Cornflower Witch

Chapter 257 The Sunflower's Letter
For the next week, Hilti and Lucas stayed in Scorched Stone City, but they disguised themselves and did not expose themselves directly to the soldiers and civilians.

Under the supervision and assistance of the two, Aru gradually gained control of the soldiers in Jiaoshi City. In the process, he distributed a sum of money to all the soldiers, making them all accomplices and preventing some from voluntarily leaking information.

Because of the two men's attacks, the high-end combat force in Jiaoshi City was greatly reduced, and the soldiers were much more restrained than before. Aru also told the soldiers that the two mysterious and powerful guys would be monitoring them from the shadows.

Under this fear, bullying in Scorched Stone City decreased significantly. Later, the two contacted some retired scholars and young students taught by Maester Hyde, and gradually had them replace the Antirians in managing the city.

Although the Antian soldiers disliked and rejected these people, they gradually accepted them under Aru's suppression and control. In fact, most of them were uneducated and did not know how to handle various affairs, make calculations, summarize, or plan. What they cared about was that they would receive less benefit after losing power.

To secure his allies, Aru took 10 strings of 'bloodcurrants' from the 20 strings given to him by Hilti and used them to win over the first and second-tier officers in the garrison, thus finally stabilizing the situation.

As for the future, the war in the southern part of the continent is still ongoing, and whether the Kingdom of Antioch will still exist is another matter entirely. Who knows what the situation will be like ten years from now?

;

After stabilizing the city of Jiaoshi, Hiltiya arrived at the mansion where Lady Fran had once lived.

The gate was tightly closed, and lush vines climbed the walls. Judging from the slightly rusty lock, no one had lived here for some time.

Hiltiya took out the key that Lady Fran had left with the association from her sleeve, inserted it into the keyhole, and gently turned it. With a click, the lock popped open.

She slowly pushed open the door with both hands, as if breaking some hidden seal, allowing the mansion inside to regain its light.

Upon entering, one sees a somewhat desolate inner courtyard. The once-flat lawn is now overgrown with weeds of varying heights. Flowers still bloom in the flower beds, but other plants have also been added.

The white doors of the mansion were closed, and the windows were also shut.

Hilti approached, opened the door and went inside, walking through the hall and corridors covered with a thin layer of dust, opening one tightly sealed door and window after another.

A gentle breeze then blew, causing the curtains to sway softly.

The scenery here remains the same, but it is much quieter than before.

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, as the sun gradually set, Hilti opened the letter that Madame Fran had left her, reading the beautiful handwriting and recalling the first day she met her teacher.

'Tiya, welcome back.'

By the time you open this letter, I will probably have already left, gone to the north of the mainland, the place where I was born.

It was a very small country, famous for its blooming bellflowers.

I have very complex feelings about my hometown: nostalgia, sadness, a sense of antiquity, and a feeling of oppression. Sometimes it even appears in my dreams when I hate it.

In your mind, I might be a mature and tall figure. This is the image I have after traveling to many places and growing up little by little over time. Now, few people may know what I looked like in my childhood and teenage years.

Books are turned page by page, and people change little by little. The beginning of a story may be a very small thing, a tiny and helpless figure, but when the story comes to an end, people have long forgotten that tiny beginning, and only remember its most intense and glorious appearance.

The differences are so vast and the changes so profound that one would not be able to imagine or believe it without having read that thick book, but that is the truth.

I have grown into the person I once longed for. The things that once hurt me and trapped me can no longer stop me. So I decided to go back to that place and resolve the regrets of the past.

Life is neither long nor short. There are many problems that you cannot solve right now. If one day you feel particularly difficult and helpless, then go on a trip.

Go to other places, experience new people and things, and start a new life and growth once again.

Repeat this process again and again, until one day you are strong enough to calmly face the past. Then come back and save that helpless version of yourself.

Such a letter might bother you a bit, and it doesn't seem to have much to do with you right now, but when people leave this world, they often want to leave behind what they cherish most.

This is the thought I cherish most, and it's the truth I've never told you before—a part of the truth about my own experiences.

People yearn for their true selves to be seen and understood by others, but they also fear the exposure of this truth, because it is their most vulnerable flaw. Thus, many things that are difficult to say can only be said when parting ways.

Because at this point, they will no longer see each other.

The Bellflower Plain is a very faraway place, and you will stay in the woodland for a long time. When we meet again, it may be more than ten years later.

I wish you continued success in your studies, that you rediscover the past you cherish, and find the many surprises in life.

—Your predecessor as a gardener, Fran'

After reading the letter, Hilti looked out at the sky in the living room again. At this moment, some rosy clouds had appeared on the distant blue horizon.

The wind still blew gently past the windowsill and curtains, reminding the girl of when she first moved here. She felt a mix of caution, anticipation, and joy, yet also fear of not performing well and being blamed.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly afterward. Mrs. Fran did not impose any restrictions on her, and although Lining was occasionally sarcastic, she did not neglect herself and patiently and meticulously taught her things she did not understand at all.

This feeling was something she had never experienced in her previous life, but in this life, she enjoyed it twice. The stark contrast between the two made her feel both joy and pity, because the beauty made her past poverty and pain stand out.

Standing up, Hilti was filled with emotion. She slowly walked through the mansion, her fingers tracing the familiar things: the walls, the tables and chairs, the furnishings, and the figures that had walked through her memory—hers, as well as those of Thalys, Linin, and Lady Fran.

Finally, she arrived at the backyard of the mansion, where a patch of golden sunflowers still grew, but these sunflowers were newly planted by Madame Fran before she left and did not possess sexual characteristics.

Although Madame Fran did not mention anything about the flower field, Hiltiya understood from her actions that the lady was trying to test her and see if she could recreate that beautiful golden sea of ​​flowers.

Thinking of this, Hilti once again picked up the watering can, walked into the familiar flower field, and began to care for these newborn children, which were also the brand-new sunflowers cultivated by her, the new owner of the mansion.

(End of this chapter)