One winter ago, snowflakes were falling in the forest, and any dirty secrets were covered and concealed by the pure snow. Even the usually dark and oppressive stone walls of the castle were covered with a thin layer of white snow, and the edges of the towers were covered with snow. Hanging crystal clear ice picks.
Its door was locked as usual, and only the constant "whooshing" sound of the wind came from the cracks in the iron door, keeping out the severe cold in the forest.
The boy living in the castle celebrated his birthday on this cold day.
When the boy woke up early, his sister was already standing by his bed and smiling at him. "Happy birthday, brother." The little girl spread her palm and handed over a beautiful white rose flower.
The boy remembered the flower. One day in the past, he had seen the flower blooming outside the window of the corridor. At that time, there was a crow standing beside it, which impressed him deeply, but he did not expect that the flower had not withered yet.
When he looked at his sister's body, his wrists were stained with blood from being scratched by thorns, and there were bruises on her knees. It seemed that she had spent a lot of effort trying to take off the umbrella outside the window for her small stature.
"Thank you, but please don't do anything dangerous again." The boy carefully accepted the rose flower and gently touched his sister's head. No matter how big or small the injuries on his sister's body were, he felt distressed, but the thoughtfulness of the gift also made the boy's heart warm.
The younger sister smiled happily and nodded.
Since coming to live in the castle, my sister has never smiled at anyone other than her brother. She will always be by his side, whether eating or sleeping.
Except when her brother was holed up in the boring library, her sister would shut herself in her room and not talk to anyone in the castle.
The servants walked into the room and put on warm winter sweaters for the two children. The boy didn't like the clothes here. The color of the sweater was a very dull gray, and he couldn't fault it except that it was really warm.
The texture of the whole piece of clothing is very poor, and it feels rough to the touch, like an iron-made leather jacket. It will feel a stinging sensation when it is scraped against the skin.
This made the boy miss his mother... The sweaters his mother knitted in previous years were warm beige and always felt soft and comfortable when worn, as if they contained full of love and an intimate hug.
In previous years, my mother would knit a new sweater for the boy every year, except for the year when she was seriously ill and couldn't even pick up the cup...
After that, the boy didn't want to recall the sad things anymore. Those old clothes were all left in the small house in the suburb of Feilengcui. He didn't know if there would be a chance to go back in the future.
When they first lived in the castle, they were worried that the brother and sister would not adapt, so they brought an old housekeeper with them. However, the housekeeper left soon after, and apart from the thick Bible left by his mother during her lifetime, there was nothing around her. Nothing familiar anymore.
Fortunately, as time passed, the brother and sister also adapted to their new life.
After changing into new clothes, I heard someone coming outside the door again. The footsteps with a cane were very familiar. It was the big shot in the castle, the Earl of this territory.
Although the old man was old, he was also in poor health. He looked sickly no matter morning or evening. At first, the boy just thought that the count was ill, but after staying there for a long time, his illness still did not get better.
Even though he has never seen the count step out of the castle, he is very busy every day. Every time they meet, they come and go in a hurry. Even the count is not seen in the restaurant. Come eat time.
From time to time, he would have mysterious meetings with Janos and Gabe, the men in black. Sometimes he would acquiesce to the boy eavesdropping at the door, and sometimes he would personally come out and ask the boy to return to the room.
In the boy's impression, the count was a mysterious but kind-hearted old man. Apart from never letting them go into the forest outside, he had never treated the brother and sister badly in all aspects of life. However, he personally came to the brother and sister's room to visit them. Is rare.
When the door was slowly pushed open, the count walked into the house holding the cane with a crow skull. The boy was about to say good morning but was interrupted by the count raising his hand.
"Today is your birthday, you don't have to be so restrained." The count's mouth was hidden in his beard and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. The pale beard had not been taken care of for a long time, and it grew randomly and looked haggard. "I brought you a special gift, I hope you like it."
"Thank you, Lord Count..." the boy said weakly. "But I really don't need you to spend money. You have given us everything we need. There is nothing missing in this room."
"Ha... you are always so polite, which is indeed a good thing. But as I always said, you don't have to be so polite to me. Don't forget, we are a family now."
The count blinked and looked at his sister who was hiding behind the boy. His wrinkles were deeply etched on his face and he was filled with a kind smile. "Including you, too."
"And it's not very expensive. If you regard this gift as a 'thing', that's up to you." After saying this, the count adjusted his posture and turned sideways, looking towards the door when he came in. There was nothing outside, but the count still spoke to the air. "
Come in, don't be so shy, haven't you always wanted to meet your savior? "
As soon as he finished speaking, a petite body slowly appeared from the side of the door. The silver-haired little girl was wearing a pink and white maid uniform. She was petite and had a shy and rosy face. Her hair was very long and draped over her shoulders. The bangs on her face covered the girl's left eye.
The color of the maid uniform is very close to her skin, which is fair and pink, and her eyes reveal the natural innocence of a child. When she was completely exposed in front of the boy, her cheeks turned slightly red, and her nervous fingers fiddled with the hem of her skirt, as if she was nervous and uneasy.
The boy was obviously confused and did not understand what the count meant.
"This is……"
"This is your birthday gift, child. From today on, she will be your exclusive servant." The Earl calmly raised his cane and pointed at the young maid.
"You eavesdropped on our meeting that day. Didn't you tell me that you wanted to save her? Now I have rescued her and gave it to you as a gift as you wished. What? Don't you like it?"
The younger sister looked at her older brother with surprise, and there was definitely a trace of misunderstanding in her eyes.
"No...I didn't mean that at the time. Lord Earl, you misunderstood. I just felt pity for her. I didn't want her to be my servant or anything..." The boy explained in a panic, but the more he spoke, the more shy he became, and soon he No sound.
