harleyscars Chapter 130 Chapter 130
Chapter 130 Chapter 130
"Good morning, Lord Glorfindel." Early in the morning, Aragorn ran into the Lord of the Golden Flower on a small road behind the palace. "Are you going to the library again?"
Glorfindel didn't answer, and seemed a little surprised to see him: "I remember you have a rare day off today, Estelle? Why didn't you go to sleep or go out to play, and came to the library so early? "
"As a matter of fact, I am going to see Mademoiselle Antonia," replied Aragorn, and suddenly asked, "Do you like cats, my lord?"
"Not to mention liking it." Glorfindel replied honestly.Not only him, most elves didn't like cats very much at one time.
Aragorn sighed unsurprisingly: "Then do you think Miss Antonia will like it?"
Romimos, she should have a lot of experience with such queer little things, but if she likes them much, that's not necessarily the case.Romemos should like dogs more than cats, but to a limited extent. Generally speaking, she has more enthusiasm for metal clay, wood stones, jewelry and cloth than most living things.
"Why do you ask this?" Glorfindel asked, and he looked at the wooden box in Aragorn's arms again, "What is that?"
Aragorn opened the half-hidden lid of the box, and Glorfindel looked down. Sure enough, there was a little black cat inside, which seemed to be only two or three months old, and it was lying on the pink blanket at the bottom of the box. Sleep soundly.
"I found it in the garden a few days ago." Aragorn explained, "I waited for two days, but no big cat came back. It rained heavily the night before, and I had no choice but to bring them all back." .One of them was already out of order when I went. I'm looking for someone to give away the remaining three. Two of them have been picked. This can only be because it is a pure black coat color and no one wants it. I think Anthony Miss Ya will certainly not be as superstitious as those people, so I plan to ask her if she would like to help."
"I don't want it," said Antonia. "Take it away."
"Think about it again." Aragorn said unwillingly, "Look at how cute it is."
"With all due respect, Your Highness, the most taboo thing to do with cats is to be deceived by their harmless appearance. This is a kind of arrogant, stubborn and unpredictable little devil. Seriously. Once they find out that they are pampered, they will learn how to use the least cost to leverage the greatest interests, such as allowing you to touch their heads when they are in a good mood. It's a gift."
"Ah, but it is hairy, and I do wish it would let me pet its head," said Aragorn.
Antonia turned her head and rolled her eyes, human beings are really doomed.
"Since you like this cat so much, why don't you keep it yourself?"
"I thought so," Aragorn lowered his eyes, "but Denethor said I'd better not do that. He said that although the theory that the black cat is unknown is pure nonsense, since there are such thoughts in the court There are so many people, I shouldn't force the cat to stay regardless of what they think."
"What do you want them to do? You are the master of this palace, can't you even raise a cat?"
"I can't say that, I think Estelle has done a good job." Glorfindel interjected, "Because he is a prince, the heir of Gondor and Arnor, he can't let himself think Come as you come. Being able to restrain your desire and listen to advice is a necessary responsibility and quality for a leader.”
Aragorn forced a dry smile, while Antonia was clearly unimpressed.
"Then I can also say that having a firm will that is not influenced by other people's words is the courage necessary for a king." She said, "Although it is okay to listen to others' words properly, this is to broaden your thinking, not to affect your decision."
"As a teacher, Antonia, it's not very responsible for you to say that." Glorfindel shook his head, "I know that you always do what you want and are not afraid of what others say, but Estel may become the leader of a country in the future. Jun, it is impossible for him not to care about the consequences his decision will bring to others and what evaluation he will bring to himself like you, because even a king needs the support of others to exercise power."
"I understand that the unshakable kingship is the premise of everything," Antonia said, "but there is no need to be so alarmist. Although I know you probably don't like cats, but you really think that just a cat can bring something to Gondor Disaster? I remind you that this is not the time for Tevildo to reign supreme in Angband."
"Of course there's nothing wrong with the cat itself," Glorfindel explained, "but like DeNether said, the problem is how people perceive the cat. Even though it doesn't actually affect anyone, it can cause The uneasiness and discussions that are there actually exist.”
"If someone is disturbed for such a meaningless reason, it should be blamed for their ignorance, not for a sane person to make concessions to accommodate them." Antonia said displeased, "A great monarch should not act on the ignorance of the people." It is the price of maintaining the stability of the kingdom, and they should be given proper education and guidance. Sending cats out of sight can indeed directly avoid suspicion and discussion about this matter in the court, but in my opinion, this is just to save Passive means to go to trouble, even if understandable, do not deserve to be greatly encouraged."
Glorfindel and Aragorn looked at each other.
"Have we discussed this before, Estelle?" Glorfindel said in a helpless tone with a smile, "It's really hard to gain the upper hand in words in front of Antonia, I don't know why she always has so much reason. So what do you think about it, Antonia?"
