Chapter 2

The wind and snow became heavier and heavier until the evening, and it did not stop. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The carriage entered a small town called Fort Ghent, and Isabel had to order a pause due to the slippery road after dark. She saw a tavern, and this time she was more cautious, first asking one of the guards to go to the tavern to check if there was anyone suspicious, and when the guards were done, she entered the tavern with all the guards.

There weren't many people in the tavern, and the guests here weren't from the town, but just some vendors passing by. A vague bounty notice was visible on a large pillar, and Isabel glanced at it, not paying attention, and then found a place to sit with the guards near the fireplace. Such a vast and mysterious team will inevitably attract the attention of some guests, many of whom are whispering, and some of them feel that something is wrong and leave.

Isabel ordered two bottles of red wine and a few steaks, and asked a guard to go to the carriage and bring in the box containing the rat blood drink. She opened the box, and there were rows of small thumb-sized bottles containing red liquid, which she gave to the guards. Her action attracted the attention of others, especially the bartender, who quietly went to the kitchen and walked out through a small door while everyone was not looking.

Not long after, the bartender returned. Immediately afterwards, a man in black walked into the bar, wearing a hood with only a shadow on his face, and as he sat down, the faint candlelight shone into his hood, exposing his hooked nose and emaciated chin, and the cross on his chest glittered in the candlelight.

The light from the cross made Isabel uncomfortable, and she suddenly felt that something was wrong, and she felt more and more that the man in black was a witcher, and the light of the cross made the guards around her begin to move, gradually revealing those two bloodthirsty fangs, about to reveal the true nature of the blood.

Isabel exchanged glances with the captain of the guards, signaling them to calm down so as not to disturb more witchers, and the guards calmed down. Isabel immediately settled the bill and led the guards out of the tavern.

The snow was still falling outside, and in order to avoid delay, Isabel had to board the carriage and brave the snow. She tells everyone to speed up and avoid attracting more witchers.

After about three hours of driving, we reached a Y-junction with two roads leading to Helsingør, and the main road on the left was smooth and unobstructed. The path on the right is rugged and winds through dark forests.

A guard stepped forward to investigate, and at the intersection of the path, he was blocked by a large fallen tree, and next to the large tree stood a street sign that read "No Traffic". He immediately told Isabel the news, but Isabel didn't care, she thought it was ridiculous, and said: "I don't know how many times I have walked this road, but this time it is closed to traffic, and there is a big tree in front of it." Take the trail. ”

"But Madame told us to take the big road, the small road is rough, and the passage is forbidden, and if we force it, I am afraid that we will encounter the witchers. A guard said.

"Are the signs new or old?"

"New. ”

"Then we should take the path. ”

"Why?"

"The man in black at the tavern just now is probably a witcher, and the bartender is also very suspicious, he is probably with the witcher, they have already noticed us, and know that we will pass here, so they hastily erected a new sign, deliberately let us take the main road, and they have already set up an ambush on the main road waiting for us. Moreover...... The trail has a forest that blocks the sun, but the big road doesn't, and if we take the trail, we will not only encounter witchers, but also be attacked by the sun. The witchers took great pains to lure us into taking the main road, but unfortunately, I saw through their insect carving skills. ”

The guards felt that she had a point, so they moved the tree out of the way and walked along the path.

Along the way, the carriage passed through the rugged and winding forest paths, and there were no ambushes, which can be described as a smooth journey. It can be seen that the path is completely passable, and the street sign seen at the Y-shaped intersection is fake, and it is likely that Isabel expected, it was deliberately set up by the witcher to confuse her. During the day, Isabel would sleep in a coffin in a carriage, and her guards would bury herself with earth. At night, I can only keep hurrying. It wasn't until late at night on the fifth day that we finally arrived at the castle on the outskirts of Helsingør.

