Chapter 2 Chapter two

"Six months!" Lina yelled at her husband. "Your daughter has only been picking on men for six months! So many men are not half suitable. I tell you, if she doesn't leave in another month, I will leave here with your unborn child, and Never come back!" Gilbert looked out the window at the rain, cursing God for the two weeks of haze, and for creating women.He watched Lina sit in a chair supported by the maid, whining as if no other woman had ever had a baby.But to his own surprise, he looked forward with great joy to the birth of another child, because at last there was hope of having a son again.What Lina said annoyed him, but he intended to please her—at least until the baby was born.

"I'll tell her," said Gilbert heavily, afraid to face his daughter again.But now he knew: one of the women had to go.Since Lina was going to have a baby, it was Ai Ni who should go. A servant found Ernie, and Gilbert met her in a side hall, hoping the rain would stop so he could go out to falconry and forget about it. "What's the matter, Father?" Ai Ni asked at the door. Gilbert looked at her and hesitated.She and her mother came out of the same mold, and he would never offend her easily. "We've had a lot of people visiting us lately, since your mother—"

"It's my stepmother." Aini corrected. "Since my stepmother announced to the world that I'm cheap for sale, that I'm a bitch in heat and desperately in need of a breeding service. Yeah, a lot of men have come to see our horses, our gold, our land, and sometimes drop by This ordinary-looking daughter of the Fei family." Gilbert sat down.He prayed to heaven that there would be no women in heaven, and the only female animal allowed to live was a female eagle, not even a mare or a bitch. "Ani," he said wearily. "You're as beautiful as your mother, and if I had to have another dinner with another man and listen to his compliments on you, I'd eat up all the food in the warehouse. I think I'd better let them put the My table is in the stables, and at least the horses won't tell me how white my daughter's skin is, how bright her eyes are, how shiny her hair is, and how red her lips are."

There was a smile on Aini's face, as if answering or yes. "Then I must choose one of these swindlers? Am I going to live like Cousin Margot when my husband is squandering my dowry?" "Margo married a fool, I've been meaning to tell her. He's canceled a day of falconry to go off with other people's wives." "So I'm going to have to marry the guy who likes falconry the most? Is that the way to go? Maybe we should have a falconry contest where I'll be the prize for whose hawk catches the most prey .It works just as well as any other method, doesn't it?"

Gilbert liked the idea, but he was smart enough not to say it. "Listen, Aine, some of these people here are pretty good. How about Don William? This guy is very decent." "That's what my maid said too. Dad, this man is a fool. I tried to talk to him about the blood of the horses, but he didn't understand a thing." Gilbert was taken aback. Men should know their horses. "How about Sir Gregor? He seems very clever." "He told everyone he was smart, and he said he was brave, strong, and fearless. It was claimed that he won every joust he ever entered."

"But I hear he fell off his horse four times—oh, I see what you mean. Braggarts are a bore." Gilbert's eyes lit up. "How about Earl Stilton? This man is worthy of you. Handsome, rich, healthy; and very clever! But this boy knows how to handle eagles and horses." Gilbert laughed. "I guess he also knows women very well. I've seen him read to you." For Gilbert, reading is an unnecessary burden. Ernie still remembered Count Teir's dark blond hair, his smiling blue eyes, the way he tamed mad horses and read Plato to her.He captivated the whole house, everyone adored him.Not only did he tell Ernie how cute she was, but one night in a dark hallway, he kissed her breathlessly and whispered to her, "I want to sleep with you."

Shi Baijue is good at everything, it is perfect.But still... maybe it was the way he was staring at the gold and silver on the mantelpiece, maybe it was the way he was staring at Lina's diamond necklace, that kept her from trusting him completely, but she couldn't say anything either.After all, it was impossible for anyone not to pay attention to the Fei family's property, but she always hoped to see in his eyes that it was his desire for her rather than her property. "How?" Gilbert urged. "There's nothing wrong with young Earl Shi, right?" "No," said Aine. "He is very--"

"Great, that's it. I'll tell Lina so she can start preparing for the wedding, and it will cheer her up." Gilbert left, leaving Ernie alone, sitting on the bed as if she had been lead.Everything was decided, she was going to marry Earl Stilton, and she was going to hand over the happiness of the rest of her life to someone she didn't know well.He could beat her, imprison her, and abuse her without reproach. "Miss," Joss called from the door. "The master wants to see you." Aini raised her head, and cast her eyes indifferently. "Miss?"

