Candles are still a precious thing for civilians. Even in aristocratic families, when there are no guests, after dinner, most of the rooms will be dark, except for the bedrooms where the hosts rest.
The same is true of the Baron's Court of Navia, where the vast mansion is plunged into a dark silence except for a few windows that let in candlelight.
Because the man here had gone to the banquet and had not returned, the porter had been dutifully squatting behind the gate and waiting quietly, so as soon as Austen knocked on the door, he was welcomed in.
"Young Master, didn't Lord Baron come back with you?"
The porter was the old man of the Baron's Court, and he bowed his hunched waist and asked Austin respectfully. Now, everyone in the house knows that the two helmsmen of the Navia family value the young man in front of them very much, and it is natural to call him 'young master', not to mention that he is a noble spellcaster.
Austin was in a hurry, he didn't hear what the porter was asking, he just ran inside quickly, he was going to find Catherine, and she had put away all her belongings.
It was rude to visit a young lady's bedroom at night, but he couldn't do it that much, and stirred up Catherine, who had changed into a dressing gown and was about to sleep, with a quick thump. "Miss Catherine, I'm Austin, please open the door, I'm in a hurry!"
Catherine, who heard that it was Austen, and wondered who knocked on the door so rudely, suddenly realized, but... But what did he do at night? Did the banquet end so early? and... She couldn't help but lower her head, looked at the rather transparent tulle nightgown she was wearing, and her face instantly turned red.
She quickly found the cloak that hung in the closet and wrapped herself firmly, it was too late to change into those formal clothes, and she didn't want Austin to wait a second longer. The door was opened, and Austin saw Catherine, with her bare white little feet, wrapped in an emerald green cloak, her golden hair naturally draped behind her shoulders, and the scent of flowers that had just been bathed, her flawless face was dyed red, and she looked down at her little feet a little crampedly, she had just panicked, and she forgot to put on her shoes and ran out of bed.
What a beautiful girl~ Austin couldn't help but admire in her heart. However, in the case of life and death, he quickly came to his senses, and quickly stated his purpose: "Miss Catherine, I'm sorry to disturb you so late, can you return my belongings to me? "
Austen's panic was written on her face, and Catherine, who was very intelligent, immediately realized that something bad had happened, and asked with the same eagerness, "Something went wrong at the banquet?"
"Yes, the Earl must have known about the enmity between me and him, so at the banquet he sent someone to lead me to the garden, and took the opportunity to get rid of me, and the two assassins who killed me, one died, and the other escaped, and I was afraid that I would not be able to explain it clearly, so I wanted to go out of the city and hide first. Austin briefly explained the cause.
Catherine had already learned about his past from her uncle, and she knew about the misfortune that had happened to Kelly, so she quietly shed tears, for the poor civilian girl, and for Austen's infatuation, perhaps because of this, she would have special attention and special care for Austen, so that now she has more special feelings.
"You're doing the right thing, the Count won't give up. Your stuff is here, you... You can come in and change it in. Catherine shyly pointed into her room, the first time she had invited a non-relative male into the boudoir.
When Austin stepped in with one foot, she quickly realized that there were many things in the room that should not be seen by men, so she didn't even have time to explain, so she subconsciously closed the door and clamped Austin's leg.
"No... I'm sorry, wait a minute—" Catherine's voice was a little nymph.
As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly ran barefoot to the bed, put away the clothes scattered on the bed and chair, large and small, and stuffed them into the cupboard.
"Alright, you can come in. "
Austin was finally invited in again, his eyes sharp, and he almost immediately noticed that there was a small object of what appeared to be women's underwear on the floor. He wanted to pretend not to know, but the moment of surprise, curiosity, and embarrassment on his face was discovered by Catherine, who had been staring at him.
Following his gaze, Catherine also spotted the silk fabric on the ground that had just been taken off and worn in the most intimate parts. If her face was just a faint flush just now, this time she felt hot from head to toe. So she ran over in spite of the lady's image, trying to pick up the shameful object. But in a hurry, she accidentally stepped on the corner of her cloak.
