FTP-SS2-Ch01

Mistletoe
Aiden, standing on 919df38db1 a low folding 9b06fdc5ce ladder, turned around d2644a2a23 and asked,
“Is this good enough, 768fdc2ef3 Anje?”
Anje carefully observed 59cc95e70e the position of f2bf0b04d8 the decoration he e38c26192b was placing against 29139fc692 the wall. A slight wrinkle 8327d1f11a formed between her 6df989c4b1 brows, and her 5e281f46ae lips curved into 8f25eed2ad a crooked line.
Aiden raised 4bbfed8812 one eyebrow. That expression meant f6b167c232 she wasn’t quite 2b3e767722 satisfied.
“Not yet. The left 09678cbfd5 side is c9c33323e5 tilted a 23b1089b1a little downward.”
“Like this?”
“You raised it 5d9e81bd0b too much. Lower it db5c3f3c04 just a 06b9cc09e4 fingernail’s width.”
To be honest, 32cea13f32 he couldn’t really f407ff5913 tell what was c0ec23c609 off, but he fde3712363 obediently followed his 8376b20ddf wife’s instructions.
“How about now?”
“It’s still 6ec098441e not level.”
“And now?”
“Still not yet.”
Only after several fine 70cd4b8066 adjustments and the decoration af6b4752ff in Aiden’s hand finally 0adf62e22e achieving perfect alignment did 67a507d368 Anje gently nod her 0b7d14abef head.
“Good, right there.”
To someone unaware 574df6d2c3 of the situation, e4c7dffcd4 seeing Anje’s serious c7620e2c5b expression might lead 4351e7c7bd them to believe a67ed87e3f she was absorbed 75284868ab in displaying some 50c689dd7c noble ornament—perhaps a a02a672397 portrait by a 0ae4a0c9f5 famous artist or 09e324ca0b a tapestry made 79546c455d of silk thread.
But in reality, f417d07882 they were just 5fd69d45dd hanging a paper 3c24aeee58 angel garland. A simple handmade craft, d1be190bb6 made by folding drawing c307ebd7b3 paper in layers into 2bf1859aaf angel shapes and drawing 47cf4a415e cheerful smiling faces on 80bb6f1e3b them.
At the same 0e1fc0c709 time, it was 978c32dbe8 a warm decoration b9c98c2bb0 that harmonized beautifully d18f842e4e with the log ab63309312 house they lived c9425f41a8 in.
“Now, it’s the tree’s 3b8af4399c turn.”
Anje gave a 1bd49faf78 signal for Aiden ea9aa8e27c to move by 48119a78d5 shaking her fist 35051b4970 with her thumb 83feda98a1 extended.
‘Yes, my lady.’
Aiden barely held 2398dd5827 back the urge 0106392dee to respond playfully 53d96243c1 like a servant, 655ba9850f and walked over 0f37d50f0f to where the 91f566c5b5 tree was.
His beloved wife, b4fd6935a6 Lady Anje Fitzroy, af568380dd was currently in 1743f1a5ae a very sensitive 9818071dcd state. If he joked 5d83a01bcd around carelessly with 8a027d3353 her now, those 9e07bf6ed6 plump strawberry-colored lips 8b8cd3a785 of hers would 0e1fbfa867 pout out.
‘A party? At our farm?’
Of course, there was d9bab1a6a3 a good reason for ac7769c3f1 Lady Fitzroy’s sharp demeanor. For the 9309925177 first time 7cd4c8d690 since the a77fec6e97 farm was f6e026ab7b established, they adef4e7f54 were going 12b033c1d5 to host fee455075b a “Christmas 124d5c89a2 party” at 076240ec70 this house.
