Minna carefully moved over the large branches, intent on catching a beautiful blue crested bird perched on the branches. Seeing that there was still a foot away to be able to catch it, and the sluggish bird had not yet noticed, she was happy in her heart, but at this moment, there was a cry of "little miss, little miss" in the distance, she was startled, and accidentally shook the branch, and the crested bird sensed the danger and quickly flew away.

"Winnie again!" She grumbled in frustration, and when she saw a fat woman in a large white apron appear at the edge of the woods, she immediately climbed back into the canopy and hid herself among the branches and leaves of the tree. The six-year-old girl's body was thin and flexible, and the dense canopy completely covered her. She held her breath, as she usually did, not allowing herself to make a sound, and whenever she did so, even her father, who was a master of swordsmanship, might not be able to find her.

Today, however, she miscalculated. Walking nearby, Winnie quickly noticed a trace of fragrance in the air, and she immediately recognized it as the smell of perfume sprayed on the beautiful dress that Miss Minna was wearing today, it was a new fragrance that was only launched three years ago, especially for children, and there would never be a second bottle in this poor country!

She won't admit it! She is Winnie, the most professional nanny who has been professionally trained since she was a child in Port Matter! She can smell more than 200 kinds of perfumes and spices by her nose, and she can tell the material of more than 100 kinds of clothing fabrics just by touching them with her hands; She knew how to make more than 300 kinds of dishes and snacks, and was able to distinguish eighty-eight kinds of wine and drink in the shortest time; She knows how to furnish the most beautiful and comfortable living rooms and rooms, as well as how to take care of the elderly, pregnant women and children. She's Winnie!

At this moment, she stood under the big tree and looked proudly at the little leg exposed in the branches and leaves: "Little Miss, you can't fool me, come down quickly." ”

Minna slipped down the tree in frustration, looked at Winnie's chubby face, and pouted.

"How many times have I said that, little miss!" Winnie grimaced, "That's not what a lady should do. Climb trees! How rude! You're a young lady! She couldn't help but recall the glorious past of her hostess, "I think that back then, when Miss Dora was six years old, she was already a little lady praised by the city, and her intelligence was even better than that of Her Majesty the Queen when she was a child. ”

Minna was skeptical, and let out a sneer. Winnie gave her a stern look, inadvertently swept her front and let out a terrible scream: "Oh my God! Little Miss, you actually got your clothes dirty! This is precious silk! It was specially for the distinguished guests who came today, so that you can wear it. I have long told you not to climb trees anymore. ”

Minna grimaced: "What distinguished guest?" I hate that man, every time he comes, Mom and Dad get into a fight. ”

"That's because my uncle is jealous." Winnie pouted, "What kind of life did he make Miss live?" In this kind of countryside, surrounded by hillbillies, living in a small two-story building with less than ten rooms, and a garden overgrown with weeds! Except for me and Marshall's butler, there wasn't even a maid! In order not to be rude in front of the guests, the young lady actually wants to find a hillbilly's daughter to act as a temporary maid! If she had married the young master of Duke Chulov's family, she would never have been wronged like this! Oh, what an elegant and noble man Master Chulov was, and so gentle to Miss. ”

Minna said angrily, "That's a lie, Dad said, he's a badass!" ”

Winnie glared at her sternly, "You can't say that, little miss! Young Master Chulov is your eldest aunt's younger brother and your elder! Oh my God, the young lady's daughter must have been spoiled by her father to say such rude words. She muttered a few words, looked up and said sharply, "Come back with me!" The guests are coming soon, you are wearing such dirty clothes, it is really rude, go back with me and change them! ”

She reached for Minna, who nimbly dodged and ran quickly into the woods, turning back and grimacing at her, "I'm not going back!" Mom just told me to pretend to be a good child, and I hated that! ”

Winnie was about to be angry: "It's all my aunt who taught the little lady badly, how could the young lady's daughter be so naughty!" As he spoke, he moved his fat body and chased after him.

