Flowers, Swords and France

It's almost nightfall.

The Duke de Kerzon's palace has already been decorated with lights and colorful decorations to welcome the upcoming New Year's banquet.

Since the afternoon, guests have been arriving from all corners of Paris to attend tonight's banquet.

According to the long-standing tradition, this banquet will last all night and become an important part of the New Year celebrations in Parisian society - probably, by tomorrow, you can see full-page reports in the social news of many newspapers.

Although due to the recent political trend, the number of people attending the banquet at the Duke's Palace was much less than in previous years, but there was still an endless stream of people. In the splendid hall, men and women in rich costumes shuttled in and out. The brilliance exuded by jewelry and medals complemented the candlelight, making it almost blinding.

Ah, this is really troublesome...

Amidst the commotion, Duke de Kerzon, who was wearing a formal dress and a medal of honor, sighed secretly.

There are always so many people coming to say hello to me, and everyone has to say at least one.

It's too much trouble.

In order not to let others notice his fatigue and boredom, he lowered his eyes dejectedly.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle, this middle-aged man with short blond hair had an expressionless face, as if he was completely uninterested in it all.

Updated Spring Festival Special "What's wrong with you, Charles?" Duchess Charlotte, who was holding his hand next to her, asked with concern.

"Maybe Charles is a little tired, right? After all, there are so many things to deal with recently..." The speaker was Charlotte's younger brother, the Duke's cousin Eugène, who had been standing next to her just now to greet her. . "Hey, it's really hard work."

"Who says it's not the case!" Charlotte glanced at her husband distressedly, and then couldn't help but see a surge of anger on her face, "I will always remember this shame, Eugène."

"Well, our Treville family will never forgive." In order to agree with his sister, Eugene nodded solemnly and replied in a low voice.

However, Ciel next to them still didn't seem to hear, and just looked aside quietly.

"Charle, please say something!" Charlotte gently pulled the Duke's hand.

The Duke seemed to be startled and turned his attention to his wife again. Then looking at her angry look, he smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Charlotte, I was just thinking about something."

"You always have so many things to think about. Isn't it enough to have so much time to think about? Let's be happy today..." Charlotte's tone was half reproach, half concern, "Eugene He’s been talking to me for a while, why don’t you say a few words to him too.”

Updated Spring Festival Special "Okay, okay." Charles responded with a smile, then turned to look at his cousin whose facial features were somewhat similar to his own, "Eugène, have you been doing well in the navy recently?"

"Thanks to your kindness, I've done a good job, and I think I get along well with my colleagues." Ou Ren shrugged his shoulders, "However, there are fewer people coming to play with me now... I feel free to relax."

"Humph, they are a bunch of villains who follow the trend!" Charlotte frowned.

"There's no need to say that. People have to worry about their own future." Charles shook his head. "It's normal to keep distance from you now. Don't mind."

"Oh, of course, I won't mind. The situation is stronger than the person, what can I do?" Eugene smiled, then looked around carefully, then moved a little closer, and whispered next to Charles , "In fact, many people have expressed their dissatisfaction with His Majesty to me privately. He treats the Navy too favorably."

"Oh, really?" Charles just raised his eyebrows and didn't make any further comments.

The empire's finances have been tight recently, and the original naval expansion plan can only be terminated suddenly, and it is even necessary to reduce some naval military expenditures. Of course, Charles can understand His Majesty's approach.

...However, understanding is understanding, and this does not affect his use of this to attract supporters from the navy.

"We will be staying in Austria for a while now. You can't ask us for advice on everything. Please discuss everything with your father." Charlotte warned her brother from the side, "You must be more serious in the future. Don't You are always so dishonest! Get married as soon as possible and don’t let everyone worry..."

"Ah, I know, sister. Don't say it, I will be more serious in the future..." Being nagged by his sister in such an occasion, Ou Ren couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed while being moved. He felt that no matter what happened, No matter how old he is, he is just a child in my sister's eyes. "Don't worry, I won't live a carefree life anymore."

