That Eastern girl is here again; she seems to love ice skating.
However, her skills are somewhat clumsy; she glides three steps and then falls twice, determined to challenge the record of bruises on her body, her relentless efforts making one feel a heartache just watching. Is she even fifteen years old?
It started snowing on the evening before Christmas Eve, and her lonely little figure appeared lively among the falling snowflakes, like a radiant little sun that instantly warmed the cold world.
The snow is cold, yet she laughs joyfully. The squirrels, which should be hibernating, were startled awake by her laughter, standing dazed in front of the ice flowers splashed by her awkward ice skates, foolishly letting the ice bury their paws.
Is she really skating or just playing on the ice? Isn't it cold in this winter wonderland?
Her small frame is bundled in layers upon layers of thick clothing; it's hard to imagine how many garments she has on. Judging by her frozen, rosy apple-like face, she must come from a warmer climate, as she still plays tirelessly despite looking like a round ball, with her red nose still sticking to a small piece of snow.
Dressed in a white feather coat, a red earmuff hat, orange knitted gloves, and a pair of pink knee-high ice skates, she gives off an adorable vibe, resembling a little sprite in the snow spreading joy.
He does not know who she is; his inverted day-night schedule has meant he hasn't been seen during daylight for quite some time, disturbed only by her screams as she falls.
Occasionally, peals of laughter like silver bells reach his ears, and unknowingly, he becomes enchanted, shortening his sleep further just to wait for that stubborn little figure to arrive.
Both she and he are alone, but there is an extreme contrast between the feelings inside and outside the door; she is happy while he is a ghost who doesn't understand what laughter is, at least that's how the outside world describes his existence.
"The Duke of Ghosts."
"Master, should we drive her away?"
This is a private manor, an ancient British castle surrounded by towering trees, enveloping an isolated little world. The architecture from the Victorian Queen's era shows signs of age.
The innocent little girl glides across the frozen pond, with the barbed wire fence by the wall long since fallen into disrepair, which is how she has been coming and going for over two months.
This year, winter has arrived early in England. Normally in July and August, London temperatures do not drop below five degrees, but strangely, in mid-September, the weather suddenly turned bad. The chilly, rainy days laid a thin layer of ice on the ground, and by early October, it was cold enough for the pond to freeze five centimeters thick.
The little girl is petite and very light, walking effortlessly on the ice. As the ice layer grows thicker, she increases her visits from once a week to every three to five days, climbing over the wall and gleefully falling down, crying out in anguish.
Recently, perhaps emboldened, she seems unwilling to accept her clumsiness and nearly comes every day, braving the wind and snow, panting as she insists on skating for an hour before stopping.
A few days ago, there were continuous heavy rains that made everyone irritable, and because of the rain, she didn't come to practice. Finally, it cleared up yesterday, and he guessed that she would definitely come back today to refuse defeat, likely to leave with bruises all over.
Sure enough, around four o'clock, he saw a sneaky shadow peering around the wall, playfully sticking out her tongue, seemingly relieved not to have been discovered, her expression as amusing as the porcelain dolls he collects.
After waiting twenty-four hours without sleep, witnessing that adorable scene made it all worthwhile.
"No, let her be! Look how much fun she's having." He simply had no strength to drag her away.
Having "fun"? What a strange choice of words. "She's very noisy."
"Conry." His tone grew cold, signaling that there was to be no dissent.
Startled, Conry dared not speak further, leaning back to glance out the window. She was merely a little girl who hadn't even developed, so why did she provoke such an unusual reaction from the master? His previously inverted day-night cycle had grown chaotic, dark circles under his eyes glaringly apparent.
Watching her stumble and fall repeatedly, her round little body struggling to get up, he finally understood the "stubbornness" his master referred to — she was utterly obsessed and determined to control the ice skates beneath her feet, wholeheartedly wanting to achieve something, her serious expression as cute as a snow fairy, even puffing up her cheeks.
