46: Chapter 46 The Imperial Capital! Sylvia's Gift! Iris's Fluttering Heart!

Late autumn, 1853 of the Holy Calendar.

The heart of the Augustus Empire, Seran City, was already bathed in shades of golden red and bright yellow.

Inside the grand hall of St. Helen's Higher School of Magic, an autumn graduation banquet was underway.

Crystal chandeliers illuminated the banquet hall as bright as day, and the air was filled with the fragrance of various expensive perfumes.

And on the ceremonial stage, the center of all attention was—Sylvia Latour.

She wore a custom-tailored "Starry Night Aria" magic robe, crafted from the finest flowing cloud brocade in the Imperial Capital.

The base color was an elegant Elise purple, which gradually blended into a clear sky blue from the waist up, culminating in starlike silver specks at the shoulders and neck.

The form-fitting cut perfectly outlined her slender yet voluptuous figure, while the faintly flowing magic patterns on the fabric gave her an air of extraordinary solemnity.

A forehead ornament woven from ice crystals and mithril rested gently on her smooth forehead, making her emerald eyes appear even clearer.

Over the past year, she had been a legend at St. Helen's.

Returning under the Latour name, she had abandoned all superficial social interactions and immersed herself completely in knowledge and magic.

In one year, she completed coursework that most people could hardly achieve in four.

Her graduation thesis, "On the Energy Structure Optimization and Instantaneous Activation of the 4th-Circle Magic 'Ice Crystal Cage'," was hailed by her mentor, Ms. Delia, as "the most practically intelligent improvement in the last decade."

"Sylvia Latour, congratulations!" A gentle female voice rang out on the graduation stage.

Grand Magus Delia personally handed Sylvia a badge. At this moment, a rare look of approving amusement appeared in her purplish-grey eyes.

Sylvia bowed slightly and accepted the Azure Badge, which symbolized the highest honor for graduates, with both hands.

The badge felt slightly heavy in her hand; within the sapphire embedded in its center, cloud-like magic power swirled slowly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Mentor." Her voice was clear and calm, and her bowing posture was impeccable.

However, the invisible ripples emanating from this calmness caused the entire banquet hall to hold its breath.

The young students' eyes were filled with undisguised admiration, not just because of her surname and beauty, but also because of her dazzling talent on the path of magic.

The older mages and scholars nodded frequently, exchanging looks of appreciation.

What they saw was the rising of the next-generation leader of the Latour Family, an indisputable new star in the magical world of the Augustus Empire.

"Miss Sylvia's radiance makes even the Moon Pearl pale in comparison," a marquess's heir whispered obsessively.

"The bloodline of the Latour Family never disappoints; they have truly produced another incredible genius," a noble of elegant bearing sighed to his companion in a low voice.

"More than just a genius, look at the ice crystal patterns on her forehead ornament; that is a manifestation of delicate control over water-elemental magic. I heard Grand Magus Delia already regards her as her most prized student..." another magic apprentice exclaimed.

Meanwhile, in the crowd of onlookers, Elise was also dressed in a proper yet understated maid's outfit, standing quietly in the shadows at the edge of the hall.

Watching her mistress shining brightly on the stage, her heart was filled with pride. This was the world her mistress should enjoy, a stage worthy of her.

However, when her gaze swept over the young students and noble sons surrounding Sylvia, their eyes burning with admiration and fantasies, she felt a sense of indescribable absurdity...

This made Elise's mouth twitch slightly, and she sighed inwardly.

If they knew that this magic goddess, whom they revered as a flower on a high peak, untainted by the mundane world, was not only already a wife, but had also given birth to seven children in succession over three years in that remote seaside castle in the North, what kind of expressions would they have!

During those three years, Elise had been her personal attendant the entire time.

She knew how plump and soft that body beneath her mistress's cold exterior had once been, filled with the radiance of motherhood and the vitality of life.

And how that country noble named Rowan had plowed night after night, tireless...

This unique feeling made Elise feel both a secret subtlety and a deep sense of helplessness.

