Flowers, Swords and France

December 31, 1859

The New Year is coming.

The moment he got off the carriage, the young Duke Gaston-Louis-de-Choiseul-Praslin sighed softly.

What prompted this elegant young man in a well-dressed black coat and a tweed hat to sigh was not only the date of today, but also the novel scene in front of him.

Yes, at this moment, he seemed to be in a wonderful place.

On his right was a wide courtyard, and on his left was a huge garden. The flowers in the garden, except for those in the greenhouse, were of course dormant at this time, but the exquisite carvings and railings scattered inside, especially the marble fountain with the statue of the Muse in the middle, still made people feel novel. In the courtyard, there were some small houses where servants lived, and the garage and stables in the garden were far away from them. On both sides of the tall gatehouse were a pair of beautiful gates that could pass vehicles.

Right beside him, male and female servants in fitted red uniforms walked around without looking around. It was the golden ribbons on their uniforms that made the young duke feel the atmosphere of the coming New Year.

And right in front of him was a wide gravel road leading directly to the mansion in front of him, and a mansion standing at the end of the road. Update Spring Festival Special This mansion does not look grand, but it is quite delicately constructed. It is obviously designed by a famous artist. This white stone building, together with the carvings everywhere, exudes the delicate Rococo atmosphere of the Louis XV era.

Although he is not an architectural expert and does not know whether such a building is unique or outdated, he fully knows how much it costs to build such a large mansion in the suburbs of Paris.

Because he understood this, the young duke stood obediently in place as soon as he got off the carriage, waiting respectfully.

He did not wait long before a middle-aged woman in exquisite clothes came in front of him.

"Excuse me, is this the Duke of Praslin?" she whispered to Gaston.

"Yes, ma'am." Gaston nodded to the butler. Without a trace of arrogance, "Excuse me, is the lady free now? I made an appointment before, but I don't know..."

"You are very lucky. She has no other business now and can see you soon." The middle-aged woman replied in a calm tone.

"Ah, that's great..." After getting this good news. Gaston, who had been nervous all the time, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Then take me now..." Update Spring Festival Special At this moment, the door suddenly opened again, and a sound of horse hooves reached the ears of the two people.

The two turned their heads and looked over at the same time.

After seeing the emblem on the carriage clearly, the woman's calm face suddenly showed some regret.

"Sorry. Sir, you may have to wait a while..."

At this moment, Gaston also saw the carriage clearly.

"Ah, there is no way. After all, our country gives priority to ladies."

Gaston shrugged. Although helpless, he could only face the reality.

Because... the owner of this carriage was someone he could only stay away from.

At this moment, the carriage slowly stopped in front of them. Then the coachman got off the horse and put down the pedal.

The door of the carriage opened, and then a pink shoe fell on the pedal, and then. A lady in a black fluffy tweed thick skirt walked down from the carriage.

She was slender, radiant, and dressed very fashionably, like the most fashionable lady. Her golden hair was also carefully tied behind her head, and her face was carefully made up, so her age was hard to tell - but. The two people here just knew the answer.

She was Ms. de Leoran, a good friend of the owner here. Of course, she didn't need an appointment to visit. And the order of visiting was obviously higher than Gaston - Gaston himself understood this fact.

"Oh, it's really rare today. There are guests visiting." Seeing the two people here, the lady raised her eyebrows and looked at the young man. "Gaston, why did you come here today?"

"I have something to discuss with Ms. de Treville..." Gaston hesitated and answered vaguely.

"Oh, then I really came at the wrong time?" Seeing Gaston's reserved attitude, Marie did not ask any more questions, but smiled slightly, "Then you may have to wait a long time, because I want to discuss things with the lady later..."

This bastard woman! Didn't she just sleep with him a few more times? She was so arrogant!

In an instant, anger surged in the heart of the young noble.

However, he could only suppress this anger in his heart and could not show it at all.

Because the relationship between this woman and his eldest brother, the Duke of De-Kerson, who was respected by everyone, was really well-known.

"What's wrong, Gaston?" As if deliberately trying to make him even more angry, Ms. Marie de Léoran continued to ask.

This smile, coupled with this carefully dressed, is indeed very beautiful to be honest.

As a young man who had been in the social circle for many years, Gaston certainly knew how much hardship and effort it would take for a woman to maintain this level of beauty when she was nearly thirty years old.

She must wear a stiff and shiny "armor" made of flowers, diamonds, silk and metal every day, and travel to various occasions until late at night every day, sometimes even until two or three in the morning the next day. point. To make her slim waist noticeable, she had to eat very little. When you are really unbearably hungry at night, drink a few cups of slimming tea, eat some sweets, some ice cream that can generate calories or a few pieces of pastries that are not easy to digest.