After entering the castle, Isabel jumped out of the carriage, and while the guards were responsible for carrying her belongings into the castle, her maidservant Vanessa Graft was the first to step forward and give her a deep hug. The two hugged tightly and shed tears of excitement, as if they hadn't seen each other for years.

Isabel entered the castle and came to the room where she had said goodbye for a long time, and the room was still the same as before, and Vanessa cleaned it every day, so that one day, when Isabel returned, the room would be the same as before. Vanessa also prepared steaming bath water for her and sprinkled flower petals in the water, hoping that she would take a comfortable hot bath.

Isabel came to the tub, took off her clothes, took off her hair clip, and shook her wavy blonde hair, revealing her angelic fair skin and perfect waistcoat line, which made people feel that she was so flawless. She stepped into the tub, her body gradually submerging in the water, and then exhaled a long breath to relax her body even more. Over the years, Vanessa had become so familiar with Isabelle's habits that she straddled a board across the sides of the tub and brought pens, ink, and paper.

"Vanessa, you know me best. Isabel said, "I know I'm going to write to my mother." ”

"It's a habit you've developed over the years. Vanessa said.

"Thank you!"

There was a sound of footsteps outside the house, possibly one of the guards approaching, and Vanessa cleverly pulled the screen open to block Isabel from taking a shower to prevent an embarrassing situation. Although the door was open, the guard politely knocked on the door first, waiting for Isabelle's approval before entering.

The guard entered the house, and at a glance he saw the water vapor behind the screen, and then he knew that Isabel was taking a bath, and suddenly felt that he had come at the wrong time, so he turned around and wanted to go out, but Isabel, who was writing a letter, called out to him: "Drake, if there is anything to say." ”

The guard said: "According to the investigation, there are many demon hunters in ambush on the avenue between Copenhagen and Helsingør. ”

"You're not trying to say more than that, are you?"

"And ......," the guard hesitated.

"Straight to the point. ”

"Witchers have been found in the city of Helsingør. ”

"Don't worry, they won't find this place, no one will find this place. How many of them are there?"

"Only eight to 10 people have been found so far. ”

"This is even more worry-free, our guards have sixty people, and all of them are elites, so everyone should be strictly guarded and cautious at all times. ”

"Yes. ”

She quickly finished writing the letter to her mother, put it in an envelope, and asked Vanessa to hand it over to the guards, who sent it to Siegfried Manor in Copenhagen.

The guard took the letter and went downstairs.

Vanessa put away the plank on the tub, took a cut fresh lemon, squeezed the juice into her hand, and applied it to Isabel's body. The strong smell of lemons filled the room, and Isabel wondered how there were such fresh lemons in the winter, so she asked, "Where did you get them?"

"Guess?" Vanessa laughed silently.

"Your father sent it from Sicily, and when it arrived, it was in a small box full of ice. ”

"Just one?"

"A total of five were delivered. ”

"What else did you send?"

"I also sent two paintings, two table clocks, and two corsets for you. ”

"Corsets again, I don't like to wear corsets. ”

"It's made of the finest materials. ”

"I don't care what kind of material it is, I just know that wearing a corset will only have a negative effect on the body, if you like it, you can keep it for yourself, I'm not the kind of person who treats my body badly for the sake of being beautiful for a while. ”

"You just said you were going to give it to me, and you weren't kidding?"

"If you don't want it, put it in your closet forever. ”

"Thank you! ”

"Is there any movement on the Ellman side?"

"They've always been at odds with the Dowton family and I think they're going to clash sooner or later. ”

"There was a conflict. Feud. Could it be that they have some contradictions?"

"Land. ”

"Isn't it for the sake of the Solstad Leather Company?"

