After pondering for a moment, Elina decided to postpone the design for this male lead character. When he and Helen walk hand in hand into the wedding hall and hold a grand ceremony, that would be the perfect time to release the precious SSR wedding dress cards, which would naturally require a large number of paper dolls and cards as buildup. To maintain the rarity balance of SSR, this would be a perfect opportunity to cleverly insert the SR male lead card.
In her vision, the vampire family—whether the male lead or other relatives—should only appear once. Therefore, if the male lead only appears as an R-rank card, it would undoubtedly be a waste of his identity.
Having happily made this decision, Elina began focusing intently on designing the vampire collaboration cards.
This was the first debut of the vampire "remix" version, so it had to be extremely handsome! And their style had to be set—undoubtedly Gothic. Since there were many precedents to draw from, she only needed to follow in the footsteps of those before her.
Gothic style, originally an art style from the Middle Ages, first appeared prominently in architecture, then swept through painting and sculpture. Later, Gothic novels became all the rage in the last century. As for Gothic fashion, it only gradually emerged around the early 20th century.
Although some claim that Gothic fashion actually originates from 19th-century mourning attire—simply put, funeral clothes.
Yes, nowadays the upper class treat funerals as occasions with strict etiquette, just like a ball requires evening gowns. If you don't wear mourning clothes at a funeral, you are seen as rude and lacking in mourning spirit.
Because of poor hygiene and frequent deaths, mourning attire gradually evolved into an alternative form of fashion. Women who lost husbands or children had to wear mourning clothes and black veils for at least a year and a half, grandparents for six to nine months, siblings for six months, wearing the same clothes every day for such a long time. For some women who had already moved on from grief, this was nearly unbearable.
Therefore, the mourning period was gradually divided into three parts: starting immediately with "deep mourning," then "ordinary mourning," and finally "light mourning," each stage having its own recognized fashion standards.
At first glance, these mourning clothes indeed carry some Gothic style characteristics—heavy use of black, complemented by velvet, lace, corsets, and gloves, as well as leather, silver accessories, and somewhat unstable stilettos—almost indistinguishable from later Gothic fashion.
Well, this kind of clothing really does feel like mourning attire, so Elina decided that this vampire collaboration could be a "mourning (crossed out) Gothic style special."
"Hmm…" After hearing Elina's idea, Janet and Elizabeth both showed slightly puzzled expressions. "But such clothing, except for funerals and mourning periods, it's really hard to have a chance to wear it out, right?"
In short, they both thought this design seemed impractical.
Elina tried to persuade them, "If we can design mourning clothes that are both traditional and beautiful, maybe every lady would want to own a set?"
Janet thought back to her wardrobe and did have a simple mourning outfit, but rarely had the chance to wear it out, even forgetting it existed at times, so she hesitated: "Although you say that... but isn't this really too niche?"
Elizabeth, however, began to be drawn to Elina's idea: "What's wrong with niche? We already have so many daily wear Helen cards. I think if designed properly, a beautiful mourning outfit could be quite appealing."
In the countryside, because the village circles are small and everyone knows each other, once someone dies, almost everyone in the village wears mourning clothes to the funeral. Moreover, the noble circles are also relatively small, with many intermarriages between noble families. If one family holds a funeral, the neighboring nobles are usually invited.
For a noble lady like Elizabeth, funerals are not unfamiliar occasions. She attends funerals almost every year with her parents, often not knowing the deceased personally—it's more like a social occasion.
Speaking of which, it seems only the middle class rarely has opportunities to attend funerals—they neither have such close-knit village ties nor the complex kinship relations of the upper class.
"Oh? You've attended many funerals?" Elina asked curiously. "What are the mourning clothes usually like?"
"First is deep mourning," Elizabeth recited like a well-versed scholar, clearly taught by her governess, "Usually worn by widows, it consists of the darkest black dresses and gloves; pins and buckles must also be black, with a dark crêpe veil. No decorations allowed—no bows or ruffles; the only allowance is deep pleats. This attire must be worn for a full year."
