The Sin of Ludwigs

The sky gradually brightened.

With the arrival of dawn, the entire Frigou Manor subtly began to wake up. Early birds began to chirp in the garden. The kitchen should have started to operate, but the sound could not reach the living room on the third floor. The soft footsteps of the maids outside the door and the sound of skirts in the walking room can be heard, but you need to listen very carefully to notice.

It was the first time I watched the change of the sky from night to morning so clearly. Even though my eyelids were very tired, my brain was so clear that it was impossible to fall asleep.

There was a light knock on the door, followed by the muffled voice of a manservant responsible for waking the master.

"My lord, it's time to get up."

My heart trembled, I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be in a deep sleep, but all my attention was on the person next to me.

After the manservant reminded me, the breathing of the person beside me changed obviously, and he let out a long sigh—this scared me into a cold sweat, I don’t know if he realized it The fact that I didn't fall asleep - but he didn't get up immediately, but turned over impatiently, and pulled the quilt a little higher to cover his head, as if he just ignored the reminder outside the door.

His movement of the quilt caused the other side of the quilt to slant over my nose and ears, and the living room fell into sleepy silence again.

After about a quarter of an hour, a second reminder came from outside the door: "My lord, it's time!"

It’s time——I heard this reminder occasionally when I was drowsy in the morning, and I always thought it was because Elvis’s schedule was as regular as his behavior, but now it sounds like It seems to have another meaning.

This time, the person next to me yawned, sat up in bed, and scratched his hair impatiently.

He didn't leave immediately, but sat up and stared at me for a long time. I closed my eyes and tried to let my breathing be gentle. After a while, the quilt covering half of my face was pulled down for a moment.

The sudden coolness almost made me cry out in fright.

Fortunately, he didn't intend to do anything. It seemed that he just wanted to pull the quilt so that I wouldn't feel short of breath in my sleep. He tucked the quilt for me by the way, and then he pulled the bell cable on the bedside to let people outside know that he Already up.

With my eyes closed, I heard the door of the living room being gently opened by the footman from the outside, and then there was an inquiry so low that it was almost inaudible-"What time is it?" "Six fifty." "Close the curtains Tighten it up."

After they walked out, the door of the living room was closed, and the room fell into darkness again.

This time, my sleepiness was really unbearable.

It's too early, I can sleep until ten o'clock and then get up, I need enough sleep - when the heavy sleepiness hits, I think so in a daze.

As a result, I slept until after eleven o'clock, which is not a late hour, but after taking a bath and eating breakfast, it was already noon.

"Looks like this is the first time you've gotten up so late," Jane said to me at breakfast.

"In my hometown, everyone's work and rest time is like this," I joked with Jane as if I didn't know anything: "Doing nothing is the principle of the nobility. I can only say that Mr. Elvis is too hardworking. That’s why you all have this illusion.”

At breakfast I asked where Baron Janfred's guest room was, and in passing asked her to send a maid to inquire if it would be appropriate for me to visit the Baron later.

Jane was very vigilant after hearing my request, just like a mother who suddenly heard her well-behaved child say that she was going to play with the newspaper boy on the street.

"Lord Baron Fred loves to play too much, he likes to get involved in everything, don't let him lead you into trouble."

"You are worrying too much. I just want to say goodbye to a friend beside him——Jane, if a girl thinks too much, she will get wrinkles soon!"

Baron Fred's suite was quite different from the one I lived in--I mean, although his guest room also seemed to be very consistent with the noble history of the Higgs family, it only needed a little attention to detail to find the two. The degree of luxury of the other party was not at the same level at all, which made me more aware of the crisis I might be in.

In Baron Fred's reception room, I met Anne whom I hadn't seen for a long time.

"Edmund!"

After I dismissed the maid who followed, Annie threw herself into my arms, sobbing, "Edmund, I miss you so much, I worry about you so much!"

I hugged her and felt that the girl had lost a lot of weight, so I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, and comforted me softly: "I'm fine, I'm fine, don't you think I'm fine!"

