Flowers, Swords and France

Charles's rare outburst of anger made Mary pale with fright. She just nodded in agreement, how could she dare to say more?

Seeing her being so frightened, Charles slowly regained his composure, and began to feel a little regretful and apologetic for his gaffe.

Hey...what reason do I have to be angry with her? She didn't do anything wrong in this matter.

Ciel hates blaming others for his faults, because it only makes him look weak and incompetent - so even in this situation, he doesn't want to take out his anger on others.

"Sorry, Mary, I... I'm just in a bad mood." After a moment, Charles smiled reluctantly at Mary, "It's okay, don't be afraid, it's not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong... "

Although Charles intended to lighten the atmosphere, Mary was still frightened. Seeing Charles's smile that was uglier than crying, Mary asked hesitantly, "Sir...sir...why are you so angry? In the end...in the end... What happened?"

"Nothing happened, don't be afraid." Charles still maintained a smile, "I said, I am very grateful for your help to me, okay... I already know what you reported, and I will be there soon. Take care of it. Now...you go back and rest."

As if he remembered something, Charles frowned slightly again, "Oh, no, before that, I have another task for you - go and call Fran over. I have something to do with you." Let her discuss it."

If Charles had said this directly at the beginning, Mary might have followed it without hesitation, because in her opinion. At best, Fran made the mistake of being deceived by Ezreal, considering Ciel's love for Fran. Even if she committed such a level of fault, he probably wouldn't punish his sister in all kinds of ways.

But now...she doesn't have this confidence anymore. Ciel's behavior was so strange that it made her deeply worried about Fran.

"Sir... you... you don't seem to be in a good state of mind today... how about... why don't you take a rest first? Then go find her tomorrow?" Summoning the courage she had in her heart, she begged Charles again. Love, "Besides, Fran is young and ignorant after all. Even if you make some mistakes sometimes, please tolerate it with your brother's mind..."

Mary did not expect that her words would arouse even greater anger in Charles's heart.

"Young and ignorant"? "tolerate"?

All of these things have already been done. Even I feel ashamed!

When he thought of this, he was so angry that he almost laughed.

"I'm fine, I don't need to rest, I can find her today." With an amazing perseverance, Charles interrupted Mary, "I mean, now, you bring her to me right away. You don’t need to say anything else, I’ll handle the rest myself.”

Charles's decisive tone made Mary no longer dare to defend Fran.

"Yes, sir. I'll be there right away!" She bowed to Charles, then turned around and planned to leave.

"Wait!" Charles suddenly stopped her again.

"Is there anything else, sir?" Mary was a little surprised.

"Go and see what Fran's schedule is recently. Then cancel them all." Charles said coldly with a strange calmness. "She has been sick recently, so she doesn't need to go out. She needs to rest at home. In addition, you should not go to her anymore to avoid contracting the disease too."

In Charles's calm but solemn tone, Mary was stunned for a moment and felt a chill down her spine.

Ciel's words also mean that Fran will be completely imprisoned recently. She will lose all freedom, and even herself as a friend will not be allowed to visit.

Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! God, what happened!

Could it be... Mary seemed to have thought of something in her mind.

If that's the case, please save her!

She was praying to God frantically in her mind, but she knew it wouldn't do anything.

But she had no doubt that once Mr. Treville made up his mind, he could really do such a cruel thing.

She wanted to say something more, but under Charles' gaze, she dared not say anything more.

Now we can only take one step at a time and hope he can change his mind soon.

"Okay...I'll go over now, sir." She agreed again, then turned and left.

Then, with complete panic, Mary walked up the stairs step by step and walked towards Fran's bedroom.

She was worried about Fran, but she didn't know what to do.

Only one thing is certain - that is, Ciel must know more about her than he thinks.

In that absent-minded trance, she walked unconsciously to the door of Fran's bedroom.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Who?" A moment later, a response came from inside.

Although the voice was a little unhappy, it still seemed very relaxed.

God knows what you will face later!

Mary sighed inwardly.

"It's me."

Her response instantly plunged the room into silence again.

After another moment, the door suddenly opened quickly.

Then, Fran's beautiful but slightly pale and thin face appeared at the door.

