The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 214: The Mansion Gathering

Vol 2 Chapter 214: The Mansion Gathering

Sylutia's life in Quebec became regular.

During the day, she studied at the lighthouse, learning the various theoretical foundations needed to become a mage, as well as studying the secret arts texts placed in Nox's study.

In the evening, she would bid farewell to her instructor and take a walk down the seaside cliffs, returning to Alanfude's mansion in the city.

Sylutia really liked this evening walk time. She could see beautiful sunset clouds, listen to the sound of waves on the beach, watch the undulating long sails at the distant port, and then step lightly along the stone path beneath her feet.

Occasionally, she would buy a warm piece of bread from a roadside pastry shop, carry it back, and have it as a late-night snack while reading and studying.

Currently, she presented herself to the outside world as a mortal who had not condensed an Aspect. If she wanted to go to the Mage Alliance, she would at least need to condense a 'First Tier' Aspect, and this time she chose 'Secret Word'.

Aspect [Secret Word]: History is hidden within words, the past forges the future.

This is an Aspect concerning 'history,' 'records,' 'legal codes,' and 'memory.' It is also the Aspect most suitable for becoming a scholar. After condensing this Aspect, one gains an improvement in memory. Upon reaching high tiers, one can also transmit many sensations and pieces of information difficult to describe with language through the secret arts of this Aspect.

As a primary Aspect, it is weak because it lacks offensive, defensive, and production methods. But as a supporting Aspect, it is extremely convenient and can be combined with many Aspects.For example, paired with 'Castle,' it can materialize authority into a certain binding rule, making it manifest within a domain. Paired with 'Luminous Moon,' it can span thousands of miles, using special light rays to transmit information. The 'Water Mirror Rituals' used previously when exploring the Shadow World were like this.

Or paired with 'Slumbering Winter,' it can seal a memory or feeling within a gem or vessel, transmitting it to the next person.

It can be paired with 'Gold Steam,' allowing certain high-tier mechanical constructs to possess self-repair capabilities, and so on.

When facing a vast ocean of knowledge, 'Secret Word' can greatly accelerate learning and memorization speed. Therefore, most mages will also cultivate the abilities of the 'Secret Word' Aspect. The majority of high-tier mages possess the dual Aspects of 'Gold Steam · Secret Word.'

After setting her goal, Sylutia, following the techniques taught by Nox, organized her knowledge notes and continuously summarized and categorized the content she had learned during this period. Until one day, when she had completely digested and absorbed this knowledge and formed her own theoretical knowledge system, the 'Secret Word' Aspect would condense, allowing her to step onto the Path of that Aspect.

Sitting by the window, Sylutia closed the book and observed her own progress.

In about three more days, she would be able to condense 'First Tier · Secret Word.'

The early stages of this type of 'Aspect' rely most on meticulous, gradual effort, regardless of how high one's talent is. However, Sylutia's speed was still much faster than an ordinary person's. It was probably because the systematic education she received from childhood in her previous life made organizing and constructing knowledge frameworks much easier and simpler for her compared to people in this world.

Looking at the starry night sky outside, Sylutia stood by the window for a while, enjoying the breeze, then extinguished the candle lamp and went to sleep.

The next day was a rest day; she didn't need to go to the lighthouse.

It had been almost two weeks since she arrived in Quebec, and the servants in the mansion were gradually getting used to the presence of this newly arrived Third Young Miss.

"Today the house seems very busy," Sylutia remarked, seeing the servants in the mansion walking back and forth, carrying various things.

The maidservant Margo, standing nearby, heard this and bent down to tell the young lady.

"Yes, the Eldest Young Miss is hosting a gathering at home today and has invited many familiar friends."

"Is that so? When will they start, roughly?" Sylutia asked, slightly curious.

"A few close acquaintances will arrive before lunch. The majority of the others will arrive around two in the afternoon," Margo answered.

"That seems like it will be soon," Sylutia estimated, as it was already almost ten in the morning.

She left her room and took a walk in the courtyard. She saw many beautiful flowers and plants arranged here, along with several temporarily hired musicians tuning their instruments. On the grass nearby, wide tables were set up, covered with white tablecloths and displaying washed fruits and some pastries.

"Third Young Miss," the maids and servants on the path greeted her one by one, bowing their heads, but they soon returned to their busy tasks.