Wait! Why did the word "adorable
"Conrui.""Does the master want me to notify the police?" Come and collect the body."Save her."Did he hear it wrong? The master who is always unkind actually wants to save a little girl? Too weird."Wait." The man called him again.That's right! The one who stands by and watches is the cold-blooded master."Someone is coming." Is she okay?"Someone..." Conrui looked at the wall and couldn't help but curse.When did Dinsmore Castle allow people to enter and exit at will, and no one noticed the sign outside the wall that read, private land, trespassers are responsible for their own legal responsibilities, and will be severely punished?Two girls wearing thick clothes lifted the high wire mesh and rushed in, looking cautiously like thieves, looking around and shrinking their necks, and stepped into the snow nervously.When one of them found a white ball lying on the frozen pond, she covered her mouth and dared not shout, pulled her companion's hand, and pointed ten meters ahead.The two of them ran like crazy, calling out a name in a low voice, a little afraid that the ghost in the castle would come out with a gun to kill people, and climbed over the pool wall and slid to the little girl. They fell on their backs.The ice was too slippery, and they were unprepared, so of course they fell badly, and their entire spines were almost broken.Hearing the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, the oriental girl who looked like a snow elf opened her eyes slightly and glanced at them, and couldn't help laughing.They were so funny, as embarrassed as two puppies who had just learned to walk."Laugh, laugh, laugh, you still have the nerve to laugh at others, we think you are favored by the Lord." The freckled girl with red hair rubbed her butt and glared at her."Almost. Look, I have a nosebleed." Fandana, who is good at gaining sympathy, showed her the blood that had frozen into a pillar.She slapped it with her backhand. "Go, disgusting, I've never seen a Chinese girl as stupid as you.""You can attack me personally, but you are not allowed to criticize my country. I am a die-hard patriot." She expressed her patriotic views."Come on, if you really want to be patriotic, why don't you finish high school in Taiwan? Instead, you come to the UK to compete with me for a diploma." Nine out of ten of her words are unbelievable."I have grievances! You don't care about me." Her mouth flattened, and Fandana looked like she was about to cry."Please, don't do it again. After a year, won't the classmates know your tricks?" She can only deceive the nuns with pure hearts.It's strange that she is popular with the elders. Whether it's nuns, teachers, or even parents of students, few people don't like her sweet and smiling oriental face, and are always fooled by her appearance.However, there are gains and losses. She has the worst popularity among her peers, especially among female classmates. She has almost no friends except them."Sweetheart Vinnie, please remember to put a bouquet of roses at my grave to mourn." Oh my God! My head hurts."Don't worry, you can't die so soon. Roses are expensive!" Talking about money hurts feelings."Hey! You even gave up the last bit of friendship, are you a human being?" Fandana complained while barely propping herself up.Winnie nervously put her index finger on her lips. "Shh! Keep your voice down, don't draw the master out."Really, she was almost scared to death but still yelled."Ha! You are so cowardly, I laugh at you." American girls are not always brave, but it seems there are exceptions.She has been here since mid-October, and it has been more than two months now, and she hasn't even seen a sparrow chirping. Where did it come from? It's a fuss.When she wasn't paying attention, a black shadow flashed through the window above the castle, and a very faint voice of concern came out."Have you...have you finished chatting? At least give me a hand." The whining murmured request.The two of them looked at each other and saw——"Yuko, you are so precious!" Fandana laughed so hard that she held her head."Oh my God! Look how embarrassed she is." She was lying on her buttocks with her wings raised high, and one hand was stuck in the cracks between the ice and the spring column.Suzuki Yuko was about to cry. "Have you laughed enough? I'm hurt!" What a heartless gang of scoundrels.The three of them were 17-year-old girls from different countries, studying at St. Mary's College for Girls, a church school for girls, from elementary school to university.Some people also joked that it was a bride school. Most of the female students in this college married into wealthy families as soon as they graduated, because most of them were daughters of nobles or rich families, and commercial marriages were more important than personal wishes.Of course, there are exceptions. No matter how good a school is, there will always be a few dark horses.Suzuki Yuko, a Japanese, currently lives in her grandmother's house in the UK. She is of English and Japanese descent, with a very