Only by insisting on these without any relaxation can we maintain such a delicate and frail beauty in the social arena, and can we...continue to be favored by him.

"Oh, it's nothing. We young people are naturally patient." Gaston bowed slightly, with a smile on his face, and replied respectfully.

This was a smile he carefully imitated, and it was almost carved out of the same mold as Duke Kirson's famous smile - gentle. Cold and emotionless, but polite.

Since his grandfather, Marshal Count Laporta, died, as a boy he had taken refuge in the Treville family according to his grandfather's will. He also started from the moment he came out of the mountain. He followed Duke Kirson and became a member of his cronies.

Yes, he was an admirer of Duke Curzon and wanted to imitate him in almost every move he made. In the eyes of Duke Praslin, that man could be said to be a blindly believed idol.

This kind of admiration does not only come from the fear of him that has been born from years of contact. It also comes from admiration for him - in the eyes of this young Duke, the image of Duke de Kerzon is almost the image he most wants to be: rational, gentle, and humble. His strategy is far-reaching, and... he shows no mercy when necessary, and his determination is so strong that one can only admire him.

Precisely because he worshiped that idol, Gaston did not want to offend her too much even if it was his mistress.

"Mr. de Praslin, you are still too young, so sometimes you may not understand reason. This is not your fault..." Mary still had that faint smile on her face. But there seemed to be some stinging acrimony in his tone, "But, I still have to tell you. Sometimes if you deliberately want to act more mature, it may have the opposite effect..."...

Gaston's expression suddenly froze.

After a moment, a helpless smile appeared on his face. "Ah, I'm sorry, but I didn't mean to be disrespectful to you..."

"This is not important. It's normal for young people to have a temper. It's not good to keep everything in mind..." Mary smiled and shook her head, indicating that he didn't need to explain. "I was just joking with you just now. You can go see Fran first later. It's my fault to keep a young man like you who is pressed for time waiting! But please hurry up a little, so that your poor My friend, can you please wait a little longer?”

Gaston looked at Marie with some surprise, but there was nothing in her smile.

Isn't this lady completely unreasonable... With this thought, Gaston bowed to her again with relief. "I'm at your disposal, ma'am."

……………………

Under the leadership of the matron, the two nobles walked into the mansion.

In compliance with her previous promise, Madam de Leoland went to the waiting room to wait, while Duke Praslin continued to follow the people in along the thick carpet.

Although it doesn't look grand from the outside, when you get inside, you can unexpectedly feel a sense of wealth and luxury.

The imaginative and creative designers in Paris and the carefully carved doors and windows of the workers' doors, as well as the ceilings imitating medieval or Venetian palaces, wooden closets with the appearance of paintings are placed everywhere, and the marble floors are often polished to reveal the light. The ground reflects the candlelight on the gilt candlesticks, coupled with the tassels and curtains everywhere, and the numerous furnishings declare the owner's wealth in various ways, it can be called a temple of modern capitalism.

And right in the center of the temple, there is a throne-like seat that is higher than the ground. This seat is covered with gold foil and inlaid with some colored gems, so it shines with a different kind of light.

And wrapped in these bright lights, a woman wearing a fluffy white palace dress was sitting in the seat.

At first Gaston could only see the little feet in the brown high-tops.

Although the feet were wrapped in silk socks, the slender shape could still be seen, and the feet were trembling slightly at this time, revealing the owner's bored mood at this time.

Gaston's eyes slowly slid upward, and then he saw the target of his visit.

Her golden hair was scattered on her shoulders like a waterfall, her beautiful facial features were white with a hint of red, and her blue eyes were looking at her. Her expression was very calm, like a smile but not like a smile. In this unclear smile, the innocence of the girl and the elegance of the woman were perfectly unified, making people's hearts flutter. And below the face, the graceful figure wrapped in the dress and the neck with fresh skin color slightly exposed from the embroidered crepe collar can also attract anyone's attention.

Her slender and white right hand was holding a wooden folding fan, playing with it absently.

If the Ms. de Leolan just now was already very beautiful, the woman in front of her was even more beautiful, as if she had become an art treasure in her own right.

Trying to suppress the trembling in his heart, Gaston bowed respectfully.

"Ms. de Treville. As per the appointment, I'm here. I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

Like ice cubes melting, a cheerful yet subtle smile appeared on her face.

"Gaston, you don't have to be so reserved in front of me." The lady's voice was very soft. You couldn't tell how old you were, "What's the matter with coming to me today?"

"Well...Actually, ma'am, I'm here to ask for your help." Gaston did not indulge in this voice, but remained as sober as he should be. "I'm having some troubles now..."...

"Troubled?" The lady's expression became a little more serious and she looked at Gaston curiously. "What kind of trouble are you having?"

"That's it..." The Duke bowed to his beloved Lady Treville again, and then explained to her in detail.

