautiful. You're sexy. But you're dangerous."
Hathaway blinked. "Ah? I'm dangerous?"
The next second, she got it.
Her boldness might bring Roger a lot of unwanted trouble.
Like the fact that she was clearly trying to seduce him.
If Kurinan ever found out—regardless of whether or not she and Roger actually slept together—there was no way Kurinan would let Roger off the hook.
"Kurinan has so many mistresses, he could open a brothel with them," Hathaway said, trying to justify herself. "So is it really that wrong for me to have a lover I actually like? Besides, I don't have those kinds of thoughts about you. You don't have to worry."
Her words sounded reassuring enough, but her hands said otherwise.
As she spoke, she reached out and deliberately tugged at Roger's collar, her eyes burning with desire so intense it could've melted him on the spot.
Roger let out a helpless sigh. "Fine. I'll make you a few outfits. That work for you?"
He had technically agreed, but the message was clear—he'd make her some regular clothes, and that was it. No seductive magic lingerie.
Treating Hathaway like any other client would let him earn some money without crossing any of his personal lines.
Hathaway smiled with satisfaction. "Now that's more like it."
"What kind of styles do you prefer?" Roger asked.
Hathaway giggled with delight. "I want the kind of stockings Norna wore."
"Ah!" Roger's face lit up in surprise.
Now it all made sense—Hathaway had been planning this from the start.
Roger had underestimated how effective Norna's "marketing" had been.
At Norna's coming-of-age ceremony, all the noble ladies had seen her wearing those dazzling stockings. Naturally, someone would've asked about them.
And Norna had no doubt taken the opportunity to recommend Roger.
By now, most of Windmill Town's high-society ladies knew that Roger was the tailor who made sexy stockings.
Trying to keep it under wraps was pointless now.
"Why? Am I making things difficult for you?" Hathaway asked, raising an eyebrow.
"To be honest," Roger said frankly, "those sexy stockings fall under a special services category. I don't usually take that kind of order. If you're hoping for custom lingerie, I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
Hathaway stared at him in disbelief. "Then what would it take for you to accept my order?"
Roger thought for a moment. "Hmm… depends on your performance."
Hathaway gave a wry smile. "I just want to have a few outfits made. What kind of 'performance' do you expect? Don't tell me you want me to sleep with you or something."
Roger scoffed. "You wish."
Hathaway: "..."
She honestly couldn't figure it out—why was she, as the paying customer, the one trying so hard to please the merchant?
To her, this was absolutely ridiculous.
Still, the thought of those magical stockings—perfectly designed to show off every curve—sparked a desire in her she couldn't suppress.
And so, she came up with an idea.
She opened the little pouch she carried with her and dumped its contents onto the counter.
There were jewels and necklaces, perfume and makeup, a small ornate box filled with elixir pills, and a hefty pile of coins—seven or eight types of luxury items in all.
"I've got a lot of valuable stuff. Pick whatever you like," Hathaway said, gesturing at the pile on the counter.
Roger's eyes locked onto a small ornate box.
It was a case specifically designed to hold Elixir Pills, and there was a sealing rune cast over it.
That seal kept the Elixir Pill's potency from fading—an exclusive feature of pill boxes like this—so Roger recognized it immediately.
"What kind of Elixir Pill is this?" Roger picked up the box, inspecting it.
Hathaway replied casually, "It's a two-star Elixir Pill that boosts power levels. Pretty valuable. Don't tell me you actually want my Elixir Pill?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she quickly snatched the box back.
Even the lowest-grade, one-star Elixir Pills were worth dozens of gold coins. Two-star ones were easily double that.
There was no way Hathaway would be dumb enough to trade something like that for sexy lingerie.
That would be a total loss for her.
"Relax, I was just asking," Roger said, waving his hand dismissively. "Looks like we don't really have anything else to talk about. Goodbye."
Hathaway stood there, caught in an awkward silence.
She was beginning to realize just how strange this man was—he opened a shop for business, but was deliberately refusing customers.
Now she didn't even know how to persuade him anymore.
And deep down, she understood—even if she offered him the Elixir Pill, it probably still wouldn't be enough to change his mind.
"Be honest with me," Hathaway said, unwilling to give up. "What will it take for you to accept my order?"
She's the woman of a gang boss, Roger thought silently. Can't embarrass her too much, or I'll end up with more trouble than I can handle. Better to steer her off gently.
After thinking it over, he said, "Do you have a source for Elixir Pills that enhance natural talent?"
Hathaway shook her head. "No."
Roger let out a small sigh. "Then forget it. You're free to go. Hopefully, we'll have a chance to work together in the future."
"That's it? That's the whole negotiation?" Hathaway looked totally confused.
"That's right. We're done here," Roger replied.
"Hmph!" Hathaway scooped up her valuables, gave an annoyed huff, and turned to leave.
As she walked off, Roger watched her go, a subtle, knowing smile curling at the corner of his lips.
He knew perfectly well—just because they didn't make a deal today didn't mean they never would.
Sooner or later, he would take her order.
But not yet.
For now, Roger turned his attention to crafting the sexy lingerie three-piece set Celine had commissioned.
Celine's custom lingerie was far more expensive than usual, and carried a much higher Erotic Value.
The higher the Erotic Value, the stronger the lingerie's magical Amplification Attributes.
Roger spent the entire afternoon working.
After a night of rest, he got back to it the next morning.
By late morning, the sexy three-piece set was finally complete.