"The one we want to match for Edmund is the purest and smartest bride, so we must not learn from others."
Although Teresa did not express what she meant, the moment she said this sentence, it was tantamount to expressing her "approval" of Valentine's efforts.
Of course Valentine could understand the meaning, and she was immediately overjoyed.
After being eroded by fear for so long, she finally got the support of Her Majesty the Queen, and the "rescue father plan" came to light. How could she not be excited?
Fortunately, the feeling of ecstasy did not last long. She quickly came back to her senses, and then she quickly curtsied and saluted again, expressing her extreme gratitude to Teresa. "Thank you! Your Majesty the Queen... I will definitely treat you with kindness."
I will keep all the teachings in my heart and never forget them.”
"What a well-behaved and sensible child... It would be great if my daughter grows up to be like you." Seeing Valentine's demeanor at such a young age, Teresa couldn't help but say
Nodding, "You are indeed the granddaughter of the Marquis of Noirtier! I believe you will have a bright future."
Then, she suddenly turned her head and looked to one side of the room, "What do you think, Mercedes?"
Valentine subconsciously followed Her Majesty the Queen's line of sight, and then discovered that in the shadows of the room, a lady dressed in simple clothes but with elegant temperament slowly walked over.
She looked like a female official in the palace, but the dress she wore was simple in color and she did not wear any jewelery. The hair on the back of her head was covered by black gauze, with only a few ends exposed.
Although her face is beautiful, her dress and her serious expression give her an extremely sad temperament, which makes people feel pity at first sight.
This is a mourning dress. Has this lady lost any important relatives recently? This was Valentine's first reaction.
However, when she was looking at the other person, the lady was also looking at her, and her eyes seemed extremely complicated.
Valentine was still a child, and no matter how smart she was, she could not understand the ways of the world, so she could not see the sympathy, expectation, pity and slight jealousy in her eyes, but she could still instinctively feel that this lady
It must have a lot to do with him - even though they don't seem to know each other at all.
The lady slowly walked up to Her Majesty the Queen, and then she also knelt down to salute Theresa. Then she replied to Theresa in a calm and calm tone, "Your Majesty, I just listened to all what Miss Valentine said.
Needless to say, these words moved me deeply. It is admirable that a child at this age can think of taking on family responsibilities and repaying his father's kindness."
"It seems we have thought of getting together." Teresa smiled and nodded, and then she motioned Mercedes to sit on the sofa on the other side of her, face to face with Valentine.
Then Teresa asked Valentine, "Valentina, do you know this lady?"
Valentine searched hard in her memory, looking for any traces of this lady. However, although she had a vague feeling that she had seen this lady somewhere, she could not remember it.
This is not surprising. In order not to arouse suspicion from the outside world, Villefort and Fernand rarely interacted with each other after they became successful. The two families only met occasionally on important social occasions. In this case, of course Valentine
I have no impression of Countess de Morcerf.
So, Valentine shook her head gently, "Sorry, I don't remember."
"Then have you heard the name I called just now?" Teresa asked again.
Valentine still shook her head.
"It seems that your grandfather only told you part of the story." Teresa sighed, and then looked at Mercedes, "Then, madam, you will introduce yourself.
Presumably by this time, Valentine should also know all this."
Mercedes frowned slightly.
Repeating her tragic history in front of others is tantamount to adding salt to the wounds in her heart. However, since she took the initiative to ask to see Valentine, at this time, she cannot be allowed to back down.
Already.
Therefore, she could only control her emotions, and then describe her experiences over the years to Valentine in a tone that was as far away from the incident as possible.
"Miss, this story begins in Marseille more than ten years ago. At that time, there was a small fishing village inhabited by Catalans in the Port of Marseille, and there was a fisherman girl named Mercedes...
"
Then, she told about her original love affair with Edmund, who was unjustly imprisoned, and she was forced to marry Fernand after her rescue failed. Due to the changes in the current situation, she accidentally became the countess...
Everything was told to Valentine.
Valentine listened with great rapture, so she was also keenly aware of the profound sadness and pain contained in Mrs. Mercedes' calm surface.
When she heard that the Count of Monte Cristo stabbed Fernand's chest with a sharp sword in front of his wife and His Majesty, she finally woke up from this old incident.
Then she covered her face, feeling ashamed of her father.
"Oh God... what a sin my father has committed. Not only did he harm the count, he also ruined your life... How on earth should I repay this!"
"You don't have to blame yourself so much, Miss Valentine." Mercedes gently comforted Valentine, "You were not born when all this happened; and you didn't know anything about it after that.
As far as I know, your hands are completely innocent, and no one can blame you. On the contrary, you have the courage to stand up and bear the sins of the past with self-sacrifice, even though you have no responsibility. This is actually admirable."
"I...I'm sorry..." Valentine's heart throbbed even more. She stood up again without hesitation and apologized to Mercedes, "Madam, since everything has happened
, I know it's useless for me to apologize, but I really want to apologize to you. If...if there is anything I can do to compensate you, please just ask me, I will definitely do it!"
"You are serious. Although it is impossible for me to forget my own experience, I will not bear grudge against a child. I also have my dignity, Miss Valentine." Mercedes shook her head and faced the other party calmly.
, "Besides, now that I have found a place for myself to make a living thanks to the grace of Her Majesty the Queen, there is no need to bother you anymore. If I have to say that there is anything I want you to do for me, then I just
I hope you can fulfill your promise today and take my share to take good care of the earl..."
