Your Mightiness

Four years later.

Before spring comes, the flowers can't wait to climb up the branches.Anne, who lives in Southend-on-Sea, made the most important decision in her life—she wanted to leave her hometown town, where she had never left since birth, bid farewell to her parents, walked out of the safe zone, and walked along the Thames River. Upstream, to London in search of an uncertain future.

Just last year, Anne's elder brother became a bishop in London, and the whole family's hope of turning around rests with him alone.

He made this proposal to Anne in his Christmas letter.Anne is not a little girl anymore, she is 13 years old, it's time to think about her future.

Either stay in the patriarchal rural hometown, marry the neighbor's son, live a life that is impossible to be rich or poor, and be a small town girl who has never seen the world in her life; or risk being better or worse. Take a bad risk, go to London, the capital of England, and work hard.

In the letter, my brother stated that if she decided to go to London, he would pay all her travel and living expenses, and introduce her to a job in a decent noble family.

Then, red-haired Anne became the red-haired second maid of the Earl of Wessex.

It is said to be the second maid, but in fact, there are very few maids in the Earl's Mansion. The second maid is already the head of all the maids, and there is not even a housekeeper in the mansion.It is said that the cause of all this was the Earl's mistress, Mrs. Jane, who was so jealous that even the maids would not allow them to appear beside the Earl.

Faced with such a willful request, the earl agreed.

But it's strange that the earl loves Mrs. Jane so much. They live in the same house, eat, drink and have fun together every day. Whether Mrs. Jane is wearing men's clothing or inviting a bunch of friends to party all night, the earl It's all just for indulgence.But the earl just didn't have the slightest intention of marrying Mrs. Jane.

"Because Mrs. Jane was the best friend of the late countess." The gardener's wife gossips with Anne, "how can they have the face to stay together after the countess is pissed off?"

The gardener's wife had a good point, but Anne always felt that it was not the case.

Because Mrs. Jane misses the countess so much, she will go to see the portrait of the countess every morning before starting her day, and at night, she will draw a portrait to say good night regardless of the weather.With such deep love and righteousness, how could he betray his friend?

To be honest, based on Anne's observations during the past six months of working in the Earl's Mansion, she always felt that the relationship between Mrs. Jane and the Earl was actually not as bad as it was rumored by the outside world.At least if the Earl was a lustful hungry ghost who took advantage of his wife's illness to have an affair with his wife's best friend, Anne's brother would never have introduced Anne to find a job as a maid here.

——To be honest, Annie has always been curious about how her seemingly taciturn brother knew an earl.Even if he is very talented, he is the smartest person in the whole town, or even the county, and he became the bishop of London at a young age, but it is impossible to know the earl, right? !

Cough, speak to Your Excellency the Earl.

It's not that Annie is boasting, she is really beautiful, even if she is placed in London, where there are so many beauties, she will not lose to anyone, but the Earl can walk past her without squinting every time, watching her time It's better to look at the number of knights who regularly run through the Earl's Mansion every day.

"Which adult's knight order is that?" Annie asked the gardener's wife, she rarely showed a curious side, because... every time she saw the red-haired young knight who always winked at her , her heart would start beating wildly uncontrollably, making her worry about whether it would pop out at any time.After half a year of "looking at each other and smiling", Annie decided to take the initiative.

The gardener's wife said: "It's the knight of the Duke of Gloucester. Do you know the Duke of Gloucester? He is more powerful than our earl. He is the king's nephew and the only nobleman allowed to have a large number of knights guarding around London. Later, it was even more serious. The king even allowed his knights to run around the community where the nobles gathered together as a short-distance surprise attack training. However, I don’t know more specific things, such as the cute red-haired knight Who is it? But Baker, the baker who specializes in making bread in the kitchen, must know, you might as well ask him."

Annie blushed all of a sudden, and she asked in a low voice, "Am I acting obvious?"

"Oh, come on, honey, the whole world knows."

Annie was so overwhelmed by the teasing that she could only run away in a hurry, deciding to forget everything that happened today and never mention it again.

But Mrs. Jane, who has always rarely talked to her servants (or to anyone) except for giving orders, stopped Anne in the atrium and said: "If you like it, go after it. Love is not shameful. It is okay for women to take the initiative." Not self-serving. Don't make yourself regret it, bunny."