high IQ, but she is an idiot in life. Inheriting her mother's golden brown eyes, she has black hair and three-dimensional features. She was often teased by other students in Japan, so she applied to study in the UK.Lively and outgoing Winnie is as lovable as Winnie the Pooh, with the enthusiastic nature of Americans. She currently lives in her cousin's house in the UK. She hates people talking about her freckles the most.The only one who lives in the school dormitory is Fandana from Taiwan. No one asks about her past. She studies and makes money happily all day long, as if she is a happy person with no worries.None of the three students are self-funded, but poor students who live on scholarships. Whenever they have time, they either work part-time or look for opportunities to make money.Fandana is luckier. She is a little cunning and takes advantage of the fact that the teachers and nuns in the school love her. She smuggles Taiwanese novels, then translates the novels under the pretext of practicing orthodox English grammar, and then rents them to lonely noble ladies to make money.Although she is not popular, her business is very good, because girls who grow up in the church rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with "vulgar culture" and many restrictions deprive them of the right to dream.In addition to studying violin, piano and other high-level things, the novels she edited are more impressive, completely capturing those pretentious girls who want to read but hide their secrets.So she usually has a balance to deposit after paying the expensive tuition!The common point of the three is that they have excellent grades and always occupy the top three in the total academic year ranking, which makes them outperform the proud British girls, so they are rejected.There is another thing that the girls can't stand the most. In the dull traditional British society, they become the objects of men's pursuit, especially Fandana.It is said that Westerners are quite fascinated by the mysterious temperament of Oriental women. Even in conservative church schools, they still become the eyesores of many girls, and the nuns often have to drive away boring suitors for them."Winnie, guess what's wrong with Yuko?" She was too embarrassed to admit that she was her friend."My pride was hurt." She didn't think Yuko was seriously injured at all. She was always an idiot about trivial matters in life.Suzuki Yuko struggled to pull her hand out but fell to the ground, almost jumping up from the cold. "I must have done too much evil in my previous life to know you two.""Nanjing Massacre.""Attack on Pearl Harbor."China and the United States spoke for their motherland and attacked the evil little Japan."Sorry! The grievances of the previous generation have nothing to do with me. If you want to collect debts, go to the Japanese Embassy to protest." She would not bear the historical charges.The three looked at each other and suddenly raised their lips with a smile, because they were all in a mess.The long-armed Winnie stood firm first before pulling up the tall Suzuki Yuko. The two sighed and each supported the severely damaged Fandana, forming a four-character shape with two tall and one short.After all, people who see blood are closer to death, they thought with self-pity."It's good to be young." A distant male voice sounded in the castle."Master...""Don't pay attention to me, I'm in a low mood." The sun went away, and the distance was also far away.Although he couldn't hear the content of the conversation, he saw the expressions on their faces and the little gestures of getting along well. The depth of friendship was beyond the reach of outsiders. He envied them.They refer to the two who arrived later, who have the light and heat of the sun.It's good to be young.Suddenly, he felt heavy. Compared with the tender little girl, he was old enough to be a father.A sighing age - thirty-four."How did you know I was in Dinsmore Castle?" They should be busy making money.The pleasant music played slowly, and there were two beautiful figures in the dance floor. The three flowers of St. Mary, who were most popular with men, were nestled in the corner, each with a plate full of food. The sadness of poor students, they would quickly make up for their losses if they could eat. The next time they would have such a "high-end" delicacy, they would rather give up the limelight and have a fight with the food.And thanks to someone, they finally had the chance to see a formal British dance, where the beasts in human form and the sluts of wealthy families showed their true colors.Look! An unbearable passionate scene was being staged on the balcony behind them, with a young stepmother and a high school student stepson playing adult games.On the left, it was the boyfriend of the school beauty who hooked up with the mistress of a wealthy businessman, and they were wantonly reaching down and entangled with each other.On the right, it was the sanctimonious city councilor, and the little wild cat moving on him seemed to be his