Chapter 88: Maiden Of The Dawn
At noon, Xilutiya, Yeluo, and Scholar Heide rode together in a horse carriage to Viscount Xue Feng’s Castle.
Passing through stone brick roads under the gray-white cloudy sky, the horse carriage slowly entered the ancient mossy stone walls with creaking sounds.
“This must be Xilutiya, what a cute little maiden.” The Viscountess was wearing a dark red velvet long skirt today and hosted the three in the castle.
“Come, sit by my side.” She showed a kind expression as she hosted Xilutiya, then held the maiden’s hand and inquired about her situation.
“…Got lost in the forest and then lost her memory? What a poor child.” As she spoke, she shook her head with a sorrowful expression.
“But it’s alright. In the future, you can treat Jiaoshi City as your home. If you encounter any difficulties later, you can always come find me.” After saying that, she summoned a maid and took out a ring engraved with the Viscount Xue Feng family crest.
“Here, this is for you. With this ring, the castle guards won’t stop you.”
“Thank you, Madam.” Xilutiya expressed her thanks.
Afterward, this madam continued chatting with Xilutiya for a long time until Viscount Xue Feng arrived, and everyone dined together for lunch.
The lunch was prepared very lavishly, with the taste and quality of various foods matching the level of the most expensive dining room in the city. Just this one meal would probably cost 70 silver coins outside.
After lunch ended, Viscount Xue Feng also chatted with Xilutiya for a while. He had a gentle temper and greatly appreciated this maiden, gifting her quite a few things, including even a residence in Jiaoshi City.
“If you don’t need it usually, you can use it as a place to store miscellaneous items. Don’t worry, it’s located in the West City District with good public security and no thieves.”
“Thank you, Lord Xue Feng.”
The maiden was somewhat curious why Viscount Xue Feng suddenly showed her such kindness. Could it be because of Madam Fran?
After finishing the meal and conversation in the castle, at Scholar Heide’s suggestion, Xilutiya followed the maid to the tall tower where Miss Iona resided.
“Please follow me. Miss Iona’s residence is just ahead.”
This maid guided Xilutiya toward that somewhat lonely tall tower, then opened the door and went up along the spiral stairs.
Soon, they reached the room door in the tower. She lightly knocked on the door: “Miss Iona, your classmate has come to visit you.”
“Not seeing.” Though her voice was somewhat weak, it still carried arrogance.
“It was Viscount Lord’s instruction. He hopes you can ease your loneliness.” The maid spoke again.
This time, there was a long silence inside, and finally Iona’s response came.
“Wait for me a moment.”
About half an hour later, Iona opened the door and saw the maid and Xilutiya who had been waiting outside for a long time.
At this moment, she had changed into a long skirt with deep red as the base color, adorned with gold threads and pearls. Her hair was also pinned up into a complex and exquisite hairstyle, looking as if she were attending some noble gathering.
“Come in.” She glanced at Xilutiya behind the maid, then turned around.
The rooms inside this tall tower were extraordinarily luxurious, filled with various gold and red furniture and decorations. It was clear they were crafted as a set, as if a princess’s room had been moved here.
After entering the room, the maid brewed tea water for the two, then took her leave, leaving Iona and Xilutiya alone.
Leaning her body on the velvet sofa, Iona bent her right hand back, lightly propping her cheek, her gaze looking down at the plainly dressed maiden before her.
“If you’re here to complete Teacher’s task, you can leave after sitting for a bit.” Her voice was cold and emotionless.
In response, Xilutiya slightly opened her mouth, wanting to retort something, but considered it unnecessary and remained quiet.
The light red tea water steamed, slowly rising from the tea table between the two. The room was silent for a moment, with no sound.
Perhaps feeling the need to say something, Xilutiya thought for a bit and spoke: “I heard Teacher say you’re not feeling well. Are you better now?”
At this time, Iona was staring blankly at the patterns on the tea table. Hearing the voice, she lifted her gaze and looked at Xilutiya for a while.
“Much better.” She answered casually.
“Your voice is quite nice.” It seemed she realized something.
“It’s a bit of a waste just burying yourself in books.” She picked up the teacup, preparing to drink some.
“Thank you.” Xilutiya also lifted her teacup, and the two silently drank tea.
Just as Xilutiya thought this exchange and visit was probably over, Iona’s gaze turned to the large iron box in the corner of the room and spoke to inquire.
“Valenie’s notebook is yours, right?”
“Uh, yes.” Xilutiya remembered how Valenie had wanted to take her notebook the previous two times.