Bunny? ! ! ! (little rabbit)

Anne was greatly frightened.

But the frightening Mrs. Zhen didn't intend to explain at all, she just turned around and left after she finished speaking coolly.Tuliu Anne stood where she was, lost in deep thought.

Later that day, when His Excellency the Earl was about to take Mrs. Jane to start their outing every half a month, Mrs. Jane suddenly said while being dressed and wearing jewelry: "I need help I'll take my spare feather fan, and let the second maid accompany me."

The count glanced at Mrs. Jane, then nodded dispensably: "As you wish."

Then, Mrs. Jane looked at Annie who was stunned again: "Aren't you moving quickly? Do you need me to teach you how to walk? Bunny?"

Annie is sure, Mrs. Jane is really calling her bunny!

Scared and scared... I got used to it.

Anne held up Mrs. Jane's very expensive fan, which was said to be bought from France, with great dedication. She followed the lady out of the Earl's Palace very dedicatedly. Finally, she climbed into the carriage very dedicatedly and sat in the front row with the coachman.

This was the first time Anne went out with the earl and his "mistress".Sitting at the front of the carriage filled Anne with excitement beyond her own, and she had seen much of London in her breaks, but she had never seen London from this angle.Pedestrians are either avoiding by themselves, or they are full of awe and longing for the carriage.Annie's whole heart was rippling.

The carriage left London all the way and ran towards the suburbs of Richmond, where there are many beautiful villas and gardens, which are said to be the new interest of the nobles in recent years-resorts.

The Earl's carriage also passed by the majestic Hampton Court Palace.

It was not too late at this time, the setting sun was flying, but Hampton Palace was already brightly lit.That is the residence of the Duke of Gloucester, and occasionally the Earl of March, Miss Elizabeth and Prince Richard will also live there for a while.It is hailed by the gardener's wife as the most desirable and mysterious palace in London, because only the nobles who stand at the top level in the country can receive an invitation from the Duke, and everyone who has been there will be full of praise , have already looked forward to the next meeting before leaving.

Anne only took a glance at Hampton Court Palace from a distance, and felt her heart surge.She didn't expect her to live in it, she just felt that if she could go in and take a look inside, she would probably die happily.

The most important thing is... the red-haired apprentice knight she likes is also there.

Anne finally plucked up the courage to inquire with Cook Baker, and then found out that the red-haired knight was actually an apprentice knight named John.It was only this year that he was fortunate enough to be transferred from Windsor Castle to Hampton Court Palace. He is the hardest working and most promising among all apprentice knights.

While Annie is delighted with the excellence of the person she likes, she is also worried about the excellence of the other person, which makes the distance between her and herself bigger and bigger.

The carriage slowed down after entering Richmond, because there were nobles riding horses everywhere, and everyone had a tacit understanding and didn't want to run into someone they couldn't afford.

The only guy who can mess with everyone, but has no interest in coming out on a horse, his own Hampton Court is enough.

The carriage was as low as it could go, but it was heard by the animals on the estate, and Anne could have sworn she saw a well-built deer trying to get over the iron fence at Hampton Court Palace and chasing them.

The groom smiled and comforted Anne, "Don't worry, every time we pass by, the deer will chase after it, but it won't escape, it's the Duke's favorite pet."

"Someone likes to keep deer as pets?" Annie was taken aback, "Shouldn't it be hunting?"

Annie has never met many nobles, but she still knows that the earl and Mrs. Jane are keen on hunting deer. It is such an honor to be invited by the king to hunt deer in the deer park. The gardener's wife always talking.

"Who knows what those nobles are thinking?"

"Maybe the deer has qualities we don't know about."

"Yes, yes, my lord, how can we speculate."

The carriage finally stopped at the gate of the manor not far from Hampton Court Palace. It is said that this area is under the protection of the Duke of Gloucester.

There was no traffic at the gate of the manor as Anne imagined. She thought that the earl and Mrs. Jane were here to attend some kind of banquet, but now it seems that they are not.Perhaps they simply came to enjoy a quiet holiday in the country, as other nobles in London were fond of doing these days.When they arrived at the estate, they were alone in a carriage.

But this is not the Earl's property. In fact, no one knows who the owner of this place is.All guesses, but not sure.

