POV Momo-chan
— It's beautiful, it's sweet! — The redhead literally sang as she looked around. Her friend walking next to her just snorted, unhappy that fate was so unfair to her, and Tracy didn't even want to listen to what she had to say.
— I like it too! -Astoria confirmed, smiling broadly as she looked at the curves of the roof and the huge mirrored surfaces on the top floor that had caught her eye. — What's going to be up there? What's the pit? — the girl asked the pretty chaperone who met her, dressed in light-colored clothes and with long hair in which jewelry jingled amusingly, pointing in the direction of the excavation.
— It will be three ponds connected by a canal, — replied the girl, who introduced herself by the unusual but cute name of 'Momo', which Astoria immediately liked very much. — The master will grow exotic plants, algae and various non-dangerous magical animals in them. And then, — the girl said, pointing to a group of buildings that had a different entrance and their own separate gates to the area. — There were apartments for hired staff, and guesthouses next to them, the number of which would increase and some of which would be given to vassals, as well as an orphanage for children.
— Why would Hoshino need an orphanage? — Daphne was finally interested and cast a cool glance at her companion, in which a single spark of interest barely glimmered.
— Mister, together with Mrs. Yusheng, has developed a project to improve the education of children. He believes that properly educating children from non-magical families will solve many of the problems of modern society. Unfortunately, I don't have all the information, so if you're interested, you'd better ask the Mister, but in my homeland, gifted children are introduced to the world of magic much earlier than your eleven years. They learn the laws, the rituals, the traditions. It's very important that a person knows what kind of world he's supposed to live in, otherwise uneducation can ruin any society...
Although the redhead's face still radiated joy and enthusiasm, Momo could see not only interest in her eyes, but also understanding and respect. Zashikiwarashi decided to tell the lord about this conversation and to mention that the red-haired witch seems to be able to become a good assistant, if she is trained properly, of course, at least she recognizes and understands some things and there is interest. Not like the older blonde, for whom everything around her seems boring and unpleasant only because her parents forced her to spend the holidays at her fiancé's house to get to know each other better.
Meanwhile, the group of girls and a mute woman (the blonde's mother, who simply studied her surroundings and listened to every word with equal attention) passed a winding loop of road that had been deliberately planted to confuse the strangers and create some obstacles. The trees had been magically grown in France and had grown ten to fifteen meters tall in just one week, transforming the area into a full-fledged park.
The exit of the park was on a small hill, which gave a good view of the surroundings, but also of the guests. As they walked forward, they reached a straight section of the path to the house, on both sides of the wide road, at equal distances from each other, stood on stone bollards, large stone lanterns and stone statues of various animals, mostly large dogs, lions and foxes, and only at the entrance to the house, guarded by four massive and tall statues of warriors in samurai armor.
Momo was also asked about the statues and the unknown warriors, and Zashikiwarashi briefly explained who these "samurai" were and why they should be respected. Tracy and Astoria were the most interested, but Daphne and the blonde's mother remained silent, at least until they caught a glimpse of the unfamiliar flowers blooming in a small garden just across from the main entrance to the house. There was clearly someone in the wicker arbor, and outside, two young men of breathtaking beauty were fencing beautifully with swords, which certainly could not leave the ladies indifferent.
— Are these young men the guests of Mr. Hoshino? — the woman asked, her eyes glittering as she watched the young men's agility and strength.
— To a certain extent, — the girl shrugged. — This is Elliel-san and Kain-san, they serve Ms. Granger, — Momo's eyes could see how surprised all the ladies were at first, and then Daphne grinned, even though she tried to hide it. Momo took note. — Although both of them are worthy husbands, they can be quite loud, especially when it comes to teaching their mistress... — The girl even shook her head and expressed her disapproval of their behavior.
— Hmm, can't these gentlemen agree? — The woman supported the topic.
— "Yes," Momo nodded. — Kain-san insists that a true witch must be good with daggers and poisons, not only be able to defend herself, — these words interested everyone, four pairs of eyes listened attentively to the girl. — Elliel-san, for her part, insists that a witch must be able to talk to plants and animals, to find the necessary herbs as well as shelter and protection in any forest. Both sides of the training demand Miss Hermione's time and attention, so they argue — and decide which needs more attention.
— Is Mr. Cain a great poison master? — Daphne showed interest, a little ahead of the other questions.
— Not only in poisons. His main strength is dark sorcery and combat magic with a blade, — the lady's eyes almost widened in surprise. — But he's also good at poisons and curses, and even blood magic, — Momo answered as if nothing had happened, pretending not to notice the stunned looks of the crowd, but the bright, literally burning interest in the red-haired witch's eyes could not be missed by anyone, and Momo made another note in her memory.
— Kain-san had even offered to select a few girls, to put together a group of them that he would train in the peculiarities he had learned in a dark sect that worshipped a rather cruel goddess. But the lord rejected this proposal, — decided to open a little more information Momo, even if not quite correct, because in fact Sora corrected this idea strongly, supplemented and in some places cut off, but this is a secret for outsiders, even for future relatives. Very few people in the clan are allowed to know about it.
— That's very reasonable of him, — Suellin decided to express her thoughts, obviously frightened by the prospect of finding such a threat in the lands of Britannia, which could turn in any direction at any moment. As long as there was only one master of such dangerous magic, he could still be dealt with, even if he had signed a magical contract with the young witch, albeit with heavy losses, but if there were ten of them, they would all bleed — magic made fighters far more dangerous than any Muggle could become. — The people of Britain would not like the news of such a nest of dark wizards. Even her most loyal allies might turn their backs on Sora.
— My lord said something similar, — Momo nodded. — Do you want to join the guests or will you stay in your rooms first? — Zashikiwarashi decided to return to the matter at hand.
— I think we'll look at our rooms first, — Sueleen answered for her, seeing Astoria's curiosity. — We can meet the other guests later on.
— Well, then please follow me...
— By the way, when can we see Sora? — asked the younger blonde with an indomitable living flame in her eyes.
— Unfortunately, the master is away on important business and won't be back for another week or so — he didn't specify how long he would be gone.
— Well, that's that... — the girl said with feigned sadness.
— Miss Astoria, I'm sure you won't be bored here... — Momo said with a hint, nodding in the direction of the pavilion from which two girls her age jumped out, laughing and playing with strange little animals, and two beautiful birds with bright plumage circled above them.
After studying the scene, Astoria smiled at her chaperone and looked again at the same spot. Very often the girl spent her vacations only within the confines of her parents' mansion, she didn't meet her friends very often, and she didn't have many friends... I mean, friends that her parents approved of, that she could visit or invite.
So the prospect of a holiday in a large circle of people, and even one of the girls of her age, Gabrielle, she clearly liked, unlike her older sister who tried to radiate discontent but submissive acceptance of this heavy blow of fate. Well, — Astoria smiled, glancing mischievously at the redheaded witch, — this isn't your home, where you can just hide with your girlfriend, or do something interesting, or even go to her, or fly away on a broomstick. But you can't do that at home, so she's sulking... poor thing... hee-hee!