Chapter 7 : Miss Heiress

Due to his irresponsibility of shoving his duties to his younger sister, the honor of escorting Casia foraging near the woods fell upon him, Riz. Reluctantly the boy followed if not only because it was easier than all his other chores. It should be relatively simple, the act of collecting flowers and herbs shouldn't even take more than two hours. His dear sister could've just bought the ingredients from the florist or any of the shops in town but then again, budgets are tight and Casia probably wanted to save as much of her weekly allowance as possible. However, there was an unexpected element that could most definitely make a simple foraging trip become a long stroll through the woods.

" Who, is this?"

Riz questioned his sister after she greeted the two girls.

" I'm Violet,"

The tall girl began rather eloquently, the other girl's hazel eyes widen a fraction as she subtly shook her head at Casia. Riz, either he ignored the gesture or was simply oblivious, waited for Violet to finish her introduction with a bored expression.

" Violet Von-"

" -Cane! Violet Von Cane."

Casia repeats before regaining her posture, her brother didn't look very convinced.

" Her old man's from the royal guard. That's why Vi sounds a little posh."

The other girl, dressed in forest green, worn boots and what was unmistakably a hunter's knife sheathed by the belt of her hip, explains with a casual smile. Her bright brown eyes were calm, a lazy smirk complimented the freckles that decorated her fair face. Casia breathed internally with relief, she's glad the huntress was here.

Pfft.

She looks up, the huntress turned to her side, a hand passing over her mouth absently but the flower girl already caught her smile. Did this huntress just laugh at her? What was so funny?

" Anyway,"

The huntress returned to her casual smile.

" Aria Pines. Vi asked me to come along so I could practice my tracking skills while we hang out."

She introduces herself to the two siblings with a slight playful bow.

" You didn't tell me you were seeing some friends."

Her brother whispers.

" I'm surprised you actually have friends to begin with."

" Hey! You're one to talk."

Casia huffs. Pouting and crossing her arms as she did so.

" So, do you only ever make stuff with flowers and twigs?"

The huntress asked while they walked down the old beaten path through the forest. Riz had left the girls on their outing to give them some privacy (that or he was just too awkward to stick around), making sure her friends promised to return her before sun down. With a basket in hand and only a few hours to gather the wild flowers, one would think it would be an easy task.

" Most of the time. Sometimes I'd sew up a stuffed animal or a doll if I had enough materials lying around."

Casia can be occasionally picky with her materials. The stalks have to be long enough, not too many leaves, the shape and colour of the flowers were taken into account as well as number of petals.

" I could send you a few bouquets from a local florist. Surely, they'd be more...exquisite than some of the flowers here."

" That's very kind of you, Violet. But, I'd just rather not."

She rejected the heiress politely with a small smile.

" But, you're not just here for the flowers. Aren't you?"

The huntress guessed as the dark haired girl took the lead.

" Well, a certain noble lady insisted I take her through the forest and help me pick out flowers."

They glanced back at Violet, already lifting the hems of her skirt to avoid the stinging nettles weeds from sticking to her dress. As usual, the material of which is at least, probably more expensive than the two other girls' outfits combined.

" So, I thought we could at least enjoy some sights."

The huntress smiled as the heiress widened her eyes as the sound of rushing water slowly became more and more audible with each step. There was a small shriek of excitement as the heiress hurried to catch up to her, the state of her dress already forgotten as they moved passed the low hanging branches.

" Ladies, may I present,"

Casia began, waving her hand dramatically as she moved a particularly thick bush.

" My river."

The crystal clear river was lined with snow white pebbles and stones as its bedding and banks. Small aquatic plants grew between the cracks as a few wild flowers decorated the banks neatly, almost seemingly intentional. Violet stared with awe, Aria was already kicking off her boots while Casia knelt by the river side to inspect her flowers. The huntress waded into the water, rolling up her sleeves eagerly.

" What are you doing?"

Violet asked as she carefully takes off her shoes and sets them next to Casia's.

" You paid me to escort you, princess. Might as well get the full experience with an outdoor meal."