Flowers, Swords and France

As if he was displaying his most precious treasure, Emperor Franz-Joseph made a brilliant appearance with his fiancée. As expected, the young girl quickly won everyone's attention and was amazed - even Charlotte, who was so arrogant, subconsciously felt that the two of them were very compatible, just like a fairy tale.

Under the guidance of the solemn attendants with fixed steps, the young emperor and the young princess walked towards the center of the hall - where the Treville couple sat. The emperor's steps were slow, and the distance between each step seemed to be measured by a ruler. His posture was also very restrained, with a calmness that did not belong to this age; and in order to match the pace of her fiancé, the princess's steps were much faster, and she looked a bit like a deer walking forward.

As the distance got closer, the princess opened her eyes wide and kept looking at the Treville couple, as if she wanted to use this method to recognize the two most important guests today.

Both Charlotte and Charles smiled at them. When the emperor and the princess walked to the table, Charles stood up and bowed to the betrothed couple.

"Please allow me to congratulate you, Your Majesty. You will make a most beautiful princess the queen, and she will surely add new glory to your glorious family." Charles said, pointing to his wife, "My wife also thinks you have found the most suitable fiancée. She was almost stunned just now. Now she can't congratulate you just because she is pregnant. Please forgive her..."

His attentive and seemingly heartfelt praise made the emperor, who was originally interested in showing off, even happier, so he didn't mind complimenting Charles in the same way.

"You also have a charming wife, Mr. Treville. The Treville family is also a glorious family."

When the two people complimented each other, the princess did not speak, but continued to look at Charles and Charlotte curiously.

Then, the emperor sat in the main seat, sitting on one side with Charles, and the princess sat on the other side with Charlotte.

As soon as they sat down, the servants of the palace quickly served the food. Dinner began.

In the relaxed atmosphere, people put down their previous tension and talked in groups of three or two. The whole restaurant suddenly became noisy and noisy. However, this did not affect Charles' mood. On the contrary, he felt that in this situation, he could get along with the emperor of the empire more harmoniously and bring the two sides closer.

While talking to the emperor, Charles winked at Charlotte, hoping that she could talk to the princess. Bring closer the relationship with the future Austrian queen.

At this time, the princess was very nervous because the emperor's eyes were no longer on her. She found that even when she was eating, she became the focus of most people's attention. Everyone glanced at her from time to time while talking, as if they were commenting on her.

Because of this, the princess felt her whole body was very stiff, and she dared not move at all, fearing that she would lose her manners and be laughed at. However, her nervous appearance made people feel more sympathetic.

"Your Highness, let's have a toast." Charlotte filled her glass with juice, and then looked at the princess who was a little uneasy, "I am a pregnant woman, and you are still young, so the two of us can just toast with this."

"...Huh?!" As if awakened, the princess was stunned at first, and then immediately reacted, and nervously picked up the glass, "Okay. De-Treville, it's really nice to meet you."

Her French sounded a little strange because of her German accent, but it was still very crisp.

Because of nervousness, some of the juice in the glass was spilled and dripped onto the table. But Charlotte pretended not to see it, clinked the glass with the princess, and drank the juice. This calm attitude and demeanor made the princess envious.

"Don't be nervous, Your Highness. Being the center of attention is an honor, not a disaster." After Charlotte finished drinking the juice, she looked at the other person with a smile, "You are still too young, so you may not be able to adapt. But when you become the queen in the future, you will be able to attend such occasions almost every other day. By then, it will be difficult for you to be nervous. I'm afraid you will just find it monotonous and boring."

"Maybe you are right, Madam." After the princess drank the juice in the glass, she finally calmed down a lot. "You...you are in Paris, you must often attend similar social occasions, right? Do you find it boring?"

When she talked about Paris, there was some yearning and envy in her tone, probably influenced by some tutor.

"If you want to say boring... I was a little bored in the past few years." Charlotte raised her eyes slightly, as if she was recalling her previous experiences. "You may think I am exaggerating. At that time, I was really one of the stars in the social circle. However, after a few years of being in the limelight in the social circle, one day I suddenly felt that I had been in the limelight enough, and it was boring to always say the same repetitive polite words to people at the ball... But after a while, I found the fun and meaning in it again, so I no longer felt bored." "Why?" The princess asked curiously, not feeling that her inquiring attitude was a taboo in the social circle.

