Flowers, Swords and France

Mary's carefully concealed anger would of course not be seen by Charles, but Charles also knew that she would never accept this order as easily as she seemed, so he couldn't help but feel guilty for her in his heart.

However, he can't care about this kind of guilt now. After all, he and Charlotte finally reached a consensus, and he doesn't want any further setbacks.

And after seeing Mary off, he didn't take any time off, and rushed to the Duke of Treville's house to visit.

Although Charles's father-in-law, the Duke of Treville, and his cousin Philippe are now living at home, they are often away from home because they often spend time outside. Fortunately, Charles had notified him in advance, so when he arrived in the afternoon The Duke of Treville and Philip were both present.

"My child, I haven't seen you for a long time." As soon as they met, Duke Treville enthusiastically hugged Charles, "Why, are you willing to come and see your father-in-law today? It's really strange..."

Since marrying Charlotte, Charles rarely visits the Duke's Palace without Charlotte present, so of course it would be very abrupt for him to come here alone today.

However, the Duke could probably guess the reason, so he just teased his son-in-law by the way.

"Yes, Charles, we have a rare opportunity today, let's have a few drinks." Philip also walked to his father's side, shook Charles's hand warmly, and the compliment was beyond words.

Since being assigned to the ministry by Charles to oversee the transportation of military industry and labor, he has found a place to settle down, so now he is focused on pleasing his brother-in-law, and his attitude is much better than before.

"Okay, it's rare that I came here alone today without Charlotte to supervise...so let's have a few drinks." Charles smiled and nodded, hinting that he wanted to talk about something private. .

"Okay! Go to my study, I'll have the wine delivered!" The Duke immediately understood, "It's time to take out the wine that has been treasured for so long."

Under the guidance of the Duke, they immediately came to the study.

After the table was settled, the servants quickly brought the wine from the Duke's collection, and the Duke himself poured the wine for his son and son-in-law as a master.

"Everyone, feel free to do whatever you want, we are all a family, just drink till you enjoy it!"

Then, he picked up the filled wine glass and took a big sip of it.

Charles picked up the wine glass in front of him without haste and took a sip.

"You probably came here because of Charlotte?" The Duke took a long breath and asked his son-in-law with a smile.

"Yes, that's why I came here." Charles admitted honestly, "I have to say, Charlotte gave me a big surprise..."

"I'm also surprised by this!" Perhaps in order to avoid causing misunderstanding to Charles, the Duke immediately explained, "Charlotte wrote a letter two days ago asking me if I would like to be a director. I didn't know anything about it beforehand. I don’t even know…”

He was afraid that Charles would think that he and his daughter were secretly colluding, so he hurriedly distanced himself.

"Is that so..." Ciel put down his wine glass and then pondered.

To be honest, this didn't surprise him. He knew this father-in-law. He had a good mind but a rather frivolous personality. He was not the type who would deliberately deal with someone, so what he said should be the truth - Charlotte It was only after the decision was made that he was notified.

"So, this is not your decision?" Seeing Charles's attitude, the Duke couldn't help being a little shocked, "When I heard Charlotte's notice, I thought it was your decision! That's why I agreed. …”

"Yes, this is not my decision, it is Charlotte's decision. She just informed me yesterday and asked me to admit it as a fait accompli." Charles replied calmly, "Of course, I also agreed..."

Hearing what Charles said, both father and son looked at each other in astonishment, obviously very surprised.

"Why...is this Charlotte's arbitrary behavior? This child is really, so ignorant!" The Duke immediately complained to Charlotte, and at the same time carefully looked at Charles's expression, "Hey, child, it's really Sorry, I am also responsible for this. I have pampered Charlotte since she was a child, so she is so willful..."

Ciel didn't answer, he was still pondering.

The Duke watched Charles carefully, judging his son-in-law's opinion.

In his opinion, being able to become a director of the Railway Federation with his current idle status is of course a great thing. If there is no real reason to give up, he really doesn't want to give up.

"Charle, don't worry. I don't think there's anything wrong with Charlotte's decision. Letting a family member assist you is better than outsiders, right? Could it be that I, a father, would be detrimental to my daughter and son-in-law? "?" He immediately started lobbying Ciel, fearing that he would change his decision, "I am already at this age and all I can think about is how to take care of future generations. How can I have any other ideas?" Yours!"

And Philippe quickly helped his father put in a good word and promised that he would definitely abide by Charles's will.

"I also think this is a good decision for her." After Duke Treville expressed his loyalty so hard, Charles finally nodded, "Originally, I didn't want to work for you. After all, you are old... But Since you are so passionate, I am very happy and hope that you can serve the country seriously in the future. "

"Of course, Ciel, I will definitely serve my country with all my heart!"

Charles's nod made the Duke overjoyed. While thanking him, he poured himself another glass of wine and took another big sip.

"However, in order to make your work smoother, I have to explain something to you first." However, before he could finish the drink, Charles suddenly said again. "There are many slippers in the Federation, and they are all extremely cunning businessmen. If you are not prepared in advance, I am afraid your work will be greatly affected..."