"Since His Highness wants to keep a cat, let him do it." Antonia said, "Even if someone might gossip at the beginning, can they really lift the roof of the palace because of this? The criticism he may have to face in the future There are still many more, what if the pressure is unbearable. As long as His Royal Highness is willing to personally prove that the black cat is not a bad omen, the rumors will naturally disappear after a long time."
"I dare not say that." Glorfindel said, "Unless nothing unfortunate happens to Estelle for a long period of time, but who can guarantee that? Even if Estelle is safe and sound , if any natural and man-made disasters occur in the royal palace, or even in Gondor, they may be blamed on this kitten by superstitious people, then how can we prove them wrong?"
"The possibility of natural disasters is unlikely. I just observed the sky not long ago. Gondor will be lucky in the next two years, and the climate will be stable. Oh, but the snowfall time in the northeast of Arno next year will be two to three weeks earlier than in previous winters."
"Wait, so is astrology true?" Aragorn was a little confused. "I always thought that using the stars to predict the future is just as superstitious as black cats bring bad luck."
"You don't need to take most of what those astrologers said to you, Estelle." Glorfindel said, "But you'd better take Antonia's words seriously, and don't forget to remind Arathorn when you go back. Winter will start about half a month earlier."
"Of course it is impossible to predict fate by astrology," Antonia said, "but it is still possible to predict the weather, just as most people can predict that it will rain soon based on cloudy days or thunderstorms. It’s just how long it takes and how accurate it is.”
"So...how did you do it?"
"Do you want to learn?" Antonia asked, and after Aragorn nodded in anticipation, she mercilessly attacked, "Don't even think about it, it's impossible with the current wisdom of human beings."
"But aren't you a human too?"
"But that's why I can be called a wise man and most people can't."
"Okay." Aragorn curled his lips uninterestedly, and suddenly looked at Glorfindel with great interest, "My lord, I remember that you were in Rivendell before coming to Gondor? Then you must be with the so-called number one wise man in Middle-earth." Are you familiar with Lord Elrond?"
"Naturally." Glorfindel knew what he wanted to ask, "Even Elrond is definitely not as accurate as Antonia when it comes to predicting the weather alone. But wise men are not omnipotent. I think Antonia There must be many things that are not as good as Elrond."
"Do you think your wisdom is not as good as Lord Elrond of Rivendell, Miss Antonia?" Aragorn didn't think it was a big deal to watch the excitement.
"I don't know him. Since Lord Glorfindel said I'm not as good as I am, then I'm not as good as that." Antonia said smugly.
"It's just not as good in some ways," Glorfindel said.
"But how about a comprehensive comparison? Who do you think is the real number one wise man in Middle-earth?"
"I can see that the rare lack of class makes you feel uncomfortable, Estelle." Glorfindel said with a half smile, but still answered the question, "To be fair, I think Elrond Virtue deserves it.”
Antonia sneered.
"It depends on how you define a wise man." Glorfindel said, "If you want to talk about the breadth of knowledge, I think there is no one in the whole of Middle-earth Antonia. But when it comes to wisdom, I think the most profound Wisdom is nothing more than insight into the heart."
"Well, if you insist on ranking this item so high." Antonia said, "Considering that he is the grandson of Princess Idril, I agree with you that it makes sense."
"Don't lose heart, my dear, I know it's really hard." Glorfindel said, and sarcastically, "I used to believe that at least sincerity and sincerity shouldn't come in exchange for bad results, but now I'm not so sure."
"Oh? It's just not sure?" Antonia pretended to be surprised, "I remember you said many years ago that some people just shouldn't have any hope. By the way, His Highness Aragorn is In order to ask me if I would like to adopt the cat he picked up, is it because you rarely come to the door once?"
To this day, Aragorn still doesn't understand why his two teachers sometimes start holding guns and sticks while they are talking, but he has learned to ignore this subtlety calmly.
"Isn't Lord Glorfindel visiting you often?" he asked.
"He just passed by here on his way to and from the library, we don't know each other well." Antonia was talking, the kettle on the stove boiled, she raised her chin, and Glorfindel found a thick towel consciously He took the pot down.
"With milk and without sugar?"
"Ah."
"How about you, Your Highness? Do you want to add sugar to your tea?" Antonia asked Aragorn again, "Or do you want to drink fruit juice?"
"Tea is fine, just add a teaspoon of sugar." Aragorn responded, and began to think about the meaning of the so-called "uncooked".
Glorfindel poured hot tea into the teapot: "So you agree with that sentence? The hopes I put on are destined to fail?"
"Who knows? People's hearts are unpredictable." Antonia's face was ambiguous in the steam, "But if your hope needs to be guaranteed by someone, I advise you to give up early, because no one can prove yourself Never disappoints, just as no one can prove that black cats will not bring disaster."
