Count Nepeg did not notice the coldness in Aigron's eyes. On the contrary, because Aiglon had rarely praised him, he was quite happy, even a little proud.
"Yes, I think so too." Count Naiperg smiled slightly, "My talents are mediocre and my character is vulgar. Originally, there was nothing worthy of God's love. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be with Louisa, and she was the only one."
Only then can I give birth to such a lovely child, which makes my life full of glory...Although life is short, I am proud of being so lucky. Louisa and the children are the meaning of my life."
Aigron listened silently to his "stepfather" showing off his affection in front of him. Although he was impatient, he did not want to pour cold water on others out of etiquette.
But the more he listened to it, the more he felt something was wrong, because there was a sense of desolation in the earl's words, and he really didn't look like a middle-aged man completely immersed in happiness.
It seemed that what really happened became clear and he became more firm in his judgment just now.
While he was thinking, Count Naipeg motioned for the two children to come closer and came in front of him and Theresa.
The two children kept silently sizing up their brother and sister-in-law, not daring to express their anger and looking respectful.
To be fair, they all look pretty good and have good manners and manners, so they are not annoying.
"What cute children." Seeing these two beautifully dressed children, Teresa couldn't help but stop her lunch, then stood up and gently touched their cheeks.
Then, she took out the gifts she had prepared for them from the purse embroidered with gold thread that she carried with her. William got a small commemorative medal specially made by Aigron and Theresa for the Greek War of Independence, and Amber
Ting got a gem brooch.
"Children, this is the gift that your brother and I picked for you." She smiled and gave the gift to them, "I hope you like it."
The two children thanked her and Agron at the same time. "Thank you, I like it very much."
At this time, William took the initiative to speak to Aigron. His expression was a little excited, as if he was paying homage to some important figure, "Your Highness, I have heard about your deeds. My father and I have been watching the news recently and marking them on the map.
In your position, I am truly proud of your victory over the infidels...I never thought that one day you would stand in front of me!"
"You're too flattering, William." Aigron replied calmly, "I just try my best to do what I should do. There's nothing worth bragging about."
"But what you have done is something that ordinary people cannot even imagine..." William was still a little excited and blurted out, "My father said that you will definitely be a great hero, and you will definitely have great achievements in the future.
Achievement, just like...just like your father. So I admire and admire you very much."
These words made Aigron stunned for a moment.
Judging from William's expression, he should be telling the truth. It seems that during this year, Earl Nepeg said a lot of good things about himself to his children in private?
Everyone likes to hear nice words, so Aigron's mood suddenly became better.
Although he was full of resentment towards his mother and was constantly sarcastic when we met today, he had no interest in venting his anger on the two children.
"Unfortunately, I have nothing to admire. You can see now that I am not a monster, just a mortal who is only a few years older than you." He said to them gently, "I have achieved a little.
Achievements are earned by my men with their loyalty, dedication and bloody battles. All I can do is live up to their sacrifice and continue to move forward."
The children seemed to understand Aigron's high-end clothing, but when they saw Aigron not putting on airs, they instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, and thus became a little closer to this "brother".
Now that the topic had started, Aigron didn't want to make it too embarrassing, so he asked them politely about the education they were currently receiving.
"My parents usually call me Amber, you can just call me the same." When he asked, the little girl whispered.
Then, she answered the question seriously, "I received education in several languages, and also studied vocal music and art. If I want to write some short essays for my parents to appreciate every weekend, so will William."
Aigron could feel that, like William, her attitude towards him was respectful and even showed signs of trying to please.
Aigron looked at her again.
She is not tall and has a slender figure, just like Theresa. Her chestnut hair is curled at her temples, making her look less childish and more solemn. From her delicate facial features
Among them, it can be vaguely seen that Aigron's childhood appearance is after all a child born to the same mother.
Although it was difficult for him to recognize her as his "sister" from the bottom of his heart, he couldn't reach out to avoid hitting the smiling person. Since she had already shown such a good posture, Aigron had no interest in embarrassing a group of people anymore.
"It looks like we have another lovely little princess here." So, he complimented appropriately. "Teresa should be familiar with the education you received. Maybe she can also give you some pointers?"
He just said it casually, but the speaker had no intention and the listener did. Louisa and Prince Nepeg looked at each other.
"That's just right, Amber, why don't you show Princess Teresa your painting? I heard she is very good at this."
Teresa nodded happily at first, and then realized that this was Luisa trying to politely excuse herself.
So she hesitated a little.
She was not worried that Louisa would have any plot against her husband after leaving Aiglon alone, but she was worried about what she would do if they had a big quarrel without her.
"It's almost time. I'll take William over to practice his marksmanship." Count Naipeg suddenly spoke.
It seemed that the couple had made up their mind to leave mother and son alone to talk, and Teresa understood instantly.
She couldn't make up her mind, so she glanced at Aigron with a slightly worried look, but Aigron still looked calm and made a gesture to let her go out first.
That's right, the problem between mother and child should be solved by mother and child, Teresa sighed inwardly.
"Aigron, good afternoon." She kissed her husband on the cheek, as if to hint him to control his temper, and then Amberdine took her to her bedroom to admire her practice paintings.
The servants cleared the table and then left one after another. Soon, only the mother and son were left in the huge dining room.
Luisa sat next to a coffee table by the window, and then motioned for Aigron to sit next to her, "My son, do you mind wasting a little time for me after lunch?"
"Of course I don't mind." Aigron replied coldly, "I've already wasted a lot, and I don't care about more."
"You are really..." Luisa smiled bitterly, but she didn't want to argue with her son anymore.
Aigron sat next to her, and then mother and son sat side by side on the bed, admiring the garden outside the window.
