"This is all because you just gave me a large sum of money - I should always be more humble to my creditors."
Maria's joke, instead of disappointing Aigron, actually aroused Aigron's "interest" even more.
Hum, if you ask Bowang to help you and spend a small amount of money, you can learn to call me like Sophie. How much money can you spend to learn more of her things?
Of course, he would not dare to say such words.
By this time, they had finished drinking coffee and started preparing for the next activities.
Because the two of them had just discussed the topic of the playground, they were both in a very happy mood now. Moreover, the caffeine also stimulated their nerves, making them very energetic.
After Aigron paid the bill, he left the cafe with Maria, and then took the initiative to ask Maria.
"Miss Maria, where else do you want to relax?"
Maria was obviously having some trouble with this question, and she suddenly fell into thinking.
Although she was a first-time tourist, as she lived in Paris for a long time, she gradually visited all the interesting places, and there were fewer and fewer new places, and she couldn't think of anything at once.
coming.
"It's a pity that your current playground is still just a drawing..." She couldn't help but complain in a low voice.
"Although we don't have an amusement park now, there are still many places where you can have fun. If you don't mind, I can take you to the theater to watch a few plays. There are fewer people during the day," Aigron suggested.
"By the way, I want you to relive your old dream of being courteous to Sophie in the box, right?" Maria obviously knew something about the past, so she immediately snatched Aigron.
A guilty smile suddenly appeared on Aigron's face, because that's exactly what he thought.
"how could be……"
This kind of guilty denial was of course unconvincing, but Maria just rolled her eyes at Egron and did not mock him again. Instead, she agreed to Egron's proposal.
"Forget it, I don't have any other ideas now, so let's go with your idea... This is also a new experience."
After getting her approval, Aigron was greatly relieved.
Then, he raised his head and waved to the guard captain hiding in the distance, indicating that everything was going according to plan.
For Aigron, the most important thing now is to win Maria's favor and make her agree to cooperate with his plan - without her active cooperation, the so-called "Li Daitao Zombie" plan would have no chance of success.
When Andre saw him saying hello, he naturally understood it. He was already prepared for it. He immediately called a carriage and asked Aigron to take Maria to an inconspicuous theater and made a reservation by the way.
box.
It is not prime time, so the theater is only showing a mediocre work that is not popular. At the same time, because it is daytime, there are not many audiences. The auditorium on the first floor is sparse, and the boxes above are also deserted. But even so,
The actors on the stage are still performing meticulously and reciting their lines with enthusiasm and fullness.
The air was filled with the strange smell of powder, perfume, sweat, candlelight, leather products, etc., and this smell, as well as the familiar layout of the theater, easily brought back memories of Aigron's past.
This was how he led Sophie into it.
Although Vienna and Paris are thousands of miles apart, their situations and scenes are very similar.
What was Sophie's mood at that time? A thought suddenly appeared in Aigron's mind.
He had a "deep friendship" with Sophie, and of course he knew Sophie better than anyone else. He could conclude that at the beginning, Sophie had no love between a man and a woman for him, the unlucky prince, and only felt pity for him when he came from the same foreign land.
The love and pity she encountered, and the care and consideration she took for her were only out of sibling affection (of course, this was also because she was indeed handsome and lovable).
It is conceivable that when she was pulled into the theater step by step by Aigron, she might have had the mentality of watching a child's tricks, similar to "I want to see how many tricks your kid can do."
Joking.
She didn't expect that her cooperation and tolerance would eventually make her fall into an unimaginable whirlpool. She was obsessed with her unexpected love, which eventually turned into a lifelong debt, so much so that she clearly
She was the honorable princess and princess, but now she is equivalent to a prisoner behind bars, suffering from oppression and bullying.
How innocent!
Aigron suddenly felt his heart twitching.
Even a heartless and extremely selfish person like him couldn't help but tremble in his soul under the sudden "stress" situation. He designed step by step to trap the first person in the world who cared for and cared for him wholeheartedly.
People who don't expect anything in return regard her tolerance for themselves as a stepping stone and ultimately as a tool to escape from the prison.
On the night they parted, when he escaped from the theater, Sophie's desperate sobs behind him seemed to echo in his ears again, making his blood almost freeze.
Now that you have got everything, and she has endured all the disasters for you, are you satisfied? It seems like there is a voice in the dark asking.
"Okay, stop acting like you've seen a ghost." At this moment, a voice next to him pulled him out of his trance and back to the real world.
Then, Aigron saw the exact same face in his memory, and the exact same concerned eyes.
And then, she still used the same voice to comfort the unconscious Aigron in a low voice, "Even in the worst time, she has never regretted it. If she could go back in time and give her a choice, she would still make the same choice."
——And she is destined to have bad luck unless you make a different choice."
Maria's words finally brought Aigron back to his senses, and his breathing gradually became smoother.
As Sophie's twin sister, the two sisters were in constant contact, so Maria's assertion was more convincing than anyone else's, and this made Aigron even more burdened with a heavy sense of guilt.
After all, time cannot be turned back. He had no choice in the past, but he has a choice now, so he must turn the tide and rescue Sophie from the current miserable situation, no matter what the cost.
"The prince rescues the imprisoned princess", isn't it a natural story?
Of course, considering that this prince was arrogant, selfish, married, had a mistress and an illegitimate child, the story would naturally be a little "dirty", but he didn't care.
While the two people were talking, they walked up the stairs and came to the balcony.
The actors on the stage were still performing hard, but their chattering lines turned a deaf ear to both of them, and they were just regarded as background accompaniments.
Compared to this mediocre script, Egeron cares more about his "script".
Now is the time for the two of them to be alone. He must take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen his offensive and win over Maria to make her accept his plan.