"It is for the Salstad Leather Company, the company's owner Fries was killed by the witcher three months ago, and he did not leave a last word before he died, the members of the Salstad family made a pot of porridge for the property of Fries, and they sought protection, part of them took refuge in the Dowton family, and part of them took refuge in the Elman family, in fact, the Doodon family and the Elman family have long coveted the leather company of the Salstad family, and their conflict is also caused by the Salstad leather company, and both families want to take advantage of the discord between the members of the Solstad family to take over the leather company。 ”

"It seems that Fries is the only smart person in the Solstad family, the rest are fools, whether it is the Dalton family or the Ellman family, either side gets the leather company, and the members of the Solstad family will not end well, from this point of view...... The House of Solstad is on its way to extinction. As soon as Fries died, not only did they not unite as one, but in order to fight for the family property, they used the method of luring wolves into the house to fight the civil war, what a bunch of poor worms, and I feel sorry for the dead Fries. ”

"Maybe they have something else in mind. ”

"The more you need outsiders, the more you should unite with your own people, who don't even understand this truth, can they not perish?"

"The people of the Solstad family also underestimate us, and none of them have come to us. ”

"Vanessa, they didn't come to us, but it was a great blessing for us. ”

"Why?"

"For the Solstad family, the Dowton family and the Ellman family are the bloodlines that were born and bred here, and we are only later, and of course they will not take us seriously. ”

"We should strengthen ourselves. ”

"My strength is already very strong. ”

"What?"

"In a few days, the Dowton family or the Ellman family will send someone to win us over, and the deeper the conflict between the two families, the more important our position will be. This time, the artillery sent by my father can finally come in handy. ”

"You're going to go to war with them? No, it's crazy!"

"Vanessa, please calm down, I don't want to go to war, it's better to let the enemy kill each other than to go to war with the enemy. I ask you, if one day, the Dowton family defeats the Elman family, who will be his next target?"

"Personnel of the Salstad family. ”

"Nope. Let me ask you again, if one day, the Ellman family defeats the Daltons, who will be his next target?"

"You mean that whichever side of them wins, they will end up targeting us. ”

"That's exactly right, so we can't offend either of them at the moment, let them all have an idea that they want our support, and let them keep each other in check. At present, the Elman family is a little more powerful, so we should get closer to the Dowton family. If, on the other hand, the Doodon family is slightly more powerful, then ...... We're getting closer to the Ellman family. Isabel slowly stood up from the tub, put on her bath towel, and walked to the window.

There was another knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Vanessa asked.

"Come in. Isabel said.

Coming in was Captain of the Guard, Drak Hagrid, who said, "The Dalton family has sent someone. ”

Isabel was stunned for a moment, "Why do you say that you are coming, how many are coming?"

"Only William and his two guards. ”

"You must have brought something with you, right?"

"There were two large boxes on the carriage. ”

"I see. Take him to the living room first, and I'll go over right away. ”

"Yes. ”

After Draco left, Isabel changed into a brightly colored slim-fit floor-length dress, straightened her hair, and went to the living room.

William Dowton was the only heir to the Dowton family, and he had no brothers, only sisters. It's a very ordinary-looking, smart, merry, and ambitious young man. For hundreds of years, he has been fascinated by Isabel's beauty and dreams of one day having Isabel be his bride.

When the angelic Isabel entered the living room, William instinctively stood up from his chair, because this was the first time he had spoken to Isabel alone, so he seemed impulsive, and he wanted to run over and kiss Isabel frantically on the lips. The captain of the guard, Drake, discovered this in time, and fearing that William would be assassinated, immediately stepped forward to stop him and sat him down. Only then did William calm down his excitement.

Isabel and William sat facing each other, and the servants brought snacks and poured red wine for them. Draco stood by Isabel's side at all times, staring intently at William's every move, he was Isabel's most loyal guard, for the safety of his master, he always put his hand in the position of the pistol, if William had bad intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Isabel gave William a smile, "William, you must have something very important coming this time." ”

William responded with the same smile, "I'm here this time and brought something you like." ”

"What do I like? ”

"I brought some valuable jewelry, and some dresses made of good materials. ”

"Aren't those dresses still those corsets?"