The clasp of the cloak was torn off, and Catherine's delicate body, which was only wrapped in a thin veil, was completely exposed to Austen's eyes. Fortunately, she didn't fall to the ground, because a pair of thin but strong arms supported her.
"Are you alright?"
Trying to suppress the rapid breathing that was beginning to become, Austin said with a serious look of concern. However, his eyes still kept peeking back and forth at the girl, and in his heart he kept comparing the beautiful body of this noble lady with the barmaids that Rhett had enjoyed when he was entertaining that day, and as for Count Haniri, assassination, and danger, they were all driven out of his mind for the time being.
"Ahh Catherine exclaimed, broke free of Austin's hand in a panic, and then jumped onto the bed, covering her whole body with a quilt, not even daring to show her head, she really had no face to face Austin. Moreover, I have been looked at myself, what should I do... What to do... All that's left in her mind is this thought, which keeps circling.
"Ahem, Miss Catherine, don't worry, I didn't see anything. "
Austen didn't explain, but Catherine cried out in shame, and her whimpering could be heard clearly through the goose feather quilt.
Austin's mind is also a mess, he really hasn't coaxed sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls, Irena is only 10 years old, she can be coaxed as a child, but Catherine is obviously a big girl.... In a hurry, his mind flashed through what Baron Navia said, and then blurted out without thinking: "Miss Catherine, in fact, your father has decided to let you and me get engaged, so, so it's nothing!"
The word engagement reached Catherine's ears so clearly that she was so stunned that she forgot to cry. I'm going to get engaged to Austen? I don't know when my father made the decision? How could he decide my future without my consent!
Shyness was gradually replaced by irritation, and even though Catherine had a good impression of Austen, it had not risen to the level of talking about marriage. She immediately lifted the quilt, and didn't care that her delicate body was exposed to the man's eyes again, and shouted: "It's nothing? Why is this nothing? Even my father can't decide my affairs at will! You go, you go, grab your things and leave quickly, I don't want to see you!"
Forehead... Austin was speechless for a moment, and as soon as he said it, he realized that it was going to be bad, although the baron said so at the banquet, but in the end, he gave himself a look, and it was clear that there was still a following, and he might not marry Catherine to himself. He quickly found the robes, hats, and other items piled up in a basket, and ran out with them in his arms, and he didn't even dare to look at Catherine again. After bringing the door to the door for the angry girl, he fumbled his way through the dark corridor to change out of the black velvet gown and put on his dark red ondol robe, returning to the proper appearance of a spellcaster.
Through the door, he said apologetically to Catherine inside: "Miss Catherine, I'm sorry, it was just a casual remark by the baron, I accidentally took it seriously, please forgive me, I will explain it to you again in the future, now I have to go first, looking forward to the next meeting." "
In fact, after Austin closed the door, Catherine quietly climbed out of bed, hid behind the door, and put her ear on it, caring whether Austin was gone, and worried about whether he was angry.
After saying the sentence "I don't want to see you" just now, she regretted it, she was afraid that Austen would really not see her again, putting aside all the things between men and women, she liked Austen's friends very much, not as hypocritical as aristocrats, affectionate and righteous, although occasionally lustful, secretly taking advantage of herself.
After hearing the sound of Suosuo's change of clothes, and indeed hearing his voice again, Catherine was immediately relieved, and secretly rejoiced: Hehe, doesn't 'he take it seriously' mean that he likes me?
Thinking of this, her face turned red again, her hands involuntarily covered her face, and she blamed herself for her shamelessness in her heart: she was all looked down upon by others, and she was afraid that people would no longer pay attention to her!
"Yes, see you next time. After the faint gentle words came through the door, Austin finally breathed a sigh of relief, she didn't really hate me anymore!
However, a couple of men and women who had just understood each other's hearts did not expect that fate would soon separate them for a long time...