"Your Highness Maria, I am very happy that you can be our distinguished guest——"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, although Aigron was anxious, he still sent greetings to Maria, who had "newly arrived", with a perfect smile and courtesy.
And Maria was indeed prepared. She immediately knelt down and saluted Aigron solemnly as a king.
"Your Majesty, I am also very happy to receive your invitation to come to such a beautiful palace and experience the beauty of France up close."
"You can enjoy the beautiful scenery here, and we will entertain you with the greatest enthusiasm." Aigron promised with a smile. "We also hope that through you, we can further increase the friendship between France and Bavaria."
Although the mentality of the two people at this time is different, they have been in the palace since childhood and are used to seeing similar scenes. They have basic skills in showing the so-called royal dignity, so there must be no problem at all in showing off.
Then, Aigron took Maria's right hand and kissed the back of her hand gently.
Although he was indeed moved by the fact that she now looked exactly the same as Sophie, the main reason why Agron did this was just to complete the etiquette, and he did not want to lose his composure in public.
Maria, on the other hand, was smiling and looking calmly into his eyes, her eyes filled with both charm and malicious malice.
She deliberately moved closer to Aigron, and after reaching a delicate distance that "can get as close to Aigron as much as possible without being considered rude", she said to Aigron affectionately, "Your Majesty, although I am only the third
I came to this country once, but for many years, I have been dreaming about it. I want to take this opportunity to see it to the fullest. Since this country is now under your rule, I would like to ask you to take a look at it.
Please lead me to appreciate the customs, art and culture of this country...I believe that this will be an unforgettable experience for me..."
She deliberately made her voice softer and softer as she spoke, just like how Sophie read his lines back then, and the look in her eyes naturally reminded Agron of those times in the past.
Schonbrunn Palace is also very beautiful...
If Sophie saw herself in this way, she would definitely let him take her to see this country with great interest, right? Aigron suddenly fell into a trance.
But, after all, the person in front of him was not Sophie. Aigron saw some malice and ridicule in his charming eyes, and then he suddenly woke up.
Deliberately! She deliberately put on this friendly look in front of everyone, just to make Teresa angry in person.
Moreover, he could feel that her plan really worked.
While the two were having a "happy conversation," Aigron gradually felt a cold feeling coming from behind.
To be honest, since returning to France, Aigron has never been afraid even when facing prestigious and ambitious ministers and elders like Talleyrand and Soult. Although he cannot say that everything is under control, at least he can deal with it calmly.
, without fear; however, at this moment, he really felt the "thorn in the back" feeling of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty in the East.
Therefore, while he and Maria were "talking and laughing", his wife Theresa was watching him silently from behind. Although her expression may not have changed at all, this aura became more and more uncomfortable.
stand up.
But it wasn't that he couldn't understand Theresa's mood.
Maria and Sophie were so similar that even she was in a trance just now, let alone Theresa? She must have recalled those unpleasant things in her heart, and felt even more the crisis of her husband's heart being taken away.
Teresa was indeed gentle and humble in her daily life. Even when she became the mother of a country, she never put on airs and almost never lost her temper with the people around her. She was a model for queens - but no matter how generous a person is, they can have their opposites, and today,
It looked like her reverse scales had been touched.
Now that he was aware of the dangerous atmosphere at this moment, Aigron naturally began to try to get out of trouble.
He took a step to the side without leaving a trace, regaining a little distance from Maria, but the smile on his face remained unchanged, "If you talk about art and culture, there is someone here who has more say than me - my
My wife, Theresa, loves art and music just like every Viennese. Her cultural attainments are much better than mine. I think she can certainly give you a lot of help..."
After finishing speaking, Aigron naturally turned around and glanced at Theresa. "Dear Theresa, are you right?"
Facing her husband's call, Teresa's expression finally softened.
After all, he didn't lose his soul and lose face. He still remembered that he was his wife now.
Now that she was called by her husband, she no longer remained silent, but walked to Aigron very naturally, then took her husband's hand very naturally, and then faced him with a kind smile very naturally.
Maria. "Your Highness Maria, I am very happy that you have the same hobby as me. The artistic treasures of this country are so deep that they are well known to the world. I have been fascinated by them for a long time! However, now you and Lindy have traveled a long distance.
You are tired from the journey, but you still need to take a good rest first. We have prepared a banquet for you and your group, shall we go there first?"
Because she already knew that Maria would come, Teresa did not panic at all. On the contrary, she had no stage fright when facing Maria. She was polite and tit-for-tat, showing the style of a queen.
In any case, she is the queen now, the mistress of this palace, and there is no need for her to give in to an outsider.
What's more, she wasn't afraid of genuine products back then, so how could she be afraid of fakes now.
When she faced Teresa for the first time, Maria's eyes flashed with an unnoticed resentment and hatred, but she soon returned to a smile, "Your Highness Teresa, oh no, now I call you Her Majesty the Queen.
Well, I congratulate you on wearing the crown and receiving such an enviable honor; in addition, I also congratulate you on the birth of a pair of children. When we met before, you were still a newlywed wife, and now in a short period of time you have become
You have two children, your blessing is truly amazing.”
"Thank you, Your Highness Maria." Teresa thanked the other party calmly, "Actually, the title of queen is just an accessory of the family to me, and I have never longed for it; the most important thing to me is always me.
My family, that is, my husband and children, are blessed by God's blessing. I have fulfilled my duties as a wife and helped His Majesty to flourish. In the future, I will devote all my efforts to safeguarding our family. May God continue to bless us.
us."