While I was comforting Anne, Baron Fred just sat on the recliner with a smile on his face and watched, as if he didn't mind at all.

"You seem to have made up your mind," said the baron.

I patted Annie on the back lightly to calm down her agitated emotions, lest the poor girl faint because of her shortness of breath. In that case, the servants would have to bring smelling salts, which would only delay our relationship. down to business.

"I want to know what your purpose is for doing this." I cut to the chase.

The baron laughed pleasantly.

"I know your misgivings, but you don't have to," he said. "You should know that when we're bored, people like us will do anything just to have a little fun in life. You know, from a lion Letting go of the prey he thought was already in his hands, such exciting things don’t happen every year.”

"Although I say that, I don't think this reason is enough for you to make a decision. Aren't you afraid that the anger of the lion will affect you and your family?"

"Oh, I don't understand what you mean." Baron Fred leaned back in his chair leisurely, "Miss Anne is my maid now," he glanced at Anne, "she is sick, I sent her away from Frigu Manor to recover from her illness, so as not to cause bad emotions to the birthday celebrations of the two adults. This is a very natural thing. As for other people who shouldn't be mixed into the carriage she left, that's fine. It's not something I can control, is it?"

I took Annie's hand and walked to the couch, and asked her to sit down and calm down: "Then, all the risks are on my body. You can have fun whether things succeed or fail, but I have to bear the burden." The consequence of possibly offending the lions, this transaction is too unfair."

"It depends on your choice. After all, there is nothing in the world that is completely free, isn't it." Baron Fred looked sincere, but I felt that he was like a treacherous fox tricking a foolish monkey into doing things for him. Take a chestnut out of the fire, "But you can also rest assured that I still have this bit of face in the Frigou Manor. I can guarantee that they will not search Miss Anne's carriage."

"You are an aristocrat after all, of course the Higgs family will not search the carriage under your name, or they don't understand etiquette, but if it is just an ordinary carriage, even if you have face, there is no guarantee that they will not check it. .”

Even though Anne is Baron Fred's now, Anne's carriage and the baron's carriage are two different things!

Baron Fred thought for a while: "You're right, I've neglected this aspect - I can send you away in a carriage with my family crest, so they won't even look at it."

"After leaving the manor, where can we go?"

"The coachman will take you to the nearest town, from where you can follow the river straight down to the mouth of the sea, and then do you think you should go to North Carolina or go straight to the boat bound for the old continent-that is Your business, Mr. Edmund."

The baron wore today a white high-necked double-breasted woolen vest and a black coat, in which a pocket watch was stowed casually, and a long gold chain fastened to the buttonhole, from which he He took out the gold pocket watch and looked at it.

"Coincidentally, I heard from the butler yesterday that Viscount Rodney's team will arrive at Frigo Manor tomorrow," he said, "Viscount Rodney's family is one of the most important nobles in Georgia, and the two Earls are sure A welcome banquet will be held for the arrival of him and his wife, and the time will start around five o'clock, and the time when the two adults really need to come forward must be earlier, and we can start to act at that time."

As he spoke, he waved the pocket watch and smiled at me.

"I suggest that you take some valuables with you, so that you won't be too busy on the road—ah, don't look at me like that, Mr. Edmund, I'm not interested in men, but I'm interested in whether you can get back Europa is really interested."

"I'll need some odd money for the road, or I won't risk it," said I, "and when I get back to Württemberg I can pay the interest and principal out of my annuity."

The baron thought for a while: "I remember that the minimum ticket to Europa is 200 pounds. I can give you 600 pounds, but when you go back, I want you to pay me back [-] pounds."

£600 is already the annual income of some small manor owners. Anne gasped when she heard this huge figure, but she didn't dare to speak at all, and secretly pulled my sleeve anxiously.

I patted her hand reassuringly.

"make a deal."

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The dawn of the end is getting closer

Chong Duck~