The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 89: The White Knight in the Mountains

Vol 2 Chapter 89: The White Knight in the Mountains

Scorchstone City, Lady Franne's residence.

Talier and Lining, dressed in maid uniforms, were tidying up various items in the rooms, packing them, and sealing them in boxes.

'Madam, should we take the furniture from the second floor too?' Talier walked down the stairs holding a dressing case and placed it to the side, waiting to be packed later.

"The furniture on the second floor won't be necessary." Lady Franne, sitting on a wooden sofa, thought for a moment before answering.

"Those things are too heavy, just leave them here. Also, seal up the things in Tia's room properly. She might come back to live here in the future."

"Understood." Talier nodded, thinking of that silver-haired figure.

Come to think of it, Tia had already been gone to the Hidden Grove for two years. She wondered how she was doing now, if she had recovered her memories, if she was living well there. She heard the Hidden Grove was very dangerous.

It was early winter, and Scorchstone City wasn't too cold yet. The fireplace in the mansion's hall was burning, emitting a faint warmth.

Lady Franne, wearing a long dress with a goose-gold base and gold thread embroidery, sat upright by the fireplace. She held a teacup in one hand, taking small sips, while her gaze looked into the distance, reminiscing about certain things.She had already stayed in Scorchstone City for four years. It was time to leave. Even though she was accustomed to this lifestyle of traveling and relocating every few years, she still felt nostalgic and remembered some past events whenever she left a place she had grown used to.

Over these years, besides the things she always did like exchanging knowledge with local gardeners, attending gatherings and tea parties, and investigating local plants, her greatest gain and change was taking on a special 'apprentice', Sylutia.

Although she was her student, in Lady Franne's eyes, this young girl was also quite mysterious. Her talent was very high, and her personality was exceptionally good—so good it made Lady Franne somewhat curious.

Generally speaking, a person's character is related to their upbringing environment, but Lady Franne couldn't imagine what kind of environment this young girl grew up in.

If she came from an extremely wealthy family, she would have a kind of innate confidence and pride, what many would call 'noble airs'. But in Lady Franne's view, Sylutia's personality contained a hint of delicate caution and meticulousness. This was probably a habit formed spontaneously in childhood when facing an unstable environment.

But if one said Sylutia came from a very poor background, that wasn't right either. She didn't have a strong desire for things like money and profit, nor did she care much for fame, fortune, or the admiration of others. It was as if she possessed an innate wisdom and tranquility. These were indeed qualities that could only be cultivated with a good family background, a favorable upbringing, and the influence of knowledge and education.

She possessed both the shy purity of a young girl and foresight and intelligence far beyond her tender years, making her exceptionally easy to teach.

Although she couldn't figure out how the other's personality and temperament were formed, it didn't affect Lady Franne's fondness for this student. She actually hadn't considered taking on a disciple before, as she wasn't someone easily bound by various emotions.

But this time, it truly made her feel a sense of nostalgia for this student that she hadn't experienced before—missing the familiar environment when Sylutia lived here, the faint youthful awkwardness as she learned things, her clever talent that grasped concepts with just a hint, and the occasional adorable expressions and movements she displayed.

Her own departure was already decided. She would leave this place to her. In the future, when she returned to Scorchstone City, she would have a small home of her own.

Lady Franne stood up, went into the courtyard, gave Lining some more instructions, then locked the various main doors of the residence and closed them properly.

"Is the carriage convoy ready?" she asked.

"It's ready. It's the 'Oak Barrel' guild's convoy. They will arrive tomorrow morning." Lining bowed as she answered.

"Very good." Lady Franne nodded, then handed a golden key to Lining.

"Deliver this key to the nearest 'Four Seasons Alliance' branch. Entrust them with its safekeeping, to be handed over to Sylutia when she returns later."

"Understood." Lining took the key and left the residence first.

The next day, at dawn, one carriage after another drove out from the residence, carrying Lady Franne's belongings and valuables, heading out of Scorchstone City. At that moment, Lady Franne stood before the main gate of the residence, took one last look, then also boarded a carriage and followed the convoy away.

On the road, the Ante Kingdom guards, though somewhat greedy looking at these cargo wagons, restrained themselves due to their commanding officer's orders and let them pass.

One month later, this group walked out of the area controlled by the Ante Kingdom and headed towards the far north. They would traverse several countries until they reached a small country near the north in the central part of the continent. That was Lady Franne's homeland, the plains where wind chime grass bloomed.

...

Deep winter, the residence where Viscount Xuefeng was under house arrest.

There were still a few of Viscount Xuefeng's personal guards and two knights under his command guarding the place. But the Ante Kingdom soldiers monitoring them outside the walls were always a sharp sword hanging over their heads, making Viscount Xuefeng uneasy.

Fortunately, Haili and Fude had left White Cliff City before it fell and were now both by his side.

