"He rests in the Lord and has been taken to the paradise of heaven. Although we say goodbye for now, we firmly believe that we will meet again. May this genius, who is loved by all, rest in the arms of the Lord!"
In the quiet cemetery, the girl read the eulogy softly.
Looking around, there are numerous tombstones all around. All the famous and unknown people have found their destination here and are seeking eternal rest in this cemetery.
This is the Willingen Cemetery, a cemetery where Viennese citizens are buried after their deaths. The place where she is standing now is in front of the tomb of the late music master Beethoven.
In March of this year, this great genius finally endured the torment of illness and sadly passed away, ending his struggle with the world.
Although he was poor, his funeral was quite grand. Citizens who admired his name held a grand funeral for him to commemorate the end of a great chapter in the music history of Germany and the world.
And this young girl also secretly funded the funeral to see off the master she truly admired.
Since the master was buried, everything has returned to peace.
And today she is here again, not only to remember this talented musician, but also to fulfill a promise.
Although it is summer, the hottest time of the year, being in this cemetery still gives people a cool feeling.
The girl was wearing black mourning clothes, with a veil hanging from the hat on her head, covering her pretty face, but some youthful charm could also be heard from her melodious voice.
After reading these eulogies, the girl picked up a bouquet of white carnations from beside her, then bowed and placed it under the tombstone.
She didn't give flowers for herself, but for the young man - when the two met, the young man once mentioned that she would give the master a bouquet of flowers to express her apology, so she came today to help him fulfill his wish.
After placing the bouquet, she straightened her back again and looked at the tombstone again.
The face of this master appeared in front of her eyes. Although she had only seen him a few times, he left a deep impression on her mind - and the scene that impressed her most was the last scene between the two of them. one side.
At that time, Master Beethoven personally gave her his final manuscript.
When she took the manuscript, she clearly saw the master's eyes.
All worries and comforts seemed to be frozen in that look.
The weather-beaten musician did not feel fear or anger when he was approaching death, but was concerned about the fate of his admirer - she had endured a blow that she should not have endured at her age, and God knows what she will have next. What kind of fate?
What is condensed in his music scores, is it blessing, pity, or regret?
It is no longer important, this genius has left the world forever, and he owns his last legacy.
"Please bless us in heaven..." She lowered her head and murmured to herself.
Then, she turned around and left the cemetery in a carriage.
She did not return directly to her home, but ordered the carriage to go to another place.
The carriage soon arrived at an apartment building in the southern suburbs of Vienna.
Teresa walked up to the second floor and came to the door of a room.
She knocked gently on the door.
"Who is it?!" A warning voice immediately came from the door.
The girl didn't answer, but knocked on the door again.
"Okay! I want to see who else remembers to look for me...!" The person inside became obviously impatient, then quickly walked to the door and opened it. "Who are you?!
"
Teresa did not answer, but lifted her veil and revealed her face.
At this moment, the other party stopped mid-sentence, and then stared at the girl dumbfounded.
"Long time no see, Captain..." Teresa smiled slightly, "How have you been lately?"
Perhaps infected by her smile, Captain Foresty gradually recovered from the shock, and then shook his head with a wry smile.
"Not very good, Your Highness."
Then, he also laughed, "Why are you dressed like this today? Are you afraid that I will not live long, so you came to say goodbye to me?"
"Sorry! I just went to commemorate a deceased person today and stopped by to see you, so I didn't have time to change my clothes." Teresa quickly smiled and apologized to the other party, "I hope this doesn't bother you so much that you don't think of me as someone else."
guest."
What? You want to come in as a guest? Captain Foresty became even more confused.
"If you don't mind the simplicity of my home, of course I would be very honored to have you here." He quickly moved away and made an invitation gesture, "Please come in, Your Highness."
"Thank you, sir." Teresa smiled and nodded, then walked in quickly.
The captain closed the door suspiciously.
As the other party's identity, there was no need to ask for his opinion, and her apparent politeness could not cover up the huge gap between the two people's identities.
Just like myself and that young man... no matter how harmoniously we get along, we are still not in the same world after all.
Teresa walked into the room, and a strong smell of medicine hit her face. Although she opened the window, the smell was still a bit pungent. She finally suppressed the discomfort in her nose.
Then, she looked around the room and found that the layout was quite messy. Clothes, books, and weapons were all scattered around. Only a few uniforms hanging on hangers could remind them of the original identity of the owner.
"You...have been working really hard these days." Teresa lowered her gaze and said apologetically. "I heard that you have suffered a lot of unfair treatment, and I feel sorry for you."
She knew why there was such a strong smell of potion here - when His Highness fled, Captain Foresty, who was His Highness's swordsmanship teacher, tried to stop him, but was stabbed through the abdomen by His Highness's sword.
This was originally a serious and fatal injury, but the heavy snow that day aggravated his injuries. By the time he was discovered, he was already seriously injured and dying.
Fortunately, in order to investigate the whole story of His Highness's escape, the authorities gave him very generous medical treatment. In addition, he was in good health, so he barely escaped from the hands of death.
This was not the only price he paid. Afterwards, he was held accountable for poor supervision. The official did not put him in jail because he almost paid for his life, but even so, he still lost his former self.
position and was forced to retire, ending his career in disgrace.
