Facing his wife's angry roar, Edgar felt guilty and embarrassed.
Although he knew what he would face before coming, he still felt extremely stressed when he actually faced it.
The initiator of all this is himself.
"It seems that you already know what father wants to do, so you are so decisive and leave no room for anything." Under his wife's sharp gaze, Edgar gritted his teeth and spoke again, "I know, now I will defend myself."
It may seem ridiculous, but I still have to say, in fact... I don't support my father's idea. In my opinion, it is more appropriate and reasonable for Xia Lu to inherit our family business."
"Edgar, do you think I am coveting your family's wealth?" Alice asked coldly, "If I was greedy for wealth, why did I marry you in the first place? I could have chosen a rich man in the court. You
When my family was in such a state of decline, was there anything worth coveting for me? What made me angry and distorted was not the loss of the so-called family fortune. Just give your little money to whomever you want! I don’t care! I can’t stand it.
What's more is humiliation...because I have given everything, but you only treat me as a joke! In your eyes, my daughter is not even as important as a bastard! This humiliation is more intolerable to me than any vicious deception, and even makes me feel uncomfortable.
My soul is wailing and trembling with it, Edgar, can’t you understand all this!?”
Facing Alice's angry questioning, Edgar was speechless.
Indeed, everything she said was irrefutable.
For Alice, who has a strong self-esteem, this kind of contempt and humiliation is more painful than the so-called "family property" - it is for this reason that she would rather die together than take revenge on her father and son.
indivual.
Did she do something wrong? Maybe there was something wrong, but the father and son alone were absolutely not qualified to accuse her.
Seeing Edgar's speechless look, Alice was not happy, but just sneered contemptuously.
"Yeah, now I've lost. Even though I tried my best, I still couldn't defeat your father. He can freely mess with his grand plans, but I can only watch from the side and endure what he gave me.
Humiliation... If this is my fate, then I accept it. But Edgar, from now on, you two, father and son, will no longer have any reason to order me or restrain me. We will go our own ways, and I will not
If I try to gain your family fortune, don’t even think about getting anything from me!"
"That's natural." Edgar nodded, "I said, you can do whatever you want, and I won't hinder you in any way."
The reason why he emphasized "you can do whatever you want" several times was actually implying that after he left, the couple could not divorce due to traditional reasons, and Alice could stand up to "Mrs. Treville"
In the name of others, he does whatever he loves, including doing the things he did to find "comfort" for the rest of his life.
This does not make him feel any shame (after all, this is the tradition of nobles for hundreds of years), but it will make him feel a little less guilty about it.
"Then do I want to thank you for letting me go free, Edgar?" Alice asked with a sneer.
"No... this is completely what we owe you." Edgar quickly replied. "Although this may not make you feel better, this is the last compensation I can make... please forgive me.
, Alice.”
After saying this, he bowed to Alice solemnly.
He also knew that since it came to this, it was time to say goodbye.
"Answer me one last question." Just when he was about to say goodbye, Alice suddenly said. "Why did you propose to me at that time? Have you never loved me?"
No matter how determined I am, I still won’t be reconciled...
"It's certainly impossible to say that I've never been tempted. Who wouldn't like you? Alice." Edgar tilted his head and avoided looking directly into his wife's eyes, because he knew that his answer was destined not to be.
What she wanted to hear. "It's just that I wasn't that eager to get married. It's just that at that time, my father wanted me to start a family as soon as possible and continue our family's bloodline... I couldn't resist my father, so I had to obey. At that time, I weighed myself
The women I have contacted found that you are the most suitable to be our daughter-in-law, so I proposed to you."
"I see... just for this reason." Alice murmured to herself. "So, in your heart, I have never been higher than her, and you have never planned to change yourself for me... everything
It was all my own fantasy. I deceived myself, then I closed my eyes and jumped up, excitedly jumping into the abyss..."
Edgar lowered his head and stopped answering, but the answer was also obvious in his silence.
"Originally, I thought I would be furious, but...it's actually not that uncomfortable." Alice sighed softly, "Maybe it's because I've already seen these facts clearly - yes, it's such an obvious fact.
, how could I not see clearly? I am surprised that I was able to lie to myself for so long."
Then, she took another deep breath, and then stared at Edgar coldly, "Edgar, although I hate you and will hate you for the rest of my life, the matter has come to this, and it will be useless for me to curse. Now I
, I don’t want to waste time with you anymore. I must use my remaining energy to reorganize my life and build the best life for my daughter...
Therefore, if you really still have some conscience in your heart and some fatherly love for your daughter, then please don’t cause us any more trouble in the future. It doesn’t matter whether you live or die in a foreign country.
, don’t involve us anymore, I will raise Xia Lu well and make her forget that she has such a useless father who harmed her so much, and you - the greatest contribution you can make is to disappear from our lives,
Disappear completely without leaving a trace! Remember!"
"I understand, I understand." Edgar nodded repeatedly.
Then, he waved gently and said his final farewell to his wife.
"goodbye."
Although he knew that his wife would not respond in any way, he still waved to say goodbye.
Then, having cut off the last trace of attachment, he got on the carriage again, and then followed the carriage back to the palace.
Soon, the news that he was detained for "disobeying the emperor's order" will be announced to the public. He will become a laughing stock in people's eyes and bid farewell to his previous life completely.
