Flowers, Swords and France

While Charles was still quarreling nervously with the big banker in the baron's study, his sister had already arrived at the ball, led by the baron's daughter.

The splendid large living room soon made Fran marvel again.

Under the bright lights, there are gorgeous utensils and elegant clothes everywhere, beautifully dressed young people, ladies wearing jewelry, soldiers covered with cross medals, foreign envoys wearing colorful suspenders, Everything filled it, making the hall extremely noisy. And amidst the noise, the band's soft and soothing music swirled throughout the hall, making everything dazzling. The upper class seemed to want to use this method to declare that they had recovered from the disaster of several months and regained the superior status they once had.

This magnificent scene made this young girl who was still new to the world unable to recover for a moment.

"Miss Treville, what seems to be on your mind?" Laura next to her noticed that Fran seemed to be in a trance, so she asked in a low voice.

"Ah, I'm sorry..." Fran smiled sheepishly, "I have experienced too few social situations, so I was frightened by the scene at home all of a sudden. It's really amazing!"

"Have you not been to the palace before?" Laura was a little surprised.

"But the pomp there is not as big as here..." Fran answered with her eyes wide open, "And there are not so many people..."

This inadvertent compliment from the girl made Laura laugh a little.

"Of course. Not everyone can be invited by the Wang family, but we can invite anyone."

After saying that, she reached out to a table next to her. Get ready for those champagnes from there.

"Oh, I forgot, you can't drink alcohol..." When she just touched the cup, she seemed to have thought of something, so she only got a glass of wine for herself, and then handed Fran a glass of juice. "Here, have a drink."

Fran happily took the cup from her hand. Then he took a sip. "Thank you. I've been here for so long and I'm really thirsty."

While the two of them were having a conversation. A large group of young people gathered around.

What made Fran a little sad and depressed was that the crowd was mainly paying attention to Laura next to her. Only a few people noticed Fran, and even if they talked to her, they didn't say a few words - no matter how indifferent a girl was. It's impossible not to want to be a star in the spotlight.

And Laura's reaction made Fran even more depressed - Laura was in such a situation where the stars were shining over each other. But she didn't seem to have any expression of happiness. She dealt with these young people coldly. Although she was polite, it was enough to make this group of people want to retreat. Soon these young people retreated, as if they were looking for new targets. Went.

After they left, Laura took another sip of champagne slowly.

"You don't seem happy?" She suddenly looked at Fran, with a hint of joking in her tone.

"Oh, no." Fran quickly shook her head in denial. He took another sip of juice to cover himself up.

"Actually, you don't have to worry about your own charm. They come to court me. It's just because I am the only daughter of Baron de Beauvin, not because I am more beautiful." Laura ignored Fran's denial and continued, "Of course they won't be attentive to me in front of me. They are afraid that I will be jealous. But, look..." There was suddenly a hint of joking in her tone, "They already take it to heart..."

Fran quickly followed her gaze to the opposite side and found that the young people just now were whispering something, and from time to time they glanced at her side. Her face suddenly turned red and she quickly looked away.

"Am I right?" Laura's tone was as cold as before, but it seemed a little more narrow-minded, "They are all wondering whose beautiful lady this is, Miss Treville, use me as a foil tonight. , made a stunning appearance..."

Fran's face became even more embarrassed, and she quickly changed the topic.

"You seem to know them very well?"

"Well," Laura nodded, "They are all my brother's friends, a group of libertines, guys who spend money and have fun with my brother. If you want to find yourself a dance partner tonight, it's best not to consider them. We have other, much better candidates..."

This man is really harsh and cold. After hearing her words, Fran couldn't help but sigh secretly in her heart.

"Look, my brother is here!" Laura suddenly shouted.

The only son of Baron Beauvain, Maurice de Beauvain, also came. The group of young people just now burst into a small cheer, and immediately gathered around him and talked and laughed loudly.

"Look, these parasites are surrounding my brother, and where is my brother? He likes the feeling of being surrounded by this group of people. It makes him feel important." Laura stared at the group of people in front of her. The young man's tone became more and more harsh, "But who made him the only son of Baron de Beauvain? There is no way, he should have all this when he was born..."

Fran was slightly surprised. She had grown up admiring her brother. It was hard for her to imagine that a girl would treat her brother like this. However, this was a family matter after all, and she didn't want to say anything more.

"If he comes over later, you can't talk to him like this." Fran calmed down the atmosphere and said with a smile.

"He won't come over. He doesn't like talking to me. We rarely talk now." Laura shook her head gently, then drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, and then took another glass of wine from the side.

