Sunflower Sea

She washed her hair with hot water and a special noodle soup, and the fine black powder clinging to it gradually faded away, restoring its original flawless, snowy silver.

As Talia helped Sylutia wash and comb her hair, she said enviously, "Tia, your hair is so lovely. It's always so smooth and straight."

She touched her own curly chestnut hair and felt a little disheartened. Still, she was very happy to see Sylutia with silver hair again today.

The girl and Talia spent over an hour washing and combing her hair until it had fully regained its original snowy silver color. Afterward, Sylutia soaked in hot water and washed herself all over.

After changing into the same plain white dress with its exquisite details that she had worn when she first arrived, Sylutia stood before the mirror and looked herself over. She turned around now and then, her silky hair drifting gently with her movements.

I should tie it back a little with a ribbon. Otherwise, it'll be too unruly, she thought.

She picked up the blue-and-white ribbon embroidered with cornflowers again. She gathered some of her hair from both sides of her ears and brought it together behind her head, then tied it neatly with the fresh ribbon, forming a cute bow. (Reference: Euphyllia Magenta's hairstyle in The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady.)

Her snowy silver hair and ribbon swayed and fluttered together as she walked, setting each other off in a uniquely beautiful way.

Come to think of it, this outfit she had worn when she first awoke wasn't exactly glamorous, but it had a light elegance that never grew tiresome. It was as if, after searching among countless flowers, one had ultimately chosen the simple, understated blossom seen at the very beginning—a beauty difficult to surpass or forget.

With her hair combed and her dress straightened, she put on her clean white stockings again, slipped into her well-fitting little leather shoes, and fastened the dainty white bow straps. Sylutia stood up and gently turned before the mirror, checking her appearance.

"Wow, you look like a completely different person!" Talia clasped her hands, unable to contain her surprise and delight.

Sylutia had silver hair before, too, but she always kept it hidden. She had never let her full charm shine like this.

"Most people would believe you if you said you were a princess from a foreign land." Talia circled the girl several times, growing more and more convinced.

"Being a princess could be a hassle if I couldn't explain it properly." The girl shook her head slightly. Then she turned her foot a little, savoring the long-missed comfort of her shoes. It felt as though ages had passed.

It had only been two or three months, yet it seemed as if she had lived through a long stretch of time.

Still, she could relax to her heart's content today.

In the afternoon, peaceful sunlight shone over the streets of the West District. Beneath the lush shade of the trees, a carriage rolled slowly along, its polished teak body glinting in the dappled light.

Sylutia sat inside with her hands folded gently in her lap. Her eyes were closed, and now and then a little light slipped through a gap in the curtain, falling across her graceful, snowy-white neck and cheek.

"We're here, miss."

The wheels gradually came to a stop, and the coachman politely called out to the girl inside.

He didn't know who the girl was, but from the moment he'd received the job and met her that day, he'd sensed she must be someone important. So he'd been especially careful, personally brushing down the horse before driving it gently and keeping the carriage at an even pace.

"Thank you. Please wait a little," she replied softly.

The carriage door opened, and she lifted her skirt slightly as she stepped down. Talia followed behind, carrying a potted plant beneath a black cloth-covered glass dome.

Looking up at the spacious estate, the two could see the front garden and lawn through the iron railings. Everything was very quiet.

Sylutia stopped before the gate and gently rang the bell, which chimed brightly.

Before long, a maid in a black-and-white uniform came out through a side entrance and approached the gate.

"Do you have a letter of introduction?" She folded her hands over her apron, her manners polished and her bearing more refined than that of some nobles.

"Yes." Sylutia took out the letter she had brought with her. It contained Scholar Heide's recommendation, as well as the note Mailin had left when she borrowed the book before.

The maid took the letter, opened it, and read it over. She nodded slightly, then glanced at Talia behind Sylutia, who was holding the potted plant.

"I'll open the gate. You may come in. As for the carriage, please have the driver wait outside the estate."

"Certainly." Sylutia nodded, then spoke with the coachman.

Afterward, she entered the quiet estate grounds and followed the maid farther inside.

For some reason, the maid ahead of her seemed strangely familiar. It wasn't that she knew this maid; rather, the maid's uniform stirred an odd sense of recognition, as if there had been many similar figures in her life before.

Unfortunately, she couldn't recall anything more for now. She and Talia went to wait in the reception room by the front entrance, where the maid brought Sylutia some warm red tea.

"Please wait here. Don't wander off. I'll go inform the lady."

"Yes." She nodded again and watched the maid leave.

Seated on a luxurious silk sofa embroidered with gold, Sylutia looked around. Every decoration was exquisite and elegant, radiating an air of expense. Even the walls were covered in cloth embroidered with gold thread, and every piece of enamelware on the table was exceptionally beautiful.

Just as Scholar Heide had said, Lady Falan was someone very special. Sylutia wondered how Mailin had met her and borrowed a book from her in the first place.

As the two looked around, the young maid returned. She told Sylutia, "The lady has agreed to see you. Please carry the flowerpot to the back garden yourself."

"As for your attendant, she can stay here and rest for a while." She gave Talia a slight nod.

"Oh, I'm not supposed to go with you?" Talia was a little surprised, but she handed the potted plant to Sylutia.

Holding the glass-covered potted plant in both arms, Sylutia followed the maid toward the estate's back garden.

She passed through the long corridor inside the estate and turned two corners. When she stepped out of the mansion ahead, she was engulfed by a sea of bright yellow flowers.

Beneath the gentle breeze and azure sky, countless tall sunflowers were in bloom. Their broad flower heads faced the sun, their pale golden-yellow petals packed tightly together, blazing with a vivid beauty in the sunlight.

These sunflowers were no ordinary plants. They were all extraordinary First Order Blazing Suns, and in the most radiant part of the flower sea, there was even a patch of Second Order Blazing Suns.

As she walked through the golden-yellow sea of flowers, Sylutia felt the warmth of countless joyful Blazing Suns spreading through the air. Her body gradually filled with vitality, and her weariness faded.

The farther she walked, the more pronounced the warmth spreading from the Blazing Suns became. Even the air seemed slightly distorted. When she reached the very back and looked up, she found that the sky above her had taken on a faint golden hue, radiant and magnificent.

At last, she saw a figure standing among the flowers beneath a white parasol.

The ornate parasol was edged with looping silk, dotted with little pale-yellow bows, and its rib tips were decorated with pearls.

Beneath it stood a figure with her back to Sylutia. She was a little tall, wearing a gown of pure white and gold. Layers of pale-yellow floral decorations adorned the skirt over its full petticoat. The breeze made the hem shift slightly, forming an elegant curve that complemented her figure.

As if she knew Sylutia had arrived, the woman gently twirled her parasol and turned around.

She had light blue eyes, and a few golden strands fell beside her face. Her dignified bearing was unforgettable.

"You're the little Tia Mailin and Heide told me about, aren't you?"

"You look like such a lovable girl."

Smiling warmly, she raised a finger. Many sunflower petals floated up into the sky on the breeze, filling the girl's view.

So bright, and so pure.