Seeing that the count finally obeyed her order, Theresa was relieved.
She picked up the cup again, drank the remaining coffee in one gulp, and then looked at Edmund again.
"Count, please wait a moment."
Then, with a gesture, she called a maid and gave her orders.
"Invite the captain over."
Of course Edmund could only obey the order, so he lowered his head and drank coffee silently, waiting.
Not long after, a tall figure appeared in the room.
The visitor first bowed respectfully to Teresa, and Teresa nodded to him in a friendly manner, and then introduced him to Edmund, who had already guessed the answer.
"Count, this gentleman is the Captain Foresty I mentioned just now..."
Edmund took advantage of the situation and took a look at the middle-aged man. Although he had already met each other when he was in Greece, he had not had any formal contact with each other, so he did not leave much impression on each other.
Today I learned from Teresa that he was actually a swordsmanship teacher. Especially since Edmund himself has seen His Majesty’s skills, it is conceivable that the Captain’s skills are absolutely extraordinary, so he naturally did not dare to neglect him this time.
.
"Nice to meet you, Captain."
The two of them exchanged friendly greetings and became officially acquainted.
The captain only recently returned here. Previously, he followed Theresa's instructions and went to Austria to find Archduke Karl, and asked the Archduke for a batch of precious paintings, and then secretly brought them back.
Arrive at Teresa.
There is no doubt that since they were chosen by Teresa, these works of art are by no means ordinary, and are naturally the heart of the Grand Duke. Although the Grand Duke finally decided to reluctantly part with his daughter because of his deep love for his daughter, he still had in his heart "I can use them in the future."
He had the expectation of bringing them all back, and he did not allow them to be damaged or lost on the road due to any accident, so he specially gave the captain a death order, making sure that he participated in the whole process to ensure that they were brought to his daughter and then sent safely.
into the hands of Talleyrand.
Precisely because she knew her father's thoughts, Teresa followed suit and decided to let the captain escort them all the way and send these works of art to Prince Talleyrand - and at the same time, she also asked the captain to go to Paris first to set up an outpost for her family.
After both of them were seated, Teresa asked the maid to bring the captain a cup of coffee, and then gave the captain instructions.
"Captain, you, like the count, have an important mission. I hope you can cooperate well when the time comes... Moreover, I explained in advance that after arriving there, the count will be your superior. As long as it does not violate the principles, you
You should obey his orders and never treat him negatively, you must remember this."
After hearing this, Edmund felt relieved. What he was most afraid of was that Her Highness the Princess would place an uncle beside him who he could not control. As a result, everything would be hampered. Unexpectedly, Her Highness the Princess actually understood his difficulties and solved the problem in advance.
question.
He also knew that the Austrian captain was Teresa's confidant. Now Her Royal Highness, in front of two people, identified herself as the superior and asked the captain to obey her orders, which undoubtedly gave herself a lot of face.
Under the current situation, having a capable subordinate on hand is great news no matter what.
"I understand, Your Highness." The captain briefly confirmed the order.
Then, the captain looked at the earl again and took the initiative to show weakness to him, "Mr. earl, as you can see, I am just a vulgar warrior who doesn't know anything except swordsmanship, so please rest assured that I will never do anything to him."
If you have any opinion on what I do, you only need to give me orders when necessary."
"Being able to get your help makes me even more powerful. I am very grateful to God for sending me strong reinforcements at this time..." Edmund complimented the captain.
"Instead of thanking God, it is better to thank our kind princess." The captain smiled and joked.
Then, he asked Edmund, "By the way, Earl, do you have any research on swordsmanship?"
"It's not about research, just some interest." Edmund answered truthfully, "If there is a chance, I would like to get some advice from you."
"That's great!" The captain laughed. "I was worried that there would be nothing to relieve my boredom during the long journey. This is great! As you wish, we can have time to compare notes without worrying about the outcome.
Just pass the time."
