On her day off, Sylutia and Talia tidied up their belongings at home. Tomorrow was the day they had promised Lady Falan they would tend her flower fields.
"Are we really moving into such a big house?" Talia still found it hard to believe. To her, Lady Falan's mansion was hardly any different from a palace in a fairy tale.
"Yes. Since we'll be helping that lady tend her flower fields every day, we might not have time to travel back and forth between the East and West Districts." Lady Falan's mansion was in the West District, where only the rich and powerful lived, a long way from their current home in the East District.
"It'll be a very long way from my workplace, too." Talia sounded a little dejected.
"As for work..." Sylutia thought about what Lady Falan had said before. She could bring along a servant to live with her at the mansion.
"You can work for Lady Falan. She'll agree to take you in," the girl replied.
"Ah, in a place like that? It's almost perfect, but I'm scared. I'm afraid I'll break something, and even selling me wouldn't be enough to pay for it." Talia thought of the luxurious decorations she had seen at the mansion two days ago.
"It's all right. We'll take it one step at a time." When Sylutia said this, she was encouraging herself as much as Talia.
"All right, but if I really can't do it, Tia, you have to plead for me and let me come back." Talia was still a little worried.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine." Sylutia reassured her again.
They packed their belongings into boxes, then found a carriage and loaded the boxes onto it. They set off for Lady Falan's mansion in the West District.
In the afternoon, after they had settled their belongings, the maid named Lining came to meet them.
"I'm here to show you where you'll be staying from now on." She motioned for them to follow.
"First, Miss Tia's room. Like the mistress's, it's on the second floor, but the mistress lives on the west side, while Miss Tia's bedroom is on the east side."
The three of them climbed the white stone staircase, its carved handrail polished smooth, and reached the equally luxurious second floor. The hallway was spacious, and from its railing one could look out over the vast golden sea of flowers behind the mansion. After passing several closed doors, Lining reached the second-to-last room on the east side. She opened the door, revealing the room within.
Layers of gauzy curtains hung around the room, decorated with pale blue floral pendants. The soft white furniture had the look of ivory, and the bedroom was as warm and luxurious as a princess's chamber.
"This is where Miss Tia will sleep," Lining continued.
"It has everything you need: a dressing table, a wardrobe, and a large, comfortable bed. If there's anything else you need, you can let me know." She bowed, her every movement impeccable.
"Wow, this... this..."
Talia was too astonished to speak. She couldn't find the right words to describe the room. A faint sense of inferiority even crept over her. If she were to sleep here, she felt she would somehow defile its purity.
But if it were Tia... She turned to look at the silver-haired girl beside her and, for some reason, felt that it suited her. It was as if only an environment like this could have raised someone so cute and beautiful.
Sylutia sighed. Living in such a place made her feel an invisible pressure bearing down on her.
It was like, if someone gave you so much, shouldn't you take on some responsibility in return? But now that they were here, it would be worse to keep refusing out of politeness.
"Thank you for arranging everything, Miss Lining."
"There's no need to call me that. Just call me Lining." The maid, who had the same pale golden hair, replied in a calm voice.
"All right, Lining."
Afterward, Lining led them back to the first floor and over to another building beside the mansion. On the first floor, they walked down a short hallway with reddish-brown flooring, where there were two rooms.
"The room at the back is Miss Talia's. The one closer to the outside is where I usually stay." After speaking, she opened the door and went inside.
The room prepared for Talia was much simpler. It had a single bed, a wardrobe, a small table, and a wooden chair. A copper candlestick stood on the table.
Even so, the sheets and quilt were made of finely combed cotton, just as soft and comfortable. The furniture was crafted from smooth redwood. It looked plain, but it was still expensive.
"Wow, this room is lovely, too." Talia was touched. She even wanted to step forward and feel the soft, finely woven cotton.
"As for bathing..." Lining paused to consider.
"If Miss Tia would like a hot bath, please tell me in advance. You can use the regular shower whenever you like."
"A shower? What's that?" Talia felt she had never heard the word before.
"It's probably water spraying in fine streams from a pipe, washing your whole body." Sylutia wasn't sure what kind of shower this world had, so she could only guess from the word.
"Exactly. Since Miss Tia knows what it is, I won't explain it further." The other woman gave a slight nod, and a hint of approval seemed to flash in her calm eyes.
"You can put your change of clothes in the bamboo basket in the bathroom. I'll collect and wash them."
"I also prepare all the meals each day. Miss Tia only needs to come to the dining room on time."
"If there's something you'd like to eat, you can let me know in advance. I'll do my best to prepare it. There's one other thing to note: the mistress doesn't like outsiders making a mess of the house."
"So, unless the mistress gives permission, please don't invite your friends to the mansion for meals or gatherings, Miss Tia."
"I understand." The girl nodded.
"If other guests come to visit while the mistress happens to be away, Miss Tia will receive them on her behalf. During that time, please conduct yourself appropriately." That was probably one of the conditions—and the price—of staying here.
"Miss Tia may make her own arrangements for food and drink while receiving guests, but you mustn't let them stay overnight or take them into the flower fields behind the house." She went over the rules again.
"If you promise a guest something, it will be the same as the mistress promising it to them. So please act with caution, Miss Tia." Lining was still somewhat wary and distrustful of the unfamiliar silver-haired girl, so she needed to warn her in advance.
"If the guest is especially distinguished, Miss Tia can put the matter off and say that she'll wait for the mistress to return before deciding."
"What kind of matters are considered important?" Sylutia asked curiously.
"Guests usually come for one of three reasons: to request something, to ask for a favor, or to ask the mistress to intervene." Lining explained in a steady voice.
"If they request something worth no more than second tier, Miss Tia can decide for yourself."
"If they ask for a favor that Miss Tia can easily grant, then there's no harm in agreeing."
"If they want the mistress to intervene, and a letter from her would be enough to settle the matter, then Miss Tia can agree to that as well."
"When Miss Mailin came to deliver those things the other day and asked about the books and seeds, I agreed on the mistress's behalf. The mistress has received many similar requests. She prepared sets of books and seeds, and told me to give them directly to anyone who came asking." As Lining said this, she looked at Sylutia with a hint of admiration in her eyes.
"Though the mistress has given gardening primers and seeds to many people, very few have ever returned with anything to show for it."
"This is the first time I've seen someone like Miss Tia raise flowers that condense Aspect Power on her very first try," she added, giving Sylutia a small compliment.
That helped Sylutia understand why Lady Falan admired her so much.
After Lining had finished explaining everything, Sylutia settled into the luxurious mansion.
Before you continue