"Miss Maria, I'm sorry, I just lost my composure..." Aigron smiled bitterly first and apologized to Maria, "But because of this gaffe, you should be able to see the guilt and pain in my heart——
"
"Well, I do feel it." Maria nodded slightly. "But the done thing is done, what's the point of thinking about it now?"
"But we are not powerless." Aigron shook his head, "On the contrary, we have a way now."
Of course Maria understood what Aigron meant, so she frowned slightly, "Why, you still haven't forgotten your plan, and you want me to suffer for you again?"
"This is not about suffering, but about us working together to save your biological sister." Aigron replied decisively, "You have seen her recently. Of course you know her current physical and mental condition, right? Let me ask, if she can endure it
If she is in such pain, why would she ask me for help through you? If she has been in this kind of depression and pain and cannot be relieved, how long can she sustain it? Can you bear to see her age?
Will the fragrance disappear gently and the jade die?"
"Of course I can't bear it! But weren't you the cause of all this?" Maria immediately became angry, and then yelled at Aiglon, "It was you who put her in this situation. I have no responsibility at all, but you did
Do you want me to take the risk for you?"
"I have no ill intentions towards you. You are my lifesaver. When I was attacked and fainted in Milan, without your help, I would have bled to death long ago. I will always remember this kindness.
——" Aigron explained quickly.
"It turns out that the way you repay me is to let me go to a country that I hate, play my sister around the people I hate, and be careful to avoid cheating every day..." Maria laughed sarcastically, "This kind of reward is really unique.
...It is worthy of what you are capable of doing.”
Faced with Maria's claim, Aigron was speechless for a moment, because this was indeed the truth.
However, he is a person who is proficient in debate after all, so he quickly regrouped and tried to shake the other party's mind, "I know that this is a very unfavorable request for you, but other than that, I really can't come up with anything else at the moment.
What a good idea. Moreover, this is not a permanent replacement, it only takes a short period of time. I just want her to see hope in life so that she can continue to live. Just think of it as me begging you.
Show mercy..."
After pleading softly, Aigron continued to launch a tender offensive, "I promise you, as long as you do this favor for me, I will do my best to repay you. Whatever you want, as long as I can give it to you, I will do my best to repay you."
I will give you everything, and I can also let you enjoy all the conveniences in this country, not to mention amusement parks, you can have fun in anything, and I will accompany you."
After finishing speaking, he raised his head and looked at Maria with pleading eyes.
Maria originally had an angry look on her face, but after seeing Aigron like this, her angry eyes gradually softened.
"Oh, you are so annoying. No matter how dissatisfied I am with you, I can't get angry at you anymore... When was the last time you acted like this?"
Coincidentally, it was also the time to face Sophie.
And it really worked.
Aigron did not answer, but just waited for the other party's next reply.
Maria was silent for a moment, then she sighed.
"Your Majesty, although my current status is very different from that of my sister, I ask myself about my will. My courage will never be inferior to Sophie's. She can do daring things, and I am equally courageous.
So, it’s not that I’m rejecting your offer out of fear – so do you know what I’m aggrieved about?”
"What's that for?" Aigron asked quickly.
"Now that we've reached this point, let's break everything down and talk about it... You were so courteous to me before and gave me whatever I asked for. In fact, it was not for me - but for another person, even if this person is the same as me.
It’s almost identical inside and out, but she’s also someone else, not me! I’ve always known that, so I just put on a smile and enjoy it.”
Maria smiled bitterly at first, and then frowned angrily, "Why have you never considered me, but you still have the nerve to make demands of me and ask me to take risks for your personal relationship? If everything is exposed, won't I?
Is it bad luck? You have thought so much about her, but have you ever thought about me? Why am I so unworthy of others taking a second look? Am I really worthless? I obviously lost to her just because of luck.
Ah! If it was me who was born a few minutes earlier, then everything she has is mine now!"
I obviously didn't know you in the past, and I have no friendship, how could I think about you so much... Aigron also felt a little aggrieved.
But he couldn't say this either.
The same thing looks different from different people's perspectives.
In Aigron's view, Maria is nothing more than a "shadow" of Sophie, someone he only met in 1829; and to Maria, Aiglon was almost his fiancé, and she and her sister talked about it in their correspondence.
The person she had known for several years was the person she once placed her hope in.
In this case, when she saw Aiglon's behavior of being so unfavorable to others, she would of course be furious and feel that she was completely slighted.
But after all, time can't be turned back, and Aigron can't make up for the perspective gap between the two people.
Therefore, Aigron could only sigh in response.
"Okay... Now that we have talked about everything, I can tell you that if you want me to agree, that's fine -" Maria suddenly said. "But you still have to promise me one more thing -
"
Aiglon was suddenly awakened, and then looked at Maria in disbelief, "Just say it! Anything is fine, as long as I can do it."
"I heard from my sister that my niece is coming to your palace?"
Aigron has reached an agreement with the British to let Prince Eugene's youngest daughter, Princess Théodlande, come to the French court, and then wait a year later to marry to Belgium as the queen of Belgium as a "Princess of the Royal Family of France".
Act as spokesperson for France's interests in the future.
Maria came to Paris with her sister, Princess Augusta, and lived together, so she had already heard about this matter.
"Yes..." Aigron nodded slightly.
"I have stayed in a place where people's eyes can't reach, and I have played satisfactorily enough... Now, I want to appear upright in front of everyone, just like I should be - the excuse is also
Ready-made, I am the Princess of Bavaria and her elder. I can appear as her witness and wait for her wedding moment." Maria looked at Aiglon, and then said coldly, "So, I want to be fair and aboveboard.
Is it possible to come to Fontainebleau with my niece as your honored guest?"