Flowers, Swords and France

Just one day later, the farmland returned to its usual silence. .The spring sunshine has washed away all the hustle and bustle of the world, leaving only the chirping of birds and insects in the fields, and no trace of the previous fierce battle remains.

But soon, the afternoon silence was broken again, and several carriages, driven by their charioteers, all rushed towards their destination. The country roads are a bit bumpy, but fortunately, the cabin is not particularly bumpy because the cabin is carefully crafted and the shock absorption measures are very good.

In a particularly luxurious carriage in the middle, a young man and woman were sitting.

"Charle, why do you need to give those thieves severance pay and settlement allowance? What a waste of money..." Charlotte, who was leaning next to Charles, asked Charles somewhat displeasedly.

Because the further they can go, the deeper the fear of the nobles' counterattack will spread around them. Word of mouth among illiterate peasants these days is more effective than any newspaper or leaflet - of course Charles will not answer like this of.

"Anyway, we have achieved our goal, so let them leave in a dignified manner..." Ciel looked at the scenery outside the window and replied softly, "Since we have defeated them, why not show the compassion of the Treville family? Besides, it only cost me a little money, not a big amount, and it didn’t cost you any money.”

"Your money is my money!" Charlotte glared at Charles.

"At least not yet." Ciel replied calmly.

"I don't know when you joined the church and became a member of the Jesuits?" Charlotte seemed to be irritated by Charles's attitude. Charlotte smiled sarcastically, "Isn't it our family who brought them to the church?" Drive them all away? Even if you give them some severance pay, will they thank us? Besides, we killed many of them..."

[In French, jesuite is now synonymous with hypocrite. Charlotte is deliberately mocking Ciel for his hypocrisy with a pun. 】

After hearing these words, Ciel retracted his gaze, and then lowered his gaze.

"I don't expect any thanks! I don't need any thanks. Of course I know what a bad person I am!" He replied in a deep voice, his tone full of a strange conceit, "But even if I do bad things, I still You have to do it with style! What's the point of doing such a boring thing? Let me tell you, even if it's to steal money from others, I don't want to take it out of people's pockets one coin at a time. Just grab the gold Louis from them!”

After hearing what he said, Charlotte couldn't laugh or cry for a moment.

"Okay, okay... you have always had so many lies since you were a child..."

Then, she leaned on Ciel's shoulder. "Forget it, it's all over, the money has been spent, what's there to say... Charles, do I look good today? Will I make that lady laugh later...?"

"Of course, it's very beautiful." Charles immediately complimented him cleverly, "I dare say that after seeing you, that lady will be glad that her youth has long passed and she doesn't need to be compared with you... …”

"You are getting better and better at praising others!" Charlotte frowned slightly, unable to hide the joy between her brows. In this way, both of them tacitly moved away from the unpleasant topic just now without leaving any trace.

Of course, Ciel wasn't just complimenting him unprincipledly. Today, Charlotte has changed out of yesterday's hunting attire and put on a gray-blue thick satin skirt embroidered with patterns. She also wears a diamond pendant around her neck, looking like a social occasion.

In fact, they are indeed engaging in social activities - aren't the so-called nobles a group that cannot avoid social activities even if they hide in the deepest remote areas of the country?

It would indeed be very impolite for members of the Treville family not to pay a visit to the local nobles when they inspect their estate. Therefore, after completing the scheduled clearing work, and with the permission of the lady, they set off together today to visit - for safety reasons, they also brought many people with them.

Madame Prince de Cadillan, this lady who used to be famous among Parisian high society but now lives in seclusion in the countryside and has long been forgotten by the world, is the target of their visit.

The Princess of Khadiyan had a noble surname, one of those surnames that people always respected. Moreover, it is said that when she was young - which happened to be the heyday of the Restoration Dynasty thirty years ago - she was very beautiful and had many romantic affairs. She was almost one of the most popular ladies at that time.

"That's right..." Charlotte seemed to be moved by Ciel's relief. Charlotte looked out the window and whispered softly, "She has been here for so long, she is already a foreigner... I am wearing the most fashionable styles recently, and this lady who is already out of date will probably be dazzled by it!"

