厨房从后面挺进李婷

Rodrigue Windsor wanted to teach his daughter basic hunting skills.

This year, Maximiliana turned nine years old, and Burton was not quite sure whether the girl should take up such a dangerous occupation so early. Still, handing a crossbow to a child was quite risky.

But the man himself did not see any problem in this.

— It\'s nothing. At her age, I learned to hold a bow a long time ago.

— But still…

— Our family members have never been sissies. It will only do her good. It is better to start gaining experience as early as possible.

The knight who tried to argue with the Marquis about Maxie\'s early training had to put up with it and shut up. After all, his methods of education were strikingly different from those preferred in ordinary noble families.

Maxie, too, was not at all worried when such a heavy thing was handed into her hands. Instead, she began to study with interest the crossbow used by adults.

Maximiliana was the only child of the Marquess of Windsor, the first knight of Oberon, and he had high hopes for her. In order for her to continue their noble dynasty of defenders of the empire in the future, the Marquis has been training her since childhood.

At the age of sixteen, Maxie would have to pass the exam for the Knights Academy, and this was very important. By the present age, she had mastered the basic skills of swordsmanship, and the man began to introduce her to other types of weapons.

In his opinion, hunting was an integral part of any warrior\'s life.

Nine-year-old Maxie did not look at all like her usual peers from aristocratic families. Scarlet hair was roughly cut to the shoulders, dark skin due to constant training in the sun, and a bunch of scratches all over the body. The girl was also significantly distinguished by a black eye patch. Maxie managed to lose her left eye at the very first training session at the age of five.

But Maxie herself was never interested in her own appearance, and did not even worry too much about the lost eye. Instead, she completely immersed herself in her role as the heiress of the Windsor family, and was not distracted by other things.

After studying the crossbow, the girl successfully aimed at a passing rabbit on the first attempt. Then she happily picked up the carcass of the animal and presented it to the marquis.

— Father, I did it! she exclaimed with pride.

— Take your time, — the man said didactically, — In addition to dexterity, you also need caution. Next time, take your time, so as not to scare off the prey.

— Father, I know all this, — the girl answered confidently, — I\'m just a natural talent, that\'s all.

The knight grinned and patted her hair.

«Indeed, my daughter.»

After he made sure that Maxie figured out what to do and how to do it, and also learned safety techniques, he nodded satisfactorily.

— …Well, your first task is to shoot five similar rabbits and bring them to me.

Sir Burton, who was accompanying them, wanted to protest whether this was too difficult a task for a child, but Maxie quickly said:

— Easy! I can handle it in less than an hour.

The Marquis chuckled.

— That\'s great.

After throwing these words, Maxie ran off into the forest, while the knight\'s servant anxiously watched her go.

— Sir, maybe I should follow her…?

— There\'s no need, — the man objected, — I\'ve already taken Maxi here several times. I\'m sure she can handle it herself.

And it turned out to be true. A little more than half an hour has passed since Maxie took on her father\'s errand. During this time, she had already managed to catch four rabbits, and only one remained.

The girl confidently moved alone through the forest, without fear of getting lost. Her father and his subordinate had to wait for her at a designated place. However, the last beast was not there for a long time.

Maxie even thought that she still wouldn\'t make it to the appointed time, but…

She was lucky.

Soon, Maxie heard rustling from behind a nearby tree. It immediately became clear that someone was under it. And, most likely, this is her last coveted prey.

She was delighted and enthusiastically pulled the arrow, slowly approaching the place. Only a couple of steps separated her from completing the task.

Maxie jumped out abruptly, preparing to immediately release an arrow and hit the rabbit on the first attempt, without giving an opportunity to escape. But… just a moment before this action, I froze, because I did not expect the picture I saw at all.

Instead of the rabbit she had hoped for, there was a child sitting under the tree.

A little girl a couple of years younger than her was crying with her face buried in her knees. The first thing that immediately caught my attention was an unusual shade of hair — emerald. Maxie had never seen anything like this before. She was dressed in a beautiful yellow lace dress, which was usually worn by girls of her age.

Maxie did not expect to meet an outsider in the forest on her father\'s territory so much that she was already taken aback. She didn\'t say a word for the first couple of seconds.

While the baby, apparently, heard some noise and raised her tear-stained eyes. They had a rich amber color. As soon as the cute round face turned to her, Maxie was even more confused.

But finally, she found the resolve to ask sharply:

— Who are you? What are you doing here?

But the girl did not answer and only continued to whimper.

— I asked a question!

Whether because of tears, or for some other reason, but it turned out to be extremely difficult to get this poor guy to talk. Soon, Maxie realized that it could be in her appearance. In the end, she really appeared quite abruptly, which could frighten the child even more.

Maxie cleared her throat and hid the crossbow, trying to be friendly.

«I won\'t hurt you,» she assured, «just tell me where you\'re from.»

As soon as Maxie squatted down in front of her and smiled tightly, the baby finally calmed down a little.

«I–I… I don\'t know…»

— What do you mean? «Do you know how you got here?» asked Maxie.