=====================I'm the ====================== of the dividing line for the first time

Once again, Dora checked the small tables, wicker chairs, and baskets in the garden to make sure they were perfect. She always felt that something was not good enough, but she forgot which one it was, and her heart was full of thoughts.

Today's guest is Goodwin Chulov, the wife of her husband Anlong's half-brother Elon, the youngest son of Duke Chulov's family, and one of her past suitors. This man seems to always be so calm, gentle, elegant and polite, and never has emotional fluctuations, and it was because she couldn't figure out his thoughts that she chose An Long. Now it seems that this decision was the right one, because Goodwin was obviously not upset that she was married to someone else, and was still gentle and polite, giving thoughtful little gifts every time she came to visit from afar.

But as An Long's wife, she has not forgotten her duty. As an illegitimate child, An Long has been in an awkward situation since he was a child, and if he hadn't been adopted by his father's main room, Madame Mirabel, he was afraid that he wouldn't even have a surname. But his gratitude to Madame Mirabell does not mean that he is willing to endure the contempt and ridicule of the Cardo. In order to get ahead with his own efforts, An Long would rather go to a small border town like Qitun to be a small border knight, but he didn't want to be controlled by the Kaduo family anymore. Goodwin is Lilith's younger brother, and when he returns to Ito City, he will definitely mention what he has seen and heard in his Don, and if something is not done well, Anlong and she will immediately become the laughing stock of Ito City's aristocratic circles.

When Goodwin came a few years ago, they were crammed into a small building with three other families, and they could only receive guests in a narrow room, and she was worried that she had been laughed at for a long time, and she really didn't want to lose face in front of her concubine.

"Ma'am, refreshments are ready, will you serve them?" Marshall, the butler, quietly appeared behind her and asked respectfully.

"Oh, Uncle Marshall, yes, I'm sorry for you." Dora smiled a little uneasily and said, "What do you think of this place?" Wouldn't it be too shabby? ”

"How so? Madam. Marshall replied satisfactorily, "It's perfect to have a garden tea party in today's weather." What's more, you take care of every plant and tree in the garden, in fact...... Even in Ito Castle, the garden of the most elegant noble lady is no more than that. ”

Dora looked at the beautifully tended flower beds in the small garden and smiled confidently, "You're right. Every grass and tree here was planted by my own hands, even the fence and rattan chairs were all made by me, and it was not easy to tidy up the back garden overgrown with weeds to what it is today. ”

She suddenly remembered what she was wearing: "So what do you think of my clothes?" Wouldn't it be rustic? She didn't know anything about the current fashion in Ito Castle, so in order not to be laughed at, she chose the most traditional fabric for garden tea party clothes, chintz, and even the simplest style.

Marshall always knew how to deal with ladies who were worried about their clothes: "It's not rustic at all, ma'am, it's the most classic style, and the so-called classic will never go out of style." ”

Dora smiled with satisfaction again, looked around, and asked suspiciously, "Where is Brie?" Is it in the kitchen? ”

"The butcher's child just called her home and said that her stepmother had beaten her brother again. But she said she would be back soon. ”

"When will her brother not be beaten? The guest is coming soon, what if she doesn't come back in time?! ”

"Don't worry, ma'am, if she doesn't come back, Uncle Marshall will do it himself." Marshall smiled and bowed, "So, I'm going to serve some refreshments." He quietly returned to the house.

Dora gratefully watched him go, old Marshall was such a wonderful butler, as professional as Winnie.

She looked into the woods not far away, why hadn't Winnie brought her daughter back yet? God of Light bless, Minna must not be naughty today, even if it is not as good as Elon and Lilith's two daughters, at least she must look like a young lady.

A gentle male voice came from the front door: "Good day, is anyone there?" Dora took a deep breath and smiled as she walked out.

A handsome, mature, healthy and attractive man stood at the door, with brown hair, azure eyes, and a smile on his face, gently holding the three fingers of Dora's right hand, and bowing gracefully: "It's been a long time, Dora, you are still as beautiful as ever." ”

"Thank you for the compliment, my friend." Dora is in a good mood, and a gentle and courteous gentleman is always welcome. At this moment, she felt as if she was not in a small mansion in a northern mountain castle, but in a decent aristocratic mansion in Ito Castle.