For him, this may actually be a good thing. He can finally abandon those things that he doesn't want to bear and live only for himself. He and his lover can escape abroad and enjoy the time that belongs only to each other.
, which actually made him feel relaxed.
The moment Edgar boarded the carriage, Alice decisively turned around and left, never looking at her husband again.
At this time, Agnes, who was observing silently, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then returned to her sister with Xia Lu.
Seeing Alice thoughtful, even lost,
"Sister, are you okay?" she asked with concern.
"I'm fine...Although I can't say I'm fine, at least it's not bad." Alice shook her head gently, and then answered in a low voice.
Agnes was a little confused by this answer. She looked at her sister in confusion, not knowing what she should say.
"I am miserable and destitute now, right?" Alice asked her sister with a strange calmness, "Then what do you think I should do? I cry all over the place and act like a resentful woman.
Complain? No... I can't do it, and it's of no use. Others' sympathy and other people's ridicule are the same fatal poison to me. I... I would rather die than let myself end up like that.
to a certain point.”
"I understand, sister." Agnes deeply sympathized with her sister's experience, so her expression and voice were doubly considerate, "This will all pass soon! On the bright side, at least you have got rid of the nightmare, right?
Really? The Treville family turned their backs on you because they were blind. You can live on your own terms from now on."
"Yes, I want to rewrite my life." Alice nodded slightly, as if thoughtfully, "You can make excuses if you make a mistake once, after all, you are young and ignorant; but if you make a mistake again, then
I am just extremely stupid and deserve to be unlucky! So, Agnes, from now on, I must arm myself with power so that I will no longer be abandoned by others in the rest of my life... I must let my remaining life enjoy the benefits of everyone
Respect, only in this way can we compensate for everything I have lost, isn't it?"
"That's right!" Agnes was naturally very happy to see her sister cheer up so quickly. She immediately agreed with her sister. "Why are you pessimistic? You are still so young and so radiant. You are better than me.
It looks good! Everything will go smoothly in your life from now on!"
"I hope so..." Alice smiled.
Then, she bent down and picked up her daughter.
The blond and blue-eyed Xia Lu is like a miniature version of Alice herself, full of childishness and virginity that only a child can have.
This is my second life...
The reassuring feeling of mother and daughter's heart-to-heart connection made Alice feel that the pain in her heart was relieved a lot.
Xia Lu is all she has left now, and she will do her best to open up the best life for her daughter. She will get all the happiness she deserves, stay away from every wrong step she has taken, and stay away from the pain she has endured.
...Only in this way can she comfort her scarred soul.
It's worth paying any price for it.
"I love you, my daughter." she called softly.
As if she felt her mother's mood at the moment, Xia Lu smiled lightly, and then took the initiative to kiss her mother's cheek.
"Mom! Love you."
Alice, who had stubbornly not shed a single tear even though she was heartbroken just now, finally let the tears roll down her cheeks at this moment. "Yes, I love you."
=========================
Although the temperature in Algiers in early February was not high, it was naturally much warmer than Paris.
Coupled with the dry climate and bright sunshine here, the body feels many times more comfortable.
In his temporarily requisitioned headquarters, General Treville, wearing a thin military uniform, was wandering leisurely on the balcony, looking at the city's busy port, the distinctive buildings, and the ships passing by.
passing warships and merchant ships.
This is not the place he has in mind, but it can be the place where his dream comes true.
He had just arrived in Algiers.
As soon as he got off the boat, he was warmly welcomed by the local garrison officers. After all, everyone knew that General Treville was a big shot in the heart of the emperor. His coming to Algiers was essentially sent by His Majesty to "supervise the army."
”, of course they did not dare to take it lightly.
Some young officers who were ambitious and wanted to be promoted took the initiative to contact General Treville, hoping to leave a good impression in front of the general and win a promotion opportunity for themselves.
Of course, General Treville welcomed all comers. He cordially entertained every officer who came close to him and encouraged them to serve His Majesty.
However, even so, General Treville did not get carried away. After arriving in Algiers, he immediately ran to the Governor's Palace to pay a visit to the supreme commander, Marshal Moncey, who was sitting there, and reported to him respectfully.
Although he was so high-profile when he arrived and was somewhat suspected of "stealing the limelight" and "poaching", the marshal did not resent this and still received him cordially.
For Marshal Moncey, who is over seventy years old, he no longer has any political ambitions. The reason why he came to Algiers was just to help His Majesty stabilize the situation and "guard the door."
For him, the most important thing is that he has nothing to do during his term of office, and then returns to France in glory to spend the last years of his life.
Therefore, he did not feel "offended" at all towards the ambitious General Treville, but was happy to see him be so high-profile.
After all, His Majesty, in using General Treville so highly, must have hoped that he could do something great.
Because of this, he was also happy to cooperate with General Treville.
Therefore, General Treville entered his "new role" very happily.
He opened his own headquarters and then recruited manpower from everywhere to enrich his team.
At the moment, he is high-spirited and strategizing, just waiting to do big things as soon as possible.
And at this high-spirited moment, an adjutant walked up to him and respectfully handed him a thick letter.
When he saw the stamp on it, he subconsciously stood at attention - this was clearly a letter from His Majesty!
With great reverence, he opened the letter and read it carefully.
Then, he quickly froze.
"Edgar..." Soon, he covered his chest in pain. "My son..."