Cornflower Witch

Chapter 336 Demeanor and Status

The waves crashed against the beach, and the intense sunlight made it hard to open one's eyes.

Wearing a black sun hat and a black summer dress, Hilti walked in the gentle sea breeze, following her maid to the bustling open-air market.

Right next to the port, you can often see goods that have just been unloaded from the ship being moved to stalls for sale. The air is filled with the smell of fish mixed with spices, and the stone bricks under your feet are a little hot.

Descending the steps, Hiltia arrived at the stalls and browsed through them one by one. There were valuable spices, olive oil from southern estates, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Vendors hawked their wares, while some stalls were quieter, with established owners discussing wholesale deals.

Not only city residents come here, but also some small merchants who buy goods in bulk and then transport them to villages and towns in the interior, earning a profit from the price difference.

Overall, they mainly sell items for ordinary people, with only a few stalls selling special and extraordinary goods.

"Would you like to buy a comb, miss?" a vendor said as the young woman approached, trying to sell her his wares.

Hiltiya looked at the wooden combs on his stall; they were simple in design and coated with tung lacquer.

"how much is it?"

"Thirty copper coins, Miss." This price seemed significantly high to Hilti, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was unfamiliar with the prices here.

“Margot.” She looked at the maid behind her.

"Miss, let's look at the next place instead," the maid suggested.

“Okay.” The girl obediently turned and left, and the two continued walking towards other stalls not far away.

Only then did the maid tell Tia why she hadn't recommended buying it earlier.

"That kind of comb isn't suitable for you." So it wasn't the price that was the problem after all.

"What kind of comb should I buy?" the girl asked curiously.

"If you're going to use it for a long time, it's best to buy a comb made of ivory, as that would be more in line with your status."

"Ivory? Is it really necessary to be so extravagant?" She felt there wasn't much difference between the two types of combs.

“Yes, if you use something too cheap, people will…gossip.” The maid chose her words carefully; if she hadn’t hesitated, she would probably have said ‘people will laugh at her.’

“The Griffin family is a well-known family in Quebec, so they can’t be too shabby, otherwise people will think there’s something wrong with the family.”

“Once we lose face like this, other families will reduce their dealings with us, and it will become difficult to do business with them because they are afraid that we will not be able to pay and will breach the contract,” Margot advised the girl. In her opinion, the girl probably came from an ordinary family. Although she was beautiful, she was unsophisticated and did not understand the decorum of wealthy families.

"I see."

Afterwards, the maid led Siltiah to the east side of the market, where there were many nicely decorated shops, and a few shops even used glass cabinets to show the exquisite goods inside.

“You can take a look here.”

With a touch of curiosity, Hiltiya entered one of the shops, which sold furniture, including dressing tables, cabinets, tables and chairs, made of various materials, such as common wood, porcelain, and special stone.

"Welcome, miss. What would you like to order? Just tell me. We have many exquisite pieces designed by the master designer Message." The sales assistant, dressed in a formal gown, greeted her warmly.

Sylvia felt slightly uncomfortable with this overflowing enthusiasm; she was actually just curious and had come in to take a look.

"I'd like to see some grooming supplies."

"Okay, what style would you like?"

Style? The girl couldn't think of a style she particularly liked for the moment.

"That's right, it must match the overall style of your room to look appropriate." Then the salesperson went on and on about the key points of matching and the precautions for decorating styles. The sheer number of details left Xilutiya speechless.

"So, only by doing the whole thing like this will it be proper and worthy of praise, right?"

"Yes."

"How much will it cost approximately?"

"I've done the math for you. Considering this is your first time here, we'll give you a very favorable price. You can decorate it all for just 150 gold coins, which is definitely great value for money."

150 gold coins is nothing to Hilti's savings, but for 'Hedra', it's probably a huge sum.

"Sorry, I'll think about it some more." Siltiya left the shop. "Are all the prices here like this?" She clearly felt that things here were much more expensive than in Regas.

“Well, the price they just mentioned is actually within a reasonable range. If you negotiate carefully, you can probably get it for around 120 gold coins,” Margot said after thinking for a moment.

"Too expensive." The girl blinked. She was Hedra now; she couldn't waste money like that.

Afterwards, the two browsed several more shops, and Hiltiya also bought a suitable ivory comb. It was a comb carved with swimming fish and wave patterns, with finely polished teeth, and priced at 60 silver coins.

After buying the comb, Hiltiya didn't have much money left, so she bought some fruit she hadn't tried before and then returned.

That evening, Alainford did not return; he was said to be out discussing business. Madame Haye was also at a gathering with other noblewomen, and only the three siblings were present at the dinner table.

Hiltia quietly ate her kebab and coconut water, while Ekol across from her enjoyed a large chicken leg, and Eriel next to her frowned as she ate the food she found a bit greasy.

Her gaze inadvertently fell upon the black-haired girl opposite her, and she felt a surge of annoyance. She felt that her otherwise decent family had been invaded by an oddball.

“Your name is Hedra, right?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes, Sister Ariel.” The girl paused for a moment.

The more polite Hiltya was, the more annoyed Ariel became, and her tone worsened once again.

Where did you come from?

“I used to live in Greenwater, in North Ruosen.” That’s where Alanford met Vanessa.

“I know Ruosen.” After all, it’s Alanford’s hometown, and the siblings had been there once.

"Can you read?" Ellie suddenly thought of something.

"know."

"Oh? Who taught you that?"

“There was a teacher in town who also taught me arithmetic.” Hedra did indeed learn those skills.

"anything else?"

"That's all I know." Hearing this, Ariel's lips curled up, as if she had caught something red-handed.

"Oh, I see. Can you write poems by the poet Yingge?" The poet Yingge was a famous bard from southern China 300 years ago. His poetry collection was loved by many young girls and was also used by many teachers to teach children.

“I know a little,” Hiltiya nodded.

"Then try reciting one of them. I want to test you."

"Which song is it?"

"The poem 'The Crab Girl' tells the story of a woman who sells crabs, impersonates a noble lady, is exposed by a real noble lady, and then teases and mocks her."

Perhaps they wanted to mock her, Hilti quickly understood their intentions. Of course she remembered the poem, but there was no need to show it at this time.

"Sorry, I forgot."

“It really won’t work.” Ariel shook her head, then glanced at the other person.

“I could recite the entire collection of poems by the nightingale when I was ten, and I could solidify my essence at seventeen. You are still far behind.” As she spoke, she spread her fingers, and a drop of water rose from the cup, then connected in the air to form a flowing water line in a circle.

"See that?" she said, waving her finger triumphantly. The water swirled in the air, then flew past Hilti's face, circled behind her, and returned to her finger.

“I’m already a superhuman, and you need to work even harder. Well, at your current pace of learning, it will probably take you ten years to catch up. But don’t be discouraged, our family can still support you.”

Is it possible to form a spiritual entity at the age of seventeen? If it was formed spontaneously, then the talent is indeed quite good, but Hilti clearly felt that the 'first-order snail fish' formed by the other party was very weak and also slightly uncoordinated.

This is probably a manifestation formed by relying on external objects. Although it is possible to break through, the foundation is too weak, making it difficult to advance further. Moreover, the part of skipping classes beforehand will have to be made up twice as much, which will only make it more difficult. Generally, people with some talent and ambition would not bother to do this.

In Hilti's mind, only spoiled and useless sons of wealthy families would use the resources given by their families to advance in this way.

"Thank you for your guidance, Sister Ariel." I'll save face for her now, since she won't be staying long anyway.

(End of this chapter)