"No, live your life the way you want, Eugene." Charles suddenly patted him on the shoulder, "You don't have to force yourself to take on some things, just do what you can. We have Way to handle everything.”

"Char!" Charlotte pulled her husband's hand reproachfully.

However, when Ou Ren looked at his cousin's smile, he suddenly felt relieved.

That's right, how could such a political trend defeat this brother? He felt relieved suddenly, and then nodded heavily.

Then, he looked at Charlotte again, his eyes full of concern. "Sister, you should stay in Paris. What's the benefit of going to a place like Vienna? The social scene here is suitable for you, right? Besides, the relationship between our country and Austria is at its lowest point now, and you will probably be rejected there. If those people don’t entertain you, then how boring are you..."

"Don't worry about me, I have made up my mind. Prince von Metternich is our good friend. Although he is now the ambassador to France, he still has many friends in Vienna. Those people are taken care of and will not turn us away. Even if it is Franz Joseph himself, can he ignore the interests of the country and always dislike us? No, he is not that stupid... although he is stupid enough." Charlotte replied with a smile, "Besides, Charles is my husband, I should share the joys and sorrows with him, so what if I am treated coldly? You should take care of yourself, my friend."

"Oh, oh... okay." Since his sister said so, Eugene didn't Dare not say anything more, just nodded, "Then I wish you all the best."

"Okay, let's not talk about such boring things. Today is a rare good day, you might as well have fun and welcome the New Year happily." Charles said, showing a malicious smile, "Isn't your sister very concerned about your personal affairs? There are so many ladies here today, you can choose from them carefully. If there is a favorite, we can all speak for you at that time..."

As he grew older, this middle-aged man had lost the interest in appearing in social occasions and becoming the focus of everyone, but today's event was something he could not avoid.

Not to mention the importance of the New Year's banquet itself, he didn't want to show weakness in front of his party members and enemies, or even the emperor, and show the slightest bit of exhaustion.

Because of this, he had to cheer up.

Yes, this was a struggle that was destined to begin, full of hardships and perhaps dangers, but he was calm and confident. That's why he deliberately acted so relaxed.

This leisurely and contented demeanor was to let everyone present - whether they were firm followers or wavering onlookers - see that even after a major blow, Duke de Kerson still stood on the horizon and could make a comeback at any time.

But Charles did not expect that his words would suddenly arouse anger in the lady's heart.

...Charlotte looked at Charles with a very unfriendly look, "What? Do you want my brother to learn from you? Don't teach others bad things, okay?"

Charles's forced ease was instantly replaced by embarrassment. He looked at Charlotte with a smirk and waved her hand flatteringly, "Oh, Charlotte, I was just joking..."

"Huh, what's the joke? You're not..." Charlotte was about to say something, when she suddenly saw a lady who had just walked in from the door.

The lady was wearing a rather conservative and simple gray dress, and she didn't wear any jewelry, but she looked calm and indifferent, so that she didn't look poor at all. Although she looked about 30 years old, her face was rosy and white, and she obviously didn't appear in the social circle too much, so she could still keep such freshness. What was even more unique was that she wore glasses on her nose, which made people feel more intellectual and elegant.

After seeing the Duke and Duchess, she put on a smile from the heart, and then bowed respectfully to the two of them.

Charlotte's face froze at first, but she still forced a smile and nodded slightly to her.

However, after this lady blended into the ranks of guests without a trace, another person walked into the hall, another lady.

As if she was singing a counter-performance with the lady just now, this lady exuded a completely different aura from head to toe. She was dressed luxuriously, with dark gold lines faintly shining in the white gauze skirt, and she also wore a rose-shaped diamond brooch on her chest, which looked noble. Coupled with her high bun and expressionless pale face, she looked like a doll. This domineering attitude made the guests who saw her startled, and then turned around to talk to each other, not daring to talk to her - and she didn't seem to feel sorry for it at all.