You're always like this, so it's normal for others not to like talking to you... Fran said something in her heart, but of course it was only in her heart.

"By the way," after a moment of silence, Laura seemed to suddenly think of something, "That sounds interesting. Maybe we can become relatives because of Morris."

"Huh? Relatives? What do you mean?" Fran was a little confused by her words.

"The Duke of Treville. If I remember correctly, he seems to be a brother to your grandfather, right? Then his family is naturally related to you, too?"

When she heard about this family, Fran's eyes suddenly flashed with a hint of ecstasy. But he soon returned to normal, "Well, yes, of course their family is our relative, but we have not had much contact with each other for so many years, so we are not very friendly."

"That's right." Laura nodded slightly, "My brother. He is currently pursuing Miss Charlotte de Treville, Duke Treville's granddaughter and cousin. It seems that He's already addicted to it. If he succeeds, won't we become relatives?"

After hearing Laura’s explanation. Fran was shocked at first, then immediately raised her head and looked across. Maurice de Beauvain did not notice the girl's gaze. He was still talking and laughing loudly with his friends, and kept drinking.

Suddenly. In the girl's eyes. Maurice de Beauvain, who was originally quite handsome, upright and quite good-looking, suddenly became more handsome and handsome at this moment, which was simply pleasing to the eye.

All the best, sir! God will bless you! She silently blessed the only son of a big banker in her heart.

"Oh, isn't this our beautiful Miss de Treville? Good evening." At this time, she suddenly heard a greeting from beside her. The voice is low and gentle, but always has a cynical ridicule.

Fran quickly looked to the side and was surprised to find that it was a young man.

This young man is well dressed. Wearing a blue bow tie, his slender neck is as white as his shirt. He looked at Fran with a smile and nodded in greeting. Then he turned to look at Laura next to him, "Why, Miss de Beauvoir, you actually invited her here too?"

Fran frowned slightly, and then quickly recalled that this young man was her brother's good friend, Mr. Albert de Foa Grail.

"Good evening, Mr. De Foa Grail." She quickly greeted the other party.

"Ah, we haven't seen each other for a few months, tonight is absolutely beautiful! Ha, didn't the guardian come tonight?" Albert looked at Fran with a smile and joked, "Let such a beautiful lady attend the ball alone, This is not good, don’t forget that there are so many single people here! How can they stay calm when they see it?”

"Her brother is already here, sir." Before Fran could answer, Miss de Beauvin answered directly, her tone was as cold as ever, "I'm just talking to my father about something now, and we'll talk about it later." I will come over soon, I guess."

"Oh! So that's it!" Albert nodded exaggeratedly, indicating that he understood the whole situation. "Let me tell you, how could Charles leave such a lovely child here alone? What else could she do? I haven’t even learned it yet!”

"Huh?" Fran was a little surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Mr. De Foa Grail." Laura looked at Albert coldly, "Although I have always thought that he is a somewhat interesting young man, I must tell you that sometimes his jokes are not at all It’s funny. It sounds like my home is some kind of scary dragon’s lair…”

"Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing, it's just a joke. You will definitely forgive me for my offense." Albert shook his head, then smiled and looked at Fran, "It will be time to dance later. Miss Treville's irresistible charm makes me want to invite her to dance a waltz..."

He bowed deeply and invited Fran with great sincerity.

At this time, the melody of the music suddenly changed into a waltz, and people in the hall dispersed around, leaving an empty marble floor in the middle.

"Miss Treville, please show your respect to this poor Albert!" Albert invited again. Although he seemed to be pleading, his tone was very cheerful.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

Fran hesitated for a while, but in the end the girl's nature of fun and pursuit prevailed. She glanced at Laura next to her, but the other party just shrugged slightly, indicating that this matter was just for her own liking.

So Fran gently stretched out her hand, and Albert gently took her hand. The two of them walked to the temporary dance floor together, and together with dozens of pairs of hastily formed dance partners, they danced under the large crystal chandelier. In the hall, which was as bright as day, people danced to the waltz of bouquets of flowers.

Fran moved forward and backward according to the dance steps. Stroll around the dance floor with Albert. Her movements were a little jerky at first, but slowly, her steps merged into the melodious music. Waves undulated and swirled in succession.

"Girl, I didn't expect that my steps would be so light!" Albert sighed with a smile, "I have a hunch that a new star in the social world has already risen!"

