As the sun cast a golden glow on the horizon, the elderly Madam Letizia Bonaparte opened her eyes and started another boring morning.
The elderly always wake up very early, although there is nothing left for her to do in the world.
As usual, the old woman rang the bell to call the servant, and asked her to help her get dressed and tidy up her hair, which was completely gray. Then she walked out of her bedroom and prepared to have breakfast first.
Since the destruction of the empire in 1815, the former empress dowager Letizia Bonaparte came to Rome and lived in seclusion in this palace.
Although he lives in the spacious Palais Bonaparte, not many people actually live here, and even fewer people can dine with the owner.
A middle-aged woman was already sitting at the dining table. She was the female painter hired by Letizia, Miss Anna Barbara Bansi. After seeing the old lady appear, she quickly stood up and saluted her respectfully.
The gray-haired Letizia was wearing a pure black dress, with a decent and solemn expression, but she looked like she was in mourning clothes, with a low and depressed expression.
After sitting down, she looked around and then looked at the empty seat opposite.
"Where's Joseph?" she asked.
This Joseph is her younger brother, Cardinal Joseph Fish. Since arriving in Rome, the two old siblings have lived in seclusion here together, living a retired life that no one cares about.
The world seemed to have forgotten them, but it did not pour out any more malice. It just placed the two old people here until they met their destined death.
"Someone just sent a letter, and the bishop has gone to receive it. It may take some time." The female painter Miss Bansi replied.
Delivering a letter? Someone actually delivers a letter here? Letizia felt a little suspicious.
Could it be a gift from my grandson?
Ever since she learned about the sensational news from Austria, she had been feeling a vague expectation and fear in her heart these days.
But she soon gave up thinking. She was old and didn't have the energy to think about so many problems. She might as well leave it to fate. Anyway, she would know what happened later.
"Is that so? Let's wait for a while." She said flatly, and then waited quietly at the dining table.
Soon, Cardinal Fish, who was also old, walked to the dining table with a rather nimble step.
His expression was strange, neither angry nor ecstatic, but full of surprise.
Letizia soon noticed that her brother was holding a letter in his hand.
"Joseph, what happened? Who sent you the letter?" she asked in her most familiar Italian.
"You won't believe it," Cardinal Joseph Fish replied with a wry smile, "Did it come from an Austrian princess?"
Letizia was stunned for a moment.
"Louisa?" she asked in disbelief, and then shook her head in denial, "It's impossible, we have already cut off all contact with her, and she won't want to have any communication with me."
Although Princess Louisa was once her daughter-in-law, since the fall of the empire, Louisa has reorganized her family separately, and the two parties have long since broken up. Letizia does not believe that Louisa can still take the initiative to contact her.
However, if it wasn’t Luisa, it seemed even less possible for anyone else.
"You guessed it right, it's not a letter from Princess Louisa, but...Princess Theresa." Cardinal Joseph Fish's expression was still very strange, "Yes, it is the eldest daughter of Archduke Karl."
"Oh God!" Letizia and Miss Bansi exclaimed at the same time, and then looked at each other.
Although Letizia lives in seclusion, she is not completely isolated from outside information. At least she is always paying attention to what happens to her grandson——
She clearly remembered that Her Royal Highness the Princess was once designated as her granddaughter-in-law by the Austrian court.
When she heard the news, she didn't feel disgusted. On the contrary, she was a little relieved, because it also meant that her worried grandson finally had someone to rely on in Austria. But who could have imagined that so many changes would happen next?
Woolen cloth!
"She... what is she writing to me for? Is she going to denounce our family?" Letizia came back to her senses, then smiled bitterly, "Oh, we really can't help this little girl..."
The grandson left without saying goodbye, and the marriage naturally ended without a problem. Naturally, Princess Teresa was in a storm of public opinion and was under great pressure.
Putting herself in her shoes, Letizia can also imagine Princess Teresa's mood at the moment - probably full of resentment and annoyance, right?
poor child.
"No, Letizia, it's not what you think." The cardinal shook his head, and then handed the letter in his hand to his sister with a strange expression. "This is her letter, you read it first.