Sylutia didn't mind this. After walking around for a bit, she returned to her room, planning to continue reading for a while.

At that moment, bursts of laughter and conversation came from the mansion's front courtyard.

"Eriel, did you prepare this? It's really beautiful. You must have put a lot of thought into it." The voice sounded like that of a girl around Eriel's age.

"Vina, you're still so good with words, hehehe." The young lady heard Eriel's familiar laughter.

Then came a burst of chattering. Eriel and several close girlfriends sat on the long bench of the corridor's railing, chatting and laughing, talking about recent interesting events.

"Have you heard? The clothing shop in the east of the city purchased a batch of expensive fabric from the east."

"It seems to be called 'Sea Spun Gauze.' It's very light, thin, soft, and has a great feel. When placed in sunlight, it emits fine, fragmented colored light."

"I saw Madam Sarah wearing it at the City Lord's mansion banquet the day before yesterday. She used the Sea Spun Gauze as an outer layer over a golden silk dress. This filtered out the overly direct and tacky golden light of the silk, creating a hazy effect. So many people were stunned that night. It was only then that everyone inquired and learned about this new fabric, Sea Spun Gauze."

"According to that clothing shop owner, this is a specialty from the 'Harp Flower Union' over there. Local artisans weave it into yarn using a special fish glue. It's very difficult to make, more expensive than its weight in gold coins."

"I wish I had a piece."

The group chatted, and the topic shifted to other directions.

"Hey, Eriel, didn't you recently gain a younger sister? Why haven't we seen her come out?" one of them inquired.

"Her? She's probably not home," Eriel said, somewhat unwilling to let her friends see Hedra.

"Where would she go if not home in the morning?"

"I heard she found a tutor to give her remedial lessons. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing," Eriel said casually.

"Remedial lessons? Didn't she go to school before? Hehe." One girl spoke and laughed.

"Well, you've probably heard. She's from a small, remote place. What could she possibly learn there?" Eriel responded disdainfully, as if she weren't talking about a member of her own family.

"To be saddled with such a younger sister..." She shook her head again.

"Eriel, it's also difficult for you. If that younger sister gets a bad reputation, it won't be easy for you to marry later either," one girlfriend said, touching on a sore spot.

"Hmph." Eriel frowned slightly, feeling somewhat annoyed inside.

Seeing her in a bad mood, another person quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Alright, let's not talk about this. Let's continue chatting about other things."

Time passed quickly. At noon, Eriel entertained her friends with a meal in the family dining room. Of course, she didn't call for Sylutia during this time. Only at the end did she hear from a servant about the Third Young Miss's situation.

"She didn't go to class today?" Eriel frowned.

"No, the Third Young Miss is resting today."

"Of all days to rest, she picks the day I'm hosting a gathering. She really knows how to pick her time," Eriel stamped her foot.

"You keep an eye on her. Don't let her leave her room."

"Is that alright? After all, the master said to take care of the Third Young Miss. If we stop her, wouldn't that..." Several servants looked hesitant.

"You must listen to me today. As for Father, I'll explain it to him later."

"We understand," they reluctantly agreed.

After the servants left, Eriel paced back and forth in her room.

"So annoying. If she comes out, I'll have to introduce and explain her to everyone. If she were really my cousin, that would be fine; the relationship is distant anyway."

"But Mother said she's actually Father's illegitimate child from outside. If this gets exposed, my reputation will be affected too," she muttered to herself, somewhat agitated.

"The key is she doesn't understand anything. Probably a country bumpkin, doesn't know etiquette. What if she embarrasses herself at the gathering? That scene would be..." Eriel felt her own face would be utterly lost.

"A country bumpkin from out of town, trying to climb the social ladder. It's laughable. How could such a story play out in my family?"

"Besides, today I also invited Young Master Weiss. That silly boy's personality is relatively easy to understand, but if someone interrupts, the others won't let it go." Not everyone at this gathering was Eriel's close friend. Some could only be called surface-level friends, secret competitors.

Although Eriel disliked some of them, as peers in Quebec's upper-class circles, if she didn't invite them, it would seem too deliberate, as if she were targeting them specifically.

Carrying a mix of anxiety, irritation, anticipation, and nervousness, time slowly approached the afternoon. The mansion's front courtyard gradually filled with carriages.

Young masters and young ladies from Quebec's upper-class circles made their appearances one after another.