Janet and Elina both widened their eyes. Since neither of them had husbands, this was their first time hearing such an experience.
Besides losing a husband, the half-mourning clothes for close or distant relatives are slightly more relaxed, allowing some black bows and ruffles, hats with black ribbons or tulle flowers, even wearing luxurious jewelry. By the light mourning period, wearing pale purple, purple, or gray clothing becomes acceptable.
"If the whole family is wearing mourning clothes," Elizabeth explained while sharing mourning knowledge and offering advice to Elina, "it probably means the count's father has passed away. In that case, the count and his lady must observe a whole year of mourning, while their children's mourning lasts at most six months."
Although Elina originally did not plan for the count to have a father—indeed, in her design, the count had already lived for at least two centuries and his father was long deceased—she chose the Gothic (modern mourning) style because both Gothic and the vampire remix version share a mysterious, dark, romantic atmosphere, making it a perfect fit.
However, Elizabeth's kindness and suggestions did give Elina some inspiration. Perhaps, in Helen's noble eyes, the count's family truly is one who just lost a beloved grandfather. Hmm, why not?
Unfortunately, the pamphlet from the Vos tailor shop only showed a few relatively ordinary mourning clothes that looked like very plain dresses, far from fashionable. Indeed, mourning clothes are mainly functional; without precedent, few people try to add fashion elements to them.
"Looks like this needs careful consideration," Elina stretched lazily. "Feels like a big project."
While she busied herself designing paper dolls, the club members also received "reference materials" from Duke Berkeley, who was also "vacationing" in the countryside.
Initially, Vera and Grace had hoped it was a misunderstanding—maybe Duke Berkeley's letter was ambiguous, and perhaps what the goddess wanted to see was just some "passionate" romantic drama, not the kind of book that made their faces turn yellow with embarrassment.
However, after receiving the reference materials, all hope was dashed. Vera never expected that Duke Berkeley would actually send such inappropriate books!
"He also… this also…" Vera was at a loss for words, "How could he…"
Grace completely understood her feelings, "This stuff is, well, quite…"
The duke did not even use his own name! The letter was written under a completely unfamiliar name and tone; only the address came from Berkeley Palace, with no apparent connection to the duke himself. When the club's butler distributed these books, he kept a perfectly straight face—hard to tell what he was thinking. They thought they were receiving legitimate reference materials and opened the books immediately in the study.
God knows how shocked Vera was to read those words unexpectedly. If there had been a crack in the floor, she definitely would have jumped in without hesitation.
"I'm going back," Grace blushed, grabbing the "precious" reference books as she slipped toward the study door. Vera breathed a sigh of relief, not daring to imagine the butler's expression then; he was surely secretly mocking them!
She angrily flipped open the first page, "I want to see why the goddess would like a book like this!"
However, as a noble, she was bound by complicated etiquette since childhood. Even browsing the first paragraph, not to mention finishing the whole page, was already difficult.
Although she prided herself as a rebel among nobles seeking freedom, facing such a book, she felt unprecedented hardship. The whole day passed, and she couldn't muster courage to continue reading, as if crossing that page would make her become someone despised by the upper class.
In high society, the concept of "restraining desires" is deeply ingrained to the bone. Even though she knew that reading this book was a necessary step to return to her family and integrate into normal human society, she could not shake off the teachings instilled since childhood—about morality, etiquette, and identity—that bound her thoughts and actions like invisible shackles.
In contrast, Grace performed much better in this regard. Although she also found some scenes and words in the book hard to bear, as a daughter of a believer, she firmly believed the goddess was flawless. If this was the goddess's will, then no matter the obstacles ahead, she would cross them without hesitation and follow the goddess's path unwaveringly.
"This is a test from the goddess," Grace took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "It's only words, it doesn't represent the real world."
But this test was undeniably a tough one!