"Please tell me, Charles," the Duke replied hastily.

"In your position, you cannot argue too much with others, but you must first ensure that others cannot take advantage of you and deceive you - and this requires you to be very familiar with specific business issues. Considering your You really don’t have enough experience, so I want to assign you an experienced and clear-minded person to assist you.” Charles continued in a tone that seemed to be discussing, "I think Miss de Leoland is a very suitable candidate for this candidate. She was my grandfather's secretary before, and she also worked in the Federation for a period of time. Her experience is very good." Rich, you can try to consult her. If you encounter any difficult problems, please seek advice from her first.”

Because he felt guilty for Mary, Charles specifically asked him to listen to Mary's words when explaining to his father-in-law. Although it was just a suggestion on the surface, he believed that his father-in-law understood the meaning.

Sure enough, the Duke and Philip looked at each other again.

"So, you want me to take Miss de Leolan's seat?" After a moment, he asked carefully, "Will this...will it make her feel resentful?"

"Under normal circumstances, anyone who encounters this kind of situation will be a little unhappy, but Mary is a very sensible person. She knows what is more important and is loyal to our family, so she will not let her emotions get the best of her. As for this affecting your work, please rest assured." Charles made a promise for Mary, "All I can advise you is to listen to her advice."

"I understand..." The Duke nodded, "Okay, don't worry, I will follow her advice."

The Duke has now seen that Charles and Charlotte have definitely argued about this matter, so "listen to Miss Leolan's advice in everything" is the bottom line for Charles's concession. Of course, he can only agree to this. .

Seeing that his father-in-law was so easy to talk to, Charles felt a little relieved, so he and the father and son opposite him continued to clink glasses, looking happy.

"My good son-in-law, do you have anything else to explain to us?"

Seeing Charles behave like this, the Duke naturally knew that he still had something to say, so after drinking a few drinks, he asked Charles with a smile. "You can say it now."

"I'm ashamed to say it... This matter is really hard to talk about." After hesitating for a moment, Charles lowered his head, "In the past two days, Charlotte and I had a quarrel over some things."

Sure enough, something happened.

The Duke was convinced.

"Are you just arguing about this? I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble..."

"No, it's not for this, it's just an inducement." Charles shook his head, and then his face became more embarrassed, "The real reason is...Charlotte feels that I am not as loyal as she wants. , and she was very angry about this, so she desperately wanted to... want to keep me locked up. "

After Charles said this, the laughter and laughter while changing glasses had disappeared, and there was only a stunned silence between the Duke and his son.

"Then is there any basis for her suspicion?" After a long time, Duke Treville came back to his senses and asked. "Is she making trouble out of nothing, or are you really good enough to arouse her suspicion in some respects?"

Charles had to hesitate, not knowing how to answer.

Seeing the son-in-law suddenly hesitate, Duke Treville probably had some idea.

My good daughter, you probably can't tie your husband down anymore... He couldn't help but lament for his daughter in his heart.

He had heard rumors before that Miss Leolan was Charles's mistress, and he specifically asked his son-in-law to confirm it, but the other party avoided the question at the time. Now it seems that the rumors must be true.

But lamenting, lamenting, he is not very surprised. After all, everyone says so now. He himself is also dissolute and carefree outside of marriage. Compared with ordinary promiscuous children, at least his cousin has a bright future and is also good to his family. Very caring.

After all, isn't he himself like this?

"Charle, you can tell the truth in front of me. I am not only your father-in-law, but also your uncle!" He patted Charles on the shoulder, saying that he would never blame Charles for this. " You also know my situation, you don’t have to worry about me, just tell me truthfully what happened..."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"Okay, some things do have some basis, but some things are just based on rumors." After a moment of silence, Charles finally lowered his head and admitted, "But Charlotte's reaction was a bit excessive and unnecessary."

Now that he has been questioned to this point, Charles does not intend to hide it from the Duke and his cousin anymore. He can admit Mary's matter, and even other people's matters - but only the matter with his sister, he has to admit it. Maintain a firm denial in front of my father-in-law.

"This... this is true." The Duke sighed again, "Okay, then Charlotte's reaction is normal. You know her personality. She is not such a tolerant person. ”

"If it's a quarrel, I can accept it, and I'd rather be blamed by her... But she's a little angry and always vents her grievances in some unbearable ways." As if the two of them weren't surprised enough. , Ciel continued to talk about this explosive topic. "She has threatened me with breaking up several times. I think this is absolutely undesirable and would be an unbearable blow to everyone."

"What?" the Duke couldn't help but exclaimed, "Did Charlotte threaten to break up with you?"

"Yes, and more than once. There is no way, Charlotte holds the old Duke's inheritance, and our business is also in her name. Even the land in Giverny is hers. She blocked my Neck, I can't afford to break up." Ciel. Smiling slightly, "But do you think that threatening me to force me to obey her orders is a normal and reasonable way? There is no doubt that she has achieved her goal several times, but this is to hurt our couple. At the cost of feelings.”