It turned out that as a close associate of Duke Curzon, the young Gaston had served as a director of Crédit de Paris since the Duke was appointed Minister of Finance by His Majesty the Emperor. While the Duke was busy with affairs, he became the actual head of the bank.

Precisely because he is young, Gaston wants to use actual results to defeat everyone's doubts. Gaston, who is young and energetic and has a backer, does not pay attention to other "old people" in the bank and cares about himself. He freely implements the business strategies he learned from his idol, bent on getting a higher evaluation in his mind.

In the early days, his business went really smoothly. High-risk investments also yield high-profit returns.

However, just when he was deeply proud of his success, the sudden change in political winds dealt him an unspeakable blow.

Just this year. At the insistence of His Majesty the Emperor, France went to war with Austria and the financial markets were in turmoil.

If it was just that, it would not matter, but in the middle of the year, the most fatal blow came - because there were differences of opinion with His Majesty the Emperor on domestic affairs and foreign affairs. Duke Curzon suddenly resigned.

As one of the Duke's assistants, Gaston knew what a huge blow this was.

The political blow quickly spread to the economic level. And because of his excessive pursuit of high profits, Gaston also faced the first crisis - he fell into the predicament of a weak capital chain. Although it is struggling to support itself, the situation is already in danger. If no way is found to save it, it may not be long before Crédit Paribas' difficult situation becomes a fact known to everyone in the market.

Ms. Treville, who was sitting in her seat, rested her chin on one hand and listened quietly, until finally she asked in a low voice.

"In other words, you are facing serious financial problems? If so, wouldn't it be better if you went to my brother?"

A trace of pain flashed across Gaston's fair face.

"Don't worry, Gaston, this is not your fault. It can only be said that the current situation is too bad." The lady's voice was still very calm, as if she was comforting him, "My brother values ​​you so much, and he won't do it because of I blame you for such a trivial matter, and besides, you don’t need much money.”

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

I just don't want to look incompetent in front of him... The young man sighed deeply in his heart.

During these years, Duke Curzon has been teaching him and leading him, like an elder brother and a teacher. But in front of him, Gaston does not want to fail.

Although the woman said "the money is not much", it is a huge amount of capital. And because of this, he came to find this lady.

Since the death of Marshal Victor de Treville, the previous Duke of Curzon, the Duke of Curzon who inherited the title has separated from his sister. Everyone in the upper class said that the Duke doted on his sister, and even When the family was divided, more than half of the family property was given to Ms. Treville - and in the eyes of people close to the Duke of Curzon, such as Gaston, this rumor should be completely true, and it can even be said that it is too estimated. Too conservative.

In other words, the Ms. de Treville in front of me is one of the owners of the huge corporate conglomerate that Duke Curzon founded and supported its growth. At the same time, she is naturally one of the richest people in the country. one.

Whether on the ducal side or on the pecuniary side, he must pay the lady the utmost respect.

"Madam, I beg you not to tell him. I can solve this problem and there is no need to trouble him." Gaston's tone became more respectful. "I'm just here to ask you, for my sake, to give our bank a financial support. I can assure you that this fund is not a gift without return, but an extremely wise investment. . As long as we can get such a fund, we can survive this most difficult time, and everything will get better by then!”

The lady looked at the young man quietly.

Right in front of her, this young man stood tall and proud, with the determination and unquestionability unique to young people in his tone.

——It’s just like my elder brother did back then.

"Okay. It doesn't matter, it's just a small amount of money." The smile on her face remained unchanged, "When do you want it?"

A burst of ecstasy instantly surged through the young man's heart.

At this moment, the lady in front of her looked like a goddess. Full of love and beauty.

What a wonderful person!

"If possible...the sooner the better..." he replied shakily.

"Oh... the sooner the better?" The lady fell into deep thought, and then raised her head again after a moment, "Okay, I will raise a lot of money for you within two days, and you can just confirm the payment then."

"That's wonderful, ma'am, I...I really can't express my gratitude to you in words."

A feeling of being saved made Gaston feel a little exhausted. Although he tried hard to control his emotions. But there was sweat on his forehead.

"It's so cute, young man~~ Come on, cheer up. It's the New Year, don't be so sad?"

"Yeah! Thank you! Thank you!"

"However," the smile on the lady's face was still so gentle, "you don't have to work so hard on yourself, right? After all, you are the heir of an ancient family, and you can obviously live a more relaxed life."

After hearing these words, Gaston lowered his gaze. He frowned slightly.

What he hates most is being regarded as "a fool with no title, only worthy of staying at home and enjoying himself." But this woman accidentally touched this taboo.

However, what made him most uncomfortable was. Even if she stabbed him, he couldn't fight back.

At this time, he only felt grateful.

