Flowers, Swords and France

It was seven o'clock in the morning.

The Saint-Thomas-d'Agan Church adjacent to the Saint-Germain district was already bustling with people.

A large group of soldiers in brand new uniforms kept patrolling around this magnificent church, looking at everyone passing by with stern suspicion. Their eyes were bright, their buttons were shining, and they looked capable and neat.

Under their gaze, a number of richly decorated carriages came from the surrounding streets. Because there were too many carriages coming, the streets were congested everywhere, and the speed of travel became very slow, so that only with the guidance of the soldiers could the carriages move forward.

As time passed, the carriages stopped one by one on the steps of the church and the streets next to it, and then gentlemen and ladies in gorgeous clothes got out of the carriages. Although they looked arrogant, under the polite and unquestionable urging of the soldiers, they handed in their invitations one by one before they were allowed to pass.

They were not here to attend any public events, but to attend a wedding.

Yes, today was the day when the famous Charles de Treville got married.

As a politician who was already very active in the political arena, he already had great power and influence. Today, as a witness, the president would personally attend the wedding to add luster to the wedding of his most trusted subordinate.

Just yesterday, Louis Bonaparte proudly issued a declaration to defend his coup at the Bourbon Palace, under the cheers of a large group of parliamentarians, and announced to the whole country that a new era of his one-man dictatorship had arrived.

Under the high pressure of the army supporting the president, all the opposition of the Bonapartists either disappeared. Or they could only stop and let the president and his assistants take over the ruling power of the entire country.

After a day of rest. This group of dignitaries had enough energy and also appeared at Charles' wedding.

All the original team headed by the president attended. This wedding became a grand national ceremony, and in an unquestionable way, it announced the extent of Louis Bonaparte's favor and respect for Charles de Treville.

Under the arrangement of the master of ceremonies, the attendees slowly passed through the door of the church in a good order, walked into the newly decorated church, and sat in the seats of the church in an unspoken order - that is, the order of power.

And today's protagonist was also staying in these preaching seats, chatting with a group of attendees. Under the gaze of everyone. Charles de Treville, wearing a well-cut coat, greeted each attendee in a low voice with a calm and perfect smile.

"Congratulations, Mr. de Treville!" A steady stream of congratulations came to him, and he accepted it without discount.

Yes, at this moment, he was in high spirits. Obviously, he was satisfied with everything he had now.

However, no one could tell from his calm appearance that he was happy from the bottom of his heart.

He would walk into the marriage hall with Charlotte, who had been with him for twenty years. They would also spend the rest of their lives together.

After countless self-examinations, he had already discovered that although the two had quarreled endlessly. But he still had a deep love for Charlotte in his heart - although it was not the kind of unreserved fanatical love. He was willing to stay with Charlotte, and he even liked Charlotte's stubbornness.

Although he knew that marriage was not just a ceremony, but also a heavy fetter for the future. But he still couldn't help but get excited.

I will definitely give her everything I have. We will definitely be happy.

While dealing with others insincerely, Charles thought to himself.

At this moment, there was a commotion and noise at the door, as if cheering.

Are you here?

Charles' heart was warmed, and then he immediately smiled and gestured to the attendees, and walked out of the church quickly amid their cheering.

It did come.

As he watched, a carriage engraved with the crest of the Treville family slowly drove towards the church. As if they had received some order, the surrounding carriages and soldiers made way for it, allowing it to easily pass through the already congested streets.

The carriage was all white, and the surrounding frame was made of bright brass. The four white stallions pulling it had sapphire badges on their ears. Under the sunlight, the hazy glow of golden and light blue intertwined, flashing a dazzling brilliance.

The carriage gradually stopped.

Charles suppressed his excitement and walked quickly towards the carriage.

At this moment, the door of the carriage opened.

The father of the bride, the Duke of Treville, came out of the carriage.

The middle-aged man looked around with a smile, then waved his hand humorously, and then a bridesmaid also came down and stretched her hand out of the carriage door.

Then, a hand wrapped in a white silk glove grabbed the bridesmaid's hand.

Then, Charlotte, wearing a wedding dress, stepped on the pedal and walked out of the car step by step.

"Wow!" Almost at the same time, Charles seemed to hear almost everyone shouting after taking a deep breath.

He also stopped and stared at Charlotte blankly.

It's really beautiful...

Today, Charlotte rarely wore any jewelry and only wore a plain white wedding dress. However, she was as beautiful as usual, or even more beautiful.

The white wedding dress fluttered slightly in the breeze, the golden hair was looming under the white tulle, and the blue eyes seemed to have endless ripples. Her face was fair and translucent after being carefully groomed, and maybe there was a slight blush because of her shyness.

