At night, Simon Gallieni lay tired in bed, and he gradually fell into a deep sleep, the dream was so real that it was almost a repetition of the past.

It was an autumn year ago, and Duke Easter Midknight had just returned from a friendly visit to the Papal States of Flandia, and in his spare time he invited his good friend General Simon Gallerini to go hunting in the famous hunting grounds of the Papal States, both of whom were young, energetic and tireless.

They were followed by a large contingent of servants, including guides hired from nearby villages, Guards officers and soldiers, squires and grooms.

Under a towering cedar tree, they saw a rare animal.

It was a pure white moose, at least two meters tall, and even the old hunter in a nearby village said he had never seen such a peculiar species.

The dreamlike beast stood there, bowing its head and nibbling on a plant, its huge thick antlers hung with a little moss, and the most striking thing was the beast's lake-blue eyes, in which there was a glint of wisdom.

Everyone was attracted by this beautiful animal, and they slowly approached, but unexpectedly, a careless attendant tripped over a branch, and the white moose heard the noise, and it scurried into the depths of the woods, and soon disappeared.

Annoyed by the carelessness of his men, the young duke, in a fit of rage, ordered his entourage to return to the camp first, allowing only General Simon to follow, and they dismounted and went on foot into the depths of the vast forest to track down this rare and beautiful beast.

After hours of patient tracking, but nothing in return, the moose's footprints finally disappeared in a patch of weeds, and the two had to embark on the return journey in despair.

The Duke regretted his decision to dismiss his servants, and without the guidance of the old hunter, they got lost in the dense woods, armed only with double-barreled shotguns, no food, and no clean water to drink.

In the evening, as the sun faded, they were thirsty and hungry, and they went blindly in despair.

General Simon said, "Your Majesty, I will twist those branches, and you can drink the juice from them with your mouth open underneath." ”

The young duke's mouth was dry, and he did so without thinking, and the juice was surprisingly sweet.

He said gratefully, "Thank you, Simon, it's a natural gift, and I'm much better now." ”

"Your Majesty, I'm a little worried, I'm afraid there will be a torrential rain tonight."

"Huh? How do you know? ”

"I suffer from rheumatism and am extremely sensitive to humidity in the air, and now my shoulders and knees are already uncomfortable, which may be a precursor to a heavy rainstorm."

"Are you sure?"

"I wasn't sure just now, but now it's certain, and behold, a big dark cloud is coming, and the birds are flying lower and lower. We'll have to find a place to shelter from the rain for the night, so we can still see the road. ”

"Simon, I'm sorry for my stupid decision, I shouldn't have taken you so deep and caused you to suffer with me."

"It's nothing, Your Majesty, for I often slept in the open during war.

Oh, look! Your Majesty! Look over there! ”

Someone has carved out a small vegetable patch in the middle of a dense forest with pumpkins and cabbage, and a few chickens in a nearby shed.

"There must be people living around here!"

The Duke excitedly shouted, "Simon! I saw it, there's a light over there, haha! God forbid! ”

It was a crooked, two-storey log cabin, with a sloping thatched roof covered with a thick layer of moss, wooden walls overgrown with colorful mushrooms, delicate cross-shaped window lattices, and a beautiful cobblestone path in front of the door.

As the sunlight was fading, Simon walked briskly to the door of the hut, knocked lightly, and politely asked, "Is there anyone?" We are lost hunters who want to spend the night in your land, we don't live in vain, we can pay. ”

A melodious female voice came from inside the house: "The door is unlocked, come in!" ”

As soon as the two entered the house, it began to rain heavily.

"Your Majesty, we are so lucky, if it is a little later, we will have to become a soup chicken," Simon said joyfully.

A young girl sat by the spinning wheel in the house, and when she saw someone visiting, she stood up, her long silver-white fluffy hair hanging down to her waist, and a pair of dazzling golden eyes looked at the two uninvited guests. She asked in a relaxed tone, "Do you call this gentleman Your Majesty?" Dare to ask, who is this? ”

Simon was amazed by the girl in front of him, his Adam's apple trembled, swallowed his saliva, and said, "Beautiful lady, this is His Majesty the Duke of Easter Midknight of our Duchy of Valstad. ”

The Duke was completely captivated by the girl's face and pleasant voice, he should not have been surprised by his illustrious birth and well-informed, but there seemed to be an invisible power in the girl in front of him, and she exuded a charm far beyond any beautiful lady he had ever seen, and there was a sense of otherworldliness.

"I have just finished my visit in your country and have taken this gentleman to hunt in the woods, unfortunately we have lost our way, thank you for letting us in and take shelter from the rain."

As he spoke, the duke's eyes stared straight at the maiden in the room, and barely blinked, and all the courtesies of the nobles were forgotten.

The maiden did not pay any attention to the fiery gaze of the visitors, she seemed to have become accustomed to people's attention, she bowed slightly, and said:

"Honored guests, it's an honour for you to be here at the Humble House, Your Majesty.

The duke had already been married, and his eldest son had already been born, but in the face of this otherworldly girl, he was a little shy and restrained, and his voice became a little trembling. "Dare to ask...... What shall I call you, this beautiful lady? Is your family there? ”

"Your Majesty, my name is Irene, I live here alone, I have no family and no friends, I like to live in isolation and live like a hermit in the woods."