This reply was tit for tat, but it was also full of emotion and came from the heart, because it was not a polite comment, but what Teresa was thinking.
She just wants to protect the happiness she pursues.
Precisely because these words were so sincere, they hurt Maria's heart even more.
Because in her opinion, the person who should have received this happiness was herself.
The regrets and stings she had never forgotten in the past few years, coupled with what happened to her sister Sophie, made her resentment towards Theresa uncontrollable.
In particular, this beautiful palace and the scene of stars shining over the moon stimulated the sense of loss in her heart.
How perfect it would be if I were the one to enjoy all this... I can also do a good job and will not be inferior to her. But why is it that fate has given her everything but left me alone and helpless so far?
She is not convinced, and she will never be convinced.
"What you said is so good, I'm very moved, Your Majesty." It was with this resentment that she narrowed her eyes slightly, and then looked at Teresa with that slightly mocking smile, "Oh!
, I have heard news about you intermittently in Bavaria before. When I heard that you returned to France, I cheered for you! However, I heard less and less news about you later. Newspapers
The news on the Internet is always dominated by a woman, making it seem like she is the queen... By the way, what is her name, Miss Agnes, right? I really feel sorry for you, how dare she have the guts to
Her name is listed with His Majesty the Emperor? How does she deserve it? I think this is too ridiculous."
Although on the surface Maria was filled with righteous indignation and cried out for Teresa, she kept teasing her.
Because of the inconvenience of pregnancy, Teresa did not go on a nationwide tour with her husband, leaving Agnes to bear the glory. As a result, a mistress stole the show, and was even clamored by the French public opinion circles to overwhelm her.
Of course she always regretted this.
And this incident quickly "went out of the circle" and caused a sensation outside France. Not only did Archduke Karl become furious about it, but even Maria, who lived in seclusion in Munich, had heard about it and was gloating about it.
However, times have changed now, and Agnes has always been so deferential to her, so she gradually no longer takes it to heart, and others will naturally not be stupid enough to bring up the past in front of her.
However, when Maria deliberately used it to tease her, she felt sincerely angry, as if someone had opened a scar.
Agnes can be forgiven because she is a "servant", but now it is Maria, Sophie's twin sister, who is disparaging her. This is an unforgivable offense.
However, Teresa forcibly suppressed this anger in her heart, and then responded to Maria with a sneer, "Thank you for your concern, but you are worrying too much, Your Highness. I was pregnant at the time and was really inconvenient to move and couldn't follow my husband.
We were cruising together, but I couldn't bear to see His Majesty alone along the way, with no one asking him for help, so I entrusted Miss Agnes to help take care of him on the road - I have to say, she completed this task very well.
, I am very satisfied with her performance, and I have always regarded her as a friend."
Although she was trying to forcefully redeem her respect, Teresa spoke very calmly and showed no signs of abnormality.
Then, she changed her offensive again, pretending to sigh with regret, "Oh, of course, I admit that it is indeed embarrassing to cause such a public opinion storm, but what can I do? After all, I promised Your Highness
, to help him spread his branches and make the Bonaparte family become a large and prosperous family again, in order to fulfill my wife's responsibilities, I have to make some sacrifices. Since I want to have more children, then
We can only work hard while we are young, otherwise in a few years, when we are the same age as you, it will be too late to consider these things... You don't think so?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Maria affectionately, admiring the sudden burst of blue veins on her forehead and the malicious look in her eyes.
This was indeed a fatal blow, and it hit Maria's sore spot perfectly.
She is 26 years old. Of course she is a young person in the 21st century, but according to the standards of this era, she is indeed an "elderly leftover woman", and she is also worried about whether she can survive in the future.
Become a mother.
Although she is still a magnificent and graceful princess, this fear of "her youth is gone" has been following her almost every night, gnawing at her soul.
But at this moment, Teresa completely exposed her scars and showed mercy to her as a winner.
This is undeniable, because she is a queen, she has two children and will have more children, and she is still younger. This is almost a "complete victory". No matter how reluctant to admit it, this is a reality.
Precisely because it is reality, it is unbearable.
For a moment, Maria could hardly control herself, almost losing the perfect posture she had shown just now - she did not notice at all that this was a fight she had started by herself, and Teresa was only responding to it.
Such a sharp-tongued and ruthless character, no wonder Sophie was so deflated at the time... She thought to herself secretly.
"Time flies and things are unpredictable. Who can predict the future clearly?" After regaining her composure, she sneered and replied to Teresa, "Maybe I can also get what you got today."
"Ah, then I wish you all your wishes will come true~" Teresa nodded easily.
This relaxed look made Maria furious again.
This place was supposed to be mine, mine! You took away everything from me, but you still acted like a hostess to me, making it seem like this place is naturally yours... Just wait, next
You are good-looking.
While they were "talking happily", the courtiers and servants who were watching them were also whispering.
"The two majesties were clearly entertaining Princess Theodore, so why did they spend more time talking to Her Majesty Maria?" A confused and ignorant courtier quietly asked the people around him.
"Don't you understand this? Your Highness Maria and Princess Sophie, the prince of Austria, are twin sisters. They must have some friendship because of Your Highness Sophie..." Another courtier replied in a low voice.
"Oh!" The courtier blinked, as if he understood.
Then, he immediately realized that something was vaguely wrong, his face immediately turned pale, and then he subconsciously turned his eyes elsewhere, pretending not to see anything.