No matter how delicious chickpeas are, they are just food, and they can't be considered a birthday gift to celebrate a birthday at all. Anyway, Isabel Walton, who is not of this era, thinks so. So, of course, in addition to chickpeas, she also wanted to give each other a real birthday present.

Plenty of chickpeas, fresh, that can't be eaten for days, are definitely more important than any kind of gift in the eyes of Michael Hurt, a boy from the Yorkshire countryside. It's not just free food, it's food that the daughter of the lord of the manor gave him!

Now, the daughter of the lord of the manor, whom he respected from the bottom of his heart, even wants to give him a trophy?! Booty? What is it? Michael glared at his mother Dorothy, who was standing on the left, and asked a little stupidly, "Miss, what is the loot?" ”

"Michael, you know when you get your birthday present." Isabel did not answer the boy's question directly.

"Dorothy, when I'm gone, go get some fresh, clean ......," Isabel commanded Michael's mother as she hung her bayonet sword on the left side of the saddle bridge in front of the saddle. Then, after a second glance at the carriages loaded with vegetables, "Take some artichokes, chickpeas, and peas to the kitchen maids, and they know what to do." ”

"Yes, miss." When Dorothy promised to say more, she suddenly remembered that Isabel had just said that she liked chickpeas, and hurriedly swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

When Isabel, who had turned over on her horse, pulled the reins and saw that Yule, the steward of the stables, seemed to have something to say to herself, and glanced at the other party as she turned her horse's head, "Yule, come here." ”

Yule Carter walked forward briskly with joy, reached out and grabbed the cage on the horse's head and looked up at Isabel sitting on the horse's back, "Miss, you said just now that you were going to give Michael the same trophy, did you?" ”

Isabel saw something in his wistful look and glanced at the road outside the stables, "Yule, do you want a trophy too?" For example, a riding horse or a set of harnesses? ”

"Yes, miss. You know, I've always wanted to be one of your guards. However, I only feed and raise horses, so I ......"

"Yule, without your careful care, I would have spent more money on horses." Isabel felt that she had lost a lot of time in the stable, and readily promised, "Well, Yule, I'll come back later today with a riding horse with a full harness for you." ”

Yule was overjoyed and let go of the hand holding the cage and hurriedly bowed to her, "Miss, I appreciate your generosity very much. ”

"Alright, I'm leaving. Remember, ask Dorothy to bring the vegetables I want to the kitchen. Isabel galloped out of the stable.

Everyone present stood still and watched Isabel leave, and then went about their jobs again. Excited, Yule grabbed two large baskets from one carriage, ran to the back of the other carriage, stood in front of several vegetable baskets, and glanced at the housemaid beside him, "Dorothy, come here." ”

"Michael, you go and get two baskets, and pick out some of the food that the young lady wants with me." After Dorothy said something to her eldest son, she walked quickly to Yule's side and picked up French artichokes, and looked at the vegetables in front of her with some curiosity, "Yule, are these foods for horses?" ”

Yule picked up a relatively large head-shaped flower bud, the French artichoke, and nodded while looking at the sepals that were turquoise or lilac on the outside of the bud, "Yes, because Lord and Miss's war horses need better feed to feed, so the farmers in the manor bring some fresh vegetables every time. ”

Dorothy looked at the vegetables they usually ate and thought it seemed a pity to feed the horses. At this time, the eldest son Michael brought two relatively large baskets and handed them to her, and when she filled the baskets with chickpeas, she couldn't help but feel a little emotional, "In the past, even Yoman in the village was reluctant to use this food to feed the horses, but to feed the servants. Now, these delicious foods are being fed to the horses?! ”

"Dorothy, when did you come to work at the manor?" Yule asked rhetorically as he placed the artichoke buds in the basket.

"Well, I remember my family and I came on the feast of the Epiphany."

"Oh, you came in early August, no wonder you don't know some of the rules of Asker Manor. However, Mr. Steward in the manor must have told you. ”

"Alas, there are too many rules, and sometimes I remember this and forget that."

"It's okay, you'll get familiar with it after a few years of work."

Soon, Yule and Dorothy picked out some fresh French artichokes and chickpeas to put in the basket. Then, as she was picking peas, Dorothy recalled Isabel's words and laughed, "Yule, I didn't expect that Miss also loved to eat the food that the farmers eat. ”

Yule also smiled as he grabbed a handful of peas, "Dorothy, there are many things you don't know, Miss, such as archery and swordsmanship. ”

"I know Mademoiselle is very good at archery." Dorothy's mind flashed back to the scene of herself and her family in the Fountain Abbey, and her voice became low.

"Oh, how do you know?" Yule was so focused on loading the peas that he didn't notice the change in Dorothy's face.

Dorothy shook her head, trying to wake herself up from the memories of wandering and begging. Looking at the peas that were about to fill the entire basket, he hurriedly stopped Yule, "Miss told me." Yule, there are too many peas, and Miss can't eat so much. ”

At this time, Isabel led William Parr, Baldwin, Fast and a dozen other Duke's palace guards from horseback to an open meadow outside a large residential area west of Richmond Castle, near the banks of the Swell River.

At this moment, Carl Fox from the village of Quekpat in the county was standing there with a serious face, motionless and watching the dozen or so lord's guards who had come to fight horses. As soon as Baldwin and the others jumped off their horses, they rushed to the young Carl and shouted, "Boy, what kind of identity do you dare to ask His Royal Highness's Privy Counsellor for a duel, don't you want to live?" ”

With a half-sword and a dagger hanging from his waist, Karl looked at these wolf-like guards without fear, "Gentlemen, when my father was killed, Your Excellency agreed to my request. ”

Carl's father was killed during a duel with villager Arthurs and the reason for the duel was known to everyone present. At that time, Baldwin and others thought that Carl would not dare to come to a duel because of Isabel's status and status. Unexpectedly, he really came.