Cornflower Witch

Chapter 344 Miss Hedra's Unbearable Day

The party continued at Griffin's mansion.

As Lord Brennan's niece, Rosalie became the focus of the gathering. She strolled around casually, laughing and chatting, while various voices echoed her with compliments, explaining the origins of the flowers and plants in front of her, telling her the most interesting stories about Quebec, and so on.

Having toured most of the mansion's gardens, Rosalie was satisfied but also a little bored.

"That's all for now. I heard the Griffin family recently had a new daughter, but I don't know who she is; I haven't met her yet." Her topic shifted back to the Griffin family and Ariel.

"You mean Mr. Alainford's niece, who is also Ellie's newly adopted sister?"

“Yes.” Rosalie recalled the name she had heard from the city lord.

"I think her name is Hedra."

"This..." Most of the people present had never heard of this name. It was only because Hilti had kept a low profile since arriving in Quebec, and Madam Haye had also intentionally avoided taking her to any social occasions.

However, a small number of Ariel's close friends and confidantes knew about Hedra.

“I know. I heard Ariel mention before that she has a distant cousin who moved into their house due to a family crisis and was adopted by Mr. Alainford.”

"Oh, where is she? Didn't she come out today?" Rosalie continued to press.

"I don't know about that, I'm afraid you'll have to ask Ariel." The girl next to her shrank back. She had heard the general situation from Ariel. If that Hedra performed poorly and embarrassed herself, Ariel would probably hold a grudge against her later.

"You don't know either?" Rosalie looked around and found that no one had ever seen the 'Hedra' before, which made her even more curious.

At this moment, the young ladies and gentlemen surrounding Rosalie grabbed a servant in the courtyard and questioned him.

"Where is your other young lady?"

"What did you mean?" The servant had actually heard him, but he still wanted to play dumb, since Eriel had specifically instructed him not to let Hedra come out during the party.

“Your new lady, Hedra,” Rosalie called out directly.

“This…” He hesitated with a troubled expression. Seeing this, Wes frowned and stepped forward.

"What's there to hesitate about now? Can't you see Miss Rosalie wants to see someone? Are you trying to embarrass Ariel by hiding this from her?" Under his reprimand, the servant was clearly unable to withstand the pressure. Seeing that he was isolated and helpless, he had no choice but to lead everyone to the place where Hiltiya lived in the mansion.

On the other side of the garden, Ariel was sitting under a parasol with Verlena. Verlena was calmly drinking tea, while Ariel was burying her face in her knees, wiping away tears, afraid of being seen.

"Sigh..." Seeing Eriel so vulnerable, Verlena's previous dislike for her dissipated considerably, replaced by a sense of pity and sympathy.

"Here, wipe your tears." She handed her a handkerchief.

Taking the handkerchief from Verlena, Ariel barely managed to lift her head, revealing her red and swollen eyes from crying. She then wiped them away in shame and tidied her messy makeup and hair.

"Thank you, thank you." Her voice was still choked and stiff.

Just then, a servant rushed over.

"It's terrible, Miss! They want to see the Third Miss, and they're already rushing to her room."

"What?" Ariel stood up in surprise, a bad thought suddenly popping into her mind.

She quickly gathered her clothes and asked the servant to lead the way.

"Excuse me, Verlena, I have to go now." She said this hastily, and then, with her servants and maids, hurried off in the direction Rosalie and her group had gone.

Seeing her leave in a hurry, Verlena shook her head, really not understanding why so many things had happened today, but this also piqued her curiosity.

"Let's go take a look. If we miss it, my mother will scold me when I get home."

“Yes, Miss.” Her maid accompanied Verlena as they walked toward the gathering crowd.

……

Inside the room, Hilti was turning the pages of a book, occasionally jotting down notes to help her memorize key information. She didn't pay much attention to the commotion in the courtyard downstairs, but as the footsteps of a group of people drew closer and ascended the steps to the second floor, she sensed something was amiss.

Now, on the second floor, apart from a few servants and maids, she is probably the only one this group of people are targeting.

Is she here to see me? But I don't know anyone in Quebec.

