"Your Highness, please come with me...I will take you to your room."
Although her voice was not high, Mrs. Mercedes's calm demeanor, which was neither humble nor arrogant, unexpectedly calmed Maria down.
She instinctively realized that belittling or suppressing the other party would have no effect at all, and would not even anger the other party, as if she was isolated by an invisible barrier.
Is this woman a widow? She seems to have passed away... She thought to herself.
However, precisely because of her performance, she vaguely restrained the domineering Maria, leaving her with nowhere to start.
And Aigron was secretly glad that he had really chosen the right person.
Seeing that Maria had not answered, Mercedes took another step closer, then slightly bent her knees, silently urging Maria to follow her.
Maria glanced at Aigron again, as if asking him to save her, but Aigron seemed to pretend not to see it - after all, he felt that he had already done his best, and there was no reason to do more.
Seeing that no one was talking anymore, Maria finally became anxious. She waved her hand, and then looked at Aiglon eagerly, "Wait! I still have a few words to say to His Majesty, it's a very important matter -"
Aigron frowned, "Are there no opportunities in the future?"
"Now! If you don't say it now, I'm afraid it will be too late~" Maria replied with a sneer. "Besides, it's only a few minutes. Is it possible that your hospitable Majesty wouldn't even spare such a small amount of time for guests?"
Well...I want to see what other tricks you can do...Aiglon thought.
"Okay, just say it -"
"It's a very important matter. I think it's best to tell you in private..." Maria's eyes flashed with a hint of slyness, "Actually, I don't care, but you probably don't want anyone to hear it, right?"
The more subtle Maria spoke, the more Aiglon felt shaken. After all, he also knew that many of his shady things were really inconvenient for others to know.
So, after hesitating for a moment, he made another gesture, asking everyone in the room to leave first and wait outside the door.
After everyone left, Aigron urged the other party impatiently. "Tell me, what else do you want? We don't have much time. Please finish it as soon as possible in a few minutes -"
The reason why Aigron is so eager is not that he really can't spare more time, but that with everyone around him now, if he stays alone with Maria for too long, Teresa will inevitably find out - and then there will be a new story.
There was a turmoil, and he didn't want to accept this kind of unreasonable disaster.
"Your behavior now is really rude, Your Majesty, are you so disrespectful of royal dignity to your guests?" Maria asked with a smile.
"Decent? Thank God, you still remember this word!" Aigron was also angry when he heard it. "Huh, how do you take care of dignity? As soon as you came here and in front of Teresa, you were so angry.
You ridiculed her and deliberately tried every means to anger her! Is this the decency you learned? Please tell me, in this case, how can you expect me to be in a good mood to face you? "
Aigron's question was indeed sharp, but Maria was unaware of it. Instead, she continued to look at Aigron with a smile, "So, if I was really Sophie just now, would you be angry about what I just did? Would you use this method?
Do you want to scold her in this tone?"
Aigron was speechless.
If it were Sophie, he really wouldn't be angry, he would just try his best to make things right. How could he be angry with her?
"But you are you and she is she. After all, they are two people - although they do look very similar." After hesitating for a moment, Aigron replied in a low voice.
"However, the person who wants her to appear in front of you in broad daylight and in front of everyone like me is your Majesty yourself, isn't it? I am faithfully fulfilling my promise and creating good conditions for you..."
Maria spread her hands and answered innocently.
"Nonsense, what kind of preparation is this?" Aigron immediately retorted. "Does it matter at all?"
"Of course it does matter! This is related to Sophie's future space of activity, isn't it?" Maria replied confidently, "The more domineering and unconventional I am now, the more freedom Sophie will have when the time comes.
Your Majesty tried so hard to pull her over, just to have her surrounded by a group of old-fashioned nuns and treated like a vase? Then with all due respect, you might as well not do it, so as not to trouble everyone in vain...
"
Well……
Although he knew that Maria's words must be strong words, Aigron seemed to feel that there was indeed a little bit of truth.
Moreover, since Maria had "taken control" of herself, she seemed to have naturally launched a set of combination punches. One move after another, she was beaten to the point where she was unable to do anything. Such a smart performance made him feel difficult, but it also seemed to be very interesting.
"Okay, okay, even so, you shouldn't quarrel with Theresa in public and make everyone stand down. I don't care what you think, but Theresa is my wife and the Queen of the Empire. She
She deserves the honor she deserves. I will not allow anyone to challenge her authority here. Please remember this." After a moment of silence, Aigron said his final bottom line, "You want to do whatever you want with me.
I can’t control it, after all, you are our honored guest and we should respect you, but this is the only thing that cannot be shaken!”
"You make it sound like the person who disrespects her the most in the world is me." Seeing Aigron defending Teresa in this way, Maria's face darkened, "I only hurt her face, but I have made her sad every time.
, but I am not the one who refuses to change over and over again..."
"I know that all this is my responsibility. I am an unfaithful husband and have repeatedly broken her heart. But even so, I cannot allow her to be offended here. She deserves this!" Aigron really risked it.
He became angry and spoke more and more impatiently, "Okay, you only have a few minutes, and most of it has passed now, so hurry up!"
Seeing that Aigron was really angry, Maria knew that she could no longer irritate him, so she slowly stopped smiling and turned to the topic, "You put this Mrs. Mercedes in my
I came here probably because I want her to monitor me, right?"
"Yes, but don't worry, she is a very cautious and serious person. As long as you don't do things inappropriately, she will take good care of your life so that you can enjoy this journey most relaxedly and comfortably." Since
They had already spoken openly, so Aigron was too lazy to lie and just showed off his cards.
"Okay...since you said so, then I accept your arrangement." Maria also nodded lightly and stopped protesting, "But, I also want to tell you clearly that I have a bad personality and I don't have a good personality."
