Beryl looked at her sister, her eyes like cold sapphires without any fluctuation: "I have already made an appointment with someone, and cousin Minna did not inform us in advance that she would arrive today. This has nothing to do with family or sisters. Relationship. Manda, don’t make excuses.”
Lilith coughed lightly, glanced at Ming Na, and then looked at her younger daughter with a condemning look: "Manda, pay attention to your words and deeds! Your sister didn't know that Ming Na would come today. She made an appointment with a friend. Of course she shouldn’t break her promise, and what she wants to talk about is serious matters, so don’t make trouble!”
"Am I causing trouble?" Manda looked at her mother in disbelief, her eyes red, and she turned angrily and ran into the house. Minna chased after two steps and stopped hesitantly to look at Lilith. The latter, as if nothing had happened just now, carefully arranged the collar and flower decorations on her eldest daughter's chest: "Persuade as gently and kindly as possible. Understand? This is related to your future life, so you must be cautious. "
Beili paused, then curled up into a smile: "Mom, please don't worry, I know what I should do." After saying that, she nodded towards Ming Na and walked down the steps with her head held high. A middle-aged white-haired man who was more well-dressed than the other male servants brought the horse over, bent down and handed the reins to her hand. The old servant just now lay at her feet, and Beryl picked it up slightly. He stepped on the old servant's back and rode away.
Lilith smiled and watched her daughter go away, until her figure disappeared outside the door, she turned around and said to Ming Na: "Come in, I have asked someone to prepare a room for you. Are you going to study here? Do you plan to study here? How long will you stay?”
Ming Na hesitated for a moment before replying: "I'm not sure yet. I estimate it will be about a year." She was a little unsure. Her parents only asked her to come visit her uncle's family, but they didn't ask her to stay there. Although the house here is big enough, if she stays, it will be inconvenient to go to the Security Department, right
But then she thought again. Who said she had to work for the Security Bureau again? She pursed her lips and swallowed the words of rejection.
Lilith frowned imperceptibly and took Minna through the door without saying anything. They first passed through a spacious entrance hall, which was twice as large as the entrance hall of Lord Mayton's Mansion, and the furniture was all made of ebony. The gold lacquer and carved decorations and the carpets with complicated and gorgeous patterns are a bit old, and part of the gold paint is peeling off. Large vases filled with fresh flowers are placed on both sides of the mirror table, and dozens of large and small paintings of various styles are hung on the four walls. Among them, hanging on the front wall are small portraits of the male owners of the Card House in past dynasties. However, the paintings with Xiao Tianjian as the protagonist are all hung on the left side, placed together with the portraits of the hostess, which makes people feel extremely weird.
After the foyer is the corridor. Then there are the stairs leading to the second floor and the corridors to other rooms in the mansion, and then the living room. Still gorgeous ebony furniture. But soft rattan cushions are added to the velvet sofa, and the pattern of the carpet is a mutated grapevine pattern. There is a large wooden vase placed in the corner of the room with several tall green plants. Lined with light blue silk curtains that gently flutter in the wind, it has a bit of an early summer atmosphere.
Manda had regained her composure and stood in the hall and smiled at Ming Na: "I was rude just now, you won't be angry, right?" Ming Na smiled and shook her head, but she was still a little curious: "Did you quarrel with Beryl? ?You don’t seem too happy about her going out?”
Manda forced a smile: "Beryl wants to go out. That's her freedom. I just think she doesn't respect you by doing this."
Minna knew she didn't mean what she said. But seeing that she didn’t want to talk more. Then he pretended to be nonchalant and glanced around: "By the way. Is Mrs. Mirabell at home? I want to visit her. Dad said. I must say hello to her."
"Mother doesn't see outsiders." Lilith was giving instructions to the housekeeper about the dinner arrangements. Hearing this, he raised his voice and answered. "She hasn't left the house in a few years. Since last year. She's been sick a lot. So now she just stays in her room. Never comes out."
Minna asked in surprise: "Mrs. Mirabell is sick? Why didn't my uncle mention it when he wrote to my father?"
Manda said: "It's just a minor problem. The old man is just weak. She's fine now. Do you want to see her? I'll take you there."
"Manda!" Lilith frowned. "Don't bother your grandmother. She doesn't like to see outsiders."
Ming Na snorted in her heart. They are also outsiders to themselves. However, before departure, my father repeatedly asked to visit Mrs. Mirabell. So she still held back her anger and said: "I just want to visit. I won't disturb her. Manda. Just take me there."
