The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 57: First Social Gathering

In the early morning, sitting before the dressing table, Lining meticulously groomed and dressed Sylutia.

First, she helped Sylutia put on that slightly elaborate formal gown. The base color of this dress was a bright, summery yellow, with pure white lace trim adorning parts of the collar and edges. The overall feel wasn't restrictive at all; instead, it offered a relaxed and comfortable sensation, perfect for an outing.

The cuffs featured ruffled sleeves. About a finger's width from the cuff's edge, there were thin white ribbons that could be slightly tightened and tied into dainty little bows, accentuating the slenderness of her wrists. The ends of the sleeves, shaped like curved lotus leaves, partially covered the backs of her hands, making her fingers resemble stamens peeking out from petals, exceptionally lovely.

After arranging the dress, Lining then styled a very thin braid into the hair at Sylutia's temple, preventing the hairstyle from being too monotonous. Finally, she placed on her head a bright yellow sun hat that matched the dress, adorned with a large white bow and several pale pink, light blue, and bright yellow flowers.

Once fully dressed and groomed, Sylutia looked as if she had stepped out of a fairy tale, possessing a somewhat dreamlike beauty.

"All done, Miss Tia. You can try standing up and taking a few steps to see how it feels. If anything is uncomfortable, I can continue adjusting it for you."

"Alright."

Sylutia stood up lightly. On her feet were light-colored, lace-up leather shoes. She began walking around the room. Although she felt a bit unaccustomed at first, she quickly got used to it, her steps becoming light and easy, as if she had often worn similar clothes in the past.

A little while later, Lining accompanied Sylutia downstairs. By now, Lady Franne was already waiting in the living room.

Seeing Sylutia holding her skirt as she descended the stairs, Lady Franne couldn't help but smile and gently clap her hands."Just as I expected, utterly adorable."

"Since preparations are almost complete, let's set off. Today, I'll take you to meet a few friends in the city." She stood up.

"Talier." She called out to the girl who was watching, mesmerized.

"Yes, my lady." Talier straightened her posture.

"I'll trouble you to watch the house today. If any bad people come, just ring the bell; someone will come to inquire and help."

"Yes, my lady." She nodded, feeling both honored and surprised, not expecting to be entrusted with such an important task after only being here for a few days.

"Lining, is the carriage ready?"

"The carriage is ready and already waiting outside."

"Good. You escort Sylutia over, then." After saying this, she turned and nodded to Sylutia, then walked out of the living room.

Several minutes later, the three of them boarded that exquisite and luxurious carriage, which then headed north through Scorchstone City. That was precisely the location of Viscount Xuefeng's castle. However, unlike usual, today they did not enter through the side gate leading to the training ground. Instead, they entered through the main gate and proceeded directly to the small hill behind the castle.

Here, there was a walled courtyard garden, containing several pavilions and a small lake.

Passing through gates guarded by layers of soldiers along the way, the carriage finally stopped only upon reaching the main entrance of this courtyard garden.

Lady Franne alighted first. She opened that parasol with a white base adorned with a bow and walked forward at a leisurely pace, while Lining helped Sylutia step down from the carriage.

Under the bright sunlight, butterflies fluttered about the garden, and occasionally a few bees could be seen. Walking along the stone-paved path through the garden, they could see several noble ladies already gathered in a pavilion in the distance.

Seeing Lady Franne appear holding her parasol, the ladies in the pavilion all stood up. Then, their gazes curiously turned to the unfamiliar silver-haired girl behind Lady Franne.

"Lady Franne, who is this behind you?" asked a noble lady dressed in a sea-blue gown, her curiosity showing. Her hair was a wine-red hue, and she had alluring dark red eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes.

"This is my newly accepted student, and likely my future successor as well." Lady Franne's words carried significant weight, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

It was perfectly normal for an accomplished Transcendent or a great personage to have many students. But when it came to a successor, there would only be one or two. Such a successor was typically someone capable of inheriting the school's knowledge and skills, possessing great potential, meticulously selected from among the many students, and held in the highest regard.

"To think she's a successor? This is the first time I've heard Lady Franne mention such a thing." The others were also quite astonished.

As Sylutia drew closer and everyone could clearly see her appearance and bearing, they were surprised once more.

Talented individuals were not uncommon, but possessing both talent and peerless beauty was an extremely rare occurrence. Given Lady Franne's character, she would absolutely never choose a fool or someone of mediocre aptitude as her successor, which was why the ladies were especially shocked.

"It seems that starting today, Scorchstone City, or rather the Southern Border region, will have another new legend to spread, giggle." Their social circles were not limited to Scorchstone City; they frequently traveled between several major cities in the southern part of Regas, possessing broad experience and well-informed sources.

"Come here. What is your name, and where is your family from?" These noble ladies warmly received Sylutia as if she were a junior from their own families.

"My name is..." She hesitated, wondering whether to give her real name.

"Her name is Anluo'er, from my homeland, the distant Windchime Kingdom." Lady Franne winked at Sylutia, signaling her not to object.

Faced with this, Sylutia had no choice but to abandon the thought of explaining and quietly accept it. However, this also saved a lot of trouble, such as exposing her identity as an academy student and many other inquiries into her background and origins.

"Oh, so it's Anluo'er. What a lovely name, as beautiful and adorable as its bearer." The other noble ladies chimed in agreeably.

Honestly, names among the nobility were rarely poor, but it was rare to encounter a girl as outstanding as Sylutia, so their compliments weren't exactly insincere.

Welcoming this somewhat shy and bashful girl into the pavilion, everyone gathered around her, asking her all sorts of questions as if she were an interesting young child.

"How long have you been studying under Lady Franne? We've never seen you before."

"It's been a while, I suppose. It's only recently, after making some progress, that I gained the lady's recognition." She answered softly.

"I see. It seems Lady Franne's standards are still as strict as ever." The ladies found this explanation entirely unsurprising, even feeling it was particularly credible.

"Where do you usually live?"

"Currently, I reside at the lady's mansion." This was indeed true.

"Oh, and what are your hobbies? What kind of flowers do you like to grow?"

...

The questions and answers seemed endless. Sylutia could only answer selectively, carefully weighing her words, skimming over topics that were difficult to discuss.

Fortunately, the noble ladies weren't angered by this behavior, probably considering it quite normal. Exaggerated and embellished talk was far too common in aristocratic circles; honest responses like Sylutia's were actually the minority.

It seemed she likely had little experience with social engagements, having been well-protected by Lady Franne in the past. Now that she had achieved some results and was of sufficient age, Lady Franne was bringing her out to participate in social gatherings, which aligned with the practices of some traditional nobles.

Amidst the continuous laughter, conversation, and gathering, Sylutia gradually became familiar with these noble ladies and then began to relax a bit more.