[Masterpiece Les Miserables] Paris Sparks

The room was very still.

The people around were already sound asleep, and even the night wind happened to stop, so the sound of the branches and leaves shaking could not be heard.It was as if the two of them were the only ones awake at night, facing each other on this small island of light.

Enjolras was momentarily unable to answer.Two pairs of clear blue eyes looked at each other, but he couldn't read the expression in Corona's eyes.Her eyes were so sad, but so determined.

She must have foreseen all the consequences.The Cole that Enjolras knew was like this, no matter what the situation was, he—no, she would always prepare for the worst outcome in advance.No matter what his answer is, it should not exceed the worst ending she expected.

Why was she still sad when she was so prepared, when she could be so determined and unwavering?

"I don't know," he said, "—I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?" Corona asked, leaning her back against the cabinet door and straightening her back.Her face was so pale, her eyes were so bright, and the flame of the oil lamp flickered, making the light in her eyes flicker, as if there were tears in them.Enjolras looked away, turned around and put the oil lamp on the dressing table.

"I trust you. We trust you. There's nothing concealed between us all. But you've been hiding from us-- Combeferre and I have known you for five years, Cole! If even your real identity is Fake, how much of our past letters and conversations can I trust?"

"I've lied about two things," Corona said. "My gender and name were false—but the last name Carton was true, and I did, before my adoptive father changed his name to Evermond. Last name Carton. My family is fake, I used to say I don't need financial assistance, but that's an understatement, I'm actually quite rich. Everything else I've said to you , are all true."

Enjolras shook his head. "I still don't understand. Why would you do such a thing?"

"Why would I rather pretend to be a man, wear tattered clothes, lie, and pursue freedom that does not belong to women?" Corona smiled bitterly, "I thought you were the last person to ask such a question , Enjolras."

"No." Enjolras said, the hard and calm expression like a statue was broken, revealing a trace of human pain, "Anyone has the right to pursue freedom, even if it is freedom that I do not agree with. ──But I It has been five years since I and Gongbefer met you! Even if you were forced to do so at the beginning, isn’t five years enough time for you to give us a little trust, not enough for you to believe that we are willing to help you keep it secret?”

There was a slight creaking sound from the cabinet door that Corona leaned on her shoulder.She was trembling slightly.

"I can't believe you've been just faking it all this time. No rich lady wants to put on shabby clothes and venture out into the factory district at night just to fool a few workers and students. You saved me and Guffy today Rucker: You have a sincere belief in revolution, human rights, and freedom in your heart, and we can all see that. But why on earth are you covering all this up with lies? Is there no one in ABC that you can trust? "

"I trust you." Corona replied softly, her voice seemed to be a little trembling, "but trusting you is not enough. --- I have found that most men do not really empathize with women's lives, Let me give you an analogy. You know who I am, and you should also know that as a painter I often deal with nobles. Suppose, for example, I know a young man who has just arrived in Paris from the provinces. Fashionable, with a similar surname, he was mistaken for the reclusive youngest son of a certain earl's family by accident. This young man is handsome in appearance and elegant in conversation. , the nobles had a good impression of him. One of the earls appreciated him very much, promoted him in every possible way, and even wanted to make a marriage contract for him and his daughter.——You say, no, guess what, this person will choose to Will the truth be revealed, even if he is very affectionate to this earl, even if he and this lady really love each other?"

"If it were me, I would have cleared up this misunderstanding from the beginning." Enjolras said, "But..."

"But the vast majority of people, at this point, can only choose and continue to hide." Corona said, "Is this a question of whether he trusts the earl? No. It's because he You know, the premise of everything is first of all 'he is a nobleman'. Even if the earl trusts him and is willing to accept him, so what? The whole society will not accept the countess marrying a commoner, and the organizers of those salons and dinners cannot Endure a commoner to mix among the guests. That is not something that can be solved by the earl's tolerance alone, but the rejection of the entire class. We do not live in a simple family, we live in an all-encompassing , Ubiquitous giant network.

"That's my reasoning. I trust you and Combeferre, but I cannot trust a world that has been ruled by men for more than 1000 years to let me go and allow me to continue to have the freedom I want after my identity is revealed. This As if General Lamarck is loved by the people, you still firmly believe that the revolution is necessary, don’t you? ——The power of the individual is small in front of the huge net of society, Enjolras. Please forgive me for not blindly reaching out to tear The courage to break the web."

Enjolras bit her lip unconsciously.He felt as if something was blocked in his heart, and for a moment he couldn't figure out where the barrier came from. "It's as if you've decided that we're going to be on the same side as this site."

Having said that, Corona seemed to calm down instead. "Ah, you did say that it was your 'freedom not to agree', didn't you?" She replied softly.

"You can try to convince me—we have already debated similar topics countless times. What's more, you have run the literacy class for female workers well, haven't you? You don't need us to agree."

Corona's lips moved slightly, but she hesitated to speak.She shook her head, as if about to smile, but even the fake smile was distorted.

"Whether you agree with it or not, and whether I need it or not are two different questions," she said, "Enjolras, I was less than 15 years old when I first met you. That year my father urged me to enter into an aristocratic marriage contract. , and I encountered a bottleneck in painting, and I was hesitant to give up my pursuit. I met you at that time. At that time you said, 'If you don't want to marry the same person, of course you have the right not to marry. It’s a freedom that everyone should have.’ At that time you asked me to fight, to fight, to speak out.”

She took a step closer, and Enjolras resisted the urge to back away.They were so close that Enjolras could see her eyes clearly, and this time they were indeed shining with tears.

"Now in front of you is the real me, a girl, a woman who compromised the rules of the aristocratic social circle and drifted away from the fringes of the upper class. You said you want me to trust you, so Enjolras, can you face the real me? Do you repeat these words? Will you make a woman fight, cry, and never submit to the rules and fate imposed on her by society? Or, will you rephrase your words and think that a woman should be excluded from the revolution? What about outside the discussion?"

"No." Enjolras said without hesitation, "I will not take those words back. But..."

He stopped and didn't speak for a long time, as if he was in a violent inner struggle.Corona waited quietly for a while, then turned around, and continued to pull the quilt out of the cabinet.

"If you don't want to answer this question, you don't have to. It's fine," she said, turning her back to him.

Enjolras made no sound.He stood there, thinking for a while, until Corona piled all the quilts on the bed and began to close the door of the cupboard before he spoke again.

"I won't take those words back." He repeated, "You and I should have different boundaries for women's freedom. If there is a chance, we can discuss this again. But at least one thing I still dare to admit De: If you were dressed like this when we met, if I knew you were a woman at the time, I would not have said this to you. From this point of view, you are not wrong, I am indeed like you Forms part of the Great Web, as it is said."

He bowed his head. "I'm very sorry."

Corona blinked in surprise, and a tear flowed from her eye, drawing a slightly reflective tear stain on her cheek.But then she smiled, a light of joy blooming on her face.

"No need to be sorry—that's enough," she said. "Thank you."