Flowers, Swords and France

It was a sunny day, but with Charles's visit, the Duke of Treville's house suddenly became cloudy again today.

After hearing the news of his visit, Charlotte's father, Duke Philippe Treville, had him brought to his reception room.

As soon as they met, he didn't even say hello, but walked up to grab Charles' collar.

"You bastard! You dare to come now! I thought you could hide for a long time! You filthy bastard!"

His furious look almost made his handsome face look a little hideous.

The Duke of Treville, who was always careless, actually put on such a harsh look, which made the servants feel silent. They hurriedly retreated and dared not interfere in the master's affairs.

"Even if you scared people away, there's no need to be so angry..." Charles complained in a low voice after the servant left, "You scared them so much."

"Who said I was pretending!" The little Duke of Treville seemed even more angry and grabbed his collar fiercely, "Did I scold you wrongly? During those days, I let you hide in my house because I was considering you and wanted to protect your safety... But what about you, how did you repay me? I was fighting with the mob outside, and bullets flew past me several times, and you... You bastard took my daughter and rolled into her bed! You shameless bastard, you actually dared to do this kind of thing with an unmarried girl in someone else's house!"

Speaking of this, speaking of this. His hand became more powerful, and then he threw it heavily, causing Charles to fall into the chair opposite him.

No wonder he was so angry. An unmarried woman having an affair with her lover at home - even in France in the 19th century, this kind of thing was very immoral, and if it spread out, it would definitely hinder publicity.

“而现在，你居然还敢像个没事人一样跑到我家里来？你打算让我怎么接待你，啊？我们可爱的年轻人？指望我乐呵乐呵就过去了吗？我恨不得把你揍Half dead!"

It's not because your father specially drugged you... Ciel complained in his heart.

However, he didn't intend to make any excuses for his behavior. In a sense - he was indeed a slut who committed "scandalous things" semi-publicly in the home of an unmarried girl.

"Don't worry, I will be responsible for my actions." He looked at his uncle solemnly and said every word. "Where is Charlotte now? I want to see her. I have a lot to say to her..."

"Responsible?" After hearing this, the young Duke Treville looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"That's what I mean..." Ciel replied simply.

"Oh?" The little Duke also sat down, "If I understand correctly. Is that what you mean?"

He looked at Charles with interest. It was as if the person who was furious just now was not him at all.

"Well..." Charles nodded gently, and then he didn't want to waste words with him anymore, "I'll go see her first and make everything clear to her."

The little Duke looked at him for a moment, and only nodded slightly with satisfaction after confirming that his attitude was extremely serious.

"That's what you say! Well, in that case, I allow you to go see her. She's having fun in the garden now." Then, he added in a low voice. "Because we told her everything, she's in a bad mood now, you can comfort her."

"Thank you." Charles thanked him, then stood up and turned to walk out the door.

"Come on, be happy, it's not a bad thing, don't act like you're hurt!" Behind him, the little duke shouted half-exhortingly and half-admonishingly, "Friend, how many people in this world get married because of unreserved passion? Don't count on that kind of thing, spending your life with someone you can trust and rely on is the most important thing! Moreover, based on my decades of observation, marriages that are only based on passion will not get good results in most cases... Boy, do you hear me!"

Charles left the room without pausing.

………………

At this time, Charlotte, as her father said, was spending time in the garden.

Ever since Charles told her the truth, she has been in a very bad mood, but after the initial outburst, there was only gloomy silence.

She sat quietly on the swing in the garden, looking at the rose garden in front of her, but her eyes were not focused, and her mind seemed to float away. Recently, she came here every day to kill time, and no one dared to come to disturb the eldest lady.

The red glow gradually extended from the side of the setting sun, and was about to spread to the sky. The creaking sound of the swing was like the accompaniment of a piano, which made people think about a lot of things.

Suddenly, the swing swung faster and higher, as if it had been injected with external force.

Charlotte, who was awakened by the sudden increase in wind speed, looked to the side angrily.

As a result, she became even more angry.

She said nothing, and immediately turned her face away, with such a large amplitude and speed that it almost made people wonder if she would twist her neck.

Charles knew in his heart that she was still angry with him, but this was expected.

He didn't say anything, but continued to swing on the swing.

At this moment, both of them remembered the scene when they played together when they were children. At that time, they often played swing games - even, many times, in this garden under the sunset.

"Put me down!" Seeing that she was about to be drowned in memories, Charlotte shouted out with resentment, "I want to go back!"

