The early morning sunlight casts a slightly dazzling golden light on the mirror of the dressing table. Catalina was wearing a nightgown, and her long bright chestnut hair had not been combed, hanging over her shoulders and covering her back.
The maid Lisa stood behind her, combing her knotted hair with a delicate coral comb:
"Wait a moment, miss, it's almost ready——"
After Lisa combed Catalina's hair, she carefully braided it into a bun and put on a gold flower crown inlaid with white crystals:
"Look, your hair is as smooth as satin, and it matches gold so well."
Catalina's mind was not on her hair at all. She looked in the mirror at her tiara decorated with crystal waterfalls to imitate dewdrops on flower petals, and only one thought arose in her mind -
It looks much better than real flowers.
The flower crown has great significance in Elysian culture. The first elf to arrive on the continent of Elysium, "Exile" Ulysses, led his army to unite the separate human city-states, and jointly resisted the attacks from the north in the first "Coldest Winter" Barbarian invasion of Leng Yuan.
After the war, Ulysses was elected as the first consul of the city-state alliance. Envoys from each city-state presented a bouquet of local flowers, berries, wheat ears or branches, and Ulysses combined these flowers with The branches are woven into a flower crown and worn on the head as the highest honor.
The location of the city-state alliance was also named "Flower Collar", and it was the political center of the empire for centuries.
"Although gold and jewelry are noble, they can never replace the love of the people." She said with emotion.
"Which philosopher said this?" Lisa blinked in confusion and asked curiously.
"It was said by "Sword Poet" Shizer. "
"You are so knowledgeable. I have never even heard of this sage. What era is he from?"
"He is a character in the novel... Forget it, let's not mention this. How is your injury?" Catalina quickly changed the subject and asked Lisa while holding her hand.
"It doesn't matter anymore. I just have a slight headache occasionally. It's not a big deal." Lisa said with a chuckle.
"It's all my fault for failing to protect you..." Catalina sighed.
Although this headache is not a life-threatening condition, I am afraid that it will accompany this maid for the rest of her life. I also bear the responsibility for negligence in this matter.
"What are you talking about? Didn't you save me and send me to rest in front of the dressing table?" Lisa's eyes were a little surprised, as if she was doubting her own memory.
Catalina's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. It was actually her attendant who did it, but she had no way of explaining it to Lisa:
"Oh, maybe so...but I could have done more."
If only I were stronger, or smarter enough to see through the conspiracy in advance.
"Miss..." Lisa folded her hands to hold Catalina's right palm, tears flashed in her eyes, "You are a noble person, if you were a man, you would definitely become a legend like Lord Galt. "
What does "if it's a man" mean? Catalina was a little dumbfounded by this sentence.
"Miss Catalina -" At this moment, Lawn's calm and low voice came from outside the door. Lisa retracted the hands holding Catalina behind her back like an electric shock and took a step back.
"Come in, Grandpa Lawn," she replied.
"I'm afraid I have bad news for you. Your uncle Jaros is here."
Jaros?
Catalina frowned. She didn't have a good impression of this uncle, it could even be said to be a bad one.
Due to physical reasons, Catalina rarely appeared in public when she was a child. Instead, she often stayed with women and domestic servants. She could always hear all kinds of rumors about him - he was romantic, cruel and ruthless.
I remember one time, Jaros killed a lame foal with a crossbow in front of her, and explained to her with a smile: "This is how disabled and useless things should end."
When his brother Roderick, who was only ten years old at the time, heard this, he immediately rushed forward and tried to pull his collar, but he pushed him to the ground with his elbow and lost a tooth. Fortunately, it was just a deciduous tooth.
The father did not react when he learned about the incident, and just told the two of them to keep quiet. After that, Jaros followed his grandfather Herbert to Fort Kwai. Since then, Catalina has heard little news about him.
But that is all in the past after all.
Katarina took a deep breath, knowing that she shouldn't hold a lifelong grudge for just one word. What's more, her symptoms have long since disappeared.
"Does father know about this?" Catalina asked.
"No. The master is entertaining a delegation of sixteen people in the city hall. Unexpectedly, he came directly to the mansion without even saying hello." Lawn sighed. As a housekeeper, he is not easy to handle. "If you If you don’t want to see him, I can stagger your schedule with you.”
"No need, I will go see him." Catalina turned to the maid and said, "Lisa, help me prepare clothes, regular clothes will be fine."
…
When Catalina arrived at the living room along the spiral staircase, Jaros was already lying swaggeringly on the velvet sofa, holding high the golden whiskey liquid in the glass bottle:
"Sweet home, sweet wine-"
Jelos, who has entered middle age, is much fatter than when he was young. You can already see his belly and upward hairline that cannot be concealed by clothes. He also has bags under his eyes, looking like he has overindulged.
"Uncle Jaros, your boots have soiled the sofa. It will be very troublesome for the servants to clean them up later."
"What does it matter? Is it possible that the expenses are just to give them a rest?"
Jaros put down the wine glass in his hand nonchalantly, stood up and walked over with open arms:
"Hey, my dear niece is getting more and more beautiful. She also smells so sweet. Who would have thought that the sick little girl back then would be what she is today?"
Jaros's unbridled breathing made Catalina feel sick. She took a step back, hid before Jaros closed his arms, and nodded slightly:
"It's nice to have you come home once in a while."
Since she has not been crowned a knight, she is still Brandon's eldest daughter and the nominal heir of the Oakland family. There is no need to bow or kneel to her uncle from the etiquette. She only needs to do so between peers or peers. Just give him a nod.
"Don't be so nervous, niece, I'm not here to take your or your father's place this time."
Jaros smiled wildly, turned to Lawn and said:
"Laun, can you help me put in a few more barrels of the manor's cellared wine? Eleven-year-old single malt. Some friends I haven't seen for many years also want to taste it."