"I agree with what Miss Antonia said." Aragorn said, "In my opinion, there are some things that cannot be calculated with reason and controlled by will, such as love, faith and hope. If one day I fall in love with Who, then she must be someone who I would still love even if she doesn't respond to me. Hope is the same, only those who are not afraid of disappointment deserve it."
"It would be great if we could only rely on sensibility and intuition to choose, but sometimes the root of the pain is precisely because we can neither be immune to the influence of emotion nor completely abandon reason." Glorfindel sighed, " Being willing to give trust to someone is already hard to come by, and rebuilding trust after it has collapsed is one of the hardest things in the world—probably as hard as getting people to admit their mistakes and correct them from the bottom of their hearts, and most people resist making changes I dare say, Antonia, that if Estelle had really kept this black cat with him, there would be no need for some natural catastrophe to connect all the bad things to it."
"Wait, so we've been talking about cats?" Aragorn asked.
Antonia tapped on the wall of the teacup, but said nothing.What Glorfindel said is not unreasonable. If there are really many people who firmly believe in the theory that the black cat is unknown, then even if the cat is forced to stay, it may not be able to change their minds. On the contrary, it may accumulate their dissatisfaction This is even more rebellious, because people are more willing to prove that they are right, no matter how ridiculous the evidence they list at first glance, than to reflect on whether they are wrong.
"Ah!" Aragorn sighed, squatting down beside the box, the little guy has already woken up, squinting his eyes and stretching himself in the box, "I'd better ask people who don't live in the palace to see if anyone is willing to adopt it Well, maybe people outside are not as particular about it as those in the palace."
Antonia nodded: "That can't be helped."
"What a pity." Glorfindel said regretfully. "If the people in the palace are willing to take it in, maybe you will have a chance to see it again in the future."
"I have already figured it out. If it is a person in the palace, no matter who adopts this black cat in the end, it will inevitably cause others to look sideways and comment. As a prince, I will be affected in this environment, let alone What about the others?" Aragorn said, and suddenly changed the subject, "Unless, that person doesn't often stay in the center of the palace, and rarely interacts with other people."
Antonia's hand pouring tea paused in mid-air.
"Otherwise, that person is very confident and firm, and is hardly moved by outside rumors." Glorfindel added with a nod.
Antonia took a sip of her tea and remained calm.
"Not only that, but the one who is willing to give charcoal in a timely manner at this time must be the most gentle, kind, beautiful, and compassionate person in Gondor..."
"Oh, that's going to be difficult." Antonia interrupted Aragorn's behavior of wearing a high hat in a neutral manner, "As far as I know, the most important thing in the palace is a hard heart."
Aragorn was choked, and tentatively said pitifully: "I think, although their mouths are not forgiving, their hearts are the best."
"You know I don't like this, Your Highness." Antonia said, but she didn't hide the smile gradually overflowing from her eyes, and she finally let go, "It's not impossible for me to keep this little guy, but the realization It may not be a long-term solution to rely entirely on the ideas and kindness of others. You must give me a reason, Your Highness.
Aragorn slumped.Everyone in the White City does not know that Miss Antonia is the most detached and independent person. If she wants to, she can talk about anything;
Aragorn turned his head slightly and looked at Glorfindel from the corner of his eye. The other party looked ahead and nodded slightly.
Aragorn withdrew his gaze, looked directly at Antonia, and let out a long breath: "I have no reason for you to keep this cat, teacher."
"Oh?" Antonia raised her eyebrows, "So you gave up?"
"I also hope that I can find a suitable reason to persuade you." Aragorn said, "but after thinking about it, I realized that I really have nothing to do with you. You don't like cats, and you don't need cats, that is to say. The cat itself doesn't appeal to you, so how do I convince you to do something you don't want to do? Or what would you want to do for something that isn't good for you? Obviously No material benefit can shake you, otherwise father and mother will be crazy with joy, they have been worried that you will leave Gondor when I become an adult; of course you will not do anything for me because of my status, other People may respect me, flatter me, fear me, or at least expect me to be a qualified crown prince because I am a prince, but here with you, maybe only you, only want me to be myself."
Glorfindel clicked his tongue, and Antonia probably got a hint of "little heartless" from it.
"At this point, the answer to why you would agree to a request that is not good for you is already obvious: because you love me. But I never want to, and never can use your love for me as a bargaining chip to you. request, so I can only say that I have no reason to convince you."
"Advance through retreat, and focus on attacking the heart." Antonia nodded, "Under the circumstances that you are unable to give other conditions that are enough to make people excited, it cannot be denied that this is a good strategy."
"Even if you know everything in your heart, there is no need to say something clearly." Aragorn shrank his neck, "So is this trick useful?"
