Chapter 46: Sea Of Flowers Of Sunflowers
Washing her hair with a special noodle broth hot water, the fine black powder attached to it gradually faded, restoring its original flawless snow-white silver color.
While helping Xilutiya wash her hair, Talil said enviously, “Tiya’s hair quality is really good, always so straight and smooth.”
She touched her own curly chestnut hair, feeling a bit deflated, but seeing Xilutiya in her silver-haired form again today still made her very happy.
The maiden and Talil spent more than an hour completely washing and combing the hair clean, restoring its original silver snow color. Afterward, Xilutiya soaked in a hot bath, washing her entire body.
Changing into the plain white yet intricately detailed dress she had worn when she first arrived, Xilutiya stood in front of the mirror examining herself, occasionally turning around, her smooth hair strands slightly floating up.
She still needed to use a hairband to slightly tie it back, otherwise it would be too loose, she thought.
Picking up the blue-and-white hairband embroidered with cornflower patterns again, she gathered the hair sections from both sides near her ears at the back of her head and intersected them, then tied them securely with the neat hairband into a cute bow.
The dangling silver snow hair strands and the hairband swayed and fluttered with her steps, complementing each other with a unique beauty.
Speaking of which, her appearance when she had just awakened wasn’t particularly glamorous, yet it had a light elegance that one never tired of looking at, as if constantly selecting among a sea of flowers and finally choosing that very first plain and subtle flower she had seen, possessing a beauty that was hard to surpass and unforgettable.
After combing her hair and straightening her dress, she put on her clean white stockings again, slipped into her well-fitting small leather shoes, fastened the small white bow straps, and Xilutiya stood up, gently turning her body in front of the mirror to check her appearance.
“Wow, it’s like she’s completely turned into a different person.” Talil clasped her hands, unable to contain her surprise and delight.
The previous Xilutiya had silver hair too, but it was always partially hidden, never fully blooming with charm like today.
“I feel like most people would believe it if we said Tiya is a princess from a foreign land.” Talil circled around the maiden several times, increasingly convinced it made sense.
“A princess or something like that—if I can’t explain it clearly, it’ll be trouble.” The maiden shook her head slightly, but as she lightly turned her shoe tip, feeling the familiar long-lost comfort, she had an illusion of being apart for a very long time.
Clearly only two or three months had passed, yet it felt like a long time had gone by.
But today, she could indeed relax fully.
……
In the afternoon, peaceful sunlight shone on the streets of the West City District. Under the lush tree shade, a horse carriage slowly advanced, its lacquered yuzu wood body refracting specks of light in the dappled sunlight.
Sitting inside the carriage, Xilutiya had her hands overlapped lightly on her knees in front of her. At this moment, her eyes were gently closed, with occasional rays of light passing through the gaps in the curtains, falling on her graceful snow-white neck and cheeks.
“We’ve arrived, Miss.”
The wheels gradually stopped turning, and the coachman reminded the maiden in the carriage with as proper a voice as possible.
Although he didn’t know this maiden’s identity, from the moment he received the commission and met her today, he felt her status was definitely not low, so he was extra careful, personally brushing the horse that pulled the carriage, then driving it at a steady pace.
“Thank you, please wait a moment.” She replied softly.
Then the carriage door opened, she lightly lifted her skirt hem and stepped down, while Talil held the glass cover potted plant covered with black cloth and followed behind her.
Looking up at this mansion with considerable grounds, through the iron fence, the two could see the front garden and grassland in the courtyard, which was very quiet at the moment.
Arriving at the main gate, Xilutiya lightly shook the hanging bell, producing a crisp ding-dong sound.
Soon, a maid in a black-and-white uniform emerged from the side door and came to the main gate.
“Do you have a calling card?” She placed her hands overlapped on her apron, her demeanor proper, with more temperament than some nobles.
“Yes.” Xilutiya took out the calling card she carried with her, which bore Scholar Heide’s recommendation and the note from when Mailin had borrowed the book before.
After receiving it, the maid opened the calling card and looked it over, nodding slightly, then glanced at the potted plant Talil was holding behind Xilutiya.
“I’ll open the gate, come in. As for the horse carriage, please have him park outside the mansion and wait.”
“Yes.” Xilutiya nodded, then spoke with the coachman.
Afterward, she stepped into the serene mansion courtyard, following the maid ahead toward the interior.
For some reason, looking at the maid ahead, she felt a strange sense of familiarity—not that she knew this maid, but simply with the maid uniform attire, there was an odd familiarity, as if in her previous life there had been many similar figures.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t recall more memories for now. She and Talil arrived at the front living room to wait, and the maid brought Xilutiya a cup of warm black tea.
“Wait here for a moment, don’t wander around. I’ll go notify Madam.”
“Yes.” She nodded again, watching the maid leave.
Sitting on the luxurious silk gold-embroidered sofa, Xilutiya looked up and surveyed the surroundings. Every decoration here was exquisitely elegant, exuding an expensive aura—even the walls were covered with gold-threaded wallpaper, and the enamel porcelain ware on the table were all exceptionally beautiful.
Just as Scholar Heide had said, this Madam Fran had a very special identity. She didn’t know how Mailin had met her and borrowed the book for her back then.
While the two were examining the surroundings, the young maid returned and told Xilutiya, “Madam agrees to see you. Please carry the flower pot yourself to the backyard.”
“As for the retainer who came with you, have her stay here to rest for a while.” She nodded slightly to Talil.
“Ah, I don’t get to follow?” Talil was a bit surprised but still handed the potted plant to Xilutiya.
Holding the glass cover potted plant with both hands encircled, Xilutiya followed the maid to the mansion’s backyard.
Passing through the long corridor inside the mansion and turning two corners, she exited the front western-style building and was engulfed by a sea of bright yellow flowers.
Under the gentle breeze and blue sky, countless tall sunflowers bloomed, their large flower disks facing the sun, with pale yellow-golden petals tightly arranged, possessing a flamboyantly burning beauty in the sunlight.
And these sunflowers were no ordinary plants, but fully ‘First Order Blazing Sun’ extraordinary plants. In the most intense and bright area of the flower sea, there was even a patch of ‘Second Order Blazing Sun’ sunflowers.
Walking through this pale yellow flower sea, Xilutiya felt countless joyful overflowing Blazing Sun heat energies dispersing, gradually filling her body with vitality and dispelling fatigue.
And the deeper inward she went, the more obvious this overflowing Blazing Sun heat became—even the air showed slight distortion. At the innermost part, when Xilutiya looked up, she found the sky overhead tinged with faint gold, radiantly brilliant.
At this time, she finally saw that figure holding a white parasol, standing in the flower sea.
The gorgeous parasol was surrounded by dangling silk ribbons, adorned with tender yellow bows at intervals, and the tips of the umbrella ribs were capped with pearl wrappings.
Beneath the parasol was a figure with her back to Xilutiya. She was slightly tall, wearing a dress intermingled with pure white and gold. Outside the voluminous skirt hoop were layers of pale yellow flower decorations on the skirt hem, slightly swaying in the breeze, forming a graceful arc with her figure.
As if sensing Xilutiya’s arrival, the other lightly spun the parasol and turned around.
She had light blue eyes, with a few strands of golden hair hanging by her face, her dignified posture unforgettable.
“You’re the little Tiya that Mailin and Heide mentioned, right.”
“You look like a lovable child.”
She smiled warmly and lightly raised a finger, causing numerous sunflower petals to drift toward the sky in the breeze, filling the maiden’s vision.
So bright and pure.