Manda looked at her mother's expression and suddenly smiled: "Okay, come with me." After saying that, she turned and walked towards the corridor, ignoring her mother's livid face.
Ming Na followed her up to the second floor and came to the innermost room on the east side. This is a large suite, occupying one-third of the entire floor. It is like a small home, with a living room, study room, dining room, bedroom and bathroom. A middle-aged maid dressed simply and elegantly opened the door, glanced at Ming Na lightly, and when she turned to Manda, there was a smile in her eyes: "Miss Manda, are you here again? Is this your friend? ? Madam has said it a long time ago, don’t you remember?”
"This is cousin Ming Na, uncle Anlong's daughter. She came to Yidong to study. She just arrived at our house and wanted to visit her grandmother." Manda looked inside and asked, "Where is my grandmother? She is in a daze again.
The maid looked at Ming Na curiously and calmed down: "Madam is praying. I will convey Miss Ming Na's good intentions to Madam, but it is not convenient for her to see you now, please forgive me."
Mingna caught a glimpse of a tall black figure inside, with a black gauze covering her head. She could vaguely see a statue of the God of Light placed in front of her. This kind of prayer before dinner usually takes a long time, so Ming Na didn't force it anymore, so she left a message saying that she would come to visit later, and pulled Manda out.
Walking in the corridor, Manda sighed: "Grandma has been like this since my grandfather passed away. Now she can't even leave the door. If this continues, she will be sad until the last day of her life. What should I do? Woolen cloth?"
Ming Na didn't know what to do. She was shocked by her cousin's words: "Who said grandpa passed away?! He is obviously still alive!"
Manda glanced at her with pity: "My brother said the same thing. You all seem to have lived with your grandfather, right? I understand your feelings, but the fact is the fact. My grandfather didn't even show up when we were fighting against the Demon Realm. What if He is still alive, will he not participate? Minna. If you want us to believe that grandfather is still alive, you will have to make him appear alive in front of us."
Ming Na said angrily: "What kind of fact is this?! The fact is that I watched grandpa leave with my own eyes, and he said he would come back!"
Manda just smiled: "Well, if you think he is still alive, then he is still alive."
Ming Na turned her head angrily, and Manda moved closer to look around. She just ignored it. Manda smiled: "Angry? Okay, let's not talk about this topic anymore. Shall I take you to see your room? It's very beautiful. I personally watched them decorate the room."
She picked up Ming Na and ran away. Ming Na gently tried to pull her hand back, but found that her grip was very tight, so she had to give up.
Even grandpa's wife and children thought he was dead. No wonder this country, from the king to the common people, thought he was dead. They all think so. Since they don't believe that grandpa is not dead yet, what kind of expression will they have when they see him come back in the future
The room Lilith arranged for Minna was in the back wing of the third floor. It was a two-room suite. The place is a little smaller than Minna's room in Mayton, but it is exquisitely decorated. There is also a small terrace with several pots of flowers and plants.
only. Ming Na really doesn't like this style of a room with pink gauze curtains and a bed covered with rose bouquet patterns. What made her even more uncomfortable was that the room was filled with the sweet scent of roses, and she was obviously wearing perfume.
Manda enthusiastically introduced the uses of various furniture to her, and it was obvious that she had put a lot of thought into it. There were silk nightgowns and slippers specially prepared by her in the large wardrobe. Seeing that Ming Na didn't bring any luggage with her, she quietly asked if she needed to find a tailor to make some regular clothes. If she needed them in a hurry, she could also lend her own clothes.
Although Ming Na didn't like the decoration style of this room very much, but seeing Manda's enthusiasm, she was too embarrassed to say anything, so she had to take out her luggage from the ring and throw it into the closet. She used it as an excuse to freshen up. Gone is Manda.
As soon as the person left, she immediately opened the window and let the wind blow in to disperse the aroma. She took out a few homemade fruit incense and placed it on the dressing table before she breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking around, Ming Na began to worry. Is she really going to have to live in this room for a year
After a quick wash, the servant came to invite her to dinner. When she came to the restaurant, she saw that her uncle Elon and her cousin Bevin were back, and even Bailey, who thought she had gone out, was also there. When the latter met Ming Na, he hesitated to speak several times, but could not find a chance to speak.
