Chetlow Manor

"My answer is, no." This question didn't seem to make Moen hesitate, "I don't want to go to school anymore."

Hughden looked at him with a smile, with a little complacency and more inexplicable emotions in his eyes.He reached out and stroked Moen's soft hair, as if stroking a tamed wild cat.

Moen obviously didn't realize the deep meaning behind Huden's actions. In fact, he had long been accustomed to physical contact with Huden without knowing it.

"I admit that you are right, people are different from each other." Moen brought the hot tea in his hand to his mouth but did not drink it, the heat rose slowly and touched his nose and mouth - this made him Feel at ease, "We live in different worlds and see things from different angles, just like Laurentius can't understand why I was born with glory because of my surname, so he is angry about it, oh, this How could it not be a kind of inferiority..."

"Actually, I don't know why nobles are born with glory, but in fact, our life is too short, and there is not much time left for us to think about such problems, do you understand what I mean?" Moen looked up Xiang Huden's eyes were clear and frank. Obviously, he had full trust in the man in front of him.

"Never need to ask about the starting point, hurry up and finish your own life." Morn's voice was very low, almost melting into the dancing flames in the fireplace. The flames were burning red and warm, and the orange light reflected on his face There are two blushes on the face, "Mediocre or shining, rough or smooth, righteous or evil... These are all our own. As for what it is, it will be left to God to judge after death. At this moment, maybe, we just You need to make good use of all the conditions and do what you yearn for.”

The boy's clear voice was like a bay of clear water, slowly flowing through the room.

A moist warmth visited Hughden's heart after a long absence. He stared at Moen's face with calm eyes. He really wanted to hug the boy, and in fact he did.

Morn's eyes darkened, and Huden had already hugged him tightly to his chest.The man's temperature was transmitted through the fabric of the clothes, making his cheeks hot, and he heard Huden's strong heartbeat, beating.

Thinking about it later, it was probably at this moment that Moen finally began to realize that Hughden, a man who had always been cunning and good at disguising, opened up to him a fiery and honest soul.

Time seems to have passed for a long time, Moen counted Huden's heartbeats to a total of 68 beats, oh, that doesn't seem to be a long time. 68, 69, seventy...

"Little guy, you are really beautiful."

71, 72... what?Morn didn't react for a while.

"Your hair is soft, black and fluffy, as cute as a small animal."

Hughden ran his fingers gently through his hair.

……

"Your eyes are blue, more beautiful than any sapphire I have ever seen."

Hughden's fingertips brushed his eyes, and Morn closed them.

"Your lips..." Huden's fingertips rested on Mo En's lips, and then he bent down and branded a warm kiss on his lips, "They are very tempting."

Maybe Hughden's voice was too gentle, Moen's head began to become dizzy, he instinctively hugged the man in front of him back, sniffing the faint musk on his body, a powerful tiredness hit him , It made him want to fall asleep in the arms of a man—sleep without waking up.

"Have you heard the story of the fox and the crow?" Hughden hugged Moen, and smiled at the corner of his mouth where he couldn't see, "One day, the crow got a piece of meat and stood with it in its beak. Under the tree, the fox kept praising the beauty of the crow and invited it to sing. The moment the crow opened its mouth, the meat fell into the fox's mouth..."

"Of course, you are not a crow, and what I want is definitely not the meat in your mouth, my boy." Hughden adjusted Moen to a more comfortable position.The warm room temperature, warm embrace, and the sound of the man slowly approaching, this reminded Morn of a long time ago - when he was a child, in his childhood, there was a soft wind blowing through France. The earth, raising the broken hair on his forehead, like all the mischievous elves in fairy tales, casts the magic of charming mind.

So, are you that fox?

"I admit my cunning, my indifference, and my bad purpose of approaching you, but all I want now is you. Sincere, passionate, you can use all the adjectives that represent flames to describe all of this."

"My boy, are you willing to come with me?" The words fell softly in Mo En's ears.

got windy.

Hughden looked down at Moen, but the boy in his arms was already asleep, his eyelashes cast a soft shadow under his eyes, and there was a smile on his lips, as if he was having a sweet dream.

The Duke rarely showed a helpless smile. He shook his head, wrapped Moen in a blanket, laid it flat on the soft bed, turned and walked out of the room.

"Housekeeper." He rang the bell in his hand, "Throw away everything in the basement tomorrow."

