Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

In the new red dress Lucas had specially tailored for her, Celestina went from being ’just’ beautiful, to being incredibly beautiful.

If that was all, however, it wouldn’t have been enough to completely short-circuit the First and Second Queens’ brains.

What really overloaded Marianne and Cynthia’s senses was the complete ensemble Celestina was wearing tonight as it was a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

When Lucas provided Isaac and Felicity with his plans for Celestina, Eris, and Christina’s outfits, he hadn’t just given them dress and underwear designs, he had gone all-out, covering every aspect he could think of, and this was the result.

Celestina’s long, wavy red hair was let down for once, instead of being tied back in a bun or ponytail.

Her face had a faint layer of blush, as that was all her fair, creamy white skin needed.

In terms of jewelry, Lucas kept it simple with a pair of gold earrings featuring brilliant red gemstones and a delicate necklace with a red-jeweled pendant in the shape of the Balfour Family’s crest.

The dress, of course, was a revelation all its own, with its thin straps, bold low-cut top, tight fitted waist, and sheer silk skirt perfectly tailored to highlight the very best of Celestina’s appeal.

The thigh-high slit which showed off her long shapely legs added more than a little sensuality to her look as well, while the red gloves that extended up past her elbows adding a note of sophistication, making for a deadly combination.

The finishing touch for the whole outfit was another of Lucas’ ’inventions’, an intricate pair of red and gold high-heel sandals.

When Celestina first saw this new style of shoe, she hadn’t liked them very much as she felt they would not only be uncomfortable, but also hard to run and move around in, but Felicity had insisted she at least try them on.

Reluctant as she was, Celestina agreed, thinking she would wear the heels for a little bit, find them to be without any merit, then take them off and refuse to put them on again, but when saw how they looked together with her new dress, the Marquess became torn.

It was difficult to believe just how much these strange pieces of footwear added to her look, but if Celestina was forced to admit that only after slipping on the pair of heels did her outfit look ’complete’.

Normally, when Celestina had a choice between looking pretty and being comfortable, she would choose the latter without hesitation, but for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to do that this time.

Perhaps it was because these were a gift from her First Disciple, or perhaps it was her inner feminine instincts winning out just this once, whatever the case was, Celestina ultimately decided she could learn to put up with this new type of shoe, as long as she didn’t have wear them all the time.

She even imagined that in a pinch, she could take them off and use them like a pair of hooked daggers.

Celestina was pragmatic like that...

Now, these ’high-heels’ were certainly not the most practical footwear Celestina had ever worn, nor were they the most comfortable, but as a Complete High-Rank Adept Cultivator and a highly-skilled warrior, it actually didn’t her very long to adjust to them.

A few breaking-in sessions over the next couple of days allowed Celestina to fully adapt to her new shoes, and she was now able to run, kick, and fight in heels as well as any she could with just about any other footwear in her wardrobe.

Besides, Lucas hadn’t gone completely crazy and had made sure these sandals were manufactured from solid materials, had a wider heel, and were ’only’ 6 cm tall, a rather modest height compared to some of the more outrageous designs he had seen in his inherited memories.

Lucas had actually wanted to include some fancy lace or gold trim on his Master’s dress, but Isaac and Felicity had told him that given the time constraints, such detailed work could, at best, be put onto one dress.

Considering that Christina was tonight’s real star, Lucas had opted to have that extra effort dedicated to his Junior Sister’s outfit.

That said, Celestina was still drop-dead gorgeous in her new outfit, an opinion that was universally shared amongst everyone who saw her today, especially those familiar with how she usually dressed.

Rough, practical clothing or battle armour, that was basically the full contents of Celestina’s wardrobe. Sure, she had the standard formalwear expected of a Marquess lying around somewhere, but any time she could avoid wearing those pieces, she would.

The red dress Lucas made for her, however, Celestina didn’t mind slipping on and showing-off because it was just that dazzling, and from how Cynthia and Marianne were still gawking at her nearly a minute after she walked into the room, it seemed they agreed.

When the First and Third Queens finally managed to snap out of their daze, the first thing they did was turn to Lucas and glare at him meaningfully.

Needless to say, Lucas got the message despite no words having been spoken.

Feeling like he had started something he could no longer control, the young boy smiled helplessly and offered, ”3 dresses each.”

Nodding with satisfaction, the two Queens beamed happily before finally addressing Celestina, Cynthia going first, ”You’re looking positively radiant, Marquess Balfour!”

”Third Sister is right,” Marianne nodded, ”You’ve always been beautiful, Teacher, but today your charm is on a whole other level.”

”Oh, you two,” Celestina laughed the praise off casually, ”Stop trying to flatter me; it’s just some new clothes and a little bit of makeup.”

”Not at all, Teacher,” Marianne objected forcefully, ”The clothes are certainly dazzling, to the point that I am feeling extremely envious of them, but even if we were to trade outfits, I am certain it wouldn’t look nearly as gorgeous as you do in them.”

”Yes yes,” Cynthia Morgan agreed vigorously, ”A dress is only as beautiful as the one wearing it, Lady Celestina; all this outfit does is bring out your already stunning looks. In fact, I’m positive that if we were to stand together in public right now, I wouldn’t be able to hold onto my title as the kingdom’s number one beauty anymore!”