Chetlow Manor

Moen had an inexplicable fear of Hughden, because Huden looked calm the next day, as if he didn't remember what happened last night at all.But in fact, Moen dared to bet that his heart must not be so peaceful. Even now recalling the eyes that Huden stared at him that night, as if trying to swallow him alive, Moen still felt scared.

The basement must have been a secret Huden had tried hard to keep secret.

Who is the man inside?Why was it locked up?How many people know about this?And, did Hughden believe his lies?

Moen was worried, but as a decent gentleman, he thought that since the Duke made it clear that he did not want to go into it, he would not take the initiative to bring it up, and his reason told him: Well, let’s stop here , don't think about it anymore, and leave as soon as the money is delivered.

But there is still an impulse in his heart, he can't say it, maybe it's the unique bravery of young people, maybe it's the redundant sense of justice, or maybe it's just the guidance of fate, they tell Moen constantly: Go, you need to know What, there's a fragile life locked up in that basement, and you want to know what happened, be brave.

When Moen was still struggling, Hughden had already extended an invitation to him gracefully and gently.

Remember the interrupted conversation between the Duke and Father Freed two days ago?There is something about the renovation of the church.

"This is a big event. After all, in the next three months, people in the town have to go to a neighboring town five kilometers away to worship. As the lord, I will attend the last worship today. Would you like to come together? Is it?" Huden said, "Of course, there is also a private chapel in the manor, and you can still worship normally if you need it."

"Of course." Moen smiled politely, thinking that he would be going home in four or five days anyway, so there was no need for worship.

The church was in the town, and Hughden had someone prepare a carriage, and Moen sat face to face with him along the way.

I don't know why, Moen always felt that there was a gaze that kept falling on his face, which made him feel inexplicably irritated, but he didn't intend to look up and stare back. He felt that Hughden's actions were not polite and didn't suit him. identity of.

In the boring silence all the way, they got out of the carriage.

Almost all the people in the town gathered in front of the church. Of course, some speculative merchants brought their goods over. Merchants always did this. Wherever there were people, they would sell their goods.

The church is a tall building with a steeple, and there is a large square in front of it. Everything is made of stone, brown-gray, and a sculpture of six or seven meters high rises from the ground. Moen doesn't know it. The pope on the sculpture is actually not familiar to most people, but the great pope still has a proud look on his face, holding the bible in one hand and the cross in the other.

The prosperous age belonging to the Pope should be over, and people now almost understand one thing-they believe in God and the Bible, not these fat and greedy guys.Moen heard that in recent years, some people have even proposed to reduce the power of the king and return the power to the people.

In this regard, he is noncommittal.

People of every class have opinions of every class, the poor will always feel oppressed, the nobles will always feel that they are born superior, but in fact, how you live this life depends on your own understanding.Some people are poor, but their lives are fulfilling, and their days are full of hope; some people are rich, but their lives are bound by countless etiquettes, and they live in intrigue every day. to the future.

And so far, he saw that people still showed a kind of respect for the lord Ohalis Hutton.The girls held delicate flowers in their hands, wore cloth scarves, and looked forward to the handsome Duke from afar; the boys were talking in low voices, and their eyes looked at Hughden with respect and longing.

It has to be said that Mr. Duke managed his own territory quite well. At least he never set taxes beyond the range of the tenant farmers, nor repaired his huge castle every now and then.

After sitting down, the prayer has already begun.Father Fried stood in front of the ceremony in a clean white robe. He was seriously reading the Bible in his hand, and the people listened quietly.

Moen saw Huden's expression from the corner of his eye. He didn't seem to be seriously praying. On the contrary, he seemed to be just looking for a quiet and suitable opportunity to be in a daze.Moen himself has no research on religion. Living in such an environment and believing in it is just a part of the living habits of the gentleman class.

"You don't seem to believe in God." Morn muttered in a low voice.

"Huh?" Hughden was rarely distracted. He lowered his voice and replied, "I once believed it."

"Why?" Moen thought, probably because the environment of the church was too easy for people to confide their hearts, he asked frankly what was in his heart.

