Flowers, Swords and France

After Alphonse de Rothschild left the small box with a sense of relief, Fran and Mary chatted with each other for a while. After making sure that he had gone far, they also left the room. The box returned to the lounge where Charles was just now.

At this time, Charles had already played several rounds of billiards with Gaston. Although Gaston was the heir to a ducal branch, he had lost his parents since he was a child. He was first warded by his grandfather and then taken under the care of his grandfather. He was under the care of the Treville family, so unlike other Guisuke children who came from wealthy families, he lacked a lot of experience in sensuality and had little interest in it.

So although he knew some of this kind of entertainment, he didn't play much, and he was even more uninterested in fighting. He also lost a lot of games when playing with Ciel, and was often defeated by Ciel by a big score - of course, he didn't care about winning or losing. .

And because Charles had won several rounds in a row, he was in a good mood, with a smile on his face. Even his swing was a little faster and his steps were much brisker.

Just when he was still immersed in the joy of victory, he heard the sound of the door being opened, and then he glanced to the side slightly from the corner of his eyes and found that his sister and Mary had returned.

"Come back so soon?" He couldn't help but smile more cordially, "It seems that things went very smoothly."

"It went very smoothly indeed, sir." Fran nodded, and then walked next to Charles, "I negotiated with him according to the opinions you gave, and told him what you meant."

"Then what did he think?" Charles asked.

"He seems to be very dissatisfied with Baron de Beauvin's ambition, but he can do nothing about it. It seems that he is planning to compromise with the Baron." Fran replied rather cautiously, "However, I can't confirm whether he can Accept the conditions proposed by the Baron..."

"We don't need to confirm this. We have told them important news. Whether they can seize the opportunity is not something we can guarantee." Ciel shrugged, "We just need to ensure that they don't hate us for this. That’s fine—at least don’t hold a grudge against us.”

"He is indeed very nervous. He is angry with you and afraid of a complete break with you, so I think he will seek a compromise." Fran expressed her opinion, "Whether he will compromise with the baron or not, after After my negotiation with him today, I feel that there is nothing to fear from him and I can handle him in the future.”

"It would be great if you have this kind of confidence." Charles smiled and nodded, "People are just people after all, whether their surname is Beauvin, Rothschild, or even Bonaparte, They are just human beings, and they have weaknesses and are not perfect. Of course, some people are stronger than others, but we don’t need to be afraid and can deal with them calmly.”

"You're absolutely right." Fran agreed.

Although Ciel's words sounded a bit arrogant and even disrespectful to the royal family, no one present felt there was anything wrong with his words.

"It seems that you entered the state faster than I thought, and you were able to compete with one of the most difficult people from the beginning." Ciel turned around and faced the pool table again. "This is a good start, I believe you can do things well in the future."

While talking, he picked up the cue stick and compared the distance between the cue ball and the target ball on the green carpet.

"Is this... fun?" Following Ciel's movements, Fran's eyes were also drawn to the billiard table, and she curiously looked at the billiard balls that were walking irregularly on the table.

"It's not particularly fun, but it's a good pastime." Charles replied casually and suddenly pushed forward with his oak club.

With a "pop" sound, the cue hit the white cue ball, and then the sudden force pushed it forward immediately and hit a red ball heavily. The red ball was hit by the cue ball. The ball hit the ball hard, rolled around dizzy for a while, and finally fell into the net bag in the corner.

"Does this count as a success?" Such an intuitive result was obvious even to Fran, who didn't understand the rules.

"Yes, as long as you can knock the ball in, you will score, and you can continue playing - of course you must play according to the rules and order." Charles was in a good mood, so he briefly explained the basic rules of billiards to Fran.

Although these rules are very simple, Fran seems to understand them half-heartedly and looks a little confused.

"It looks very interesting, can you teach me?" Finally, she asked Charles with great interest, "Anyway, it's okay now, just let me use this to rest and relax... maybe Will you play with other people in the future?”

In fact, she wasn't very interested, but now she just wanted to enjoy the time she spent with her brother.

And Charles didn't refuse, after all, he really wanted to reward his sister.

"Okay, let me teach you. In fact, this is really simple." As he said, he made another starting position. "First of all, you can learn the batting posture from me. Don't underestimate this. The posture If it’s not right, it will be very troublesome to exert force and it will affect the hitting.”

"Okay." Fran responded, then moved closer to her brother and carefully looked at his posture. A figure seemed to be reflected in his blue eyes.

Gaston next to him was very knowledgeable and quickly and respectfully handed the club in his hand to Miss Treville, and then immediately stepped aside.

After Fran took the cue, she followed her brother's example and placed the cue on the table.

Although she had tried very hard to imitate, it was just imitation after all. Looking at her slightly stiff posture and slightly trembling steps, Charles always felt a little funny and couldn't help laughing.

"Why are you laughing? I'm just learning!" Fran couldn't help but protest.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Charles apologized quickly, "At least this posture is decent. Let's try hitting the ball again."

After that, he put the club between his two fingers, moved it back and forth twice habitually, and adjusted the direction. "The most important thing when hitting a ball is the explosive power, and the direction of the force must also be controlled well. Only by controlling it at the same time Only by keeping these two points in mind can you play billiards well. You will definitely not be comfortable with it at first, but it doesn’t matter. As long as you practice more, you will soon get the hang of it... Watch my batting movements.”

