Flowers, Swords and France

As the dawn light slowly emerged from the dark sky, the sky gradually broke, and the earth was still hazy at this time, as if it was covered with a silver-gray veil. In the midst of the fearful silence, a piece of fish belly white floated in the eastern sky, and the earth gradually became brighter.

As the sun rises into the sky little by little, the boundaries between heaven and earth become clear in the chaos, and the vast wilderness and magnificent palaces return to the human world in the void.

Just as morning dawned, Charles and Charlotte, led by their attendants, came to the drawing room to have breakfast with His Majesty Franz Joseph.

This was the last time they would see the young emperor. After breakfast, they would leave the palace and embark on the journey back home. However, he will not return home via the same route he came to Austria, but will return via Germany, or even take a big detour and return via Frankfurt.

Although he didn't think highly of Charles's performance, in line with the principle of being polite to the end, His Majesty Emperor Franz-Joseph had always done his best to be a landlord and treated them without any courtesy. In this time when they were about to leave, In the morning, he came personally to accompany the couple to have breakfast.

Because she was treated so politely by the emperor, and because she thought that she would be able to return home soon, Charlotte was in a good mood. She kept chatting with His Majesty the Emperor and laughed out loud from time to time, while Charles seemed to be a little depressed and depressed. Sitting next to the two of them, he didn't speak much, but occasionally helped Charlotte.

Both of these people noticed Ciel's strange behavior, so they did not specifically talk to Ciel, which saved him a lot of energy.

Ciel sat in his seat and kept thinking, as if he was waiting for something.

The day finally came for him to leave here, and he suddenly found that he was a little reluctant to leave - not because he was reluctant to leave Schonbrunn Palace, but for another reason.

He occasionally interrupted, but his eyes kept wandering to the side, and he often secretly looked at his pocket watch to confirm the time.

While the two people were talking, time gradually passed, and the sun wandered high in the sky along its own trajectory. But Charles' heart slowly calmed down.

"Charlotte, you talk to His Majesty again, and I'll go back and pack the documents."

Charlotte felt a little confused, because their bows had already been packed up last night. However, she had no doubts and allowed Ciel to leave the room.

After Ciel walked out of the door, he walked through the corridor that he had gradually become familiar with and walked towards his room. However, there was one point where he cheated on his wife. Because he didn't plan to go back directly.

When he came to a corner, he vaguely saw two figures from the stairs next to him.

Ciel's brows immediately relaxed, and his face was filled with a smile.

Angela von Streim put her finger to her lips in a gesture to silence him for the time being. "Please listen to me, sir. Your Highness is finally free. You only have a few minutes, so I ask you that no matter how enthusiastic you are, it is best to finish what you want to say quickly. So as not to leave anything for yourself. What a pity.”

She finished these words very quickly, then sneered slightly mockingly, then turned and left.

Next to her, stood a girl who was much shorter than her. She was standing there calmly, as if she wanted to follow Angela.

Of course, Ciel wouldn't let this happen. He strode forward and then lowered his waist at an exaggerated angle of almost ninety degrees. "Your Highness, I hope you can forgive me for my rudeness!"

then. He raised his head and looked at the princess, his eyes full of longing, as if his eyes were about to burst into tears.

Ciel's sincere look made the princess feel a little scared. She seemed increasingly shaken.

"First...Sir, I'm really not angry with you. You don't have to keep apologizing to me!"

Yes, Ciel came to her to apologize.

Perhaps because she was disgusted with her previous rude behavior, Her Royal Highness the Princess had been avoiding seeing him during this period, and Charles tried to find opportunities to see her several times but failed. When he was desperate, he suddenly found that he had an extra helper.

He obtained the man's cooperation on the condition that he would help her collect a large collection of writers upon his return, and then he wrote a letter apologizing to the princess.

He wrote this letter in a very grandiose way, beginning with "Dear Princess, you now hold the life of a young man in your hands. He begs for your forgiveness, but doesn't know how to tell you, so that his bones are broken." "——This kind of rhetoric is just the kind of exaggeration that a fourteen-year-old or fifteen-year-old girl can't resist. It is very intense and moving, and in many places he deliberately writes crookedly, as if he was too excited when he wrote the letter and his hand was in his hand. Like trembling.

In order to increase the effect, he also used the trick of his good friend Albert de Foa Grail, deliberately spilling a few drops of water on the letter paper to simulate tears.

Angela, the maid of Her Majesty the Queen Mother, did indeed break her promise and brought the passionate letter he wrote to the princess, and the effect was just as Charles expected, dispelling her anger towards him in the princess's heart. , instead aroused a sense of guilt.

At her current age, she has always been cared for by her family. She has never experienced the knowledge of the Parisian social scene, nor can she imagine the evil people in this world!