"Also, we went to the South this Christmas. I remember I have a house there, and I'll notify them in advance to prepare." Huden seemed to think of something, and laughed, "Christmas is a big deal, yeah , this is a big deal!"

The wind swept through the entire Chetlow Manor, howling.The first snow of this winter is coming, and the air can already smell the unique smell of snowflakes, and the firewood in the castle is burning hotly, and the boy dreamed of many beautiful things in his dream, such as candy , such as the fragrance of flowers... There is also an entire vineyard, the blond Duke is riding a horse, and the places passing by are bright sunshine.

……

Arles, located in the southeast of France, near the Mediterranean Sea, is also the destination of this trip.The coldness of winter seems to be blocked by the tall mountains, and the sky is a kind of gray blue, but it is not cold.

Moen didn't expect that he fell asleep, and felt the jolt of the carriage when he woke up.He tried to open his eyes, but there was still darkness in front of him, and he blinked a few more times, this time he felt a layer of cloth covering his eyes.He stretched out his hand uncertainly, trying to remove the black cloth from his eyes, but was held down by another pair of hands.

"Hughden?" he asked suspiciously.

"En." The man's voice was a little tired, but he seemed lazy instead. He held Moen's wrist, leaned over, and kissed Moen's eyes through the black cloth. Under the thin cloth, he felt Morn's eyelashes fluttered a few times, like a butterfly whose wings were caught.

The dark environment made Moen feel uncomfortable, and he asked with some dissatisfaction: "Where is this? What are you doing?"

Hughden's low laughter reached Moen's ears in the empty carriage: "You were kidnapped by me, little guy. Look, the black blindfold and the hypnosis of wooden chrysanthemums, what a standard kidnapping .”

"Oh, really. You're really boring, Hughden." Moen tried to pull his hand out again, but Huden held it tightly.This time, Moen was really angry, why is such a dignified duke always keen on this kind of teasing game! "Get the damn blindfold off and let go of me."

"Not now, my young master." As soon as Hughden finished speaking, the carriage stopped with the coachman yelling.

The voice of Knight Commander Clement came from a distance: "Your Highness, we have arrived!"

Taking advantage of Hughden's inattention, Mo En pulled off the blindfold, opened the curtain, and poked his head out of the carriage, a series of actions were completed in one go.Then he was stunned by the sight in front of him - this is a wilderness, located on a cliff beside the coast, the humid air of the Mediterranean, dense with the long grass here, the wind blowing across the land, setting off a burst of grass fragrance and the fresh salty taste of sea salt .

The gray-blue sky, the same gray-blue ocean in the distance, and the unique light pink in the evening on the skyline.The world is vast, and the seagulls are circling and leaving above the head. Not far away is an old stone castle.

Compared with Chetlow, the old castle is of course much smaller, but it looks older.The flat layout, majestic and grand, cannot be shaken by the wind in the wilderness, and the waves and waves are just the accompaniment of this ancient castle.It sat there, like a tribal leader, looking down on all the plants and animals in the wilderness, just like looking down on its own subjects—it almost melted into this rough land.

"You... you said, we just rushed to Lyon."

Before getting into the carriage, Hughden said that a group of new silk factories had appeared in Lyon, and he planned to check them out. "Oh, you know the silk can always surprise people there," said Hughden.

"Damn Leon!" Hughden jumped out of the carriage neatly, and dragged him down with Moen's exclamation. "Listen, there's never been such a clear wind in Lyon."

Standing on the cliffs along the coast, the whirring wind is passing by your ears, not as cold and dry as in the north.Moen put his hand next to his mouth and tried to amplify his voice: "Where is this place?"

Hughden laughed, his blond hair reflected the last pink of the sunset: "A place close to the sky and the sea."

Oh, hell heaven and sea!

Mo En thought so, but also laughed, revealing dimples on his cheeks.He saw the wind blowing Hughden's cloak and flapping it--it was really like a hawk, stupid and big.

They spent the days before Christmas in this seaside castle.

Sometimes, they would ride out to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.They walked through the forest, the horse trotted up and had a good time, Morn had no time to bend over to avoid the branches above his head, his hat was knocked off, Hughden laughed behind him, and leaned over on horseback to pick up Moen's hat, speeding up to his side, put the hat on his hair, and rubbed the boy's face by the way; they walked by the sea, stepping on the sand with the horse's hooves one foot deep and one foot shallow, walking by Everywhere there will be a shallow puddle, and when the next wave hits, the puddle will disappear. Except for them, who will know who has passed by here and who has been with them.