"It seems that you are not just telling me this, sir?" Although the compliment to this young man was very useful, Fran still keenly felt the slightest abnormality. She asked in a low voice while tilting and swinging her steps.

"Oh. So I discovered it a long time ago!" Albert was still smiling, "Yes, Miss Treville. What I want to tell you is..." His voice lowered, "Don't get close to this family. Very close. In fact, I mean, it’s better not to have anything to do with this family.”

"What?" Fran was a little surprised.

"That Mademoiselle de Beauvin. She accidentally said a very correct fact." Albert's tone became a little colder, but the smile on his face did not change at all, "This is the terrible dragon's lair. This family is a group of evil dragons, guarding the huge plundered treasures and devouring everyone who comes close to them, although they cannot breathe fire for the time being... Baron de Beauvain is a terrible murderer. So he can get the status he has now. In this case, why should he get close to them? It will only bring trouble."

"You seem to hate them?"

"No. I don't hate them. I'm just stating a fact." Albert took Fran's hand and turned his position again. "In fact, I quite admire the big banker. But, I don’t want to see my best friend’s sister suffer because of their family.”

"I didn't take the initiative to approach them." Fran defended herself.

"Then don't let them approach you. Miss de Beauvin, have you heard how she usually talks? She's so arrogant, isn't she? Also, have you seen the look in her eyes? That's a arrogant look. She simply treats all of us as reptiles! What Baron Beauvain hides in her heart is written on her face. My friend, listen to me, these father and daughter are extremely dangerous, and they should do their best to stay away if possible. Run far away..."

After listening to Albert's words, Fran fell silent. She didn't know if there was any basis for the other party's solemn remarks, but she vaguely felt that the other party was right.

"Then you don't want to have anything to do with them?" she asked in a low voice.

"Oh? Me? Of course it's different." Albert laughed, and then continued in an obviously joking manner, "Like most people here, I want to have something to do with this family... Don't forget, Baron de Beauvain has only one daughter. Whoever can marry his daughter will get How much dowry? Five million? Or ten million? Just thinking about it can make poor poor people like us crazy! Look at how many ladies here are flirting with our Morris? The only son of a wealthy man! What mother wouldn’t want to get this kind of marriage for her daughter..."

Fran, who was new to social life, felt a little dizzy at Albert's words.

"you……"

"So realistic? No, lovely Miss Treville, this is tradition. In today's France..." Albert's tone was quite calm, but seemed to be a little sarcastic, "I have never seen a man willing to Marry a young girl from a well-known family but without a dowry. Even if there is one, she must be a bourgeois nouveau riche. So, from this aspect, we are still stuck in the distant eleventh century..."

Fran stopped talking, and even her steps began to lose their lightness, but she could still keep up with the rhythm.

"I'm sorry, my words may be unpleasant, but they are all the truth." Albert smiled apologetically at Fran, "The social scene is Vanity Fair, do you understand? Oh, no, I have to say that it has been a long time ago. I understand, it’s just hard to believe without seeing it with your own eyes... Many people are like this, but it doesn’t matter, as long as you get through the first lesson, everything will be easy in the future.”

"So you volunteered to be my first class teacher?" Fran frowned slightly and looked up at Albert.

"I'm honored." Albert pretended not to hear her sarcasm.

The girl continued to dance with Albert, but her thoughts could no longer be restrained. The spirit that had been cheered up just now was shattered by Albert's words.

As she danced, her eyes wandered to every corner. I didn't see anything, but I seemed to see everything.

Except for a few men at the ball, almost all of them were languid and had no personality in appearance, or in other words, they all had the same personality. The resolute, proud, ambitious and defiant look in the portraits of her ancestors is no longer visible. The girls were similar, with pale faces and smiles that were not sincere.

No matter how elegant the etiquette is, it cannot erase the materialistic desires and unabashed selfishness that flow through it.

This is the upper class, I'm finally here.

Suddenly, she felt dizzy and her steps almost slipped. Fortunately, Albert quickly helped her regain her balance.

"I suppose I need a little rest?" Albert asked thoughtfully.

Just when Fran was about to answer, her eyes suddenly stopped and she stared blankly ahead.

Her brother had appeared on the opposite side of the living room, passing in front of someone. He walked forward without squinting, with a humble attitude, but also seemed to be arrogant.

Her brother had returned from Baron Bowen's study with millions of spoils. Although she didn't know this fact, she could still feel the excitement and passion hidden in the young man's body.

"Well, I should take a rest." After a moment, she finally retracted her gaze and said to her partner with a smile.

The dance stopped. (To be continued...)