"If Teresa hadn't asked for it, how could I have done so many things?"
This sigh expressed the father's helplessness.
"Teresa..." Agron didn't know how to reply at once, "She's so considerate of others. I feel like I'm not worthy of her kindness because I really have nothing to repay her with."
"You really have nothing to give back, but Teresa is not a child who covets these things. She just wants to be happy." The Grand Duke frowned, then smiled bitterly, "Maybe I should reflect on it. I gave her
She was taught such a unique way that she always does things that are not beneficial to herself and has weird ideas in her head."
"On the contrary, I think you should be proud of this." Aigron smiled, "I think Theresa is truly living for herself. At least she knows what to do to make herself happy. Some people may live a lifetime
Do not know at all."
"I hope so." The Grand Duke shrugged.
Aigron could see that the Grand Duke was not angry at his daughter, but rather doted on him and was proud of him. His complaints were just another way of showing off - that's why he was so obedient to Teresa, even when she contradicted His Majesty the Emperor.
No complaints.
The two people got into the carriage while talking, and then the carriage drove slowly towards the town on the outskirts of Vienna.
After about an hour or two, they arrived at the outskirts of a small castle.
This castle is of ordinary style, because it is located in a secluded location and its appearance is simple and unpretentious, like a monastery.
Just next to it, a small river flows through it. Some stones are sparsely exposed in the river. The water waves beat on these stones, scattered into tassel shapes, and sparkling ripples flash under the sunlight. Water lilies and rushes grow from the river bank.
Like an exquisite tapestry, it decorated both sides of the bank, and then gradually spread all the way around the castle, adding a bit of loneliness to it.
After getting off the carriage, the Grand Duke did not approach the castle immediately. Instead, he looked at the building and the scenery nearby from a distance, and finally couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"This place is a forgotten corner of the world. Just like the people inside, no one will remember their existence until they disappear silently."
Aigron felt his melancholy for a moment.
"But at least judging from the results, their sacrifices were worth it." Eggron replied with a famous saying he had heard. "Old soldiers never die, they will only wither away."
The Grand Duke turned his head and looked at him.
"I don't see that you are quite good at talking." Then, he nodded, and then felt a little disappointed, "Yes, it will fade away day by day. Every time I come here, there will always be one or two people missing. They are big
Most are younger than me, and if they are healthy physically and mentally—"
At this point, he stopped again.
He silently led the young man and a group of followers to the gate.
The gatekeeper obviously knew that he was coming and let them in immediately while saluting him.
Soon, several more people came over to them.
The leader was a middle-aged man wearing an officer's uniform. As soon as he met, he gave a military salute to the Grand Duke.
"Your Highness, welcome to your visit!"
After getting closer, Aigron discovered that although the other party's limbs seemed to be intact, there was a shocking scar on his face. This scar spread from the back of his head covered with brown hair to the corners of his mouth. It was almost certain that he had been hit by a saber at that time.
He was severely chopped on the head and finally escaped with his life - maybe that's why he is here.
"He is the person in charge here, Captain Ferdinand Hench." While Aigron was thinking, Archduke Karl suddenly opened his mouth to explain to Aigron.
"Hello, Captain." Aigron nodded in salute.
"This is..." Looking at the young man in front of him, Captain Hench was a little confused.
He was not sure about the young man's identity. Judging from his clothes and appearance, he must be a noble, but he was definitely not the son of the Grand Duke, because the Grand Duke's son was currently young.
But looking at Austria, how many people can be treated like this by the Archduke?
"He is the Duke of Lechstadt," Archduke Karl said in a low voice.
"Lech...Lechstadt...Duke?" Captain Hench frowned and read out this awkward title.
After a moment, he seemed to come to his senses and suddenly stared at the young man with wide eyes.
"Napoleon's son?" He forgot about etiquette for a moment, pointed at the boy, and then asked loudly.
"Yes." Archduke Karl nodded.
"Uh...this..." Captain Hench seemed confused and finally recovered.
"Your Highness, why did you bring him here? We don't take prisoners here." Then he asked.
This sentence made both the Grand Duke and Aigron laugh out loud at the same time.
"Stop joking!" After laughing for a moment, the Grand Duke scolded the Captain with a serious face, "I brought him here to participate in the event today to let him see it."
"We have a lot of useless people here, but there are not many things worth seeing." The captain shrugged. "I'm afraid the Duke will be disappointed."
"You have the best knowledge." Archduke Karl replied, "For example, you, Hench, tell him about your military experience."
"Well... I have nothing to say. My military career has been serving the cavalry. That's all." The captain shook his head.
"You are too modest." Archduke Karl shook his head, and then explained to Aigron, "He was a very brave hussar officer who led the way and won many medals. As a result, he was seriously injured in the Battle of Wagram and had to withdraw.
active duty."
"Those false names are nothing to mention. Your Highness, you must have taken classes. In every battle, someone taught you how to deploy, how to mobilize, how many people died on paper, how many cannons and flags were lost...
...I'm afraid you are more familiar with these than me. If you are willing to listen, I can tell you about my injury experience. You definitely don't have a teacher to teach you this kind of thing." The captain looked at Aigron and said.