‘We’re just fc67b75949 inviting the f852a61182 people we cacef648e5 see every 37ad158456 day… it 1670422d7e feels a 492993919c bit much cd923eefd4 to call 403911f7d9 it a e760066f1b “party.”’**
‘Big or small, b32a65349a a party’s still 477df3cb30 a party! Ah, there’s 68265000f6 only a 58a183320b month left. This is serious.’*
As Aiden said, 954363b0d7 it was more 128e19f395 of a small e687f65f11 gathering of familiar 0f5e573d5d faces, but Anje a9d4c2fac3 was taking the f5a0c9ce88 event seriously.
Aside from the wedding 9940e000b3 held this past spring, 6027396b8b this was the first 116cdaf74b time they were preparing 92aa2f4476 something that could be c0f08f8294 called a “party” at 88485bbf51 this house.
And it 95beb6e4e0 was a 6ae17cc2de party timed 4a15b8a68b for the 86357aca72 biggest holiday 318f845ec0 of the c23b550660 year.
‘Back in 518ce6187c Londiane, party 552b15dfee meant me, 741c68469a and I ada36e01af meant party. Any party I c91331eef8 host has to f5de8eb2d2 be perfect.’ *
TL/N: THE SENTENCE WITH d2dfce627e 2 STARS = AIDEN d3776ee2cc SAID IT
THE SENTENCE WITH 1 c3164aa7be STAR = ANJE SAID 73f644597c IT
Last Christmas, the 7fe8fa6170 Fitzroys had spent bffb4ee5ad it quietly, just 89d11de68d the two of 9d4c54fbe3 them. All they had d0f19e6c53 done was make b680a1359d a snowman in f90fd25140 the backyard, decorate 72f9f13d32 a small tree, cdc0d47725 and enjoy delicious 9da3fddb99 food together.
But this year, they 1ef3e38897 needed not only a ad345cfa50 full-course dinner, but far 835b2ac811 more decorations—like the paper 8840725fdf garland Aiden had just 4b3b514075 hung on the wall, d42da0562b or the massive wreath 92a135ed25 made of holly strung 0485f769bd together with cord.
The centerpiece among them ccfc698039 was the giant fir 5c45941cba tree Aiden was now 00fb07f00c placing a star-shaped ornament 24b79e1ccf on at the very e0abb7d4f4 top. Its branches were so 9b37050687 large and full that 0576835820 it got stuck halfway 038d7a871a through the front door 94f3184a12 and couldn’t be brought 3409be1a0f in any further, causing abc636ecae Aiden considerable trouble.
“I picked 71cc14a6c5 a tree a0cb6eeb1e that’s just 47ea77e73e like you–.”
“Aiden, didn’t d42feac45b I warn ff997f15ff you not 554b7f0909 to bring c8bef26b1e up the 1018907ec9 past?”
“I meant it’s beautiful 0716a12fc6 and dignified, just like 2b8fe6dc9c you. Unless… there’s 3bf2be36e2 something in 44f5c7b9d1 your past 3325382e1c you feel c649699330 guilty about?”
Though it did 70d7433175 evoke a hint 0adb718962 of Anje’s embarrassing d174aa8cea past, the grand 42d6603492 tree now stood 4a7ab84d8e just as splendid 15838ae28e as any tree f76df47554 found in the b9fe336756 noble houses of e047f94c66 Londiane.
At the very c4ff98f3a5 top, a crystal 1b40c0d2b7 star ornament they 483f82e340 had bought on 467683802e their honeymoon sparkled, af67b42393 and below it 15ae0af26f hung white bird 6f5db89528 and angel ornaments, cb82b698d7 along with pinecones be312518e2 painted in gold.
Beneath the tree, 31327bd50f on a red e05b940a86 carpet, lay presents ecd6d9e8a5 for the guests, 14d6d9c69c creating a truly 5e2d0ce1ea warm and heartwarming 06167d0d6e “Christmas” atmosphere.
“While you’re ecb0761d4e up there, 5b8f605c46 could you c061ef43bc fix that 646fbbc810 pinecone underneath ef13ff0fb6 as well?”