"Exactly, I hope you like it. ”

"I'm sorry, William, I hate those corsets, please take them back. ”

"So, you want to keep those jewelry?"

"You can also take back the jewelry, and it will be useless. ”

"I'm here to represent the family, and I just want us to join forces to fight against the Elman family, the most powerful. ”

"But...... I have no grievances with the Ellman family, and I have no reason to fight him. ”

"Actually, I don't mean that you have to join forces with us against the Ellman family, I'm just worried that you'll be used by them. ”

"Actually, you don't need to worry, there is a conflict between the two of you, that's your business, I have no right to interfere, let alone be used. ”

"With your words, I am relieved. ”

"If there's nothing to do, please take your gifts and go back. Rest assured, I will not side with the Ellman family against you, and please tell your father that I will always maintain friendly relations with the Dowton family. ”

"Yes, yes, but ...... I still want you to accept the gift, and my father has repeatedly told me that you must accept it. ”

"Did you send such a valuable gift just to keep me away from the El Mans?"

"Well...... this"

Isabel knew that William had only spoken half of what he had said, and that the other half was inconvenient to speak, so he ordered the guards and servants to go out to find out more about William's purpose for coming here. "Drake, you take the servants out first. ”

Draco was worried that William was playing tricks, and when he left, he gave William a stern look to warn him not to have bad intentions.

Now, only Isabel and William are left in the entire living room.

"William, you can tell the truth now. Isabel said.

William let out a long breath, "It's still more comfortable to have such an environment." We've known each other for 200 years, right?"

"Yes. ”

"Today was also the first time we were alone and face-to-face. ”

"That's right. ”

"It is the privilege of my life to be at your castle. Actually, I came to you this time because of my own intentions, and my father didn't know it. ”

"Your father doesn't know?"

"Yes, he's gone to France and won't be back until a few days. I've always wanted to talk to you alone, you're the most perfect woman I've ever seen in my life, and in my heart, you're a stunning stunner who can't compare to you in anything. ”

There's a hint of embarrassment on Isabel's face, "William, you don't have to, we're just good friends." ”

"No, you actually care about me, I can see it. Now, the Elman family is ready to fight, and the war between the Dowton family and the Erman family is only a matter of time. You don't want to see me killed by the Elmans, do you?"

"Yes, but I don't want a war between the two of you anymore. ”

"I don't want a war either, if the Doudon family is destroyed, his next target will definitely be you, so I hope we can join forces and deal with the Ellman family together. ”

"How would you like to join forces with me?"

William stood up, slowly walked to Isabel's side, and stared at her sexy **** for a long time, "I love you, Isabel, I want you to marry me and run the Dalton family with me." ”

It happened too suddenly, and William's sudden marriage proposal caught Isabel a little off guard, completely unexpected, she didn't reply immediately, but was silent for a while, and said, "William, you are very good, but ...... We can't be together. ”

"Why?"

"Please don't ask. ”

"No, Isabel, I love you with all my heart, please don't chill my heart. ”

"I'm sorry, William, you are not the one I love, if you still take me as a friend, please bring back the gift. ”

"I see, Isabel, you don't look down on us at all. ”

"Or ...... In this way, we are still friends, I will accept your gifts, and you will also accept my gifts. ”

"Do you have a gift for me?"

"I think you need something right now, and so does your father, please come with me. ”

Isabel led William to the courtyard, where she ordered the guards to drag ten cannons and twenty boxes of shells from the underground arsenal and place them in the courtyard. William and his men were surprised, and Isabel knew they needed the weapons. William eagerly stepped forward to inspect one of the cannons, and it was evident that he was so interested in the weapons.

"Where did you get this?" asked William.

Isabel replied: "My father sent someone to buy it from the pirates, it is not a local product, it is used by the Royal Spanish Navy, it is stored here for the time being, and now I will give it to you." ”

"How can pirates have the weapons of the Royal Spanish Navy?"

