The Happy Life of a Duchess

The carriage drove slowly in the direction of Paris, and I don't know how long the journey was.

Although this was a luxurious carriage in the Duke's Mansion, no matter how luxurious it was, it could not conceal the fact that this kind of carriage, which was drawn by two good black and shiny horses, was bound to be bumpy.

And on this road, after passing the plains, it will naturally pass through the muddy land, and it is not easy to move forward at a uniform speed.

After the initial excitement, Jenny gradually calmed down.

"I don't know if the nun will miss me..."

After knowing that she was going to leave as the princess's maid, she changed her words and no longer called her aunt, and she didn't know if she had been mentioned.

When Adele notified the housekeeper, Mrs. Armand Rudder, she did not express any objection, but only reminded her——

Jenny is a girl younger than her, and she is too naive. Although she is quite cute in this respect, she is not the best candidate for a maid, and there must be a maid for her in the Duke's mansion.

This maid may need to be adjusted for a while before she can be taken out, but if she just wants to arrange her in the house, then they will not be stingy to arrange a good place for her.

At that time, Adele also made it clear that only Jenny meant something different to her.

She accompanied herself through the most difficult time in the nursing home, and later bought newspapers for her, cooked for her, and told her stories to amuse herself... She did a lot of things, and even with this friendship, she couldn't put She casually left it at the house and left it alone.

"I understand."

At that time, Mrs. Lude was still nodding seriously, and Adele didn't know whether she understood or not.

But if even her personal housekeeper does not stand by her side and respect her decision, then she will clearly put a question mark on her actual status and right to speak in the Duke's mansion.

Although, she was already very suspicious of her own status.

"Amande, why didn't father come?" Adele turned her head and looked at her. Anyway, she had already boarded the carriage going back, so she wouldn't be able to send her back directly by making trouble at this time.

Jenny keenly felt that the atmosphere in the car was a little strange, she wisely kept her mouth shut, and just secretly peeped at the rural scenery outside from the window of the carriage.

"Mr. Duke has something to do." Mrs. Lude's expression was a little subtle, but she quickly returned to her usual upright expression.

Adele thought about it for a while, and reaffirmed that she really didn't like this natural sense of isolation.

Even if she came from a wealthy background in modern times, she still couldn't quite accept it.

Today's nobles, or people who have received such education, no matter how they express their affinity, they will show a natural arrogance and isolation.

I don't know if it should be called arrogance, after all, the cultural background is different, but in any case, the appearance of communicating with people through clouds and mist makes her very uncomfortable.

"Okay..." Adele graciously revealed the topic, and was very considerate not to embarrass the housekeeper's wife, "I really want to see Dad soon."

"Of course, Mr. Duke has missed you for a long time." Mrs. Lu De nodded, with a slight smile on her face.

Adele also smiled with satisfaction. After properly expressing her love for her father, she covered her lips with a pink silk handkerchief and casually looked at Jenny.

After receiving the hint from Adele's eyes, Jenny immediately asked honestly, with her innocent smile on her face:

"Can you tell me something about the house, Mrs. Lude?"

Adele breathed a sigh of relief.

Jenny is really a talent, the little girl can't talk nonsense, and she is very obedient.

Although she was a little naive and didn't know much about the rules and etiquette of nobles, fortunately, she was definitely a good voice for her.

She didn't know anything about her life back in the Duke's Mansion, she didn't have any memory, and she had no life experience. She was completely blind to the noble life at this time, and she didn't even know some common sense that Jenny knew.

She has worked hard to observe and learn. Before, she said less and watched more, but now she has to express something, as the host and the only surviving legitimate child of the family, the princess.

"..." Mrs. Lude looked at Jenny's innocent expression, and then at Adele who was pondering over the pattern on the handkerchief with her eyes downcast.

"Of course." She didn't refuse.

"Now there are only two masters in the Duke's mansion, Mr. Duke and Miss Adele. Mr. Duke once followed His Majesty Emperor Napoleon to carry forward Juradi's name. Juradi's name is also very prominent among the nobles. By the way , Our Bailu Manor has a history of hundreds of years, and the housekeeper can explain it to you, if you want to know, miss."

Adele didn't know if she had seen something to explain in such detail, but all this information was useful to her.

She reassessed this inconspicuous housekeeper in her heart. Maybe she did have this strength and vision, but she never said much.

"As for you, Jenny, if you just ask any of the servants, they will be able to tell you a lot about the manor."

Jenny didn't mind this kind of discrimination, but nodded obediently.

"I still remember that Miss, you like playing in the garden of the manor very much. When you were young, the Duchess would take you to play hide-and-seek games. Unfortunately, the Duchess soon fell ill, and your health was not in good condition. After a serious illness, you have basically reduced going out and socializing, and the nobles in Paris are still not familiar with you, but now that you have recovered from your illness, it is time to rejoin the circle." Mrs. Lu De smiled at her.

