Chapter 51: Moving House
On their day off, Sylutia and Talier were organizing and packing their belongings inside the house. Tomorrow was the day they had promised Lady Franne they would tend to her flower fields.
"Are we really going to move into such a huge mansion?" Talier still found it hard to believe. To her, Lady Franne's residence was practically no different from a legendary palace.
"Yes, because we'll be helping that lady take care of her flower fields on weekdays, we probably won't have time to travel back and forth between the eastern and western parts of the city." Lady Franne's mansion was located in the West District, an area inhabited exclusively by the wealthy and noble, which was quite far from the East District where they currently lived.
"It's also very far from where I work." Talier sounded somewhat discouraged.
"As for work..." Sylutia recalled what Lady Franne had mentioned before - she could bring one servant or attendant to live with her in the mansion.
"You could work for Lady Franne instead. She would agree to take you in." the silver-haired girl replied.
"Sigh, that kind of environment... although it's almost like an ideal place, I feel really scared. I'm afraid I might break something that even selling me wouldn't be enough to pay for." Talier thought back to the luxurious mansion decorations she had seen the day before yesterday.
"Don't worry, we'll take it step by step." When Sylutia said this, she was not only encouraging Talier but also motivating herself.
"Alright, if I really can't do it well, Tia, you have to plead for me and let me come back." Talier was still somewhat worried.
They packed their various personal belongings into boxes, then hired a carriage to transport these boxes to Lady Franne's mansion in the West District.
...
In the afternoon, after their luggage and items were properly placed, the maid named Lining came before the two of them.
"I'm here to show you your future living quarters." She gestured for them to follow.
"First is Miss Tia's room. Like the Lady's, it's on the second floor, but the Lady resides in the west wing, while Miss Tia's bedroom is in the east wing."
Following the white stone-carved yet smooth handrail staircase, the three arrived at the equally luxurious second floor of the mansion. The corridor here was spacious, offering a distant view of the vast golden sea of flowers behind the mansion when leaning against the railing. Passing by numerous closed doors, Lining arrived at the second-to-last room in the east wing, opened the door, and revealed the interior.
Delicate veils draped throughout, decorated with light blue floral pendants, and soft furniture resembling white ivory - this bedroom felt as warm and luxurious as a princess's chamber.
"This is where Miss Tia will sleep." Lining continued introducing the space to both of them.
"Dressing table, wardrobe, comfortable soft large bed - everything is provided. If you need anything else, you can also tell me." She bowed with impeccable manners.
"Wow, this place, this..."
Talier was so astonished she couldn't find words, even struggling to find suitable vocabulary to describe such a room. She even felt a faint sense of unworthiness, as if sleeping here would somehow taint its purity.
However, for someone like Tia... she turned her head to look at the silver-haired girl beside her, and somehow it felt appropriate, as if such an environment was necessary to nurture someone so lovely and beautiful.
Sylutia sighed softly. Living in such surroundings made her feel an invisible pressure weighing on her.
It was like when you receive much from others, shouldn't you also bear some responsibility? But since she was already here, being overly reserved or polite would only make things awkward.
"Thank you for the arrangements, Miss Lining."
"There's no need for such formal address. You can just call me Lining directly." The maid with similarly light golden hair responded in a calm voice.
"Alright, Lining."
Afterward, Lining brought both of them back to the first floor and to another building at the side of the mansion. Passing through a short red-brown floored corridor on the first floor here, there were two rooms.
"The inner room is for Miss Talier, and the outer room is where I usually reside." After saying this, she pushed the door open and walked in.
The room prepared for Talier was much simpler, containing a single bed, wardrobe, small table and wooden chair, with a bronze candlestick on the table.
Even so, the bedsheets and quilt were made of combed cotton fabric, equally soft and comfortable. The furniture was also crafted from fine mahogany, looking plain but not inexpensive.
"Oh, this place is nice too." Talier felt quite touched. She even wanted to step forward and touch that soft, finely woven cotton fabric.
"As for bathing..." Lining pondered briefly.
"If Tia wants to take a hot bath, please let me know in advance. For ordinary showers, they're available anytime."
"Shower? What's that?" Talier felt she had never heard this term before.
"Probably fine sprays of water from pipes that wash over your entire body." Sylutia didn't know what kind of showers existed in this world, only making inferences based on the vocabulary.
"Correct. Since Miss Tia understands, I won't explain further." The other party nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction seeming to flash in her calm eyes.
"Just place clothes for washing in the bamboo basket in the bathroom. I will collect and clean them."
"Daily meals are also prepared by me. Miss Tia just needs to come to the dining room on time."
"If you want to eat something specific, you can also tell me in advance, and I'll try to prepare it. Another thing to note is that the Lady doesn't like outsiders dirtying the house."
"So, unless specifically permitted by the Lady, please don't invite other friends to the mansion for meals or gatherings, Miss Tia."
"I understand." The girl nodded in comprehension.
"If other guests visit while the Lady happens to be away, Miss Tia will receive them on her behalf. During these times, please conduct yourself appropriately." This was probably part of the requirements and costs of living here.
"During reception periods, Miss Tia can freely arrange the meals, but you cannot have guests stay overnight, nor bring anyone into the rear residence's flower fields." She explained the rules again.
"If Miss Tia promises something to a guest, it's equivalent to the Lady promising it, so please act carefully and deliberately." She still held some wariness and distrust toward this unfamiliar silver-haired girl and needed to warn her in advance.
"If it's an especially distinguished guest, Miss Tia can postpone matters, saying you'll wait for the Lady to return before making decisions."
"So what counts as relatively important matters?" Sylutia inquired curiously.
"Generally, guests visit for three purposes: first, to request something; second, to plead for some matter; third, to hope the Lady will intervene." Lining analyzed and explained in her steady voice.
"For requesting something, if the value doesn't exceed Second Tier, Miss Tia can make your own judgment."
"For pleading some matter, if Miss Tia can easily accomplish it, then agreeing naturally is fine."
"For hoping the Lady will intervene, if it can be resolved just with the Lady's letter, then Miss Tia can also agree."
"That day when Miss Mareen came to deliver something and inquired about books and seeds, I responded on the Lady's behalf. Because the Lady has encountered many similar requests, she prepared complete sets of books and seeds. If someone comes asking, she has me simply give them out." As Lining said this, she looked at Sylutia, a trace of admiration in her eyes.
"Although the Lady has given gardening primer books and seeds to many people, very few actually return with results to show."
"Someone like Miss Tia, who can cultivate plants that condense Aspect on the first attempt - this is also the first time I've seen it." She offered Sylutia a small compliment.
This also helped Sylutia understand why Lady Franne appreciated her so much.
After all the explanations were complete, Sylutia settled into this luxurious mansion.