Yilong first welcomed his niece, and also asked about the health of his brother Anlong and his sister-in-law Dora. He smiled and said: "Since you are here, just treat it as being at your own home. Your father also grew up here when he was a child. The room I asked them to arrange for you is near your father's room. If you are interested, you can go and take a look. , it’s still vacant. It would be great if he could come to Ito to report on his work during the National Day. We brothers haven’t seen each other for more than two years, and I really miss him a little."
Ming Na was a little surprised and relaxed a little: "Dad said the same thing, but he said it might not be possible this year because there is some instability at the border. He has to go on inspection and I'm afraid he won't be able to attend the National Day ceremony."
"Oh?" Elon was a little surprised, "Is there any problem at the border? Didn't I hear anything?"
"Actually, it's nothing. Every summer, there are always some mercenaries who are determined to venture into the Elf Forest and plan to take advantage of the misty wasteland. Dad always says that they cannot be allowed to disturb the peaceful life of the Elf people, so every year, he orders to prevent anyone from sneaking across the border. Where’s the line?”
Yilong said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions. Accepting the Anlong family was already his bottom line, and he was not generous enough to even admit it to the Elf brother.
The scene became deserted for a moment, and Bevan, who had been listening with a smile, changed the topic and asked about the life of Minna's family in Mayton. His attitude was gentle but enthusiastic, polite but not annoying. Ming Na had a good impression of him, but after finishing the meal, she liked him even more with a tired look, as if he was very tired. Ming Na asked: "You seem to be very tired, are you very busy at work?" Bevan smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing, I just need to rest more." As if she didn't want to talk more, Ming Na shut up.
Lilith had been silent, and then she suddenly spoke: "Are you so busy at work? Yesterday, Mrs. Felice arranged for you to meet the young lady from Luke's family. You actually just said a few words and left. It's really too much. Sorry! She is a Marquis’s daughter! And she is a famous beauty! What are you dissatisfied with?!"
"Mom." Bevan looked at his mother helplessly, "I've been busy replacing armors and weapons for several knights recently. Where can I have time to talk about poetry and music with that lady?"
"What about the dance last weekend? I clearly told you that you must go, but you didn't even show up!" Lilith became more and more annoyed as she talked, "If there weren't any relatives coming, you wouldn't have gone home for dinner today. Oh! You are not allowed to go back to the Knights’ Office tonight! This is your home! If you don’t have time, avoid interacting with those civilians. It will do you no good and it will be a waste of time!”
Bevin smiled and said nothing, lowered his head and took a sip of wine.
Lilith became even more angry when she saw this. She pulled off the napkin and said to her husband: "I feel a little uncomfortable. I'm going back to the room first. Please do as you please." Elon frowned: "Madam..." But she didn't listen anymore. Leave first.
After a long period of consideration, Beryl finally reduced the arrogance on her face and turned to ask Ming Na: "I heard that you are escorting the sea this time..."
"Beryl! Come up and stay with me!" Lilith's call came from the direction of the stairs, interrupting Beryl's words. She frowned and did not move. It was only after her mother urged her repeatedly that she whispered an apology, got up and left. .
Elon's face was a little ugly and he glared at his son several times. Bevin remained silent. Manda looked around, smiled and changed the subject, asking Minna what she thought of the dinner. Ming Na responded casually, but she noticed in her heart that there seemed to be some conflicts between Lilith and Bevin mother and son.
After eating, she returned to her room and packed her luggage. Suddenly she heard a quarrel coming from the front wing, so she opened the door to take a look. She happened to see Manda slamming a door in the corridor opposite and slamming it on herself. He walked out of the room, and then the door opened again, and a maid ran out and looked around. She seemed a little overwhelmed, and then hurried back to the room. Minna vaguely saw the hem of the skirt Beryl wore for dinner swaying through the door.
Are their sisters quarreling
Then she saw Beryl wearing a black hooded cloak walking out of the room and hurried downstairs. She followed him with some curiosity, and saw the other party getting into a carriage and leaving the gate in front of the corridor window on the second floor. She couldn't help but feel a little strange, where was Beryl going so late
Just as he was about to go back to his room, he met Bevin again. He was wearing a very simple warrior uniform and seemed to be planning to go out.
Ming Na muttered in her mind, "Why is everyone going out tonight?" She smiled and asked Bevin, "You still have to go back to the office to work overtime?"
When Bevin saw her, he was startled for a moment, and then smiled: "I was just visiting a friend."
He left quickly, and Ming Na watched his figure disappear into the night. She looked back at this gorgeous but gloomy mansion with a complicated mood.
There are so many in Kado’s house