"Get my horse ready," said Ernie.To his steward!she thought.She's going to have a good run on horseback, and maybe she'll forget what's waiting for her when she's had enough exercise. Oloway, the oldest heir of the Ou family.He crouched and stared at the castle on the horizon, his black eyes full of thought—and fear.He would rather fight a battle than do what he has to do today. "You won't feel better if you delay it any longer," said his younger brother Seaman behind him.Both were tall and broad-shouldered, like their father.But Lowe inherited a touch of red in his black hair from his father, while Seaman has a more detailed face and blond hair from a different mother.Seaman also loses patience more easily, for example now, he is starting to get impatient with his brother's sluggishness.

"She won't be the same as Dolly." As soon as Seaman's words came out, the twenty knights behind all stopped, holding their breath, and Seaman himself froze for a moment, worried about the consequences of his unscrupulous words. Lowe heard him, but he did not reveal the emotion that Dolly's name aroused in him.He is not afraid of war, ferocious beasts, or death, but the word marriage deters him from moving forward. Below them was a rushing stream, and Lowe could almost feel the water splashing against him.He walked back to the horse. "I'll be right back," he said to his brother.

"Wait!" Seaman said, grabbing his reins. "Are we going to sit here and wait for you until you work up the courage to meet a chick?" Lowe didn't answer, but stared hard at his brother with a pair of narrow eyes. Seaman let go of the rein.Sometimes Seaman felt that Lowe's eyes were enough to knock down the strongest stone wall. Although he had lived with his brother all his life, Seaman felt that he still didn't understand him.Lowe is not one to give away easily.He had locked himself away since that Dolly had betrayed him openly when he was a boy; and for ten years since then no one could see past his hard exterior. After Lowe rode away, a knight behind Seaman murmured: "Sometimes a woman can change a man." "My brother doesn't count." Seaman replied quickly. "No woman is strong enough to change my brother." There was pride in his voice.The world around him may be changing every day, but Lowe knows what he wants, and he knows how to get it. "A woman wants to change my brother?" he said disdainfully. Everyone else laughed at the obvious answer. Lowe rode down the hill and walked for a while along the river bank.He didn't know what he wanted to do, he just wanted to delay the time to visit the heiress of the Fei family.When he first heard that the heiress was up for sale, he told Seaman to get her back for a bonus of gold or land; .Seaman said that a rich man like Fei Jibo would only want the eldest son of the Ou family, because as soon as the Huo family is eliminated, he will be a ready-made duke. As usual, when Lowe thought of the Huo family name, his whole body was filled with hatred.The Huo family has been creating misfortune for the Ou family for three generations. It is because of the Huo family that he has to marry an old maid. The place that was robbed by the Huo family.They stole his inheritance, his home, even his wife. He reminded himself: now only by marrying this old maid can he have a chance to take back everything that originally belonged to the Ou family. There was a clearing in the woods where a stream flowed and formed a pool among the rocks.On an impulse, Lowe dismounted and took off his jacket.He stepped out into the icy water and began swimming.He swam fast and hard, as if to let out all the stagnant energy in him. He swam for nearly an hour before landing, his chest heaving and panting.He lay down on a fine green meadow, and soon fell asleep. In his deep sleep, he didn't hear the quiet panting of the woman beside him, nor did he notice the young woman hiding in the woods and watching him secretly. Aini rode fast and fast, leaving the knights behind far behind.Most of her father's people were idiots, and she knew the situation of the land far better than they did, so it was easy to get rid of them.She now began to ride towards the waterhole to the north of the castle, where she could think alone about her impending marriage. Some distance away from the pool, she saw something red among the trees, someone was there.Cursing her bad luck, she stopped her horse, tied it to a tree, and stalked quietly to the edge of the pool. The red thing turned out to be the clothes of a woman, the wife of a farmer in the town.She stood there looking at something so engrossed that Aine didn't notice when she walked in.Aini took a few steps forward curiously. "Miss Fei!" the young woman gasped. "I... I'm here to fetch... fetch water." Her nervousness deepened Aini's curiosity. "What were you doing just now?" "Nothing, I have to go. My baby is waiting for me." "Are you going back with an empty bucket?" Aini pushed her away, looked out from the bushes, and immediately saw what attracted the woman's attention.Lying on a sunny meadow lay an exceptionally handsome man: tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-his, muscular, with firm facial lines, black whiskers and long black hair, shining red in the sun.Aine rolled him from head to toe, eyes