The Sin of Ludwigs

Chapter 39 The Secret Behind the Portrait

"You—you look very bad." The maid looked at me tremblingly, as if I would go crazy in a second.

I took a deep breath and managed to calm myself down.

"I'm all right—where is Lord Elvis? In the study?"

Having just gone through the scare that Earl Ian gave me, I have no desire to go back to the living room, and I have no desire to go for a walk, and I feel an urgent need to use my own eyes to determine the difference between their brothers .

"It's—sorry, I don't know—"

The studio where Ian William Haggs is now looks like a monster with a bloody mouth in my eyes. I don't want to approach it at all, let alone go down the grand staircase through it, so I go around The faltering maid walked down the corridor back to my living room, then found the small staircase inside the suite, and from there walked to Elvis' suite on the second floor.

I wanted to go to Elvis' study, which I visited last time, but halfway there, a manservant next to him politely stopped me and took me to the small meeting room next to Elvis' living room. guest room.

The room on the third floor is a small reception room with suites, but the room on the second floor has been converted into a small study for handling business. When I walked in, Elvis was sitting there as if While reading a letter, he turned his head and glanced at me, and didn't even ask me why I came over suddenly: "There are chairs over there, please sit by yourself for a while."

I nodded absently, and the recliner he pointed to me was adjusted to a very comfortable 120-degree angle, and I sat there, watching Elvis in a daze.

Even for business in his little study, Elvis was dressed very formally, as always in the English dress, the kind that would not be rude to receive a visitor immediately; but the more I looked at it, the more I noticed I just realized that if I don't look at the clothes, don't speak, or if Ian intends to imitate, then it is really difficult for me to tell which of the twins is standing in front of me!

These two are so much alike, they are looking in the mirror!

Out of an indescribable feeling of suffocation, I tugged at my collar, stood up and walked to the window to take a breath of fresh air.

That's when I saw Anne—and Baron Fred?

Looking out of the small study window into a manicured garden, I saw Anne in her blue cloak and black hat, and Lord Fred in his overcoat, walking down a path among the bushes Walking slowly, they seemed to be talking about something, Anne kept her head down, holding a black muff to keep her hands warm, it seemed that she was under the care of Beatrix Seems to be doing well.

However, why did Baron Fred come here so early?And neither Elvis nor the maids seem to have mentioned to me that there are already guests?

While I was concentrating on observing the situation in the garden outside the window, a footman came in and whispered something in Elvis' ear.

I noticed that the page looked at me several times as he spoke, but since they didn't mean to let me know, I pretended I didn't know anything.At this time, Anne and Lord Fred walked into a bush. I waited for a long time without seeing them come out, and suddenly realized that Anne, like the other female servants of Earl Ian, must also perform Responsibility—whether she wants to or not, and whether or not the girl knew she had to pay such a price before!

"But, isn't this a normal thing?" I asked myself, "In Ludwigsburg, there were many such things in the past. This is the rule!"

However, as long as I think of Annie's sullen look with her head lowered just now, as if someone punched my heart, it makes me feel tight in my chest and almost out of breath.

"What are you looking at?"

Elvis' voice came from behind.

I turned around hastily.

"It's nothing—I'll take a breath of fresh air outside." In order to prevent Elvis from coming over and seeing Annie and the others, I hurried away from the window and returned to the recliner.

"You don't look very well." Elvis stood up from the desk, "Are you frightened by something?"

"Ah, no, it might be because of the cold wind, so my face turned pale." I picked up the black tea brought by the maid, hesitated, and asked again: "My lord, has the reply from New Jersey arrived?"

"No, it will take a few more days." Elvis came over and sat on the recliner opposite me, "Are you in such a hurry to go back to Europa?"

I wanted to ask him for Anne and her family members, rolling on the tip of my tongue, but I still didn’t say it in the end—wait, wait until the letter from New Jersey arrives, let’s talk when there is a definite news!

