On the outskirts of Chardonnay, in a hidden corner of the Lowther Mountain Forest, there is a small cemetery. It is surrounded by towering cypress trees and is rarely visited by people. Therefore, the environment is particularly quiet. Along the way, you can only hear
The sound of the wind rustling through the canopy of trees, as well as the occasional crisp bird song, echoed in the quiet and empty forest.
Xino's parents are buried here.
Since her grandfather was seriously ill and the manor dismissed its servants, the girl has not been to this cemetery for a long time, about half a year. When she cleans the manor every morning, she deliberately avoids this place out of some complicated psychology.
Therefore, the stone paved path that has not been taken care of for a long time is filled with withered fallen leaves, like a colorful blanket, extending to the end of the road. In the gaps covered by the branches and leaves, the ironwork of the cemetery can be faintly seen.
The gate has long been corroded by the vicissitudes of time.
The lock on the door is just a decoration. In fact, it can be easily broken with a little force. However, Xino still took out the key and fumbled for a while on the rusty door lock before finally finding the hole, click
He opened the lock with a sound, pushed the door gently and entered with a serious look, as if he was performing some important ceremony.
After walking into the cemetery, a square of gray-white tombstones came into view, arranged on the left and right sides. On the left are the tombs of the descendants of the Goldstaff family since White Knight Hiberton, and the people before White Knight Hiberton.
Most of them are buried in the noble cemetery on the outskirts of Sumia, including the glorious pioneering ancestor Baron Vince; on the right are the tombs of loyal servants, retinues or followers who were loyal to the Costafus family, such as the one in the Chatoli Manor today.
The old butler Weber, if he had no objection, would be buried here after his death.
Compared with other aristocratic families with a long history, the Goldstaff family has never been a prosperous family, so the scale of this cemetery is also very limited. It can be reached by walking for five minutes along the path that runs through the center of the cemetery.
At the end. There, the newly erected stone tablet is standing silently. There is a faint hint of indifference in the pale and dead gray color. Their epitaph is engraved on it in heavy and solemn fonts——
"Dear Mr. Leonard Jean Goldstaff and the venerable Ms. Mystian, even though they had misunderstandings, their love will last forever."
Till death do us part?
The good past is often just sad.
Xino smiled silently. She squatted down, placed the white bouquet in her hand in front of the tomb, and said softly: "Father, mother, I'm here to see you."
"Actually, I should have come to visit you a long time ago, but I was too busy before and never had time. I hope you can understand."
"Sounds like an excuse, right?" Xino said with a chuckle again: "The cemetery is not far from Chatoli Manor. No matter how busy you are, as long as you are willing, you can always find time to see you. So,
I haven't come here before, maybe not because I'm busy, but because I'm a little scared. But I don't know exactly what I'm afraid of. Every time I want to talk to you, there's a feeling that makes me stop.
Stop, that’s my personal reason and has nothing to do with anyone else.”
"Looking back, I seem to have always been like this. I was so optimistic and strong in the eyes of others, and was deeply trusted and relied on by my friends. But only I knew how weak I was, and I didn't dare to expose myself, and I didn't dare to expose myself.
admit."
As she spoke, she gave up the weight of her body and slowly leaned against the tombstone, just like when she was a child and took a nap under the manor's white fruit tree. She raised her head and looked for a small patch of blue among the crisscrossing branches.
Sky. Her tone was neither slow nor urgent, imagining that she was chatting with her parents who had been away for a long time, chatting about home affairs, dreams, past and future.
"Many things have happened recently, and they are all surprising. Travelers from the sky told me the secrets about the Saintess and the Witches' Association. They also said that I am the Maiden Queen, an incredible existence since the creation of the goddess.
It sounds funny to be on a mission to save the world, right? Your daughter is such a powerful person, and she obviously doesn’t even have the courage or belief to fight."
"By the way, father." Xino suddenly remembered something: "One of those travelers was a young man named Linge. He once asked me about you and asked me, do you respect your father very much? I
I guess I should answer, but I didn’t say that, but told him——"
The girl pursed her lips, her eyes complicated: "I used to hate you."
This is not a lie, because she has always thought so - at least, until the news of her father's death came, the girl always thought so, and firmly believed that it was not her fault, but the fault of her irresponsible father.
"No one told you to tell us, so you went to the Eastern Continent to participate in the war by yourself." The girl slowly curled up her knees, hugged her legs, and snuggled next to the cold tombstone like a child clinging to its parents.
, murmured in a low voice: "You have taught me since I was a child that I must be a kind and upright person. I must not live up to the white thorn blood flowing in my body, nor let the glorious ancestors of all generations be shamed because of me. But you participated in it secretly
He fought an unjust war and failed to set a good example for his children. From this point of view, he is not a qualified father."
"What I can't forgive even more is that when my mother needed you the most, you were not by her side. From this point of view, you don't seem to be a qualified husband. However, even like this, you are still deeply loved by my mother.
My dear, she often said to me, don’t blame your father. He has his own difficulties. As family members, we should understand each other. But if I understand you, who will understand a girl who has no father to take care of her?
What about a wife who is not accompanied by her husband? So it should be said that I not only hate you, I also resented you for a time, resented your indifference and selfishness, resented you for killing my mother, resented that even if you reached this level, I resented you for still being me.
The person that the silly mother can't let go of the most is her daughter... I think this kind of resentment can perhaps be described as jealousy?"
Speaking of this, Xino smiled self-deprecatingly. Yes, she was jealous. She was jealous that the man had done so many wrong things but could still be forgiven by everyone. He was still the child that his grandfather was most worried about and his mother was most worried about.
A trustworthy husband, even the most dependent father of her daughter who wanted to resent him... Why? Could it be that just because he has the status of a son, a husband and a father, are the things he has done automatically forgiven?
Obviously, he has been sorry to so many people.
Memories came to mind unknowingly. The girl leaned against the tombstone and slowly closed her eyes, letting them drown her.
In those past scenes, familiar memories, and the unpredictable future...