caged robin

"Brother." Johnny called to stop him.

He turned around and saw a strange manservant standing behind Jonny, holding a gorgeous dress in his hand.

"Brother, the day after tomorrow is my mother's birthday. I have someone make a dress for my brother. Can I try it first?" After Johnny finished speaking, the servant bowed slightly to Abner and put the dress in his hand Open slightly.

Abner glanced at the intricate gold thread and soft lace on the dress, "Please, Johnny, but I may go out someday..."

"I understand, brother," Johnny said with a healthy blush on his pale face, and touched the dress in the hand of the manservant, "It's just a thought of mine."

It would be embarrassing for Abner to refuse again, he nodded to the valet, ordered him to send him to his bedroom, then walked towards Jonny, just about to rub Jonny's hair, when he realized that Jonny was already about the same height as himself, he slightly With a soft voice, "Uh...you have grown up a lot in the past two years."

Jonny suddenly hugged Abner, held Abner's back tightly, and murmured: "Brother, you disappeared for two years, I miss you so much..."

Abner patted him on the back, feeling that Johnny was really pushing hard.

Jonny moved his right hand from Abner's back to the back of his head, stroking Abner's hair lightly as if he were petting a stuffed animal.

The corner of Abner's mouth twitched, and Jonny's little hands had grown so much that he couldn't ignore it. He felt a little uncomfortable, and slowly pushed Jonny away, asking, "Uh... Jonny, that manservant just now is a newcomer. of? I haven't seen it."

Jonny nodded with a smile.

"I remember that manservant before you was called...Hiburn?"

"He's gone home to marry a wife."

Abner nodded absently.

At dusk, the servants in the entire imperial auxiliary building were busy cleaning and arranging. As soon as Abner opened the door of the room, he saw a maid walking by holding a large bouquet of roses, followed by a servant holding a rose. A very fancy glass lamp.

He frowned, all the places he saw were gaudy decorations, for Rhea's birthday.

He walked through the corridor, went straight to his father's room, pushed open the door, the sun was shining, his father was sitting on the head of the bed, his eyelids were closed, he seemed to be asleep.When Abner saw his father, he immediately felt much better.He walked to his father lightly, held his father's hand, knelt down, and lay on the side of the bed.

There were constant busy sounds outside the door, but inside the door his father was breathing evenly and snoring lightly, and Abner closed his eyes comfortably.

"Father, I have a secret that I have never dared to tell you," Abner opened his eyes again, staring at the violet pattern on the silk quilt, and said softly, "That day you asked me whether I should choose your path or mother's path, I replied that I want to go my own way. You asked me what the way is, I said I don’t know, you are a little puzzled. In fact, I really didn’t know how to go, but I had a faint feeling that I was walking on a sparsely populated road. At that time, there was darkness ahead, and I was afraid and longing, but now I can see clearly that there is a person waiting for me ahead, and he is Aureas."

Abner stroked his father's pale arm and continued: "Father, you don't know how much I longed to come back when I was at Aureas's place, but when I came back, how much I longed to return to Aureas's place." I don’t want to live in this cold building, I don’t want to face so many strange people, I don’t know how to choose, I’m afraid that I’ll lose everything in my hesitation, and I’ll end up empty-handed.”

"Father... If I leave, can you walk with me?" Abner murmured, suddenly heard a slight rustling sound, he was startled, thinking that his father had woken up, raised his head, it turned out that the The thick wool blanket over my father slid off the other side of the bed.

He hurried over and bent down to pick it up.

Unexpectedly, with a "boom", his head hit the decorative relief on the head of the bed.

"Hiss..." He rubbed his head, and suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark red mark on the smooth bed leg in the corner. He squinted his eyes, squatted down, and looked carefully, it didn't look like red paint.

Surprised, he quickly lay down on the ground, stretched out his hand and wiped it vigorously, and some of it could be wiped off.He rubbed it with his fingers, and the color faded.

It should be blood.

He frowned, why is there blood here?Is it father's?

Just as he was thinking, he saw a dark red pattern on the bed board.He hastily drilled inside, the sunlight was abundant, and he saw the pattern clearly: there was a cross on an arrow.

Crooked, it should be painted with blood.

He swallowed, and shivered.

"Ai Wen..." He heard his father's call, and hurriedly got up with a smile on his face.

"Father, do you feel better?" Abner held the Duke's hand.

The Duke nodded.

Abner asked, "Father, what was this room used to do? I don't remember."

"Ah...it has been empty and unoccupied."

The Duke seemed to be struggling to speak, and Abner quickly covered the woolen blanket and said, "Father, continue to rest, I won't bother you here anymore."

The Duke nodded in a daze, and Abner put his father's hand under the wool blanket, and went out lightly.