As soon as the girl uttered these two words, she fell silent again. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

«This forest belongs to my father,» said Maxie, «I can\'t let you go until I find out what you\'re doing here.»

The baby faltered.

«I–I… I got lost…» she said timidly.

«Lost?» — Maxie frowned, — Where are your parents?

— I do not know, — she whimpered, — Dad said to wait for him, but I ran away.

— why?

— I saw a rabbit.

— A rabbit?

— It\'s so white and fluffy. I wanted to take him home.

Seeing with what adoration, despite the tear-stained eyes, the girl talked about it, Maxie was embarrassed. She shouldn\'t have known that there were already several such rabbits in her travel bag. And the dead.

— Okay.… Do you remember where your father left you?

The little girl waved her hand uncertainly in the direction from which she came. Maxie immediately guessed that most likely they parted at the edge of the forest. It was the beginning of the forest and not far from here.

Next to a six-year-old child, Maxie felt like an adult, despite the fact that she was only three years older. In this situation, she decided to take responsibility for it.

Let him stay a little longer, but Maxie was ready to come up with an excuse for her father. To begin with, it was necessary to take this girl back.

Maxie sighed and was about to take her hand.

— Come on. I\'ll get you out of here.

But the girl could not get up, painfully crouching.

«Did you hurt your leg?»

«I tripped,» the little girl complained.

Maxie sat down and examined her. It turned out to be true. Taking off her shoe, she found a small bruise on it. Most likely, she twisted it during the fall.

«Be patient,» Maxie warned her, «it\'s going to hurt a little.»

The next moment, Maxie carefully set her leg in place. The girl sobbed.

— Does it still hurt?

She turned her leg and was glad to find that that terrible feeling was gone.

— Not anymore.

Maxie was about to lower her leg when she noticed an unusual birthmark on her ankle. She had never seen anything like this before.

— Do you have a birthmark in the form of a star? — she asked in surprise.

It was a small speck that can only be seen by close contact. But at the same time, it really exactly repeated the shape of the star.

The girl nodded.

Maxie grinned when she finally put her foot down on the ground.

— It looks funny.

Despite the mockery, the baby was not at all embarrassed.

«Dad says I\'m his star,» she said.

— Hmm… I see, — Maxie laughed even more.

At that moment, the girl also noticed her peculiarity.

«Why do you only have one eye?»

If someone else had asked her about it, then Maxie would probably have been very angry. Ever since she got this injury, everyone has been paying attention to it. It annoyed her terribly.

But seeing the innocent face of the child opposite her, Maxie surprisingly felt completely calm.

— It happened, — she said reluctantly, because she found the story too boring to go into details.

It was just an accident during the first training session, when a sparring partner, the same child, accidentally charged her with a sword in the eye.

The little girl cocked her head to the side in bewilderment, which only made her more charming.

Maxie cleared her throat.

— Okay, since you can walk now, then let\'s go.

Quickly changing the subject, Maxie took the girl by the arm, and together they headed for the exit from the forest. After a while she decided to ask:

«What\'s your name?»

— Well… — she scratched her head thoughtfully, — Dad always calls me Lea.

— «Lea»? Maxie asked.

— Yeah.

The little girl nodded, and for a while they continued on their way in silence. In general, Maxie immediately guessed that this child came from a noble family. She was dressed to the nines, and her appearance was too refined for an ordinary commoner.

In another situation, this fact would have disappointed her. To be honest, but deep down, Maxie has always disliked her peers from aristocratic families. It seemed to her that they were all too arrogant and thought only about their own appearance. Such as they will never understand what it\'s like to train for days without rest in order to rightfully earn their title of heiress.

But contrary to her already formed opinion, this girl did not seem spoiled at all to Maxie. Quite the opposite. Before that, she had never met such pure naivety.

It was confusing, but at the same time… unexpectedly touched her heart.

— Dad said that debts should always be paid, — meanwhile, the girl suddenly said.

— what?

«Since you saved me, then… in the future, I will repay you.»

Maxie grinned and even looked at her with interest.

«And in what way?»

— I… — she thought for a while, — I will become your eyes!

Maxie was so surprised that she couldn\'t answer her right away. While the little girl said it quite seriously.

— Just promise that you will definitely find me!

— I–I… — she stammered, — Okay… I promise.

By this time they had already come across an exit from the forest. The girl saw her father\'s carriage from afar and let out a joyful squeak.

«Is that your father?»

— yes! The little girl nodded.

— good. Then go.

Finally, the girl turned around and suddenly kissed her on the cheek. From such an unexpected turn, Maxie was very embarrassed.

— Remember that you promised to find me!

Having thrown it, the girl ran there and threw herself into the arms of her father. The fat man had his back to her, and Maxie couldn\'t see his face.

It was an ordinary carriage without any identification marks, so Maxie didn\'t even know who it belonged to. All that was known about her new acquaintance was the name «Lea» and a birthmark in the form of a star.

But even so, Maxie promised herself that she would definitely find her.

For the first time, unfamiliar warm feelings were born in Maxie\'s soul. She froze in a stupor with a silly smile while the girl and her father got into the carriage and went back.

— Lea… By all means, I will find you.