The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 210: Demeanor and Status

Vol 2 Chapter 210 Demeanor and Status

Waves crashed against the shore, the fierce sunlight making it hard to keep one’s eyes open.

Sylutia wore a black sun hat and a black summer dress, walking in the gentle sea breeze as she followed the maid to the bustling outdoor market.

This was right beside the harbor, where goods freshly unloaded from ships were being moved to stalls for sale; the air smelled of fish mixed with spices, and the cobblestones underfoot were a bit hot.

Going down the steps, Sylutia arrived at the stalls and looked around one by one; there were valuable spices, olive oil from southern estates, and fresh melons, fruits, and vegetables.

Vendors shouted, hawking their goods, while some stalls were quieter, with powerful shop owners negotiating wholesale deals.

The crowd included not only city residents but also some small merchants who bought in bulk here and then transported goods inland to villages and towns to earn a margin.

Overall, these were ordinary people’s items; only a few stalls sold special Transcendent goods.

“Would you like a comb, miss?” a vendor called out when the young girl passed, trying to sell his wares.

Sylutia glanced at the wooden combs on his stall; they were simple, coated with paulownia lacquer.“How much?”

“Thirty copper coins, miss.” That price sounded noticeably high to Sylutia, but she wasn’t sure if she simply didn’t understand local prices.

“Margo.” She looked toward the maid behind her.

“Miss, let’s look at the next one,” the maid suggested.

“All right.” The girl obediently turned to leave, and the two continued toward other nearby stalls.

Only then did the maid explain why she had advised against buying earlier.

“That kind of comb isn’t very suitable for you.” So it wasn’t about the price.

“Then what kind of comb should I buy?” the girl asked curiously.

“If it’s for long-term use, it’s best to have one exclusively—buy an ivory comb. That’s appropriate for your status.”

“Ivory? Is it necessary to be that extravagant?” She felt there wasn’t much difference between the two combs.

“Yes. If you use something too cheap, people will... talk.” The maid chose her words carefully; had she not hesitated, she would have said people would mock her.

“The Griffin Family is a well-known household in Quebec; we cannot appear too shabby, or people will think something’s wrong inside the family.”

“If we lose face like that, other families will reduce dealings with us, and business talks will become difficult because they’ll worry we can’t pay and might default.” Margo advised the girl—she assumed the girl came from an ordinary commoner background. Though pretty, she hadn’t seen the world and didn’t understand how the wealthy maintain appearances.

“I understand.”

After that, the maid led Sylutia to the eastern side of the market, where there were several well-decorated shops; a few even had glass display cases showing off delicate merchandise.

“You can look around here.”

Sylutia entered one of the shops with some curiosity; it sold furniture—vanity tables, cabinets, desks, chairs—made from various materials, including common woods, ceramics, and special stone.

“Welcome, miss. What can I help you with? Just tell me. We have many boutique pieces designed by Master Misaki.” A shop assistant in formal attire greeted them warmly.

Faced with such overflowing enthusiasm, Sylutia felt slightly uncomfortable; she was simply curious and had come in to look.

“I want to see items for grooming.”

“All right, what style are you looking for?”

Style? The girl couldn’t immediately name a specific style she liked.

“It needs to match the overall style of your room, so it looks appropriate.” The assistant went on at length about matching details and decorative considerations; the sheer number of nuances made Sylutia gape.

“So you mean doing the whole set will make it look proper and earn compliments, right?”

“Exactly.”

“How much would that cost?”

“I calculated for you. Considering it’s your first time here, we’ll give you a very generous price—just 150 gold coins to decorate it all. It’s an absolute bargain.”

One hundred fifty gold coins meant little to the pocket money Sylutia had saved, but for Hedra, that would be a huge sum.

“Sorry, I’ll think it over.” Sylutia left the shop.

Are prices always like this here? She clearly felt items here were much more expensive than in Regas.

“Yes. The price he quoted was within a reasonable range. If you haggle carefully, you could probably get it down to around 120 gold coins.” Margo thought for a moment.

“That’s too expensive.” The girl blinked; now that she was Hedra, she couldn’t waste money like that.

They visited several more shops. Sylutia eventually bought a suitable ivory comb, carved with swimming fish and wave patterns; the teeth were finely polished, and the tag price was sixty silver coins.

After buying the comb, Sylutia had little money left; she bought some fruits she had never eaten and then returned home.

That evening, Alanfude had not returned; he was said to be out negotiating business, and Lady Haier was at a gathering with other noblewomen. At the dinner table were only the three siblings.

Sylutia quietly ate her roast meat pie and drank the prepared coconut water; across from her, Ecor enjoyed a large chicken leg, while Eriel frowned at food she found a bit cloying.

Her gaze happened to fall on the dark-haired girl opposite, and irritation rose again—she felt that an alien intruder had appeared in what had been a fairly decent family.

“You’re called Hedra, right?” Eriel couldn’t help speaking.

“Yes, Sister Eriel.” The girl paused.

The more Sylutia behaved appropriately, the more displeased Eriel became, and her tone worsened again.

“Where are you from?”

“I used to live in Greenshore in Nordson.” That was where Alanfude had met Vanessa.

“Nordson I know.” After all, it was Alanfude’s hometown; the siblings had visited once.

“Can you read?” Eriel suddenly asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh? Who taught you?”

“A teacher in town. He also taught me arithmetic.” Hedra had indeed learned these things.

“What else?”

“Not much else.” Hearing this, Eriel’s mouth lifted slightly, as if she’d caught a weakness.

“I see. Can you recite a poem by the Minstrel?” The Minstrel was a famous bard from the southern continent three hundred years ago; his poems were beloved by many young girls and commonly used by teachers as beginner reading.

“I know some.”

“Recite one for me then—I’ll test you.”

“Which one?”

“The Crab Woman.” That poem tells of a woman who sold crabs while impersonating a noblewoman, only to be unmasked and mocked by a true noble lady.

Eriel likely meant to belittle her, and Sylutia quickly understood the intent; she remembered the poem but saw no need to perform it now.

“Sorry, I forgot.”

“See? You can’t.” Eriel shook her head and glanced at her again.

“I could recite the Minstrel’s poems by age ten, and by seventeen I had condensed my Aspect.” She spread her fingers; a bead of water rose from her cup and formed a flowing ring of water in the air.

“See that?” She waved her finger proudly; the water spiraled in the air, flew past Sylutia’s cheek, circled behind her, and returned to Eriel’s fingertip.

“I’m already a Transcendent, while you still need to work twice as hard. At your current learning pace, it’ll probably take you ten years to catch up, but don’t lose hope—we can still afford to keep you.”

Seventeen and condensed her Aspect? If it was a spontaneous condensation, that would indeed be impressive, but Sylutia clearly felt the First Tier Snail Fish Eriel condensed was weak and slightly uncoordinated.

This was probably an Aspect condensed with the aid of an external object; although one could still break through, the foundation was poor and later advancement would be difficult. Missing classes earlier would require extra catching up, which only made progress harder. In Sylutia’s impression, only the worthless children of affluent families in Regas used family resources to advance in such a way.

“Thank you for your guidance, Sister Eriel.” Sylutia maintained a bit of face for the other, anyway she wouldn’t be staying long.