widening at his nearly naked brown skin.She never knew a man could be so beautiful. "Who is he?" she asked the peasant woman. "Stranger," the peasant woman replied softly. Beside the man was a pile of clothes of coarse woolen cloth.Since the decree forbids to wear flowers, a person's identity and occupation can often be guessed from his clothes. This man didn't wear any furs, not even the furs that the lowest classes could wear.He also doesn't have an instrument with him, so he's not a bard either. "He may be a hunter," the peasant woman whispered to Aine. "Sometimes they hunt some prey for your father. Now that you are getting married, you must need more prey at the wedding feast." Annie glared at her.Does everyone know everything about her life?She looked back at the young man.If Earl Stilton looked like this man, she would not dislike marriage so much.However, the power that this person exudes even when he is sleeping is much stronger than Earl Shi when he is fully armed.For a brief moment she fancied that she told Lina that she was going to marry a lowly hunter, and she couldn't help laughing.But the smile faded as she began to wonder if this man would marry her if she didn't have a huge dowry.Maybe one day she can be a farm girl!See if she's attractive enough to attract a handsome man. She turned to the peasant woman. "Take off your clothes." "Miss Fei!" "Take off your clothes and give me them, then run back to the castle, find my maid Joss, and tell her not to send anyone out to find me." The peasant woman's face turned pale with fright. "Your maid wouldn't talk to a man like me." Aini took off an emerald ring from her finger and handed it to the woman. "There's a knight around here who might be looking for me. Give him this and ask him to take you to Joss." The young woman's expression changed from fear to slyness. "He's handsome, isn't he?" Ai Ni narrowed her eyes at her. "If I hear any rumors in the village, you're going to eat and walk around, get out of here now." The woman left in linen underwear, and love refused to let her dirty body touch her Silk gown. The clothes left by the peasant woman are very different from her high-waisted, long-skirted long sleeves.The hard wool material is close-fitting from her neck to the bottom of her hips, showing the exquisite curves of her body.The skirt came only to her knees, making it very light for her to walk. After getting dressed, Aini confidently prepared to face the man lying in front of her.She looked at him secretly from the bushes again, and the image of a boy giving flowers to a girl came to mind once.Would this astonishingly handsome man send her flowers?Maybe he'd weave her a garland, like a knight had done a few months ago--only this time it would be real, someone who sent flowers for her people, not her father's property. She took off her headdress and hid in the grass, her long, shiny hair falling down her back.Aini walked forward to the man in the open space, and when she accidentally tripped and fell on the ground, he didn't wake up. She moved closer to him, but he still didn't move.He was really a handsome man, the best example of a man God created.She could hardly wait for him to wake up and see her.People said her hair was sprinkled with gold, and he thought so too? His clothes were not far beside him.Aini walked over, picked up the shirt, and saw something strange.She bent her head to look carefully.Lice!There are lice on the shirt! She gave a little groan of disgust and threw the shirt away. The man who was asleep on the grass a second ago was standing half naked in front of her now.He was indeed extraordinary: a sturdy body without a trace of fat, his black hair was almost red in the sun, and his black eyes were full of emotion. "Hello." Aini said and stretched out her hand, with the back of her hand facing up.Would he bend his knees and take her hand? "You threw my shirt in the mud," he said angrily, looking down at the pretty blonde. Aini withdrew her hand back. "It's full of lice." What to say to a hunter?The weather is beautiful, isn't it?Would you like to fetch a bucket of water for me?By the way, this should be almost the same. He looked at her strangely. "Go and pick it up for me and wash it, I have to go somewhere else later." His voice was nice, but she didn't like what he said. "It's a good thing it's sunk, I told you it's full of lice. Would you like to pick blackberries? Maybe we can find—" In her panic, the man grabbed her by the shoulders, twisting Sink, give her a shove. "Get my clothes out and wash them!" He dared to touch her without her permission!Annie thought.to wash his clothes?It's true!She was going back to her father's castle, to safety.She turned, but he grabbed her arm. "Don't you understand, girl," he said, turning her around. "If you don't pick it up, I'm going to throw you down." "Drop me?" she asked, almost telling who she was, but then she looked him in the eye.Beautiful eyes, yes, but also dangerous.If she told him she was Miss Fiennie, the daughter of England's richest man, would he kidnap her? "I...I have to go back to my husband's, and...kids, a lot of kids," she stammered.This man had an alluring aura when he was asleep, but she didn't like the way he grabbed her hand very much. "Excellent," he