When she saw the Duke and Duchess, she just raised her eyebrows lightly as a greeting, and then walked away, not paying attention to any etiquette at all, as if she was used to doing her own thing.

Charlotte frowned slightly.

This arrogant and rude person once again aroused her anger.

However, she knew that this was not the time to lose her temper - first, this was a festive occasion, with so many guests present, she couldn't lose her image; second, no matter what happened at ordinary times, but now their family also needed to show the friendship between the Treville family, the Dillion family and the Bovan family in front of the world, so as not to make people have terrible political misunderstandings.

Because of this, she took a deep breath and regained her superficial calm. Finally, she turned her head and looked at Charles coldly.

"Look-look-at-what-you-did..."

Her blue eyes were full of sharp light, staring at her husband fiercely, as if with an ominous omen of "I'll deal with you after tonight".

This look even made his brother next to him feel a chill.

Euren bit his lip, then slowly backed away, trying to leave his sister's anger without leaving a trace.

But soon, his brother-in-law and cousin's pleading eyes came over, as if begging him not to run away. Euren sighed inwardly and stopped.

Alas, this is what you deserve.

"Charlotte, Lolotte, Lolotte, don't do this... so many people are watching!" Seeing Eugene still beside him, Charles finally felt a little more confident, and then he plucked up his courage and gently stroked Charlotte's hand, "Isn't there anything we can do today? Don't be angry, okay?"

After Charles coaxed her for a while, Charlotte's eyes finally became a little kinder.

... "You bastard! I really want to strangle you to death!" She glanced at Charles coldly, then turned her eyes away.

Charles, who had escaped a disaster, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then happened to meet Eugene's eyes that were both envious and sympathetic.

He reluctantly curled his lips, and then pulled his wife to walk towards the guests.

He walked in front of General Lucien de Leflair and his wife, who were dressed in military uniforms. The general, his sister-in-law Matilda, also stood beside the couple.

"Lucien, I see you seem to be quite busy these days!" He smiled and greeted Lucien, then inadvertently winked at Matilda. "Why, now that you are His Majesty's favorite, are you willing to come and see me?"

"Charles, what are you talking about... We have always been friends." Lucien did not hear Charles's teasing, but answered seriously, "No matter how the situation changes, it is always the same."

At this moment, Matilda also noticed Charles's eyes, and then smiled slightly.

"Oh, that really makes me so happy!" Charles sighed, not knowing whether he was talking to Lucien or Matilda.

"Matilda, how are you doing recently?" At this moment, Charlotte suddenly greeted Matilda.

For a moment, Matilda was as surprised as everyone else, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Madam, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." Matilda nodded to Charlotte again, "I hope you're fine too."

"Thank you." Charlotte's expression was very calm, "How is your nephew? I heard that you have been taking care of him all the time?"

Her tone was very calm, but she emphasized the word "nephew".

"... Um..." A slight blush suddenly appeared on Matilda's fair face, making her almost speechless for a moment, but she quickly calmed down, "He is still fine. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Hey, what do you mean, madam?" Seeing her sister fall into embarrassment, the general's wife next to her immediately spoke, "It was because she saw that you were so unhappy now that Matilda cheered up and came to visit you, and this is how you treated her?"

This implicit blame made Charlotte stiff.

Charles and Lucien thought it was not good, and then they exchanged a frightened look, and then Charles made a slight gesture.

Lucien understood and quickly pulled his wife to the other side to prevent her from making the atmosphere more intense.

Julie was reluctant at first, but under her husband's persuasive eyes, she followed her husband and walked away, but when she left, she still left a look at the Duke and Duchess, warning them not to bully their sister.

The three people fell into an awkward silence.

"Sorry, Matilda..." After a long silence, Charlotte suddenly said, "I may have been a little excited just now."

"It's okay, it's nothing." Matilda still had that gentle smile on her face, "I can understand your mood, I wouldn't be happy if it were you..."

"Okay, in this case, let's not stand and talk, just go for a drink?" Seeing that the situation had eased, Charles quickly suggested to them, "Drink something, it helps digestion..."

