James sighed and looked at Chris with a trace of apology in his eyes, "I'm sorry for mentioning her, dear little Chris, I know she left you a long time ago. God of Fire! May her soul rest in peace in heaven.
."
Chris was silent.
This is a wound in his heart that will never heal.
Because his mother could have lived a peaceful life, but when he was born, she withered early in the cold wind.
Although this outcome was not something he could decide, and no one resented or blamed him for it, he himself could not let go of it.
"Can...can you tell me about her?"
He let out a long breath, with a bit of suppressed excitement in his voice.
"Well, where to start?"
James put his hands behind his head and lay on the horse with his eyes closed. "She is very beautiful. Your beautiful face is due to her inheritance. Your father should have said this. She is extremely talented."
He is a genius of the Einske family, and he has already reached the peak of a warrior before he was twenty years old. Oh, God of Fire, your father should have told you this too. Damn it! Let me tell you.
What did your mother teach me back then? Do you want to listen?"
"Okay, if you want."
Perhaps it was a rare occasion when he saw James speaking incoherently, but Chris' mood calmed down inexplicably.
And James didn't seem to wait for his answer. After asking, he continued to talk in a faint voice.
I was only eight years old at that time, and had just been brought back to the family by my father.
Oh, by the way, my father’s wife comes from the Mills royal family of the Middle-earth Empire. This is a marriage that the old man cannot object to and my father has no choice but to accept. But my father doesn’t want the Einske family to mix with the blood of the Mills family, so he
He had no offspring with that woman, so he also raised my mother outside, and later I was born.
Maybe it's because I have bright red hair. When I was seven years old, the old man asked my father to take me and my mother back into the family and gave me the surname Ainske.
After returning to my family and gaining an identity, I began to participate in the monthly competitions held by the family's children.
Because I started practicing martial arts late, I always came in last, so I was always bullied by my peers. But a year later, I came in first every time, so I started to be bullied by several cousins.
Haha, you can’t think of it, right?
Little Chris, the people in the Ainske family are not as good as your father said!
Once, when I was practicing martial arts in the garden, several cousins sneaked in without telling the adults, and they teamed up to throw me into the pool again. At that time, your mother happened to walk into the garden and witnessed the whole incident.
But she didn't stop him, just stood there and watched quietly.
She waited until my cousins had run away before she came over and threw me in again after I had just crawled out of the pool. I crawled out again, and she threw me in again... This happened several times.
This time, I stood in the pool and cried.
I was really sad at that time.
Because after I was taken back to the family, your mother was the first person in the family to visit me and bring me gifts.
So I simply couldn't figure out why she bullied me like her cousins who treated me as an outsider.
Why not resist?
Why don't you scold me or fight with me?
When she saw me crying, she asked me this; I said this is unfair, you are much stronger than me, and I can't resist.
Having said this, James opened his eyes, turned to look at Chris and asked, "Little Chris, can you guess what your mother said?"
"Can't guess."
Chris, who listened quietly, shook his head slightly.
At this moment, he had mixed feelings in his heart.
The mother in his memory was a very gentle and smiling person. In the spring, she would take him to look for new buds, in the summer, she would take him to pick flowers and catch bugs, and in the autumn, she would sew clothes for him.
, he would cover his cold red hands to warm them in winter... There are all kinds of things, all of which are very different from what James said.
James chuckled and closed his eyes again.
"Your mother's original words are like this: The world is inherently unfair! If you are short, don't blame others for looking down on you; if you are too weak, don't blame others for bullying you. If you don't want to be bullied, then do it yourself
Work hard to become stronger and bully others in turn! These words are very applicable to me. Since then, I have practiced martial arts harder and more diligently, and eventually became a bully. The scars on my forearms are also from that time, haha
~”
James finished speaking, but the people riding their horses forward slowly were silent.
The taciturn Jessica still had an air of not having anything to do with herself.
Xian looked ahead blankly, with a vague trace of reminiscence in his dull eyes.
Chris's face was full of astonishment.
