In the morning light of a new day, Aigron completed his morning exercises.
Then, he packed his luggage and came to the square outside the palace, where a group of people were already waiting for him.
There are still several carriages staying here, which will take him to a manor in the suburbs.
According to the prior agreement, he will visit Archduke Karl today, and his teacher and guardian, Count Dietrichstein, will see him off here.
The count had a smile on his face, and his heart was obviously full of longing for his students' future.
"Your Highness, I hope everything goes well for you." He patted the young man's shoulder, then leaned into his ear and whispered to encourage him, "I have been by your side for so many years, and I know that you are very dissatisfied with your current situation.
As a guardian, I think it is my responsibility to find a way out for you that suits your needs - and this is the best way we can find. I hope you can seize this opportunity. Remember, this is only the first step in your career.
step."
"It seems a bit early to talk about these things now." Aigron replied calmly, "I still prefer not to think about things too beautifully."
"No, Your Highness, although you are smart, you have lived in the palace since you were a child, and there are not many people around you. You may not understand the world..." The count smiled and shook his head, "Can Archduke Karl allow you to be here?"
Stepping through the door of your home in this state already means a lot of things."
Aigron could only smile and no longer answer.
It's not that he doesn't understand the world, and of course he can see the meaning of this action. However, as far as he is concerned, he can only pretend to be confused now, hoping to get rid of the matter first.
Maintaining the marriage plan without actually realizing it is what he wants to do.
"I don't know what you think of Her Majesty Theresa. As far as I'm concerned, she is humble, kind, well-behaved, and extremely smart. I think she is much better than that... than the others." The Earl seemed to be interested in her.
His coldness felt a little incomprehensible, "And Your Highness, even if you have no touch with her, you have to understand that this is an exchange of interests. You only need to pay a small price for the future, and you will get something that no one else can even think of."
Dare to think about it.”
Aigron knew that what the count said was right. If he had no other thoughts, he would definitely do this, but...it can only be said that it was fate.
"Sir, don't worry. I'm not a stubborn person who doesn't know how to adapt. I will act in accordance with my own interests." Aigron nodded and assured his guardian, "I will do my best to let the parents
All women are happy."
Then, under the count's watchful eye, he took his suitcase and got into the carriage.
The carriage then started and drove all the way to the southeast.
As the carriage moved on the road, the buildings and pedestrians on both sides became sparse and sparse. After about an hour or two, it came to a forest. After passing through the grove, a white mansion appeared in the window.
forward.
This mansion occupies a small area and is not grand. It is about three stories in size. It is exquisitely designed and has very soft lines. It is hidden among the trees and is not eye-catching at all.
Archduke Karl entrusted his retirement life to this inconspicuous and quiet place, which is in line with his character.
As the carriage stopped, Aigron stepped off the carriage.
Then, the servant who had been waiting here diligently led him the way.
Soon, Aigron followed the door of the mansion, and at this time, a group of people came out to greet him.
The leader was a pair of middle-aged men and women. The man was naturally Archduke Karl himself. At this time, he was looking at the young man who came to visit with a careful look, while the woman nodded to the young man with a smile on her face.
She was dressed quite simply, just wearing a loose skirt, her hair tied in a bun on the back of her head, and she did not wear any accessories. Her oval face shape and gray-black hair were also quite similar to Theresa's.
Apparently, she must be Teresa's mother, the Grand Duchess Henrietta.
Standing behind the couple were several children, all young, and Teresa, as the eldest, was naturally among them.
Aigron only glanced briefly, and then respectfully saluted the couple at the foot of the steps.
"Good morning, Grand Duke and Madam. Thank you both for giving me the privilege of visiting here."
"You're welcome, we are not a royal palace here, and there is no need to talk about so many frivolous red tapes - Your Highness Franz, our whole family welcomes your arrival." Before the Grand Duke could say anything, Grand Duchess Henrietta walked down the steps.
, and then looked at the young man carefully.
"What a handsome young man! He makes you feel happy just looking at him."
Then she turned back and smiled at her husband, but Archduke Karl just nodded expressionlessly.
"Okay, please come in."
Then, he turned around and took the lead into the mansion.
Aiglon followed behind and walked in together.
Just like the unpretentious appearance, although the house is spacious, the facilities are not luxurious. There is a layer of wool carpet on the floor. The tables and chairs look old, but they are all polished very shiny. In the center of the living room is a fireplace, and in the center of the living room is a fireplace.
There are oil paintings hanging on the surrounding walls, and some hunting animals are also decorated.
"Franz, please allow me to introduce you to the members of our little family." As soon as she came in, Henrietta said to Agron with a smile, and then pointed to the children next to her, "Trey
You already know Sarah. From childhood to adulthood, there are our eldest son Albrecht, second son Ferdinand, third son Friedrich... By the way, there is one more..."
As she spoke, she pointed to the baby in the cradle next to the fireplace, "This is our little daughter, Caroline. She has just turned one year old this year. Okay, children, please salute His Highness!"
Under the mother's command, the children all obediently paid tribute to Aigron, and Aigron also nodded to the children in a very friendly manner.
It can be seen that here, the hostess speaks more truthfully.
Among these children, apart from Theresa, the one who caught his attention the most was their eldest son Albrecht.
The eldest son had determined to become a commander like his father since he was a child, so he joined the army early. Later, he repeatedly made military exploits in Austria's future wars, which was a rare bright spot in the bleak history of the late Austrian Empire. Later, he also won the Austrian Army.
The rank of marshal in the Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire, and the German Empire was regarded as following in his father's footsteps.
However, right now he is just a 10-year-old boy.
Seeing that Aigron noticed him, the child didn't have any stage fright, but he held his head high and looked at him provocatively.