"I believe Mr. Duke will make proper arrangements for you, but I have to mention that you may have to consider marriage as soon as possible."

She considerately concealed the discussion of her age. Adele is an adult, but she has not yet opened up in the social circle. It is definitely too late.

"Although Mr. Duke thinks about you, but to the extent that he loves you, I believe that your personal opinion will also be taken into consideration."

"Our Duke's Mansion will never be the kind of low-class people who sell their daughters for glory. Mr. Duke has already said that you don't need to marry or condescend. You can choose whoever you like, of course the premise It's the right match."

Adele covered her face with a veil embarrassingly, and saw what she meant and affirmed her words.

"Yes, the right family."

"Yes, maybe that little gentleman is not very rich, but he must have an excellent bloodline, a noble title is a must, preferably an old one, under the rule of the Bourbon family or awarded by His Majesty Emperor Napoleon, this must be The first choice, as for the latter..." Mrs. Lu De's slight dislike was caught by Adele, and she remembered it in her heart but didn't ask further.

"Those new aristocrats who claim to be powerful after making a little money, with all due respect, are not the priority of a noble and wealthy lady like you. Of course, if the other party has both noble status and sufficient assets, it would be great .”

"Then isn't Adele going to marry an old man?"

Jenny couldn't help but interjected. Mrs. Lude scolded her with stern eyes, and her frowning expression was full of disapproval. Jenny shrank her neck.

"...Let's talk about this. Have a drink, Armand?"

Adele didn't want to see them arguing over things that were over and over.

"No, it's inconvenient."

Mrs. Lude shook her head, and Adele was not reluctant.

She also said that Mr. Duke has many illegitimate children, but there is only one who is really recognized and cared by him, the 12-year-old Alexander Juradi.

This illegitimate child was born to the Duke by the maid who the Duchess sent out to marry after her husband died and became a widow.

Later, she has been the lover of the Duke, and the Duchess knows this.

Because of the past relationship between master and servant, this lover was the only one who was allowed to enter Bailu Manor.

Later, when the wife passed away, the lover didn't live long, but because of the lover's pleading on the deathbed, considering the little affection he once had, the duke sometimes took the illegitimate son Alexander to live in Bailu Manor for a short period of time, and then sent him to Go to boarding school.

A few people just talked like this, ate some snacks occasionally, spent most of the day, and finally arrived in Paris.

After walking along Mont Blanc Street for a while, the carriage entered a street area that looked very high-end.

"This is..." Adele frowned slightly, trying to use the facts here to correspond to the place in her memory.

"This is Provence Street, where celebrities live. Our Bailu Manor is not far from here."

With that said, Adele understood.

Jenny also vaguely remembered the way outside. The excitement and joy of entering the bustling Paris were quickly diluted by the nervousness of arriving at the Duke's Palace.

"It's almost home." Mrs. Lu De took the initiative to help her tidy up, and re-checked her hair and makeup.

"Yes, I can't wait to see my father." Adele smiled, and Mrs. Lude nodded in approval and comforted her who was a little disturbed.

"Don't worry, Mr. Duke has been waiting for you for a long time, and he absolutely cares about you."

The carriage drove into the manor, and everything was so orderly.

Adele made sure that the design and arrangement here were perfectly in line with her aesthetic.

However, after getting off the carriage, among the people who greeted her, she did not see Mr. Duke who had been thinking about her all the time.

She subconsciously looked at Mrs. Lu De, her determined tone completely misled her, and her calm and reserved expression couldn't help being stiff for a moment.

The author has something to say:

Bailu Manor: The name comes from the famous "Fontaine Bailu" palace (translated by Mr. Zhu Ziqing).

Provence Street, Mont Blanc Street: are all place names mentioned in La Traviata, among which Provence Street was in the high-end residential area of ​​Paris at that time; famous people such as Rossini, Chopin, George Sand, Tarma, Bizet, Alexandre Dumas and others lived on this street.

A popular science that is not popular science:

In the Victorian era, most of those who had the luxury consumption conditions for women + noble titles were old men who died of wives (?), so many women at that time would choose to continue their marriage. It was very common to marry a 40-year-old. The rate is very high, maybe it will not work after having a child, and then you will consider remarrying.

Young men often cannot afford the extravagant living conditions, and the prerequisite for being able to inherit a large amount of property from their own father is that their father has died (...) If they want to earn a lot of money and earn a title by themselves, in the local It's not easy, unless you risk your life to go to Africa or something, to be a businessman.

For women who are not of high status, there is another option, which is to be a courtesan (that is, a prostitute) and be raised by several men at the same time. One person cannot afford it, and a few more men can afford it. A rich man with a high title may not be able to afford the extravagant life of a courtesan.