under the field

Scarlett

After Colin left, the maid began to pour hot water on me. She didn't speak, but she behaved very carefully.Hot water pouring down my hair, I just started to feel my heart beating again, I just want more and more hot water, preferably scalding hot enough to melt bones and warm me all over.

The maid told me in broken English that the clothes were on the bed and went out, and it took me a long time to get up from the bathtub.My legs were weak, and I barely stepped out of the bathtub holding the edge.At this moment, the bathtub is still hot and steaming. If it wasn't because my skin was about to be soaked, I wouldn't be willing to leave the hot water.I pulled a black floral blanket around my body, opened the bathroom door, and saw a blue-gray double bed with a light blue long-sleeved petticoat on it.

There was a fireplace in the room, and I still felt cold. After changing my clothes, I wrapped another dry blanket around me and slowly surveyed the room.My luggage was neatly placed under the low table next to the bed. I recognized Colin's luggage and it was also placed next to mine. I turned around and looked at the double bed by the wall, without thinking.

I opened the door, and Colin stood outside the door, as if he had been waiting for a long time, his eyes fell on my face with concern, "Are you okay?" He asked.Apparently he'd changed into dry clothes while I was in the shower too, and his curly black hair fell over his forehead, which made him look tender.Seeing that I was wearing a blanket, he asked, "Are you still feeling cold?"

I nodded, "But it's quite warm in the room." Otis came out of the room at the end of the corridor, came to us with a glass in his hand, and handed it to me. "Ginger hot water. Drink it quickly, it will make you forget the cold."

I took the cup, "Thank you."

Colin didn't speak any more, I lowered my head and slowly sipped hot ginger tea, feeling his gaze fixed on my face.Ginger tea is really refreshing, and I feel my heart starts to warm up. "My God, it's really cold in this place." Otis rubbed his arms.

"Come into the room, it's warmer in here." I staggered to let them in, Colin going in first, Otis right behind.I closed the door to keep the cold out.

Seeing them staring at the luggage, I didn't know what to say. I heard Colin say in a low voice: "Just now the cage ceremony is a tradition in their village. They believe that immersing a virgin in the lake water three times can prevent the attack of water monsters."

I nodded. I still find it unbelievable even for traditional ceremonies and other traditions, but I don’t want to be entangled in local ignorant customs anymore, but I still can’t help but tremble when I think of the cold lake water, so I wrap the blanket tighter.

"The lord here told the villagers that you are my wife, so that they would not be able to capture you as a ritual sacrifice."

"That's why they gave us a room?"

Colin said apologetically, "I'll sleep on the floor."

I tried to look calm and understand, but the ginger tea in my hand became hot. "So, how was your meeting with the Lord?"

Otis leaned on the recliner in the room, put his legs on the coffee table and warmed himself by the fire. "Hulman is a strange old man."

"He knows the purpose of our coming here, but his attitude is unclear." Colin sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm more inclined to believe that he will assist us." Otis said, "After all, he didn't throw us out to feed the wolves immediately." After that, he yawned a long time, "I'm more curious about what he will do next. What's the action?"

Otis just occupied the recliner in our room to take a nap. Compared with Colin, I was even more at a loss, and I had to escape if I wanted to visit the residence.

This is a house for guests from the village to live in, and we were arranged on the second floor. There is a corridor from the room, and the layout of the first floor of the interior can be seen under the railing of the corridor.I walked along the corridor to the window at the end, and saw the wooden bridge and pool outside, and the images of everything that happened after I got out of the lake came back to my mind, and I could feel that Colin was nervous about me, and he jumped into the water Rescuing me, the hand holding my skin was so painful that it made people inevitably think deeply, just like Nigel told me "you are different to him".

I weakly pressed my forehead against the glass window, sighed, and saw my hesitant appearance on the foggy window, and behind me... Colin?

I turned around as if I had seen a ghost, only to see him stretch out his hand and put his warm palm on my forehead, and I stood still.After a while, he put down his hand and said, "It's fine if you don't have a fever." My heart moved slightly, and I took advantage of the situation and stretched out my hands to wrap around his body, feeling that his body was slightly stagnant.I slowly pressed my forehead to his chest, he didn't push me away, and then I felt his hand pat me on the back soothingly.I don't care about anything anymore, just because the breath surrounding me has already made people surrender.

"Cough." After hearing Otis' voice, we quickly separated.Standing next to Otis was the man in charge, who looked a bit embarrassed to interrupt Colin and me.The leading man smiled at me, said something to Colin, gave me a slight salute, and left.The remaining Otis looked at us with a mentally retarded expression, and then he pointed to himself and asked, "Then I go?"

I asked in embarrassment, "What did he just say?" Otis said with a meaningful expression on his face, "He said, Lord Hullman is hosting a banquet in the village tonight, and he hopes that we will be honored to attend, of course, including respected Colin My lord and his beloved wife." Before he turned away thinking he was "tactful" and left, he thought of something and said to us: "A warm suggestion, if you want to create an image of Mrs. Colin who loves his wife, I think you can choose Fingers clasped together to attend the banquet waiting for you."

