Flowers, Swords and France

After the two of them had been rubbing against each other for a while, Charlotte finally broke free from Charles's arms, then re-tidied her clothes and regained her serious expression. ∑,

"Charles, let's go to Grandpa quickly. Don't keep the old man waiting. He is in worse health now and needs to go to bed early."

"Okay, take me." Charles followed suit and gestured for Charlotte to lead the way.

Charlotte didn't say much, and took Charles upstairs directly, and then walked into the depths of the mansion along the corridor.

After walking to the deepest part, she stopped at the door of a room, then raised her hand and gently looked at the nanmu door.

"Grandpa, I'm Charlotte. Charles is here. Is it convenient for you to receive him now?" Charlotte asked in a low voice.

After a moment, a dull response came from inside.

"Has he come yet? Then bring him in quickly."

Although there was a sense of weakness common to patients, the tone was still very stable, as if he had not suffered any blow. Even if you only hear this voice, you can still feel a little bit of stability.

It seems that he can still hold on for a while. Charles thought.

After hearing the grandfather's greeting, Charlotte gently turned the doorknob to open the door, and then took Charles in.

Because the room was very deep, and only a thin candle was lit, it was relatively dim inside. At first glance, Charles only saw the white sheets on the bed in the room and a vague shadow lying on the bed.

Then, he glanced inside with his peripheral vision. After all, it was the first time for him to come to the bedroom of his uncle. Even in this situation, he still couldn't help but be a little curious.

Unexpectedly simple. This was Charles' first impression.

Compared with the magnificent furnishings in his son's bedroom. This place can be described as simple. There were no particularly expensive furnishings, nor were there any elaborate and gorgeous decorations. There were only simple wooden furniture - a desk, a few cabinets, a few chairs, and some scattered small ornaments. Right next to the bed, Charles saw two people, one dressed as a servant, and the other looked like a doctor, who had been looking at the person on the bed.

In a corner of the room, there seemed to be some small machines and tools piled up. These small machines looked well-maintained. In the dim candlelight, they exuded a metallic luster, but because the light was too dim, Charles could not see what they were vaguely.

Seeing these furnishings, Charles could not help but be surprised, and could not help but whisper to Charlotte.

"Hey, your grandfather's bedroom is so strange."

"It's quite strange, but you'll get used to it." Charlotte replied in a low voice, but her tone seemed a little strange.

"What are those little gadgets?" Charles continued to ask.

Charlotte frowned slightly, and finally answered a little embarrassedly.

"Those things. Those are the tools that grandpa used before, the tools for repairing shoes."

"Ah? Brought back from Germany?" Charles almost exclaimed.

"Yes, I brought them back when I returned from Germany." Charlotte nodded gently, then frowned slightly displeased. "I really don't understand grandpa's thoughts. Why did he keep those things when he has already returned to his country..."

The two people walked in while whispering. They were getting closer and closer to the bed.

Now Charles could see the person lying on the bed more and more clearly.

Tall, with gray hair and beard. With a cold face covered with wrinkles, he still had an extraordinary demeanor even when lying on the bed.

This is indeed his great-uncle. The helmsman of the Treville family.

At this time, he was looking at himself with his face sideways.

Unexpectedly, the two people's eyes met.

Although he was seriously ill, his eyes were still so sharp, as if he could see through the whole person.

Charles was stunned for a moment, then stopped and bowed to the Duke, but did not speak.

Charlotte did not stop, but walked directly to the bedside, and whispered to the old man, "Grandpa, I have brought him here, you can tell him anything you want to say..."

At this time, her tone was solemn and full of sadness, and it can be seen that she was really sad for her grandfather's illness.

The Duke nodded slightly, then slowly raised his hand and made a gesture.

As if receiving a silent order, the servants and doctors who stayed by the bed immediately retreated silently.

After everyone else left, Duke Treville looked at Charles again and gestured to him to come over.

Charles followed the old man's instructions, walked gently to the bedside, and then reached out and held the Duke's hand.

"Please take care of yourself, Grandpa." He looked at the old man seriously but respectfully. "After hearing the news that you fell ill, I was also very worried about you. Try to rest for a while and don't overwork yourself. For everyone, it is more important for you to recover as soon as possible..."

Because Charlotte and others had concealed the illness from him, Charles did not dare to say anything too serious. He could only say some very common comforts, but he felt a little sad in his heart.

After hearing his comfort, the Duke just shook his head indifferently.

"Thank you. But my body knows that it can no longer be solved by resting."

Although he was very weak, his tone was still stiff and indifferent, as if he was not talking about himself.

Charles was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to answer.

"Grandpa, Charles came right over after hearing that you were seriously ill. Let's talk about it..." Seeing that the atmosphere between the two people was a bit stiff, Charlotte quickly tried to smooth things over.

"There's nothing to say. Everyone has this time. We shouldn't focus on irreparable things." The Duke came back coldly and raised his head to stare at Charles, "Don't tell Victor. He himself has been in poor health recently. , Don’t let him worry blindly.”

"I know. I won't tell him recently." Charles nodded quickly and agreed.

At this time, Charles already understood in his heart, although his children and grandchildren had always concealed his illness from the Duke. But he should have had a premonition in his heart and been mentally prepared.

For a moment, he felt more and more melancholy and didn't know what to say.

"Okay, you're not that sentimental kind of person, so don't act like you're at a loss." The Duke frowned slightly, then raised his voice, "Don't you want to do a big business? Then Just cheer up! If you want to be a man who can withstand any test, you must be strong and be able to face everything calmly!”