The climate by the sea is extremely unstable. Sometimes, when you see thick clouds drifting downwind and seagulls circling low, you know it's going to rain again.So the two rode home in a very tacit understanding, nestled in the stone castle, asked the housekeeper to light up a red wall fire, and then made a cup of hot tea and held it in their hands.

Recently, Hughden found that Moen liked to lean on the plush carpet very much. Huden said many times that a carpet can't block the cold air from the earth, but these words seemed to fall out of Moen's ears, eh After agreeing, he still refused to change after repeated admonitions, and nested there in a ball, like a big white rabbit nesting on a haystack.

Hughden finally decided not to preach on this matter anymore, he showed a smile for no reason: "Since you like it so much, if I stop it again, you, young master, will definitely call me a nagging old woman in your heart." people."

The next day a new batch of carpets arrived at the castle, thicker and softer, with a layer of soft lambswool underneath the ordinary wool.This layer of carpet was laid on top of the previous layer.

That night, Hughden pressed Moen on the carpet to have sex.

The days passed quickly, and on Christmas Eve, Hughden took Moen to a nearby town.The streets here are very lively, no matter whether they are poor or rich, everyone has stopped their busy work for a year.The little boy from a poor family sold the rats he caught from the sewer to the casino for the last time, and happily ran towards home in the crowd with the coins he got.

"Ah!" Moen staggered after being hit, subconsciously let out an exclamation.

Huden reached out to catch him, and put the hat he had dropped on his head again. Seeing his slightly dull expression, Huden put his fists over his mouth and chuckled twice.

"Hey." Moen sniffled, and bumped on Hughden's shoulder in dissatisfaction, "Today's streets are different from usual, and these uneducated boys look even more frizzy."

Before Hughden could answer, an old voice spoke with a smile: "Today is Christmas Eve, my child."

It is an old lady who sells wreaths. On her arm is a string of holly garlands made of Christmas holly. The bright red fruits among the green branches and leaves are particularly eye-catching.Rarely, most of the time, these Christmas hollies are woven into thick decorative rings for hanging on the wall, and the small weave makes them suddenly delicate.

"Would you like one?" The old man's clothes were made of rough linen, and his wrinkled face almost smothered his eyes. Strangely, when she laughed, Moen felt kindness, this kindness There is no reason.

"Uh……"

While Mo En was hesitating, Hughden had already taken the garland and put a few coins in the old lady's hand: "Thank you."

"Eh? Too many..." The old lady tried to catch up with the two who had turned and walked away together, only to see Hughden waving his hands casually.The old man stopped and tried to shout loudly: "Thank you and wish you a Merry Christmas."

"You didn't tell me that today is Christmas Eve." Moen complained in a low voice, "Where are you going?"

The town is only that big, and they walked farther and farther away, and they were already some distance away from the downtown area.Moen glanced at Huden suspiciously, but Huden didn't look like he had gone the wrong way.

"To see an old friend of mine. Don't worry, I won't sell you, young master." Hughden grabbed Mo En's face, and looked at Mo En's frown with interest, "Think about it, Who would want a young master who waits for others like you."

Moen gritted his teeth: "Yeah, maybe there are some bastards who have played so many tricks back and forth, just to tie me by my side?"

Hughden didn't want Moen to mention those things before, oh no, he wished Moen could forget about it completely.So he quickly continued: "Yes, I'm the only bastard. But from the moment you step into the manor, don't even think about leaving." After finishing speaking, he leaned over and kissed him until Moen couldn't breathe , push him away.

After that, Mo En walked all the way with a blushing face, without saying a word.

The end point is a church in the outskirts. It is small in scale and looks far less imposing than the church in the town. It even looks dilapidated from the mossy wooden stake fence.The white marble has turned a yellowish color. Although the yard is not overgrown with weeds, it can be seen that there is a lack of careful management.

The gate was closed, and the nun was nowhere to be seen in the yard.Hughden yanked the bell, and after a while, a little nun who was poking around opened the door.

"Sir." The nun was very young and spoke timidly, "Excuse me, what are you here for?" No wonder she asked this way, this church is far away from the town, and there is a cathedral in the town that is enough to satisfy people's needs. Demand, there are very few people here, and occasionally only farmers living in the mountains will come to worship, but it is already evening, and she really can't think of the reason for the two handsome men in front of her to come.

"I've come to see the priest here."

"You come in first and wait for a while." The nun let them in sideways, then closed the door again, walked all the way, and lit the candles in the hall so that the light would not be so dim.