His smirk did not get a response from the other two people, and the sight cast at him at the same time made him feel almost ashamed, so he had to lower his head and dare not say another word.

"Matilda, okay, let's not talk about these things on a day like this," Charlotte said again after another moment of silence, "Well, as you know, we will go to Austria in a while, and many things will be entrusted to you at that time, so please take care of yourself."

…"Well, I know, don't worry." Matilda smiled and nodded, "I will work hard, even if you are not here, there will be no problems here."

"Thank you then." Charlotte nodded slightly.

"…Then why don't you thank me, Duchess de Kerson?" At this moment, a sentence suddenly floated into the ears of the three people. "It seems that I have also given you and your wife a lot of help?"

The voice was crisp, but it was full of unspeakable arrogance.

Charles felt something was wrong when he heard the voice, and quickly turned around to look.

It was indeed Lola. His heart suddenly sank.

Then he winked at Lola fiercely, wanting her not to make trouble. But Lola seemed not to see his eyes and walked straight over.

This gorgeously dressed woman gave the other two women a very bad feeling.

"I'm chatting with her now, why are you here to argue?" Charlotte's face became serious again, and she tightened her grip on Charles' hand. "Don't you know this little bit of etiquette?"

"But in my opinion, I am also a guest. Why can't I chat with the host?" Although her expression was repulsive, Laura was completely unmoved, "Do you think so, Madam?"

"Even guests are divided into welcome and unpopular ones. I think even with your sophistication, you should understand this truth, right?" Charlotte sneered, "Or is this requirement more important to you? Too high?"

Laura’s originally expressionless face seemed to be a bit paler at this time.

Charlotte could have some respect for Matilda, but for this former baronet whose arrogance was as arrogant as hers, or even more so, she had a feeling deep in her nature. So disgusted that it was impossible to lighten the mood.

As for Laura, she naturally had no good feelings towards Charlotte, who always regarded herself as a princess and looked down on her own origin, and never gave in to her. It was only natural that the two of them were arguing like this today.

Just when Charles wanted to say something to lighten the atmosphere, Laura suddenly laughed - although she didn't know if this kind of smile with a slight twitching of the corners of her mouth could be called a laugh.

"Not welcome? That's really strange. I thought His Excellency the Duke would welcome me very much... When he came to my place before Christmas, I treated him well..."

Charlotte immediately looked at Ciel's face.

"Lola!" Matilda shouted out in a low voice when she saw this, "Don't be like this, okay? On a day like today, why do we have to argue?"

"She was the one who provoked me first. I just came to see you. Who told her to act like that from the beginning?" Laura frowned slightly, "You are so timid that even your own children only dare to pretend to be fake." My sister's, but I'm not afraid of her..."

After hearing these words, Matilda froze and her face suddenly turned pale. "Do you think this is fear? Who would deny all relatives like you? I don't understand what qualifications you have to accuse me?"

"Sure enough, he is the descendant of uneducated people..." Charlotte also glared at Laura.

No, we're about to start a fight again.

Charles was worried.

"That's enough!" The tired middle-aged man put his hand on his forehead, "You guys really don't let me take a break during normal times, but you still don't let me take a break in such a difficult time, and you still keep arguing, and keep arguing... Do you have to watch it? Do you want to be happy until I get trampled into the mud? Do you have to let everyone die to be happy?"

While secretly changing the concept to calm the situation, he pulled Charlotte away. "Today, only today, I ask you not to quarrel, okay? At least let me think quietly about what to do next year!"

… Under Charles’s seemingly justified accusation, the other three people also stopped talking and barely regained their composure.

Laura and Matilda watched the Duke and Duchess leave, then each looked at each other, then stopped talking and turned around to leave.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry," Ciel squeezed Charlotte's hand as they walked away. "But please don't cause trouble today, okay? Many people are watching, and the impact will be too great."

"..." Charlotte opened her mouth as if she was saying something.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

Because the volume was too low, Ciel quickly raised his ear to listen.

