Eagle’s Glory

June 1, 1835

On this day, the outskirts of Vienna are welcoming one of the most vibrant days of the year.

Early in the morning, a scent of earthy fragrance echoed among the trees with the breeze. Fresh air is like a medicine that can refresh and moisten the lungs. It rained last night. The cool rain drove away the sweltering summer heat and brought a refreshing feeling to this morning. The air was filled with the fresh fragrance of grass, and the sky after the rain was as blue and bright as a jewel.

The sun is rising from the distant mountain peaks, and the golden morning light scorched half of the sky, sending ordinary and brilliant blessings to the earth.

Just as the sun was rising, Crystal, who was lying on the small bed, slowly opened her sleepy eyes.

This child, who is not yet 8 years old, is as sleepy as almost all her peers, but this kind of extravagant happiness did not come to her. Her blurred vision slowly focused, and then she saw a girl in a maid costume in front of the bed. figure.

"Miss, you are awake, breakfast is ready, please get up."

Although her tone was very respectful, Crystal knew that this was actually an order.

Crystal immediately closed her eyes in disgust, and then tightly grasped the quilt to express her dissatisfaction and protest.

However, the maid immediately stepped forward, ignoring her struggle, forcibly tore her hand away from the quilt, and carried Kristel off the bed,

Then, she took off Crystal's pajamas and changed her into a beautiful dress.

In all fairness, this maid is not ugly, but she always has a cold and serious expression, and she has always treated her harshly, so that she hates her very much, and from time to time she will deliberately provoke her. anger each other.

Crystal is still a child, she doesn't know how to evaluate a person's good or bad, she can only judge with a child's instinct - so she hates this guy who always asks her to do this or that, and she is not allowed to play administrator.

However, every protest and defiance of her will be crushed as easily as it is today. It was so in the past and it is still today.

In this way, Krystel started her new day sullenly.

After changing into her skirt, Crystal washed up under the supervision of the maid, and then combed her hair.

in the mirror,

This child has a slender figure, skin as white as snow, blue eyes as clear as lake water, and long silver hair, he looks like an elf who has traveled to the world.

It's a pity that Christel doesn't know whether she is beautiful or not, because she has no peers to compare her to.

Next, she finished her breakfast, which meant the arrival of her busiest time of day.

She is only 7 years old, and she has been assigned a lot of homework a few years ago, and as she grows older, there are more and more homework.

She has to study German, French and Latin, as well as vocal music and dance, and has even started to touch history classes. Such heavy homework makes her time schedule full, and there is almost no room for breathing—of course, Kristel She doesn't know how her peers live, so she can't make comparisons.

Since she could remember, Krystel had been living this kind of life, spending every day in this kind of study, and she was able to rest and have very little time to play until the evening.

Even during this playing time, she can only move in a very limited space. The maids in the manor are watching her every move and strictly restricting her running range. Once she approaches the fence outside the manor, They will forcibly drag her away and bring her back.

So, in her mind, these fences are the boundaries that separate her world from another world, which cannot be crossed, and even touching them will bring disaster.

It's time for grammar class.

Kristel hated grammar class the most, because the teacher's bearded face was uglier than that of a maid, and he was getting older, his lifeless voice, and respectful deliberate distance made Ke Listel was deeply bored, but no matter how bored she was, she could only listen obediently and muster her energy to deal with the teacher's questions, because if her answer dissatisfied the teacher, the maid would punish her.

Two hours later, Kristel managed to get through her grammar class.

Vocal lessons are next, and she will have a short break.

For entertainment, Christel picked up an unfinished fairy tale book on the shelf, and read it from the bookmark.

Since learning to read, Crystal has read a lot of fairy tale books, and now she is reading the story of Sleeping Beauty.

She was very envious of the princess who was awakened by the prince, not because of the love she didn't understand, but because the prince took the princess away from the castle tightly surrounded by thorns, so that she could live freely outside.

Sometimes she wonders if she is also a princess, that's why she is treated like this?

Yet even she would find the idea ridiculous.

Time passed quietly, and the rest time of Christel was about to end, and the maid walked into the room slowly.

"It's time, miss." She urged Crystal calmly.

Christel, who was interrupted from reading, glared at the other party angrily, but put down the fairy tale book helplessly.

"You are as annoying as a witch." She scolded the maid in a coquettish voice.

"Then you are as cute as a princess." The maid did not get angry at the child, but calmly put away the book and put a bookmark on it. "Okay, miss, let's go, don't keep the teacher waiting for a long time."

"Then can I really become a princess?" Crystal asked in a low voice, as if she hadn't fully come out of the atmosphere of the fairy tale book.

