There was a basement in the mansion of the Count of Shakma, the basement was locked, and the key was in the Count's hands. After the death of Madame Chelsea, the Earl ordered that no one should enter the crypt.

It is said that the Earl piled up all the relics of Lady Chelsea in the basement. On Sundays, the Count spends the day alone in the basement. Everyone only thinks that the earl is affectionate, and he is looking at things and thinking about people. Phoebe, however, was extremely disgusted by the Count's behavior, or more precisely, the basement.

She said the basement smelled bad and felt like there was something unclean inside. Fortunately, Phoebe had only said this to Angelo, and if it was known to the servants who loved Mrs. Chelsea, they would talk about it.

Phoebe likes Angelo, and in Count Shakma's mansion, Phoebe only likes Angelo except for Lady Athene. For the Earl, Phoebe was respectful, respectful of his kindness and sensibility. But for Angelo, Phoebe accepts it from the bottom of her heart. She would tell Angelo the secret of the Brown Elves, not only because Angelo spoke for her in front of everyone, but also because she saw in Angelo something similar to herself—in this great Earl's Mansion, they were all outsiders.

"Angelo, look at the picture I painted, it's father, mother, Angelo and me."

"What's this on top of my head?"

"It's Peaky (the mischievous elf of love in British legend)."

"Phoebe can always see youkai, it's amazing."

"Hey, Angelo, hug me."

Angelo opened her hands, and little Phoebe threw herself into his arms.

"Angelo, you touch my head."

Angelo reached out and stroked her little head.

They laughed, their eyes only on each other.

Phoebe can see the Yokai Elf, or rather that she always attracts the Yokai Elf to her side. After staying with Phoebe for a long time, Angelo also has to deal with elves and monsters.

Lady Athenie has a black cat (this black cat was also used as evidence that Lady Athenie was a witch.) Phoebe sometimes talks to the black cat, and others only think of it as a child's self-question, and only Angelo knows that Phoebe really has the ability to communicate with the cat.

"Angelo, Ed said it saw you out today, where have you been?"

"A trip to the Viscount's house."

"Is the Viscount's house your biological father's house?"

"Yes."

Phoebe hugged the black cat, her head bowed and she didn't speak, her sea-blue eyes dimmed, and she rubbed the black cat's fur awkwardly, and the black cat meowed. Every time Angelo returned to the Viscount's house, Phoebe was as sullen as she was now.

Angelo ruffled Phoebe's hair and grinned.

"I'm not going back to that home." He said softly.

"Really?" Phoebe was skeptical, and a meteor flashed in her eyes.

"When did I lie to you?"

A smile bloomed on Phoebe's face, and she raised the black cat in her hand high, then held it in her arms and spun around in circles, and finally pounced on Angelo with the cat.

"You're getting heavier."

"It's not that I'm fat, it's Ed who is fat." Phoebe quibbles.

Angelo picked up the black cat, shook it, and quipped:

"Ed tells you everything, is it the eyeliner you put in your home?"

"Be gentle with Ed," Phoebe reproached, "he's over eighty years old, and he's already an old man." ”

"Good, good." Angelo carefully placed the black cat on her lap.

"Phoebe, did you say that the basement at home is not very clean, and that was what Ed told you?"

"Yes. Ed said that every time he walked to the basement door, he felt eerie and had a strange smell. I can smell that smell too, can't you smell it? ”

"Well, I can't smell it. I'm not as good as Phoebe. ”

Angelo smiled, planting the seeds of suspicion in her heart.

What exactly is hidden in the basement of the house? Angelo was faintly uneasy, the truth seemed to be hidden in Pandora's box, as long as he pierced it, the happiness he had obtained would disappear in an instant.

Angelo looked at Phoebe's innocent smile and suppressed the curiosity that should have erupted in her heart.

Phoebe is ten years old, and she begins to have a little girlish self-awareness, she is no longer like before, she pounces into Angelo's arms at every turn, and begins to keep a certain distance from him, even if there is physical contact, Phoebe will subconsciously avoid intimate movements.

Even so, Phoebe and Angelo's relationship is not estranged, except for their respective class times, when Angelo goes out with the earl to run errands, the rest of the time, the two almost stay together, inseparable. But recently, somehow, Phoebe has begun to hide from Angelo.

When it comes to eating, Phoebe always eats quickly and then hides in her room. I didn't go to play with Angelo during the break, and when Angelo took the initiative to find her, she said that she hadn't rested well and hid back in her room.

Angelo's room was directly below Phoebe's room, and during that time, Angelo could always hear movement upstairs at night, as if something had fallen on the floor. The next day, he asks Phoebe, who says he misheard.