"What's up?"

She looked at Mary coldly, her face full of disgust and wariness.

However, unexpectedly, Mary did not have the aura to confront her, but was filled with anxiety.

"Fran, you... you are in big trouble! I don't understand what's going on, but my husband is very angry now. He said he wants to see you... I see the way he looks, as if he wants to punish you severely! "

Mary's incoherent words made Fran become even more confused.

"What?" She frowned slightly.

Mary wanted to explain more, but all kinds of thoughts came to her, leaving her unable to say anything. at last. Anxiously, she took a step forward, and then suddenly hugged Fran.

"I'm sorry... I really don't want to see you face a terrible disaster! It's too terrible. I can't even imagine it!" She said to Fran with a tearful voice, "God has not spared you after all... you... How many stupid things have you done?"

Because I was too anxious. Mary's tone was very urgent and messy, and she even forgot to use honorifics.

Fran was caught off guard and was hugged. She was very surprised at first, and her eyes widened. Then, as if she sensed something from Mary's reaction - or had a premonition of something, she gradually regained her composure.

"You told him everything you knew?"

"No...I didn't!" Mary quickly replied, "I just told him about your recent secret meetings with the man named Ezreal Walter. This matter is not part of our agreement, right? ? I discovered it myself... If it were just these things, he wouldn't be so angry! He must... know something from somewhere else. Yes, I have a hunch that he must know something. , that’s why I’m so angry!”

"Really? Maybe." After hearing Mary say that she did not choose to break the agreement and report, Fran's face flashed with a strange look.

Then she reached out her hand and patted Mary's back gently, a flat smile suddenly appeared on her face. "Okay, it's okay, don't be afraid. Isn't it just my brother who called me? Why are you so panicked? I'm going to see him now."

"But... how can this be so simple? You have never seen what he looked like just now. He looked like he was about to kill someone!" Seeing that Fran was still so ignorant, Mary became even more anxious, "Sir, he also said that he would be severely punished. You. You will be locked up and no one will be allowed to see you. God knows how long he will treat you like this! Fran, I am so scared, not for me, but for you! What happened to you? There’s no sense of urgency at all!”

"Some things cannot be avoided after all. What's the point of being anxious." Even though Mary said so horrifyingly, Fran still looked relaxed and at ease, "Where is he waiting for me?"

"It's in the reception room," Mary replied quickly.

"Okay, let's go there, don't keep him waiting." Fran nodded lightly.

After saying that, she broke away from Mary's arms and walked directly over.

"Sir, you are angry right now. Don't hold back. No matter what he says, you must obey him obediently. No matter what you did wrong, apologize to him honestly. Only in this way can there be hope for everything to be undone..." Mary kept saying. Following Fran, she kept mumbling out of worry, "Mr. loves you so much. As long as you obey and repent, I think there is still hope for him to forgive you..."

"Okay, stop talking, Mary." Fran smiled and shook her head, "I know it myself, don't worry about me."

Then, as if she remembered something, she smiled and joked again. "I said you act like a housekeeper, but you still refuse to admit it!"

This joke made Mary stunned for a moment, and then her face turned red.

"It's already this time, are you still in the mood to joke?!" She scolded Fran seemingly displeased, but she couldn't help but laugh too.

Inadvertently, the two people reached out their hands at the same time, and then held them tightly.

At this moment, the resentment and anger that had existed between them seemed to suddenly disappear, and they became close friends again.

"I will help you, no matter how I use it, so... don't be afraid." Mary whispered in Fran's ear, as if to encourage her, she squeezed Fran's hand hard, "Fran , don’t give up, please!”

"Okay, I know." Fran nodded, and then withdrew her hand.

……………………

When the two of them arrived at the reception room, Ciel's face was still as ugly as before.

Then, with a rather stern gesture, he signaled Mary to leave immediately.

Mary moved her mouth, wanting to persuade Charles again, but under Charles's stern eyes she dared not say anything more, so she had to go down obediently and close the door.

After the door was closed tightly, Charles stared at Fran coldly without saying a word.

Fran didn't speak, she just looked at her brother with no fear or concession.