"Your kindness touched me, but my conscience made me very uneasy, so I must get your forgiveness." Charles still looked at the other person excitedly, "I can't leave with regrets, otherwise I will go crazy!"

"Okay, I forgive you, please don't do this, don't do this..." Because she was afraid of being seen, Her Royal Highness was always panicking. Charles's urging made her even more flustered. She kept talking to Charles, but she didn't know what she was saying.

"I can't even imagine how crazy I was that day, because you are so beautiful and kind-hearted that I almost lost myself." Charles said, and he got closer to her slightly, "Have you really forgiven my mistake that day?"

Because Her Royal Highness was on a few steps, she was now taller than Charles. She leaned over and looked at Charles's uneasy expression, and she found that she really couldn't get angry. Who else would get angry when they were flattered?

These French people are like this, impulsive and enthusiastic. The princess thought.

"Well, I really forgive you." She nodded vigorously. "God is my witness."

"That's great!" Charles breathed a sigh of relief, like a patient who was saved. "I was really afraid that my crazy behavior would make you hate me and destroy the diplomatic relations between our two countries. All my efforts would be in vain."

"Then you don't have to be afraid now." The princess also breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay... Now I have something else to do..."

Just as she was about to say goodbye, Charles suddenly laughed. "I think you know that I will leave here."

"Yes, I wish you a pleasant journey." The princess nodded.

It was because she saw that Charles was about to leave. She couldn't bear it and wanted to make him feel better before he left.

"Are we friends now?" Charles asked suddenly.

"Huh?" The princess was not prepared for this question and was stunned for a moment.

Now the two of them should not be considered friends, but just saying that she forgave others, and then refusing in the blink of an eye, it seems a bit unkind... The princess hesitated again.

And this hesitation is exactly what Charles can take advantage of. His smile slowly disappeared, and he looked confused and lost-this expression, he has seen too many times in social occasions. And the effect was unexpectedly good. Except for those truly experienced ladies, women always fall for this trick.

The original text can be read in the Six # 9 @Books/Bar!

And this time was no exception. Her Royal Highness finally softened her heart.

"Yes, we are friends."

"Great! You will not believe that your words have praised me to heaven." Charles immediately laughed again, looking very happy, "Then, as a friend, I bid you farewell and sincerely hope to see you again in the future."

"Yes, I do too." The princess answered half against her will and half sincerely.

"Okay, Your Highness. Oh, maybe I should call you His Majesty at that time." Charles had walked up to her unconsciously, and then stretched out his hand and held her hand.

This sudden action made the princess even more flustered, as if she was possessed. She found that she could not move, and watched her hand being led by him slowly to his lips.

Charles kissed the hand again, and then returned it respectfully, as if he was facing a real queen. "I am honored to be the first person to treat you with the courtesy of a queen."

"Really...really..." The princess could no longer speak a complete sentence.

Suddenly, she found that there seemed to be something extra in her hand.

"What is this...?"

An enamel pocket watch with a diamond case quietly lay in her white hand, and the diamond and gold bracelet emitted a dazzling light.

"We are already friends, and I want to give you a gift." Charles said with an unquestionable attitude, "In addition, I told you before that I am very grateful for your advice to me and I am willing to repay you. Considering that we are probably far apart in general, I think you may need some kind of token when you need my help... So, this is given to you as a token. If you really have an order one day, let this token return to me, and I will go through fire and water for you."

Charles said it with great passion, so much so that he almost believed in his sincerity.

"But...but..." The princess felt that something was wrong, but she did not find any loopholes in Charles' words, so her thoughts became more and more confused.

"Is your gift too expensive?" In the end, she only found this reason for resistance.

"Compared to precious friendship, this is not precious." Charles immediately dispelled her doubts, "Just accept it with peace of mind. There will always be all kinds of accidents in life. Maybe you really need help one day? I am not bragging, I...well, I still have some ability, I must be able to solve some problems for you."

"...Okay, thank you." After Charles' sincere explanation, the princess was finally persuaded and accepted his gift.

Well, everything went so smoothly, he is really a child... Charles secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, you two, it's been a long time." At this time, Angela suddenly jumped out, "Although I am a little moved, I have to remind you that the time is up..."

"Goodbye!" Charles held the princess's hands with both hands, then stuck the pocket watch in her palm, and then shook her hand, "May God bless you, Your Highness."

Then, he stopped pestering, turned around and walked towards his room. Soon, he would leave with his wife, but now he has no regrets.

Only the princess, who was still in shock, silently watched his back as he left, unconsciously holding the gift he gave her.

The scale of the pocket watch moved at a constant rate, faithfully and indifferently recording every moment of the world. (~^~)