"I prayed devoutly, but I never redeemed me," he said. "If you stay in the dark for a long time, you will gradually doubt whether the light exists, and then you will stand up and rebel, and you will find that the only one who can redeem yourself is yourself. "

Moen felt as if he had seen some cracks in the mask on the face of the Duke who was always good at hiding his emotions.The sunlight reflected through the stained glass on Hughden's gray-green eyes. It was a kind of heavy grief. Moen didn't know how to explain it, nor did he know the source of this emotion, but at that moment, he really wanted to I pray to God for Hughden, and I also want to ask my dear Lord, why not go to redeem such a beautiful man.

"You devil, you go back to your hell!"

Suddenly, that rough male voice from last night exploded in Mo En's head again, making Mo En tremble in fright.

"What's the matter, little one?" Hughden turned his head. "Did you catch a cold last night?"

Moen suppressed the discomfort in his heart and shook his head: "Please don't worry, I'm fine."

The boys in the choir had already started to sing, and the clear and pure singing made people quiet down unconsciously. Moen remembered a high mountain that he had overlooked in the castle when he was a child. The clouds were hanging on the mountainside like ribbons; Flying in the blue sky, flying to a very distant place.The little boy hopes that the big bird can hang itself on its claws and take it away together, to the mountains, to the fields, to the outside world, to wherever, just to pursue freedom.

A disharmonious voice suddenly appeared in the beautiful singing voice, it was a low voice, which appeared abruptly in the children's voice.A tall red-haired boy showed embarrassment, his originally happy face was stained with anxiety, Mo En and his eyes inadvertently met, the boy's face turned red, Mo En gave him a comforting smile.

After the service was over, Hughden and Father Fried still had something to discuss, and asked Moen to take a stroll around. Moen had no objection, and walked into the yard behind the church.

The backyard of the church is where the nuns, the priest, and the choir boys live. It is like a small village with flat lawns, some planted vegetables and a flower fence, and some nuns are cleaning the white stone road. , Seeing the young man with black hair and blue eyes in front of him, he shyly smiled kindly.

"No! You can't let me go! I can stay and do whatever I want, cleaning or cooking." A teenager said in a slightly hoarse voice.

Moen walked around the corner and saw the red-haired boy just now, looking at the pastor in front of him pleadingly.

"Oh dear Alex, I'm really sorry, but you've started to change your voice, you know, the children in the choir are all childish voices, you'll be very awkward in there, it's not allowed .” Mr. Pastor explained embarrassingly.

The red-haired boy seemed about to cry: "Mr. Pastor, I am an orphan, there is no place to take me in, and it is impossible for me to go to school. Even singing was entrusted to me by the previous priest."

"But the church needs to be renovated recently. We don't have any extra money to support an idler." The pastor frowned, and he seemed a little impatient. "You can go to the nearby cotton textile factory to have a look. I'm sure they would be willing to hire one more cheap child laborer, and you can at least fill your stomach."

Cotton mill?Moen couldn't bear it in his heart, oh, it's really not a place for people to stay there, many people are crowded in a narrow place, cotton wool is flying everywhere, and the scorching and sticky air can easily ruin a person's throat.Most of the women who go there to work are poor women who are unwilling to sell their bodies. If a child like this goes there, he will not only suffer endless physical torture, but he may never be able to sing again—those cotton wool will destroy his throat.

Erics was still begging hard: "Please, my lord pastor."

Moen sighed, walked over, and interrupted their conversation, "Mr. Pastor, good day."

Mr. Pastor wanted to say something, but turned his head to look at Mo En: "Hi, you must be Lord Lanson."

"Yes, I am with His Royal Highness Hutton."

"Lord Lanson, it's an honor to see you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Moen hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Actually, I want to say, I'm really sorry to hear your conversation... I think I can take Alex back."

The red-haired boy turned to Mo En, and after a daze, he asked in disbelief: "My lord, are you really willing? I... I have almost no skills except singing, and I have not been trained as a manservant."

Mo En was a little helpless, his frankness, at this time, shouldn't he give himself a step down, just follow him naturally?

"It's okay, I think there are many vacancies in my manor, and you can learn from scratch."

"Thank you so much, my lord!"

Moen felt that Alex's whole body seemed to be lit up, which made him feel happy involuntarily.

After successfully taking away Erics, Morn suddenly remembered that he couldn't return to his manor these days, so he should discuss with Hughden to bring another person back.

It's a headache, Moen really doesn't really want to take the initiative to trouble the Duke anymore.

But when he saw the red-haired boy jumping for joy behind him, he thought, forget it, it's a good thing he did.