The maid's expression instantly became weird, like a wry smile, and like pity.

Christel couldn't understand such complicated and wonderful eyes, she just stood there blankly, looking at the maid suspiciously, she didn't know if she had made a mistake again and angered this terrible lord.

However, the maid did not scold her harshly, but bent down gently, put her hands under Crystal's armpits, and gently hugged her.

Then, Crystal was shocked to find that the distance between her face and the maid's face was getting closer and closer, and the maid's hand didn't stop until the two could face each other.

"Yes, Miss is the cutest princess." Then, the maid said seriously to Kristel in an unquestionable tone. "And always will be."

The sudden compliment made Kristel instantly fall into surprise, but her surprise didn't last long, and the maid's face instantly returned to her usual seriousness.

"However, because of this, the lady should be more strict with herself, and work hard to learn the knowledge and etiquette that she needs, so that she can be worthy of the glory of the princess."

Crystal couldn't understand the glory the other party said, but she knew that it meant that she would continue to be strictly controlled by the maid in her life, and she would only have a little time to play freely every day—even this kind of play would have a maid Watch over.

The child's heart was suddenly filled with anger.

"If I really become a princess, I will definitely let the guards arrest you and take you away!" She pouted angrily, then subconsciously looked around, as if some guards would really appear.

Instead of frightening the maid, her threats made the maid laugh out loud.

"Maybe there will be that day. I will wait quietly, miss."

After finishing speaking, she gently put Crystal down.

And just as the two of them were about to leave the room, a horse neighed outside the window.

Christel's original angry expression was suddenly replaced by ecstasy. She rushed to the window quickly, then stood on tiptoe and looked downstairs.

In Crystal's memory, the sound in the manor only meant one thing—the mother's arrival.

Sure enough, under her gaze, a noble lady came down from the carriage. She was wearing a plain skirt and a wide-brimmed hat on her head. She couldn't see the specific face clearly, only a hair was exposed under the hat. bun.

But for Crystal, that was enough.

"Mom!" she yelled from the window, then hurried out of the room and down the stairs.

Of course, the maid didn't stop the girl's actions, but just followed behind quietly, looking at her back with pity.

Soon, Crystal rushed downstairs and hugged her mother tightly.

"Mother!"

"Kelly..." The lady was equally excited, bent down, and hugged her daughter tightly.

"Mom, I miss you so much..." Kristel closed her eyes happily, and then kept rubbing in her mother's arms to feel her breath, and her mother gently stroked her Face and back, enjoying the tender time between mother and daughter.

As far back as I can remember, Crystal's mother only came to visit her about once a month, and she was in a hurry every time, staying only for a day or two at most.

But this not only did not wear down the relationship between mother and daughter, but made Christel get closer to her mother. Every time her mother came over, it was her happiest time. She poured out everything she had encountered recently.

After embracing for a long time, the lady finally put down her daughter, and then she looked at Crystal carefully.

"My daughter, you are getting more and more beautiful."

Being praised by her mother, Krystel was so overjoyed that she almost narrowed her eyes when she laughed.

But my mother quickly changed the subject, "But it's not enough just to have looks, you also have to have due talents. How are you doing in class recently?"

Before she could answer, the maid behind her quietly spoke.

"Miss's academic performance is very good. The teachers praise her for being smart, but sometimes she will be tired of studying and resist learning. We have to use strong methods to urge her. Other than that, everything is very good, hall... lady."

"As expected of our daughter... She is so smart." After hearing the first half of the sentence, the lady smiled gratifiedly, and then she excused her daughter, "After all, she is still a child, it is normal to be playful, and I am just like her. I was even more tired of studying than her when I was a child."

The maid did not refute Madam's words, but just lowered her head.

After a moment, she sighed softly. "Miss is still too short of playmates, so sometimes very lonely"

After hearing the other party's words, Madam's expression suddenly showed a trace of sadness.

"You've done a great job so far, thank you..."

Then, she patted Christel's head lightly. "Kelly, you must be obedient and don't embarrass the people who take care of you, okay?"

Crystal could only nod obediently.

"Okay, you go back to class, and mom will accompany you at night." Madam nodded.

The maid immediately stepped forward, and Crystal obediently followed behind the maid, and the two walked back to the mansion together.

Although she was reluctant to part with her, she knew that this was what her mother wanted her to do, so she must do her best.

In the following vocal music and dance lessons, she was full of motivation in her studies, and she played and danced meticulously in accordance with the teacher's guidance, because she knew that her mother was waiting for her in the room.