Although she had great respect for the prince's wife's bloodline and family status, Charlotte still couldn't help but look down upon the prince's wife with the unique arrogance of Parisians - even though she was once a influential figure in Parisian social circles.

"We can't say anything in front of her." Charles reminded her in a low voice.

"Of course I know!"

While Charles and Charlotte were still talking about the princess who had lived in seclusion in the manor for many years, the carriage slowed down. Obviously, they were about to reach their destination.

The carriage took them to a small country house.

After receiving the servant's message, the two visitors were quickly brought in, so they had the opportunity to see the princess's residence with their own eyes.

The mansion was not big and very quiet. The trees around it surrounded it and blocked the noise around. Although there were some weeds in the corners and under the steps, it was still very tidy as a whole, and there was no debris. Obviously, this country house was still in a situation of being carefully cared for.

In the era when she was in the limelight of the Restoration Dynasty, she had to have a few servants to serve her in her luxurious mansion. Not only did she have a luxurious reception room that was famous throughout Paris, but she also had the most beautiful small suite, where she often held the most luxurious receptions.

Now, she lives only in this small villa, living frugally like all the noble ladies who are tired of the upper class society and no longer have time to enjoy its fun, and she has only two or three servants and two maids to serve her. Since arriving in this secluded place, it is said that she has neither attended any parties or gatherings, nor participated in festivals-which are the favorite things of noble women. Obviously, the princess has lived a real secluded life in the past ten years. After Louis Philippe came to power, many such nobles chose to bid farewell to the central stage and came to the countryside to live in seclusion, and the princess was just one of them.

They soon came to the reception room of the mansion.

In this reception room, the princess received them with a reserved, friendly but graceful demeanor.

After Charles and Charlotte saluted, Princess Cardin, who was sitting upright, smiled and nodded, and then motioned the two young people to sit down.

"Young man, please sit down! It's been a long time since anyone came to my place. I almost forgot how to entertain guests!"

On her slightly pale face, although her eyebrows were still thin, there were already several traces of time on her forehead. A few strands of curly hair, mixed with light yellow and gray, were carefully combed and hung on both sides. She wore black silk gloves on her hands, which seemed to be the last remnant of the old charm.

The original text is available at Liu # 9 @Shu/Bar!

Although the princess's original beauty had gradually faded after she was over fifty years old, her smile still retained the humor of the old times.

As soon as the two young men sat down and exchanged a few polite words, the princess smiled and asked the two people.

"Is your grandfather doing well recently? I haven't seen the Duke of Treville for almost 20 years... As my father's friend, he helped us a lot!"

"Yes, thank you for your concern. He is doing well now." Charlotte immediately replied to the princess, "I will convey my regards to him for you. As for him..."

She stretched out her hand and pointed at Charles, "Although his last name is also Treville, he is not my brother, but my cousin..."

After hearing her words, the princess looked at Charles in surprise.

"Are you the grandson of the Marquis of Treville?"

"Yes." Charles nodded quickly.

"I'm so glad you still remember this..." Charlotte smiled at the princess, "I thought you'd forgotten the people there after being here for so long!"

Charlotte's attitude towards the princess's wife was very respectful, but also had a kind of subtle challenge that was unique to women, as if she was saying, "Your time is over, now it's our time!"

"Child, not only the Treville family, I know all the marriages of princes and noble families in Europe." The princess replied softly with a calm and gentle smile.

Although her tone was plain, it was soft and elegant, and the arrogance in it was naturally evident. Charlotte's hidden sarcasm became invisible.

"I heard about what happened yesterday. It's all over here..." Suddenly, the princess changed the subject, "You've driven those people away now, right? Well done. Fortunately, I don't have similar troubles here, otherwise I would really like to follow the example of the Treville family..."

Charles and Charlotte looked at each other, not quite understanding her intention of suddenly bringing up this matter.

Then, the princess looked at Charles, who was sitting there without saying a word, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Mr. Treville, is your father okay now?" (To be continued.)