Cornflower Witch

Chapter 335 The Family by the Sea

'Herdra Griffin' is the girl's current identity and name.

After settling into the household of the merchant Alainford, she became his adopted daughter and was referred to as the Third Miss by the servants.

Eldest daughter Ariel, second son Ecol, third daughter Hedra—this is the current order of the Griffin family. To take care of Hedra's daily life, Mrs. Haye assigned her a maid in her thirties.

“My name is Margot, Miss Margot.”

She had her hair neatly styled in a bun and wore a simple, durable long dress. It is said that she was Mrs. Haye's maid, and had been working in Mrs. Haye's house since she was 9 years old. Later, she came to the Griffin's house with Mrs. Haye.

"Hello." Hiltiya responded politely, neither overly enthusiastic nor cold.

If Hedra himself were here, he would probably do the same, Hilti thought.

During the time they spent together, she also got to know his personality. The two of them had many similarities in their outward behavior patterns; they both preferred quiet and being alone.

However, Hedra possesses a subtle, inherent aloofness, while Hilti is much gentler, occasionally trying new things, enjoying a light and peaceful environment, and also finding pleasure in playing small games.

These inherent differences will probably only become apparent after spending some time together.

In the first few days after settling down, Hilti was unfamiliar with everything around her and her activities were limited to the mansion. Under Margot's guidance, she learned about the buildings and rooms and listened to her recount recent events.

"In three months, the 'Sea Breeze Festival' will be here. The sea will become very dangerous at that time, so many caravans will try to sell their goods during these months. If Miss San wants to buy anything, she can go to the market at the port."

"What is the Sea Breeze Festival?" This was the first time Hilti had ever heard this term.

Margot explained to the girl that the Sea Breeze Festival is a 'season' that only the towns and harbors around Meteor Lake remember. It lasts for about three years. During these three years, all kinds of aquatic creatures at the bottom of Meteor Lake will try to rise to the surface and breathe the 'storm season'.

The 'sky dome' aspect in the gale will fill 'snail-fish' aspect creatures with vitality, preventing them from 'petrifying'.

During this time of year, the sea surface is teeming with fish and higher aquatic life, significantly increasing the danger. However, for skilled fishermen, it is also a bountiful season.

"I understand." After a few simple explanations from the other party, Hiltiya understood the reason.

"Take me to the market tomorrow."

"Yes, Miss San."

Although she had settled into the Griffin family's home, Mrs. Haye hadn't spoken to her specifically in the past two days, probably because she hadn't yet calmed down. Ellie and Echo, her nominal siblings, also didn't speak to her; they simply nodded to each other when they met, which was considered a greeting.

It seems that not only herself, but others were also unprepared for Hedra's arrival.

Hiltia sat in front of a simple wooden vanity mirror, combing her long black hair slightly to form a slight arch in front of her forehead, revealing her smooth brows. This gave her a slightly calmer demeanor, unlike her more youthful appearance when her bangs covered her face too much.

In the past, her temperament was more like that of a cute, beautiful, and dreamy 16-year-old girl. Now, her image is more like that of an 18-year-old girl, quiet, dignified, and gentle.

"I still need to change my image," the girl said, looking at her reflection in the mirror, which resembled a classical Eastern lady, and shook her head slightly.

Such an appearance would be too conspicuous for the Mage Alliance; it would be better to be more ordinary and less attention-grabbing.

Fortunately, she now has plenty of time to try out different styles of clothing and makeup.

The next day, Hirutia and Margot went to the market and reported to Aunt Haye before leaving.

"Are you going to buy something?" Upon hearing this, the noblewoman put her finger to her cheek and thought for a moment before looking the girl up and down.

Undoubtedly, even in simple attire, the girl's extraordinary elegance would inadvertently reveal itself, making Mrs. Haye somewhat uncomfortable.

She claimed to be her niece when she was clearly the daughter of some unknown lover. What's even more infuriating is that the other woman is actually exceptionally beautiful; one can glimpse the mother's stunning looks from her daughter's appearance.

She felt a mixture of jealousy and worry that her husband could find such a beautiful woman as his mistress.

After a moment of internal struggle, Madame Haye released her grip and had her maid bring her the box where she kept her money.