said. "Anyone with a lot of kids should know how to do laundry." Aini looked at the dirty black mud pond, only shirt sleeves could be seen on the water.Her stomach quivered at the thought of touching something lice-infested. "My...my sister-in-law does the laundry for me," she said, flattered that she had come up with the idea. "I'll go back and get her, and she'll be happy to do it." The man didn't say a word, just pointed to the mud pool. She knew he wouldn't let her go.Aini walked towards Chi Yu with a face full of reluctance, bent forward to grab his sleeve.She couldn't reach it, so she stretched it out—a little more. She stepped down into the thick mud, her arms were completely submerged in the mud, and her face was also covered with mud.She struggled to get up, but there was nothing around to grab hold of.Then an arm reached out and pulled her onto dry ground.She stood there spitting muddy water, but after a while the man pushed her into the pond again. First he fell face down into a muddy pond, and now he fell backwards into a pool of ice-like water. She finally stood up and stepped out of the pool. "I'm going home," she murmured to him, feeling like crying. "Joss'll make me a cup of mulled milk and light a fire for me. I'm going to—" The man grabbed her arm again. "Where do you think you're going? My clothes are still in the mud!" She looked at his cold black eyes, and suddenly all her fear of him disappeared.Who does he think he is?Even if she is a gleaning girl in the field, he has no right to treat her like this.Did she think he was her master, did she?She was cold and drenched, but anger was beginning to warm her.She gave him a flattering smile. "Your wish is the wish of a daughter of the people," she said.When he let out a contented grunt, Aine struggled to keep it from breaking out. She went under the tree and picked up a twig, then went back to the bog to hook out the shirt.She was holding a branch with a muddy shirt hanging from the end, and then she swung the branch so hard that the mud shirt hit him on the chest and chest with a snap. While he was busy peeling the wet shirt off him, Aine started running away.She knew the woods better than anyone, let alone a stranger.She ran into a hollow tree and disappeared. She heard him running through the nearby woods, and she smiled smugly.He couldn't find hers, and she was going to find her horse after he was gone, and then go home.If he was indeed a hunter, she would receive him in her father's city tomorrow, and listen with satisfaction to his apology for his behavior today.Maybe she would borrow a dress from Lina covered with jeweled plumes, she would be too beautiful for him to look at. "You can come out now," he called from outside the hollow tree. Annie held her breath. "Do you want me to go in and get you? Or do you want me to chop down this tree?" Aini doesn't believe he really knows where she's hiding, he must be bragging.She didn't move at all. His thick arms reached into the tree, grabbed her by the waist, and dragged her out onto his chest.His face was covered with mud, but his eyes seemed to be burning.Aini thought he would kiss her.She leaned against him, her heart beating faster. "Hungry, aren't you?" he said, mocking her eyes. "It's a pity that I don't have time, and there is a woman waiting for me!" He pushed her away and pulled her back to the pool. It would be too cheap to meet him just in a radiant dress, Aine thought. "I'll make him crawl on the ground," she murmured. "Do you really want it?" he asked after hearing her. She turned to face him. "Yes," she said sharply through clenched teeth. "I want you to crawl on the ground, I want you to regret it!" He didn't smile, but his eyes were mocking. "You'll have to wait for that day, because now I want you to do my laundry." "I'd rather—" she retorted. "How? When the conditions are set, I'll see if I can do it." Annie turned and walked away.Now it's best to finish things quickly, finish washing clothes and leave him.Maybe today he can show off his might, but tomorrow she will be the one holding the whip, she thought with a smile. She walked to the edge of the pond and stopped, unwilling to show an air of resignation.Her attitude seemed to amuse him even more.He picked up the shirt and threw it at her chest, Ai Ni was startled and caught it. "Better wash these, too," he said, and he piled a pile of lice-infested clothes into her hand, and knelt down to wash the mud off his face. "Quickly," he said. "These clothes are going to be used to propose to someone!" Aini knew that if she wanted to get rid of him, she had to wash her clothes as soon as possible.She grabbed the shirt and dipped it in the water, then slapped it hard on the stone. "She might like your looks, but if she had any sense, she'd rather marry a frog than you." He lay on his back on the grass, looking at her with his head resting on his elbows. "Oh, she will want me. That's all right. The question is whether I want her. I don't marry a shrew. The woman I want must be absolutely obedient and soft-spoken." "Be simple-minded!" Aini said, picking up a stone and hitting it hard on the clothes, trying to kill the lice.When she turned the shirt over, she saw that the stone had punched a hole in it.Her eyes widened in horror, but