I plan to control my temper for her, so if she can't bear the pressure and wants to leave, then I can't control it."
Then, she changed another topic, "Actually, I also received new news from Sophie recently."
"What?" Aigron asked quickly.
"I told her your plan in code words in our correspondence before. She replied that she was very happy that you still remembered all this, and you could even say that she was cheering... She said that she would also secretly prepare for this, but she
We are fully aware that the risks involved are huge, so we also hope that we must do things carefully to ensure that nothing goes wrong - neither you nor her can afford the price of everything being exposed, and I am afraid that I can't, either."
All kinds of thoughts suddenly filled Aigron's mind.
Now that Sophie already knows about this plan, she has more reasons to act. No matter what happened before, at least this time, she doesn't want to disappoint her.
Just because he remembered everything in the past, his anger just now gradually disappeared.
The communication channel between Maria and Sophie is the only communication channel between him and Sophie now, and it can only be through this method. Because of this, Maria is so indispensable. She is willing to take the risk to wade into troubled waters, so
Reasonable and reasonable, one should make compensation.
"Your Highness, no matter what, I want to thank you - in fact, you should have seen that I am not a narrow-minded person, and I don't like to lose my temper with others. As long as you don't touch the places that embarrass everyone,
Under other circumstances, you can enjoy whatever you want here, and I can afford any bill...and I will gladly give it to you."
Oh, what a pity, I just like to touch places that embarrass everyone... Otherwise, how can I release all my hard work and resentment? Since you want to ask for favors from me, then I have every reason.
Asking for what I want is a fair deal, isn't it? Maria thought to herself.
The only reason to blame is that you gave me hope when I was ignorant, and now you have tempted me without permission...
"Then, please be kinder to me in the future." Maria smiled lightly with an almost rare tenderness, "You are generous, but I am very petty and vindictive."
Then, she slightly bent her knees and excused herself to Aiglon, "Okay, it seems that the time has come, so I won't disturb you for now -"
Then, without waiting for Aigron to speak, she turned around and left, opening the door.
In an instant, many eyes outside the door focused on Maria, and when they saw that Maria's clothes and hair were not messy, they all seemed to feel relieved at the same time.
But Maria seemed completely unaware of this tension and was still smiling.
At this time, Mercedes walked up to her again and saluted again. "Your Highness, please come with me."
This time Maria did not make any more trouble, but followed her, and the two of them walked through the long and narrow corridor towards the suite where Maria lived.
In the corridor, through the light from the glass windows, Maria admired the exquisite sculptures and murals, as well as the green scenery outside the window, and seemed to be mesmerized by them.
"It is indeed a beautiful palace...it would be even better if it belonged to me."
"It is indeed very beautiful, Your Highness." Mercedes replied calmly, "However, it belongs to the royal family and can only belong to your two majesties."
"What if Her Majesty the Queen leaves? Ah - I'm just making an analogy." Maria asked. "There has to be someone to support the scene, right?"
Mercedes stopped suddenly, then turned her head and looked at Maria seriously.
"Your Highness, I implore you, even if you are joking, you should not say such words in such a frivolous tone, because you have a special status and it is related to the diplomatic relations between the two countries. You cannot joke at will - and you are in
You cannot be disrespectful to Her Majesty the Queen here."
Then, she changed the topic, "Besides, Her Majesty the Queen is well-known and supported by all of us. Her grace and kindness have allowed me to have my current position... She has a deep kindness to me, so
I appreciate her and respect her, so I beg you not to make such unfunny jokes again in the future. I can pretend not to hear you this time, but if there is another time, I have to report your words.
This is not a whistleblower, but a fulfillment of my duties, so I will make it clear to you in advance and ask for your understanding."
Although her attitude seemed polite, Mercedes' words were actually very rude, so Maria frowned and almost got angry.
However, when facing Mercedes' clear and fearless gaze, she found that she was facing an iron wall, and her anger had no way to pour out.
"She has such a heart-warming demeanor. She is indeed a noble lady of the French court. I have seen it... May I ask which famous family your mother-in-law comes from? Maybe I have heard of a famous family?" She couldn't help but ask.
.
"I'm afraid I've disappointed you. I come from a very humble background. I'm just an orphan from a small fishing village in Marseille. My parents died young and it's impossible to bring me any grace or education." Mercedes replied calmly,
There is no inferiority complex at all. "My so-called demeanor is not because I have any noble bloodline, but because I believe that people should not surrender their principles in front of power, that's all——"
Although her social class plummeted in one fell swoop, Mercedes' attitude left Maria speechless and even unable to use her usual sarcasm.
"The orphan girl from the Port of Marseille became a countess?" Maria raised her eyebrows, seeming to be interested, "It seems like there should be a long story -"
"This is indeed a long story, and it is not that pleasant." Mercedes replied with a wry smile. "Well, my story is not worth mentioning. I am only responsible for taking care of you now. Please let me
I will fulfill my duties, Your Highness Princess, I am grateful."
"Okay... okay, I really met a nun. She is completely impervious to weather and weather!" Maria shrugged, seeming to finally be convinced and no longer using her identity to bully her.
.
Instead, she softened her attitude and asked the other party, "Since I have come to the palace, I should be qualified to participate in palace activities, right?"
"Of course, isn't that natural?" replied Mercedes.
"Then, can I also attend the palace ball?"
"That's of course. Her Majesty the Queen has already prepared a grand ball to welcome you. You can attend as the guest of honor."
"So, can I bring my favorite accessories?" Maria asked with a smile. "For example, jewelry, gloves, folding fans, etc. These things that I am used to are all in my luggage."
"Of course, Your Highness." Although she still didn't understand how the other party could ask questions knowingly, Mercedes still responded patiently.