After years of suffering, Sophie finally reunited with the daughter she had longed for day and night. At this moment, she put aside all distracting thoughts, almost burst into tears, and kept holding her daughter tightly in her arms.
Compared to her mother's excitement, Kristel seemed calmer, more confused than happy.
This can't be blamed on her, because she has lived a life without a father and mother since she was a child, so she has no concept of "relatives" in her young mind. Although there are people around her who take good care of her, there is not much normal communication.
.
This kind of growth environment created a kind of congenital indifference, making her not good at expressing her feelings.
Moreover, no one informed her in advance of all the sudden events. The "mother" who fell from the sky had exceeded the "processing capacity" of her young brain, so she had not yet been able to wake up from this violent shock. She was still a little confused.
Of course, this does not mean that she is unhappy, nor does it mean that she does not love her mother.
Although I only saw her today, when she told her that she was her mother, the blood connection made Crystal immediately believe her words, and she felt extremely close to her.
When her mother cried, she raised her hand and gently wiped her mother's tears, and then obediently put her face against her mother's, comforting her mother who was finally reunited in her own way.
After crying for a while, Sophie finally slowly regained her senses.
Then, she couldn't wait to ask her daughter a lot of questions, asking about her daily life and daily entertainment.
However, she forgot that her daughter was only four years old now. She could not describe her life accurately at all and only used some simple words.
Sophie secretly cursed herself for being dizzy, and then walked out of the room with her daughter.
The maid just now is still waiting outside the door.
"How do you usually raise her?" Then she asked coldly.
Facing Sophie, the maid naturally did not dare to make a mistake, so she bowed her head respectfully and answered Sophie's question.
She carefully described Kristel's daily routine, as well as details such as diet, entertainment, etc.
At the end, she concluded with a rather proud sentence.
"Madam, although we may not be the best talents, we have tried our best to take care of the young lady as conditions permit... Please be aware of this."
Sophie listened carefully, and she could see no sign of lying from the maid.
Moreover, judging from her daughter's appearance and spotless room, her daughter must be taken care of very well.
But it's just "good".
When she was communicating with her daughter just now, she had already sensed her daughter's indifferent and alienated character, which must be the result of a serious lack of companionship and communication with her peers.
But this is not something she can change. After all, for the sake of confidentiality, the emperor must only raise her in this isolated place.
It's easy to say now, but it will be even more terrifying in the future.
When my daughter gradually grows up and begins to receive education, this kind of isolation and solitary life will inevitably have a serious negative impact on her, and may even prevent her from having a sound personality - and this is something no matter how much knowledge and talent she has.
irreparable.
Thinking of this, Sophie couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Therefore, we must find a way to send her away before she grows up, to her father, so that she can enjoy the honor she deserves, have friends, and have everything she needs to grow...
In order to save her daughter, she is willing to pay any price.
Of course, it was impossible for her to say these words to the maid in front of her. She just glanced at her coldly and said, "You have worked hard. I am very grateful for your hard work and will give you the rewards you deserve. Please continue.
Keep working hard, I will come over to visit you every once in a while."
The maid lowered her head and withdrew knowingly.
Seeing how her maid sister, who usually had no control over her, did not dare to express her anger in front of her mother, Kristel was keenly aware that her mother seemed to be a very powerful person, and this made her young mind
Feeling proud.
After the maid left, Sophie devoted herself wholeheartedly to the intimate interaction with her daughter. She greedily enjoyed the time spent with her daughter. They played with toys and laughed together. After night, she sat on the bedside and used her
I read fairy tales to my daughter in a gentle tone that I have never used before in my life.
This was originally the daily life that mother and daughter should enjoy, but in reality it only lasted one night.
When the morning light of the next day filled the earth, Sophie had to say goodbye to her daughter reluctantly and return to the beautiful but indifferent palace.
Before leaving, in order to prevent her daughter from being sad, Sophie forced herself to say goodbye to her daughter with a smile. It was not until she returned to the carriage that she picked up the handkerchief and burst into tears.
The next day, Prime Minister Metternich visited her again.
Although he didn't know the details of the mother-daughter reunion, seeing the red and swollen corners of Sophie's face, Metternich could naturally guess her mood yesterday.
"Madam, I'm sorry for what you and the young lady have endured, but under the current circumstances, this is a last resort. Please forgive me."
"What can I do if I don't understand?" Sophie asked angrily.
"You can use your better performance to win back His Majesty the Emperor's heart in the future and get him to make more concessions to you -" Metternich replied calmly.
Although Sophie didn't want to hear this answer, she didn't refute it.
In any case, objectively, the old emperor did make concessions to her, and she also knew that he could take back this concession. Therefore, even for the sake of her daughter's future, she should obey the emperor's wishes now.
, help him complete his task.
"I will fulfill my promise - but I have something to ask you." Sophie asked calmly, "Crystel cannot grow up in isolation, so in a few years I will
I want to send her to France, is that okay?"
"It depends on what my good student thinks. For us, the door to negotiation is always open... As long as the time is right, we are willing to send Her Royal Highness the princess there." A sly look appeared on Metternich's face.
Smiling, "After all, His Majesty the Emperor and I are not willing to embarrass a child...she still has the blood of the Emperor flowing through her body."
Humph, you put it so nicely, but you are still using a child as a bargaining chip! Sophie sneered in her heart.
But she was relieved. After all, according to Metternich's wishes, they had no objection to sending their daughter there, as long as the price was right - and this was good news after all.
