"I...I also want her to understand how big of a mistake she has made..."
Maria's words made Mrs. Mercedes even more helpless.
Things have reached this point. You don't want to stop your losses, but you still have to fight with Her Majesty the Queen... Can you fight it?
Although she felt a little sympathetic to Maria, Mercedes was not a pickpocket after all. She knew that the reason why she was where she was today was entirely because of Queen Teresa's support regardless of past suspicions. She was also extremely grateful to Teresa for her support.
kindness.
Between these two people, she could say a few nice words to defend Maria as much as she could. She was absolutely unwilling to do things like "repaying kindness with enmity" or "making trouble against others".
Of course, she also knew that Maria was still angry and would not listen to any advice she had.
Therefore, she also gave up this useless effort.
"Your Highness, no matter what, please take a rest first...it won't be too late to consider these issues when your mental state is better."
Just when she was about to resign, the maid sent news that Aigron had come to visit.
Maria, who was originally paralyzed, suddenly became energetic, and her whole body was ignited with fighting spirit, while a trace of worry flashed in Mercedes' eyes.
But no matter what, no one could stop Aiglon, and he quickly arrived in front of Maria.
Mrs. Mercedes could only retire, leaving the two of them in the room.
"Your Highness Maria, are you feeling better?" Looking at Maria, who was leaning on the back of the bed and half lying on the bed, Aigron asked with concern.
"Your Majesty, after something like this happened, can I still get better?" Maria asked with a wry smile, "I...I will never forget the humiliation I suffered today."
Seeing her desolate and sorrowful look, with pear blossoms covered with rain, Aigron couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Anyway, Teresa went a little too far today.
Even if Maria did make a big mistake and should be punished, there are reasonable ways to punish her, and what she did can only be described as "vicious".
This was a deliberate attempt to trample on Maria's dignity in retaliation for the previous offense.
It is conceivable that this will be a lifelong psychological shadow for Maria, and the possibility of the two people getting along well in the future no longer exists (although it may not have existed in the first place).
"Your Highness, I'm sorry..." Aigron sat on the edge of the bed, and then comforted Maria gently, "I didn't know anything about this beforehand, and I never thought that Teresa would do such a thing - she did it too much.
It’s too much.”
When Aiglon mentioned what had happened just now, Maria felt sad again, and her tears couldn't stop flowing out.
She leaned on Aigron's shoulder and sobbed quietly.
Aigron let her tears wet his shoulders and just comforted her silently.
After a while, Maria finally stopped crying, then she raised her head and looked at Aigron with pleading eyes.
"Your Majesty... Now I have fallen into Theresa's trap, and only you can rescue me... If Theresa makes everything public, I will have nowhere to stay!"
After the analysis just now with Mercedes, Maria certainly knows that her current situation is very unfavorable. What she is most afraid of right now is that things get out. If the theft of Teresa's personal belongings and the theft of the Aiglon city construction plan are revealed to outsiders,
As far as I know, not only will her reputation be ruined in France, but she will probably be unable to hold her head up for the rest of her life when she returns to her hometown.
Therefore, she cannot let this happen no matter what, and the only person she can count on now is Aigron.
"Don't worry, Your Highness." Aigron continued to comfort him, "Now I have people block the news, and these things will not spread."
"What if Theresa has to tell the outside world?" Of course Maria was not that easy to fool, she was keenly aware of the most dangerous situation.
"Don't worry, I won't let this happen." Aigron replied. "Now that I have negotiated with Teresa, she will not publicize it to the public for the time being. We still have time to calm the situation."
It's just for the time being...Maria's heart sank again.
Maria could also see that since Teresa had been plotting for so long, there was no possibility of her giving up easily. Even if Aiglon negotiated with her, she might not be willing to listen.
However, now that the matter has come to this, what can we do? We can only leave it to fate.
Maria suppressed the anxiety and fear in her heart, continued to lean on Aigron's shoulder, and then begged him again, "Your Majesty, now all my hopes have been placed on you... Please keep me...
…”
"Of course, I will, don't be afraid, Your Highness." Aigron promised her repeatedly. "You have endured enough disasters. I will not let worse things happen. Teresa should stop here.
Already."
"Well, I believe you." Maria nodded lightly.
After a moment of silence, she seemed to feel something and sighed softly.
"Your Majesty, I know that most of what is happening now is caused by my willfulness. It was me who caused you trouble. I took out your plan to sell it, which gave Teresa a handle.
This has brought the matter to this point...I apologize to you and ask you to forgive my mistake..."
Maria's words, coupled with her expression and demeanor, sounded sincere and "touched the soul", but Aigron's first reaction was not moved, but surprised.
Ah? Reflect? Admit your mistake?
Is this still Maria?
Could it be that the humiliation just now really had such a strong impact on her?
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"I accept your apology." After a moment, he nodded, "To be honest, this is indeed an illegal behavior, but anyway, it happened a long time ago, and you didn't cause me any harm. You can understand
Just be aware of your past mistakes and be careful to avoid them in the future."
"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Maria buried her head on Aigron's shoulder again, looking both ashamed and grateful, "I can't express my gratitude to you in words. After my father's death, only you can be so infinite.
Please forgive me. I have received so much from you, but not only have I received nothing in return, but I have also caused you so much trouble. I have sinned heavily. I will definitely reflect on it, change my mind, and repay you well.
you……"
Even so, with Maria's arrogant and arrogant character, how could she truly reflect on her mistakes?
The reason why she behaved like this was simply because she was now in such a desperate situation, and only Egron could pull her out, so in order to please Egron, she had to choose to be humble in order to survive the difficulty.
