In the dead silence, the people in the room looked at the corpse lying on the ground with complex eyes and a large pool of horrific blood surrounding the corpse.
At the urging of his wife, the desperate Fernand finally faced the reality and chose to commit suicide.
Although his suicide was an end, and he no longer had to worry about anything from now on, for the living people, their troubles were still not over. On the contrary, their troubles would continue one after another, making it difficult for them to breathe.
Aigron is the most relaxed one among them. For him, although Fernan's sudden death will bring a little confusion and doubt to his men, it is not a big problem.
He could have announced that Fernand had suddenly become seriously ill and died of a sudden illness, and then just find a doctor to issue a death certificate.
He was not afraid of outsiders becoming suspicious. After all, even Fernand's wife, Mrs. Mercedes, recognized this statement. Furthermore, a despicable person like Fernand did not have any die-hard followers.
His confidants only followed him in exchange for more benefits. Since Fernand's death can no longer bring benefits to them, how could they care about how Fernand died?
Since he was the most relaxed, he was also the first to speak.
He looked at Mercedes and then asked, "Madam, although you have severed all ties with him, legally speaking, you are still his wife, so you have the most reasonable right to dispose of his body.
…So I take the liberty to ask, what do you plan to do with Count Morcerf’s body?”
Mercedes was still a little confused. Although she urged her husband to die quickly, they were a husband and wife after all. Seeing him die so tragically in front of her, she was inevitably a little confused.
But facing His Majesty, she didn't dare to make a mistake, so she could only sort out her thoughts, and then whispered to Aigron, "My current idea is to cremate him here, and then after a while, I will
Let’s take his ashes back to Marseille and bury them in the small fishing village where we grew up.”
In Mercedes' view, the bad relationship between herself and Fernand originated there. He took care of himself as an orphan when he grew up with a brother-like enthusiasm. There was the best side of him.
After leaving the fishing village, Fernand's life was filled with despicableness, betrayal and speculation. He ruined his life and that of his lover, and he became a person she no longer recognized.
It starts there and ends there. I hope his soul can be cleansed of his sins after returning to his hometown...
"Okay, madam, I can fulfill your wish." Aigron immediately agreed to this reasonable request without any objection.
Then, he waved to Andre, who quickly asked the guards to drag away Fernand's body, and then took it to be cremated quietly.
Although the body was dragged away, the blood stains on the carpet were still there, and the air was still filled with the pungent smell of blood. Just now, this smell was the catalyst for Aigron's excitement, but after the curtain ended, this smell
The smell made him feel a little uncomfortable.
"I'm sure staying here won't make us happier. Let's leave here first." Aigron gave the order in a consultative tone, and then looked at Mercedes, "Madam, I believe you still have a lot to say.
If you want to talk to Edmund, you can just talk to him about old times, I'll excuse you now."
Mercedes did not reject Aiglon's proposal. Instead, she solemnly saluted Aigron and expressed her gratitude in the most sincere manner.
"Your Majesty, thank you for bringing me here and letting me see the truth clearly; and thank you for your tenderness towards me in the end... Without you, God knows how long I would have to live in lies and pain."
"This is just a simple effort, you don't have to be so solemn." Aigron replied casually, "Besides, although I relieved you of the pain of being deceived and fooled, I also gave you other pain, which is not a favor."
"Pain? No, from now on I will not have pain again..." Mercedes smiled bitterly and shook her head, "My life has become a desert, all happiness and all longings have been destroyed. After it dries up, I can no longer even feel the pain. All I have left is Albert. I must live until he grows up and finds his own happiness."
Aigron could understand Mercedes' thoughts.
"The sins of the fathers have nothing to do with a newly born child, and he has no obligation to bear any responsibility. I have just said that Fernand is the Count of Morcerf. Since he is, then of course his legal heir Yes. Your son will continue to hold the title of Count Morcerf in the future, and the property left by Fernan will naturally belong to you completely, and you can raise him with good enough conditions."
"No... no need, Your Majesty, we will no longer use this title." Aiglon did not expect that Mercedes actually raised objections, "The surname De-Morcerf was originally stolen from him. Yes, although I didn’t agree with it at first, things like impersonating nobles were common and I didn’t pay too much attention to it. But it’s different now. I don’t want my son to inherit any of his father’s dark history, and I don’t want to continue those deceptions and despicable things. ,So, I don’t want him to continue to use this surname. When he grows up, his surname will be Mondego, the original surname of Fernando.”
Although the Morcerf family is not a top aristocracy, it is at least an aristocratic surname, which naturally means an entry ticket into a high-end social circle. However, Mercedes resolutely abandoned it. It can be seen that she wanted to abandon the shadow of the past. What a determination.
"Since this is your opinion, of course I will not interfere." Aigron nodded and agreed, "I hope your son will understand your painstaking efforts when he grows up, instead of complaining that you have caused him to lose a noble family background. …”
"If he is good enough, he will earn everything he deserves, just like Edmund; if he is mediocre and incompetent, no matter how noble his surname is, it will not add glory to him." Mercedes replied, "Let him carve out his own path."
Agron secretly admired Mercedes' decisiveness and determination. This lady was indeed worthy of Edmund.
It's a pity... the cruel joke of the goddess of fate has turned the two people's lives into pieces. Even if the truth is revealed now, the lost time can no longer be recovered, the painful memories can never be forgotten, and everything has been changed beyond recognition.
