"The border of the three principalities maintains a chaotic balance, but this balance is broken. There were many minor lords who were thrown into the senseless melee, forgetting that there was a great shadow behind them, the shadow of the Chaos Beast. Although they have not been here for ten years. ”

The dark-haired girl sighed, her voice tinged with sadness, and she unconsciously grabbed Hyde's hand.

"When most of the young people left the village, the trail of the Chaos Beast gradually appeared. The herds of pigs grazing in the woods went wild, the trees found the burn marks of the eight-pointed star and the stench of wild beasts, and some of the people who had gone deep into the woods disappeared, where traces of blood and flint spearheads appeared, the favorite weapons of the beasts of Chaos. The peasants wanted protection, but all they could get was notice to pay the war taxes as soon as possible, so the villagers had to go further into the forest, because otherwise they would not be able to pay for the things - tendons, eagle feathers, glue, hides, and special charcoal and saltpeter, which were needed for the war. There were no knights who were generous and protective of the people, and there were only petty tyrants who called themselves knights wielding spears and whips. ”

"I'm so sorry, my Frey!"

Frey's sad voice stirred Hyde's heart, making the young man feel his identity, and the identity of the son of the Elector seemed to be a burden to Hyde, and this burden made Hyde feel ashamed in his heart. He involuntarily said sorry, this sorry represents Hyde's heart.

"Ah, I didn't mean that, my Highness Hyde, what do you have to be sorry for?"

Frey stopped her narrative as if frightened, and lowered her dark-haired head uneasily.

"Because I am a nobleman, and I am also a knight, I apologize to you for that, is it okay? Go ahead and tell your story, I'd love to hear it. ”

Hyde looked earnestly into Frey's eyes, the young man's voice apologetic.

"You are different, you are very similar to His Highness Edelman, you are all true knights, knights worthy of praise!"

Frey raised her voice, her eyes lit up, and the dark-haired girl rose to her feet and continued to tell her story.

"People worked in the forests and had to go deep into the forests in order to pay the war taxes. It was difficult for a family without men at that time, but my mother also went into the forest with the hunting party, because she knew a little bit of the magic of the Taal priests, which had her use in the forest. ”

"I was sad all the time when my mom wasn't there. I looked at the road outside the village, I looked at the empty doorway, I always wanted to see my mother, but my mother didn't show up, I don't know how many times I cried secretly, I felt that time had become so long. But it's finally over, because Mommy is back, and the hunting party has a third fewer grandfathers and brothers, but there are also some richly dressed strangers, why is that?"

"It turned out that the Chaos Beast attacked the hunting party, and many people were killed. But in the most critical moment, they were rescued by a team of strangers, an expedition from Rick's Court, who had come to the forest to explore the ancient elven ruins. Most of them were scholars, but they were guarded by powerful mages and knights. When they returned from their investigation of the ruins, they happened to meet the hunting party, and like a storm, they dispersed the Chaos Beastmen and saved the villagers. ”

"One of the scholars' bodyguards is His Excellency Edelman, a gentle man who treats me very kindly. I remember the way he picked me up with a smile, and I remember his shiny armor and piercing beard. My mother was laughing at the time, and they seemed to get along well, but the good was always short-lived. ”

Frey paused, picked up a copper kettle, poured two glasses of water, and respectfully handed one to Hyde. Then drink the remaining cup slowly. She put down the empty cup, and the delicate voice echoed through the tent again.

"The expedition was only going to leave after three days, and they had already sorted out the harvest of the trip and were going back to the distant Yanjing Aldolphe. Ah, this is the way it should be, and they promised to send a letter to prohibit private fights between the minor lords, and if possible, to the delight of the Duchy's army to wipe out the beasts. That night, everyone couldn't sleep with excitement, and felt that the light was about to come. ”

"On that beautiful morning, the departing Lord Edelman made his suggestion to my mother, that he wanted my mother to go with him to the distant Ricklands, that he wanted me to be his daughter, and that he wanted my mother to be his companion. It was so surprising that I saw my mother trembling and it seemed that there were unspeakable feelings hitting her, but she ended up rejecting Lord Edelman, which made me sad because I wanted to have a dad. I also seemed sad to see Lord Edelman, and I hugged my mother's leg, and I felt that she was also sad, but why did she refuse Lord Edelman? I just know that she took out something to show Lord Edelman, and then he was silent. ”

"But this may be an unwise choice, because a few days after Lord Edelman and their departure, a wave of beasts swept through the area. Village after village was reduced to ashes under the spears and axes of wild beasts, human heads were stuck in chariots and stakes, and everything seemed to fall into hell. Our village was one of the last to fall, I don't want to remember that scene, I only remember the smell of fire and wild beasts, my mother protected me, but she was badly wounded, we hid in a tall oak tree, her last magic hid our breath, so I survived, but she left me. ”

Frey's tone was calm, but tears filled her eyes, and her hand unconsciously grabbed her chest, as if to relieve the pain in her heart.

"The war of the minor lords is over, and they have returned to the division, bringing with them the army of the principality. The beasts were driven away under the bombardment of muskets and cannons, but the dead would not be resurrected. The village was destroyed, the lord's income was gone, and the army was followed by human traffickers, who took me from me who wandered helplessly and sold me to a city in the Highland Duchy, a few hundred miles away, called Fort Myne. ”

"Fort Maien, a gathering place for soldiers and mercenaries, is filled with the smell of gunpowder and spirits. I was sold to a tavern serving the military and doing all sorts of odd jobs. The work was very hard, the boss used to beat me, I couldn't stand it, I wanted to run away, but where was the place where I escaped? But after a year my beauty was noticed, so I was transferred to a beautiful shop, and I was no longer beaten, but it was not a good place, but I only found out later. ”

"There I continued to do chores for many beautiful sisters, whose surnames were moody, and sometimes they beat me when they were upset, but more often they treated me gently, and they taught me the manners of the city, and they taught me the art of dancing and singing. It wasn't as tiring as in that tavern, it wasn't starving, and there were nice dresses to wear, so I was happy at first, and I was out of the sea of misery. But when I think of my mother, I cry again, and I think of the little sword she left me, which I hid under an old oak tree, the only keepsake of my mother, and I fear that it will be lost. ”

"But as I grew older, I felt the special eyes that the customers looked at me, and I understood what this shop does, and it turned out to be a keikein. More than three years have passed, I am growing taller rapidly, I am already very standard at the age of eleven or twelve, my sisters are starting to tell me something, but I feel very scared, I don't know how to do it. Because I don't want that. ”

"But just as I was in fear for my future, my fate changed one ordinary morning, when I had finished washing and drying them. I was stopped by a familiar voice, and I saw the face of Lord Edelman. He hugged my shoulders and asked me a lot of questions, and I saw his tears rolling down his face, and I saw his cheeks shaking violently. At noon that day, he found the boss and took out all the money to ransom me. ”

But his anxiety caused the boss to offer a high price, and Lord Edelman did not have that much silver. The owner of the house pointed out that I was a beautiful virgin and that my value was immeasurable, and he threatened to let me pick up the customer in three months, which was the deadline. So Lord Edelman put his sword on the table and swore that in three months he would return with enough money, but if the boss dared to betray me before the deadline, he would die and cut off the boss's head, so a deal was made. Lord Edelman left quickly, telling me he would be back to pick me up. ”

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