Chapter 24 Chapter 7 Frost

A few days passed after the garden meeting—days of carefree bliss for the lovers, and torment for the Catalyst Saint, who was sinking under the burden of secrecy.Lord Samuels and Lady Rosamund watched the "children" with pleasure.It is not too much to entertain the future Baron and his friends. Mrs. Rosamund began to consider how many guests the dining room could seat during the wedding banquet, and whether it would be appropriate to invite His Majesty the Emperor. One morning Lord Samuels went into the garden as usual, and returned to the main house almost immediately, with a shout which frightened the servants and caused his wife, who was at breakfast, to raise her eyebrows in disapproval.

"Damn Sihana!" raged Lord Samuels. "Where's Mary?" "She was with the child. My dear, what's the matter?" Mrs. Rosamund stood up and asked with concern. "It's frost! That's what it is! You should see the garden!" The whole family rushed out.The garden was indeed a miserable sight.Seeing the beloved rose hanging on the branch with black and withered hair, Gwendelin closed her eyes in despair.The woods were covered with white, and the dead flowers were falling like snow, and the yellow leaves were piled on the ground.Mary gave Lord Samuels the power of life, and he did what he could to repair the worst damage, but he said it would take days to restore the former glory.

The disaster wasn't just in the garden of Lord Samuels' family.All the gardens of Merilon were in chaos, and there had been several earthquakes that morning, and the Sihana mages could almost imagine themselves being imprisoned in the dungeon of Dukexis to die of emaciation.The blame was eventually pinned on the two Sihanas, both of whom said the other was in charge of the temperature-controlled room at night.But neither was in the temperature-controlled room.The cold outside the city caused the weather in the city to change from spring to autumn in an instant, and all the plants in Merilon were wilted, yellow and dying.

Lord Samuels went out to work in a huff.The day passed in gloom, and night came on without lifting anyone's spirits, for Lord Samuels came home in a worse mood than he had in the morning.He went into the garden to inspect the damage without speaking to anyone.When he returned, he sat down to dine with his guests and family as usual, but during the meal he remained silent and thoughtful.His eyes fixed on Joram, which caused the young man's dismay. Gwendelyn noticed her father's depressed mood and immediately lost her appetite for dinner.It was an unforgivable faux pas to ask him why - the only polite conversation at the dinner table was a lighthearted account of the day's events.

Mrs. Rosamund, too, noticed her husband's gloomy mood, and wondered with horror what had happened.Apparently it's not just concerns about the garden.But she couldn't do anything, she could only try her best to cover up and please the guests.So Mrs. Rosamund's false laughter only made the atmosphere more gloomy. Master Samuels learned to fly out of his crib in the morning.she says.But he hurt himself because of it, and obviously didn't know how to use magic.He rolled onto the floor, startling everyone.At last Mary checked the big bag on his head and said it was nothing serious.

Simkin didn't say a word, he disappeared this morning--inexplicably, without saying anything to anyone.But a high-ranking friend of a low-ranking friend of the Lady's told her that Simkin was present at the palace, accompanying the Empress.A friend of a friend who was also a friend of the friend said the queen was in poor spirits, but that was only natural as the anniversary was approaching. "What a terrible moment it was," thought Mrs. Rosamund, taking a bite of a frozen strawberry and shivering slightly. "The day the Prince was declared a living dead. We all arranged the biggest feast for his birth, but it had to be cancelled. Do you remember, Marie? All the food we summoned..." She sighed with. "I think we gave those to relatives so they wouldn't go to waste."

"I remember." Mary replied in a deep voice, trying to keep the conversation going. "We—oh, Father Dunstable, are you all right?" "He's choking," Mrs. Rosamund suggested enthusiastically. "Bring him a glass of water." She motioned to a servant. "Thank you," Saryon murmured.He kept coughing, happy to hide his face behind the glass of water that floated in at the order of the family mage.He was shaking so badly that he had to hold the glass tightly and drink directly from the glass in an ugly position, instead of using magic to direct the glass to float to his lips as usual.

After a while, Lord Samuels suddenly stood up. "Joram, Father Dunstable, will you come to my study with your after-dinner drinks?" he said. "But what about dessert?" said Lady Rosamund. "I don't need it, thank you," replied Lord Samuels coldly, and left the dining room after casting a meaningful glance at Joram.No one said another word.Ge Wen curled up on the seat, looking very much like a frost-damaged rose.Joram and Saryon took leave of Lady Rosamund, and followed Lord Samuels to the study, with the servant following them. A figure suddenly stood up from the chair in the study.