"This...this..." The Duke was a little confused and obviously didn't know how to say it.

After hesitating for a while, he could only sigh, "This is indeed a bit bad."

"Not only is it bad, it's also harmful." Charles suddenly raised his head and looked at the Duke and his son with piercing eyes, "So, I came here today just to ask you two, do you agree with Charlotte using this method?" way to solve the problem?”

Although everything was business as usual on the surface, Charles thought that Mary was right. He couldn't agree to Charlotte's request every time and then threaten to break up.

The first time, he could succumb and endure, and the second time, he could still succumb and endure, but it was only three things. If it was like this the third time, he really couldn't bear it anymore.

Although Charles is very grateful for Charlotte's love for him, this is a matter of principle, and he believes that he must do this - he must not be held hostage by anyone, not even his wife.

Therefore, he can ostensibly submit to his wife and agree to her request, but he must make preparations so that he will not be threatened again in the future.

Under Charles's gaze, the Duke lowered his gaze slightly, obviously feeling uneasy. "Of course, this is not very good...I don't support it very much."

Although Charlotte is his daughter, the Duke still puts his family first after all. He knows that Charles is now the best-successful person in the family, but the big tree that other family members rely on, no matter from any point of view, He believed that this son-in-law was someone he had to protect, and he could never rashly break up with him. That would be of no benefit to anyone, especially the Duke's family, which had already lost too many political resources.

Charlotte can be emotional, but he can't. He has too many things to think about.

"If you don't support it, that's great." Charles nodded slightly, "Then if you encounter a similar situation in the future, how do you want to choose your side?"

His son-in-law's questioning made him feel even more uncomfortable. He subconsciously wanted to retreat, but he felt that he had nowhere to escape.

"Ciel...will it definitely come to that?" Finally, he asked.

"I am the person who least wants that scene to happen again...but sometimes I have to prepare for a rainy day." Charles shook his head, "Don't worry, I will not take the initiative to seek a break with Charlotte, but I must Be prepared – it’s for our own good, isn’t it?”

A little sweat broke out on the Duke's head. This questioning really embarrassed the father.

He loves his daughter, but he also knows that being emotional is a taboo. He knows that he should not sit back and watch Charlotte put the family business into a situation that cannot be ended because of emotion, but he has to make it clear that he does not stand for his daughter. On the other hand, he felt like he couldn't speak.

However, there was no room for retreat. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for his statement.

And he also knew that he could only give one answer.

After being silent for a long time, he finally looked away dejectedly, "If Charlotte wants to break up with you for this kind of thing, I will never support her, Charles. But... I still have to ask you to As your cousin, please don’t make Charlotte too sad, she really loves you.”

"I am the person in the world who least wants this to happen." Charles emphasized again, "What I most hope is that Charlotte and I can grow old together and spread the branches of this family! The only thing I pray for is that the last Just don’t let bad things happen…”

"Then can you be as loyal as her?" the Duke asked. "From my understanding, that's all she asked for."

After a moment, he smiled bitterly again, "Forget it, just pretend I didn't ask this question. There's no need to ask you to do something we can't do."

There was too much helplessness and bitterness in this bitter smile. Obviously, his father's feelings for his daughter made him too uncomfortable. "I won't say anything else. I promise you that if Charlotte asks to break up with you, I don't think I will support her. Just as my father said, you are the future leader of the Treville family."

"I only listen to you, Charles." Philip, who had been silent on the side, suddenly spoke up, and immediately followed Charles's assurance, "No matter what she asks for or what reasons she gives, I will stand firmly by your side. The fate of the Treville family cannot be decided by a woman's willfulness!"

Compared to his painful and tangled father, he was much more straightforward. Although he was Charlotte's brother, he had always had a bad relationship with his sister Charlotte. Between the brotherly love and personal interests, he made a choice almost without hesitation. This also made the Duke's heart more painful.

After both father and son made their own statements, Charles finally put his mind at ease.

There is no doubt that Charlotte's previous threats frightened him greatly. After temporarily succumbing, he had to find a solution for similar situations in the future. Now as long as the Duke and Philip were on his side, it would be much easier for him.

"I am very happy that you can take the overall situation into consideration." After asking them to make a choice, Charles immediately comforted them, "As long as you remember the promise today, I will make corresponding arrangements. As long as I still have power, you will never have any problems to worry about."

"That's great!" In the solemnity, Philip was the happiest person among them. No one was more willing to see Charlotte in trouble than him.

But he soon found that it was too inappropriate to gloat over other people's misfortunes, so he immediately changed his expression. "Such a choice makes us too painful, but we must act rationally. Sometimes we can't help making some painful decisions."

"Let's have another drink." The Duke sighed, obviously not wanting to talk about this issue anymore.

"Please keep everything today secret from Charlotte!" When picking up the wine glass, Charles reminded them again, "Unless the worst happens, please treat her the same as before, thank you!"