son's classmate. An old man who was almost 60 years old was still playing with a 20-year-old girl. Wasn't he afraid of being criticized?In short, it was a Christmas dance on the surface, but it was actually a dirty copulation meeting. They chose to protect themselves to avoid being talked about."Miss, I know exactly how many hairs you have on your body. It's too early to hide it from me." He just couldn't catch his breath."Oh——" Fandana pretended to be suddenly enlightened and moved a step to avoid getting too close to Winnie.Fandana approached Suzuki Yuko with a frightened face. "I'm afraid you will rape my beautiful body.""You... you are sick! Why would I be interested in your body?" She is not a lesbian. "Dana doll...""Shh! Keep your voice down, don't attract everyone. I won't tell the third party about your fetish of liking girls, don't kill me to silence me."Her trembling voice was not convincing at all. She stuffed her mouth with lobster, caviar, and lamb chops, while the "third party" was busy working and ignored their verbal battles."Yuko, don't just eat, help me scold this unrestrained and wicked ghost." Fortunately, the person she liked was not there, otherwise she would strangle her to death.The happiness of a lifetime was defeated by that little mouth that made men crazy.Suzuki Yuko looked up perfunctorily. "Just kidding, her goal is to be a royal counsel, who can argue with her."She didn't want to be drowned by saliva."Hehe! Yuko is still far-sighted, and the American girl doesn't need to find a backer." Goals are goals, just talk.At the beginning, the three of them made great wishes to the bright moon. One wanted to become the greatest human rights fighter in American history, and the other vowed to travel to all the hot spring resorts in Japan and write down a series of epic poems.And when the two of them were drunk, Fandana happened to see the name of the law firm, and immediately boasted that she would be the first Taiwanese to become a royal barrister.She remembered that she patted the two of them on the back without knowing whether to live or die. If they were arrested and imprisoned for advocating human rights and freedom or were unfortunately hunted down for writing about the hot spring hotel scandal, she would definitely support them to the end and use her fearless legal spirit to help them escape and flee, and would never waste her energy on defending them.Poor people cannot afford expensive lawyer fees, so she does not take cases that lose money.Originally, the two of them were very moved, but her extra truth caused the two of them to chase and beat her."Have you learned to skate?" Winnie, who was too lazy to talk to her, changed the subject to avoid being angry to death.She sneered. "Almost.""Don't say I look down on you, you are the worst beginner I have ever seen." She was still stubborn and refused to let anyone teach her."Stop talking nonsense, you and Yuko both grew up in a snowy country, please consider that my country is spring-like all year round." She did not forget to praise the goodness of her own land."Xianbao, how can I tolerate your shamelessness for a year." It's incredible."Birds of a feather flock together, and you are not thin-skinned either!" A mouthful of champagne and a mouthful of caviar, a human enjoyment.Young girls do not know sorrow, they are still friends after playing and fighting, and their friendship becomes stronger with time."Hoo! The man-eating shark is coming."Suzuki Yuko's light cry made the other two put down their half-eaten plates at the same time."Okay! Poor sisters, you betray me." She said it! With their status, how could they be invited to the banquet of the upper class."There is no way, the current situation is unstable and money is hard to earn, so I have to subsidize my living expenses." Good friends should support each other."Who else should I sell to? I'm short of money to buy shoes recently." People should think more about themselves. It won't cost you anything to take advantage of them.Fandana asked with a sneer, "How much is friendship worth?""One hundred pounds.""Seventy-five pounds."Huh? The price list is different!"Dan asked me to intercede." Winnie quickly brought out the rich sponsor. When taking money from others, you should always do your best."Stevenson is also very good, although he is not as generous as Dann." What a pity! Earn 25 pounds less."Split it in half.""Ah! You pirates!" The two felt sorry that their hard-earned money was about to be reduced by half."No, I'm the descendant of bandits." And they were chivalrous bandits who robbed all the money in their pockets in one breath.A group of people came towards them, both men and women, among whom the young and handsome Stevenson Emok and the handsome and wealthy Dan were at the front, with excited expressions secretly competing with each other, and their target was the same person. However, before they could speak, an angry female voice with a traditional British accent had intervened."Hey! I thought there were three poor guys from nowhere, but