Is this the color of happiness?

Can I always be with her from now on?

God, this is unbelievable!

Ciel looked at Charlotte blankly and didn't speak for a moment.

Looking at Ciel's stunned look. Charlotte couldn't help but laugh. This smile no longer had the sharpness of the past, but was filled with shyness and tenderness that Ciel had almost never seen before.

This smile. Jean Charles suddenly woke up.

He quickly walked over to these two people, and then bowed deeply to Charlotte.

"Charlotte...you are so beautiful today...so beautiful!" He originally spoke with a lot of smiles. Now he seems to have become clumsy and incoherent, "We... we... can marry you. It's really great..."

Then, he stretched out his hand, trying to pull Charlotte, and walked into the church together.

"You bastard, what do you want to do!" His cousin immediately scolded him and slapped Charles's hand away. "Go back quickly! At this age, you still act like a child!"

He slapped it so hard that Ciel's hands hurt.

Maybe every father, at this time, will feel hatred towards the person who took away his daughter.

"Uh... ah..." Charles looked at his cousin and Charlotte and laughed angrily, "I know... I know, don't be angry! Come in quickly, Charlotte, everyone Can’t wait! Everything is ready, just for the two of us!”

Then, Charles looked back and found that his good friend Albert, whom he chose as the best man, had also walked to the door, and he quickly waved to Albert.

"Pfft..." Seeing Ciel looking so careless. Charlotte couldn't help but laugh, but maybe because she was concerned about her image, she laughed very quietly. "Char, you're always like this! Can't you be more serious?"

"If you need to be serious, I will be serious." Charles stood up pretending to be serious, "But do you really like me like that? I always thought that it was just because I was willing to do so many unreasonable things with you when I was a child. You are only willing to marry me because of the ridiculous things..."

"That's nonsense!" Charlotte frowned slightly, as if she wanted to pinch him, but she was worried that there were too many people around her, so she didn't really do anything. "If you dare to behave like this in the future, Look like I won’t beat you to death!”

"Ahem..." Just as the two were flirting, Albert next to him suddenly faked a cough, and then asked pretending to be serious, "Excuse me... may I ask, what is the so-called ridiculous thing? What? Does it mean what you are going to do tonight?"

These sudden words made Charlotte blush with embarrassment. She glared at Albert fiercely, "Bah! Only a libertine like you thinks of this all day long, right?"

Ciel couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, let's stop talking and let's go..." After laughing for a moment, he finally regained his composure, "Everyone has been waiting for so long, we have all been waiting for so long..."

"Yeah, I've been waiting for so long..." Charlotte whispered to herself.

The soldiers next to them formed two lines, and Charles and Charlotte, accompanied by the best man and bridesmaid, walked into the church step by step.

Just when she was about to enter the church, as if she couldn't suppress the excitement in her heart, Charlotte suddenly turned her head slightly and whispered softly, "Charle, I love you."

"Me too, Charlotte."

……………………

Under everyone's attention, Ciel and Charlotte stood on the altar, looking at each other.

At this moment, both of them only had each other in their eyes.

Like the attendees, the officiant of today's wedding was also of a very high standard.

Because Marshal Treville was the commander of the expeditionary force that led the troops to rescue the Holy See, the church was so grateful to him that it put the cardinal of the French Diocese in charge.

In the center of the church,

"Merciful Lord, I will praise you daily and praise your holy name forever. You are gentle and kind to all things, loving and merciful to your creation. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit... …”

He paused, and then everyone shouted at the same time. "Amen!"

All fell into silence.

"On the night of their wedding, Tobias said to Sarah, 'Sister, get up! Let us pray together and ask our Lord to have mercy on us, let us alone. Blessed be you, God of our ancestors! May your name be Praised from generation to generation...'"

“...Wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that those who do not believe in the word of God may be inspired by the good behavior of your wives and do not say too much. For they will see that you have reverence and A chaste life. You should not be adorned with outward hair, gold jewelry, or finery, but with that inner beauty that never fades, which is precious in the sight of God..."

Like everyone else, Charles listened quietly to the bishop's chanting, but his heart did not stay on it.

Even in today's bad environment, he is still not a Christian and has little respect for God. Therefore, doing this kind of ritual was just for the occasion, and in his heart he only felt it was cumbersome.

He looked away slightly, and then. He found his grandfather sitting next to the president, looking at him with excitement, looking full of mixed emotions, almost as if he was about to cry. In order to prevent himself from crying too, he quickly looked away and looked at the ground.