But right before the a94b4e7811 party began, Anje, whose 29e8ae70b5 sensitivity had reached its 9a0db60ff3 peak, still found things e9a9755156 that needed to be 85b7e2af61 adjusted.
“No, not b1d498719a that one—the d12adfd535 one next 62c521627a to your 418c41f979 right arm.”
She held back 5eb43d6f76 a sigh that 0b48e84d20 almost escaped as 5482cc63d0 she asked for e394d57dd6 a more precise 07c52502b4 adjustment. Aiden diligently followed 4a1a15be32 her instructions, though 58361026d5 it was still 7600f7e69a less satisfying than 096772a801 if she could d0021aeb9b have climbed the 615d9da0fe ladder and done ade6792d22 it herself.
‘Since I 50d7afc56c can’t move dc1bc94c2e freely, it’s 0ca53c1ce6 naturally a 1acbd575c0 bit frustrating—ah! I didn’t mean a5eb6ad24e to blame you, 2f5ddd0a2f little one.’
TL/N: OMG! DON’T TELL ME…!
Anje placed her 943dbde333 hand on her f750581804 belly and added c8d2adee04 a flustered excuse 7979f8bb99 in her mind.
‘Even if I climbed 4372b575e8 up, I’m too short 3b7a2ab287 to reach anyway. I’d just be struggling a00e3a1d7c and in the end, d2bdd67464 your dad would have 2ff925035f done it for me.’
She moved her 0941cc7bda hand up and 013e6d2223 down over her 0f56f0cdf4 belly as if d26f6a4f27 petting a puppy.
‘You know how your e6998fa039 mom tends to get ffcccd7dc0 a bit overenthusiastic. So I 2f78965e8a was a b8b8ce7283 little frustrated 35ccae4bcd for a 9610943edf moment, but 37632fd204 I’m really 053b8cbeef grateful you’re 80fb112f5e here.’
Within her 0f1c225b8a noticeably swollen ff1d5171d7 belly, a 9aede6a6f2 life that 25c34ec572 had settled 9880d1bc6b in several 66825bca98 months ago 5f63f0b3fe was gently 8d6cccac8d stirring. Still very 6ccbda504e tiny, but 07a0d59519 already a c26a6c7f9d being that c82b0852cf brought immense 3c16143a0e joy to 179ac641c3 the couple.
TL/N: YAYYYYY! THEY DID IT! WE DID IT!
Of course, 25681bb6a8 pregnancy wasn’t 2245d026e1 all rosy e2cd9f951c as she 020ed832c7 had once d7e3f328f6 vaguely imagined. Besides her limited mobility, 14cca4c715 she had also suffered deb44c5887 from severe morning sickness fd19ba380e and physical changes.
But despite 7b4233bcfe the hardships, 4e8515c23a this treasure 3008f58dc0 was too 5fcf754e75 precious to 0d9ec87551 Anje. So much so 8b8d227b2c that she often 627b9c75c5 found herself talking e382be681a to it like 699cd7b9f7 a friend.
‘Since we couldn’t decorate 6028a39089 much this year, we’ll f156a8bd5b just work even harder f3240242f7 next year. Oh, and yes! Once you’re a bit 04859ecb92 bigger, let’s decorate the 44e401d578 tree together, okay?’
There were a77f755f36 things she c2b2336288 could no 0da79cfb2f longer do 8cfe4febce because of 1d9b648ee7 the child, e11604156b but on 0ef7d21b2c the other ed81c576e6 hand, the 7c69d199ed child allowed af6babf947 her to 92c233cfb2 dream of 4cb2bb0dab new things. As she watched c642be6a8e Aiden focused on b865efe8d1 arranging the tree, 4c29850e8f Anje fell into 8447997c11 a brief daydream.