"Abbott!" Teresa saw that her brother was so arrogant and rude, so she scolded him, "Be respectful to our guests."
"He looks extremely weak and can't fight at all." The child replied without any politeness, "Sister, I'm afraid you've seen the wrong person."
"Abbott!" Now the eldest princess couldn't hold her face anymore. She grabbed her son and pinched his ears. "Who taught you to talk like this?"
Then, she looked at the young man with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Your Highness... I don't know why this little guy is so crazy today."
"It's okay, madam." Aigron shook his head, "Your son is very good. I think he will definitely achieve great achievements in the future."
"You are really flattering. What can you tell from the first day we met? It's just a casual compliment. It's unnecessary... Although mothers naturally hope that their children will achieve success in the future, please don't praise them too much. Children are easy to
Seriously, this is harmful to his growth." Henrietta smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry, even if you don't deliberately please every member of our family, we will welcome you. Abbott is just a character.
Just a little stubborn."
Of course, it was impossible for the Grand Duchess to understand what he really meant. She just thought that Aiglon was saying some polite words in accordance with social etiquette, and did not take it seriously.
"I heard that your swordsmanship is very good." The kid still didn't flinch, and asked Aigron with his head raised. "Is it true? I don't believe it."
"Since my teacher said so, then it must be true." Aigron nodded lightly, "Of course, I don't have much chance to verify it."
"You are His Highness, the teacher must know something nice to say." Abbott shook his head, with a look of disbelief on his face, "How about the two of us demonstrate it?"
The challenging look in the boy's eyes made Aigron a little surprised, but he soon felt it was a bit funny.
"I didn't learn swordsmanship from my teacher to bully children, so I won't fight with you now." Aigron stretched out his hand and pinched his red face, "But, little guy, if you definitely want to fight with me
If you make gestures, then when you grow up, I can give you a chance."
"Are you afraid of me?" Albert still looked at him, looking like he wanted to challenge.
"What are you talking about!" Teresa finally couldn't help it anymore and pulled him behind her, "You are deliberately trying to make everyone unhappy, right?"
Then, Teresa pulled Agron aside and said, "Don't mind, Agron."
"He seems a little hostile to me." Aigron shrugged. "But don't worry, I won't fight with children."
"This little rascal, he's jealous of you." Teresa turned back and glared at her brother with some dissatisfaction, "Recently, because your parents have mentioned you a lot, he feels a little unhappy and insists on challenging you...
He always felt that he was the baby of the family, and then he was left out in the cold recently because of you."
"Oh, that's right, then I can understand it." Aigron suddenly understood, and then couldn't help laughing. "It's really simple and easy for children to understand."
"So you don't need to be familiar with him." Teresa looked at him a little worriedly, "Don't let him affect your mood."
"That's natural. I'm not bored enough to fight with a ten-year-old kid." Aigron replied with a smile.
"Are you okay, Teresa?" A slow voice suddenly came to mind next to her, "Is it time to return His Highness to us?"
Although there was nothing wrong with what he said, it always seemed to be a little teasing, and Theresa couldn't help but blush a little.
"It's okay, Mom!" Then she winked at Aigron and stepped aside.
Then, Aigron walked back to the side of the Grand Duchess.
"Please sit down." The princess motioned for Aigron to sit on the sofa, and then she sat next to him.
Then, the Grand Duchess looked at it carefully again.
"Ah, sometimes I really feel the incomparable mystery of fate." After a moment, Henrietta suddenly sighed, "It's so interesting!"
Then, she pointed at Archduke Karl, who was standing in the center of the living room, and said, "My husband, who represented Napoleon who was unable to come to Vienna to attend the wedding, stood in front of the altar of the Augustinian Church in Vienna and held the wedding ceremony for your mother. At that time, I was still
If you hadn't married in Austria, it would be hard to imagine the scene at that time, but... the atmosphere shouldn't be too good, right?"
It would definitely not be too good. At that time, Austria was defeated by Napoleon many times and was forced to send Princess Louisa to "marriage" - and it was Metternich who proposed it to Napoleon. Think about it, those nobles would feel embarrassed.
"At that time, the news caused a sensation throughout Europe, and of course I heard about it in Nassau. I was surprised and relieved, because I thought it might mean that the continuous war was finally coming to an end... Who would have thought that things would change in the end?
Like that!" Henrietta smiled again, "In the end, you and I both came to Austria, and then more than ten years later, and now his son has walked in front of me, ah, who can guess God's will?
Here’s Tooru!”
Then, she smiled and winked at Aiglon, "But I think, maybe this time, the atmosphere will be much better, at least my husband's mood will be very different at that time, and this may be God's compensation for him.
?”
...Aigron didn't know how to answer, so he could only smile awkwardly.
He could hear that Henrietta's words seemed to represent some kind of recognition.
"Do you like country life, Franz?" the Grand Duchess asked again.
"I'm not too used to it, but I'm also a little yearning for it." Aigron replied. "After all, I haven't had much opportunity to get close to the countryside since I was a child."
"Then you can enjoy the real country life -" Henrietta blinked, "And Teresa will be a good guide. Okay, I'm going to prepare lunch for you. You
You can go shopping with Teresa first to relax."
Just as Aigron was about to leave, Grand Duchess Henrietta suddenly said something else:
"My husband, because one of his aunts and the previous generation Duke of Cieszyn had no heirs, so at their request, he became the adopted son of Duke Albert of Cieszyn. After that grandfather died in 1822, his inheritance
They are all inherited by my husband, including the Albertina Palace in Vienna, where we live every winter, so we will pass there soon - sir, if you are willing, you can come and join us then
We are most welcome to spend Christmas together..."