Phoebe grows up and begins to have her own little secrets. Angelo's heart was filled with loss.

Angelo was five years older than Phoebe, fifteen years old, and in a few years she would be ready to marry. Among the children of the nobles who are about the same age as Angelo, many of them have fiancées. The Count and Madame also began to take Angelo to various social occasions frequently, looking for a future bride for him.

"Angelo, do you have a girl you like?" The Count asked.

Angelo shook her head, "Father, don't worry, as long as I can be with my father, mother and Phoebe, I'll be satisfied." ”

"That's not going to work, you'll need a wife in the future, and the Shakma family will need a countess."

Angelo smiled and didn't speak. In his mind, the search for a future countess was far less important than knowing why Phoebe ignored him.

What happened as an illegitimate child in childhood has long carved a permanent scar on the fifteen-year-old's body. As time passed, the scar had scabbed, but it often reminded him of how unforgettable the pain of the past was. Family affection is supreme in his heart, and it cannot be replaced, and his mind is full of Phoebe.

At night, Angelo begins to have nightmares in which he dreams that he is back to his childhood. His two half-brothers locked him in a windowless room, so dark that no matter how much he cried, no one would hear him. He groped in the dark, hoping to find an exit, only to find himself alone in the darkness after a long, long time.

When she woke up, Angelo's eyes were wet.

People are always afraid of what they don't understand, so there are people who are afraid of Lady Arsenie and Phoebe. Angelo is also afraid of things that she can't grasp, such as family ties built without blood ties.

It was still late at night, but Angelo climbed upstairs, and he walked to the door of Phoebe's room, leaned against the door, and sat quietly, as if in this way, he was closer to Phoebe.

The next morning, Phoebe opens the door to her room, and Angelo, who is asleep against the door, suddenly wakes up. He sobered up instantly, and he smirked embarrassedly at Phoebe's surprised expression.

"I'm sorry, I slept last night." Angelo stood up and awkwardly turned away.

"Angelo."

The long-lost call sparked in him, and he stopped.

"Angelo, will you be on my side no matter what happens?"

"Of course." He almost blurted out this answer.

He turned around, and the girl in front of him had tears in her eyes. He stepped forward and hugged Phoebe into his arms.

"No matter what happens, I'm your brother."

"Okay." Phoebe's tone was crying. "After breakfast, I'll tell you my secret."

There is a gap between us, not because I hate you, but because I care about you too much and I am afraid of losing you.

After breakfast, Phoebe pulled Angelo into her room, and she pulled a broom out of the cupboard.

"Angelo, wait a minute, no matter what happens, don't be surprised, okay?" Phoebe frowned, worry written all over her face.

Angelo smiled softly as usual.

"Okay."

He replied, genuinely and sincerely.

Phoebe placed the broom behind her and sat reclining on it, and in a few moments, the broom floated.

"See?" Phoebe returned to the ground, her head down, not daring to look at Angelo.

"Hmm." Angelo's tone was calm

"Will you hate me?"

"Why should I hate you?"

"Because I'm ...... It's a real witch. I also found out recently......"

"You're a witch, I already knew it."

Phoebe looked up and met his eyes, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"Angelo, I'm scared," she sobbed, "I'm afraid someone will find out that my mother and I are witches and burn us to death." I was afraid that my father would kick us out...... I'm afraid Angelo you hate me......"

Phoebe fell to her knees, crying silently. She had never cried like this in front of others, because her mother had said that tears were not to be seen by others. Ever since she found out that she was a witch, she had been nervous, and at night she would try to sit on the broom over and over again, hoping that the broom carrying her would not fly, and that it was all just an illusion. But the truth disappointed her again and again.

Angelo walked in front of her and sat on the ground. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped Phoebe's tears away.

"Phoebe, you are a witch, but you are also my sister and my irreplaceable relative......"

Angelo suddenly realized that, perhaps, he didn't know Phoebe, even though they had spent a few years together.

Phoebe is stronger than anyone else, but also more vulnerable than anyone. This indifferent world does not tolerate aliens, but who defines "aliens"? The world? And who gave the world such a right? The so-called people of the world are nothing but a group of cowards, hiding behind the religion and launching a despicable attack on the unknown under the cloak of the world. The victims who are doing their best have nowhere to hide.

"Angelo, can you hug me?"

Angelo spread her hands, and Phoebe threw herself into his arms for the first time in a long time.

"Angelo, can you touch my head?"

"Okay." Angelo ruffled her long blonde hair.

"Phoebe, I swear, I'll always protect you."

At that time, Angelo did not expect that in order to protect this oath, he offered his entire future.