Because she was staying at home today, Fran was only wearing a white dress. With white skin and golden hair, she looks light, fresh and beautiful.

What kind of admiration should he have to appreciate this beauty!

But...everything is very different.

Ciel felt a pain in his heart.

As if to relieve this pain. He took a deep breath.

"Why do you do this?" He glanced at his sister painfully, "Please tell me...why?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Fran asked curiously, as if she really didn't know anything.

"Are you still pretending to be stupid with me now? I already know everything!" Ciel roared angrily, almost shaking the table. "You ganged up with Laura and helped her kill people; you ganged up with Ezreal Get together and deal with me secretly... While you are taking advantage of my favor, you are deliberately trying to be my enemy! "

Ciel roared like this, but Fran didn't show any signs of flinching.

She was just a little surprised that Ciel knew so deeply, but after a moment. She was relieved.

"It seems that Laura has confessed to you? In order for you to deal with me, she chose to kneel down and ask you for help?"

"I see you deny all this! It's all true!" Because of his sister's calm tone, Charles was even more dissatisfied. "Why...are you trying to deal with me so deliberately? Could it be...that I still treat you... Not good enough?”

Seeing Ciel's angry look, Fran blinked curiously.

"Did she tell you so much but not tell you the reason why I did this?"

After a moment, she sneered again, "Fortunately, I thought she had some abilities. It turns out that when things come to a head, I will know how to surrender to you... But, that's right, I shouldn't have any feelings for people named De Bowang. No matter how much expectations we have, she is completely incomparable to us Treville..."

She showed no remorse. Ciel was completely disappointed.

"Pah!" He stretched out his hand and slapped Fran hard. A red slap mark instantly appeared on Fran's delicate face.

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

He finally recognized it. Under this still beautiful body, the familiar sister has long since disappeared.

Is she possessed by some evil spirit? Or was he brainwashed by some ghost? At this moment, this ridiculous idea flashed through his mind.

"You...this is how you repay me...this is how you repay me!" He looked at his sister painfully. As if he was the one being beaten, "Could it be...is there anything else about me that deserves your hatred?"

"Sir, since you understand the reason why I did all this, why do you need to question me?" Fran asked with some confusion. "If you still don't understand, let me say it again. I wanted to be united with you forever, and you didn't want to. You rejected me. So I was in a position where I had to act or suffer in silence. I had suffered enough. , so I didn’t want to suffer in silence anymore, so I chose to take action, and Laura just gave me another way to take action... So, everything you know happened. If you feel that all this is helpful to you. If you were hurt, then I apologize to you . However, I want to declare to you that from the beginning to the end, I never thought about causing you any harm. Although some unexpected situations happened along the way, that was never my intention. I just wanted to keep you under my control. It's just in my hands, that's all Just thinking about it... During this period, I prayed to our Lord thousands of times, praying to this almighty god to send down his divine power to change your mind and let you accept my love... But, I failed, So I can only go this way."

Because of the slap, Fran's tone of voice changed slightly, but her expression was still that terrifying and calm.

"If you ask me how I feel now, then I will answer honestly - I have no regrets, and I am not afraid of your next punishment. On the contrary, I am very happy... At least I can talk to you face to face on an equal footing. Because , for me, even being your enemy is better than being your sister!”

Fran's expression at this time was determined and stern. Compared with the usually gentle child, she seemed to be a different person. The contrast was so big that Ciel couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"Is this your answer..." Charles looked at her sadly, "You did that kind of crime just for such a small reason?"

"Yes, just for this little reason." Fran nodded slightly, "Just for this little reason, Laura's brother died miserably. Just for this little reason, I am in incomparable pain. With this Self-blame and fear come against you... Maybe for you, this is just a trivial reason, but for me, it's all."

Then, she smiled bitterly again. "In the end, everything turned out to be wishful thinking... It's really ridiculous. Now that I haven't accomplished anything, Laura will tell you everything. Well, I failed, a complete failure. So. I'm speechless. It can be said that you can punish me as much as you want, I will have no complaints!”

"You couldn't do it in the first place. It's strange that Laura didn't choose to ask me for help when she faced this kind of dilemma." Charles replied coldly.

When he said this, Charles's heart suddenly moved.

