The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 91: The Formal Gown Is Completed

After a week of waiting, Sylutia's evening gown was finally finished. During that time, when Madame Grace came to visit "Wisteria Flower Moon," she discovered that Ying Zi was rushing to complete a high-end formal gown, which was very much against her usual habit of being lazy.

Under Madame Grace's relentless interrogation, Ying Zi had no choice but to confess the truth. Upon learning that Sylutia would be wearing this formal gown to the Silver Bell Festival, Madame Grace, as a tailoring expert, couldn't resist the itch to join in.

And so, with the two working together, the dress was quickly completed. However, as the price for Madame Grace's help, the gown's style had undergone some slight adjustments. A few lace pleated trims had been added, giving it a kind of East-meets-West fusion feel. But the two styles blended very harmoniously, not jarring at all, and instead presented a rare kind of beauty.

"Alright, today Hedra can come and try it on." The two creators lifted the dress and spread it out before the young girl.

Watching them walk toward her, Sylutia suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, not long after, she was seized by these two older sisters, pressed down onto a chair, and made to change into this elaborate formal gown. The process involved not only putting on a specific pair of black pantyhose but also adjusting the bow at the lower back, the small, delicate neckband, and the ring-shaped hair ornaments. It wasn't until half an hour later that the dress was fully put on. (The general style can be referenced from the Yu-Gi-Oh! card, Abao Aku.)

Once the dressing was complete, the young girl in the mirror exuded a beautiful and delicate aura. The black one-piece formal dress accentuated her lovely waistline. The wavy, folded hem was shorter in the front and longer in the back, revealing her shapely thighs wrapped in black stockings. It caused the somewhat dignified aura Sylutia had developed over the past two years to retreat, giving her a green, unopened girl's sense of youthfulness.

"See, dressing like this makes her look much cuter, Hedra." Madame Grace, holding a folding fan in one hand, commented with a beaming smile.

"I think it's great too. If I ever have a daughter, I'd probably dress her like this." Ying Zi took out a thin blue ribbon and tied it into Sylutia's hair by her ear as a decoration.

"Wearing this dress to the Silver Bell Festival is sure to make everyone like her. Hedra will probably become the most beloved little princess of the 'Mithril Clock' school." The two praised her again.Hearing their various over-the-top compliments, Sylutia couldn't help but shake her head. She wasn't a little kid, how could she be fooled by their flattery? When those two were making the dress, they seemed like they were plotting some earth-shattering scheme, full of inexhaustible energy for doing something mischievous.

Although this dress was indeed very beautiful, it still felt a bit different from the dignified aura she had envisioned. It seemed a little too cute, to the point that it made one wonder if she could bear certain responsibilities.

But there was no time left to order a second dress. She'd just have to wear this one to the Silver Bell Festival.

She silently cursed the two for being unreliable, but she couldn't really get angry. Sylutia gently shook her hair and stood up.

"Alright, alright, you don't have to say anymore. I accept it."

"Really? Hedra, you absolutely have to wear this to the ceremony!" They reminded her a few more times before finally feeling reassured.

After the fitting was over, they sat around the tea stove and chatted, talking about how the two of them had met.

"Back then, a customer took a dress I made and went to Ying Zi's. Ying Zi cut and altered it, and then that customer flauntingly wore it back to my shop." Madame Grace spoke of the past.

"I couldn't stand it. After asking around to find out which tailor shop had done such a thing, I went straight to their door."

"At that time, Ying Zi had just opened her shop. With her Eastern-style clothing, she attracted a lot of people. We argued right in the shop, and many curious customers came to watch the show."

"Afterwards, to avoid damaging our reputations and public standing, we held three competitions. We would each cut and make a dress based on the same theme, and let those familiar noble guests evaluate and vote on them."

"In the end, the two of you ended up in a draw. The difference in votes between the two sides was always very small. And because of those events, we quickly went from strangers to reconciliation."

"But later on, Ying Zi started getting lazy. She had probably earned enough money and lost the motivation to keep working hard. She seldom designed new styles anymore, and so her shop slowly cooled down." Ying Zi said with a hint of sarcasm in her evaluation.

"There's no end to making money, Sylutia." Ying Zi was unconcerned, sipping her tea.

"With endless desires comes endless toil." She lightly shook her finger, reciting some ancient philosophy.

After spending some time together, Sylutia carefully packed the dress into a special box and bid them farewell.

Before she left, another familiar person came to see her off.

"Madame Grace." The girl had purplish-red hair, dressed in simple, thick clothing, standing at the station.

"Hedra." Sylutia said her name, looking at her unchanged height, and patted her head.

"How have your studies been these past six months? Have you been happy?" Even though she had left, Hedra was under the protection of two Headmen, so she probably wouldn't be bullied.

"My studies are alright, but I might not be able to keep up with Lady Sylutia's pace." Speaking of her studies, she lowered her head slightly. Unfortunately, her foundation was too weak. Just keeping up with her classmates had taken all her effort.

"But I'm very happy because I can see my own gains and growth." With that, she lifted her head again.

"I've also made some friends at school now. They're all beastmen, and we get along very well."

All beastmen, huh. Sylutia wanted to tell her she could try making friends with human classmates, but thinking about Anari's natural social anxiety and weakness, asking her to do that seemed a bit difficult. It was better to let her take things one step at a time. She couldn't force it.

"Mm, when you're with friends, while relationships are important, you also need to have your own ability to distinguish right from wrong. Don't be easily led astray by others." She was worried that the other beastman students from Asra might have some biases and problems that could lead the girl down the wrong path.

"I'll remember that." The other girl nodded again.

Seeing how obedient she was, Sylutia had nothing more to say. She thought for a moment, then handed her the sapphire she had just received not long ago.

"Keep this gem. If you ever need resources to advance, or if you're short on money and need it urgently, you can trade it away."

"This..." The other girl looked at the gem in the young girl's hand, hesitant to take it.

"Just keep it." Sylutia took her wrist and placed the gem in her palm.

"I have a lot of things. I don't need this one." She stroked Anari's face.

"For you, it should be different. In your hands, it can bring out a greater value."

"I might not have much time to return to Asra District in the future, so you need to take good care of yourself."

"When you have some free time, you can also look up 'Fire Pig' or 'Four Eyes' and learn a few things from them." She thought for a moment.

"This world is vast and beautiful, but also complex and ever-changing. If you can understand the threads of its relationships, you might be able to live more freely and comfortably."

"Lastly, establish your own system of judgment in your heart. That way, you can go to any distant place, clear-headed and without regret."

"Keep it up, Anari."

Waving her hand, Sylutia boarded the train and waved goodbye as it departed. This scene was etched into the memory of the girl standing on the platform, a sight she would never forget for a long time.