Bar."
Letizia received the letter in astonishment.
The envelope was made of very particular paper, with the double-headed eagle emblem of the Habsburg family on it. After taking out the letter paper, a fresh fragrance spread in the room.
Then, the beautiful handwriting on the letter paper came directly into the eyes of the old woman - it was written in Italian to make it easier for her to read.
"Dear Her Majesty the Queen Mother:
Although I have never seen you in person, I have heard about your kindness for a long time, and I have always admired your efforts in maintaining your family and caring for your children. I have regarded you as a role model in my heart countless times, and I hope to be like you.
, to use my own efforts to maintain a family of my own, and to help my husband continue the glorious history of a great family.
You must have heard all the stories surrounding His Highness and me, so I don’t have to endure the pain and continue to recount to you what happened to me and the pain I had to go through...
I have to admit that His Highness has put me in a very difficult situation now. If I don't want to maintain the marriage contract that I have sworn to stick to, then that's it; but I don't want to break my vow, so this is also
It means that I need to confront the court and even my own parents.
I am not afraid of facing pressure, and my own oath is enough to give me enough strength, but I am afraid that my efforts will ultimately be in vain, and I am even more afraid that His Highness will not be able to appreciate my painstaking efforts, which will lead to our original failure.
The promised happiness also disappeared...
Originally, we juniors should figure out how to deal with our own affairs, and should not bother you in front of you, but now the situation has deteriorated, and it is really difficult for me to handle it alone in silence, so I hope to see you in person.
Tell you my pain, my worries, and my determination.
I would be grateful if you would grant me the grace to see you.
May God bless you with health and longevity and be able to take care of us forever!
Ever faithful to you, Theresa von Habsburg."
Although the nerves of the elderly have become dull, Letizia could not help but be moved by the abundant emotion in the letter.
"This girl! It's so..." She shook her head slightly, not knowing how to describe it.
How could she be considered a queen mother now? She was just a reclusive old woman.
A girl from the Habsburg family has such a low profile in front of her that she really doesn't know what to say.
"She is indeed a very polite and affectionate girl." Cardinal Joseph Fish nodded, "If it weren't for your grandson, she would never use words like this to you."
"Yes, yes..." Letizia sighed, "This is really evil! How could that little bastard do such a thing!"
"Then have you seen her again?" the cardinal asked again, "the messenger told me that Her Royal Highness is waiting in Piazza Venezia outside our door."
"What?" Letizia was a little surprised, and then immediately nodded in agreement, "See you! Of course we will meet, we can't do evil anymore."
"Okay." The cardinal nodded, then turned around and walked out without eating breakfast, "I'll bring His Highness over."
After the cardinal left, Letizia looked at the breakfast on the table and found that she had no appetite.
The painter Miss Bansi watched all this. Although she didn't see what the letter said, she probably had a pretty good guess after seeing the interaction between the two siblings.
"Has Princess Teresa come to see you?" she asked in a low voice.
"Yes, she's here." Letizia was confused and nodded.
"What's her attitude towards that troubled marriage?" the painter asked cautiously.
"In the letter, she said she wanted to stay engaged," Letizia replied.
"This is really..." Miss Bansi was a little shocked, "At this point, she still wants to fulfill the engagement?"
Letizia could only smile bitterly.
"Poor child, we feel sorry for her."
Not long after they talked, the cardinal came back again, and this time, there was a girl behind him wearing a silk wide-brimmed hat and a skirt.
After walking up to the old woman, she took off her hat, revealed her face, and then saluted Letizia elegantly and respectfully.
"It's an honor to meet you, Her Majesty the Queen Mother."
After she took off her hat, Letizia kept looking at her, and couldn't help but be a little distracted by the girl's beauty and youthful vitality.
What a beautiful little girl!
However, if you look carefully, you can still see a hint of sadness between her eyebrows. It is obvious that she has been in a bad mood recently.
As for the reason for my bad mood, I guess everyone in Europe knows about it.
When she thought of this, Letizia couldn't help but feel guilty.