"Mosiah!" exclaimed Lord Samuels. "Please forgive me, my lord." Mosiah hesitated, blushing. "We were wondering why you didn't come to dinner, young man," said Lord Samuels indifferently.This is just polite talk.The dining room was so gloomy that no one noticed his absence. "I think I lost track of time. I was so absorbed in reading—" Mosiah picked up a book. "Let the servants get you something to eat." Lord Samuels interrupted him, opened the door, and gestured to leave. "Thank you, my lord." Mosiah stammered, looking at the master's stern face, and then at Joram's worried expression.He looked to Saryon, trying to figure out what was going on, but the Catalyst Saint just shook his head.Mosiah saluted and left, and Lord Samuels signaled the servant to pour brandy for the three of them.

The study is a comfortable room.Apparently designed by Jazz and put to use by Jazz.A great deal of carefully shaped wooden furniture filled the room—a large oak table, comfortable chairs, and pleasantly shaped bookshelves.The books and scrolls on the shelves befit Lord Samuels' social status.In order to rise to the position of Master of the Guild, he was educated, but not too much--that would be considered an attempt to usurp--and Lord Samuels, like his wife, was careful Keep a distance from the superior to show respect.He was therefore highly admired, especially by his superiors, who were often heard to say that Lord Samuels was a man who "kept his job."