Time passed quickly, and Kristel finished her heavy schoolwork during the day and came to the dining room. After the mother and daughter had dinner together, they went to the mother's bedroom together.

When her mother was staying, she did not have to sleep in her own bedroom, but stayed in her mother's room to sleep with her mother. This was the happiest time for her. Every time she struggled against sleepiness, she insisted on staying up I didn't go to sleep until early in the morning, and I didn't want to waste this rare time.

"...One day, the prince in the city held a ball and invited all the girls in the city to attend, but the stepmother and two sisters refused to let Cinderella attend, and kept asking Cinderella to do things. Cinderella also wanted to attend the prince very much. Cinderella cried sadly because her clothes were so dirty, how could she attend the prince's ball.

At this time, a fairy appeared and helped her conjure up a very beautiful new dress. She also turned the mouse into a groom and the pumpkin into a carriage. After thanking the fairy, Cinderella ran to the palace excitedly. The fairy reminded her before she set off that she should not stay until twelve o'clock in the middle of the night. After twelve o'clock, the magic will be automatically dispelled. Cinderella happily agreed..."

Beside the bed, the mother read the fairy tale of Cinderella to her daughter in a gentle tone.

Crystal quietly listened to her mother's voice.

"Mum, does that fairy have a name?" she asked.

"Her name is Cinderella." Mother replied calmly.

"Does it really exist?" she asked again.

"Of course it exists." The mother's eyes flickered, as if recalling something, "Even your mother was called that before..."

Crystal looked at her mother in shock, as if trying to find a magic wand from her.

"Oh, don't look, I don't have a wand and I can't do magic..." Mother smiled wryly, "After all, it was just a joke."

Although her mother was smiling, Kristel instinctively felt a trace of sadness in it, but she blinked her eyes and dared not speak for a while.

The mother and daughter sat side by side on the bed, letting time pass slowly.

After an unknown amount of time, my mother finally spoke.

"Colly, I have good news for you."

"What good news?" Crystal asked.

"In a short time, you should be able to see your father."

"Father..." Crystal said the word stiffly, and it took a few seconds to understand the meaning of the word in her mind.

This word is so strange in her life, even though she knows it exists, it has never been mentioned to her, let alone told her that she can see her father.

"Is... is it Dad?" She asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes, it's your father." Tears flashed in the mother's eyes, and she nodded heavily.

"Daddy..." Crystal repeated the word again, as if chewing.

It stands to reason that she should be extremely excited, but at this moment she only feels blank.

"Dad, what kind of person is it?" She asked in a low voice.

"Your father is an excellent man, a man who can make your mother fall in love with him, he is a hero..." Mother replied with tears.

"Then why doesn't he come to see me?" Crystal asked again.

Although she was just asking ordinary questions, the mother frowned and managed to hold back the pain in her heart.

She stroked her daughter's cheek, and then let out a sigh, "Sorry, he has too many things to do... and there are too many obstacles in his way, he has always wanted to see you, but he has never had time .”

Crystal blinked her eyes, she didn't quite understand what her mother meant.

"Don't worry, my child, just wait patiently for a while, and you will be by Dad's side soon." The mother continued to stroke her cheek, and then said in a trembling voice, "I am very glad that our daughter is so good You are beautiful, and I can give him such an excellent and beautiful you, and I can have a clear conscience."

"Are you coming with me to Dad's too?" Kristel asked.

Mother frowned even more, and she finally shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, I can't do it for now." As if she was reluctant to let her daughter leave, she suddenly hugged Christel again, and then continued to speak in a crying voice.

"Kelly, you are the greatest pride of my life and the witness of my best memories...Kelly, I'm sorry for letting you live like this, please forgive me...I love you."

Kristel gently reached out her hand and wiped away the tears from the corners of her mother's eyes.

"I love you too, Mom. I'm not going, I want to be here with you."

"No, you can't! Don't talk stupidly, child." The mother interrupted her, and then tried to calm herself down. "You must have a status that suits you, Corrie. This is not for you."

Because of her mother's unusual sternness, Crystal was afraid to speak.

Seeing her daughter's fearful look, the mother softened again.

"Be patient, my daughter, we will be reunited." She hugged her daughter tightly again.

In her mother's warm embrace, Crystal closed her eyes.

In her young mind, she didn't know what "waiting patiently" was, but she knew that it was her mother's request.

So she has to do it.

"Okay, Mom."

The mother and daughter hugged each other like this, and after a long time, Christel raised her head from her mother's embrace.

At this time, the little face looked up at the stars all over the sky outside the window.

What would a father who had never met be like?

will he love me

Christel couldn't find the answer, but that was all she had to get, for herself and for her mother.