………………

"The Creator from the beginning gave them a man and a woman; and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and cling to his own wife, and the two will become one flesh? Then they will no longer be two, but One body. For this reason no man can put asunder what God has joined together..."

I don’t know how many boring sermons and chants I’ve heard before hearing this passage. Ciel finally regained his composure.

Because...the real ceremony has arrived.

The bishop looked at the two newcomers with a serious face, as if God was questioning them.

"Mr. Treville. Ms. Treville, come to the church today. In front of the church, parents, relatives and friends, you are going to get married. Marriage is an institution ordained by God and a sacrament established by Christ. This shows that the love between a couple is sacred and the responsibility of marriage is important. Since marriage is a match made in heaven, the couple should also grow old together. Now, in the name of the church, I ask you to solemnly express your wishes...

Mr. de Treville, are you here to get married of your own free will? "

This question seemed to make everything else meaningless.

Ciel looked at Charlotte and took a breath.

"Yes."

"Ms. de Treville, did you come here voluntarily to get married?"

"Yes," Charlotte gave the same answer.

"Since you two have chosen marriage, are you willing to respect and love each other for the rest of your life?"

"I do." Both men replied at the same time.

“Are you willing to accept the children God will give you in the future and educate them according to the precepts of Christ and the laws of the Church?”

Why do my children have to be raised according to ridiculous hadiths and church rules?

A flash of disgust suddenly flashed through Charles's heart, and he almost blurted out "I don't want to".

Forget it, it’s just a formality anyway.

"I do." He and Charlotte gave the same answer.

"Since you two have decided to become husband and wife, please shake hands and express your agreement before God and the Church."

Charles stretched out his hand and held Charlotte's hand, but Charlotte did not dare to look at him. Even her hands were sweaty, and she was obviously full of excitement and nervousness.

He couldn't help but squeeze Charlotte's hand slightly, trying to give her courage in this way.

"Mr. Treville, are you willing to accept Ms. Treville as your wife, and promise to love her and be loyal to her for the rest of your life, no matter what the circumstances?"

"I do." Charles squeezed Charlotte's hand again.

"Mr. Treville, are you willing to accept Mr. Treville as your husband, and promise to love him and be loyal to him for the rest of your life, no matter what the circumstances?"

"I...will." Charlotte's voice was trembling.

In this light "I do", the two people's marriage vows were fulfilled, and they both hoped that they could follow this vow throughout their lives.

They looked at each other again, forgetting everything else.

"Then, this is a match made in heaven. May the loving God bless you to grow old together!" The bishop's hollow tone seemed to come from another world.

The two people just looked at each other, and then opened their mouths at the same time.

"Amen!"

……………………

Read the original article in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Oh, it's so enviable! Our lovely Charles must be extremely proud today! He married a beautiful wife and brought a large dowry..." I don't know if it's true envy or hidden envy. As a mockery, Joseph Bonaparte, who was sitting in the seat watching the ceremony, spoke in a rather exaggerated tone. "Since the emperor and the Austrian princess, there has only been such a grand wedding. The Duke of De Berry has only come once, right?"

[The Duke of Berry refers to Charles Ferdinand de Bourbon, the second son of King Charles X of France. After the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, he married Marie Carolina de Bourbon, the daughter of the King of Naples, in 1816. The wedding was extremely lavish. But he was shot and assassinated by republicans in 1820, and died soon after. 】

"What you say is a little unlucky, Joseph." Louis Bonaparte's other cousin, Pierre Bonaparte, who has a cold and unsmiling personality, suddenly said, "In my opinion, our summer You're so slippery, you're like a new Talleyrand! He won't end up like the Duke de Berry..."

Then. He looked at Charlotte carefully and looked at the charming and radiant bride. "I'm worried that poor Mademoiselle de Treville will be taken over by this new Tallet after she gets tired of it." Lang threw it away cruelly, just like the old Talleyrand did..."

[During the Directory period, Talleyrand had a close relationship with a British female adventurer, Madame Grant, who was born in India. Later, Napoleon forced him to marry her in 1802. In the Restoration period after the fall of the Empire, Talleyrand broke up with Madame Grant again. He lived with Madame Dino. 】

"You are quite right!" Joseph Bonaparte patted Pierre on the shoulder, "I am also worried about her. This poor lady probably doesn't know how many mistresses Charles has until now? Look at her happy look, it's really worrying..."

The two Bonaparte cousins, the future princes of the empire. Just like this, they whispered about today's newcomers, and sneered maliciously from time to time.

"You two, in such an occasion. It's probably inappropriate to say such things."

The sudden words made the smiles of the two cousins ​​freeze.

Morny? When did he sit next to him?

