aristocratic engagement

Annie's feet had just stepped out of the gate, but when she heard that address, her steps stopped abruptly.

Duchess, this is the title of the daughter of the royal family and nobles.

Annie's heart was shocked. In fact, she didn't feel a little joy, but instead became wary of this heavenly title.

"Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you, not the thing itself."

Something Rommel said as he got into the car came to her mind.

Maybe he knew about this matter long ago, even premeditated.The title of baroness sounds noble and weighty. It seems that the royal family has recognized Lady Catherine and her noble blood.

However, Anne didn't believe that those ladies who were truly noble in blood but didn't get the title of baroness would be willing?

With a bang, the door was closed behind.

"Lady Anne, please come with me." The female officer saluted her kindly, making an invitation gesture.

Annie shook her head slightly: "Please don't call me the Countess, I really can't bear it." The lady stared at her face and said nothing for a long time.

Annie was a little scared by her, and was about to say something polite when she heard her say: "If you insist, can I call you Miss Anne?"

"Of course." Annie nodded.

"However, once His Majesty's will is issued, we cannot change it. He has always said the same thing, especially in the past few years..." The female officer meant something. After she finished speaking, she turned and walked in another direction.

It was no secret that the King was in poor health, and especially mentally.

The magistrate took them into the garden and sat down at a small table.The manor was too big, even bigger than Pemberley Manor, it was almost a small palace, and Anne felt a little sore when she walked.

Refreshments and hot tea were prepared in advance in the garden, and the maid stood neither far nor near, without saying a word.

After the group sat down, the female officer left.

"Perhaps His Majesty was just on a whim," Darcy said.

Old people at this age will always think of things when they were young, and willfully try to "make up" as much as possible so that they can feel at ease.

"I think so too." Even though she said this, Anne was still a little worried.

Darcy refused the maid's service, poured tea for Anne, and put it in her hand.Rommel and Lawrence coughed lightly, but Darcy ignored them and pushed the teapot in front of them.

Lawrence shrugged and waved for the maid to pour tea for them.

Annie took a sip of tea, her eyes widened in surprise, "This is... the flower tea from Rosalie Rose Garden."

"Not only that." As Darcy said, he handed the tea to her lips. Anne took a bite, and then noticed that the tea on the table also came from Rosalie's Bakery.

Maybe once or twice is a coincidence, there are so many things related to her in this manor, she can't help but think about it.

She looked at Rommel and asked directly, "Did you tell the king about me?"

"How could I betray you! We are all in the same group!" Rommel said with some grievances in his tone.

Annie rolled her eyes: "I used to be very sure about this, but now I doubt it."

"No matter what, I will never take the initiative to tell others such a secret." Rommel said seriously.

"That is to say, this secret was 'discovered' by him?"

Rommel didn't speak, and Anne's heart sank, knowing that her conjecture had been confirmed.

"...That's not bad, so Darcy and I are one step closer to the idea of ​​the train." Annie said pretending to be relaxed, "With the most noble people in this country standing behind us, those things that once gave us headaches The problem has been easily solved, presumably those hard nuts will give some relief—”

"You obviously don't think so." Darcy exposed her duplicity, "You obviously don't want to accept the title of 'Countess', dear, you don't need to hide it in front of me, I hope you can share your worries with me. Tell me all the scruples."

Annie froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "You know what I think?"

"Of course." Darcy smiled slightly, "The title of 'Countess' is honorable, but it will also cause unnecessary trouble. The king may have just thought of it on a whim, but he didn't even think about how to explain the identities of you and Lady Catherine... ...A pair of lonely mother and daughter who have no man at home are suddenly carried into the air—”

"I'll fall to pieces." Annie took up his words and let out a long sigh.

Darcy held her hand reassuringly, and found that it was cold, and her uneasiness was far worse than what she expressed.

Rommel coughed suddenly, and the cough was a bit deliberate.

Anne thought of Madame Catherine's unnatural expression, and saw Rommel looking at her, hesitating to speak, and she knew it.

When Lady Catherine appeared in the garden, Anne immediately stood up, and Rommel moved faster than her.

Mrs. Catherine was still thinking about something, and she was in a daze. She walked towards the crowd, but she didn't notice that there was a small step under her feet, and she stepped on the ground.Rommel immediately grasped her arm quickly and grabbed her hand.

Mrs. Catherine was startled when she stepped on the air suddenly, she didn't recover for a while, she was supported by Rommel to the table and sat down.

Annie lowered her throat.

The two overlapping hands felt as if they had been scalded instantly, and they loosened in shock.

If nothing, they would not be so sensitive.

Annie understood.

Of course, Anne supported Lady Catherine. Her dry heart had been silent for too long. Anne once hinted that she didn't have to worry about herself, but she remained indifferent and immersed in the pain of Sir Louis' death.

The only thing Anne cared about was the man's character. She knew Rommel very well and admired him very much, but now, Anne's mood was very complicated.

Anne looked at Madam Catherine and saw some tears on her cheeks. She couldn't help asking anxiously, "Did you not have a good conversation with the king? Mom, did you cry just now?"

"No, no." Madame Catherine looked away, and Rommel frowned.

Annie stood up immediately, scaring everyone.

Under their worried eyes, Annie smiled at the female officer not far away, and walked towards her.

"I request to meet the king alone, I don't know..."

The female officer's face remained unchanged: "I will report for you, Miss Anne." She saluted and immediately walked towards the way she came.

"Annie, there's no need to do this. Don't think that this is still Rosings Manor. He is the king...and he didn't do anything to me. I just thought of some past events." Madam Catherine was a little anxious, for fear of Anne's willfulness hurt herself.

"Mom, I know it." Annie hugged her shoulder and said softly, "He wants to make me a baroness, do you know?"