He really couldn't imagine that his mother's outlook on life was so... well, so tough. Or maybe the difference between what James said and the mother in his memory was so big that he couldn't
Believe this is the same person.
Could it be because at that time, my grandma had not been injured in the ambush and was still hailed as the favored son of the emperor?
Chris, who was a little confused, was trying to find the answer in his heart.
Then I began to feel that the trip to the south that I had been looking forward to for a long time was not so exciting anymore.
For example, Zion, who has been in the north for many years, deliberately invited robbers to rob him in order to adapt him to killing; for example, James just put a long dagger across his neck and taught him not to let down his guard against anyone; and now I hear
The other side of his mother shocked the softest part of his heart.
"Thank you for telling me, James."
After a long time, Chris thanked him gently.
"Um....."
James, who was still lying on the horse, responded with a nasal voice, and his mouth was also vague, "Little Chris, I am telling you this because you are so kind. Kindness is a good quality, and it can make you succeed at Eton."
The territory is supported and respected by the people, but now that you have stepped out, it will become a stumbling block for you. Whether you agree with this or not, please take my words to heart and don’t forget that you are you.
Mother’s only child.”
"good."
.....................
The distance from the dwarf border to the city of Edin is not far, only five hundred miles.
It only took the four people traveling with horses three days to see the outline of the city of Edin. This was a city several times larger than the city of Gardinanlas.
Although the city wall is only fifteen meters high, it is made entirely of huge stones and is so thick and strong that even the most elite gryphon army in the empire or the snake-men who claim to be invincible in land warfare dare not break through it.
Because of many expansions, the city of Edin was divided into the inner city and the outer city.
Civilians, traders, low-level officers and ordinary soldiers live in the outer city, while the inner city is where the peace officer, financial ministers, senior Vulcan officials and the Ainske family live.
Unlike the north, the south, where faith is supreme, has a strict hierarchy that does not allow for a step to be taken.
The Ainske family's residence occupies half of the inner city, which made Chris deeply feel the extraordinary power of this family.
What kind of person is the person in charge of such a family, my grandfather Raphael?
Passing through the bustling streets and crowded crowds in the outer city, and entering the inner city where church knights can be seen patrolling everywhere, Chris came to the front door of the Einske family, feeling a little expectant and a little uneasy.
The Ainske family's mansion has only one door.
The lintel is very high and the door is large enough for six knights to ride out side by side. The door is guarded by two rows of warriors with the Einske family crest etched on their armor. Their bodies are upright and their expressions are as solemn as stone sculptures.
Perhaps, it would be more appropriate to call it a military fortress.
Not long after James informed people to enter, the door opened, and an elderly man walked out first, followed by a strong middle-aged man with an expressionless face and a knife hanging from his waist.
Obviously, he is the former's guard.
Raphael Einske, one of the most powerful people in the southeastern part of the empire, appears to be just a very kind old man.
His beard and hair have been dyed gray by the years.
However, he is neatly combed, especially the beautiful goatee and the handsome face that vaguely looks young, making people feel very amiable.
The clothes are also very particular.
Wearing a moon-white silk robe, the openings and cuffs of the skirt are embroidered with flame patterns; the waist is tied up with a fiery red belt, making the body look very thin and tall; under the feet are a pair of gray, very ordinary short boots.
, I can’t tell what material they are made of, but the edges of the white shoes are spotless.
There is no gem-decorated pendant on the body, let alone gold jewelry. Even the buttons on the upper body are made of cloth, which makes the whole person look very elegant and otherworldly.
"Dear little Chris, welcome to Edin City!"
As soon as he walked out, he opened his arms and hugged Chris, patted the young man's back gently before letting go, but still grabbed the young man's shoulders and looked at him carefully, filled with emotion, "I finally see you,
And, as your father said in his letter, you have Ainske's hair."
"Good day, dear grandpa."
Chris took two steps back and respectfully performed northern courtesy, "My grandfather and father asked me to bring their greetings."