Moen looked at the place silently. Although it looked a bit old from the outside, the inside of the church was not much different from ordinary churches. The long wooden chairs were arranged in rows, and the stained glass and all the decorations were wiped clean. , it seems that it has not been neglected because of the small number of visitors.

There was a sound of footsteps, and a man about the same age as Huden came out wearing a robe. The moment he saw Huden, his somewhat sickly pale face glowed. He stared and said in amazement: "Ohiris! I hadn't thought... I hadn't thought..."

"Theo, long time no see." Huden stepped forward to give him a hug, and then introduced to Moen, "This is Theo, my childhood playmate."

"Hello." Moen pursed his lips, and smiled at him, as a greeting.

"This is?" After a short surprise, the priest turned his gaze to the black-haired boy behind Hughden.

"Moen." Huden read Moen's name, revealing a tenderness that could not be ignored, "My... lover."

Except for Hughden himself, the remaining two people in the hall were stunned.

Moen really didn't expect Hughden to say this. You know, it is an extremely shameful thing to put such a relationship between two men on the table, especially if the other party is a priest!God knows that if this kind of thing is serious, it will even become a crime.

"No..." Moen was about to explain, but stopped when he looked up and saw the expression on Father Theo's face.

It's hard to describe what kind of expression this is, which makes this thin man look even thinner in his loose robe, he seems to have used a lot of effort to squeeze out a smile: "Is it... Congratulations, O'Haris, I'm so happy for you."

As if he was afraid that Mo En would think too much, he looked directly into Mo En's eyes and said, "Really, I'm happy for you."

Moen knew there was no falsehood in his words, he was indeed sincerely wishing them well, it was just...

Huden didn't seem to notice that the atmosphere was wrong, he reached out and patted his old friend on the shoulder: "Do you remember our previous agreement?"

"Yes, I remember..."

"Then let's get started!" Hughden grabbed Moen and dragged him to the front of the church hall.

"Wait!" What started? !Maughan was troubled by Hughden's sometimes domineering behavior.

"Hush!" Hughden covered Moen's mouth, and turned his head to signal Theo to speak.

Even though the mood has not calmed down, Theo still sees a little funny from the scene in front of him, how can it be done like this?He shook his head helplessly, it turned out that the lunatic in his childhood memory was still the same.

"...Whether poor or rich, healthy or disabled, you are willing to stay together until death do you part." Theo changed his oath, he really didn't know how to preside over this ceremony for two men, God, forgive He is a sinner.

Moen's mouth was covered by Hughden, his eyes opened wider and wider after hearing Theo's first words, his head exploded with a "buzz", and he couldn't hear what Theo was saying up.

Until Hughden shook him and whispered in his ear, "Say you do, Mohn, say you do."

Huden let go of his hand, and Moen was a little dazed, subconsciously listening to Huden's words: "I am willing."

Hughden laughed loudly, put the wreath in his hand on Morn's head, and then branded a soft kiss on his lips. It had nothing to do with lust, but only about the purest emotion in the world. When we were born into this world, we were looking for something.

Theo coughed lightly: "Do you want me to say 'I am righteous' now?"

"No." Hughden said, "Look directly at yourself, at your own desires. If you suppress your heart, then even if you can enter heaven in the future, are you still you?" He looked at his old friend, His expression was unusually serious.

"We are on earth, alive," he said.

Much later, Moen learned a story.

A story about two young boys who become best friends because of a shared secret - they're both not interested in women.Every time they went to church, they felt uneasy, and later, one of the boys told the other: He realized his sin, and he was willing to dedicate his life to God to atone for it.Another boy said: He no longer believes in God. Countless hopes and ensuing disappointments tell him that only he can save himself.

They had a big quarrel because of this, and the first boy said that if his friend could really find a partner who was not afraid of the eyes of the world in the future, he would be willing to commit a crime and preside over the wedding ceremony for him.The first boy then left the manor where they lived together and was never heard from again.

And Moen, who heard this story, was lying on a soft cushion in Chetlow Castle, and let out a sigh of relief: "How do you know that I am not afraid of the world, nor afraid of God?"

"You said you would."

"Where is the wedding where you attacked so suddenly and covered my mouth to prevent me from speaking?"

"Anyway, you can't leave me for the rest of your life." Huden pulled him into his arms and extinguished the candle beside the bed, "About the oath, there is actually something wrong—death can't separate us, if there is heaven and hell, you I will go together."

end