The maids came and took me to a room and dressed me. I couldn't talk to them because I didn't know their language.They tied a bow behind me and motioned me to look in the mirror.I watched with satisfaction as I swayed in the mirror, watching the hanging hem of the skirt slide like silk waves.I chose this red dress simply because its color is also called Scarlet.Then I heard them laughing suddenly, and seeing the man leaning against the door, they wisely gave space to Lord Colin and his wife, and went out laughing.

I turned around and looked at the person in front of me. He was wearing a long white coat with a beige ruff shirt inside, and royal blue breeches underneath. This kind of attire was unobtrusive on him, as if it was tailor-made for him. "You know what this reminds me of, Jacob Colin?" I walked up to him and said, "Carolina's 'dream girl.'"

He smiled to himself when he heard it, and what was damned was his clear and melancholy eyes, which could make all prey fall into their own hands. "Let me do it." I took the silk bow tie in his hand, wrapped it around his shirt collar and tied it for him, "I have never had a chance to try it, because I don't have an older brother or younger brother in my family..." I took it off my head. A pointy hair accessory, pinned into a silver-patterned silk bow tie to secure it, while tucking the rest of the bow tie hem into the shirt in front of his chest, "Okay."

I turned my head to look at the results in the mirror, and saw a man and a woman standing in front of the mirror, the combination of red and white was like a pair of couples, and he was staring at the woman who was fiddling with the bow tie for her, his eyes seemed to be so focused that he could only see what was in front of him people.

"You like red very much?" I heard him ask above my head, his deep voice seemed to penetrate my skin.

"It suits you very well," he went on.

"Mr. Colin, Mrs. Colin, I know I'm a shame, but I still have to remind you that we're going to be late soon." Only then did I notice Otis who was standing at the door at some point.He saw me and said, "It's an honor to see the girl Hastings." I pulled up my skirt and curtseyed back to him.

"I haven't worn something like this in years." Otis stood in his long coat looking awkward.I looked at him, "No, you have to believe how many girls will come up to you tonight."

Colin folded his arms beside me, with a smile on his lips, "Are you ready? Mrs. Colin." I put my hand on it: "Of course."

Lord Hullman hosted a banquet on the grass in the open air. The cage ceremony during the day cast a shadow over the village. In order to express his apology, Hullman specially preserved the white wolf in the stone bed for a long time and has great cultural significance in the village. The cloak was given to me. "This is the fur of the White Wolf King. I hope this will make you forgive what they have done to you. People in the village are too jealous of water monsters. Although it is a legend, this tradition is held every year. It’s a welcome ceremony for people.” After Hullman finished speaking, I had no choice but to laugh and say that I didn’t care anymore.

Hullman had three wives of different tastes, who sat peacefully at the same table to eat and joined our conversations at appropriate times.The topic between women always likes to revolve around love. At this time, the youngest wife sat next to me and curiously asked me about the first time I met Colin.

"On the train," I said, and it was true.

She said, "Is this what you call love at first sight?"

"Well..." I whispered, looking at the man beside me.

She gritted her teeth excitedly and said, "Then he proposed to you?!"

"Yes." I nodded hesitantly.

"And then you start a bloody life with Jacob's Colin? My God! It's so romantic!" Although I think she is actually more romantic.

Hullman laughed loudly and said, "I didn't expect Colin of Jacob in the legend to have married a wife."

Otis said, "What is this? I've also heard rumors that Colin's illegitimate children are everywhere. Almost every county in the Carolinas has his children." Hullman laughed louder, and the eldest wife May Gen concluded: "But the fact is that he has only one true love." Immediately, all the women present looked at me enviously.

The attitude of Hullman and the people around him reminded me of what Otis said earlier that he tended to help Jacob. Laughing and dining with us, Hullman also knows the purpose of our visit, but will he really tell us where Kennedy III is hiding?

It was like this dinner was really just for us, nothing else.Old Hullman stood above the pavilion and said a few words, and the villagers began to perform around the campfire.A woman in a white dress stood in front of the crowd and sang, her voice was mesmerizing, and the listener was deeply immersed in it. Even if they didn't know the meaning of the lyrics, they could resonate with the emotion in the song.

"This is a story about a pair of lovers." The person next to me explained. "They fell in love, but they couldn't be together in the end."

"Why?" I asked.The woman's singing is sad and moving, which makes people deeply feel the sadness of not being loved. "The boy died in battle. He is a warrior." He said. "After his death, his soul came to the girl's window. The girl told him how she missed him, but they couldn't touch each other or embrace each other when they were emotional." The song came to the end. , we can't be together after all." The woman slowly silenced her voice, and everyone began to applaud.

Hullman was tired, and he didn't insist on staying to watch the next show, so Megan helped him into the house.The rest of the band began to play familiar violin dance music, and pairs of men and women began to rush to the center of the grass excitedly, as if the long-awaited link had finally arrived.Someone stretched out his hand to me out of the corner of my eye, I looked up at him, I saw the moon tonight, and he was standing in front of me.

I don't remember how many times I smiled at him today, I just remember that I slowly put my hand on his palm and stood up.