Teresa knew very well that this would definitely be an unbearable blow for him, but at this moment, she could not see much despair on the captain's face.
Maybe some people are born with a strong heart, enough to withstand all the disasters of fate.
"Fortunately, I escaped death again." The captain smiled, "Maybe God thinks that I am too young and not worthy to see Him. Since this is God's will, then I have to continue to live, although I have lost a lot of things, but at least my life is still there, right? I believe I still have many ways to make a living."
The more optimistic he sounded, the more Theresa felt sorry.
She lifted up her skirt and saluted the captain solemnly.
"I'm sorry, sir... I hope you can forgive me, Your Highness..."
"Your Highness? What are you doing?" Captain Foresti was startled and waved his hand quickly, "What is there to forgive or not? You should know that I was injured in a fair duel. Your Highness was fair and square. Defeated me. We fought in the name of swordsmen. Since he can hurt me, that is his ability. As his teacher, I should even feel gratified that my student is so outstanding."
Having said this, he smiled again, "Besides, I don't need you to apologize, right?"
His hidden meaning was, 'Now that the engagement has broken down and there is no relationship between you two, you don't need to apologize to me for him at all.' However, because he was afraid of hurting Teresa, he did not say it bluntly.
He did not expect that Princess Teresa stubbornly shook her head.
Looking at Teresa's expression, Captain Foresti's eyes widened in surprise.
He noticed something.
Could it be that even now, Her Royal Highness the Princess still cares about Her Highness? A thought suddenly occurred to him.
It seems so - otherwise, why would she come here and apologize to herself? She is obviously a victim too.
With His Highness's charm towards women, he is indeed able to seduce girls who are inexperienced in the world.
But, this poor infatuated girl, why do you do this? No matter how many unnecessary sacrifices you make for him, what can you get in return?
He sighed secretly in his heart.
"Your Highness, you really don't have to mind. Your Highness and I have already settled our accounts. I challenged him, and then we had a fair duel and he won. When I fell and lost the ability to resist, he could have immediately replenished me. A sword sent me to see God, but he didn't do it... This was His Highness's last mercy for me. He left me to fate to decide, and his decision also left me with a life. In this case He doesn't owe me anything anymore." The captain said to Teresa sincerely, "We fight like men, and we understand each other like men. Fate forced him to go that way, and I was the first one on that road. Examiner, he passed the exam here and everything is that simple."
"You are so open-minded and generous... You are worthy of being His Highness's teacher, and I admire you. Part of Your Highness's character should have been cultivated by you." After hearing this, Teresa looked at the Captain in awe, " But after all, your future has been ruined because of this. This is an unavoidable loss. I think if His Highness had a choice, he would not be willing to see you end up like this."
"This is fate. Fate never gives people too many choices, it's just so ruthless." Captain Foresti laughed again, "Now that things have reached this point, I have nothing to say.
Although I was forced to retire, I am still young and I still have my previous savings, so I will not starve to death."
"But I think I should compensate you." Teresa shook her head again, "Captain, please accept my apology."
"Your Highness?" Captain Foresti looked puzzled.
Looking at Teresa's stubborn expression, he finally swallowed his words. "Then how are you going to compensate me?"
"If you are willing, I would like to hire you and pay you a good salary." Teresa replied expectantly. "Do you...do you mind?"
"How could I mind... but is your father happy?" the captain asked, "I think he is very reluctant to see me."
At the beginning, for the sake of His Highness's future, the people around them tried their best to promote the marriage between His Highness and Princess Theresa, but the result was like this... Archduke Karl must be extremely angry at this moment and never want to see them again.
"It's not my father who hired you, but me... Don't worry, I have my own assets now, which is enough to hire you." Teresa reminded the other party emphatically. "I think this is also the best way to compensate."
"Thank you for your respect for me, but... I'm afraid I won't be qualified for your employment." The captain smiled bitterly, "As you can see, I was seriously injured and I haven't fully recovered yet. And even if the injury is completely healed,
, it is impossible for me to return to my previous level...I am no longer worthy of serving the royal family."
"Even if you are no longer the same as before, I firmly believe that you will never be worse than others, because your will and courage are still in you, and you deserve this treatment." Teresa looked at the other party solemnly, "
I thought that now that you were alone, you could find a new beginning in your life, and I could and should do my part in that."
"Then what exactly do you need me to do?" After thinking for a moment, the captain asked again.
When he asked this question, it was obvious that he was tempted.
"I may have to travel abroad soon, and I hope you can escort me." Teresa replied, "This trip may be a bit far, but if you are here, everything should be safe."
"A long trip?" Captain Foresty was shocked again.
He was stunned for a long time, and then asked in a low voice, "Does your father know?"
"He knows." Teresa closed her eyes slightly to hide her helplessness, "and he has agreed."
Looking at the expression of Her Royal Highness the Princess, the captain blinked, as if he noticed something.
"You...do you still have contact with His Highness?" he asked tremblingly.
"Why do you care about this?" Teresa asked noncommittally.
The captain was speechless for a moment. He was still in shock and didn't know how to deal with this unexpected situation.
"I thought... you would make a different choice."
"But actually, I choose to keep moving forward." Teresa replied with a little pride, "And you - I hope you can give me a ride, maybe this can solve a lot of regrets. Can you?"