"...I know, you deserve it, Anne."

"You gave me your glory."

"That should be yours. If you hadn't made Richter's business flourish, he would never have imagined that there would still be us in Rosings Manor..." Madam Catherine had some resentment in her tone, and she took a deep breath After taking a few breaths, I calmed myself down, "I pass on to you the glory that my mother didn't enjoy, and I can't even leave my name, but she will definitely be happy for today."

Annie thought of Catherine in the portrait, graceful and luxurious, but she had long since died.

"But I don't want to be a Countess." Annie held her hand, "That's a position that makes everyone jealous, Mom, I've exposed my identity today, and I'm already a thorn in the side of others, if... "

"You are an excuse, Anne, you are not someone who is used to avoiding others." Madam Catherine pointed at her unceremoniously, "The status of this duchess is clearly just right."

After Annie heard this, the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up slightly.

She suddenly turned her head and looked at Rommel at the side: "Mr. Rommel, you don't think so, do you? You, like me, 'sneer' at the status of the baroness."

Rommel was suddenly drawn into the tit-for-tat confrontation between mother and daughter. Facing Lady Catherine's glaring gaze, Rommel opened his mouth, but in the end he couldn't say anything.

Seeing this, Darcy held back a smile and pinched Anne's nose.

When Anne met the king alone, he was leaning on a chaise longue in front of a window, with his eyes closed and his eyebrows frowned.Anne couldn't help but slow down her steps.

Hearing footsteps, the king opened his eyes.

The king didn't remember who the person in front of him was for a moment. After Annie introduced herself crisply, he suddenly stood up and pointed to the chair wrapped in thick red velvet: "Sit down."

Annie sat in front of him cautiously, looking at the old man in front of her calmly, waiting for him to speak first.

But the king squinted his eyes, as if he hadn't woken up from sleepiness, and put his hands on his temples.The elderly servant came in quietly and gently put the tea on the coffee table between the two of them.

If Anne hadn't suddenly caught the shrewdness and temptation in his eyes while drinking tea, she almost really thought that he was just a noble old man.

Annie was already experienced in dealing with such a mindful person, the only thing she had to do was to be honest.

Playing with them, you will only play yourself to death - Annie doesn't think she is a shrewd person, so far, her achievements are just the bonus of predicting the future.

"Your Majesty the King, the reason I ask to see you is to ask you to take back your grace." Anne cut to the chase.

"You refuse? That's not what Catherine said just now. She asked me to give you a marriage. Are you not satisfied with that Mr. Darcy? That's right, he doesn't even have a title, so he really doesn't deserve—"

"What, what?" Annie was shocked, and after realizing that she had interrupted the king, Annie apologized angrily, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I, I didn't know that my mother said this to you..."

"Catherine is determined to match you with Darcy of Derbyshire, and you don't want to?"

"No, no...willing, no, I would." Annie stammered, her cheeks burning hot.

The king frowned, with some doubts in his tone: "Then what grace do you come to ask me to take back?"

"Countess! Your Majesty, I beg you to take back the title of duchess that was bestowed on me." Anne finally recovered her voice, "I feel very apprehensive and honored for your kindness, but the title of duchess is too honorable, according to my opinion. As we all know, not every woman with royal blood can get this honor. This is really unbearable for me and my mother."

"I said you deserve it, so you deserve it!" The king snorted coldly, "Does my will depend on the faces of those people?!"

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you are certainly the most honorable person, and of course you have the right to bestow favors on anyone. However, my mother and I find it difficult to get along with this. How should I explain the origin of this title to the nobles? The grievances of many years have been completely fulfilled by now, and I cannot afford this kind of 'compensation', and I don't have to bear it." Annie explained neither humble nor overbearing.

The king fell into silence, and Annie didn't dare to look up at him, so she just sat quietly in her seat, and the air pressure seemed to make her breathless for a while.

Annie stared at the thick carpet on the floor, tracing the intricate patterns one by one.The words of the king just now appeared in her mind: Lady Catherine actually asked him to marry her and Darcy?

Anne's nose was a little sore, even in this situation, Madam Catherine was still thinking about herself.Although she has great confidence in Darcy's character and sincerity, she still can't help but want to buy more "insurance" for her future.

After quite a while, when Annie's teacup had no heat at all, cold sweat oozed from her forehead.

And when she recalled and considered whether what she just said was too blunt and straightforward, the old and majestic king finally spoke.

"I appreciate your frankness, but thanks to what Rommel said to me in front of me, I didn't see you as an impulsive young lady, and I wanted to hear your subtext."

Annie couldn't help raising her head when she heard this—what kind of bad things did Rommel say about himself?

"Since you want to be frank, let's be more frank. Tell me, you don't want the title of baroness, what do you want?" The king's voice was a little brisk, and it sounded like he was joking, "As long as it is something within my ability, I will be satisfied." you."

"Viscount, Your Majesty the King." Anne said loudly, "I hope to inherit my father's title, if you recognize my ability as you recognize my father."

— rather than compensation from the blood.

After speaking, Annie bit her lip nervously.

The room was silent, Annie could only hear her beating heart.

The author has something to say: I didn’t expect it_(:зゝ∠)_Annie doesn’t want to rely on the blood relationship of the nobles to become a lord, but rely on her own ability~

By now everyone should understand Lady Catherine's life experience, right? (This is my own dog blood), it is not easy to express it in straightforward words in the text.In fact, she is the sister of the King of England and the illegitimate daughter of the King of Prussia_(:зゝ∠)_

The era of this article is George III, and the age of the privately established character relationship can be correct, but I don’t want to set it as a real historical time, so everyone should be completely empty (in fact, I also deliberately blurred the title in the text) of).