The story of the black silk female knight

The second dance is the most crucial. Before the dance begins, suitors will present gifts, and the noblewoman will choose the one she is most satisfied with as her dance partner.

Of course, in most cases, the dance partner is pre-selected, and the others are just there to go through the motions.

However, Tia, a genius girl who was devoted to cultivating magic, had never been involved in any scandals, and the Britannia family had not expressed any intention to arrange a marriage, which aroused the interest of many people.

What if someone actually takes a liking to you?

As a result, many of the people who gave Tia gifts tonight had done their homework, and there were all sorts of rare magical items and materials.

"Next up, Valencia Bader."

As the maid's sweet voice rang out, Valensa felt many eyes suddenly turn to her, especially those of Tia's father, whose gaze felt like an invisible sword, putting immense pressure on her.

Valensa withstood the pressure and stepped forward gracefully, first giving a ladylike curtsy:

"Hello Uncle Bill~~"

Then a beautifully packaged little box was presented:

Happy birthday, Tia.

"Thank you."

Tia smiled and accepted the small box:

Can I open it now?

"Of course, it's an honor."

The small box was simply packaged; the ribbon came off easily with a pull. Inside, a purple gemstone pendant lay quietly.

Many people looked over curiously, and after discovering that it seemed to be just an ordinary gemstone, some sighed with emotion, while others had a mocking glint in their eyes.

The Badr family has finally fallen from grace.

Even Tia herself was puzzled, and gave Valensa an annoyed look:

Is this all the surprise gift you were so confident about? It wouldn't have been as good as the one I prepared for you in advance!

The strategist, however, frowned, staring at the purple gemstone on the pendant for several seconds before speaking hesitantly:

"This is a soul crystal, isn't it? How did you manage to get your hands on this?"

"Uncle Bill has excellent taste!"

Valensa smiled and nodded, then glanced around at the surprised eyes that surrounded her:

"That's right, this is the Soul Crystal. It comes from a master who is proficient in magic arrays, and it contains all of that master's knowledge and research results."

"Uncle Bill, don't worry, I've purified the soul consciousness within the crystal. Now it's just a compressed package of pure knowledge and experience, and it won't have any effect on Tia."

"Yeah, I can see it."

The strategist nodded approvingly, then turned to look at his daughter:

"You must really like this gift, right?"

"of course."

Tia smiled radiantly, released her grip on her father's arm, walked to Valensa, and handed the small box containing the pendant back to Valensa:

"Could you help me put it on yourself?"

"With great pleasure."

The venue suddenly became noisy, and many people couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

How could a woman win?

The existence of places like Pink Rose Garden is nothing new for the Franco nobility, but such an open and aboveboard display of affection is rare.

Many promising young talents who had made thorough preparations were somewhat dejected, but some were still not giving up.

Maybe they're just close friends?

It's not uncommon for aristocratic young women who don't want to date to choose their best friend as their second dance partner.

But soon, they gave up hope.

Because Tia actually kissed Valensa when she was putting the pendant on her.

The decision has been made, and even the chief strategist can only helplessly cover his face.

Chapter 148 The second gift is myself!

In the brightly lit hall, two hot young women were pressed tightly together.

Spin, dance.

They wore long red and blue evening gowns, their deep blue and crimson eyes locked in a passionate gaze, their brown and silver hair intertwining as they danced.

Among the surrounding nobles, those from the capital and some major cities were relatively familiar with Ai, and they could manage to offer their blessings with a forced smile.

Although many people felt awkward, the two girls were clearly head over heels for each other, and since the strategist hadn't said anything, what could they do? They could only offer their blessings.

The nobles from smaller towns were utterly shocked and deeply moved.

Is it still possible to do this?

Two women would also work?

What should we do about having children to carry on the family line?

Is this what it means to be an aristocrat in a big city?

I still have a long way to go.

Some noble girls from the capital who came with their families simply to join in the fun seemed not to be surprised at all, and instead huddled together in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

Many of these people were victims who had been teased by Tia when she was a child, disguised as a boy. It's not surprising that Tia would make this choice.

Amidst the complex expressions and whispers of the crowd, Valensa was also a little bewildered, her dancing along with Tia's movements was purely instinctive.

She never expected that Tia would take the initiative to kiss her in this situation... She usually blushes and becomes shy if teased even slightly.

Could it be that this Tia is actually Senior Sister in disguise?

Valensa took a deep breath of Tia's scent, and the familiar feeling was exactly the same; it was definitely the real Tia.

Then Valensa's brain entered a state that was somewhat like a system crash but not quite, and she danced, spun, and clung to Tia in front of everyone's eyes, relying solely on her physical instincts.

She was ecstatic, almost floating on air.

Only after the song ended did the two withdraw from the spotlight and rest briefly in a corner.

And the ball itself officially began.

Many noble youths who failed in their attempts to woo Tia changed their targets, inviting daughters of other families to dance with them. Some of these couples actually hit it off quite well and were likely to have deeper conversations.