"There is no need to be so respectful to me, Your Highness, I am no longer the Queen Mother." She said as she walked forward and hugged Teresa's white and thin shoulders, "My child, we owe you so much.
Much more... Please believe me, if I had the opportunity to be here, the situation would not be like this at all."
Seeing the concern and guilt in the old man's eyes, Teresa couldn't bear it anymore. Her eyes turned red, with a few tears appearing, and then she hugged the old woman.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I lost my temper in front of you... Can you allow me to hold you for a while?"
"It's okay, you also need to vent." Letizia shook her head, and then continued to hug the girl tightly.
In this warm embrace, Teresa finally found a place to vent her grievances and sorrows, and her tears couldn't stop flowing.
She finally found a place where she could cry without worrying about upsetting her parents.
As she vented her emotions, her crying became louder and louder, and everyone in the room couldn't bear it.
After a while, Teresa finally regained her composure, then raised her head and looked at His Highness's grandmother with bloodshot eyes.
The old lady looked dignified and kind, almost exactly as she imagined, and the gauze scarf on the other person's chest was now wet.
"Sorry, Your Majesty, I came over suddenly and caused you trouble." She apologized in a low voice.
"It doesn't matter. Compared to the harm my grandson has done to you, this is nothing." Letizia shook her head.
Then, she sighed again, "I originally thought you would sever ties with him, but I didn't expect to receive this letter from you... My child, do you really want to continue?"
"Since I have agreed to the engagement, of course I must continue to fulfill it." Teresa replied solemnly, "Actually, what I feel wronged about is not Your Highness's leaving, and why, why can't I get engaged first and then leave... I...
…I can wait!”
When she said this, she almost cried again, and finally controlled herself. "Your Majesty, has His Highness come to see you?"
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"Not yet." Letizia shook her head, "Teresa, I didn't lie to you. If you come to me, I will tell you."
Looking into the old man's eyes, Teresa also believed it.
Unfortunately, it seems that His Highness is still waiting and watching, and has not yet dared to contact his grandmother in Rome.
She knew that waiting in Austria was a waste of time, so she ran to Rome to see His Highness's grandmother.
Even if she didn't learn about His Highness from here, at least she would be able to gain the favor and recognition of the family elders and allow the engagement to be fulfilled again.
However, she believed that His Highness would definitely contact her. As long as she had a good relationship with the Queen Mother Letizia, she would be able to get news from her.
Judging from the situation when the two people met, this shouldn't be difficult.
While Teresa was meditating, Letizia also stroked Teresa's hair, and the more she looked at her, the happier she became.
"What a good girl..." she murmured to herself, "How could anyone be willing to abandon such luck?"
Then, she asked, "Did you cross that boundary when you were getting along before?"
Because what she said was a bit cryptic, Teresa didn't understand it, and it took her a moment to react.
"Not yet..." She shook her head shyly. "However, His Highness has already taken the initiative to kiss me, and promised me that he would create a happy future with me. As a result..."
"It turns out that he said so many sweet words and turned around and refused to admit it!" Letizia frowned and looked at Teresa angrily, "This little bastard! If I can see him, I will hit him with a cane.
You can’t break his legs!”
"Your Highness also has his own plans..." Teresa quickly put in good words for His Highness.
"No matter what his plans are, he can't use you as a victim for no reason!" Letizia became angrier as she spoke, "It's his honor to be associated with you, how dare he refuse to admit it? If he
If he dares not to admit his guilt, I will not admit it! At least now I am still the eldest member of the Bonaparte family, and I will not allow him to do such a thing!"
Although she has been the empress dowager for more than ten years, Letizia is still essentially an ordinary old lady who is a small landowner in Italy. Her life experience, her thinking mode, and even her values have not been able to be replaced by "France".
"Empress Dowager" level.
This may be her luck. At least in the most glorious years of the empire, she still maintained the virtue and simplicity that an Italian mother should have, as well as her care for her children and relatives, and was not corrupted by the boundless power and honor.
Teresa was delighted to find that her goal had been achieved when they met.
What a loving and kind grandma... She hugged the old woman again with great emotion.