The Cornflower Witch Chapter 57

Chapter 57

First Social Interaction

In the morning, sitting at the dressing table, Lining meticulously styled Hylial.

First, she helped Hylial put on the slightly complex formal dress. The base color of this dress was a bright summery yellow, with pure white lace trim decorating the collar and edges. The overall effect was not restrictive; instead, it exuded a relaxed and comfortable feeling suitable for an outing.

The cuffs featured ruffle sleeves, with white ribbons placed a finger’s width from the cuff, which could be slightly tightened and tied into small bows, accentuating the slenderness of her wrists. The ends of the sleeves, like curved lotus leaves, partially covered the back of her hands, making her fingers appear like stamens emerging from flower petals, exceptionally beautiful.

After arranging the clothes, Lining braided a very thin strand of hair near Hylial’s ear to prevent her hairstyle from being too plain. Finally, Hylial donned the bright yellow sun hat, matching the dress, adorned with a large white bow and several light pink, light blue, and bright yellow flowers.

Fully dressed, Hylial looked as if she had stepped out of a fairy tale, possessing a dreamlike beauty.

“Alright, Miss Lia, you can try standing up and taking a few steps to see how it feels. If anything is uncomfortable, I’ll help you adjust it.”

“Okay.”

Hylial stood up lightly, her feet clad in light-colored, strapped leather shoes. She began walking around the room, and though she was a little unaccustomed at first, she quickly got used to it, moving with easy steps, as if she had often worn similar clothes before.

A short while later, Lining accompanied Hylial downstairs, where Madame Faran was already waiting in the living room.

Seeing Hylial descend the stairs, holding her skirt, Madame Faran couldn’t help but smile and lightly clap her hands.

“As I expected, absolutely adorable.”

“Since we’re almost ready, let’s go. Today I’ll take you to meet a few friends in the city,” she said, standing up.

“Talil,” she called to the maid who was still staring in awe.

“Yes, Madame,” Talil straightened her posture.

“I’ll trouble you to look after the house today. If any bad people come, ring the bell, and someone will come to inquire and help.”

“Yes, Madame,” she replied, flattered and nodding in agreement, surprised that such an important task was entrusted to her after only a few days.

“Lining, is the carriage ready?”

“The carriage is ready and waiting outside.”

“Good, you lead Hylial over.” With that, she turned, nodded to Hylial, and then left the living room.

Several minutes later, the three of them boarded the exquisite and luxurious carriage and headed north of Burntstone City, where Viscount Xuefeng’s castle was located. However, today was different from usual; they did not enter the training ground through the side gate but entered through the main gate, going directly to the small hill behind the castle.

Here, there was a walled garden with several pavilions and small lakes.

After passing through the layers of guarded gates, the carriage finally stopped at the main entrance of this courtyard.

Madame Faran was the first to alight, opening her white parasol adorned with bows and walking slowly forward, while Lining assisted Hylial out of the carriage.

In the bright sunlight, butterflies flitted through the garden, and occasionally a few bees could be seen. Through the stone path in the garden, several noblewomen were already gathered in a distant pavilion.

Upon seeing Madame Faran appear with her parasol, the women in the pavilion all stood up, then their gazes curiously turned to the unfamiliar silver-haired girl behind Madame Faran.

“Sister Faran, who is this behind you?” a noblewoman in a sea-blue dress asked with curiosity. Her hair was reddish-brown, and she had mesmerizing dark red blush near her eyes.

“This is my new student, and likely my successor in the future.” Madame Faran’s words were weighty and immediately drew everyone’s attention.

It was normal for accomplished transcedents or important figures to have many students, but when it came to a successor, there would only be a select few, one or two at most. Such a successor was typically someone chosen from many students for their great potential, someone who could inherit the knowledge and skills of a school, and was considered the most promising.

“A successor? I’ve never heard Sister Faran mention one before.” The others were quite surprised.

When Hylial approached, and everyone saw her appearance and temperament, they were astonished again.

There were many talented people, but to possess both talent and extraordinary beauty was extremely rare. Given Madame Faran’s personality, she would never choose someone shallow or mediocre to be her successor, which is why everyone was particularly taken aback.

“It seems that from today on, Burntstone City, or rather, the southern region, will have another new legend, teehee.” Their social circle was not limited to Burntstone City; they frequently traveled to various major cities in southern Regas Duchy, were well-informed, and had access to fresh news.

“Come here, what’s your name, and where are you from?” These noblewomen warmly welcomed Hylial as if she were a younger relative.

“My name is…” She hesitated whether to say her real name.

“Her name is Anluoer, and she’s from my hometown, the distant Wind Chime Kingdom.” Madame Faran winked at Hylial, signaling her not to object.

Hylial had no choice but to drop the idea of explaining and accept it, which saved her a lot of trouble, such as revealing her student identity and other tedious tasks of inquiring about her background.

“Oh, so her name is Anluoer, what a lovely name, as beautiful and adorable as she is.” The other noblewomen echoed.

In fact, all noble names were generally respectable, but it was rare to see a young woman as outstanding as Hylial, so their praises were not insincere.

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

“How long have you been studying with Sister Faran? I’ve never seen you before.”

“It’s been a while, but I’ve only recently advanced, which is why Madame recognized me,” she replied softly.

“I see, it seems Sister Faran is still as strict as ever.” Such an explanation was not at all surprising to them, and they found it very credible.

“Where do you usually stay?”

“Currently, I’m staying at Madame’s residence.” This was indeed true.

“Oh, and what are your hobbies? What flowers do you like to grow?”

…

The questions seemed endless, and Hylial could only answer selectively and carefully, glossing over things that were difficult to explain.

Fortunately, the noblewomen did not get angry at her behavior, probably finding it quite normal. The aristocratic circle was full of exaggerated and pretentious words, and Hylial’s honest answers were a rarity.

It seemed she had rarely participated in social events before, having been well protected by Madame Faran. Now that she had achieved some success and was old enough, Madame Faran had brought her out to socialize. This was consistent with the customs of some traditional nobles.

Amidst continuous laughter and conversations during the gathering, Hylial gradually became familiar with the noblewomen and then became a little more at ease.

(End of this chapter)