Joram glanced at the books as he entered.He absorbed knowledge like a hungry man swallows food, and he was already very familiar with all the books in the study.When he was forced to separate from Gwen—as was required by protocol—he spent most of his time here with Mosiah.Joram kept his word and taught his friend how to read.Mosiah was a quick-witted student, quick and intelligent.The teaching process went well, and now, Mosiah, who is under house arrest, finds that the study is simply a gift from heaven. He had begun to study hard, studying books hard, often without any help; Joram was often a little absent-minded and did not pay attention to him.Books of magical applications and theories particularly fascinated Mosiah, who had never seen anything like it.Joram found the books boring and useless, but Mosiah devoted most of her spare time—and there was plenty of it now—to studying magic. Saryon, on the other hand, paid no attention to the books.The Catalyst Saint hardly noticed anything in the room, including the chair that Jazz waved for him, and when he suddenly sat in mid-air absent-mindedly, Jazz hurriedly changed the position of the chair to catch him. "Forgive me, Father Dunstable." Lord Samuels apologized hastily as the Catalyst Saint sank into the chair that was about to slip away from him. "It was my fault, my lord," murmured Saryon. "I didn't see it..." His voice was too low to be heard. "Perhaps you should go out more often, Father," suggested Lord Samuels, while the servant let the brandy flow from the crystal decanter into fine glasses. "You and that young man, Mosiah. I can understand why this young man prefers my gardens to the stunning gardens of the lower cities." He gave Joram a meaningful look, frowning slightly. "But I think you and Mosiah should see what our beautiful city has to offer before you leave." He underscored those words inadvertently. Joram looked at Saryon warily, but the Catalyst Saint just shrugged at him.There was nothing to do or say, and Lord Samuels was evidently taking care to ensure that the conversation would not offend anyone before the servants left.Joram froze, clasping the armrests of the chair with both hands. "I hear you used to live here, Father Dunstable?" continued Lord Samuels. Saryon just nodded. "Then you are familiar with our city. But this is the first time that young man—Mosiah—has been here. But my lady tells me he spends his time here studying!" "He likes to read, my lord," said Joram promptly. Saryon felt nervous.What Prince Jarod had taught Joram in a week's time was only the surface of etiquette and court manners.Joe Lang thought it would be enough to change his life.But Saryon knew it was only temporary, like a hard crust on the surface of magma.The fire and rage were still there, boiling just below the surface.Once the shell cracks, they will spew out. "Is there anything else you want, sir?" asked the servant. "No, thank you," said Lord Samuels.The servant saluted and left, closing the door behind him.Lord Samuels uttered a word and locked the door, and the three of them were left alone in the study, which smelled of parchment and old leather. "We have an unpleasant matter to discuss." Lord Samuels said coldly and gravely. "Procrastinating won't help, so I'll just get straight to the point. Something's wrong with your birth certificate, Joram." Lord Samuels paused, apparently waiting for an answer—perhaps for a flustered admission that he was, after all, an impostor.But Joram said nothing.His eyes remained firmly fixed on those of Lord Samuels, and finally the Sir dropped his head and cleared his throat in embarrassment. "I don't mean that you mean to deceive me, young man," continued Lord Samuels, the brandy still hanging by his side, which he had not yet drunk. "I admit that I may be a little too...enthusiastic about this. I think I may have undue hopes for you—" "What's wrong with those records?" Joram asked, his voice so sharp that Saryon shivered as if he saw the rocks begin to crumble. "Simply put, there is no record," said Lord Samuels, spreading his hands. "My friend found the record of this woman—Anja entering the Holy Mountain to give birth. But there is no record of her child's birth at all. Father Dunstable." Sir said suddenly. "Are you all right? Shall I call the servant?" "No, no, my lord. Please..." Saryon's words were barely audible, and he took a sip of brandy and gasped softly, as if the hot liquor had burned his throat. "A slight discomfort. It will pass." Joram opened his mouth to say something more, but Lord Samuels stopped him with a wave of his hand.The young man refrained from speaking. "Then, there must be some reason for this. Judging from what you told me about your mother's tragic past, her mind was also in a state of madness at that time. It is conceivable that she may have taken your birth record away. Especially considering By the time she thought she'd be able to come back and use that to prove her rightful inheritance. Did she mention to you where to keep those records?" "No." Joram replied. "My lord." He added hastily. "Joram." Lord Samuels' voice became severe, and Joram's tone made him angry. "I want to believe you so badly. I went to great lengths to investigate your inheritance. I did it not just for you, but for my daughter. My child's happiness is everything to me. I can see her very clearly now Is... shall we say... obsessed with you. You are obsessed with her. So, until this matter is resolved, I think it is best for you both to leave my house..." "Infatuation? I love her, my lord!" cried Joram. "If you love my daughter as much as you say you do," went on Lord Samuels dryly. "Then you will agree with me. For her own good, you should leave this room at once. Of course, if your rights are proven, I will agree—" "Tell you it's true!" cried Joram excitedly, rising to his feet. The young man's eyes were burning, and his face was flushed with anger.Lord Samuels frowned, and gently waved the little silver bell that summoned the servants. Seeing this, Saryon hastily stretched out his hand to grab Joram's arm and let him slowly sit back on the chair. "I'll find evidence! What evidence do you want?" Joran asked panting.His hands gripped the arm of the chair to suppress his temper. Lord Samuels sighed. "According to my friend, he asked the midwife at Mount Holy, and given the... er... unusual circumstances of the matter, the previous midwife - the one you were born with - remembers what happened .If you have a birthmark." Sir shrugged. "Let her recognize you, then the church will definitely accept her testimony. She is now a high-ranking Zeldalar who takes care of the queen." Lord Samuels explained to Saryon, but the latter turned a deaf ear. The Catalyst Saint's head suddenly throbbed with blood rushing into his ears.He knew what Joram was going to say, he could see the gleam of hope on the young man's face, he could see the lips move, he could see Joram's hands reaching for the shirt on his breast. I have to stop him!Catalyst Saint thought desperately, but he was paralyzed with fear.Saryon's lips froze and he could not speak.He can't breathe.It was as if he had been turned to stone.He could hear Joram talking, but every word came to him indistinctly, as if through a thick fog. "I do have a birthmark!" The young man pulled his shirt open. "The birthmark she sure remembers! Look! These scars on my chest! Anya says it's from the midwife's clumsy delivery! She scratched me with her nails when she took me out of my mother's womb! It's a testament to my authenticity." identity!" No!No!Saryon screamed silently.That's not a scratch made by a bumbling midwife!He still remembers what happened at that time, and the memory is vivid and clear enough to make people heartache.Those wounds—those are your mother's tears!Your birth mother, the Empress, wept upon you in the great cathedral of Merilon; her crystal tears fell upon her dead child, shattered, cracked; The bishop was troubled, and now the little baby had to be washed again... Books fell on Saryon...books...forbidden books...forbidden knowledge...dukes surrounded him...their black robes choked him...he couldn't breathe...he couldn't breathe... This...can prove my true identity... dark.