Then……

Charlotte's left hand suddenly grabbed Ciel's ear, and she used such force that it seemed like she was trying to rip off his ear.

"Ah!" Ciel first cried out in pain, then quickly closed his mouth and let out a whimper.

I don't know how long it took, but it was only when my ears seemed to have lost all feeling that I let go of my hand.

"I'll deal with you later!" Charlotte let go of Charles's hand and walked straight into the hall.

Ciel was left alone in this corner. His ears were red and were still in severe pain.

He raised his head and found his cousin Eugene who was looking at him with sympathy.

Then, he made a gesture and called his cousin over.

"Does it still hurt, brother?" Eugene walked up to Charles and asked, half concerned and half gloating.

"Fortunately, brother, that's enough." Charles sighed, and then lowered his voice.

"You go tell Lucien later and ask him to find a way to keep Matilda, and then you go and pester Laura to keep her from leaving."

"Okay." Ou Ren nodded, then turned and left.

……………………

After leaving Charles behind, Charlotte walked towards the center of the hall angrily, filled with unspeakable anger towards her husband.

What should I do with him later?

Just as she was thinking this, there was another burst of noise in the hall.

She turned to look at the door.

It turned out that there were new guests - two, to be precise.

Two women with long blond hair, both dressed up, walked towards the center of the hall step by step.

One was wearing a black dress, looking at the people next to her with concern, smiling and saying hello from time to time; while the other was wearing a luxurious palace dress, looking at everything in front of her with no expression on her eyes, just like her He is the owner here.

And the guests were making way for them. Just like the sea water suddenly parted in the Book of Exodus, these celebrities and nobles quickly lined up on both sides, making way for the sudden and famous Ms. de Treville. This road full of medals and jewels was spread out in front of her, just like welcoming a queen.

At the end of the two lines of people, two blonde women looked at each other.

This slightly cold atmosphere soon infected the guests in the hall. People stopped the noise, and then looked at each other, passing each other eyes that could only be understood but not expressed.

- Oh, the rumor is that the Duchess of Kerson and her sister-in-law are very unfriendly, and it seems that it is true.

What will they do? Have a fight now?

If they have a fight in front of everyone, it will become the best social news of the new year... Almost everyone is looking forward to it with malicious or not malicious intent.

Maybe it was a long time, maybe it wasn't long, the three hour hands of the huge floor-standing quartz clock inlaid with gemstones in the corner of the hall overlapped.

Dong, Dong, Dong

The New Year's bells are ringing at any time.

Ah, it's a new year again!

...Accompanied by the crisp bells, Fran smiled slightly, and then bowed slightly to her cousin.

"Happy New Year, madam, I wish you health and longevity."

This inorganic smile soon spread to the Duchess standing on the other side.

"Happy New Year, ma'am." She smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes, "I am also very happy to see that you are still so beautiful."

"Hehe, hahaha, hahaha!" The two laughed almost at the same time.

While laughing, Fran walked forward and slowly walked in front of Charlotte.

The living room became noisy again at the same time, although almost everyone felt a little disappointed.

At this time, Charles also rushed over and stood between Charlotte and Fran.

Then, he picked up the wine glass.

He looked around and found that most of his close friends and party members were here.

Lucien, Albert, Alex, Clement, the Praslin brothers, Conze... all of them gathered together, wearing their own uniforms or gorgeous clothes, and wearing their own medals.

This is the power I have spent so many years to gather.

These are the people I should rely on to take back everything I deserve...

Such a sigh surged in his heart.

What else is there to be afraid of?

I will succeed.

"Happy New Year, everyone! Cheers!"

"Happy New Year! Cheers." Everyone gave the same answer at the same time and raised their glasses.

In this way, several members of the Treville family and their cronies welcomed the New Year of 1860 in this luxurious ducal mansion.

………………

The banquet lasted until late at night, and almost everyone drank a lot of wine.

However, no matter how lively the banquet was, it would eventually end. As time passed, the banquet also came to an end.