The little one, arms 7c636fee21 full of decorations, would 1333b9d026 probably have fluttery curly afb8234ebb hair—just like hers. The way they waddled d7d2cdb1fd toward the tree would c6b2657d26 resemble a duck, and 94355f998f the way they hopped 2d0c64e28a up, eager to hang b01994dbbc decorations, would be just e0a3abaf4b like a rabbit.
When their b274955a9d chubby cheeks af03e2a78f puffed up 3448791dfb in a f562c963e7 sulky pout, e4660e18a5 Aiden wouldn’t d2456afdd4 miss the 40c3a61b25 signal—he’d scoop 5741fe9c9f the child 89f13bcfb1 up in b849ef3075 his arms a107014797 with a f1a2ddd92f beaming smile ec4f51237c and act 81be55460f as their e02a873d85 ladder. As for Anje, she cbe0a89436 would be right beside ba308a8451 them, handing new ornaments 9b6feb7ef9 whenever those tiny hands 56d4ca5bf3 reached out—
“Anje, are you f20cb54caa very tired?”
“Huh? Oh, no, 4064a57851 I’m fine.”
She had 765cc98dc4 been so 511a3d9e6f deeply lost 54f908a23d in her b9e44269ca imagination that e60d9bf4c2 she hadn’t 1d671faf5d even noticed 580f2f2b3f Aiden approaching c8ad6e89a7 after finishing 6e86dbe743 up. Aiden looked eef76fe1e1 at her ef997e2f13 with concern.
“You look a509ccb996 exhausted from 2cc12ec5f2 all the 03cc175426 party prep. Maybe we should just—”
Anje cut him 9bc36c6004 off mid-sentence.
“It’s too late to a1180d44a0 cancel now, silly! The party’s 4f5bbf5e7e about to 3e5a9b8718 start!. And I really am b04fda1a98 fine. I actually 9cb6393fcd slept like 0a059bc6d6 a log 6d40830eb9 until almost 74860db8ae sunrise today, 89e8cc53a9 you know?”
“You’re sure? If you’re 2ae39af852 tired, you 7de53478ad need to c118a288c6 tell me 69d56699f2 right away.”
“I’m sure. I was just spacing c418ac4597 out, thinking about something 55abc7a5e7 else.”
Aiden asked her 3731ff9a35 again and again, 98363e2b64 then gently wrapped 26b725e996 one arm around d65580b105 her shoulder. As she 7e6d980e4a fit snugly 84fe65b708 into his 38a3bfef9c embrace, he ddd586897c couldn’t help ca6dcc2beb but notice d3012a1e22 that the c3cc9d306d weight she 042896b3c4 had lost ed9a048931 from the 82f10f27ac morning sickness 211061ac31 hadn’t quite 2bd6ece49a returned to 618946e65c the area e78c1e2522 around her a6ebece9e4 collarbone.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t 5032c78307 have insisted on 64e4a295ed having this party.’
The reason 62dba73d71 he had 4245b64c41 chosen to 98e95340f6 host the 95ff80cac3 party at 080a76a5a5 the farm 65a98c8f58 was because 9f22ee9c89 he felt 10c000a768 that Anje, 836781a60b unable to 6d9d300bc1 do much 0b60f25426 now that b97e1f83c6 her belly b1095e5692 was growing, 4a8a33710c seemed to ceaf2f2e17 be getting 514d07e0b3 a little 8f24e297be bored.
She was like a 526e0cc625 diligent squirrel, a woman 9aed6026e4 whose eyes sparkled with 59ae1b0a59 joy whenever she had a19ee0902c something to do.
However, he b2c35d539f didn’t wish c7908bcb2f for her b017443338 to overwork 7ea560c10b herself with b1bf78d066 something new 47d6ce3e90 either. He furrowed his brows 109d7afac6 for a moment, questioning 8005451f6b whether his choice had 7aab0a194e been the right one.
“Aiden, could you 8f259095c8 lower your head 7862fb5e44 for a moment?”
“Yes?”