it turned out to be you!"The gorgeous and plump Laya was the school belle of the university department, and she never associated with the high school kids.Dan was her elder brother who was seven years older than her, and Stevenson was one of her "ex" boyfriends. She refused to give up her two favorite men no matter what, and simply gave them to the short Oriental pig who always stole her limelight.If she didn't love to show off, and insisted on them attending the VIP award ceremony at the summer school celebration, they wouldn't have fallen in love with the Oriental girl who was giving a speech on the stage at first sight, and then pursued her recklessly.That day, she was so embarrassed. It was obviously her who should have received the attention from all sides, but who knew that an underdeveloped kid stole her limelight."Leya, don't be rude. Dana Doll is my guest and deserves courtesy." Dane reprimanded his sister unhappily.Stevenson said unyieldingly: "Dana Doll is my dance partner, my beloved Rapunzel."Um! I'm going to vomit. Fandana, Suzuki Yuko and Winnie all had goose bumps. Why do they still feel cold when the heating is on?Dana Doll is the nickname given to her by the nuns, because she is petite and looks like a cute oriental doll. Her big eyes blinking and lovable, like a pure fairy without any schemes.But the same words coming from her friends are ironic. She is a girl who is not what she seems."Dane, take care of your sister and don't bite people like a mad dog." I have tolerated her for a long time and really want to beat her up."Stevenson, I am only responsible for bringing people here. I have to ask Dana first whether she wants to be your dance partner." The big boy couldn't hold his temper.The two friends have the responsibility to check and not really sell her out, otherwise where will the money come from in the future."How dare you be arrogant in my house." The spoiled Laya changed her face angrily."Laya——"Dane and Stevenson both told her to shut up with a blaming look."I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I made you unhappy." Pretending is Fandana's specialty."No, it's all because Laya is ignorant. Don't be sad." What a cute little person."Don't blame yourself. Some spoiled daughters are just too arrogant." Such delicate skin, I really want to touch it.The two men who have been in the same class from kindergarten to college and now merged their companies into one company competed to comfort her, fearing that she would be wronged.Fandana's eyes were slightly red. "You are so nice to me, I like you so much!""Really?!" The two of them were giggling."Yeah!" She nodded shyly.So fake! Suzuki Yuko and Winnie really wanted to roll their eyes."Would you like to dance?"The men who invited each other at the same time stared at each other."It's a pity that I only have one person, and I can't share with you." She said embarrassedly.Unable to bear the cold shoulder, Laya sneered, "Can't you see that she is acting?""Laya, don't talk nonsense.""Laya, you are jealous.""Brother, Stevenson, I am so disappointed in you. You actually lowered your standards to succumb to a little liar." How could she, who was so high and mighty, lose to a poor little guy.Fandana's innocent tears slid down on the spot. "I'll dance with you. Don't quarrel over me, even though my foot is injured."To retreat in order to advance, she cunningly aroused the men's heartache, and they approached one by one to ask about her injury.When Laya saw the bruises on her legs, she couldn't help but smile maliciously. "Have the sports genius learned to skate? I'm looking forward to the Cunchun competition with you."'"I will try not to win too much from you." Fandana boasted in a depressed tone, trying not to let her frustration out.She was so desperate because she was excited, too confident."I heard that you practiced skating at Dinsmore Castle?" The poor kid could only choose a convenient place.When they heard about Dinsmore Castle, there were gasps of varying sizes."Yes." Looking at the guilty expressions of Suzuki Yuko and Winnie, it goes without saying that they are using her as a tool to make money.It's time to share the dividends again."How about we make a bet?" Laya asked with a weird expression."Bet?!" Not with good intentions!"I'm betting my monthly allowance. You don't dare to go into Dinsmore Castle and ask the owner for a one-pound note."Winnie defended her friend in a very aggressive tone, "If you want to go, why don't you go by yourself? Why drag Dana into this?""American girl, your courage is as small as your freckles, as small as black sesame seeds." Laya sneered disdainfully."You dare to laugh at my freckles?! Go ahead, who's afraid of who." The hot temper of the British is clearly visible in her.Suzuki Yuko, who wanted to persuade Laya to cancel the bet, suddenly had an idea and asked, "How much is your monthly allowance?""Five thousand pounds." She raised her chin proudly.Wow! Fight with her. "Dana doll, you must accept the challenge, this is related to the face of the Chinese people!"