“I haven’t gone to class this time, and she brought the notebook over for me to see.” Recalling this, Iona nodded slightly.
“You recorded it very carefully, and your handwriting is decent.” Though the handwriting was elegant, in Iona’s view, these were just servant skills, and learning them well wasn’t of much use.
“If you don’t have a good path in the future, you can come to my side and be a copyist.” Even with printing technology, many precious books weren’t published and were only borrowed and copied among nobles.
“Mm.”
“You don’t need to go to next month’s assessment. You might die if things go wrong.” Iona felt she was rarely being kind, reminding the girl before her.
“Are you referring to the selection assessment for the Secluded Forest?”
“That’s right.”
“About that, I’ve already arranged with Teacher Heide to participate.” Xilutiya brushed the hair by her ear with one hand, thinking about how to explain.
“You?”
“You’re really reckless.” Iona shook her head.
“Don’t think that just because you’re good at Secret History Class, you can find better opportunities in the Secluded Forest. It’s not as… ‘gentle’ as Jiaoshi City.” She paused for a few seconds before spitting out such a word.
“Thank you for your kindness, Iona. I know it will be somewhat dangerous there.” Xilutiya thought for a moment and continued.
“Why do you want to go there too? With your identity, you should be able to avoid such dangers.”
“Dangerous, yes, very dangerous indeed.” Speaking of this, Iona showed rare interest.
“You might not know that even among nobles, there are huge distinctions. If I want to keep certain things, I have to pay a great price.”
“Moreover, if I don’t go there, what kind of ‘good life’ do you think I’d live? Like ordinary people, spending the rest of my life in Jiaoshi City?”
“This…” Xilutiya roughly understood Iona’s situation. She was a very intelligent person and caught on quickly.
“I see.”
“I hope you achieve your wish, but going to the Secluded Forest isn’t the only path.” She guessed Iona probably wanted to restore her family’s glory, as she had learned quite a bit about Iona’s family issues from other classmates.
“Oh, advising me so early—are you confident you can compete with me?” Seeing Xilutiya’s serious expression, Iona couldn’t help but tease.
How strange. If it were someone else saying this, she’d probably be impatient. Actually, quite a few people had advised her like Xilutiya did.
The maiden shook her head, then answered.
“It’s hard to say about confidence. It’s just some life insights.” She recalled her two lifetimes; many things that seemed extremely serious back then were actually not so frightening in hindsight years later.
“Forget it. You always speak so cautiously, not lively at all.” Before her father’s incident, Iona was a socialite in White Cliff City, always liking to interact with those chatty peers who loved joking.
For reserved types like Xilutiya, she never got along well. If not because she took a liking to Xilutiya, she wouldn’t even want to say much.
After the previous silence broke, Iona also started chatting with Xilutiya about other things.
“…So, Mike and Lei’s rapid progress is all thanks to your tutoring?” She had noticed the changes in her classmates’ grades.
“Yes.” She originally wanted to be modest, but considering Iona’s personality, Xilutiya decided to be frank.
“Oh.” At her straightforward answer, Iona nodded slightly, feeling this matched her preferences. Why beat around the bush for everything?
“Then, do you think my sword technique has room for improvement?” Iona asked casually.
“Miss Iona…” Xilutiya looked at this golden-haired girl, and some information appeared in her eyes.
Name: Iona Karen
Race: Human（Mortal Body）
Status: Poor（Forcibly acquired ability, left hidden injuries）
Talent:
Golden Blood【Excellent Grade】: A trace of ‘Golden Honey Blood’ flows in your body. Though weak, this bloodline still gives you affinity for the ‘Blazing Sun’ and ‘Insect Moth’ natures, allowing you to master abilities of these two natures more easily.
—The royal court of the golden tree and bees, known to later generations as the mighty ‘Golden Honey Dynasty,’ once blocked the Corona Dragon from reclaiming the ‘Blazing Sun’ position.
Fate Card:
【Maiden Awaiting Dawn】’Golden frame like a princess’s door, containing the figure of the closed-eyed standing person in the center. Behind her are cracked dry earth, weathered tree roots, and scattered bones.’
–
Effect【Radiant Body Lv.2】: Due to specific talent and nature, your body gradually adapts to the ‘Blazing Sun’ nature. You can directly dissolve ‘Blazing Sun’ power into your blood for use, gaining comprehensive enhancement.（（Recommend not exceeding 3 minutes/day））
Ability Card:
【Radiant Breathing Technique Lv.3】（Blazing Sun）
【Golden Needle Thorn Blade Lv.3】(Blazing Sun)
【Bee Dance Footwork Lv.2】（Insect Moth）
