“…… I see. ”

After listening to Annan's relay, Grand Duke Ivan sighed deeply.

His mood was a little complicated, and his right hand holding the scepter tightened slightly.

"Anya ......"

Ivan whispered someone's name.

There was a mixture of emotions in his eyes.

Sadness? Miss? Calm? Open-minded?

Or neither.

Even Annan couldn't read that kind of extremely complex emotion.

It is the eyes that can only be possessed when I have spent most of my life and buried myself in half of the loess.

Just looking at that look can make others unconsciously quiet.

"Are you sad, father?"

Annan couldn't help but ask.

Although this whole thing is not on the part of Ivan...... At first, it was just a tragedy caused by Lily's own clumsiness.

But after all, Anya performed that ritual in search of extraordinary wisdom, to find a way to marry Ivan, and to change Winter, and Lily had an accident because of this.

After all, Ivan Rindon is old.

It is not surprising that older people recall the past with remorse.

It's better to say that it is because Ivan has many successful things in his life, so those failures will be more unforgettable......

Like his two wives.

"Nolan Geraint ......"

Ivan was silent for a long time, whispering the old crow's name.

"What?"

"If you see him again, remember to thank him for me."

Ivan said slowly: "Anya also told me...... I hope that one day, I can see with my own eyes that the winter year will pass and the harvest year will come. She wanted to see a blooming flower, even if it was just a small one.

“…… But I can't fulfill such a simple wish for her. I'm not as good as Nolan. He made Lily happy. ”

"But you're a good archduke."

"I do."

Ivan replied calmly: "But I can't be considered a good husband. ”

When he said this, he glanced deeply at Annan again:

“…… Nor is he a good father. ”

"Not really."

Annan shrugged: "At least you're certainly not a bad father." ”

Grand Duke Ivan is a pure free-range state with no management or restraint on his children.

As can be seen from the copy of Wolf's Kiss, when Annan was very young, he was brought up by his eldest brother Dmitry. Except for the winter hand who takes care of his life, it is basically his older brothers and sisters who are with him.

Only when Annan learned frost swordsmanship, it was taught by the Grand Duke himself.

When Annan had just woken up from the frozen water port, the oil of silence had not yet seeped out...... Therefore, Annan's memories of the past were only temporarily sealed, and not completely lost.

At that time, the first thing Annan remembered was that Ivan was teaching himself frost swordsmanship. It can also be seen from this that the "common memories" of Annan and Ivan are probably also extremely rare.

With Ivan's busy work, I'm afraid Annan won't see him a few times a year.

At that time, Ivan's health was fine, unlike now, when he needs to lie in bed all year round. He must have been running around all over the place...... It should be roughly three times through the door without entering that level.

At least he could get the two brothers, Annan and Dmitry, to call the rotten man to gamble at home, without realizing that something had happened to his cub.

After all, Ivan is the best Grand Duke of the Winter Dynasty.

This is something that all winter people will admit from the bottom of their hearts.

There is no generation of winter that can handle the affairs of winter better than Ivan. At least after the death of his first wife...... Or maybe before that, Ivan had dedicated his entire life to the Duchy of Winter.

It's also normal to neglect your family.

After all, his time is not unlimited.

Of course, Annan said lightly...... After all, this is not his childhood in the strict sense of the word. When he arrived in this world, he already had an adult soul in his body.

And now Annan has completely forgotten the events of his childhood. It can be said that standing and talking does not hurt the back—at least Dmitry and Maria will definitely be affected a lot by this.

At least their childhood will not be very pleasant.

However, they still have a relatively normal mother. Especially Dmitry...... His mother seemed to be a rather gentle person. It can even melt Ivan's ice.

…… Perhaps, part of the reason why Dmitry and Maria have always cared for and loved Annan is because Anya died shortly after Annan was born.

Grand Duke Ivan was busy with government affairs and had no time to take care of the children. So the two siblings volunteered to take care of Annan.

The so-called eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister is like a mother, roughly like this.

…… But I'm afraid that people are more than people.

Compared to the Melvin family's style of simply treating their heirs as tools, the Winter family's side is already considered good, and it can't be better.

"However, although Lily is doing well with Noah...... But it's better to talk to Rasputin. ”

Ivan coughed lightly.

He lifted his right hand, thin enough to faintly see the shape of a bone, and handed Annan a hard, greeting card or business card.

Annan handed it over, and gently pinched it with his hand—and found that there was a thin piece of metal sandwiched between the thick paper.

And there is an address and a name written on it.

Vasika Rasputin...... Are you going to see him tomorrow? ”

"He's Anya and Lily's cousin...... Or cousin. Also the patriarch of this generation of Rasputin. You can call him aunt or uncle. ”

“…… What do you mean? ”

Annan was a little confused.

Is this man male or female?

"Rasputin is a keeper of secrecy, and naturally has many taboo rituals...... Vasika performed a special ritual to merge herself with a female cat. As a result, he will constantly change his gender and physical characteristics according to the phases of the moon. ”

Ivan glanced at the copper calendar plate on the wall: "Now Vasika should be a woman...... There may be some characteristics of a cat. When you see it, remember not to be afraid, not to be rude. ”

…… Cat lady, I'm afraid of a hammer.

Annan thought from the bottom of his heart.

“…… However, the frequency with which Rasputin's people perform taboo rituals ...... Isn't it too high? ”

Annan couldn't help but ask.

So far, it seems that Rasputin has performed forbidden rituals in all the Rasputins he has heard.

Ivan shook his head: "For Rasputin, this is a normal situation - the surname Rasputin came from this in the first place. ”

The eldest duke said slowly: "In the language of frost, the word 'Rasputin' is usually used to describe a person's misconduct...... It's not a good word. ”

Not to mention what a good word...... Ivan spoke too tactfully.

It is a word that is covered by an asterisk when typed, and it can be insulting to a person's character.

“…… But why did Rasputin use the word as a surname? ”

"It's called the 'Bad Name Ceremony.'"

Ivan replied: "Their purpose is to make others unconsciously insult themselves. In this way, it is easy to get a common influence 'three words of swearing', which needs to be 'insulted from the heart' by three different people in one day.

This is also the reason why some of the ritualists who have fallen into darkness in the story will use cruel methods to do evil everywhere and leave their names...... They are deliberately collecting insults, curses, and hatred. These can also be an impact if they are condensed to a certain extent.

"It causes the weak villains to fall into nightmares and die...... But it also strengthens the power of the truly wicked. ”

To put it simply, it's just looking for scolding.

Annan thought to himself.

And this effect is a common influence that is necessary for many taboo rituals, as well as rituals that curse others. Rasputin is a very traditional family of ritual masters, and they have multiple pools of influence...... And his own name, naturally, is also one of the influences.

"So they used the 'bad name ritual' to replace their family name with this old slur. Although there are very few people who understand the language of frost, as long as they pronounce this surname, it can be regarded as a 'heartfelt insult'.

"In addition to the name, they also participate in large events such as festivals, funerals, weddings, etc., in order to gather as much influence as they can.

"Almost all of these effects are used for rituals before they expire. As a result, every Rasputin performs at least one forbidden ritual. More or less, they will be different from ordinary people. Although they are all weirdos and act strangely...... But when you succeed as Grand Duke of Winter, Rasputin will be your best friend. ”

Ivan reached out and patted his tricolor scepter, and said meaningfully, "Because they always need Winter's help."

"Remember this sentence. I can't tell you too much just yet...... But you remember, in tomorrow's communication with Patriarch Vasika, don't be bluffed by him.

You are the one who takes the initiative. It is the absolute initiative. ”