The Cornflower Witch Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Changing Residence

It was a rest day, and Hylial and Talil were busy organizing their belongings in the house. Tomorrow was the day they had promised Madame Faran they would start looking after her flower garden.

“Are we really moving into such a big mansion?” Talil still found it hard to believe. To her, Madame Faran’s mansion was almost as grand as a legendary palace.

“Yes, because we’ll be helping Madame with her flower garden every day, we might not have time to travel between the east and west of the city.” Madame Faran’s mansion was in the wealthy West End, a long way from their current residence in the East End.

“That’s also very far from where I work,” Talil said with a sigh of dejection.

“As for work…” Hylial recalled Madame Faran’s words, that Hylial could bring a maid or servant to live in the mansion with her.

“You can work right there at Madame Faran’s; she’ll agree to take you in,” the girl replied.

“Oh, that kind of environment… even though it’s almost an ideal place, I feel really scared. I’m afraid I’ll break something and wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for it even if I sold myself,” Talil said, remembering the luxurious decorations of the mansion she had seen the day before.

“It’s okay, one step at a time.” As Hylial said this, she was not just cheering up Talil, but also encouraging herself.

“Alright, but if I really can’t do it, Lia, you have to beg for me and let me come back,” Talil still worried.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” Hylial comforted her again.

They packed all their personal belongings into boxes, then found a carriage to load them onto, heading to Madame Faran’s mansion in the West End.

…

In the afternoon, with their luggage properly placed, the maid named Lining approached them.

“I’m here to show you where you’ll be living from now on,” she said, motioning for them to follow.

“First, Miss Lia’s room, which, like Madame’s, is on the second floor. However, Madame lives on the west side, and Miss Lia’s bedroom is on the east side.”

Following the clean, white stone-carved banister, the three arrived at the equally luxurious second floor of the mansion. The corridor here was spacious, with views overlooking the vast golden flower sea behind the mansion. Passing by several closed doors, Lining came to the second-to-last room on the east side, opening the door to reveal the interior.

Delicate, intricate gauze draped, adorned with light blue floral pendants, and soft, white, ivory-like furniture, this bedroom was as cozy and luxurious as a princess’s room.

“This is where Miss Lia will sleep,” Lining continued to explain to them.

“A dressing table, wardrobe, and a comfortable, soft bed—everything is provided. If you have any other needs, please let me know.” She bowed gracefully, her demeanor impeccable.

“Oh, wow, this, this…”

Talil was speechless with surprise, unable to find appropriate words to describe the room. She even felt a faint sense of shame, thinking that if she were to sleep here, it might feel like defiling its purity.

However, if it were Lia, she turned her head to look at the silver-haired girl beside her and felt it was somehow fitting, as if such an environment was necessary to nurture such a lovely and beautiful person.

Hylial sighed. Living in such an environment, she felt an invisible pressure.

It was as if if you had received so much from someone, you should also bear some responsibility. But since she was already here, being too coy and polite would only diminish the beauty of the gesture.

“Thank you, Miss Lining, for the arrangements.”

“There’s no need to call me that; just call me Lining,” the maid, also with light golden hair, responded calmly.

“Alright, Lining.”

Afterward, Lining led them back to the first floor, to another building alongside the mansion. Here, on the ground floor, after a short corridor with reddish-brown wood floors, there were two rooms.

“The inner room is Miss Talil’s, and the outer one is where I usually reside.” With that, she opened a door and stepped inside.

The room prepared for Talil was much simpler, with a single bed, a wardrobe, a small table, and a wooden chair, with a copper candlestick on the table.

Nevertheless, the sheets and blankets were woven from combed cotton, equally soft and comfortable, and the furniture was made of finely crafted redwood, looking simple but still quite expensive.

“Oh, this is also very nice,” Talil said, quite moved. She even wanted to step forward and touch the soft, fine cotton.

“As for bathing…” Lining pondered for a moment.

“If Lia would like a hot bath, please let me know in advance. Ordinary showers are available anytime.”

“A shower, what’s that?” Talil felt like she had never heard that term before.

“It’s probably fine streams of water sprayed from a pipe, bathing the whole body.” Hylial didn’t know what kind of shower existed in this world but inferred based on the words.

“Exactly. Since Miss Lia knows, I won’t explain further.” The other party nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction seemingly flashing in her calm eyes.

“Clean clothes can be placed in the bamboo basket in the bathroom; I will collect and wash them.”

“I also prepare all meals daily; Miss Lia just needs to come to the dining room on time.”

“If there’s anything you’d like to eat, you can tell me in advance, and I’ll do my best to prepare it. Also, please note that Madame doesn’t particularly like outsiders dirtying the house.”

“So, unless specifically permitted by Madame, Miss Lia, please do not invite other friends for meals or gatherings at the mansion.”

“I understand,” the girl nodded comprehendingly.

“If there are other guests visiting and Madame happens to be away, Miss Lia will receive them on her behalf. During this time, please conduct yourself as gracefully as possible.” This was likely the requirement and consequence of living here.

“During the reception, Miss Lia is free to arrange the catering, but guests cannot stay overnight, nor can anyone be brought into the back garden.” She reiterated the rules.

“If Miss Lia promises a guest something, it is equivalent to Madame promising them, so please act cautiously, Miss Lia.” She still held some wariness and distrust towards this unfamiliar silver-haired girl and felt it necessary to warn her in advance.

“For especially distinguished guests, Miss Lia may postpone the matter and say that she will wait for Madame to return before making a decision.”

“What would be considered an important matter then?” Hylial asked curiously.

“Generally, guests visit for three reasons: first, to request an item; second, to ask for a favor; and third, to hope for Madame’s intervention,” Lining explained calmly.

“To request an item: if its value does not exceed Tier 2, Miss Lia may decide on her own.”

“To ask for a favor: if Miss Lia can easily do it, then agreeing is certainly fine.”

“To hope for Madame’s intervention: if a matter can be resolved simply with Madame’s letter, then Miss Lia may also agree.”

“That day, when Miss Marilyn came to deliver something and asked about books and seeds, I agreed on behalf of Madame. This is because Madame has seen many similar requests, and she has prepared complete sets of books and seeds. If someone comes to the door, I just give them out,” Lining said, looking at Hylial with a hint of admiration in her eyes.

“Although Madame has gifted many people gardening enlightenment books and seeds, very few have actually returned with results.”

“Like Miss Lia, to be able to cultivate flowers and plants that condense into forms on the first try, I’ve never seen that before.” She offered a small compliment to Hylial.

This also made Hylial understand why Madame Faran admired her so much.

After the conversation, Hylial settled into the luxurious mansion.

(End of this chapter)