"Oh! Miss Irene, it's a pleasure to meet you! Hearing that the other party was not yet married, the Duke seemed extremely excited.

Simon felt it, the duke was moved, and he felt a little uneasy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I was so rude to patronize the greetings and not take care of the guests, you two must be hungry, there is a stewed wild boar with redtooth vegetables in the pot over there. You are welcome to taste it, if you don't dislike it. ”

"Whereever, we are uninvited guests, and it is very satisfying to have a hot meal."

The two of them sat around the fire in the room, feeling much more comfortable, especially Simon, who was suffering from rheumatism, and the warmth of the flame dispelled the dampness and cold in the joints. Miss Irene took two rough wooden bowls and filled them with stew, then she sprinkled salt into them, stirred them with a spoon, and handed them to them.

"OMG! It's delicious, your skills are better than my court chef, it's the best I've ever tasted in my life! The Duke exclaimed, and swept away the stew in front of him.

The girl's silver bell-like laughter was quite pleasant: "Ahahaha, Your Majesty, you are really humorous, this is the crude diet of our country people, nothing special." Maybe you're too hungry and tired, and in this state, even the most unpalatable things can turn into a feast. ”

Simon noticed that the furnishings in the hut were strange, with glass bottles and clay pots on the wooden shelves on the walls, all of which contained specimens of various creatures, including frogs, scorpions, centipedes, and ferocious snakes with fangs baring their fangs. The desk next to the spinning wheel is littered with old scrolls.

"This looks like a hermit's abode in a paradise, Miss Irene, you are not a country dweller, and in my opinion, you are not only of great appearance, but also of great intelligence."

"These are just hobbies to pass the time, and I like to collect specimens and record them in books. After all, the secluded life is too boring, and other than that, all my life is about hunting, growing vegetables, and raising livestock, which are all trivial things that are not worth boasting about. ”

During the meal, the girl uncorked one of the bottles, poured the red liquid into two separate cups, and handed them to them, explaining: "This is wine made from wild grapes in the woods, and it tastes terrible, but I have no other drink to entertain you, please understand." ”

"Miss Irene, you are so humble, this wine tastes very distinctive, and it will surely sell for a good price in the city. How about you would like to leave here and serve in my court? ”

"You're overrated, it's just a bad drink, not worthy of praise, I'm grateful for your invitation, but I'm still used to living in seclusion, I'm sorry."

When they had eaten and drunk, the three of them sat around the campfire, and the slightly drunken duke seemed more and more excited, and he chatted with the girl very speculatively, and from time to time told some vulgar jokes, which made the girl laugh coquettishly.

Simon was shocked to see that his noble master could also show such a worldly side, and he listened quietly on the sidelines, looking at the two who were getting closer and closer, like a couple in love.

The Duchess was still waiting for him to return at the Golden Lake Palace with her child, and Simon's anxiety became more and more serious, and he wanted to remind the Duke, but he was in the mood for it, and he was helpless.

Late at night, the two of them offered to sleep by the campfire in the hall, firstly to ward off the chill, and secondly, to maintain the etiquette. The girl went upstairs and went to bed in her boudoir.

A few hours later, a tired Simon had already fallen asleep, but a slight noise woke him up, and he did not move, but remained in a sideways position, slightly spreading his eyelids.

The duke, who had been asleep, slowly stood up, glanced at Simon, and then tiptoed up the wooden stairs and up the stairs.

Simon wisely pretended to be asleep, and he listened silently.

Soon after, there was a faint sound of conversation from upstairs, followed by the creaking of wooden furniture swaying to his ears, and he could faintly hear the sound of fierce gasps and sighs, all kinds of sounds intertwined for a long time.

There was a long lull, and the Duke walked down the stairs with a happy smile, lay down beside him again, covered with a hunting coat, and soon began to snore.

Simon was sensibly silent the whole time, as a courtier, no matter whether his master's actions were glorious or not, he was obliged to keep it a secret, and he forced himself to calm down, as if nothing had happened.

(It's nothing, it's just a night of passion between the noble lord and the commoner girl, there are many such things, and you should forget it as soon as possible.) Thinking so, he turned around, his eyes slightly open and staring right out the window, where there seemed to be a strange figure.

His eyes widened in shock, and there was a terrifying monster standing outside the window! The sharp horns pressed against the glass, the gelatinous skin was particularly weird, and the blood-red eyes stared at him.

Suddenly, a terrifying voice came directly into Simon's heart: "You see it! Right? You see it! Mortal! Keep your mouth shut! ”

At this time, the dream woke up.

Simon Gallieni sat up suddenly, his hands propped up, and sat on the bed, soaked in sweat, outside the window, lightning and thunder, and heavy rain.

It's horrible...... It's been all these years, and the same nightmare still comes to his door from time to time, tormenting him.

Fear comes from reality, and those dream scenes reproduce the most terrifying memories in his heart.

"God willing, may this be the last time...... Even though I prayed like this every time, the damn memory always melted into the dream, tormenting me endlessly. ”

He muttered, lay down again, and went to sleep......