After 10 minutes, Aragon said goodbye to Antonia and left happily after promising that he would come to help take care of the cat often.
Romemos took out a can of goat's milk from the pantry, poured out a small dish and placed it in front of the kitten who was already hungry and started scratching the box, and then looked straight at Glorfindel: "Estair is gone! Why are you still here? Are you not going to the library today?"
"Let's go now, if you don't leave, some people think that she is the only busy person in the world." Glorfindel retorted.
"Wait." Seeing that Glorfindel's hand was on the doorknob, Romimos stopped him again.Glorfindel stopped in good spirits and heard Romimus question him, "Did you teach him those words just now?"
"You underestimate Estel too much. Although he is still young, he already has a set of tricks to persuade others." Glorfindel said, and after a pause of two seconds, he added, "I just It's just a hint to him."
Romemus glared at him.It's not that she regretted agreeing to Aragorn's request, but the feeling of being calculated by the two together really made her very unhappy.
"But you don't think that what Estaire said just now is pure rhetoric, do you? Don't you still doubt that he loves you deeply?" Even so, Glorfindel took half a step back.
"He loves Antonia, to be precise, but of course I know his feelings for me," said Romemus, still threatening, "but you?"
Glorfindel was stunned: "What am I?"
"You just want to make trouble for me, don't you?"
"If you're talking about trouble, you've caused me more trouble than a cat." Glorfindel clicked his tongue, "But don't think that I'm just like you. I can't bear to let him down as much as you do; secondly, because I know your weird temperament, obviously Estelle makes a request to you very rarely, and it is almost impossible for you to refuse him, but you insist on making things difficult for the child. "
"Hmph, it sounds nice. In the end, the favor is yours, and all the hard work is mine."
"Estair asked me, but you also know the relationship between elves and this kind of animal. It would be easy to talk about dogs or horses, but I really don't know how to raise cats." Glorfindel said Justified himself.
"It's fine if you say you hate cats, but use the excuse that you don't know how to raise cats, as if I know how to raise cats." Romimos said unwillingly.
"Don't you know?" Glorfindel said in surprise, "I thought you spent a lot of time with them in Angband."
"Am I like the kind of person who pets cats when I have nothing to do?" Romemus asked him. "I walked around them when I was in Angband."
"Oh, so..." Glorfindel said awkwardly, "Sorry, I don't know."
"It's okay, you have time to take it away now." Romimos smiled kindly.
"But we didn't discuss it just now. The reason why this cat cannot be adopted by others is not because no one will adopt it, but because the black cat will be regarded as an ominous omen by some people in the palace, causing unnecessary disputes. Even if it is It's impossible for me to shut everyone up." Glorfindel said, "Unless I go and tell Arathorn to ask him to rearrange my residence to a quiet place like yours?"
"Forget it, it's too troublesome." Romemos coughed twice and waved his hands again and again, "Although I don't know much about raising cats, I should still know more than you. And you are willing to move here, but I am not willing Inexplicably many neighbors."
Glorfindel shrugged: "Then only those who can do more work."
They drank tea in silence for a while.
"So, it is absolutely impossible for you to like cats, right?" Romemos asked suddenly. ,
"I seldom say 'absolutely' now." Glorfindel laughed at himself, "Although I really don't have a good impression of cats, but you are right, the era of Tevildor has passed a long time, actually I haven't dealt with this kind of animals much in the world, at least I have to admit that they are really cute."
"In that case." Romimos rolled his eyes, "It's better to count this cat as yours, but it's just fostered by me."
"I don't care." Glorfindel said, "But is it any different from raising it directly?"
"Of course there is a difference. Although there is nothing I can do to keep the cat here, but if it is in your name, then you are embarrassed to let me do everything, and you have to take care of it yourself, right?" Romimos said confidently, "Anyway, you go to the library if you have nothing to do. It's just a way to come to my house to help."
"It's not suitable." Glorfindel said falsely, "We don't know each other well."
"You came to see your cat, not me." Romemos returned the same hypocritical smile.
"I see, that makes sense." Glorfindel nodded seemingly convinced.
"Then it's settled." Romimos also nodded in satisfaction, walked to the gate and opened it.
"Just now you said that you want me to raise 'my' cat for you. Has it been a minute? The eviction order is about to be issued." Glorfindel complained, but walked out obediently.
"Do you know how to raise it?" Romimos sneered, followed him out, and locked the door behind his back.
"You want to go out?" Glorfindel looked into the house through the window, "how is that cat?"
"Fall asleep again, these guys are like this, wishing to sleep twenty hours a day." Romemos muttered, "I'm going to the library to check if there are any books on how to raise cats. Are you on the way?"
"If it doesn't go well, it has to go well." Glorfindel laughed, "It's for our cat after all."