The earl stepped out of the carriage first, and while he meticulously pinned a weird brooch on his neckline, he waited for Mrs. Jane.He didn't reach out to help her, because Mrs. Jane didn't need it, even if she tripped every time she got out of the car, she stubbornly refused anyone to help her.

Annie didn't dare to help, but she helped Madam Jane without a trace when she was about to fall.

This time, Mrs. Zhen finally stepped out of the carriage perfectly.There seemed to be some nostalgia in her eyes, but she soon regained consciousness, and she said politely and gracefully to Annie: "Thank you."

Annie bowed quickly.Although she hasn't seen many nobles, she can be sure that there will be no more kind and big figures in this world than the Earl and Mrs. Jane.

During the very moment of their delay another carriage arrived.

"Go!" said the count.

Obviously, His Excellency the Earl didn't want to see the person in the ostentatious carriage. The other party's carriage was as dazzling as a piece of gold, and the eyes of those who flashed were almost blind.

Mrs. Jane also lifted the two corners of her skirt and accelerated her walking speed. While carefully watching the back of Mrs. Jane's skirt to prevent her from tripping over, Anne hurriedly chased her master into the manor , as if there was an ancient giant chasing them behind.Until the end, Annie couldn't see clearly who was sitting in the carriage.

The owner of the manor seemed very warm and hospitable, and the servants arranged everything in an orderly manner, even the servants brought by other nobles like Annie had their own places to go.

Mrs. Jane leaned on Anne's ear and whispered something: "The knights of Hampton Court will be responsible for guarding this place."

The latter words are self-evident.

Only then did Anne figure it out, why was she holding a spare fan? Mrs. Jane was just giving her a chance to talk to the red-haired knight.

"Thank you, thank you, but your fan..." Even if Annie was given only one mission, she still wanted to work hard to complete it.

Mrs. Jane laughed even harder: "Oh, mybunny, you are so cute. No wonder your brother said that it would be no problem for you to come to work. Well, let's go and play, I don't need a fan today."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Anne only remembered after she left that Mrs. Jane also had a strange brooch pinned to her chest, which was exactly the same as the earl's. The reason why she could remember it so clearly was because she saw it at her brother's place when she came to London. one.The brooch looks like an arch bridge, and I don't know what it represents.But this finally explained why her brother knew the Earl and Lady Jane, they should be members of the same organization.

This is the case with some organizations, whether they are nobles or civilian elites, as long as everyone has like-minded interests, they can become friends.Annie cherishes everything she has now. It is said that after working for half a year, she will have the opportunity to receive education.

Mrs. Jane has already helped this step, and the next step is to see Anne's own performance.

After entering the living room, the Earl quickly distanced himself from Mrs. Jane. Finally, he no longer had to pretend. He breathed a sigh of relief, took off his coat, and quickly sat down on the sofa in the corner.

The sofa is also a very comfortable seat that has only recently become popular in London. Today's aristocrats will definitely be laughed at if they don't have many sofas.

Several other guests who had already arrived in the living room began to laugh: "Oh, for God's sake, Drake, are you so intolerant of Jane? It's too embarrassing for a beautiful woman."

Mrs. Zhen didn't care, she sat on the side with a big horse, picked up a pipe and began to puff.

The Earl of Wessex said to Miss Matt, who was also far away from him: "It's not like you don't know how serious my misophobia is. I can't blame me for that. I like Jane very much, but..."

Miss Matt, that is, Julie, was sitting on the side dressed up, drinking a bottle of fruity wine that was about to diminish.She was one of the most booed people just now, her cheeks were flushed, but her brain was still awake.

Father Joe, sitting on the earl's left hand side, chimed in: "If I had experienced what happened to Drake when he was a child, I would be afraid too."

Julie curled her lips, she was not satisfied with the Earl of Wessex's feeling of wasting a beauty, she turned her head and chatted with Jane familiarly, angrily said: "How many scapegoats have you blamed for him, and who has been passed down now? Whoever wants to be the earl's maid will be killed and buried under the tree in the backyard, do you know?"

Mrs. Jane still looked indifferent: "A deal is a deal. The agreement he made with Alice back then was to cover each other. Even if Alice passed away within a year, I will fulfill this promise for Alice. "

Alice is the countess and also the secret lover of Mrs. Jane.