"Please tell me." Aiglon replied.
"In the last battle I fought, our army fought bravely and fought well, but unfortunately we were at a disadvantage in the end. In order to save the situation, our superiors ordered us to charge. I did so and charged at the French with my saber.
I rushed over to the position and strangled the French cavalry, and I got this damn knife..." The captain pointed to his head, and then turned back the hair on his forehead. Only then did Aigron realize that he
Half of the right ear is missing.
"While I was injured, the damn horse I was riding was also shot, and then we were knocked down. When the beast fell, he pinned me down. Although I broke two ribs,
It also prevented me from being trampled by other horses or getting hit by one or two stray bullets, barely saving my life. Sometimes when I think about it, I think it would be easier if it simply crushed me to death." The officer laughed.
He smiled, which looked particularly ferocious because of the shocking scars on his face, but his tone was relaxed and cheerful, as if he was talking about someone else's business.
"I passed out at that time, and then when I woke up, it was already night. Damn it, I can't even describe the situation I was in at that time. Even if I talk to you about it tomorrow morning, I won't get you the same result as me.
The experience - the smell I smelled was terrible. I wanted to turn but was stuck by dead horses and corpses. I felt uncomfortable but couldn't move. I opened my eyes and couldn't see anything. The gunpowder in the air was mixed with flesh and blood.
The stench made me think I was about to lose my sense of smell. I knew I was about to die, but I was not afraid. I only felt noisy because the people around me who were about to die were all humming. Of course
After a long time, I realized that I was moaning too, but God, I really couldn’t feel it at that time..."
Although Captain Tone's tone was very calm, Aigron could still feel the thrilling experience he had at that time. "What happened next?"
"Then I continued to fall into a coma." The captain shrugged again, "When I woke up again, I was in the military doctor's tent. Even the military doctor didn't expect that I could survive such an injury... I only knew afterward.
Only two or three of our group survived. By the way, because our army had retreated, it was the French soldiers who picked me out when they were cleaning the battlefield. That bastard saved my life, but he also killed me.
My pocket watch was taken away, it’s a pity that I never met him again, otherwise I would have really treated him to a few good meals.”
"What happens next?" Aigron asked.
"Then there was nothing more to say. I knew a little French and told the military doctor that I was an officer. So after the military doctor revived me, he left me in the prisoner camp. Later, when the two armies exchanged prisoners, they sent me back.
, and I said goodbye to the front line because I was too injured." Captain Hench looked at Aigron, and then smiled, "Your Highness, do you think I am complaining to you? No, of course not, compared to those unlucky guys, I
You're lucky. I'm just telling you that fighting may be different from what you saw in class. It will really bleed and kill people, and it's smelly and dirty."
"...This is a very meaningful lesson, thank you." Aigron hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay, take us in and take a look. I think the people inside won't dare to start having lunch without waiting for me. We can't keep them waiting too long." The Grand Duke gave another order.
"Yes, Your Highness." Captain Hench nodded, then turned around and led the group into the depths of the castle.
While passing through the corridor, Eggron saw another group of people walking on the grass inside the castle - but some of those people were on crutches, some were in wheelchairs, and he even saw a one-armed man painting.
The war was indeed over, but its magnificent ruins still stand here eleven years later.
While he was taking a quick look, Captain Hench was also secretly questioning an aide-de-camp brought by Archduke Karl.
"What's going on today? Why did the Grand Duke bring this... His Highness here?"
"The Grand Duke wants to bring him here to have a look and have dinner with the veterans." The adjutant replied. "So you ask the people here to be careful and not to rush into His Highness, otherwise they will be in bad luck."
"Of course not. When Napoleon was captured but was not shot, none of us would be interested in dealing with his son." The captain shrugged, "But why would the Grand Duke do this?"
The adjutant looked around, then lowered his voice, "It is said that he is planning to marry His Highness Theresa, so the Grand Duke wants His Highness to have a good relationship with the people around him to prevent anyone from talking too much."
"Good guy... Isn't it enough that we lost a princess? Isn't his father already dead? Why do we have to do this?" The captain scratched his head, looking puzzled.
"If you keep talking nonsense, you may be thrown into the river." The officer glared at him, "These are not things you are qualified to care about."
"Okay, okay, I understand." The captain smiled and nodded.
His mood is quite complicated.
When I first heard the news, I felt unbelievable, but I didn't feel much resentment in my heart.
After the initial shock, he felt that it was not unacceptable, and even had a strange sense of harmony.
"It seems good. It's quite a match for two commander-in-chief's sons and daughters to get married, isn't it? We and France are not Rome and Carthage, and we will never have any contact with each other." After a moment, he added. "Besides, isn't the Duke originally?
The son of an Austrian woman?"
"Let me say it again, this is not something you can talk about. There is no need for your support or opposition." The officer scolded him again, "Just entertain your two highnesses well, and be careful not to let anyone rush into the Duke."
"Don't worry." The captain laughed again, and the scars on his face were pulled. "It's now, who cares about those things."