The room suddenly fell into silence, with only soft and gentle breathing accompaniment.
The precious flowers that were carefully cultivated in the garden were in bud in spring. Louisa looked at these colorful flowers quietly. After a long time, she let out a long sigh.
"Look, there's so much there, but... the good times never last long!"
Before Aigron could ask, she turned to look at her son, and then her expression became serious, "Do you still remember the deal we mentioned when we were at Schönbrunn Palace?"
Of course Aigron remembered that at that time, Louisa told herself that she was trying hard to match Princess Theresa for her son, not because she wanted to help unconditionally, but because she hoped that Aiglon could take care of her when he rose to prominence in the palace in the future.
Half-brothers and sisters.
"I remember this deal, but I think the preconditions for the deal have disappeared." Aigron hesitated for a moment, and then replied in a low voice, "My marriage with Teresa was once on the verge of collapse, but we later insisted
It took unremitting efforts to get back on track, but you did not contribute, so this is not something you earned for me, but something I earned through my own efforts. I don't think I owe you anything."
"Your defense is really sharp and severe." Seeing Aigron's tit-for-tat confrontation, Louisa said helplessly.
"That's probably because I don't dare to admit your love," Aigron replied with a slight smile.
There is no doubt that although there were twists and turns in the matter, from a logical point of view, Louisa initially tried to find a way to match up with Archduke Carl and Theresa, which objectively did help him.
I was forced to lower my body in front of my mother.
It was obvious to him that Louisa and his wife had designs on him.
If he gives in verbally now, then it will be difficult for him to push back Louisa's request again. He has no interest in being a foolish and filial son, and it is impossible for Louisa to agree to everything she asks.
Luisa's nose suddenly felt a little sore after being treated with cold words by Aiglon. "Are you so stubborn that you don't want to be polite to me?"
"I have always been very polite to you, madam." Aigron frowned, and then replied, "Your loyal Franz has always been very polite to you."
"Well, give me a hug." Louisa interrupted, "Let me see how respectful you are?"
Aiglon was stunned.
"Why?" he blurted.
This reaction immediately made Madam's heart sting again.
But she had no time to fight with her son anymore.
"You followed Albert all the way here, did you notice anything?" she asked softly.
Abbott, of course, refers to her husband, Count Knapperg.
"I feel that his physical condition is not particularly good recently." Aigron answered cautiously, "and he also looks quite worried."
"You are really good at observing words and emotions..." Louisa half-closed her eyes, "Yes, he has been in poor health recently, and according to the doctor, this is a serious chronic disease, and it may... get worse in the future.
It's getting worse, maybe, maybe within a year or two, I will lose him."
The further she spoke, the more her voice trembled. It was obvious that this information was a huge blow to her.
Aigron hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Logically speaking, he should be happy that his "stepfather" was dying of illness, but he only felt a little confused.
To be honest, he had never taken the count seriously, nor could he regard him as an enemy. Subconsciously, he believed that the count was not worthy of his hatred, so he naturally had no interest in cursing the count to a quick death.
"I...I'm sorry." In the end, he could only reply politely, "Does the count himself know?"
"He knows." Louisa smiled bitterly, "Actually, he is quite open-minded. He has always said that he was lucky to not die in the hail of bullets. The life he recovered can still live for so long and be able to start a family with me.
That's good enough...but the more I say this, the more I feel sorry for him."
"People always have to face reality. Please be open-minded. You see, my grandfather has been married three times. As a daughter, you can learn from him and maybe find a more suitable candidate." Aigron
Answer subconsciously.
The reason why he said this was because he remembered that in history, after Count Naipegg died of illness, Louisa was widowed for a few years, and then she did get married again. As for the person she was married to, he had forgotten it.
He is not an important person, and his third marriage did not produce any children.
Just because he knew there would be a third marriage, he subconsciously didn't take it seriously and said it casually. After all, he could not help but sarcastic when facing his mother.
But he realized at this time that this was "something that happened in the future." In other words, from the perspective of the present moment, he was actually saying to a worried wife, "It doesn't matter, your husband is dead."
I’ll just find another man to marry in the future.”
This was a bit too much, beyond the scope of cynicism, but more like a vicious curse that he immediately felt was too much.
In particular, Louisa obviously had feelings for Count Nepperg, as it can be seen from the fact that she remarried after several years of widowhood.
Sure enough, the expression on the mother's face suddenly froze, and then she opened her eyes angrily and stared at him, as if this sight could burn her son's soul clean; at the same time, her hands were shaking, as if she could not bear the pain.
If he doesn't stop, I'll give him a slap in the face.
Even Aigron knew that what he said was very deserving of punishment. Even after years of resentment, they only hurt each other. Aigron also felt that he should abide by some bottom lines.
"Sorry, Mom." Feeling guilty, he blurted out, "I...I..."
He didn't know what to say, and in the end he could only look at his mother with apologetic eyes.
"I'm sorry, I made a mistake."
This was the first time he said sorry to his mother.
To his surprise, his mother's violent storm did not fall on him, and the raging anger slowly disappeared after he apologized.
"So can you give me a hug?" A faint question echoed in the huge hall.
The voice was weak and weak, with fear and confusion about the future. This was the first time Aegron saw this look in his mother. Maybe she escaped from Vienna in this way in 1805; maybe she also escaped from Vienna in this way in 1814.
Escape from Paris like this.
He understood.
"It's my honor, Mom." He hugged his mother with some sympathy, "You have faced many hardships in life, and you can still get through it this time, just like before."
He comforted his mother tenderly, although this was not out of the love between mother and child, but out of a man's tenderness for a lady.