169: Chapter 169 Selvie, meticulously dressed! First bloom! Helena's helplessness!

Night was like ink, the full moon hung high.

Inside Golden Flame Castle, the lights were lit one by one.

Sylvie stood before the floor-to-ceiling mirror in her room, examining herself one last time.

She had changed into a carefully prepared light-colored nightgown; its texture was soft, the tailoring fit perfectly, outlining the slim and delicate curves of the young girl's body just right.

Her long, light-gold hair was not braided as usual but cascaded loosely behind her shoulders, adding a touch of mature allure.

She looked at herself in the mirror.

With delicate features and a slender figure, she possessed a subtle, budding Charm.

Just then, a soft knock came from outside the door.

"Miss Sylvie, are you ready?" It was a maid's voice, gentle and polite. "The master has returned to the bedroom..."

Sylvie's heart skipped a beat.

But she tried to keep her voice steady as she replied, "Okay... I'm coming."

She took one last look at herself in the mirror, turned around, and opened the door.

The maid politely looked Sylvie over, and seeing her carefully applied makeup, a flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes before she stepped slightly to the side, making a gesture to lead the way. "Please follow me, Miss."

Sylvie nodded and followed behind the maid.

The two walked one after the other, starting to go upstairs.

Sylvie kept her head down, daring only to stare at the swaying hem of the maid's skirt, not daring to look around.

Finally, the maid stopped in front of a tall, thick oak door.

This door was completely different from the others; it was carved with a complex and exquisite Golden Flame emblem, flowing with a luxurious luster.

The maid turned, curtsied slightly to Sylvie, and lowered her voice. "Miss Sylvie, the master is inside. I shall take my leave."

With that, she retreated silently a few steps and disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Sylvie stood alone before that door, her palms slightly sweaty.

She bit her lip, raised her hand, and knocked twice gently on the heavy wooden door.

"Enter." A calm male voice came from inside.

Sylvie took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Inside was a spacious and luxurious bedroom.

The floor was covered with a gorgeous light-colored carpet.

She took off her shoes and walked in barefoot.

It was soft and silent.

At this moment, the master of the room was not on the bed but standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Rowan was holding a glass of light-colored liquor, looking out at the night view of Gino City's twinkling lights.

Hearing the door open, he turned and looked at Sylvie, who had just entered.

The young girl before him had clearly dressed carefully, her long eyelashes trembling slightly from nervousness.

He smiled and beckoned to Sylvie. "Come over and sit."

Sylvie obeyed, walked to the window, and sat down.

There were two armchairs there with a small round table between them, on which sat another wine glass and a bottle of opened liquor.

Rowan signaled for her to sit in the other chair, and he sat down as well.

He did not rush to do anything, but instead picked up his own glass, swirled it gently, and turned his gaze back to the window.

Sylvie followed his gaze and could not help but be stunned.

Looking down from this height, the entire Gino City was in full view.

In the night, the lights of thousands of households were like stars scattered across the earth, dotting it here and there in an orderly fashion.

The outline of the distant city walls traced a blurred and majestic line under the moonlight.

Further away were the dark wilderness and the skyline.

Occasionally, moving lights could be seen on the streets; those were pedestrians returning home or patrolling City Guard.

The entire city, in the embrace of the winter night, seemed so quiet, peaceful, and yet... so small.

Sylvie had never overlooked the city she had lived in for more than ten years from this angle, at this moment.

She suddenly realized—if it weren't for the man beside her, perhaps she would never have been able to see this sight in her entire life.

"Is it beautiful?" Rowan's voice rang in her ear, carrying a hint of casualness.

Sylvie stared out the window like that, and after a moment, she nodded gently, her voice somewhat ethereal. "Extremely beautiful..."

"I have never seen such a view."

Rowan chuckled and did not respond.

He put down his glass and walked in front of Sylvie.

Sylvie raised her head to meet those amber eyes, her heartbeat accelerating involuntarily.

Rowan reached out, his fingertips gently brushing a strand of hair hanging by her cheek, his movements soft.

He leaned down slightly and whispered in her ear, "From now on, whenever you want to see it, you can see scenery like this at any time."

Sylvie's body trembled slightly, and then she slowly closed her eyes.

Rowan's hand slid down from her hair.

Her clothing slipped down along her smooth shoulders and neck, piling up at her feet like a blooming flower.

The firelight from the fireplace danced on her bare skin, outlining perfect curves.