The guests gradually said goodbye to the host, first those who were not familiar with each other, then friends, and finally even Albert and Lucien said goodbye.

As Charles expected, Lola and Matilda stayed. And Fran and Mary, who had been chatting with them, also stayed under Charles' care.

Although they were a little tired, they seemed to be in good spirits.

"Great." Charles nodded.

"What else do you want to do?" Charlotte looked at Charles with dissatisfaction. "The banquet is over, why don't you send the guests away?"

Seeing that Charlotte was about to get angry again, Charles quickly winked at Eugene in the corner.

"Sister, I have a treasure to give you." His cousin stood up faithfully and attracted her attention.

"What?"

"That thing is called a camera!" Eugene said in an exaggerated tone as if he was presenting a treasure, "This is a great thing. It can capture people and objects in photos. It's more realistic than paintings!"

In order to increase his persuasiveness, he threw a stack of photos on the table, "Look!"

The camera and photography technology at that time were still very crude, and even for these people, it was completely new - if Charles hadn't given some ideas for improvement, it would probably be even cruder.

Attracted by the photos, these women walked to the front of the table, and then each picked up a photo and looked at it carefully.

"Really?" Charlotte exclaimed as she looked at the photo, "Isn't this our home? Dad is in there too."

"How strange..." Fran also exclaimed, "How did they do this? It feels more detailed than a painting, and everything is preserved in it. Although it loses its artistic sense, it is really interesting."

... "Yes, it's a very strange thing."

"Interesting, I want to try one too."

These women, who have become mature due to their age, have regained their girlhood in a trance driven by curiosity. Because they have obtained such a rare thing, the jealousy and resentment that they have accumulated for a long time seem to have given way. They each looked at the photos and marveled from time to time.

"That's right! The camera is such a good thing, it can keep everything in the photo." Charles beside him nodded with a smile, "Don't be so curious, we can try it now, just take a photo here."

"We...?" Fran frowned, then looked at the strange camera with lingering fear, "It won't have any strange effects, right?"

"Nothing, don't be afraid." Charles shook his head.

"Wait, you mean..." Charlotte frowned suddenly, then reacted, "Let's take a photo together?"

"Yes, Charlotte, this is my wish." Charles looked at the lady sincerely, then at the others, "It can solidify a moment into eternity, and finally sublimate into unforgettable memories. I hope everyone can keep a souvenir today, and with this photo, I can go to Austria to take up my post with peace of mind."

At first, Charlotte frowned, as if she was reluctant, but in the end, she softened under Charles' eyes and nodded gently, "Okay, take a photo if you like, but let's see you off after the photo is taken, it's already very late!"

Fran and Mary looked at each other, then did not speak, but just nodded gently, indicating that they agreed with Charles' proposal.

"Freeze a moment into eternity, and finally sublimate it into an unforgettable memory..." Matilda murmured and repeated, then looked up at Charles and smiled slightly, "Okay, sir, I'm happy to accompany you."

Finally, only one person was left.

"I don't have the obligation to accompany you, sir?" Laura's face still had no expression.

"But I ask you to fulfill my humble wish." Charles nodded.

"Well, okay, let's make you happy for once." Laura nodded.

Then, under the brilliant candlelight, the six people gathered together, sitting or standing.

And Eugene stood in front of the camera, looking at the people in front of him seriously.

"Are you ready? I'll count to three!"

"Three..."

With an inexplicable sense of tension, everyone took a deep breath.

"Two..."

Everyone gradually calmed down. As if they wanted to make Charles happy before going to Austria, Matilda, Mary and Fran all smiled, and Laura's mouth moved slightly.

At this moment, Charles suddenly seemed to feel a strange feeling.

How many years have I not felt it!

He felt excited.

Then, he raised his right hand tremblingly and made a "scissors" gesture.

"One!"

At almost the same time, with a mischievous smile, Charles also shouted loudly, "Eggplant!"

"Snap!" The spotlight made a crisp sound.

May this moment last forever. r1152