So, how will the two of them proceed next? Aigron couldn't help but secretly become curious.
In the original work, after Fernand committed suicide after being ruined, Mercedes left France with her grown-up son Albert. The mother and son abandoned the surname of Morcerf and lived a new life.
But now, the situation is different after all. Albert has just been born, Edmund and Mercedes are only in their early thirties, and the Earl's life trajectory has also changed. They can choose another life.
Agron had asked Edmund before how he wanted to deal with Mercedes after his great revenge was avenged. At that time, after a fierce ideological struggle, Edmund still chose to take care of her.
Aigron is really curious now about where this story will go.
As a professional audience member, he knew very well that he could not take over the show and leave the stage to the actors to perform. He also did not want to rely on his position to interfere with their choices——
So, he asked Andre to bring the former fiancée to a small room, and then he waited outside for the answer to be revealed.
No matter what the answer is, it will be a "regret" for him.
==================================
Now only Edmund and Mercedes were left in the same room. This was the first time they had been alone in fifteen years.
At that time, every time they met, they had endless things to talk about. The boy shared what he saw and heard following merchant ships in various ports in the Mediterranean, while the girl shared the trivial matters in her life with shyness and joy, no matter what.
Whatever they said, they all felt extremely happy and happy.
But now, there is only silence between them.
Fernand's death still left them immersed in mental shock, and what made it even more difficult for them to face was the fact that Mercedes had already married and had children.
The two of them looked at each other like this. After an unknown amount of time, Mercedes finally showed a sad smile.
"Edmond, how is Danglars doing now?" she asked softly. "He was originally very proud, but not long ago he suddenly went bankrupt in the turmoil... I originally thought it was because of his bad luck, but now it seems that it is probably because of his bad luck.
Is it your handiwork?"
"Yes, I did it." Edmund admitted, "I asked a banker to help create a trend and bankrupt his bank. As for how he is doing now... he is now imprisoned by me in a
Secret location.”
After a pause, he added, "This coward doesn't have the courage to commit suicide and desperately begs me for forgiveness. It's really disgusting."
He knew that the reason why Mercedes raised this seemingly irrelevant question was to calm himself down.
"Congratulations, your revenge is now mostly completed." Mercedes congratulated Edmund in a low voice, but there was not much joy on her face.
"This is not just my revenge, but our -" Edmund hissed in reply, "Mercedes, they ruined our wedding, they made all our dreams become
They broke into pieces! Our lives have been distorted beyond recognition by them, don’t you hate them?”
"Yes, I hate it too, and I can never forgive you." Mercedes nodded, but she immediately changed the subject, "But compared to you, the pain I have suffered is much less.
Now, I...I became Fernando's wife, enjoying everything he gained through deception and betrayal along the way, enjoying the identity of a deceived lady...If Fernando committed a crime, then so did I.
part of this sin."
"No! Mercedes, you are the victim, you were deceived!" Edmund interrupted the other party loudly, "You have not committed any crime from beginning to end... Just imagine, I was arrested at that time
Who can blame you for finding a support for yourself when you are in a dark prison and your life or death is uncertain? Am I qualified to ask you to stay chaste and widowed for the rest of your life? No, marrying him does not mean that you have committed a sin. In my heart,
You are still as pure and beautiful as you were then."
"Thank you for being so tolerant and generous, Edmund. Although your appearance has changed drastically and you have been so successful, you are still as brave, generous and kind as you were then." Tears appeared in the corners of Mercedes' eyes again.
, on the one hand I was moved, but on the other hand I was ashamed, "But even if you are so generous, can I still feel at ease? Until this moment, I am still Fernan's wife, and I have enjoyed the gifts he has given me.
Everything I own, I also run the house for him with peace of mind... How can I happily declare that his life has nothing to do with me less than an hour after his death? I have never been contaminated by his sins, and he is only my life.
Just a passer-by? No... Edmund, you and I both know that this is impossible."
After hearing what Mercedes said, Edmund felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave and was stunned.
It is true that he knew that what the other party said was right, but he was unwilling to accept it.
He is willing to see the reality clearly and see that everything has changed. He desperately wants to reach out his hand, catch the phantom of the past through time and space, and then drag back the self of that time and the Mercedes of that time.
.
However, right in front of him, the lover he had dreamed of countless times told him the cruel reality - everything was different, and no matter how hard he tried, it would still be different.
Why did you say it when we could all pretend that nothing happened... The pain almost made him suffocate.
"Edmund, what I'm most afraid of is that you are still obsessed with the past. This will only do you harm." Seeing Edmund's painful look, Mercedes felt a pain in her heart, but she still remained strong.
Xinxin continued, "You are His Majesty's favorite, the Count of Monte Cristo, and you may become a Marquis and Duke in the future. You will have a lofty status and reputation; and what am I? The wife of a despicable man, a wife with nothing.
A widow with no status or wealth, what can I bring to you? Nothing can be brought to you... I am not even the same person as I used to be. If you force yourself to be with me just for passion or pity,
That just leaves you and me immersed in a painful future."
Edmund couldn't believe it. "Mercedes, why do you talk like a lady! Do I need to weigh the pros and cons for you?"
"Let's just say I have changed... How can I stay in the past?" Mercedes smiled bitterly, "But I can still think about you. You don't need me, Edmund."
"No, I need you, Mercedes!" Edmund stretched out his hand, desperately trying to grab the other person.