《Uncle Jones was not allowed to finish his sentence. Instead, I heard a powerful impact sound: "Bang!" What could it be?》
Edward fist-hit the table and muted his intrusive friend for overstepping his bounds.
Edward spoke in a threatening tone: "You! I warned you to keep my daughter's name off your lips. If you persist, you won't see where my fist might land."
《A cold atmosphere between them, a deadly silence I did not hear a response from the other side. Before things got worse, I seized the opportunity and entered the room like I did not know about their chit-chat 》
⟪ I put firewood into the hearth, set fire, prepared tea, and put my efforts into making it taste so good that they forgot their skirmishes. The delightful aroma spread throughout the place once I poured the tea into their cups.》
After taking a sip, Edward felt satisfied, showering her with his compliments, "I admire your tea-making skill; it tastes great."
《I peeked at Uncle Jones, who remained silent; he did not say a word despite having finished his cup until the last drop. It seems that vanity is another of his qualities, I wish I had put the toxic tulip flower that causes diarrhoea in his tea.》
Uncle Jones: "It's just ordinary tea, just boiled flowers. .... What's the big deal about it? ... Anyway, I'm going."
《He gave my father a serious look and then told him to take care of himself.》
《I arranged the house quickly. We had breakfast. Then we went out to visit my mother, Marianne's, tomb. The cemetery is a little distant. A quarter of an hour's walk away. My father kept calm and distracted all the way. At that moment, I remembered their conversation and what the uncle wanted to say about me—what was meant by "she's not..." And talking about a woman.》
Annie grabbed the hem of her dress and started picking up the flowers that she saw along the way until her skirt looked like a flour bag.
Edward was leading the way, deeply lost in thoughts when he turned to discover Annie trailing behind him instead of walking beside him.
《I ran towards him quickly. I could see his face laughing at my appearance, with a fat paunch like a corrupt nobleman and dust covering my face. He took a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and started wiping my dirty face while chuckling.》
Edward chuckles: "What do you want to do with that amount of flowers?"
Annie: "I want to make flower crowns—one for you, one for me, and the other one for my mom."
He smiled at her and said, "I'm sure she'll like it."
they enjoyed the day outdoors, it was a great idea to bring along their basket of food. Her father lay on the green grass, hands behind his head, gazing at the sky. He recalled Annie's childhood when they used to spot shapes in the clouds together and play hide and seek where Annie tended to hide in the closet because she did not know any better place. While he looked on with amusement his happiness was evident as he spoke.
It was a new day, and they set off to the village to run their bakery, which was located in a converted barn owned by a kind elderly woman. As they strolled in the morning, they were welcomed by the crowing of roosters and the gentle caress of the morning breeze, filling them with a sense of rejuvenation. Annie gathered fresh ingredients to craft an assortment of baked goods for sale. She always brought a small basket to gather blueberries and strawberries to enhance their cakes and boost our profits. The place was crowded with customers as soon as Edward opened, and as always, everything was bought.
Edward went to the kitchen to clean the place, and Annie started sweeping the floor until he came out holding her favourite chocolate cake with candles on it.
《I was with him all day. I don't know when he prepared all of that! My jaw dropped, and I was unable to speak. Tears started flowing from my eyes. I was so touched. He sang me a birthday song while I was still dazed. He put the cake aside, and then I jumped up, hugging him.》
Edward said in a soft voice, "Looks like my little bud is a rose now... Happy birthday, my child."
《I didn't stop crying; my father kept patting my back until I calmed down. After I calmed down, he wiped my tears and told me how proud he was to have a daughter like me. He took out a necklace from his pocket and placed it around my neck. It looked very valuable. A large blue stone in the shape of a teardrop in the middle and silver decorations surrounding it like twigs.》
Edward: "This necklace is your mother's... She will be glad if you wear it ".
Annie:" I will take care of it."
Edward: "Of course... I know you won't disappoint me. Now, I have to fetch some plates and spoons from the pantry. Meanwhile, think of a wish before you blow out the candles."
《My father left me thinking about "what my wish would be for this year" until my thoughts were interrupted by a bell ringing that was hanging above the door... I did not see the faces, but I said, 》
"Sorry, we're about to close."
The reply was, "We did not come for your bread; we came for you."
She froze right in her place and felt goosebumps. Their words were vague and ambiguous. Annie turned and saw them: "Two men in temple uniforms." What did they want from her? Neither Their faces inspired optimism, nor did they seem to be from the temple at all.
《But they were from the Temple. One of them came to me, cupped my face in his hand, and started looking at me for a long time. I slapped his hand away, and he grabbed my arm to drag me to go with them. I withdrew my arm from his grip and showed him a hostile face.》
Annie: "What a shame! ... How can you touch a young lady like that, even though you're both temple men?"
《This time he grabbed my neck firmly and lifted me with one hand; my feet floated in the air, and my breath was stolen from me.》
Her face turned red, and veins appeared on both ends of her forehead and neck. The second man was worried and started urging his partner to stop.
"Stop, you will kill her! The master wants her alive; he will cut off our heads if something bad happens to her."
And here he loosened his fist, and I fell to the ground, Judging by the sound, it was painful.
Edward came out speeding after thinking they were drunk customers. Unfortunately, it was worse. He found Annie stretched on the floor, which made the picture clear. He ran right into her and helped her stand up.
Edward shouted, "What on earth do you think yourselves doing?"
《The man who strangled me approached my father and pointed his sword at his neck.》
The man who strangled me approached my father and pointed his sword at his neck. "We came to collect taxes," he said. "How dare you stand in my temple's face?"
The temple has the power and influence behind people's stupidity and beliefs under the name of religion, so the King could not interfere in their activities because they would start a civil war.
Edward: "The cash box in the closet on the top of the right shelf... take your thing and leave us."."
《His partner rushed to fetch the box while the first one kept holding the sword. I spotted a small knife next to my father that he brought to divide the cake. I stashed it under my sleeve and swooped on the first man, stabbing him deeply where the knife handle appeared. We ran out through the back door, but he quickly grabbed his sword and stabbed my father right in the leg.》
Annie: "What are you?"
《I saw the blood run off without stopping, and my father was tossing, groaning from the pain.》
Edward, hardly speaking due to pain, said, "Annie, run; don't look behind.."
Annie: "I can't leave you behind."
It was a race against time. He pushed her away and yelled at her, "I told you to run."
She nodded and ran to ask for help. Sadly, everyone was at his house; nobody was outside. Until that temple man caught her and brought her back to the bakery.
Edward: "Please don't hurt her... If you want to punish someone, come to me."
《I was handcuffed, held by two men, and muzzled to prevent me from screaming. I kept watching my father plead for me to be me. The first beat my father, causing him to lose consciousness, and the second brought a large empty bag.⟫
At first, she had the thought, "Don't tell me they're going to put me in it."
Trying to stop them, she kept moving and resisting until they hit her with the sword handle.
The first man said, "We'll get a bonus... It's the same appearance that Mr. is looking for. Silky blonde hair, blue eyes sparkling like an azure stone, and clear white skin... "
The second man: "You know, the harder the job is, the greater the reward is."
The first man said, "Of course, I know."
The other responded with a sly smile and stabbed his partner in the heart.
The second man said, "You know the law. Strong always wins; your death will make it easier for me to get double the reward."
A few seconds before he died, his eyeballs almost burst from pain. Afterwards, he was left drowning in his blood with no mercy.