However, after thinking about it carefully, Sophie really didn't want to send her daughter away early and lose the comfort of being with her daughter. So after weighing it again and again, she decided to send her daughter away when she was about seven or eight years old, so that she could spend more time with her.
years, so as not to delay her growth.
After the most pressing problem was solved, her mentality relaxed.
No matter what, now she has "swept away the decline", gradually turned over, and regained contact with the core of power in the imperial court.
Besides, that heartless bastard is also his own helper. Now the fortune is on his side. As long as he persists, there is hope.
"I have already written the letter. You send someone to France and give it to Maria quietly. She will know what to do." Sophie calmly took out a letter from a small box of hers and handed it to her.
Metternich.
Looking at Sophie's demeanor, Metternich also secretly admired her mental toughness. It seemed that it was not a fluke that this woman could survive until now.
After receiving the letter, he hesitated again, then frowned and looked at Sophie cautiously.
"Madam, there is something. Although you will definitely not be happy if I tell you, as a servant of the empire and as your collaborator, I think I still have to make it clear to you and make my interests clear..."
"What's the matter?" Sophie asked.
"Although you are the second prince and concubine of the empire, as the crown prince suffers from severe mental illness and is definitely inhumane, the palace and the people have pinned the hope of our country's continuation on you, and when you marry
Seven years after coming here, you still have 'nothing to show for it' on the outside, which is bound to disappoint the people and shake your status in the country."
Although Sophie's face began to look ugly, Metternich continued regardless, "I know that you are still angry, but this kind of anger is not only meaningless, but will be extremely harmful to you. Just imagine
, if you insist on refusing to have children, what will happen next? Maybe after the death of His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, you can control the palace and the court in the name of your husband, but after that? What if your
What happened to your husband? You have no heirs, so you can’t be the Queen Mother. The throne will inevitably be handed over to a branch of the royal family, and it is very likely that it will even be Empress Teresa’s biological brother, Archduke Albrecht... If it really happens
If something like this happens, everything you own will be lost in an instant, and you will only be pushed to an inconspicuous place for the rest of your life. This is definitely not a good outcome for you, right?"
Although Sophie's expression remained unchanged on the surface, her fists immediately hardened under Yuzi's cover.
It was precisely because she knew Metternich did not lie that she was so angry.
Teresa, Teresa again...Does everything belong to her?
Damn...damn!
Although she has "reconciled" with Teresa's family over the years, how could the long-buried resentment in her heart just disappear? Especially when she thinks of the hardships she endures here, Teresa is having trouble with her little sweetheart.
Enjoying a reasonable and legal married life, she suddenly became the queen of the empire, and her position was higher than hers... How could this not make her resentful?
Yes, no matter what, I can't hand over the throne of Austria to Theresa's family... Otherwise, I will become a joke all my life, and I'm afraid I won't be able to rest in peace until my death.
However, she didn't want to be pregnant with the old emperor's grandson.
Because she had Aigron as a foil, she had already given up on the idiot husband around her, and would rather risk the disapproval of the world to hang out with her nephew; but after the old emperor's torture and suppression, she became even more interested in this lineage.
She gritted her teeth with hatred, she would feel uncomfortable just being in the same room with her husband, let alone sleeping in the same bed.
I need a son, but I definitely don’t want to be my husband’s son.
This was originally a contradictory proposition, but Sophie thought of another solution.
This idea was originally so shocking, so bizarre, but if Maria was there, it would be possible to realize it.
Yes...I want to have a son who will inherit the throne and make me the Queen Mother, and it can only be his son! Sophie secretly made up her mind.
Old man, aren't you crazy about wanting to have offspring? Then I will give you double the amount so that your offspring will no longer be sickly wastes, but healthy geniuses! Humph, your grandson is a descendant, and so is your great-grandson.
Descendants? What's the difference...
She didn't feel any guilt. After all, since the Habsburg family could be changed by Lorraine once, then it would be okay if Bonaparte secretly changed the father's line once - it even seemed a bit like God's mercy!
Prime Minister Metternich, who had always been calm and calm as if he was confident, had no idea that the seemingly weak and slightly tearful lady in front of him was actually thinking about such terrifying thoughts in his mind at this moment. If he had read at this moment
He would definitely be so frightened that he would escape from the room, then completely give up the idea of cooperating with Sophie and find someone else to support him.
However, although Metternich had slowly begun to face up to Sophie's tough mentality, he still underestimated Sophie's courage.
The innate arrogance and willfulness, the bottomless desire for revenge, and the love that is almost engraved in the bones, the formula of all these finally synthesized a crazy poison.
And this dose of poison determined many people, and even determined the next direction and fate of two empires.
However, such a terrifying storm seemed calm at this moment, as if nothing happened.
Under Metternich's gaze, a relieved smile appeared on Sophie's face, and then she nodded gently, seeming to agree with the Prime Minister's opinion.
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I know that what you said is right, and I also know what I should do... Don't worry, give me some time. When I come out of the shadows, I will fulfill my obligations and give gifts to the royal family.
To give the empire an heir, after all, that’s why I was brought here from Bavaria, wasn’t it?”
Prime Minister Metternich finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Sophie's reply that was so sincere and without a trace of lies.
It seems that this woman has finally been "educated" by reality and begins to understand the truth and understand how to advance and retreat.
This is growth...although it's a little slow, it's still not too late.
"Madam, you will definitely have time." He bowed slightly and paid tribute to the princess. "The empire will be on your shoulders in the future. You can learn how to manage it now...it will love you."