Rowan picked her up gently and turned toward the large four-poster bed.

Intertwined gasps began...

...

I don't know how much time passed...

The clouds dispersed.

The room was filled with a faint scent of sweat.

Sylvie had fallen into a deep sleep, her long hair scattered on the pillow, with residual tear stains still at the corners of her eyes.

Rowan leaned against the headboard, gently pulling her snow-white, smooth shoulder that was exposed outside the silk quilt.

The panel unfolded in his mind.

[Charm Lv3 Proficiency +32]

[Drain Lv3 Proficiency +96]

[Obtained Free Attribute Points +160]

A good harvest.

[84 points] The girl's first bloom, although far inferior to the 90+ point girls like Cecilia and Helena, was still quite impressive.

Many a little makes a mickle.

His garden had only just begun to bloom.

The future is promising...

...

The North, Frostrock Province, Frostwind City.

This was an ancient city built on a hillside.

Under the winter sun.

Gray-white stone houses were layered along the gentle slope of the mountain.

At the highest point of the city were several ancient noble mansions.

And next to the city's central square, the towering spire of the Dawn Church was the most prominent landmark in the entire city.

A dark carriage bearing the emblem of Count Golden Flame drove slowly into the city along the main road of Frostwind City.

Helena sat by the carriage window, lifting a corner of the curtain slightly.

She looked at the familiar streets and buildings outside the window, and a surge of indescribable sadness suddenly rose in her heart.

She had left here only half a month ago.

But when she stepped onto this land where she had grown up again, she felt a sense of "things have changed, and people are no longer the same."

When she left, she was still a pure young girl.

And now...

She sighed softly, pressed that inexplicable melancholy back into her heart, and began to think about the matter at hand again.

She had returned this time with the consent of The Count.

It was mainly to bring her family to Gino City to settle down.

Firstly, her position in The Count's mansion was gradually stabilizing, and she had the ability to settle her family.

Secondly, she was worried about leaving her parents and younger brother in Frostwind City.

More importantly, it was her younger brother Aidan's leg injury.

After achieving second place in the Beauty Pageant, she had entrusted the Morning Dew Chamber of Commerce to send a portion of her prize money back home.

It should be enough to hire an official healing-type transcendent to cure her brother's leg injury.

At this moment, the low voice of a female knight came from outside the carriage: "Miss Helena, we have arrived."

Helena came back to her senses and looked out through the gap in the curtain.

The carriage was parked in front of a familiar gray-white building.

She breathed a sigh of relief and gave Portia outside the window a grateful smile. "Okay, thank you, Ms. Portia."

Portia was not wearing her City Guard uniform today but had changed into dark gray hunting gear suitable for travel, with a sword at her waist, looking capable and sharp.

She nodded slightly without saying anything, just dismounted first, scanned the surrounding environment, and after confirming there was nothing unusual, signaled that Helena could get off.

To be honest, Helena had not expected that she would only report to Rowan that she wanted to go home to pick up people, and Rowan would directly appoint Portia to lead a whole team of elite knights to escort her back all the way.

This level of importance far exceeded her expectations.

She felt a little moved in her heart, but dared not think too deeply about it, and could only silently keep this gratitude in her heart.

Helena lifted her skirt, stepped on the footstool put down by the coachman, and got off the carriage.

Standing on the familiar bluestone steps in front of her own house, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to push open the slightly ajar wooden door.

Portia did not follow her in but crossed her arms and leaned against the wall outside the door frame, scanning both ends of the street with a seemingly casual gaze, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

She was also secretly pondering in her heart.

Over this period, she had keenly sensed the extraordinary trust and importance The Count placed on this Miss Helena.

Nowadays, many official documents and orders sent from The Count's mansion to the outside world were drafted by Helena first, and then issued after The Count reviewed and signed them.

This power to draft documents on his behalf, while seemingly insignificant, actually meant that she had begun to touch the core political operations of The Count's mansion.

Among the selected girls, this was a unique treatment.

Just as these thoughts were swirling in Portia's mind, a suppressed exclamation suddenly came from inside the house from Helena:

"What?!"

The voice was full of shock and disbelief.

Portia's gaze narrowed, and her originally relaxed body tightened instantly.

She did not hesitate, walked quickly to the door, and asked in a steady and restrained voice:

"Miss Helena, what happened? May I come in?"

The room was silent for a few seconds, and then Helena's somewhat helpless voice came:

"Please come in, Ms. Portia."