"Lolot, let's play a little longer. I still have a lot to say to you." Charles looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Put me down, I don't want to listen to you!" Charlotte snapped.

"I won't let it go." Of course Ciel didn't listen to her, but continued to swing on the swing.

Charlotte's anger grew. This resentment made her prepare to jump off the swing regardless of the danger.

"Don't do this, it's dangerous!" Charles was shocked when he saw this. He shouted quickly.

But, it's too late.

Charlotte had jumped off the swing.

Ciel quickly threw the swing away and stretched out his arms to catch Charlotte.

He succeeded. Charlotte was caught by him in mid-air, and nothing happened. At this moment, the reverberating swing hit his knee hard, making a "bang!" sound.

Huge pain. He couldn't help but cry out in pain, then couldn't help but let go of Charlotte and knelt down on one knee.

See him like this. Charlotte, who was standing in front of him, still had some anger in her eyes, but more of them were replaced by concern.

"I'm fine, Charlotte. Don't panic!" Charles endured the pain. He hissed at her.

"Who cares what happens to you?" Charlotte said coldly, "I'm going back."

"Don't do this, Lolot!" Charles suddenly stretched out his hands and grabbed her waist. "I was sorry for what happened before, and I apologize to you! I'm sorry, Lolot!"

Listening to his "Lolot", Charlotte's brows frowned more and more.

"What on earth do you want to say."

After hearing this sentence. Ciel finally felt relieved, as long as she started to listen. That means big things can be expected.

"Lolot, do you remember the town we went to a few months ago? The place called Giverny?" Charles hugged Charlotte's waist tightly, fearing that she would turn around and run away, " We went together and stayed for several days..."

This question made Charlotte's heart tighten. How could she not remember?

She didn't answer.

"Didn't I tell you at that time? I think it is very suitable to build a steel factory there. The environment and location there are very good, so I came here today just to ask you to agree to let me build on that farm. Factory..."

This is what happened! His words made Charlotte feel cold. There was his dowry. How many times had he thought about how to renovate the villa there so that after marrying him, he could spend the summer and... do this and that, but... he only thought about this! It's simply...it's hopeless!

She turned around and wanted to leave, but Ciel's grip was so tight that her plan could not be realized.

"Let me go! You bastard! I'm not interested in listening to your crazy words!" Charlotte yelled angrily.

"No, I won't let you go!" Charles still looked up at her expectantly, "If you don't agree, I will die. I really have no choice but to die!"

Even crazier.

"If you want to die, then die!" Charlotte glared at Ciel.

"I'm serious!" Charles also increased his voice to show that he was completely serious. "If you don't promise me, I will be forced to go bankrupt by Baron Beauvain, and I will have to go to court and go to jail. ! How can a man named Treville go to court? So I just have to die!"

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

After hearing that last name, Charlotte's eyes widened, Ciel? die? She couldn't help feeling a little panicked.

"What does it have to do with him? You owe him money! What's going on?"

At this moment, she forgot that she did not want to talk to Charles at all.

"Yes, I owe him a lot of money, a lot of money..." Charles replied - in a sense, this is actually true, "So I have to find a way to get the money as soon as possible. In this day and age , Is there any more profitable career than joining the steel industry? Charlotte, I tell you, as soon as the blast furnace is fired, the money will come rolling in! Just listen to me, you can’t be wrong!”

However, Charlotte's focus is not here.

"You guy, why are you related to that devil again? Don't you know what he is?!" She glared at Charles, her eyes full of pain and disbelief, "After learning my lesson, You actually... actually went to find him... Don't you claim to be smart? Why did you do such a stupid thing? "

When it came to it, her tone started to tremble with anxiety. Her concern for Charles made her almost forget everything else. "How much money do you owe that untouchable? Tell me the truth! Let's find a way to pay off this debt together. If it doesn't work, go to my dad and I will find a way to help you solve it. Don't say anything stupid! Still! Yes, after paying back the money, never have anything to do with that family again!”

"Your father can't solve it, and no one can solve it." Charles sighed softly and shook his head. Then he told the truth, "I owe that guy millions...really, millions of francs, the real deal."

"Millions!" After hearing this number, Charlotte felt a chill in her heart and almost felt like the world was spinning.

That's right, after reaching this number. Then there was nothing anyone could do to help. Even if he could afford it, her father would never take responsibility for his nephew's foolish behavior - family affection was never worth that much.