Although there was no clear evidence, Charles always felt in her heart that she was fully mentally prepared for Laura's choice from the beginning, and had long expected that she would probably do this.

"So. Are you forcing me to show off directly?"

This question made Fran, who had always been very calm, suddenly become a little panicked.

Under Ciel's stern gaze, she finally spoke with difficulty.

"Maybe it's a showdown. Maybe it's coercion, maybe it's something else, it doesn't matter how you look at it... But for me. It's all enough, I can't stand it anymore... I want to be with you. But in order to achieve my goal, I have to become your enemy! I don’t want to bear the pain of this kind of contradiction anymore. For me, I just gave Laura a reminder, and it’s okay for her to do whatever she wants.”

Is this the truth, or is it another performance to extinguish his anger? Seeing Fran's expression on the verge of tears, a trace of suspicion flashed through Charles's heart.

However, as of now, this is no longer important.

His heart was filled with pain, and he felt that everything had lost its original color.

"Is this the answer I got?" He sighed softly, feeling pained by the coldness of the truth. "It turns out that my sister is a big liar. Under the beautiful and innocent appearance, she is unscrupulous and extremely cold. She is willing to do anything for her own selfishness. She deceived her brother, and even thought about putting him in a terrible situation close to bankruptcy. She deceived everyone who cared about her; with thoughts that were not tolerated by the world, she committed unforgivable crimes with others. Crime - is anything I said wrong?"

"You're absolutely right. Not a single word is inaccurate." Fran's face was already slightly swollen, but her charm didn't seem to have diminished. "You didn't even need to hand me over to the court, you've already given me a That’s right, I really admire you.”

"I won't hand you over to the court, because I can't bear this scandal." Charles replied bluntly, "However, this does not mean that you do not need to accept punishment. I will lock you up and completely confine you for as long as you want." It depends on the extent of your repentance. During this period, you are not allowed to go anywhere! You are not allowed to see anyone! I must correct you!"

At this moment, he was unwilling to tell the reason why he didn't want Fran to die or go to jail because of this. He would rather say it was just for himself.

"Of course you are qualified to punish me..." Fran calmly listened to her brother's sentence and replied calmly.

Then, she gently raised her head and looked at her brother proudly. "But... go to hell with any repentance or correction! I will never repent to you against my will!"

"What!?" Charles shouted.

"I...can't regret it, because I don't know what regret means at all, and I won't feel guilty for what I did. It's just that simple!" For the first time in her life, Fran shouted to her brother loudly. , "Didn't you teach me that as long as the goal is achieved, the means are not important? Didn't you teach me that intelligence can be used in any aspect? Didn't you teach me that as long as we have brains, Can you be superior to others? You don’t know... You don’t know how much effort I have put into remembering every word you said since I was a child. I follow your teachings... ...I looked up to you and tried my best to imitate you and learn from you...But now, you want to deny everything you taught me? No...even you can't take away the last bit! It belongs to my collection!”

This unexpected answer immediately stunned Charlotte.

…

"I never thought about turning you into someone like me. For me, it's enough as long as you live happily - this kind of thing. What's the point of learning it?" After a moment of silence, He looked at Fran painfully. "Why can't you just be a young lady in peace and enjoy everything I will give you? Why do you have to have such stubborn thoughts? Don't you know? This can only bring disaster to us... "

"Whether you do it intentionally or not, I have been watching you and learning from you since I was a child, so I have become like this. The innocent me may have disappeared a few years ago, but you have never noticed it. It must be hard to worship the wrong idol, I can understand you.”

After a moment of silence, Fran smiled bitterly. "But please don't blame me on this point, because I've suffered enough over the years - you taught me all this and then expected me to know nothing and nothing. Understand, innocent, kind and pleasant...Okay, it doesn't matter, if you like it, I can continue to act. For you, I am willing to continue acting. Originally, I was willing to act for the rest of my life.