Haili and Fude were Viscount Xuefeng's daughter and son. They were originally studying in White Cliff City, but Viscount Xuefeng, sensing something was wrong, had them return early, thus sparing them from being trapped in the war that engulfed White Cliff City.

Unfortunately, even he could no longer preserve his family's glory now. He could only gather the important people close to him, hoping to safely weather this period of transition and turmoil.

Forget about noble status in the future. If he could have a quiet residence in a foreign land to spend the rest of his days, that would probably be a very good outcome.

He stood by the window gazing at the night sky, silently thinking to himself. Unfortunately, the current situation made it difficult for him to ever feel at ease.

These stationed soldiers came to him every other day, saying things in the castle were incomplete, or picking at him with all sorts of strange questions and criticisms. Although Viscount Xuefeng wasn't a noble skilled in social interaction, he could still tell these Ante Kingdom knights and soldiers wanted to extort benefits from him.

He had some savings, but if he was extorted like this every day, there would eventually come a day when he couldn't pay. He didn't know what kind of face they would show then.

Thinking of this, his mood sank again.

He didn't know when this situation would end, or what price he would have to pay to take his family and guards away from Scorchstone City to somewhere else.

Just as Viscount Xuefeng was frowning in sorrow, the sound of hurried footsteps came up the stairs.

"Milord." A familiar guard reported to him.

"What is it?" Viscount Xuefeng took a deep breath, temporarily calming his mood, and turned to ask.

"That group of Ante Kingdom soldiers is here again. They say there's a thief in the city who stole something from them, and he might be hiding in the residence we live in. They demand to come in and search."

Hearing this, Viscount Xuefeng's anger flared, but he also felt a wave of powerlessness. If he resisted now, the many Ante Kingdom troops stationed in the city would have a perfect reason to take action.

So he could only forcibly suppress his anger, pick up his coat, and walk down the stairs.

"I understand. I'll go take a look."

Several minutes later, he arrived at the main gate of the residence. By then, quite a few people had already gathered in front of the gate. On one side were Viscount Xuefeng's personal guards; on the other was a group of Ante Kingdom soldiers reeking of alcohol.

The leader was a Second Tier captain. Seeing Viscount Xuefeng appear, he stepped forward and called out in a mocking, sarcastic tone, "Oh, Lord Xuefeng going to bed so early?"

"Of course, you are a lofty noble, while we are just peasants grown from the mud. Naturally, we can't compare to your nobility."

"However, while you go to bed early with your beautiful wife, you haven't considered that the public security in the city isn't good right now. Some thieves are running amok everywhere, stealing everyone's money. Since you were the local lord here before, you must know the situation with the local thieves very well."

"We've searched all over the city and found no leads. Now we can only come here to take a look."

"I hope Lord Viscount Xuefeng will not obstruct our actions to punish criminals." After saying this, he waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him surged in through the gate.

"Halt!" Viscount Xuefeng ordered the group to stop, then fixed his gaze firmly on the captain before him.

As if having made a great resolution, he slowly spoke.

"I know the Ante Kingdom's military discipline is strict, and there certainly wouldn't be any ill intent. But after all, this is my private residence. There are still many female family members inside who would be inconvenienced by seeing too many outsiders."

"I will conduct my own inspection later to see if any thieves have sneaked in and are hiding. I ask for your understanding." After saying this, he whispered to the attendant beside him.

Soon after, several people carried out a heavy iron chest and placed it before the group of soldiers. Even without opening it, everyone could guess it was surely filled with gleaming gold coins.

Seeing this, the captain hesitated. If they could go in and ransack the place, the gains would certainly be greater. But judging by Viscount Xuefeng's reaction, if they continued to press, it might lead to a fight. Even if Viscount Xuefeng ended up with not a bone left afterward, he himself was only Second Tier, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't suffer some accident during the siege.

"Fine. Since Lord Xuefeng is so sincere, we won't disturb you further." After saying this, he had his companions pick up the iron chest and walked out the main gate with hearts full of warmth and satisfaction.

With this sum of money, they could live it up for a while again. Who knows, they might even save up some capital, and later, in the areas occupied by Regas, marry, have children, and become the new noble lords of the land.

This was the greatest pursuit of many ordinary soldiers when following the army on campaigns. It was also by using such benefits as temptation that the Ante Kingdom had launched multiple large-scale wars within just a few years, conscripting enough soldiers to serve as cannon fodder.

Since the Ante Kingdom occupied the territory of Regas, the circumstances of the original Regas nobles plummeted. Many, even if they had transferred out part of their wealth, suffered greatly reduced vitality.

Just as Viscount Xuefeng was worrying about his future situation and safety, a knight clad in white armor traversed the mountain paths and wilderness, galloping all the way towards Scorchstone City.

Alone, yet his posture was lofty, his aura conspicuous. That holy armor and plumes all proclaimed he was different from ordinary soldiers and mortals. He was a formal knight who had stepped into the Third Tier, and moreover, a 'White Knight' who had completed trials and possessed powerful core abilities.