After explaining a few words, he twitched the club heavily, and then hit the ball again. The white ball rushed towards the target like an arrow from the string, hit the target, and caused it to roll together. Unfortunately, after rolling, the ball The mesh bag stopped in front of the mouth.

"It's a pity that I didn't score." Charles shook his head, "When I didn't score, it was your turn to hit the ball."

"Which one should I fight?" Fran asked.

"Hit that." Ciel walked behind her and pointed at one of the balls. "Concentrate, control your power, and keep the club pointed."

"Okay, I have a famous watch." Fran also followed her brother's example and competed with the club on the table. Although she tried hard to imitate well, her crooked behavior really made people lose confidence. .

"Align the position!" Charles couldn't help but hold her hand from behind, and then helped her adjust the direction. "Okay, give it a try, remember to work hard!"

"Okay!" Feeling her brother's voice from behind, Fran smiled happily, and then she thrust the club forward in her hand.

...She missed as expected. The cue hit the edge of the cue ball, and it didn't receive much push. So it moved crookedly, and then stopped without touching any ball.

"It's normal that you can't control your strength well." Charles encouraged his sister, "I won't fight. Come on, try again!"

He led Fran around the table, and then helped her hold her hand behind her back. "Come again!"

"Pa!" This time the performance was slightly better, but still not ideal.

"It's a good shot. It's very close to success. Let's try it again." Since his sister is a novice, Charles certainly won't criticize her too much. Instead, he encouraged her and continued to adjust.

"Well! Thank you, sir!" Fran's face turned slightly red, and a happy smile appeared on her face. Obviously, for her, what made her happy was not just learning a batting game.

Inadvertently, the white club slid in her slender and white hands, like a thin scepter.

In fact, her years of experience studying painting have already given her excellent control over her fingers. Although she doesn’t have much strength, she can precisely control her strength and draw precise details on the canvas, so Of course, it is not difficult for her to exert force at this level in billiards. Even though it was a bit awkward at first, she has completely mastered the technique after two or three times.

However, when she tried again, she deliberately loosened her hand during the final putt, and then secretly twisted her fingers in one direction.

Sure enough, this shot failed again. The cue ball rolled sideways and stubbornly refused to follow the path set by humans.

"Oh! I'm so clumsy!" Fran couldn't help complaining. "I'm so sorry, sir..."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Like a child, his hands are so clumsy." Charles said with a smile, but he was not angry, "But it doesn't matter. You have met a patient teacher. He doesn't know what failure is. You must teach him well." you."

He simply grabbed Fran's hand, helped her adjust the position, and then adjusted the angle bit by bit. These preparations also made him almost close to Fran's back.

"Actually, there's nothing difficult about this thing. It's just that practice makes perfect. Of course you won't be able to play well if you're not familiar with it at first. It's the same for everyone, but as long as you take it seriously...well..."

While he was talking, he felt that the flowing golden hair on his sister's head kept getting into his nose, making his nose itchy, and a scent of fragrance rushed in, causing his voice to lower unknowingly. .

At such a close distance, through the neckline of the skirt, he could see the same white back from her slender and white neck all the way down. This large expanse of white made him almost speechless.

What an unforgettable temptation it is.

"What's the matter, sir?" Fran turned around and asked him with a smile.

"Ah, it's nothing. Okay, stop moving." Charles reluctantly cheered up, and then pulled his sister's right hand back. Then, he pushed hard and said, "Strength."

The cue ball pushed by the brother and sister at the same time, as if blessed by God, passed through a large open space, hit the target ball heavily, and then pushed it hard, making it roll all the way over and fall into the middle belly pocket.

This was indeed a perfect shot.

"Ah! We succeeded!" Fran cheered loudly, as if she had won a great victory, and she jumped all over.

"Ouch!" Her selfless jump hit Charles behind her hard, causing him to be hit hard by surprise, and the two of them stuck together.

"Sir, are you okay?" Fran quickly turned her head to look at her brother.

Charles found that her face was covered with blushes, and her smile still remained, as if she was as happy as a child.

"I'm fine..." He couldn't help but smile, "Look, this sport is not difficult at all, right?"

"I feel it's still a little difficult, after all, this is just the beginning of my learning." Fran still smiled, "Come on, let's continue, you continue to teach me! I will learn seriously."

Although Charles no longer had any interest in playing at this time, and he had a lot of tight schedules in the future, he couldn't bear to refuse when his sister was so happy.

"Okay, let's continue." He carried his sister back to the table.

The happy scenes between the brother and sister did not escape the eyes of the onlookers. Gaston and Mary kept silent, watching them play happily.

But they were thinking in their hearts.

Generally speaking, will ordinary brothers and sisters be so close at this age? Gaston thought to himself.

He is the eldest son and has several younger siblings. However, because he lost his father and mother at an early age, he also took on the responsibility of taking care of these younger siblings, so he has a good relationship with them. But even he has never been so close to his sister.

No matter how you look at it, it's too intimate...

"Dear Gaston, what are you thinking about?" Just when he was suspicious, a voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

He quickly interrupted his thoughts and found that Mary was looking at him.

"Nothing..." He shook his head quickly.

"You are still young, young people are always energetic and curious, which is normal, but..." Mary smiled, "Sometimes don't be too curious, it's not good for anyone, right?"

Normally, Mary's showing off her qualifications always made the young man very unhappy, but now he has no time to care about this, because he feels something from her smile.

"Okay, I know..." But he didn't ask anything else.