The old man scolded. Ciel was shocked.

"Okay, I understand, Your Excellency." He quickly cheered up, then straightened his back and looked at the old man seriously. "I'm here ready to do anything for you, so please give me your orders."

"That's something to say." After seeing Charles's performance, the Duke's tone finally softened a little, and the oncoming gaze also relaxed a little.

And Charlotte just smiled helplessly at Ciel, as if she was apologizing for her grandfather's attitude.

For a while. Charles just held the old man's hand and remained silent.

Although the atmosphere seemed stiff and tense, Charles suddenly felt that this kind of comfort was much more fervent than the empty words that he spoke insincerely.

After a long silence, the Duke finally spoke again.

"I suppose. You've heard Charlotte tell me what I think since you've been here, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have heard about it. I was really shocked at the time." Ciel nodded.

"Judging from your words, you have agreed to my arrangement?" the Duke asked in a low voice. He seemed very determined.

That's right, there are indeed not many people who would want to push such a large amount of wealth outside.

However……

"No. I don't want to do exactly what you want." Charles answered directly.

"Huh?" The Duke's eyes widened slightly, and then his gaze seemed a little more severe. "Is Phillip saying something weird? Don't worry about him. I have the final say in this family and how I want to deal with it. They have no room to interfere!"

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"No, it's not because I'm worried about him, but... I'm considering a principle." Charles shook his head, "If I just take benefits from you unilaterally without giving anything, I'm afraid it's not fair. No matter what your intentions are, in the end, it will only cause disputes and disagreements among our family..."

"When did you need to be afraid of them? Then you can just force them to listen to you, right?" the Duke replied impatiently.

Why do you have to rush to hand over the family property to yourself for safekeeping?

Charles really couldn't understand the Duke's mentality.

However, he has his own pace.

He winked at Charlotte, who understood.

"Grandpa, don't be angry. In fact... Charles is not disobeying your arrangement, but... he has other plans."

Then, Charlotte told the old man everything about Ciel's previous plans and arrangements, as well as the negotiations with his father, but she just skipped the quarrel between herself and her brother.

After listening to Charlotte's narration, the Duke became more and more surprised, and then looked at Charles with a strange expression, which made Charles feel a little uncomfortable.

"What do you think of my arrangement?" he asked the Duke angrily.

"I agree with your opinion, Charles. Your generosity exceeds my expectations." After a moment of silence, the Duke replied in a low voice.

Then, he added, "At the same time, thank you for Charlotte."

No matter what, he does love his granddaughter - although he doesn't know to what extent.

Although the Duke's tone was very calm, Charles knew in his heart that this was a rare compliment from the old man, so he smiled sheepishly.

"As long as you agree, that's best."

The Duke kept looking at Ciel, and then slowly withdrew his hand from Ciel's hand.

"Now it seems... Victor and I have indeed made a wonderful arrangement..." He sighed slightly, as if with some unspeakable emotion, "Charlotte, Charles, you two, Don’t let us down, okay?”

Charlotte nodded quickly.

"I will, Grandpa, I will follow your instructions and protect this family..." Her tone was choked, as if she was about to cry.

And Ciel also agreed.

"You seem to still have some doubts?" the Duke suddenly asked Charles again.

It can be seen that his energy has declined a lot, so he tried to speak concisely.

"Yes, I still don't quite understand why you arranged it this way." Charles answered bluntly, "If you are worried about the father and son, there is no need to be so decisive, right? They... They will definitely not be happy..."

"It's better for them to be unhappy than to be dead." The Duke said coldly, "I have thought about it... After Victor and I, the Treville family should have a leader who has the final say, and they must not go their separate ways. I have thought about it carefully, and my son and grandson... are not people who can shoulder such a heavy responsibility, so do I have any other way?"

"But..."

"There is no but, don't I know that Philip and his son are both arrogant? They are all arrogant. If they are not restrained, will they listen to you?" The Duke sneered, then raised his hand and pointed at Charles, "Now, they must listen to you, and will not make mistakes by being smart, and will not ruin the family business... Isn't this good?"

And I... At the same time, I also bear the obligation to protect the father and son, and I must not let them suffer. Charles completed the Duke's words in his heart.

He couldn't help but look at the Duke's face again.

Although pale, he is still resolute.

Even on the verge of death, he has more willpower than most people.

If he hadn't encountered the unpredictable times and lost his future twice, how great a career this man should have been able to achieve! Charles couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"Okay, I have no other opinions, I accept it."

"Very good." The Duke smiled slightly, "Your great-grandfather must not have thought that we who fled France in a hurry would have this day. At least, I have done him justice."

……………………

"I feel so sad for Grandpa..." After leaving the room, Charlotte was still a little sad.

"Come on, Charlotte, cheer up." Charles held her hand, and then suddenly asked, "What are you going to do with those tools in the future?"

"How else can I deal with them? Such embarrassing things, just throw them away, why keep them?"

"What's so embarrassing about this? Charlotte..." Charles couldn't help but sigh, and then patted her face, "If he hadn't repaired shoes for so many years, how could we still exist in the world? Your grandfather saved our family with his own efforts, we should be proud of it, right?"

"What's proud of..." Charlotte shook her head, and then glanced at the side angrily, "If it weren't for those hateful mobs, how could our family suffer such humiliation?"

Charles stopped talking.

Although she loved her grandfather, she had never understood him, and it was impossible for her to truly understand him.

What a...happy person. (To be continued...)

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