"Because they robbed the royal transport ships of Spain. ”

"What do you do if your father blames him?"

"My father will not blame the courtesy. ”

"Then I'll take it. ”

"I don't have anything of value to give you, so I have to give you some weapons, I hope you don't dislike it. ”

"On behalf of the family, I thank you. ”

"Don't let the people of the Ellman family know. ”

"Don't worry, but how can I transport so many cannons?"

Isabel called in twenty guards to help William carry the guns back to Dalton Manor. William was so grateful for this, and his smile seemed to tell others that these cannons were what he had always dreamed of.

After sending William away, Draco had difficulty understanding Isabel's thoughts, and he felt that he should not give those ten Spanish cannons to William, as this would completely strengthen others and weaken himself. Isabel didn't explain this, just smiled faintly.

Isabel returned to the room, and Vanessa was incredulous about what she had given William Cannon.

Not long after, Draco came in, and he asked Isabel directly about the ten guns: "Those cannons were bought by Siegfried from pirates at great expense, how can you say that you will give them away?" Mr. Frostster also has a detailed record there, and if one day Siegfried asks about it, how shall we answer?"

"You'll find out later. Isabel said.

"No, I must ask this time to make it clear, the artillery is all Siegfried's, and it is my duty to ask. ”

Draco was so aggressive that Vanessa seemed to want to know why. In order to avoid misunderstanding, Isabel could only tell the truth: "Then I will tell you." Drake, if you were William, what would you do when the war between you and the Ellman family was inevitable, and I happened to give you ten advanced guns?"

Drake pondered for a moment, "I will go to war directly with the Ellman family, because the weapons you send are all Spanish goods, far superior to the local artillery of the Ellman family." ”

"You're right, the purpose of giving them artillery is to make it easier for them to clash with the Ellman family. William keeps saying that he loves me, that's a lie, in fact, he doesn't love me at all, his purpose of loving me is nothing more than to win us over, let us fight with him against the Elman family, and after the Elman family is eliminated, he will find a way to divide up the property of my Siegfried family. When he saw me, he deliberately pretended to be infatuated with me, and proposed to me, and if I rejected him, he would give me two large boxes of gifts to entrap us, so as to prevent us from siding with the Ellman family. When I accepted his gift and offered him artillery in return, his attention suddenly turned to the artillery, which showed how important those cannons were to him, and showed that he urgently needed a batch of weapons to destroy the Elman family, which proved that he loved advanced weapons and not me. ”

"In that case, you still have to help the Dowton family to eliminate the Elman family. ”

"We're going to help the Daltons, we're going to help the Elman family. ”

"What? I don't understand. ”

"It won't be long before the Ellman family will send people to my castle, and they also want to destroy the Dalton family, let alone let us side with the Dalton family, so what they have to do is also to win us over with them by giving gifts or other means, so that we can join forces with them against the Dalton family. I expected that they would send a great gift, and that we would give them ten French cannons and twenty boxes of shells in the arsenal in return, and give them the urge to go to war with the Dowtons. In this way, both of them have advanced weapons and equipment, and both have the confidence to rush to destroy their opponents. At that time, the war between the two families will be on the verge of breaking out, and all the guards of the families will be sent to fight, and the more they fight, the better it will be for us. We must not let their war stop, if the two sides enter the stalemate stage, I will send someone to secretly send them five of the world's most advanced British artillery, in order to improve their morale, but also to speed up their fighting, so that neither side can get a chance to breathe, and their vital forces will also be quickly depleted, when their vital forces are all exhausted, we will all go out again, the Dowton family, the Ellman family, And with the Solstad family in the net, we will also become the most powerful blood clan in the whole of Jutland, and this is my whole plan. ”

It dawned on Draco and Vanessa that they finally understood Isabel's good intentions. From this moment on, in the hearts of Draco and Vanessa, Isabel was no longer an ordinary master, but more like a far-sighted, strategist and military strategist. (To be continued.) )