Many others simply continued discussing business and cooperation. Opportunities like this, where nobles from all over the kingdom gather to communicate face-to-face, are rare, occurring only two or three times a year.

Even Tia's seemingly young and handsome father was chatting happily with the three middle-aged men, completely ignoring Valensa's situation.

"This soul crystal must be from a gray rat, right?"

Playing with the pendant hanging around her neck, Tia easily guessed what was going on:

"The one that Yashilo knocked into the sky and set off fireworks was just a part of the gray rats. Her true form is the entire rat swarm. It seems your secret weapon is quite powerful; it actually wiped out the whole group of rats."

"But how did you turn her into a soul crystal? This thing is extremely rare; I've only ever seen it mentioned in books, never even a picture... I wouldn't have recognized it if it weren't for Father."

"It's true that I wiped out the rat swarm, but I don't have the ability to create soul crystals by hand."

Valensa smiled and took a sip of the red wine in her glass:

"It was our headmaster... He finally took action himself, so consider this soul crystal as payment for my drinks."

"It's impressive that you were able to wipe out the rat colony... To be honest, when I figured out the situation with the gray rat, I didn't even have any hope of completely eliminating it. I didn't expect you to actually do it."

Tia wrapped the silver chain of the pendant around her finger twice and gently rubbed the crystal surface with her index finger:

"According to the book, in addition to a lifetime of experience and knowledge, the soul crystal also contains the complete consciousness of the soul. It is a means for a powerful soul to be resurrected after death."

Now I can't sense the gray rat's presence at all, it's like using a mind-reading crystal device... Have you completely erased the gray rat's consciousness?

"To be precise, it should be purification."

Valensa smiled with a hint of smugness:

"A soul crystal is a solid compressed form of a soul. Its experience, knowledge, and soul consciousness are intertwined and highly integrated within the crystal. It's not easy to purify only the soul consciousness... Thanks to this, my training progress as a paladin has increased significantly."

"So that's why you took the day off the other day, leaving early and coming home late, and then immediately going to sleep as soon as you got back?"

Tia suddenly realized:

"I thought you couldn't stand being lonely and went to Melina for some shameless fun."

"Uh... Hahaha, how could that be? I was being so serious!"

Valensa looked away, feeling a little guilty.

Focusing on prayer and purification under the statue of the goddess was indeed mentally taxing, but the real reason for the late return was actually Melina after get off work.

"hehe."

Tia clearly didn't believe Valensa's nonsense, but she didn't pursue the matter. She just rolled her eyes at her again and pulled her onto the dance floor once more, dancing and spinning to the new music.

The ball didn't end until the moon began to set from its highest point.

Most of the nobles in the capital chose to return home, while nobles from other places mostly stayed in the guest rooms of the Britannia Manor.

Valensa, of course, wouldn't leave either. She had been looking forward to it for a long time, wanting to eat each other up on the night of Tia's coming-of-age ceremony.

Rather, what follows is the real coming-of-age ceremony.

“It’s time to see my second gift, Tia.”

In her boudoir, Valensa lifted her skirt, gently pushed herself up with her hand, and sat on the small round table beside the bed, her two beautiful legs, adorned with high heels, dangling in mid-air.

"The second gift?"

Tia looked at Valensa with a half-smile, sat down on the bed opposite Valensa, her long, beautiful legs wrapped in white silk camisole crossed, her feet, also wearing high heels, occasionally brushing against Valensa's.

"What gift?"

Resting her chin on her hand, she smiled broadly.

"Why don't you take it out and let me have a good look at it?"

"Goo~~"

Valensa, who always took the initiative to tease Tia, suddenly became nervous at this moment, a perfectly timed blush appeared on her face, and her hands were tightly clenched in front of her chest.

"What's wrong? Are you shy?"

Tia raised an eyebrow, her expression becoming even more playful:

"You're such a shameless bully... You wouldn't happen to have super high attack and paper defense, would you?"

"Goo~~"

Valensa let out another shy sound, gritted her teeth, and then, as if she had made up her mind, pulled down the collar of her dress.

Women of noble birth typically wear close-fitting evening gowns. To accentuate their figures, many don't even wear underwear, at most just two thin pieces of fabric.

But Valensa clearly used some special methods... There seemed to be nothing under her dress, but when she completely pulled her upper body down to her waist, there was no exposure whatsoever.

Because on that hot, fair body, several white ribbons were wrapped around it, like a beautifully wrapped gift waiting to be unwrapped.

"This is my second gift, Tia."

Valensa shyly lifted her toes and handed one end of the ribbon to Tia:

"Come, untie the ribbon and accept your true coming-of-age gift, my dear."

Chapter 149 Please Bully Me Well

"Humph."

Tia did not refuse the ribbon offered to her, but she did not immediately pull it apart. Instead, she gently tugged at it twice.

"Mmm~~"

Under the force, the ribbons on Valensa's body naturally rubbed against her skin, and the smooth, cool touch made her feel extremely hot, her face turning even redder: