Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

For six weeks Ernie was the happiest person in the world.She and Lowe were afraid that people would laugh at them, but they were so busy celebrating the good bread on the table and the absence of mice that they had no time to chew their tongues. Murray Castle has really changed.People stopped ignoring her or staring at her whenever Aine walked by, they all took off their hats or bowed slightly in respect.Seaman couldn't have been nicer to her, and Randy started having dinner with them.But the best is Lowe, whose eyes always follow her.He no longer went to sleep in the meditation room, and every night he came to the sun room to be with Aine.Seaman gradually joined them, as did Sal and Randy.

On such an evening, Aini found out that she was pregnant. She thought she was sick, but she was neither tired nor uncomfortable.She put her hand on her slightly protruding stomach, dreaming of a red-haired child. "Ma'am?" Bijia called after her. "How are you?" "Fine, fine, I've never been happier. What are you doing?" Biga held a basket of herbs in her hands. "Sir Lowe rolled into a thorny nettle bush when he and Cooper were wrestling. I'm going to get this over with so they don't hurt less." Annie shuddered.The nettles were a pain, and there were some herbs near her father's castle that were much more effective than Biga's, and she had seen some along the way when she came to Murray Castle.How far is that?Ten or twelve miles away?With a good horse she could be back before dark.Then she could tell him about the baby while dressing Lowe's wound.

She sends Biga away.Getting out of Murray Castle is not an easy task. Since the Huo family attacked, Lowe has stipulated that she is not allowed to go out of the castle gate, even if she is guarded by knights.She looked at the satin dress on her body and smiled.If he goes out pretending to be someone else, then what is there to worry about?She found the clothes she had worn at the market from the end of the bed and wrapped her hair up again.She stole a horse, and in a few minutes she left the castle and headed for the eastern border. She was so full of dreams about the birth of a child that she didn't hear the voices of people in the woods.Before she could see clearly, she was surrounded by a group of people on horseback.

"Look at this," one of them said. "A country girl rides such a fine horse." Aini knew who they were without having to think about it.They are richly dressed and arrogant, like knights of a powerful family.They are from the Huo family. "I stole this horse," she begged. "Oh, please my lords, don't tell my master." "So what are you going to give us in return?" one of them teased. "Anything, my lord, anything." Aini pretended to cry choked up. Another man came out of the woods.He was older, with gray hair on his forehead, and a solid build, but there seemed to be a lingering gloom between his brows. "Drop the girl down," the man ordered. "That's the Ou family's horse, I want to take it away."

Although Ai Ni was in critical condition, she still glanced at the man.Is he Hodry?Aini lowered her head and hurried off the horse, but two men grabbed her body and started groping her breasts and arms.She pulled away from them, but the kerchief that covered her hair fell off too, and her long, shiny blond hair brushed down. "Look at this!" exclaimed one. "I think I'm getting a little interested in the pony thief." "Bring her here!" said the older man. Aini was brought in front of him with her hands tied behind her back, and she kept her head down. "Look at me!" he ordered. "Otherwise I will teach you to regret it."

Aini didn't want to show a look of fear, she raised her head to look at him.As he looked at her, the anger that had accumulated for many years gradually appeared on his face.At last he threw back his head and let out a sinister laugh.Aini felt goose bumps all over her body. "Well, Mrs. Ernie, I'm introducing myself. I'm Hodry," he said. "You saved me a lot of effort, and you will help me win the Ou family." "Dream!" she said. "Lowell will not give in!" "Even in exchange for you?" "He didn't give in for Dolly, and he won't give in for me," she said, hoping it had enough force.Because she was actually thinking tremblingly: Would Lowe think she betrayed him like Dolly?

"Take it away," Hodry said to one. "Put her before your horse, and if she escapes you will pay for her life." Ai Ni was powerless to resist.It's all her fault and she can't blame anyone. The person who caught her said in her ear: "Huo family men are very attractive to Ou family women. Do you want to marry too? Just like the previous one. " She didn't bother to answer it herself.She prayed in her heart, begging Lowe not to believe that she would betray him.But she was still scared. They rode for two days, and at night they tied her to a tree trunk, and everyone took turns watching over her.

After nightfall it started to rain.The guards took turns very frequently, no more than an hour at most.They didn't expect to take her into a tent, just to have her under a tree in the rain. The next morning she was wet and cold and tired.Sitting on the horse, she felt all the muscles in her body relax, and she fell asleep leaning on the man.It was dusk when she woke up again, and she finally saw the Oujia Castle that Lowe was talking about. Tall towers were seen for miles.The closer they got, the more Aini's fatigue disappeared.She has never seen such a magnificent castle before her eyes. There are no words to describe its size: huge, huge, and infinite don't seem to be enough.Outside the walls are six "small" towers extending towards the inner walls of the castle, each of which is several times larger than the main tower of Murray Castle.

They first came to a moat and passed a wooden bridge.The river was as wide as a river, and it was difficult to cross without a boat.After crossing the bridge, there is a tunnel. Aini looked up and saw many round holes, which were used to pour hot oil on the attacking enemy in wartime. In the gloom they crossed another bridge, passed a second moat, and then tunnels and oil holes. At last they came to a green meadow, and many half-timbered houses were built around the city wall.The whole place is clean and lush. They went through another tunnel, flanked by huge towers on either side.Not even Aine's father's many castles had towers of this size.After passing through the tunnel, there is a beautiful atrium with several acres in front of you.There are many stone buildings here: a church, halls, warehouses, etc.

Aini sat on the horse and stared at the scene in front of her.She had never imagined that there would be such a huge and rich place in the world.This is why the three generations of the Ou family kept dying in battle, and this is why the Ou family hates the Huo family. Ai Ni looked at the affluence around her, and she began to understand why Lowe disdained Murray Castle so much.Three Murray Castles could fit in this atrium alone. This is the place that belongs to Lowe, she thought, this kind of magnificent atmosphere, the bearing here is the place that is suitable for Lowe. "Take her to the top floor of the Northeast Tower," Hodry said, and she was pulled off her horse and half-dragged across the atrium and up the stairs of the Northeast Tower.

There was an iron door on the top floor, and they opened it and pushed her in, then closed it again.Annie looked around.This is a small room with a bed, a table and chairs, a toilet on the west and a small window on the north.She looked out and saw land stretching hundreds of yards beyond the outer wall.There are guards on the walls. "Defense for what? A few kittens from the Ou family?" Aini mocked herself bitterly. She propped her head up, feeling tired and dizzy.What she's been through these past few days has exhausted her.She lay down on the bed, pulled up the blanket, and soon fell into a deep sleep. It was already the next morning when she woke up, and she tried to stand up, but her body kept shaking.Water, bread, and cheese were brought to the table.She was thirsty for water, but could not eat.She reached out to touch her forehead, she had a fever. She went to the iron gate and knocked on it desperately. "I want to see Howardy," she called, but there was no answer.Aini slid down the door panel and sat on the ground.She was going to stay awake, and when someone came she was going to ask to be allowed to see Hodry.She wanted him to let her go, otherwise Lowe and Seaman would surely die if they tried to save her. she fell asleep.When she woke up, she was lying on the bed, dripping with sweat.Someone came again, but she couldn't wake up.She poured a glass of water, only to overturn the glass with trembling hands.She was so weak that she fell asleep on the bed again. When she woke up again, she was shaken violently.She opened her eyes wearily, and saw Hodry beside her.In the dark room, the candlelight behind him blurs him. "Your husband doesn't seem to want you back," he said ferociously. "He ignored all the redemption conditions we offered." "Why do you want his little space?" Her chapped lips made a hoarse voice. "Our marriage was arranged by others. My husband must be tall and able to get rid of me. If you ask people in our village, you will know what I did to him." "I've heard it all. I even know that he sneaked into the village market once unarmed. If I had known in advance that I would not let him go, I would have killed him like he killed my brother." "You killed his brother too." Aini's voice didn't have much strength, she was too tired.But even so, she still had to find a way to save Lowe. "It doesn't matter to him whether he releases me or kills me," she said. "But hurry up, he wants a new wife!" If sooner, Lowe won't attack, she thought. "I'd like to see how he doesn't care," Dre said, nodding to his men. Aine saw a pair of scissors flashing in the candlelight. "No!" she yelled, trying to break free, but the man's strength was too great.When the scissors cut it, Ai Ni's hot tears also rolled down her cheeks.The rest of the hair is not even shoulder length. "This is the only beauty in me." She cried. But Dre and his men ignored her, and they slammed the door and went out. Ai Ni cried for a long time. "He'll never like me again," she kept saying.She cried and fell asleep tiredly. When she awoke again, a wet cloth was covering her forehead. Aini opened her eyes, and there was a brown-haired girl sitting in front of her, her eyes were as gentle as doves. "Who are you?" Annie asked. The woman changed another damp cloth for her. "Okay, drink this." She brought a bowl of food from the table, scooped up a tablespoon and brought it to Aini's mouth. "I'm Huo Taoli." "You!" Ai Ni shouted, spitting out the medicine in her mouth. "Don't touch me! You traitor! Liar! Shameless woman!" The woman smiled. "And you are a standard European family. Can you have some soup?" "I won't drink what you give me." Dolly watched her carefully. "I think you and Lowe would be a good match. Did you really set fire to his bed? Did you really wear gold coins to his dinner party? Did you really lock yourself in a room with him?" "How do you know these things?" Dolly sighed. "Don't you know how deep the hatred between these two families is? They know everything about each other." Although Ai Ni was very weak, she still sat up and wanted to see clearly this legendary woman who killed the two Ou brothers.She was plain, of medium build, with brown hair— hair!Aini reached out to touch her short hair, and cried again almost at the same time. Dolly held the bowl in her hand, and turned to look at Ai Ni stroking her short hair pityingly. "Eat something, your hair will grow, there are worse things to come!" Ai Ni suddenly felt angry, and she used all her strength to shake the bowl away from Dolly's hand. "Get out of here! This is all because of you. If you hadn't betrayed him, Lowe wouldn't be like this today." Dolly picked up the peas wearily. "If I go, no one else will come. Dre has ordered that no one be allowed to see you, but there's nothing they can do if I come in." "Because Hodry will kill anyone who displeases the woman he loves, won't he?" said Aine angrily. "The woman who betrayed my husband?" Dolly walked to the window, and when she looked back at Ai Ni again, she seemed to have aged several years. "Head yes, I betrayed him. My only excuse is that I was naive and ignorant. I was betrothed to Lowe when I was a child. My parents died when I was young, so I lived In the monastery. I never got love, so I was full of illusions about marriage, I thought I finally had someone who loved me, and I had my own home." She paused. "You haven't seen his brothers, you don't know what they are like. To them, I represent only money, money, money. When I speak, no one listens, and the servants don't listen to me, That filth and humiliation is worse than hell." Aini's anger gradually subsided, and she felt the words personally. "Lowell sometimes comes to me at night, and at other times he goes to other women." Dolly withdrew her gaze into the distance and looked at Ai Ni. "So when I heard you set fire to his bed, I knew you were right. That's the only way Lowe would notice his wife." Aini didn't know what to say for a while.What Dolly said couldn't be more true.She knew what it was like to be ignored, and setting that fire really got her noticed.But if Lowe's brothers are still around, can she do it over them?She stopped the car suddenly, she must not be fooled by this cunning woman. "All of this—" She pointed to the huge territory outside the window. "Is it worth it for you to do this? The two brothers of the Ou family died trying to save you. Did you listen very highly?" Dolly became very angry. "Those people didn't die to save me, they didn't even recognize me. They died because they wanted to take back this land. What I heard when I was in Ou's house was how cruel the Huo family was. Now I'm here, All you hear is bad things about the Ou family. When will this terrible fight end?" "Didn't you intend to betray?" Ai Ni asked, the anger almost disappeared without a trace. "No. But the Huo family is very friendly to me, the whole environment..." she thought back. "There's music and laughter everywhere, the servants are flattering, and Dre is very considerate..." "Is it considerate enough to make you pregnant?" Ai Ni asked. "After Lowe's rough behavior, Dre was a great bedmate." Dolly stopped abruptly and stood up. "I'm leaving now, and I'll see you tomorrow morning." "No need." Ai Ni said. "I can take care of myself." "It's up to you." Dolly said and left.As soon as the iron lock was buckled, Ai Ni immediately fell asleep again. For the next three days, Aini stayed alone in the house.Sometimes she was sweating from the heat, and sometimes she was shivering from the cold. She neither ate nor drank, but lay in bed, half asleep and unconscious. On the third day, Dolly came again, and Aini watched her body swaying in front of her eyes in dizziness. "They also said that you are in good condition!" Dolly turned around and knocked on the door to ask the guard to open it. "Pick her up and follow me," Dolly said. "But Sir Howe ordered that she be kept here." "I'm rescinding his orders right now," Dolly said. "Quick! Unless you want to be thrown and smashed. Pick her up!" Aini vaguely felt strong arms hugging her. "Lowie," she murmured.After going downstairs, she lost consciousness in a coma. When she woke up, she was lying on a soft and comfortable bed, she had changed into clean clothes, and the fever had subsided.She saw Dolly sitting on the edge of the bed wiping her sweat.Aini's insistence was gradually softened. "Is my baby okay?" she asked softly. "Very strong, growing up every day. A little heat can't hurt the Ou family." "But one unfaithful wife is enough." Dolly put down the towel in her hand, stood up and walked to the door. "Wait!" Annie yelled. "I'm sorry! You've been really nice to me." Dolly turned slowly.She sat on the edge of the bed again, looking at Ai Ni with sympathy and sorrow. Ai Ni spoke. "What happened after I was caught? Did Lowe attack?" Dolly answered very slowly. "Lowie sent for... that you're not his wife, and that you're welcome if Dre wants you." Aini could only open her eyes wide. "And Dre just let his temper go. He cut off your hair and sent it to Lowe." Ai Ni turned her head so that Dolly could not see her face. "Oh, I see, he doesn't even care when I send my hair back." She turned back to Dolly. "What is your husband going to do with me now? Send me back to Ou's family piece by piece? Give me a foot today and a hand tomorrow?" "Of course not," said Dolly.Dre had actually threatened to do it, but she knew he was just talking.It's just that now that Lowe refuses to redeem her, Derry really doesn't know what to do with her. Aini seemed to be talking to herself. "It's a good thing Lowe didn't risk his and his brothers' lives to save me." "He only has one younger brother left now, and I believe he is not willing to take risks." Dolly said in a sarcastic tone. "If there is an attack, Thrall will definitely participate." Dolly gave her a look. "I doubt it. Even the Ou family has some basic principles." She paused. "Didn't anyone tell you Sal was a girl? Did they make her dress like a boy anyway?" Aini blinked her eyes several times. "Girl? Sal is a girl?" She suddenly remembered all kinds of past events.She remembered Sal beating rats to death with his—no, hers—fist, and Sal showing up in her room in the middle of the night, and she was half dead once because Sal was sleeping with three girls, but Lo Wei and Ximan laughed nonchalantly! "No," Aini tightened her jaw. "No one has time to tell me Sal's a girl." "She was five when I was there, and I think her brothers thought it was a bit embarrassing to have a girl in the family, and they all blamed his father's fourth wife. I was going to take the place of Sal's mother It would be a big mistake to take care of her, she's just as fierce as her brothers." "I'm dumber than you, because I didn't even guess it," said Ernie, and they wouldn't even open their mouths, she thought.They barred her from the door.At first she thought she was already part of the Ou family, but now they don't want her to go back at all. She looked at Dolly. "Has there been any response since they received my...hair?" Dolly frowned. "Lowe and Seaman were seen hunting and...drinking together." "You mean to celebrate?" said Ernie.She thought the old days had made them... need her, if not like her.But obviously, she was wrong. Dolly squeezed Aini's hand. "They are the Ou family, and the Ou family is different from ordinary people. To them, women are just a means to get money. Now that they have your dowry, what do they want from you?" Aini knew that everything she said was true, but she still couldn't help but feel sad in her heart. "Where are those Sunday girls?" Ai Ni asked in a low voice. "They all went back." Dolly also replied in a low voice. Annie took a deep breath. "Then what are you going to do with me now? My husband doesn't want me, and I don't think my stepmother will want me back either. I think your husband is probably the one with the biggest head now." "Dry hasn't decided what to do yet." "Lowie and Seaman must be laughing so hard right now. They got my dowry, got rid of me, and left their enemies with an ugly, annoying vixen." That seemed to be the crux of the matter, Dolly thought, but didn't say it. "I don't know what's going to happen next," she said honestly. "I can't even imagine it." Aini said dejectedly.