However, you are not willing to pay me a penny for this. As if I was born to be what you imagined! Do I want a high reward? Maybe it’s high, but I just want that little bit! Do you want to exchange this little for all my love? Isn’t it enough to exchange for my whole life? Am I so worthless in your heart? You say I am cold, but you are equally cold. Even a bit colder! My coldness is because my passion has been poured into the only place, but your coldness is because you clearly know it but pretend not to see it! You ignore my thoughts in every possible way. Keep trampling on my heart, if I am cruel, then you are equally cruel! "

At this moment, the original innocence on Fran's face has been completely lost, leaving only ridicule and indifference, "But even so, I will not have any complaints against you. Who told fate to mock me like this? ? Enough... It's really enough, I'm so heartbroken... Well, what's the point of talking about it now? I've already said, you can do whatever you want with me until the end... I just want to ask you. One sentence.”

"What are you asking?" Charles asked with a straight face.

"If I really succeed - no matter if I rely on Laura or who else - and put you in a situation where you are controlled by me, will you obey?" Fran looked at Charles and walked over slowly, "In In that situation, will you choose to obey my wishes, put aside worldly prejudices, and marry me forever? Let's go to America, or the Far East, or wherever, and live happily together..."

"No, I think you should know me very well." Charles looked at Fran calmly and replied decisively, "I will not be threatened by anyone. If that happens, I will treat you as an enemy, and then I’ll do whatever I can to deal with you, just like you did to me.”

"Yeah, I know you too well. I've known for a long time that everything is meaningless... so let's just let Laura end it as soon as possible." Fran smiled bitterly, and something seemed to appear in her blue eyes. Layer of water mist. "It's time to wake up from your dream. Thank you, sir."

Then, she raised her head again and looked at Ciel expectantly.

"Then, before you let me be locked up, can you...can you give me a last hug? This is my last request. Aren't you willing to satisfy it? Please, sir..."

Perhaps because the words "please" were too sad and sad, Ciel finally felt some compassion.

"Okay, sure," he opened his arms toward his sister.

Then, as if hesitating, he looked at Fran hesitantly and said, "Whenever you regret it, come and admit your mistake to me. If your attitude is good, I can consider it..."

"Well, I understand..." Fran threw herself into Ciel's arms with a smile.

Looking at his sister's smile, Charles suddenly became a little absent-minded, as if he had returned to his childhood.

At that time, my sister also liked to throw herself into his arms like this.

How wonderful it would be if everything stayed the same as before! He sighed inwardly.

Then, he suddenly felt a sharp pain coming from the inner thigh.

"Uh!" He groaned, then bent down in pain, "You...what are you doing..."

Fran, who had just given her brother a hard kick, shed apologetic tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...please forgive me!"

Then she turned around and ran to the door, opened it and rushed out.

"No! Don't do this!" As if he had a premonition of something, Charles shouted anxiously.

Then, he suppressed the pain and forced himself to chase after him.

However, the severe pain slowed him down too much, and he could only watch Fran running upstairs quickly.

Fran ignored her brother's call and just ran forward along the stairs.

The tears flowed down from her temples like shining stars.

Soon, she ran to Attic Mountain, and then she opened the window and looked at the gloomy land outside.

It was already very dark, and she couldn't see anything. It was like the darkness that could swallow everything lay in front of her.

She stared blankly at the deep darkness, her heart filled with despair and pain.

Unsurprisingly, her brother rejected her last struggle.

There is nothing left, nothing makes sense.

She leaned out her body and greedily breathed in the chilly early spring air. Her lungs stung in the cold wind, but it could relieve the severe pain in her heart.

Only this darkness can give her comfort.

At this time, Charles also limped up to the attic. He looked at Fran anxiously, as if he had guessed what she wanted to do.

"Don't do this... don't do this, Fran!" Charles shouted loudly, regardless of how much commotion it might cause to the servants, "come back..."

At her brother's call, Fran just smiled and shook her head.

No, I can't stand it anymore... I can't stand it anymore. One pain after another, her string had already been stretched to the limit, and today, the string finally broke.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry...I'm sorry!" She apologized to her brother while laughing and crying.

Then, she turned her head again and looked at the deep night sky.

If it can bring me eternal silence and allow me to forget all my worries and resentments, that would be great...

At this moment, with this strange thought, Fran suddenly smiled.

Then she slowly closed her eyes.

Leap. (To be continued...)