"Because, later I married my husband, and I was no longer Mademoiselle de Treville, but Mrs. de Treville." Charlotte was not dissatisfied with the princess's attitude, "I am no longer Miss de Treville." I do these things not only for myself, but for my family. I want everyone else to understand the prestige and grandeur of our family, and I also want to communicate well with others for my husband - because don’t think he is so easy-going. , He is actually a person who doesn’t really like to socialize with others.”

"So that's it!" The princess suddenly realized, blinked, and then she looked at Charlotte with some admiration.

She is a social star from Paris, and she is a descendant of a famous French family. She is so kind and funny, and she knows a lot.

"It seems you love your husband very much and are happy," she asserted.

"I can't decide whether I will be happy or not." Charlotte smiled, and then took another sip of juice, "But if I don't love him, why did I marry him?"

"I really envy you. I think...if only I could be like you." The princess looked at Charlotte with envy in an unpretentious tone. "I will love him as much as I can. He is His Majesty the Emperor. How can I not love him?"

"I think you will only be happier than me. After all, your husband is very handsome. And he can use an empire to love you." Charlotte still smiled, "I should be envious of you."

"No, I really envy you! You are about to become a mother, and I don't know when I can do it yet." When the princess said this, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "My mother and others told me that it was my duty to continue the Habsburg lineage, and I was really afraid that I was not doing a good job."

The princess feels that Charlotte is very mature and has a happy life, which is exactly the kind of future she longs for. For this reason, she and Charlotte hit it off immediately, almost as if she regarded Charlotte as her teacher, so she was quickly guided by Charlotte and even spoke her innermost thoughts.

"Since God has given you such beauty and such a kind heart, then God will also give you another child. You don't have to worry about this. Just wait quietly for God's gift." Charlotte added. He poured himself a glass of juice, then raised his hand to the princess again, "Cheers to you and your fiancé's two great families! You will pass them on and carry them forward with your kindness."

"Thank you for your blessing!" The princess also quickly poured herself a glass of juice, and then clinked glasses with Charlotte again.

After drinking another drink, the princess felt much more natural, and the original stress and tension had been swept away. At this moment, her face was radiant, as if she had been covered with a layer of powder.

It's great to be young - Charlotte thought with envy. Although she herself is only twenty-four years old now. But compared with the princess who was ten years younger than her, her youthful vitality made her look a little sideways.

At this moment, she noticed that the princess blinked her eyes and moved her lips slightly. As if to say something.

"Your Highness, what do you want to say?"

"Madam, I think... I want to ask you a question. It may be a bit presumptuous, but... but I'm really curious." The princess looked at Charlotte apologetically. "Can you forgive me for my offense?"

"Please ask, Your Highness." Charlotte smiled. "It's okay."

"Everyone says that the Treville family is a famous family in France, but when I studied the French royal family lineage, I didn't find out the relationship between your ancestors and the royal family..." She glanced at Charlotte unnaturally, " Oh, please don’t mind, I’m not questioning your family lineage, I’m just a little curious, because everyone says so but I don’t quite understand why…”

Studying the lineage of the major wealthy nobles in various European countries is a compulsory course for almost every noble. Naturally, the princess also has to take such a class. However, she is a German prince after all, so she does not know much about the French noble families.

"Our Treville family can trace its lineage back to the Carolingian dynasty. When King Charles III was in power, one of our ancestors, Count de Treville, married a daughter of the royal family." I have always been proud of my family tree. Charlotte, of course, can answer this question completely calmly, "Although the Capetian family later replaced the Carolingian royal line, the blood of the royal line was still passed down from our ancestors after all, so we finally got some A paltry reputation."

Although she spoke modestly, the arrogance in Charlotte's heart was beyond words. It was obvious that she had always been proud of such a pedigree.

"So that's it! I finally understand!" The princess finally understood, and then kept nodding, "No wonder they said that..."

"Who are they? What did they say?" Charlotte asked keenly.

The princess was a little embarrassed. She looked at Charlotte hesitantly, as if she didn't dare to say anything.

But Charlotte kept watching her, and finally she had to obey.

"They refer to some of my father's friends in Bavaria. They often come to my father's place as guests. And your husband...doesn't have a good reputation there..." After hesitating for a moment, the princess answered Charlotte's question honestly. , "They all said that he... said that he..."

Oh my God, she really answered me honestly?

Charlotte actually knew what her husband's reputation would be across the country and even Europe without even thinking about it, but she didn't expect that the princess would answer the question so honestly in front of her.

Should this be said to be intentional ridicule, or should it be said to be naive and ignorant of tact?

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

At present it seems to be the latter.

