As the saying goes, a few families are happy and a few are sad.

Seafarers with families welcomed their families in a strange new world, either happily or worriedly, but finally got the reunion Christmas they were looking forward to.

Those who remain are the ones who are truly alone in this world.

Henna, Noah, and Wang also have no relatives left; Caterina is tormented by the tragedy of the past and is unwilling and afraid to touch her loved ones; Lorraine's last loved one in this life is in Hamilton, which sounds close at hand, but Lorraine doesn't want to spend Christmas with him anyway, Daniel......

Lorraine looked at Daniel strangely: "Daniel, I don't seem to have heard you mention your family?" ”

Daniel bowed slightly: "My wife died of an illness 6 years ago, and I thought that with my medical skills and alchemy, I could take her back from the hands of death, but it backfired. ”

In the middle of speaking, his voice suddenly stopped in place.

"Today is not the right day to share my sorrows, and if I have the chance, maybe one day I will be willing to tell you my story, if you are willing to listen to it."

"I'll wait." Lorraine replied in a low voice.

For the rest, the only one standing out in the crowd was Bell.

Because he always likes to talk about his sister, the fact that his mother and sister are both known on the ship. But seeing that the people who greeted him were almost gone, Bell still stood beside Lorraine with a hippie smile......

Henna glanced at Lorraine inquiringly.

Bell waved his hand to interrupt Henna's gaze, and said with a smile: "Don't embarrass our captain, he has an old relationship with my family, and he is probably a little difficult to talk about my being wanted by the Navy." ”

"But it's not." Lorraine shrugged her shoulders and parted ways with Bell, retreating between Henna and Noah, "I thought it would be the right choice to inform my aunt of your current situation as soon as possible, so I wrote a letter to ask Ramos to pass it on to her." Judging from the reply, she and Eliza are at the manor now, and they should have doubts about your situation, so they didn't come to pick you up, but waited for you to explain. ”

Bell's face was faintly blue, and a smiling face was more ugly than crying.

"You...... Tell my mother? ”

"It is your right and duty to tell the truth, not mine. I just told her that you have a long holiday this year and have decided to come to me for Christmas. ”

"Thank goodness!"

Dropping this, Bell ran away, and Henna tilted her head to look at his back and murmured softly.

"No matter how much he wanted to see his family, he seemed to be overreacting."

"Maybe it's because it's not just a simple thought, right?" Lorraine said uncertainly.

He also felt that Bell's reaction was a bit too aggressive, a little less surprised, but a little more frightened.

But Bale's motive review is long over, and all the conclusions prove that he will not be harmful to the Chamber or Lorraine.

That being the case, Lorraine, as captain, had no reason to continue to suspect his crew, which would not only appear unforgiving, but also artificially create an atmosphere of unrest on board.

Believe because you need to believe.

Lorraine stretched out her hand and pinched Henna's wrist: "After all, Bell's family is special, it is difficult for him to tell the truth to his aunt, and he is afraid that he will deceive his relatives. He wanted to see it but didn't dare to see it, and his reaction was not unreasonable. ”

"Don't let me keep checking on him, do you?" Henna flipped her wrist and naturally clasped Lorraine's fingers, "I understand." ”

"I know you understand."

……

Bell rushed to the manor in a panic, and on the way he met Aoye, who was too busy to touch the ground, and didn't even have time to meet Lorraine, despite his home.

"Cranky Miss!"

"Ahh Mr. Starving, you are ......"

"Long story short, where are my mother and sister placed?"

"Your mother and sister?"

"Lady Judea! Kotori. Judea and Eliza. Judea! ”

Aoye's mind suddenly jumped out of the demure and elegant lady and the girl who was just like her mother, who was also so quiet and dignified.

Because their elegant temperament and simple clothing were too shocking, they were the people who impressed Aoye the most among all the visitors.

"They...... Is it your family? ”

"Don't talk nonsense, where the hell are you hiding them!"

Quiet.

Quiescence.

Deathly silence.

It's just a deathly silence between the two.

"On the third floor, the third room in the east, Mr. Judea. If nothing else, please let me take care of the work. ”

Looking at Aoife's ice-like face, Bell felt like he was dead.

"Thank you...... Thank you ......."

"No thanks. But please understand that the housekeepers of the Drake family are not the same as the masters, and we will not kidnap people. Leave. ”

After saying that, Aoife turned around and walked away.

Bell rolled her eyes, not understanding what this girl had imagined the people on the boat to be, nobleman.

Normally, except for the nobles, no one such as bandits and pirates takes captives as a profession?

But this doubt will definitely not be answered in a short time.

Bell rushed to the villa, ran past Clen's nephew who ran downstairs from Sajoy, let the teenage cousin who was asking Pierce for advice, avoided Carmen's father who was sulking alone in the hallway, bumped into Cecilia who was about to get into a fight with Yacharin, and finally came to the door of the room that Offie had said.

Knock knock knock......

A voice came from inside the room: "Is it Bell?" ”

"Yes, Mother, may I come in?"

"I'm afraid not until we get a reasonable explanation."

Madame Judea's voice was soft and firm.