Edmund didn't know how powerful the captain was, but from the captain's demeanor and Theresa's introduction, he could guess that he was definitely no match, but it didn't matter. He didn't want to win anyway, as long as he could
It would be nice to learn something.
Then, he remembered another person, "By the way, Captain, have you heard of the Marquis Noirtier?"
"Noirtier..." The captain suddenly felt confused when he heard this last name. After frowning and thinking for a moment, he seemed to remember something, "I heard he was a famous swordsman in France, but we didn't have a chance to compete.
At that time I was serving in the Austrian Empire's army, and he was a minister of the French Empire... We had no friendship at all."
"Yes, that's him." Edmund nodded, "Although he is old now, he has not given up his loyalty to the Bonaparte family. He is still running for His Majesty and has also brought me a lot of help.
.I respect this senior very much. He has given me a lot of care and teaching in private, and...he has also taught me swordsmanship."
"Well, that's good. After I get to Paris, I can discuss with him when I have the opportunity." The captain immediately became interested.
"I'm afraid this won't work..." Edmund shook his head in embarrassment, "The Marquis is already old, and there seems to be something wrong with his body. His legs and feet are becoming less and less flexible. According to him, he may be in trouble soon.
There is a risk of stroke and hemiplegia..."
The captain suddenly felt sad when he heard this.
"Really? That's such a pity." He sighed, "Time is really cruel."
On the one hand, the captain felt sympathy for the Marquis Noirtier's experience, but on the other hand, he was also deeply moved by the situation, thinking of himself who was no longer what he used to be after being seriously injured.
"Yeah, it's really a pity." Edmund also sighed, "But if you meet him, even if you don't spar with him, you will definitely have a lot to talk about..."
At this point, both of them felt a little sad, and seeing how harmonious they were as soon as they got to know each other, Teresa felt relieved.
"Captain, it looks like your trip to Paris will be a pleasant one. I also wish you a feast for your eyes in that city." Theresa said to the captain with a smile, and then looked at Edmund.
, "Count, is there anything else you need to report?"
Edmund knew in his heart that Her Royal Highness the Princess might have something to explain to the Captain alone, so he quickly resigned to Teresa, "No more, Your Majesty."
"Well, you go back and make preparations first. When you set off, the captain will go with you." Teresa nodded lightly, indicating that he could leave.
Edmund finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then said goodbye to Teresa, and after he left, the captain was left alone.
Teresa did not speak immediately, but lowered her head and fell into deep thought. Naturally, the captain did not dare to interrupt Her Royal Highness's thoughts, so he could only drink coffee by himself.
After a long time, Teresa finally looked up at the captain.
"Sir, something happened."
"What accident?" The captain was slightly stunned.
"It's about the assassin." Teresa briefly explained, "The count just told me that Miss Agnes has volunteered and boasted to my husband that she would take down the assassin for him and let him deal with it.
"
"Miss Agnes?" The captain was even more surprised.
He had already received tasks from Theresa before. One was to escort the treasure to Prince Talleyrand; the other was to find the assassin and give him the punishment he deserved.
For the captain, since he was serving Teresa now, it was his duty to avenge Agron, so he accepted the order happily, but he did not expect that Miss Agnes intervened on the way.
Especially when thinking of the special relationship between Miss Agnes and His Majesty... thinking of this, the captain couldn't help but feel a headache for Teresa.
I just mentioned her to your father, and your father lost his temper... He couldn't help but secretly glance at Teresa with sympathy. Could it be that that young lady has become a lingering shadow for Her Royal Highness the Princess?
However, the Grand Duke strictly ordered not to tell Teresa about this matter, so he could only keep it in his heart.
Of course, he could also imagine what Her Royal Highness must be feeling in her heart at this moment.