After glancing at Ciel and seeing his slightly stiff face, Charlotte couldn't help but want to laugh, and then deliberately continued to ask. "What do they say about my husband? Please tell me and I won't be angry."

After getting Charlotte's assurance. The princess hesitated again, then turned slightly sideways and moved closer to Charlotte.

"They said that your husband is a big bad guy. He is one of the worst in Bonaparte's group of bad guys, so he has won Bonaparte's trust and reuse." The princess lowered her voice, "They also said that he corrupted The reputation and honor of the best surname in France is completely unworthy of my respect..."

As if he felt that he had gone too far. The princess stopped quickly, and then looked at Charlotte with an apologetic face, "Oh my god, look at me... look at what I said?"

Charlotte's expression became a little weird, but she was not angry, but...she was holding back laughter.

She rolled her eyes, glanced at her husband again, and found that Ciel's expression was very strange.

While her husband and the emperor were talking, they had been listening to their conversation. At this time, the emperor's expression was embarrassing and apologetic. Ciel's expression was one of embarrassment and helplessness.

"They say that my husband is a big bad guy who took refuge with that bad guy Bonaparte and did all the bad things with him?" With an inexplicable pleasure, Charlotte asked back deliberately, and also deliberately let her husband hear, " Oh, they actually said that about my husband? This is... surprising."

"Sorry..." The princess felt that she had gone too far, so she quickly apologized to Charlotte, "This is just what they said in private. I hope you don't mind. I think you and your wife are both very educated and charming. People are by no means bad people. Sure enough, some things can only be considered true if you witness them yourself.”

Are educated and charming people necessarily good people? child. Don't be so naive, okay... Of course Charlotte wouldn't say that out loud. She just lowered her head pretending to be depressed, while averting her eyes to appreciate her husband's rare embarrassment.

This is the "diplomatic outcome" you hope to get, so keep it.

"I'm sorry." After the four people were silent for a moment, Emperor Franz-Josef finally broke the awkward silence, "Sissi is still young. She doesn't know much about the world. Mr. Treville, I hope you won't be upset by this. Mind. You have to know... Her father has... a certain degree of liberalism, so he associates with some people who have different political views from you, and they may say bad things about you behind your back. Please rest assured that their opinions will never affect the Habsburg family's friendship with you."

The princess's father was from a laid-back royal family, and he usually had liberal ideas. Ciel knew this. He knew even more that after launching the coup, he and Louis Bonaparte expelled many political opponents and revolutionaries in France. Some of them naturally went to Bavaria, and these people would not say good things about him.

However, even so, only children can talk to people like this. How can they be so honest in the social world. Charles thought a little depressed.

What made him even more depressed was that he had no way to refute such words... This must be the end of his reputation throughout Europe.

I am a big bad guy who took refuge with that bad guy Bonaparte and followed him to do all kinds of bad things.

However, the strange thing is that despite being punched in the face like this, Ciel was not angry.

Matilda's grandfather, the deceased old politician Count Dillion, once viciously mocked Franz Joseph, who was still the heir to the empire at the time, calling him "the dead zombie of Habsburg" A new abscess." To be honest, Ciel was convinced.

However, for this fourteen-year-old girl, even though he knew that she was doomed to have a bad fate, he could no longer use vicious language to ridicule her. On the contrary, his attitude was extremely gentle, just like looking at a child. Same.

Who would get angry with a child?

For a fourteen-year-old child who grew up in a greenhouse, it would be too difficult for her to know so much about the world. Charles thought bitterly.

"It's nothing, I just think your wine is very delicious, so I'm savoring it carefully." Charles quickly showed his smile again, "I'm honored to be the subject of conversation between you two."

Under Ciel's smile, the princess lowered her head slightly in embarrassment, as if she was apologizing for the discourtesy just now.

After the emperor and Charles reconciled, the banquet resumed in a cordial atmosphere, and Charles sent Charlotte back to her room.

"You should rest first. I still have some things to discuss with His Majesty." After settling his wife, Charles turned around and prepared to go out. "After having a full meal, everyone will be energetic enough to bargain."

"You seem to like her very much?"

Just as he was about to leave, Charlotte suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Come on, I can see your attitude is the same as when you looked at your sister. You have been fooled by this for more than ten years, and you still can't change it now." Charlotte glanced at her husband with dissatisfaction, as if she was a little jealous. "I think you are mentally ill. Angels are in heaven, how can there be angels on earth? You have been fooled by your sister, can't you wake up? Besides, she is the future queen."

"But I woke up a long time ago." Charles smiled and shrugged, then turned and left the room. (~^~)