Even if the phrase "hot springs" was uttered by the fat owner of the convenience store at the Annapolis Naval Academy, which she hated, and the male cadet officer, who was the battalion commander of the cadet brigade, Isabel Walton would never have any emotional reaction.

But at this moment, she heard it from the mouth of a man in the north of England in the middle of the 16th century. Isabel's first reaction was to almost choke on the ale, "Ahem... Cough... Cough! He coughed up the ale that had been flowing into his trachea.

Sir Francis was frightened by the fact that her face had become flushed with the blood vessels of her skin due to her cough, and she gazed into her face and asked in a concerned voice, "I'm sorry, Isabel, and I will repent to God if my words have disgusted you." ”

Isabel shook her head, raised her head and rinsed her mouth after taking a few large sips of ale, and then spit it out again. When she felt no longer uncomfortable, she leaned back in the saddle and looked at each other seriously.

Actually, she just didn't know how to talk about the hot springs. After all, hot spring baths were one of the most enthusiastic things in the people of her time. As far as she knows, regular hot spring baths can be therapeutic, healing, and well-being.

After looking at Jazz for a long time, she came up with a saying, "Sir, don't you think that the process of taking a hot spring in contact with the water for a long time will make people sick with the plague?" Or are you not religious enough in your faith in God? ”

"Miss, please come over here." Jazz politely invited her to the edge of the pond, and then stood beside her and whispered, "Isabel, you're talking about the Black Death, right?" That was something that would only happen in the South, and it was unlikely that the Black Death would break out in the North, where there were few people and a lot of land. ”

Then Sir went on to say that on the religious side, "The Church has indeed issued a ban on bathing. That's because these priests couldn't find the cause of the plague, so they put the blame on the bath. ”

Isabel laughed, "How do you know this?" As you know, because of the plague epidemic, His Majesty the King has ordered the closure of all public baths in the Kingdom. ”

"I also happened to read something about bathing in history books."

"Well, well, what's the deal with hot springs?"

"I heard this when I was trying a civil case that the locals said that there were many hot springs near Harrogate, and that many farmers used to swim or bathe in the hot springs," said the locals, looking at the water blown up by a gust of wind. ”

Now, Isabel has finally figured out what a small percentage of northerners in England did in the 16th century. At the national level, Henry VIII ordered the closure of public baths throughout the country, and all royals, nobles, knights, and squires also put on a dirty, thick layer of "armor" to keep themselves away from the plague.

But the occasional jump into a pond, stream, or hot spring in a distant northern village would be frowned upon even by the church. In any case, he often bathed or swam in the stream of his father's estate.

Isabel nodded knowingly, "Well, I'll accept the knight's invitation." Hmm, do you need me to inform you in advance? ”

Sir Francis stroked his beard and smiled softly, "The journey from Richmondshire to Harrogate takes less than half a day's ride. Miss, I am always waiting for you. ”

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Remembering the fun of bathing in the hot springs, Isabel led the cavalry squad to speed up the return journey. Along the way, William Parr mentions Sir Francis to John. Due to his long-term foster care at Asker Manor, John Neville still knows Isabelle's family well.

"As I recall, this magistrate was the younger brother of the wife of Ernest, the eldest son of the Walton family." John, who was walking in front of the team, introduced William while watching the road.

"Well, this Sir Francis also comes from a knight's family?" William, riding on one side, volunteered to serve as the front cavalryman.

John, who straightened his upper body, held a spear in his left hand and a reins in his right hand, glanced sideways at him, "William, you care a lot about the relationship between this judge and his godmother, don't you?" ”

William smiled lightly and did not speak, and John saw that he did not say anything, but only whispered, "If you want your godmother to be your wife, your time is running out." ”

"John, what do you think?"

"No, it's Mrs. Walton. William, I'm talking about Mrs. Walton as the godmother's mother. ”

It was past lunch time when the party returned to Richmond Castle, which was not a big deal, at least Isabel and the others had eaten a lot of food seized from the rebel camp on the way. After handing over the horses and the booty that William had chosen for her to John, Isabel found the Duchess walking with her valet in the gardens of the Duke of Richmond.

As soon as the Duchess Mary saw her return, she took her hand and sat on the garden seat, "Isabel, let me see if you are hurt?" ”

Isabel looked at the Duchess, who regarded herself as a good partner, and she noticed that the other party's face was a little pale, and smiled kindly, "Mary, I'm fine." ”

"Have you dealt with the rebels?"

"Yes. Mary, why doesn't your face look good? ”

Mary subconsciously touched her cheek and looked at the garden, "Maybe it's because I'm too tired." You know, overseeing the affairs of His Highness's realm is not an easy task. ”

Isabel was tempted to tell her about going to the hot springs, but she feared that the "bath" would cause the Duchess to panic. When she was hesitating, her expression fell into the other party's eyes, "Isabel, do you have something to say to me?" ”

"Mary, you tell me you're tired, and I have a way to get rid of your tiredness."

"Really? Tell me quickly. Mary immediately became cheerful, "Wait, you want to tell me if your plan is horseback riding, archery, falconry, chess, reading, socializing, or going to a ball?" ”

Isabel shook her head while laughing, "No, no, no, the way I want to say... Can you swim? ”

The Duchess was slightly stunned, then chuckled softly, "Do you want me to be a knight?" ”

"Knight?" Isabel stood up and looked at her with a wry look, "Mary, in the Middle Ages you had to learn how to swim to become a knight. However, learning to swim does not make you a knight. ”

Mary kept the posture of a duchess and looked at her gracefully, "Go on." ”