"I think Charles has the right to be respected by both of you." Morny looked at the newlyweds and admonished the two Bonapartes without turning his head. "After all, he spared no effort to make both of you enjoy enough honor..."

For some reason, Morny's tone was a little more admonishing and contemptuous. As a bastard, he was not afraid of the two princes.

The two cousins ​​frowned slightly and looked at the bastard with dissatisfaction.

"He did it for himself first, didn't he? And we did give him enough in return." Joseph Bonaparte replied coldly, "I wonder when this new Talleyrand will betray the emperor for me again."

"Oh? Do you expect others to fight for you without asking for anything in return? Excuse me, you don't deserve it, sir." Morny sneered, and then, in Joseph Bonaparte's eyes glaring at him, he added, "The reward is not given by you, you can't afford it."

Then, he ignored the Bonaparte cousins ​​and continued to watch Charles and Charlotte's wedding leisurely.

………………

At this time, Charles and Charlotte each held a sparkling diamond ring in their hands.

"May God bless these rings, please exchange them as a token of love and loyalty." The bishop shouted loudly.

"Amen!" Charles and Charlotte shouted again.

The whole church fell into silence again. With everyone's witness, Charles and Charlotte took the rings and put them on their ring fingers.

Seeing them put the rings on each other, the bishop spoke again, this time to all the attendees.

"Brothers and sisters, today, Mr. Treville and Ms. Treville have become husband and wife in front of God and us, have concluded a covenant of love, and started a new family life. Now... let us pray for the newlyweds."

Everyone lowered their eyes at the same time. As for whether they were praying for the two newlyweds in their hearts, that was another matter.

"Almighty and eternal Father, may you take care of the newlyweds who have concluded a good marriage in front of your platform today, so that they will respect and love each other, be loyal, obey your commandments in this life, and share the eternal happiness in heaven in the next life. The above request is through our Lord Christ..."

"Amen!" Led by Louis-Bonaparte and Marshal Treville, everyone shouted at the same time.

The whole church was boiling.

……………………

At this moment. In the mansion of the Marquis of Treville not far away, Miss Treville, who had been sleeping all the time, suddenly opened her eyes slowly.

"Fran, are you awake?!" A surprised voice came from the side.

Who was it?

Oh...it's Mary...

Fran's consciousness slowly became clear again from chaos. Her vision gradually became clear.

"Mary..."

"Fran, you finally woke up!" Perhaps because she was too excited, Mary even cried a little. "You worried me to death!"

"Don't be afraid, I'm fine now, Mary..." Fran smiled weakly, "How long have I been in a coma? I really troubled you during this period..."

"You still know this! You have been in a coma for almost two weeks!" Mary looked at her sadly and distressed, "Why did you jump off the building when you knew it was troublesome? I told you so many times, asking you to be patient and apologize. You just didn't listen... You had to do it! Do you know that everyone is very worried about you!"

"Thank you, Mary..." Fran looked at her apologetically, "I just... I just..."

"Okay, I understand , don't say anything... Now that you're awake, everything is fine. "Mary forced herself to hold back her tears, "You just woke up, you must be hungry, right? I'll go to the kitchen to find you something to eat. We've been feeding you soup and porridge all this time, look at you. You've become so thin, I feel so bad looking at you..."

"Thank you..." Fran looked at Mary, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, "It's okay. I'm not hungry yet, talk to me again."

"Okay... okay..." Mary smiled bitterly and shook her head, "Then I won't leave. What do you want to say? I'll tell you everything."

"Luckily, you're here, Mary." Fran nodded with great emotion. "How could I be angry with you before?"

"Who knows? Maybe we were both wrong." Mary sighed, and then. She looked at Fran worriedly, "Are you still angry now?"

"I'm not angry anymore. What right do I have to be angry with you again?" Fran also smiled bitterly, "Mary, hold my hand, I'm a little cold."

Mary held her hand obediently.

In the bitter smiles of the two people, the two friends who had broken up before finally reunited.

"Where is my brother?" Fran asked in a low voice after a moment.

"Sir... Sir is not here now." Mary hesitated for a moment, and then gave an answer.

"Is it... Is he still angry with me?" Fran seemed to see something from her hesitation, "Is he still angry with me and doesn't want to see me? Did he not come to see me when I was unconscious...?"

"No... What are you thinking? Silly child... After seeing you fall, Sir cried so hard. I have never seen Sir so emotional!" Mary answered quickly, and then looked at Fran with some complaints, "So, please don't do such stupid things again in the future, okay?!"

"Where is my brother now?" Fran suddenly asked again.

"…………"Mary did not answer.