Regardless of the other party's purpose, Hilti put down her book, went to the mirror, tidied her clothes, picked up the sun hat hanging behind the door, put it on, and walked out of the room.

Even if it's a meeting, it's better to do it outside. Being forced to meet a guest in the bedroom is really impolite and awkward.

Arriving at a balcony on the second floor, Hilti sat in a shady spot, sheltered from the direct sunlight, facing the backyard of the mansion. It was quite quiet, with the sound of cicadas chirping in the background.

"Pour me some tea, Margot, thank you for your trouble."

"Yes, Miss." The maid standing beside her went to prepare, and at that moment, the sound of a group of footsteps came from the corridor in front of the mansion, getting closer and closer.

During this time, Hilti heard them asking the servants where she was. After being led and given directions, the group of footsteps passed by her bedroom and headed towards the balcony in the backyard.

"Is this the place?" Rosalie's voice was full of excitement and curiosity, as if she were playing some kind of treasure hunt.

"Yes, Miss Rosalie," the servant replied with a bitter face. At this point, denying it would be pointless and would only offend this noble young lady for no reason.

"Still hiding it so well, humph." Rosalie walked briskly, leading a group of curious men and women behind her toward the corner of the corridor.

The trees planted next to the mansion are tall and straight. Sunlight shines through the yellowish-green leaves and falls on the white pillars of the walkway, creating dappled shadows. A gentle breeze blows here, creating a tranquil atmosphere that is not found in the front yard of the mansion, and the air seems to be a little cooler.

On the balcony at the end of the corridor, a young girl wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat sat gracefully. The elegant black brim of the hat was decorated with dark blue and white cornflowers, tied with a ribbon into a pretty bow. Half of the girl's profile was hidden in the shadow under the hat, making it difficult to see clearly.

She has a serene figure, and the white pleats on the black hem of her skirt give her a youthful air. Just looking at her from afar makes people unconsciously calm down.

Rosalie slowed her pace, and the excitement on her face gradually faded. By the time she reached Siltia's side, she had become very cautious.

At that moment, she bowed respectfully, lifting her skirt, for the first time today, to a stranger she had met.

"Hello, my name is Rosalie, may I get to know you?"

Upon hearing her words, the mysterious yet pure-looking girl slowly turned around, revealing her black gem-like eyes and her soft hair gently covering her graceful shoulders and neck.

"Hello, my name is Hedra, nice to meet you." Simple and clear words floated in the breeze.

Although she lacked glamorous dresses and accessories, the simple black summer dress and sun hat perfectly showcased the young woman's charm, giving the impression that she had stepped into another world, possessing a dreamlike quality that seemed out of place in the real world.

Afterwards, Margot brought tea and quietly poured it on the small table in the two-person room.

So when Ariel arrived a few minutes later, she saw a group of people gathered outside the balcony, and Rosalie in the middle was chatting and laughing with her sister of unknown origin.

The discrepancy between reality and expectations stunned her once again, leaving her bewildered as to how things had unfolded this way.

How could a girl from the countryside speak so calmly and confidently with that young lady? Did she disgrace the Griffin family, or did she speak ill of her? All of this made Ariel's heart flutter with anxiety.

However, she no longer had the courage to rush over and question them, and could only hide behind and watch slowly, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

I am clearly the legitimate daughter of the Griffin family...

Then she remembered something and found where Young Master Wes was in the crowd. Young Master Wes, who had been the focus of attention before, was now standing in a corner like many other men and women, watching the two on the balcony chatting and laughing. His appearance was no different from the others around him, with a look of longing and envy.

Suddenly, she felt disgusted. She used to deliberately try to please this kind of person, and the scene of Wes abandoning her so snobbishly without helping her out of a predicament not long ago resurfaced in her mind.

Suddenly, Ariel felt that everything was so disappointing, and a sense of loss filled her heart. She stopped lingering and slowly left, feeling lost and dejected.

At this moment, in the center of everyone's attention, Hilti also felt a little anxious. Being watched by so many people, she felt neither relaxed nor happy. She began to wonder why Ariel hadn't come over yet. If only this cousin of hers could be more domineering and lock her in the house.

Sigh, what a sad day, the same thought floated through their minds.

(End of this chapter)