"Ah, after all I've been away for so long, naturally I miss my lovely friends very much." In order to cover up my thoughts, I joked a little, "And your hospitality is very kind, I'm worried It’s been too long, and all I’ve enjoyed are top-notch expenses, and I’ll be very uncomfortable when I go back.”

This sentence is sincere. After this period of time, I have truly seen the wealth and accumulation of the Higgs family. Here in Elvis, my basic necessities are all the best. If I am just a simple guest If I don’t want to get out of this luxurious life, then I should be happy to stay here forever——If it’s in Ludwigsburg, this kind of extremely luxurious cost is estimated to sell My manor can’t afford to pay for a year—ah no, clothes don’t count, Elvis never asked the tailor in the manor to make clothes for me, all I wear now are his clothes, about the tailor I once mentioned this to Jane, but the latter blocked me back by saying, "Go and propose to the Earl yourself."

Elvis glanced at me.

"I don't mind you staying here all the time. The Higgs family is also capable of providing you with this kind of life."

I felt like my heart was beating faster.

"Uh, thank you for your kindness, but...but this is not very good." I racked my brains to find a decent way to say it, "It's really not very good to bother you like this, and I'm still more used to life in my hometown, I mean , I am still used to life with grand theaters, opera houses, comedy theaters, various restaurants, and all kinds of banquets and dances that I like..."

If there is no such unreasonable relationship between me and him, I am really happy to stay here as a guest for two or three years-in fact, as long as the master is willing, it is very common for a nobleman to visit another nobleman for several years It’s a normal thing, and things like musicals, dramas and music can be watched anywhere as long as there are actors and musicians, and these people have Manor Frigou — but since there is such a relationship, my intuition tells me to leave as soon as possible. good.

Elvis picked up the tea on the table, his movements were very elegant and peaceful, exactly the kind of demeanor that Mr. Shire praised most for not being surprised by anything.I stared at his movements, and couldn't help but murmur in my heart—would such a person really imitate Ian's behavior that escaped any rules of etiquette?

"Your statement is very similar to that of Miss Louise Williers. She has complained more than once that life at Frigue Manor is too dull."

It took me a while to realize who he was talking about.

--How is this going?Earl Ian called his mother "Miss Williers" and it could be said that it was because of his personality that he didn't follow common sense. Why did Elvis call his mother like that?

"Why do you call her Miss Williers? Shouldn't you be calling her Mrs. Louise Haggs?"

I couldn't help asking.

Elvis turned to look at me.

"Did you see her portrait today?"

It seems that what the attendant said to him just now was that I went to the studio. I admitted it openly: "Yes, the portrait of Madam is very beautiful. I must have been a beautiful woman when I was young. The only thing I don't What I understand is the attitude of you and Earl Ian towards her."

"That's because she doesn't want to be called the Countess of Haggs, and we don't want to call her by any other name."

I stood up from the recliner suddenly, and because I got up too fast, I almost knocked down the teacup in hand.

"My lord, I'm a little tired, please forgive me for being rude, I want to go back and have a rest—"

"Sit down, Ludwig."

I froze there, not knowing what to do for a while.

—I only need to hear the words "other surnames" to understand what happened to the countess.

A woman uses her maiden's surname before she gets married, and her husband's surname after she gets married. Under what circumstances will she use "other surnames" other than the two?

--elopement.

No wonder there is no portrait of the lady in the castle, no wonder Jane told me not to go to that room, I naively thought that the lady just did something outrageous and was not accepted by the Higgs family, but killing me Unexpectedly, it could go so far!

"My lord, with all due respect, it seems that the inside story is not something that I, an outsider, should know."

It is not a good thing to know more about this kind of family scandal of a great nobleman—especially now that my future is in the hands of Elvis!

Elvis still had that steady and calm tone.

"I'm sure you won't tell."

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Edmund: This kind of scandal let me know what it means, maybe I will be silenced after listening to it!