"Here, take this gold coin and use it to buy something." She wanted to refuse, but doing so would seem petty and undignified. "Thank you, Aunt Haye." Hiltiya respectfully accepted the gold coin and turned to leave.

After the young woman left, Madame Haye sat there ruminating on her agitated emotions, unable to understand why Alainford, whose relationship with her wasn't bad, had taken the time and energy to find a lover. She had many trusted confidants from her family in the caravan, yet she knew absolutely nothing about it.

At this moment, Ariel entered the room with cheerful steps.

"Mother, look at this~" She was holding a white porcelain potted plant, which was filled with blooming flowers and plants. The flowers were shaped like conch shells, with petals overlapping and intertwining, like the patterns of a conch shell, or like a curved spindle. A small hole was exposed in the middle of the petals, and you could hear the sound of the tide.

"This is a cohesive phase 'seashell flower'? It looks to be of very high quality." Mrs. Haye looked at the flowers and plants in Eriel's hand with surprise.

“That’s right, I bought this from the Hazelnut Merchant Guild. They told me it’s a premium product from Anemone Island.”

After receiving the potted plant, Mrs. Haye examined it carefully, then gently touched the flower bud with her finger, channeling a little spiritual energy into it, and a series of melodious conch shell sounds emanated.

"This is really good, how much did you spend?"

“I told them I was from the Griffin family, and that if they gave me a discount, they would also get preferential treatment when they made purchases in the future. So they only asked for 8 gold coins from me.”

“Eight gold coins? That’s definitely worth it.” Mrs. Haye nodded. She remembered that Mrs. Mosa had spent 20 gold coins to buy the 'Seashell Flower' at the tea party she hosted a while ago.

“Very good, Ariel, it seems you’ve grown a lot.” She was quite satisfied with her eldest daughter.

"How's your study going lately? Has Ms. Colleen praised you?"

"Of course there are compliments. I am the third student in the class to achieve a condensed phase, and I have always been the envy of everyone."

"Hehe, you're such a good baby. Here, take these 20 gold coins, and I'll keep the conch flower."

"Thank you, Mom, hee hee~" Ariel hugged Mrs. Haye and rubbed against her for a while, then seemed to remember something.

"That's the girl who came recently."

"Her name is Hedra."

“Yes, that Hedra. Does Mother know her exact background? I heard someone say that she is Father’s illegitimate daughter.” Ariel still disliked the girl she met a few days ago, probably because the girl’s appearance made her feel that she was a strong competitor, which caused her an invisible anxiety.

"Don't worry about this for now, I'll investigate it myself."

"Go have some fun first. Oh, by the way, I'm going to a party at Haiyan Mansion this afternoon. Mrs. Tumbleweed has hired a very good painter. I heard she's going to exhibit her paintings and also paint portraits of her family members. Let's go and take a look."

"She says she's just looking around, but I guess she's just showing off her family's wealth," Eriel thought to herself.

"She kept subtly implying that she came from the Tumbleweed family in the neighboring country, had noble blood, and looked down on us who made our fortunes through business."

"Shh, Ariel, you can't say that in public," Mrs. Haye stopped her.

“They really do have proof of their lineage. You should also try to build a good relationship with Madam Tumbleweed in the future. If you see her son, Young Master Wes, next time, try to dress nicely.”

"Huh? That young master Wes, who always takes advantage of the maids and is so naughty it's disgusting, do I have to fawn over him? Besides, he's only 14 years old."

"Fourteen is the perfect age to get married. If you wait until eighteen, you'll have no chance at all," Mrs. Haye shook her head.

“You don’t understand. Our merchant families are ultimately unstable. If something happens, we can easily fall into obscurity. If you can marry into the Tumbleweed family, our status will be much more stable in the future.”

“Look at your father. Even though he runs such a large business guild, he still has to handle many things personally. People would not want to meet with anyone else, especially nobles who feel that negotiating business with a servant of a business guild is an insult to their status.”

"Your father was able to speak with those important figures because he donated a lot of money and received the 'Golden Swallow' medal from Shangdu United."

"Alright, alright, I know. He's just that silly boy from the Tumbleweed family. I'll make him fall head over heels for me and have him fluttering around me like a whirlwind. Humph."

(End of this chapter)