Goodwin Chulov was an elegant and courteous man, and his every move was in accordance with aristocratic norms, even the topics of conversation. They talked about the weather, then greeted each other about their health, and then Goodwin began to praise the flowers in the garden, and then asked about the man.

Dora only vaguely said that he was very busy at work, that she was a traditional woman, as long as she knew that men were working outside, and that she didn't care about the specifics of her work. And she concealed Goodwin's visit beforehand, because her husband never treated this old classmate well, and every time they met, they broke up unhappily.

Goodwin seemed to be very interested in the work of his former rival, and Dora hurriedly changed the subject: "Look at me, I forgot to let someone serve tea, it's really a slack." She picked up the little rattle on the table and called for the servant to serve refreshments. When she saw the girl in a white headscarf and apron appear, she nodded with satisfaction: Brie had finally caught up.

As she had practiced for the past three days, Brie carefully placed the tea and various pastries in front of the guests and the hostess, bowed politely, and stepped aside. Although the movements are still a little rusty, they already look like a living room maid.

Dora smiled and invited Goodwin to taste the pastry, throwing an appreciative smile at Brie, but her face quickly froze - how could it be that Brie had a pair of old straw sandals with holes in them that would show her toes at the hem of her skirt?! She had prepared little black leather shoes for the country girl! She stiffened her head to look at Goodwin, praying in her heart that the other party would not find out. However, when she saw the direction of Goodwin's gaze, she knew it was just her own delusion.

Goodwin's upbringing told him not to embarrass his master, especially a beautiful hostess, so he smiled quietly and said, "It's really a good tea, it's the best black tea from Shaw's Tea Shop, right?" ”

"Ah...... Yes, yes. ”

"The orange cake was delicious too. I have heard that the Happy Forest under the name of the Xiao family has the best wine and food in the world, and the barbecue garden has the most delicious barbecue in the world, but when it comes to refreshments, only Mrs. Merry's craftsmanship can be regarded as the top, and the method of this pastry must also be passed down by Mrs. Merry herself, right? ”

"You're so polite." Dora finally calmed down and quickly glanced at Brie, suggesting her to leave. The poor little girl didn't know what she had done wrong, so she could only retreat inexplicably.

Dora was about to continue the conversation with the guest, but was interrupted by a sound of rustling footsteps, and when she turned around, she froze this time.

Her daughter, Minna, ran out of the woods in a dirty state and was rushing to her, screaming "Mommy, Winnie is crazy". Behind her was Winnie, the fat nanny who was running out of breath, also shouting as she ran: "Don't run, I must catch you!" ”

Dora's eyes suddenly darkened, as if she had seen Lilith and the other ladies snickering and discussing, "The daughter of the Jufa family is nothing more than that, not only the maid in the living room wears rotten straw shoes with open toes, but the daughter is also a dirty and naughty ghost ...... who has no ladylike temperament at all."

Gudwin Chulov once again hid the embarrassment of his master's house: "It's been a long time, little Minna, I'm so glad that you are still so energetic." ”

Minna had already seen the annoying man, and was still talking to herself with that fake smile. She ignored him, and just got into her mother's arms: "Mom, Winnie is going crazy, she actually said that if I don't obey again, she will tie me up." ”

After Winnie caught up, she immediately spotted Goodwin who was present, hurriedly arranged her hair and dress in a panic, and saluted him: "Good day, Young Master Chulov, I'm sorry I was rude, please forgive me." She did this as gracefully as she could, but she didn't know that her fat and sweaty head had nothing to do with grace. Minna hid in her mother's arms and snickered, glaring at her.

"Winnie, you don't have to be so polite. I'm also glad to see that you look so good. Minna is still a child, please don't be too her. Goodwin, still with a gentle smile on his face, turned to Dora and said, "You don't have to mind too much. In fact, my sister's two daughters, Beryl and Manda, are very well-behaved in front of others, but they often spoil me in private. ”

"You're so considerate, Goodwin." Dora said to him gratefully, giving her daughter in her arms a stern look. Minna pouted.