"You are right," after taking a moment, he barely suppressed his emotions, "but... I still want to contribute more to myself and the Treville family, madam."

"Pfft..." Ms. Treville covered her lips with a fan, "Then, I would like to thank you on behalf of my brother, my lovely friend."

……………………

After the young man left the house, Madame Marie-de-Léoran came to see her friend.

"Looking at how happy he was when he left, it seems that he got a New Year's gift from you?" She asked with a smile, and then walked to Fran. "Oh, our young people have been tortured like this."

"Well, yes, it's already like that, how can you not help... isn't that too pitiful?" Fran still retained the gentle and sweet smile just now, playing with the fan gently. "Although it's a bit reckless, you are still one of your own after all. You can't just ignore it, right?"

"Look at what you said, it's as if you weren't responsible for this trend..." Mary laughed dumbly, then reached out to stroke her blond hair, "Isn't it because of you that he fell into such a dangerous situation?"

"Can't you say that?" Fran raised her eyebrows, "I'm not targeting him, I just accidentally affected him... But don't say it, he is still a bit tough, I think He will definitely get through it. As a young man, it’s normal to suffer a little now, and you’ll know what to do in the future.”…

After a pause, she looked up at Mary again, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about him anymore. Why did you come here today?"

"Why can't I come over and see you?" Mary asked with a smile.

"Oh, I can't always beat you!" Fran laughed helplessly.

The two of them were chatting and laughing, and for a moment they seemed to be back to the way they were when they were studying in the studio, without the reserve and maturity that they had just in front of the young Duke of Praslin.

"Okay, no kidding, I just came here for the New Year and wanted to see you." After laughing for a while, Mary regained her dignified demeanor.

"Me? Of course I'm fine. I'm just a little bored recently. If you have time, please spend more time with me." Fran replied in a low voice. After a while, her face showed that mischievous smile again. , "As for the other one... Humph, you're here today. Your Alice is so naughty now. The servants don't know what to do. I can't even control her! Hurry up." Take her away, otherwise there will be an uproar!"

You say it's my child, but it's obviously not yours. Are you using me to deceive others? If I really took this precious daughter away, would you be willing? Mary couldn't help but sneer in her mind - but of course she wouldn't say it out loud.

"It's normal for children to be naughty, right? What can I do?" She sighed softly, "Isn't Mariana just as naughty? She runs around all day and can't control her at all. I'm so annoyed with her! "

"Hey, these children are all devils, and they come here just to make us sad!" Fran said bitterly, as if she didn't know that she also grew up from a child. "Sooner or later we will shorten their lives for them, but they will never appreciate it!"

Although the words were spoken so harshly, the sparkle in her eyes and the hidden smile made them unconvincing.

"Okay, let's not talk about this." The smile on Mary's face slowly disappeared, "Flan, I heard that Mr. said that he is not here during this period and has entrusted you to handle everything? It will be hard for you in the future. …”

After hearing these words, Fran couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"What's the trouble? Anyway, I still have you to help me. I just hope he comes back soon..." As she said, her face became even more ugly, and she held the fan tightly in her hand, "Anyway, I Bonaparte can’t be spared, not even one can be spared!”

"Well, we will never spare them!" Mary also nodded.

"Shall we go see him tomorrow? He must be in a bad mood recently and needs more comfort." Fran said suddenly.

"Huh? But...he is always at home."

"So what?" Fran didn't care. "I want to see my brother, what right does she have to stop me? My brother will go to Austria soon. Can't I spend more time with him before that? ? Huh, does she really think someone wants to see her? "

There was a sneer on Fran's face, "Besides, no matter how unreasonable that guy is, I don't think anyone would dare to stop me. I went there during Christmas, and no one would dare to stop me."

"..." Mary was speechless, that's true, who can stop you.

"Okay, don't mention her, it's disappointing." Fran waved her hand, then turned to look at Mary, "Mary, I'm going to choose a dress later, you can look next to me. It’s a rare occasion to choose the most beautiful one, but don’t let others laugh at it!”

"Well, of course," Mary nodded in agreement, and decided in her mind that she would help her choose some clothes as soon as possible. "I dare say that by then you will be so beautiful that everyone will be stunned. Dazzling! It’s guaranteed to drive Charlotte crazy!”

If she were asked to choose one among hundreds of gorgeous clothes, God knows how much time it would take. Mary herself has the same number of clothes, so she naturally understands the power of it.

"You always speak so nicely." Fran slowly stood up from her seat with a perfect smile on her face.

"Then... let's go."

ps: The timeline continues with the Christmas special episode.

Last time, many people cried out that they couldn't stand it, so this time it will be all positive energy... Let's all wish you a happy new year.

A family must be neat and tidy...the most important thing in life is to be happy...

There is no meaty drama, so the New Year should be said in a lighter tone~~~