This is the secret society that August had imagined back then. A secret society named "Secret Society" has few members but is very united. So far no one has discovered the common secret between them.

Both Lady Jane and the Earl of Wessex are members of secret societies.On the surface, they are a pair of lovers known all over London, but in fact they are just shields for each other.The Earl of Wessex had a serious psychological shadow because he was abused by his stepmother when he was a child, but he dared not show it.Later, I met Alice, who was lesbian, and the two hit it off, got married quickly, and started a happy life for everyone.

But the good times didn't last long, and Alice fell ill and died.Alice's lover, Mrs. Jane, replaced Alice and continued to complete the agreement with the Earl of Wessex.

"Okay, since everyone is here..." Father Qiao clapped his hands, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

"All together?" Wessex was taken aback, there were only five people in the room including him.Although their secret association is small, it is not so small.

"The bishop went out, the viscount's mother came back, the marquis was losing his temper, and he went back at the door because you refused to ask."

So, this time there are only five of them.

"I didn't refuse to see him, I just didn't want to say hello." The Earl of Wessex also wanted to lose his temper.

"If you are flirting, please say thank you in private. Caring for single dogs starts with you and us!" Father Qiao is still single these years, and he wants to cry when he is single, especially when he has a lover who is better than changing clothes. Still fast friends.

Julie smiled sweetly: "If you want to try it with me, I don't mind."

"ewww!!!" The only three men in the audience expressed their disgust together. They are all 100% homosexual, the kind who have no sexual interest in women.

Julie knew very well that she was deliberately disgusting them.Gays and lesbians are probably the most incompatible existence in the world.

After the laughter, the meeting continued. Well, to be precise, there was no meeting, just looking for a place where we could talk boldly and talk about the lives that we couldn't tell outsiders recently.

"I think it's possible that I have more than friendship feelings for one of my friends." Father Joe bears the brunt.

"Oh, is he the president?" Julie's mind was wide open, "To tell the truth, he has become more and more evil as he grows. Why didn't I see that he has this potential before?"

"He and I are not happy." Two sufferers, what can they do?Do you fuck each other?Obviously none of them want to be the one above.

Mrs. Zhen clinked glasses with Julie, and while drinking the sweet red wine, she said, "Go for it if you like it." There is always only one love advice she gives, go for it!Don't let yourself regret it!The thing she regrets the most in her life is that when she found out that she fell in love with Alice, she didn't break through the window paper. She wasted so many years with Alice, who also had a crush on her.It's not easy to be together, but... heaven and man are separated forever.

"I'm afraid he won't be able to accept a man." Father Qiao was still hesitating, "I'm still older than him, and he trusts me so much."

"Then how did you find out that I like men?" The Earl of Wessex's acting skills have always been very good. When he was pulled into the big ship of the secret society, he was completely dazed, okay?The surprise of finding an organization is definitely far lower than the horror of being discovered.

"I don't know," Father Joe covered his face, "a lucky guess?"

Julie started booing, this lame excuse for Father Joe.

But the Earl of Wessex didn't ask any more questions, because everyone knew the answer, so he could only comfort him: "Take a side note, don't let yourself down."

Finally, back to the old topic of parliament.

"When can we see the president?"

"Be more patient, my dear." Father Joe always answered very calmly.

"When you first joined the club, you told us that this was a test. You would never reveal the identity of the president until you were fully trusted. I believed you. Later, when you officially joined the club, you realized that it was a meeting between members. stage. I believe you; it’s been three years now, and the president still hasn’t shown up once! I’m starting to wonder if there is such a person as the president.”

"Calm down, I don't have such a big network, let the association be safe so far." Father Qiao comforted the members again, "And, is it important to have a president? We have always gotten along very well."

"It's really good. But..." Someone knows the identities of all of them, but they don't know the existence of each other's identities, which always makes people feel uneasy.

The edict issued by the Pope two years ago - "(Witches) must not be forgiven, they are heinous and shameless." (quoted from historical data) has spread throughout Europe, and the Pope called on all clergy to invest in witch trials Even if England was separated from the Holy See because of Protestantism, it was more or less affected.

Now that people are panicking, the people in the secret society are naturally even more frightened.