"Little Lorraine told me that you came to him for Christmas because he had a holiday this year. But McCarthy's butler said that you had come here in despair, and had worked as a farmer on the plantation for a short time in order to meet little Lorraine. Who's lying, Bell? ”

Bell felt his head blow up: "Mother, didn't Miss Aoife say she didn't know you were my mother?" ”

"She just doesn't know." Madame Judea explained slowly, "She was just talking about the two most hated people when she arranged a room for me, and the evil heretic should be little Lorraine, the shameless swindler...... It should be you, right? ”

"Ah......h

Bell opened his mouth wide and let out a long, meaningless voice for a long time.

"You'll have to listen to me, Mother. Also, warn Eliza immediately to stay away from all the men in this room. She is 14 years old and is easily deceived by bad men. ”

……

It's nightfall.

Lucy Manor gradually calmed down after a day of activity.

Lorraine entertained all the guests from afar at the dinner, then raised her glass and formally invited them to the Christmas Eve Dinner scheduled for December 24 and Drake's 1779 Lucy Annual Meeting on December 27.

With 11 days to go, Ramos and Eddie from the Northwest of Europe will bring their families to Lucy a few days later, while those in the Caribbean will arrive on the day of the annual meeting after Christmas.

Everyone accepted the invitation as a matter of course.

After the dinner, Lorraine took Henna to visit Lady Judea as a junior.

Eliza and Bell, who were little jasper, were obediently by their side, and the fireplace in the house was blazing and shining all over the room.

Madame Judea looked at the coffee-colored henna.

"Little Lorraine, I haven't seen you in years."

"Yes, aunt, the last time I visited you was in 1775, when I was on leave with Bell Sea."

"In four years, you are already stronger than your father." The lady smiled, "and has a more unique vision than your father, except for the fact that he is not afraid of the world." ”

Lorraine raised her eyebrows.

He brought Henna over just to try to defuse Henna's wariness of Bell, but Madame seemed to have misunderstood.

But how can this question be explained?

Lorraine peeked over at Henna, and saw the blush on Henna's face.

A faint flush stained under the healthy and shiny skin, reflecting the emerald eyes, but without the shyness and withdrawal that a normal girl should have.

In front of strangers, she never shows her weak side.

Lorraine suddenly decided not to explain.

He smiled back and whispered, "Madame and Father have only met once in Plymouth and Tavistock, but they speak like old friends." ”

"Because I am best friends with your mother, Helena's topic will never leave her proudest husband and son."

"As always, I can't talk about you."

Madame Judea was a little happy, raised her hand and rubbed Bell's hair, and asked softly, "You came to see if Bell has confessed to me, right?" ”

"I don't have to hide it from you."

"He said it was Major General Drake who asked him to protect you."

The answer was a big surprise to Lorraine, and apparently to Henna.

Really? False yes?

From Bell, they couldn't tell the truth of this answer at all, and from the previous several motivational reviews, it seemed that they couldn't give an absolute answer.

Bel...... Did you come on Shaq's orders?

With doubts in their hearts, the two ended their visit, held hands, and walked silently to Henna's room.

Henna gently pushed the door open, stepped into the doorline, and turned again.

"Lorraine, what do you think ......?"

"I don't know, I can't guess." Lorraine frowned, "If it's true, I don't understand Shaq's motives, and if it's fake, I don't understand Bell's thoughts." ”

"Will he deceive Madame?"

Whether it's true or not, this reason is not deception. Because he did come out of the army, and he was with me. ”

"But Madame doesn't seem to know about his crime."

"That sin was already a strange sin. You look at how many times Emmons has stepped on the line over the years, if Shaq was really iron-faced and selfless, that snake would have been hanged long ago. ”

"That'...... Is what Bell said true? ”

"It's all about time. As we've discussed before, when Bell left the Army, the Caribbean chapter was just getting started, and smuggling was far from taking shape. Lorraine sneered, "I didn't have any reason to be pitied by my good brother at that time, and I didn't have any reason to gamble on the reputation of someone as glory-hungry as Bell." ”

Henna had to admit that Lorraine's analysis was sensible, at least not affected by his preconceptions about Shaq.

Since neither truth nor falsity is advisable, then ...... Half-truths?

Bell was kicked out of the military because he offended Shaq, and in order to reassure his wife, he found this false reason that was not a lie?

This, it seems, is the most likely explanation.

Both of them felt some headaches.

Seeing that the moon was in the middle of the sky, Lorraine leaned over and gently hugged Heina: "Good night, a rare holiday, have a good rest." ”

"Hmm."

After exchanging respects, Lorraine let go and prepared to go back to the room, and without warning, Henna grabbed him, stood on tiptoe, and her soft lips covered Lorraine's lips without hesitation, and they did not separate for a long time.

Above their heads, emerald green mistletoe wraps in circles, and bright red ribbons flutter in the wind.

Long kiss to the end.

Lorraine touched her hot lips and looked at Henna strangely.

"Why did you kiss me suddenly?"

"I don't know."

"Don't know?"

"Carmen told me that if I don't kiss you under the lintel today, she will kiss you tomorrow. I don't want you to kiss, that's all. ”

"Ah......" Lorraine thought for a long time, as she maintained touching her lips, "So, good night?" Or kiss again? ”

"Good night!"

Bang!

"Hey, strange woman......"