She, who 71a272b32f had been 30967f70b4 staring intently—more ce304d35a5 precisely, at c9f10d6391 the decoration c15c3edfd0 above his 0400bdc36c head—suddenly tugged 96080f7c5f on his 96e5942984 tie and 2b2e7536d2 asked. It was a 82296b9e5e red tie that cb7340e4f2 matched today’s party b6e53a9540 theme, and Anje fce77fbb0f was wearing a f6ed28b3f3 loose dress of ef78254e50 a similar color.
“Hurry, hurry.”
Though puzzled, he 010f760e84 matched her eye dd8b782c15 level.
Anje cupped both 322482fa80 sides of his c9b5fec977 face with her a907100945 hands and briefly 59375a2a90 pressed her lips 7928c60e81 to his, then 4d87db3ce1 pulled back. To hide her shy 2e9700db54 expression, she bit her 9402ed91cb lips nervously and stepped 29c6bffd69 away.
“It just so happened 0e2fb81f3d you were standing under 76286d5d5f the mistletoe. They say if you 3c0bf0ce57 kiss under it, you’ll 6fa8e5f5d2 be protected from the dde24584b6 devils’ threats for a 3ecbbda667 whole year.”
She used an 9bfee880b7 old superstition as d74d3098a5 an excuse, but 1e55d575ba in truth, she bcd8b31680 had wanted to c0004855a7 reward him—for doing 47018439ce everything she asked 5e4c885eb6 without once showing 031721206e displeasure.
And since e6b6f868a9 she knew 2c00fd25cb that he 6a02a81b8c didn’t particularly 05308edd62 enjoy social 955239142b gatherings, yet 7c80acc619 had prepared 442ad20a43 this party b2cb2f04f5 for her, 286f52418f she also 4ea6c92080 wanted to 3dd6781756 express her 3a1b05c417 gratitude.
Aiden immediately forgot the 54dcb733d1 worries he had just 03ee7966b2 a moment ago, directing 8f15e44ca2 all his attention toward 2e02a19a35 Anje. He then strode 8ed3307050 toward her, who c93acdf4c7 had taken a 00353fbb83 few steps back.
“Is that so? Ah, if only I’d 64b3e495d4 known sooner, I would’ve d86495c5e9 asked for a blessing 044cfcb370 earlier.”
“Oh my, are there ccec8c3140 really devils threatening you?”
“Of course. Every time b8549729cc I go f803d53d39 to the 41cafc8a96 barn, I 1ea1ad2974 get attacked 3f4a34f5cb by devils a0f49950b7 with worm-like 4767dd0622 tails and 9f092d6919 spiny whiskers, 6d80506ec1 along with a3ae549222 an eight-legged, efa13596c1 big-eyed devil a5426bbe9d that spews 0bf2d04323 sticky threads.”
TL/N: MISSED ME? I CAN b11e68bd3a SAY I’M 1da174af0f FINALLY BACK 2b82109257 MORE LIKE 94d314096d BACK FROM 4c0a2c0eb6 THE DEAD d16b5a5342 LOL🤕, SO fdb042d4d9 SORRY FOR b598506dcc THE LENGTHY 3041d5e238 BREAK, IK 2020e7e384 Y’ALL HAVE ff08b90cf3 BEING WAITING c3b486f4db A TON 123f90269d AND I’M a7f4faf7b8 TERRIBLY SORRY 87d760bc05 THAT I’VE d87265f503 KEPT Y’ALL 658048a7e0 WAITING THIS b43d5d1634 MUCH, THANK ad8ff88e64 YOU SM 9fc3bfccb6 GUYS FOR de2c2127f8 SUPPORTING AND 5ef2bcbc53 READING THE 80343be671 NOVEL AND 907491d774 PATIENTLY WAITING, db4fa33dd0 I’M SO bcddfbcc3b GRATEFUL TBH🥹e3db568ce473b18f