"Well, the child naturally likes to play, don't blame her too much. I brought a gift today, why don't we open it together? Hope you and Minna will enjoy it. He called for the handservant to bring him a gift, which was two large cardboard boxes with beautiful ribbons. He smiled and handed the smaller box to Minna: "I specially picked it, it is said to be the most popular thing among little girls at the moment, I wonder if little Minna will like it?" ”

"She's going to love it, thank you so much." Dora said with a smile, and then whispered to her daughter, "Say thank you quickly, stop being rude, and be a good child." ”

Minna stared at Goodwin fiercely, ignoring her mother's words, breaking free of her embrace and turning around. Dora anxiously apologized to Goodwin, who was still gentle and unconcerned.

Minna was very aggrieved in her heart, that man was like this every time, pretending to be a good person, so that she would be blamed by her mother every time. Dad was right, that guy was a big badass!

She ran into the hall before stopping, and when she looked up, she saw two portraits hanging on the wall. One depicts a young man with black hair and black eyes, holding a long sword in his hand, with a vague smile on his face and deep eyes. The other depicts a woman in her thirties, with a hint of melancholy on her beautiful face and a tender and loving look in her eyes.

She knew that the man was her grandfather, the legendary hero, the strongest swordsman in the whole continent, and also the richest earl Xiao Tianjian, who was rumored to have been to the Elven Forest, the Demon Realm and the Dragon Island, had a deal with dragons, could live forever, and still traveled around the continent. And that woman, her grandmother, Madame Merry, died long before she was born.

She remembered her grandfather's legendary deeds, and she was very envious, but unfortunately she had never seen him, why did her grandfather never come to visit her family? My grandfather came every year.

Just thinking about it, there was a sound of footsteps in the corridor not far away, and when I looked up, I saw my father An Long flashing into the study from the back door, followed by a woman, tall and fit, with blond-brown hair tied behind her head, a reddish-brown tunic and long skirt, a black tight leather vest, long leather boots of the same color, and a very sassy and neat riding outfit.

She remembered that the woman had come to her house several times, and each time she came, her mother would have to quarrel with her father. She was a little curious, what was this woman doing here? Why did Dad enter the house through the back door? After thinking about it, she tiptoed over, holding her breath, and leaned against the door of the study to eavesdrop on the movement inside.

All she heard was "About this mission, the deputy director means to let you ...... with me", and then the voice stopped, and the door suddenly opened, and a dagger appeared in her throat like lightning, sending out bursts of cold light. She was too frightened to move.

Holding the dagger was the golden-brown haired woman, about twenty years old, with a beautiful face covered in frost, staring at her coldly. Even if he knew who she was, the other party had no intention of removing the dagger, and the murderous aura in his eyes was still there. Minna shivered slightly, tears beginning to fill her eyes.

An Long hurriedly said to the woman, "Veronica, my daughter is just naughty for a while, you can let her go." ”

Veronica stared at Minna expressionlessly for a long time before she withdrew her dagger and snorted coldly: "Little ghost, go back to your room, this is not a place for children to play." Then he slammed the door open, almost missing Minna's nose.

An Long quickly opened the door again and whispered to his daughter, "Go back to the room quickly, just act as if nothing happened, and don't tell anyone." Well-behaved, obedient. He wiped the tears from his daughter's face with his sleeve, patted her head in distress, pushed her away from the door slightly, and then gently closed the door.

Veronica looked at him with a sneer: "You didn't do a good job of secrecy here, and you almost overheard our words for your daughter." ”

An Long smiled helplessly and turned back to the topic: "What do you want you to do?" I thought you'd stay in Ito all the time. ”

"Originally, yes, but the person who was originally on this mission suddenly cut off the news, and I was ordered to check it. If necessary, I will personally go to Maicheng to bring back the information. Veronica looked up at him, "You get ready, we'll leave tomorrow night." ”