Teresa sat on the chair, watching the back of Her Highness's cousin leaving, until he disappeared and the door closed again, the solemnity and majesty on her face suddenly disappeared, replaced by fatigue and confusion.
Chanel, who had been standing in the corner without saying a word, silently watching the whole situation, finally couldn't hold it in anymore, hurriedly walked to Theresa, and then asked worriedly.
"Your Highness, are you okay?"
"I...I'm a little dizzy, probably because I've exhausted too much energy. In order not to let him look down upon me, I can't show any timidity in front of him." Teresa closed her eyes slightly and answered in a low voice.
Then she reluctantly raised her head and looked at Chanel, "Chanel, how did I behave just now? Isn't it embarrassing?"
"You performed very well..." Chanel replied sincerely, "Both the wording and attitude are impeccable. I think His Highness will definitely remember this lesson."
"Probably just to let him be honest for a while, but that's enough." Teresa replied with a wry smile. "Since His Highness doesn't want to break up with his cousin, then we can only go so far. Alas, a family
After all, we are a family, so what can we do?"
She blinked and found that she was still dizzy, then she stood up unsteadily.
She tried to take a few steps forward, but found that her steps were so light that she could hardly control her balance, and she staggered a few steps.
Chanel was greatly alarmed and quickly held her shoulders.
"Your Highness, are you okay?" she asked again.
"I'm just too tired. I just need to take a rest." Teresa smiled bitterly, "Okay, help me go to rest - Chanel. It seems that the matter has been completed."
At this moment, the door suddenly opened again, and then a young man strode in.
Of course, there is only one person here qualified to do this.
"Your Majesty!" After seeing the young man, Chanel breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside.
Aigron stepped forward and helped Teresa himself.
"I just saw my cousin leave." Aigron said with great interest. "His dejected look is really something I have never seen before. It's so interesting."
"Your Highness, in order to establish authority, I can only reprimand him severely and humiliate him." Teresa replied, "I hope you will not blame me for destroying family harmony in the future."
"Family harmony! Oh, I never knew the Bonaparte family had such a thing." Aigron shrugged nonchalantly, "Teresa, you did the right thing, and I asked you to reprimand him.
You are just executing my will, how can I blame you for this? To tell you the truth, I severely reprimanded his father before. All in all, there are many unruly people in our family, and I must punish them
You can’t be convinced. If you can’t be convinced, I would rather be exiled. I will never make the mistakes of my ancestors!”
Having said this, he looked at Theresa again, "But, Theresa, I didn't expect you to be so skilled. You didn't even need me to teach you, but you could suppress him so easily."
"Actually... when I was in Austria, I had already thought about how I should treat him, so I was mentally prepared for it." Teresa smiled sheepishly, "At that time, for your future, I
I once thought about bringing your cousins to Austria to help you, and then I thought, everyone in your family is rebellious and ambitious. If you want to rule them, you will never be able to just adapt to them.
Yes, authority must be properly demonstrated and even suppressed forcefully when necessary.”
Although Teresa's words obviously meant to criticize the members of the Bonaparte family, Aigron did not feel dissatisfied at all. This should be what he was thinking.
However...he remembered something else.
Teresa actually thought of their married life so far away at the beginning. It's really pitiful that she was so infatuated.
It's a pity that I... Oh, forget it, don't think about it too much, what is in the past is in the past, just find a way to make up for it.
"That's right." Aigron nodded in approval, "Teresa, since you have figured it all out, I have nothing more to say."
It's not surprising when you think about it. After all, she was born into a royal family and was influenced by her father since childhood. With Teresa's intelligence, it's not surprising that she learned these things without any teacher.
"Your Highness, please don't think that I am obsessed with power... For me, establishing authority and instructing others are just 'things that need to be done' - I will do it when necessary, and I am not
I feel happy, and I don’t care about the sweet taste of power... because I have long been used to seeing this, and it is not worth my expectations.”
As if she felt what Aigron was thinking, Theresa said seriously. "What I enjoy is the joy of being with my sweetheart and doing the 'necessary things' for him. The necessary things can be anything -
—If you had asked me to live in seclusion in the countryside with you, I would have been equally happy when I packed up your study and manuscripts for you! Maybe I can no longer prove this, but I think you can definitely feel it.
my heart, because it has already overflowed..."
"Yes, I know... Teresa, you have proven this to me countless times. Even if I am blind, I should still be able to see, so you don't need to say anymore." Aigron replied movedly, "Have a good rest.
Well... I have never doubted your motives for everything you have done for me, and I will never do so in the future. I only hope that I will have the opportunity to repay you."
Teresa's current weakness can be seen at a glance. She is already ill, and it is really tiring to have to brace herself up to deal with her cousin.
"You are already repaying the favor now." Teresa smiled slightly, then gently leaned on his shoulder, enjoying each other's tenderness. "Give me more, more..."
Then, she just leaned against him, squinting her eyes as if she was asleep.
"Your Highness, I have another proposal." After a moment, Teresa suddenly spoke.
"What?" Aigron asked.
"Since the expedition is imminent, I think it's best to give your subordinates a generous reward before the expedition. This can boost their morale and make them work harder." Teresa said softly, "But now I also
I know you are strapped for funds, so I think you should just give out all the cash from my dowry, since there is no point in keeping it anyway..."
"Teresa..." Aigron didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Are you not satisfied, Your Highness?" Teresa raised her head and asked with a smile.