Before Oreas appeared, Abner sat on the bed, watching the flickering candles.

The Yufu building was already quiet, and there was no sound in the corridor.

Abner kicked the quilt away, rushed to the window, clutched the edge of the window tightly, and shouted into the night: "You liar——"

In an instant, a huge black shadow broke into his field of vision, and then a black panther jumped in. He stared wide-eyed, it was Aureas.

Oreas has turned back into a human form, his whole body is wet, water drips from the tips of his hair, and his golden eyes are deep, looking straight at him.His heart fluttered, and he opened his arms and was about to embrace him. Aureas pinched his waist and said, "Don't close the window, put on your robe."

Abner snorted softly, Oreas brought his coat, put it on him, and when trimming his collar, his hand just touched his neck, which was as cold as the ice surface of a frozen river. Trembling, he held his big hand with both hands, took a breath, and rubbed it carefully.

"What happened to the clan?" Abner asked.

"It's fine now, don't worry." Oreas said softly.

Abner put his two big cold hands on his warm cheeks, closed his eyes, shook his head slightly, and brushed his delicate cheeks lightly with his big hands.

Abner, who closed his eyes, felt that he was in a cold valley, with the faint smell of sea water in his palm, and the temperature gradually rose. He turned his face sideways, and gently pecked at the slightly warm palm.

"Abner..." Oreas' deep voice woke him up.

He opened his eyes, "Ole...well."

Oreas' cold lips caught him, his body fell backwards uncontrollably, and then he felt his waist was embraced by solid arms and lifted up, he had to stand on tiptoe, I entrusted myself to this cold, wet but tall and thick body.

He was so absorbed in it that he forgot to breathe.

Suddenly Orreas let him go, and he looked up at Orreas in a daze. Orreas' golden eyes had just changed from vertical pupils back to original, and his broad chest was heaving violently.

He vaguely felt that something was wrong with Aureas, so he frowned slightly, and while staring at Aureas, he stretched out his hand stubbornly.

Oreas grabbed his hand.

"Go take a shower, your body is also soaked."

It was only then that Abner noticed that his pajamas were already attached to his body, his ears turned red, and he tiptoed out, intending to get the bath water by himself, but just as he walked into the bathroom, a tired-looking male servant turned the corner walk around.

Abner was startled, this happened to be the manservant who bumped into himself and Oreas on the same bed in the morning!

Abner: "..."

The corner of the servant's mouth also twitched slightly, "...Master."

"Uh..." Abner scratched his head.

"Go and prepare hot water." Oreas finished speaking for Abner, his voice calm as if he was the owner of the place.

The male servant lowered his head and hurriedly turned and walked to the bathroom. It didn't take long for hot water, towels, and shirts to be prepared... Finally, he bowed and closed the door respectfully.

Abner glanced at the big wooden barrel that could hold two people, "..."

Suddenly he shivered exaggeratedly, hurriedly took off his pajamas, shouted "It's so cold", and quickly got into the hot water, leaving only one head outside, looked at Aureas and said, "Aren't you cold? Come in quickly!"

Aureas chuckled, and Sri slowly removed his robe.

In the late night of the Yufu Building, you can even hear the sound of burning candles, and the sound of footsteps came from the empty corridor. A tall figure walked through the corridor with a small person shrunk in a big towel, turned around and walked in. a room.

"Click." There was a slight sound of the door lock closing.

Oreas put Abner on the bed, and Abner crawled out of the towel, grabbed Oreas' hand, looked straight at him, and said, "Don't go."

Oreas held him backhanded, and said softly, "Aren't you afraid that someone will see it?"

Abu Nanu pursed his lips, "I'm afraid, but I can't sleep without you here."

Oreas rubbed his head.

Oreas was sitting by the bed, about to put out the candle, when suddenly Abner put his arms around his neck from behind and said, "But I don't want to sleep yet."

He turned his head and saw Abner smiling mysteriously at him.

"What are you thinking?" Oreas touched his warm hand.

"I want to raise you, but I don't have any gold coins now," Abner patted his empty pocket, and continued, "But I have this."

After finishing speaking, he let go of his hand, and quickly took out a blue wooden box from the cabinet, took it out, patted the hard surface of the box, and said proudly: "This place is really the same as when I left, remember this box? It's still here."

He excitedly opened the lock, and colorful objects were displayed in front of the two of them. Aureas raised his eyebrows, his golden eyes darkened, and glanced at him with flushed cheeks.

But he ignored these items, picked up two collars, and said, "This black collar was bought for you before I left Shikoku, and the blue one was given by the proprietress of the Blue Pavilion. Which one do you like?"

Oreas' face sank: "..."