One winter, snowflakes fell in the forest, and any filthy secrets were covered and hidden by pure snow, and even a thin layer of snow hung on the stone walls of the castle, which was usually dark and oppressive, and crystal clear ice picks hung on the edges of the towers.

Its gates were locked as before, except for the constant sound of the wind "whirring" through the cracks in the iron gates, keeping the cold of the forest at bay.

The boy who lives in the castle celebrates his birthday on this icy day.

When the boy woke up early, his sister was already by his bedside, smiling at him. "Happy birthday brother." The little girl spread out her palm and handed over a beautiful white rose.

The boy remembered the flower, which he had seen blooming in the window of the hallway one day, and he was impressed by the presence of a crow standing next to it, but he did not expect that the flower had not withered to this day.

When I looked at my sister's body, my sister's wrist was bruised by thorns, and there were bruises on her knees, and it seemed that it took a lot of effort for her small person to take off the window.

"Thank you, but don't do anything dangerous." The boy carefully took the rose and gently touched his sister's head. The injuries on his sister's body, no matter how big or small, made him feel distressed, but the heart of the gift also warmed the boy's heart.

My sister smiled happily and nodded.

Since coming to live in the castle, my sister has never smiled at anyone other than her brother, and she will always stay with him, whether it is eating or sleeping.

Except when the elder brother was nestled in the boring library, the younger sister would shut herself in her room and not speak to anyone in the castle.

The servants entered the room and changed into warm winter sweaters for the two children. The boy didn't like the clothes, the color of the sweater was a dull gray, and there was nothing to pick out about it except that it was really warm.

The texture of the whole dress is very poor, the feel is rough, like an iron leather coat, and there will be a stinging sensation when it is scraped over the skin.

This made the boy start to miss his mother...... The sweater that my mother knitted by herself in previous years was a warm beige, which was always soft and comfortable to wear, as if it contained full of love and an intimate hug.

Mom used to knit a new sweater for the boy every day, except for the year when she was seriously ill and couldn't even hold a cup......

After that, the boy did not want to remember the sad things anymore, and the clothes that had been left in the small house on the outskirts of Fei Leng Emerald were left behind, and he did not know if there would be a chance to go back in the future.

When I first lived in the castle, I was worried that the brother and sister would not be able to adapt to it, and I came with an old housekeeper who used to be in the house, but it didn't take long for the housekeeper to leave, and there was nothing familiar around me except for the thick Bible left by my mother before her death.

Fortunately, after a long time, the brother and sister have also adapted to their new life.

After changing into new clothes, I heard someone walking outside the door again, and the footsteps with a cane were very familiar, it was the big man in the castle, the earl of this territory.

Although the old man was old and unhealthy, he looked sick in the morning and evening, and at first the boy only thought that the count had an illness, but after a long time he did not get better.

Don't look at the fact that I have never seen the Count step out of this castle for half a step, but every day is very busy, and every time we meet, we come and go in a hurry, and even in the dining room, I can't see the time when the Count comes to eat.

From time to time, he would have mysterious meetings with the black-clad men of Arnos and Garber, sometimes acquiescing to the boy's eavesdropping at the door, and sometimes going out himself to let the boy go back into the room.

In the boy's mind, the Count was a mysterious but kind old man, who had never treated the brother and sister badly in all aspects of his life, except that he had never let them go out into the forest, but it was rare for him to visit them in person.

When the door was slowly pushed open, and the Count walked into the house with the cane of the crow's skull, the boy was about to say good morning when the Count raised his hand.

"It's your birthday, so you don't have to be so restrained." The Earl hid in his beard, his mouth slightly raised, his pale beard had not been taken care of for a long time, and his haggard appearance looked like it had grown indiscriminately. "I brought you a special gift, I hope you will enjoy it."

"Thank you, Lord Earl......," said the boy weakly. But I really don't need you to break the bank, you've given us everything we need, and there's nothing missing in this room. ”

"Huh... You're always so polite, and that's a good thing indeed. But as I always say, you don't have to be so polite with me, don't forget, we're a family now. ”

The Count blinked at his sister, who was hiding behind the boy, his wrinkles deeply engraved on his face and a kind smile. "Including you are dear."

"And it's not very expensive, if you treat this gift as a 'thing', you can do it as you like." After saying this, the Count adjusted his posture and turned to the side, and looked out of the door where he had entered, which was empty, but the Count still spoke into the air. “

Come in, don't be so shy, haven't you always wanted to meet your savior? ”

As soon as the words fell, a petite figure slowly emerged from the side of the door, and the silver-haired little girl was wearing a pink and white maid outfit, with a petite figure and a shy ruddy face. Her hair was long and draped over the fragrant shoulders at the sides, and the bangs on her face covered the girl's left eye.

The color of the maid's costume is very close to her skin, white and pink, and her eyes reveal a child's natural innocence. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she fully exposed herself to the boy, and her nervous fingers fiddled with the hem of her skirt, as if nervous and uneasy.

The boy was visibly confused, not understanding what the Count meant.

"It's ......"

"This is your birthday present, child, and she will be your exclusive servant from this day forward." The Count calmly raised his staff and pointed at the young maid.

"Didn't you eavesdrop on our meeting that day, and didn't you tell me you wanted to save her? Now that I've saved her, I'm giving it to you as a gift as you wish, what? Don't like it? ”

The younger sister looked at her brother in surprise, and there was definitely a trace of misunderstanding in her eyes.

"No... I didn't mean that, Lord Earl, you misunderstood, I just thought she was pitiful, I didn't want her to be my servant or anything......" The boy explained in a panic, but the more he spoke, the more shy he became, and soon he lost his voice.