However, perhaps because of her good self-control, Theresa's expression was not abnormal, but she smiled lightly. "To be honest, after I heard the news, I was a little unhappy at first - but after thinking about it carefully,
Is the most important thing to avenge His Highness and severely punish the murderer? As for who completed this task, it doesn’t make any difference, don’t you think so?”
"That's right..." The captain was a little panicked, but on the surface he could only answer bravely.
He also knew that Her Royal Highness the Princess did not mean what she said on the surface. So, he took the initiative to change the subject, "But Miss Agnes is an outsider after all. If we followers are not as useful as an outsider, she will serve as Her Highness."
Revenge would be an unspeakable shame for those of us... It is difficult for me personally to bear such shame. So, Your Highness, I hope you can give me a chance to prove myself."
Seeing the captain volunteering and insisting on completing the task, Teresa nodded slightly, "Captain, I am very grateful for your thoughts on our couple. However, I also know that you are ill and your strength is no longer what it was before, so I also
I can't force you to avenge His Highness with your own hands. You just need to do your best. If it doesn't work, just let her take the credit..."
Her Royal Highness the Princess was so reasonable, which moved the Captain deeply.
He has been following the princess for a long time under the orders of the Grand Duke. Teresa has always been very respectful to him and has never put on royal airs. And she usually takes good care of the people around her.
The captain has always seen her, so he naturally has a paternal love for the princess and hopes that everything will go well for her.
If there was a chance to make Her Royal Highness the Princess happy, he would certainly be willing to do it.
And Teresa's few words also aroused the hidden competitiveness in his heart.
Even if I am seriously injured and worse than before, I will not be worse than a girl, he said in his heart.
"Your Highness, although it seems that my mission has a few twists and turns, I don't see any need to change my plan. I will still try my best to carry out the mission." So, the captain straightened his back and looked serious.
Assured Teresa, "This is like a hunting game, and I will fulfill my promise with my honor; if Miss Agnes can really get ahead of me, then I have nothing to say."
Say, I will come to apologize to you myself!”
The captain's impassioned promise moved Teresa's heart.
She knew that the method she used to provoke the general was not very clever. The only reason why the captain was so easily fooled and inspired his fighting spirit was that he was really loyal to her.
This loyalty is much more precious than any beautiful words.
"Just do your best, I will never force you or anything... I just ask you not to laugh at me and actually want to make others angry..." She sighed again.
Then, she laughed at herself again, "Actually, what do I need to be angry with her? I'm just a little unwilling to do so. Why can she always be so spotless and everything sounds grand? Do I want to avenge His Highness?
Will you have less anger than others?"
Yes, she believed that the fire in her heart to avenge her husband would never be less than anyone else's, and she did not want this "honor" to fall into the hands of others easily.
She not only runs the family together with her husband, but also uses practical actions to spare no effort to support her husband's career. How could she lose to anyone?
"You don't need to care about this kind of thing at all..." Seeing Teresa's self-deprecating look, the captain couldn't help but comfort Teresa, "Miss Agnes and Your Highness will never have any results. They are too far apart.
Already."
Theresa did not refute this statement.
Of course she also knew that the captain had no personal ambitions. He would not harm others and only wanted to complete his own mission, but that was all - he could not do more.
So, after a moment of silence, she warned the captain again.
"Please remember that your life is more important than this mission. You should give your first priority to preserving yourself at all times, because I will need you again in the future. You just said that this is a hunting competition, so you might as well be true
Look at this matter from this perspective. It's best if you can succeed. If you can't succeed, just protect yourself. Even if she wins, it doesn't matter... By the way, you need to communicate with Mrs. Alice and act according to her opinion. This matter
Don't tell the count anything."
"Why?" The captain was a little confused. "Mrs. Alice is her sister..."
"Because of this, she is trustworthy." Teresa replied with a smile. "She values her sister's life very important and cannot bear to put her sister in danger. This is why I admire her. In our world,
It’s not unusual to be ambitious, and those who can retain some humanity are worthy of trust.”