After the ceremony, without waiting for Raphael to speak, he turned around and unwrapped the package under the saddle, took out the snow fox fur from it, holding it in both hands, "This is the snow fox fur I hunted last winter, there are two in total.
Father suggested giving one to Grandpa and one to you. I’m sorry that I won’t have the chance to bring it to you until summer.”
"Hahaha, this is the best gift I have received in these years!"
Raphael diluted the memory on his face with laughter, reached out and took the snow fox fur and put it on his shoulders. When he pulled Chris inside, he asked, "Dear little Chris, what do you think of making it into a shawl?"
Or is it better to make a hand warmer? Oh, by the way, how did your grandfather use it?"
"Originally I wanted to make a shawl for my grandpa, but he always used it to cover his knees. He likes to sit on a chair and bask in the sun these years, and his old cold legs like to cause trouble in the cold winter."
Chris answered with a smile, much less reserved and respectful.
The family-like conversation made him feel that the grandpa he met for the first time was very friendly.
"Alas, the wind and snow in the north are the worst..."
Raphael stopped talking, and after a brief pause, he made a decision, "That's it, I'll make it a hand warmer."
After handing the snow fox fur to the expressionless middle-aged man behind him, he stretched out his hand to gesture at Chris's waist and asked with a smile, "How has your father been these years? I heard that he is as tall as you.
It’s wider.”
"My father is very busy now. He handles all the affairs in the territory. He often stays in the study. He only goes out during spring plowing, autumn harvest or when the caravan sets off and returns. His hair is also gray, but fortunately, he is in good health.
He is healthy and has no ailments to bother him."
"That's good, that's good. It's not been easy for your father these past few years. He doesn't even have anyone to say thoughtful words to."
.......
While walking and talking, asking and answering questions, the two of them stopped in front of a courtyard.
A very spacious yard, the martial arts training ground and the house are separated by a winding stream. Rockeries, pavilions and stone benches are scattered here and there. Many unnamed southern flowers and trees are lush and green, giving people a very quiet feeling.
"Come in and take a look, Chris. This is for you, and it's also where your mother lived. This is the study, and this is..."
Raphael walked in with Chris and pointed at the various sections in the yard to introduce, but as he spoke, his face showed sadness, and he couldn't help but put his hand on Chris' head, "
Little Chris, you look almost exactly like your mother..."
Chris didn't speak and stood quietly.
He knew that although Raphael's hand fell on his head, his mind had gone back to when his mother Avril left the south more than twenty years ago. Moreover, James also talked about many things about his mother intermittently along the way, which made him already
Learn to face it with a calm mind.
"Hey, people tend to nag when they get older, why am I talking about this!"
I don't know how long it took for Raphael to come back to his senses, and he laughed at himself and continued, "By the way, little Chris, your cousin James is next door. If you feel that you are missing something, just go to him or give it to the servant.
Just say it."
"Thank you grandpa, actually I only need a room."
Chris is not being polite, but very honest. He has never enjoyed life in his nineteen years of life.
"Okay, I know life in the north is very difficult. You stay here first, and James will show you the style of Edin City in the next few days."
Raphael waved his hand and instructed James, "James, stop being such a fool and show your cousin around these days, or I will throw you to the Horror to feed the snakes!"
From this kind of insincere threat, it can be seen that he loves this grandson very much.
"Okay, dear grandpa."
James replied with a smile, "By God of Fire, I swear, the snake man will never have the chance to eat your grandson."
It seemed that he had long been accustomed to it. Before James could finish speaking, Raphael turned his head and set his eyes on Sion, "Sion, long time no see. I heard that you have several children? Haha, I'll go there when I'm free.
Look at your father and other family members, they have missed you very much these years."
"Your will is attentive, Lord Bishop."
Xian lowered his head respectfully, put his hand on his chest and knelt on the ground with one knee, "May the God of Fire bless you."
He was no longer loyal to the Einske family and could no longer call Raphael his master.
"May the God of Fire bless you."
Raphael, who had spoken to everyone, nodded at them, turned and left as they watched.