Before leaving Austria, she remembered that her mother had taught her two things. One was to have financial control; the other was to give favors little by little and not to spend all the dowry given by her parents easily.
She obeyed the first half, but she didn't intend to obey the second half.
She knew what her mother was thinking - her mother was worried that she had made the wrong choice. Keeping the money would at least give her a buffer, so that if she regretted it, she would have time to escape. In addition, if she spent it all, she would be in trouble.
It is considered to be of no use value and will no longer be taken seriously.
But based on her understanding of His Highness and her experience getting along with His Highness after arriving on the island, she let go of these worries.
She knew that His Highness was a person who knew how to express gratitude, and the more loyal and selfless she was, the more His Highness would be moved in his heart.
Similarly, she set an example with great selflessness, and this selflessness can also become a weapon for her to flaunt. From now on, no one can accuse her of being Austrian.
Her mother hoped that she would leave some room, but she didn't want to leave any room for herself, because she just wanted to walk one path to the end.
If that road is open, she can see the scenery she wants to see most; if that road is a dead end, then she will grit her teeth and jump down to die for her decision.
At least for now, she was very satisfied with the results she got. His Highness recognized her status and only stayed by her side, and that was enough.
From the beginning of her confrontation with her father, she used her hands very calmly to erase her room and escape routes one by one, just so that she could stay on the same path to the end.
What kind of decisive determination this is, and whether it is right or wrong, can only be witnessed by future history and the gods in the sky.
And she will never regret it.
"I'm very satisfied, Teresa..." Aigron was so moved that his voice trembled, "But I don't think I should do this, because it's yours..."
"I believe you will repay it, don't you?" Teresa interrupted him with a smile, "Okay, let's do it this way, we will have enough time to settle the accounts slowly."
"Yes, there is always enough time, and there is still a long, long time." Aigron sighed, then nodded slightly, and gratefully agreed to Teresa's proposal.
He couldn't help lowering his head and kissed his fiancée.
"I'm still catching a cold, Your Highness..." Teresa was afraid of infectious diseases, so she hesitated a little, but her little struggle was quickly relieved, and she had to close her eyes and enjoy the tenderness of the two people.
Although they are only sixteen years old, the status and education they have carried since birth have made them mentally much older than their actual age, and they also have too many ingenuity and thoughts that their peers do not have.
But even so, deep in their hearts, there are still some traces and dreams of boys and girls.
There are also some poetic and magnificent imaginations.
After the kiss, Aigron thought with joy.
He also wanted to make Teresa, who was still ill, happy.
So, how to make this literary girl happy?
Aigron used his always smart brain to look for every possible inspiration.
After a moment, an idea flashed in his mind - Yes!
"Teresa... have you heard of the Parthenon?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, of course I have heard of it." Teresa nodded.
Then, she sighed again, "It's a pity. I heard that it has been severely damaged, and only a ruins are left."
Yes, how could she not have heard of it?
The temple located on the limestone hill at the highest point of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, was built to worship Athena, the goddess of wisdom, art and military affairs. It is an unparalleled architectural and artistic treasure of ancient Greek civilization.
Know it, and be fascinated by it leisurely.
However, she also knew that after two thousand years of time and war, there were only ruins left there, with only the columns and sculptures remaining, and she couldn't help but feel sad.
"When we get there, how about we go there and take a walk together?" Aigron suggested.
"Of course." Teresa nodded immediately, "I'm looking forward to it."
"So..." Aigron smiled, and then asked casually, "Do you expect us to simply renovate the place and hold the wedding there?"
The atmosphere suddenly froze, Teresa froze for a moment, and then looked steadily at the young man beside her.
"What, are you not satisfied with my proposal?" Aigron asked.
"No... I'm very satisfied with this proposal, Your Highness." Teresa responded immediately, and then nodded heavily, "I couldn't be more satisfied... Thank you for taking the trouble to satisfy my preferences..."
If she were an ordinary girl, she would probably be furious when she heard that her fiancé actually proposed to hold a wedding at a ruined ruins. However, for Theresa, who loved romance, this was an unparalleled shot in the arm.
, her eyes, which were originally blurry due to fever, suddenly glowed with energy.
Seeing Teresa's reaction, Agron was also secretly happy. It seemed that his flash of inspiration was not in vain. Teresa really liked it.
For himself, since he has decided to marry Theresa, it doesn't matter where the wedding is. In the final analysis, it is just a ceremony - but Theresa is definitely different. The girl's heart is full of dreams.
She must have imagined all this countless times.
In this case, it is better to make her happy, after all, this is the treatment she deserves.
Logically speaking, Athena's priesthood does not include "managing marriage", and the word Parthenon also means "virgin", so the Parthenon does not look like a suitable place to hold a wedding.
, even a little deviant.
But, who cares?
The goddess Athena could not protect the destruction of Athens' hegemony during the hegemony between Athens and Sparta, nor could she prevent Greece from being conquered by foreign races. What could she do to stop Aiglon and Theresa?
Therefore, the goddess, for the sake of rescuing her people, she might as well witness her marriage to Teresa.
"Okay, that's it." Aigron waved his hand proudly, "When everything is over, let's commemorate our union and let everyone cheer for us!"
"And that day, Your Highness... I will swear to the gods in the dark world that I will be by your side and spend all the happiness and sorrow together. Even at the end of this life, I will see that road that no one can cross.
Even across the boundary between life and death, I will jump over with a smile and follow you to the other side of eternity..." Teresa whispered with unexpected tears.