"Please tell me, Mary." Fran still smiled bitterly, "Is there any bad news that I can't bear now?"

"Sir... Sir... The wedding is going on now." After hesitating for a long time, Mary finally told the truth, "I probably won't come back today."

Yes, I won't come back today.

After the wedding in the church, Charles and Charlotte will go to the newly renovated wedding room, which is the original prince's mansion, to hold a grand banquet to celebrate the wedding and the success of the coup.

"Wedding... Wedding..." Fran frowned painfully and muttered to herself.

Even if he heard the news that he had woken up, he probably wouldn't come today, he was busy with the wedding with Charlotte...

In the future, he will be taken away by that person and will never pay attention to me again.

He will have his own life, and then leave me alone to live in this cold world...

At this moment, Charles and Charlotte, under the gaze of everyone, exchanged their rings and completed their marriage vows.

As if sensing something, Fran suddenly felt cold all over, as if she had sunk into the coldest abyss.

"I...if I hadn't woken up, it would have been great!"

She suddenly cried out in a low voice, tears streaming down her cheeks, wetting her pillow. "It's better to sleep in the darkness than to suffer endlessly!"

"Fran. Don't do this!" Seeing Fran's heartbroken look, Mary was also heartbroken. "Being alive is better than anything else!"

"Wu... no... you don't understand... you don't understand..." Fran still kept crying, "What's the meaning of my life now? Everything I have has been taken away by others, nothing left! Charlotte... Charlotte! That's nothing! She just got lucky. I have looked down on her since I was a child. What else is there to boast about except her appearance? But just relying on this... she has fascinated my brother's heart, and I can't pull her back! Obviously... obviously I am smarter than her. More beautiful than her, but the result is only this... I am so unwilling, Mary, I am so sad! Fate is so cruel to me, playing such a huge joke on me, breaking my heart... Wu..."

As she spoke, Fran burst into tears, choking and unable to speak anymore.

"Don't say such stupid things... No matter what, as long as you are alive, there is hope. Isn't it? No matter what, I will help you!" Mary hugged her head, also crying, "So... don't talk about life or death, okay? Haven't you scared everyone enough?"

"Help me?" Fran opened her eyes slightly. She looked at Mary in disbelief.

Then, she shook her head gently, "Thank you. Mary, thank you very much. But now it's meaningless... It has come to this. What can you do to help me? There is no hope... I have lost everything."

"No, there is hope!" Mary refuted her words. "You didn't see him that day, so you can't imagine it... Mr. really cherishes you very much, even more than he thinks, he doesn't want to abandon you at all... Do you understand? So... just found the wrong way, there must be a chance to save everything..."

"Mary... God? Is what you said true?" Hearing Mary's words, Fran was even more surprised, and her face turned red again. "If that's the case..."

At least there is meaning in living.

Then, she looked at the other person curiously. "You... don't you dislike me? I have such a shameful wish..."

"What's wrong with that? Are you bothering anyone? I won't be as shocked as those fools..." Mary smiled and patted Fran's head, "You and Mr. are such outstanding people, why do you have to act according to other people's rules? Besides... this is just a matter between the two of you."

Fran was stunned.

For the first time in her life, she heard someone comment on her wish without disgust - Laura's wish was just superficial.

"Mary... that's great..." She burst into tears again, "You are really my friend, my best friend..."

"I'm not just doing this for you," Mary smiled reluctantly, trying to encourage Fran, "Miss Treville doesn't like me either. When she gets married, she will definitely try her best to drive me away, so my position is also very dangerous, and I have to find a way to save myself..."

Fran knew in her heart that maybe she had this consideration, but it was more to encourage herself and let herself give up the idea of ​​suicide as soon as possible.

She gently reached out and grabbed Mary's hand.

"Mary, I will never let you be abandoned... You will always stay with me and my brother, I swear!"

"Thank you." Mary smiled and nodded, "But first, you should eat something..." (To be continued...)

PS: The fourth volume is finished.

Looking back, I didn't expect that I had written so much, and I admire myself a little (laughing).

At this point, it's obviously a bit hypocritical to talk about rewards. I can only say that no matter what the results are, I have been writing with the most serious attitude. Although the results are not satisfactory and the work is busy now, I have persisted.

What makes me inexplicably happy is that the people who claimed to represent the kingly way to mock me have stopped for a long time, but I still persisted. Just for this, I continue to applaud myself ing~~~

From the fifth volume, the scumbag Xia will participate in international activities, conspiracies and even wars in Europe. Of course, the interaction with the girls will also unfold along the same trajectory... Treville's glamorous but decadent family history will write a new chapter...

Okay, I won't say much, see you later~~