then she smiled again.OK!She would do his laundry, but by the time he was done his shirts would be like fishing nets. "Only a simple woman would marry you," she said aloud, trying to distract him. "Stupid women make the best wives," he replied. "I don't want smart women! They just cause trouble. Hey! Are you done yet?" "These clothes are dirty and need a good wash," she said as sweetly as possible. "I guess women get you into a lot of trouble?" she said. "Very little." He looked at her. Aini didn't like the way he looked at her.Although she was soaking wet now, he warmed her up. "You just said how many children you have?" "Nine," she said aloud. "Nine little boys, all as tall and strong as their father," she said nervously. "My husband has six incredible brothers, all big as cows. They throw a tantrum...I've never seen a tantrum like this, just last week—" "You're a liar," he said quietly, lying on his back. "You never touched a man at all." She stopped. "I've had hundreds of men," she said, then stopped. "I mean, I've had a hundred experiences with my husband and—" She was literally making a fool of herself. "Here are your clothes, I hope they tickle you because you deserve it!" She stood beside him, throwing wet clothes on his firm, flat stomach.He didn't move, just looked at her with those warm and terrifying eyes.She wanted to go away, and she knew she could, but for some reason she just stood there, her eyes meeting his. "There should be some reward for such hard work. Sit down, woman." Aine felt herself kneeling before him, and he got up to get closer to her.His big hands were behind her head, fingers twirling in her hair, and he pulled her lips closer to his. There were many people who had kissed Aine, but none as expertly as he.His lips are completely different from his tyrannical attitude, warm and soft.She closed her eyes. It was the kind of kiss she'd been hoping for, her hands on his neck, her body pressed against his warm, naked skin.He opened his mouth slightly, and she followed his lips. When he stopped abruptly and left her, she leaned toward him, eyes still closed, demanding more. "Well, that's enough," he said mockingly. "Virgin's kiss. Now go back to your husband and stop chasing men." Annie's eyes widened. "Chasing men? I didn't—" He kissed her quickly, his eyes twinkling. "Hiding in the bushes and peeking at me? You'd better go before I actually give you what you want. Wait a minute I have more important things to do and no time to satisfy a horny virgin! " Aini recovered within a short while and stood up immediately. "If I want someone like you, I'll go to hell first!" He stopped putting on his clothes. "That's what got me a little excited. No," he said, and started to move again. "I have other things to do. Maybe after I get married, you can come to me and I'll see if I have time for you." Ai Ni let out a vicious curse from her mouth, but it was not enough to vent her anger. "You'll see me again," she said through gritted teeth. "Oh, yes, you'll see me again, but you'll lose your air when I think about it. Pray for your old life, stupid farmer." She rushed past him. "I pray every day," he called after her. "Neither do I--" She heard no more, and as soon as she ran into the woods she took out the clothes she had hidden and ran to where the horses were tied.She took off her coarse clothes and threw them on the muddy floor. "Damn it!" she said. "Damn man! If Ser Stilton is here, the red-haired bastard will be something to watch. What shall I do with him, Baal?" she asked her horse. "Quartering? Disembowelment? Or burning? Well, I like that. I'm going to burn him alive. I'm going to prepare a dinner party, and the after-dinner entertainment will be his burning!" After she got dressed, she got on her horse and cast a bitter look in the direction of the pool.She wanted to imagine his miserable death, but she remembered his kiss again. What would his good-looking body look like tied to a fire stick? "Damn it!" She shook her head violently, kicked the horse's belly, and ran forward. She had not run long before she met fifty of her father's knights, armed as if for battle.Now they knew they were coming to the pool to look for her, she thought, why didn't they come when he pushed her into the water just now?Or when he made her do the laundry... when he kissed her? "Miss Fei!" shouted the leading knight. "We've been looking for you everywhere. Are you hurt?" "Of course there is," she said angrily. "To the east of the pool in the woods is—" She stopped, not knowing why.It suddenly seemed to her that fifty men were unfair against an unarmed farmer. "What's there, Miss Fei? Let's go and kill it." "There's a whole bunch of the most beautiful butterflies in the world," she said, throwing him a dazzling smile. "I forgot the time, sorry for making everyone worry about me. Shall we go back?" She turned her horse and rode ahead of the crowd.She didn't understand why she did that. Of course, it would be much better to tell her father how bad that person was when he got back, and then let her father deal with it.Yes, exactly.It was much more sensible for her to do that, and her father would know what to do with him.Maybe he'll put him in a bucket full of spikes.Well, that doesn't seem like a bad idea.