In addition, Teresa's humiliation brought her unprecedented stimulation and inspired her incomparable desire for revenge.
What is the most effective way to get revenge on Theresa? This is of course self-evident, because there is only one person whom Theresa cherishes the most.
Therefore, she deliberately wanted to close the relationship between the two people and look for opportunities to take revenge on Teresa in the future.
Faced with Maria's reflection and flattery, Aigron was of course a little skeptical, but this was also a good thing for him, so he did not question it.
"You are so polite, do we still need to talk about anything in return?" He smiled nonchalantly, "The help you gave me is enough for me to repay you at any price. Now this is just a small thing.
——”
Sophie...still Sophie, this is always what you expect from me.
Maria felt agitated for no reason, even a little angry.
However, she is unable to vent this anger at the moment. On the contrary, Sophie is her biggest support now and the only weight she has to keep Aiglon by her side.
"Sophie... yes, as long as you help me get through the difficulties, I will definitely bring Sophie back for you. Even if I have to deal with Metternich and the others, I will do my best in my time.
role, so that Sophie can sit back and meet you in Paris without any worries..." She also made her promise.
But soon, a trace of hesitation flashed through her eyes, "But, Your Majesty, I do have a worry -"
"What are you worried about?" Aigron asked.
"What will you do if Sophie experiences the same humiliation as I did today?" Maria asked seemingly calmly.
This question was so well asked that Aigron's blood surged instantly.
If someone did such a thing to Sophie in front of him, no matter who it was, he would make the other person pay the heaviest price.
anyone.
Aigron didn't answer, but the black air coming out of his face was equivalent to an answer.
The "differential treatment" between the sisters made Maria feel a little jealous.
But she also knew that now was not the time to be jealous of her twin sister. The reason she mentioned Sophie was precisely to use her sister's power to arouse Aiglon's anger.
"Look, Teresa has been extremely insulting to me. If she continues to be like this in the future, won't she be in the same danger as me when Sophie comes here? Because of what you did before
Sophie has already suffered a lot and suffered a mental blow. If she encounters something similar again, I really can’t imagine what will happen...Are you willing to see something like this happen?"
Aigron was silent for a moment.
Although he knew that Maria might be provoking, the problem she pointed out seemed to exist.
In order to persecute Maria, Teresa has completely broken her skin and even done such unseemly things. So even if she can save Maria this time, what will happen in the future?
What's even more troublesome is that if his plan is really successful and Sophie is brought here by him, but Theresa still thinks of her as Maria and does similar things again, what will happen then?
This cannot be allowed to happen under any circumstances.
When Aigron thought of this, he couldn't help but immediately think of what happened before.
"Thank you for your reminder, I will take precautions..." So he assured Maria, "Sophie will not encounter any humiliation, and I can protect her."
Maria nodded, but with a wry smile.
What can I do? My sister is the one who is truly loved, and I am just a shadow after all. Only when I lift my sister out can my "united front value" be infinitely increased.
No matter how reluctant you are, this is a fact.
Now, she no longer has the energy to compete with her sister Void. She only has the hatred of life and death in her eyes.
Maria, who was nestled against Aigron's body, felt the strength of the man beside her and her only support now.
Adjectives such as virtuous, gentle, and considerate have never had anything to do with her, but now in order to tide over the difficulties and avenge her enemies, she is willing to temporarily put on such a disguise.
As for Aigron, feeling Maria's sudden change, he was shocked, but also enjoyed it a little.
Of course, his brain is also working rapidly, thinking about the current solution.
First of all, Maria must not be allowed to be "arrested" again. This happened just after she fell into Teresa's hands. He simply couldn't imagine what would happen again.
"Your Highness Maria, I can only ask you to live in seclusion here during this period. Don't go out easily. I will have people guard this place." So, he suggested to Maria, "You stay here and wait for my news.
.”
"Okay." Maria didn't raise any objections and just nodded lightly.
Of course, it is not enough to let Maria live in seclusion. After all, the initiative now lies with Teresa.
Aigron suddenly fell into hesitation and dilemma again.
If he and Theresa had to bear it, not to mention whether they could convince Theresa, even if they were really convinced, the breakup of the couple's relationship would be an unbearable and painful blow to him, and it would definitely be difficult for his subjects.
Accept - after all, even Andre, a loyal guard captain, is more on Teresa's side;
But if he gives in, or makes a slight concession, Teresa obviously has no intention of settling the matter, and must win a complete victory and drive Maria away.
This dilemma made him hesitate.
Who can act in the middle and act as his agent without fear of offending Teresa? He thought to himself.
It has to be said that once he broadened his mind, he quickly came up with an idea.
"Your Highness, how is your relationship with Prince Talleyrand?" Aiglon asked in a low voice.
"Prince Talleyrand?" Maria was obviously stunned for a moment, and then began to recall. "I didn't have much contact with him, I only met a few times, but we had a good chat... He had a good attitude towards me...
"
Good attitude?
That looks like something interesting...
Aiglon remembered that Prince Talleyrand had told him before that if he felt embarrassed about the dispute between Maria and Theresa, he could go to him for help.
And now as the prime minister and a highly respected minister, he is probably the only person in the empire who is qualified to intervene in the dispute between the emperor and the empress.
Moreover, as a senator who was already in his final years, he didn't care about any "posthumous matters" at all, so he was naturally not afraid of intervening in such disputes and offending Teresa.
"Then let him clean up the situation..." Aigron made a decision. "I'll call him over and let's meet him together."