In that case. Isn’t it just a matter of death? This terrible thought flashed through her mind.

No, no, it must not be like this! Huge panic enveloped her heart.

"How could you do such a stupid thing!" She looked at Charles sadly, with tears in her eyes.

"Charlotte. Don't be anxious." Charles's voice was as calm as ever, "Yes, a few million is a big debt, but it is also a lot of gold. As long as we take it and go to work... You can make a lot of money with just one job! Really, it's an amount you can't imagine now! Just listen to me. The first step is to turn that farm into a steel factory..."

"Making money...that's all you think about. Are you crazy? If you don't make it, how are you going to pay it back?" Charlotte still scolded Charles. In desperation, she even reached out and grabbed his ear, "Are you obsessed with money?"

"Because only after I make a fortune can I be qualified to say that I can give you happiness and propose to you..." Charles looked at Charlotte with excitement, "Lolot, I will take this money. Make a lot of money, then take it away from your father in glory, and then we can live together for the rest of our lives!”

Charlotte was stunned. She looked at Charles in shock, but there was no reaction. After a moment, she spoke again, but she couldn't say a complete sentence intermittently.

"What did you just...just...say? You mean...you mean...could it be...?"

"Yes, I wanted to make a lot of money and then propose to you, so I gritted my teeth and asked that guy De Beauvain to borrow the money as gold so that I could get rich quickly. Why, Luo Lot, aren't you willing?" Charles's voice was trembling, "If...if you aren't willing, that's fine, I don't care if I can repay this debt, it's no different living like this anyway. To die!"

If he can't marry me, is he planning to die? As Ciel wished, Charlotte thought of this.

The huge impact left Charlotte speechless for a moment, and her mind was almost blank.

The happiness she had been looking forward to finally came as she wished, but she seemed completely unprepared. Perhaps it was because the happiness came so quickly that it completely went to her head.

"I...I'll think about it..." Subconsciously, she said this. Then suddenly a flash of regret flashed through my heart.

Fortunately, instead of retreating or giving up as she feared, Ciel still persisted.

"Do you still want to consider...? Lolot, please, Baron Beauvain's debt will not be considered. It increases interest regularly, pays me every minute, and puts a heavy pressure on our happiness... Lolot, promise me! We should act now! As long as we hurry up, That factory will be operational in two or three years. At that time, it will be our best wedding gift, and we will receive countless financial blessings there. We will get married at that time, and I will do my best to let you live it! You have to act like a queen, Lolot, promise me!"

Under Ciel's eager gaze, Charlotte finally couldn't bear it anymore.

Well, even if he wants to dig hell out of there, so be it.

Charlotte thought to herself.

She turned her head away.

"Then you go ask my father..." With a different kind of shyness and sadness, she said lightly, and then said nothing again.

……………………

There is a small attic in the magnificent Duke Treville's residence. From there, the entire residence, which Duke Treville spent a lot of money to repair, can be seen, including the exquisite and beautiful small garden.

Today, the two owners of the Duke's Mansion gathered together for the rare occasion, admiring the distant scenery and...the two young men.

"Oh! He's still kneeling now!" Little Duke Treville exclaimed, "This guy knows more than I thought! How can he be so relaxed?"

"Maybe it's because the knee was hit by the swing and it hurt too much." Duke Treville commented coldly.

"No matter what the reason is, this matter has finally come to an end." The son sighed again, "Hey... these two little guys are really annoying. Things that can be accomplished just by talking to them, must be done. It’s like this! However, that glass of wine is really powerful..."

"Charles is very good in other aspects, but he is surprisingly hesitant in relationships," the Duke continued to look out the window, "so of course the old man has to help."

"Oh, that's not bad." The little duke smiled and defended his cousin, "Look at him now, he's great, he can go on the stage! Hey, who hasn't been young? Everyone has had that moment. At this time, you should be more tolerant..."

Having said this, he looked at his father jokingly, "But they should blame you, right? After all... this method is not very common."

"No, who would blame us? We have done a good thing." The Duke said jokingly in a rare relaxed tone, "Maybe not long after, your daughter will thank us in her heart. "

Looking at his son who was dumbfounded by his father's joke, Duke Treville moved the corners of his mouth slightly and formed a forced smile.

Then he picked up the glass, "Would you like another drink? Good gin..." (To be continued...)

ps: After sobering up, my mind became much clearer, and I actually wrote 8,500 words today...

I wonder if I can keep going on the weekend tomorrow or the day after tomorrow...