Valentine was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes suddenly became wet.
Although theoretically Mrs. Mercedes was her "predecessor", as a young woman, she did not have any "jealousy" emotions at all. On the contrary, she was jealous of what her father had done and what she had done.
I feel extremely guilty for what I did.
"But, in this case, wouldn't I have trampled on your former love?" She asked back with a tearful voice.
"No, you misunderstood. It would have been impossible for him and me, even without you." Mercedes gently shook her head, "What am I now? I am the disgraced Morcerf
The widow of a count, despised and ridiculed by everyone, Fernand distorted my life and brought me to this situation. But he is also dead, which makes it impossible for me to hate him anymore, and I still remember that he once
The kindness of raising an orphan like me as a brother... Alas, the entanglement and perversion of fate is really difficult to escape! In short, no matter what, I am already an ominous person, and I can no longer care for my own temporary thoughts.
If you think about it, just go and delay Edmund again. He has more important things to do, and I no longer deserve my place in his life..."
As she spoke, she also stood up, then walked to Valentine, leaned over slightly, and looked at Valentine face to face.
"Now he not only belongs to himself, but also to this country. He has an obligation to contribute all his good qualities to the country so that more people can live a better life. In this case, he needs a
The pure, intelligent, and superior family girl took care of his family for him, laid the foundation for his career, and... left his blood on the highest stage of the empire for him. And after my observation,
You are indeed suitable for all of this. So please don’t worry, I will not blame you or begrudge you at all. On the contrary, I hope that you can fulfill your promise more than anyone else-"
Facing Mrs. Mercedes' expectant eyes, Valentine rolled her nose and couldn't help but burst into tears.
However, this time it was not out of guilt, but out of gratitude.
"Madam, I'm sorry..."
"Look at it, child. You have not taken away my life at all, because my life has been twisted, robbed and trampled on by others! It is impossible for you to destroy something that no longer exists..."
Mercedes' head lowered further, and then she kissed Valentine's smooth and white forehead.
At this time, she who had been pretending to be calm finally couldn't help but quietly shed tears.
These tears were not only for the pain I had experienced, but also for my determination to say goodbye to all these nightmares.
Then, she suppressed her sobs and continued, "My child, all I can do now is bless you, and then try to rebuild my own life. Although I have no goals in this life, but for me
I still have to work hard for my son for many years. He will become the most educated and compassionate gentleman and be a person who is beneficial to the world. Then I will have no regrets... I hope both of us can
Fulfill your wishes!"
"Yes, I will definitely do it!" Valentine nodded repeatedly and assured, then hugged Mercedes, and then couldn't help but burst into tears.
After all, she was still just a child, and in this atmosphere, she finally couldn't hold back the "maturity" she was pretending to do. She wanted to freely vent the pain and tension accumulated during this period.
And Mercedes didn't stop her, but hugged her gently and let her vent freely.
Seeing this touching scene, Teresa, who had been silent until now, couldn't help but shed tears.
She picked up the handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then she couldn't help but sigh in a low voice.
"It's so pitiful! Everyone is... How many sins are buried in those dusty past events! How many grievances in this country have not been vindicated? We can't continue like this, we have to pull it back
On the normal track.”
In Theresa's view, the experiences of Edmund and Mercedes were not only their personal misfortunes, but also a microcosm of all the disasters that the French had suffered in the previous decades of turmoil.
In the changing situation, revolutionaries kill nobles, nobles kill revolutionaries, revolutionaries kill each other, the empire is established and the empire is restored... In a short period of time, the king's flag changes on the city wall almost countless times. You come to kill, I kill to kill each other, each other.
Revenge and revenge are everywhere, and rivers of blood flow everywhere, almost never ending.
Fortunately, Edmund was rescued by her husband and was given a chance to "turn over and change her life", and finally her great revenge was avenged.
However, in the vast France, how many innocent souls are still wandering on the ground, unable to rest in peace?
This must have been countless.
Nowadays, it is meaningless to go over the countless old accounts in the past. The two of them must use their long-term and stable rule to turn the capricious page of history and enter a new era.
, so that everyone can forget all the disasters of the past in peace and prosperity.
Only in this way can these tragedies be truly sealed and prevented from happening again.
She didn't know whether they would do it or not, but since they were in this position, they had to do it because it was their obligation.
After sighing in silence for a while, Teresa quietly waited until the two women in front of her, one large and one small, regained their composure.
Mercedes kindly picked up the handkerchief to help Valentine wipe away her tears, while Valentine stood obediently, as if facing her elders.
"Madam, it seems you have obtained a satisfactory answer?" Teresa asked softly.
"Yes, I am very satisfied." Mercedes replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, since Miss Valentine is so suitable, then I have nothing more to say. Next, I will try my best to persuade Edmund.
.I can’t guarantee that he will listen to my words, but at least I will make him no longer obsessed with the past... No matter how reluctant to let go, the past can only be the past after all, and we all need to face the sun of tomorrow...
...He must also understand this truth, he just has to let me say it out loud."
It's more like convincing herself.
Teresa already knew it in her heart.
In any case, since Mercedes had nodded, she had a rough idea of what was going to happen next.
"Madam, I am very happy to get your help. I also ask you to continue to serve me and the country with today's enthusiasm and calmness. I believe that one day people will forget Mrs. Morcerf, but will remember May
Ms. Certes..."
"I will, Your Majesty." Mercedes bowed her knees calmly and excused herself to Her Majesty the Queen.