The faint, lingering gentleness and melancholy that had settled upon her mistress after childbirth were likely, in the eyes of these fervent admirers, only adding to her mysterious and noble charm.

If they were to know the truth... heaven only knows what would happen...

On the stage, Sylvia concluded her brief acceptance speech with impeccable elegance.

The banquet entered the phase of free socializing. Music flowed, and fine wine swayed.

Those who summoned the courage to ask for a dance stepped forward one after another, only to retreat dejectedly after Sylvia's calm and distant refusal.

The banquet ended, and the crowd dispersed.

Under the guard of several family knights, Sylvia walked out of the magnificent hall and came to a relatively secluded corridor.

The night breeze was cool, blowing away the slight air of superficiality that had clung to her.

"Miss." Elise immediately appeared from behind a pillar and draped a light, warm velvet cloak over her.

"Is everything ready?" Sylvia did not turn back, her voice clearer and colder than the night breeze. Her emerald eyes looked past the stone railing, cast toward the deep, boundless night sky in the north.

"Everything is prepared, Miss," Elise said softly. "According to the list, the gifts you personally selected for the seven young masters and young ladies, as well as the supplies and books for White Cliff Castle, have all been categorized and loaded into four carriages."

"I have personally checked them. Tomorrow morning, I will set off with the family knights and the convoy to escort them over."

She paused, looked at Sylvia's exceptionally silent profile under the dim light, hesitated for a moment, and then asked softly, "Miss... are you really not coming with me to see them this time?"

"The little ones must miss you very much."

Upon hearing this, Sylvia's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she fell silent. Outside the corridor, the last few withered paulownia leaves fell, spinning.

A trace of extremely faint, yet deep-seated sadness flitted across her beautiful face.

"No need," she finally said, her voice very light, yet carrying a final determination: "Recently, I have to assist Mentor Delia in completing an analysis of an important ancient rune set; this is one of the preparatory projects for advanced studies at the Lenhe Magic Tower. Time is tight."

She turned her head to look at Elise, her gaze seemingly passing through her to look toward the more distant north: "You should also go and return quickly. Remember, just deliver the items; there is no need to... stay for long. It won't be long before Mentor and I set off for the Lenhe Magic Tower."

Elise lowered her head: "Yes, Miss. I understand."

Watching Sylvia turn away, Elise felt complicated. She certainly understood why her mistress was not returning.

"It's all that guy Rowan's fault!" Elise thought indignantly in her heart. "Miss doesn't dare to go back; she must be afraid that once she sees him, she will... she won't be able to leave again."

This thought annoyed her, but immediately, some deliberately suppressed, burning, and shameful fragments of memory surged up at an inappropriate time.

In that castle, during many nights when her mistress was inconvenienced by pregnancy, as her personal attendant, she had to deal with that young master...

That impeccable, handsome face, that body containing astonishing strength and passion, and his gaze and scent that seemed capable of bewitching people...

Elise's cheeks flushed slightly in the night, and she unconsciously pressed her legs together, feeling a secret throb of excitement.

She had to admit that the country noble, in certain respects... truly possessed the capital to make one unable to resist, or even fall for him.

This realization made her even more annoyed, and she understood her mistress's inner complex fear even better. Elise thought chaotically, a flush creeping onto her face.

The next morning, before dawn. A low-profile convoy drove away from the back door of the Latour Ducal Mansion, heading north.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone road, making a rumbling sound, and soon disappeared into the mist before the Imperial Capital woke up.

On the high tower terrace, Sylvia had been standing for who knows how long. She wore a simple morning robe, watching the convoy turn into blurry black dots, finally melting completely into the vastness of the northern horizon.

The cold morning breeze blew her unbound long hair, brushing across her impeccably beautiful cheeks.

In those emerald eyes that had pierced through countless magical mysteries, complex emotions that were difficult to analyze surged at this moment. Longing, guilt, determination, bewilderment... and a trace of deeply hidden, secret excitement that she herself did not want to delve into.

For a long time, a whisper like a sigh escaped, instantly scattered by the autumn wind, heard by no one: "Rowan..."