While Archduke Carl and his wife were worried about their daughter, the former Queen Louisa, whom they called "a mother worse than her mother-in-law," was also thinking tangledly in her palace in the Principality of Parma.
Although Parma is only a small principality located in a corner, and news has never circulated much, news of changes in the French political situation has already spread here.
Now, people here already know that the King of Rome has returned to Paris and is about to sit on the throne that originally belonged to him.
As Aigron's mother, she should have been cheering and excited about this event, but the various jokes played on her by history cast a shadow over the originally joyful event.
In 1814, when the French Empire was facing the crisis of destruction, she fled France with her son and returned to her natal Austria. Then on the way, she fell in love with Count Nepperg, who was responsible for protecting her along the way. Then the two became lovers.
They got along until news of Emperor Napoleon's death reached the European continent in 1821, and they got married immediately.
During this marriage, she gave birth to two children, a boy and a girl. It was her behavior that permanently broke the relationship between her and her son.
She left her son in Schönbrunn Palace for upbringing (care), and then ruled the small principality given to her by her father in Parma, enjoying her new family life. However, Aiglon, who grew up in loneliness, naturally did not take care of her.
She treats her like a mother, and the two of them are almost strangers.
So this time, despite the historic victory, her son didn't even bother to send someone to inform him and share his happiness, and Louisa was intentionally forgotten.
This is not only due to personal emotional alienation, but also due to political considerations.
There is no precedent in the history of French monarchs for the Queen Mother to remarry (there are queens who have divorced and remarried), so for the Bonaparte family, how to treat Louisa is a very difficult problem.
If she appeared in front of her son or his subjects, she would never get cheers, only silence and embarrassment, and no one would treat her like the Queen Mother.
Therefore, the wisest approach is to stay away and avoid talking about it, as if it does not exist.
Of course Louisa also understood this, so she never made any statement on Aigron's matter in public, and she also deliberately made the world forget about herself, so as not to embarrass everyone.
A mother's greatest contribution to her son is silence. It sounds ironic but it is also reality.
It is of course impossible to say that she does not feel a little bit sad. Louisa served as the queen of France for several years, and even briefly served as regent when Emperor Napoleon went to Russia. She tasted the taste of holding a scepter. Versailles
, Fontainebleau, Tuileries, the Louvre...these magnificent palaces once belonged to her. Now it has only been more than ten years since she fled France in a hurry. How could she forget the glorious scene back then?
What about completely clean?
But she knew very well that even if her son sat on the throne, those memories of the past were destined to be impossible to come back. She could no longer wait for a palace carriage to take her back to Paris, and could only spend the rest of her life in Parma.
Of course, she had already been mentally prepared for all this, so she was able to accept such a result. Her ups and downs life had now reached middle age, and she had nothing to look forward to.
If there was anything she couldn't let go of, it was the pair of children she had left by her side.
In 1829, Count Nepeg, who had been terminally ill, passed away suddenly. Louisa sent her husband away and became a widow for the second time. Before his death, the Count said on his bed that he was lucky enough to marry the eldest princess of the empire in this life.
Lian Li had no regrets in this life, except that he asked his wife to take good care of his two children, and Louisa agreed with tears.
However, it's not that easy.
Although Count Neipeg was a noble, he was not a royal family after all. Louisa's marriage to the earl was still a miscegenation, and it was impossible for her children to enjoy the royal title (the old emperor deliberately forgot that Napoleon's origin was actually lower than Count Neppe).
Moreover, because of this, Louisa's children were also deprived of the right to inherit the Duchy of Parma. The Austrian Empire and the Bourbon Royal Family of the Two Sicilies signed an agreement, agreeing to hand over the throne of the Duchy of Parma to the Bourbon family after Louisa's death.
In other words, the two children of Louisa and Earl of Naiperg, as well as their descendants, will have neither royal titles nor an inch of land in the future. They can only continue to use the title of "Count of Naiperg", and they can only return to
Go to the Austrian Empire and live as an ordinary noble.
Of course, Queen Louisa didn't want her two children to end up in such a situation, so when Count Neipeg was still alive, the couple actively participated in the court and made connections. After Aigron escaped from Austria, the couple
One of them even secretly helped Aigron and financed his activities in Greece. There was only one condition in exchange: once Aigron got his long-cherished wish and ascended the throne, he would help support his younger brothers and sisters.
For Louisa and his wife, if they can let their two children live in the French court with a status similar to that of a family member, their future will naturally be much better than simply being the "Count of Naipergue".
Although Aigron had always been resentful towards his mother, in business matters, he would not let his emotions affect his judgment, so after weighing the situation, he agreed to his mother's request.
Now, Aigron has truly realized his original dream, and his promise will naturally come into effect.
Louisa knew that she would not return to France, and would never have the chance to appear in front of the French people, but her two children were different. They had no dark history, and no one would really embarrass them.
——Didn’t Emperor Napoleon himself have an illegitimate child?
Because of her understanding of Aigron, she also believed that he would fulfill his promise. After all, these two children had no foundation, their interests were completely consistent with his, and they could only rely on and be loyal to him. He definitely needed this kind of confidant.
So Louisa made up her mind to write a letter to Aiglon. In the letter, she would compliment him on his victory, and she would never mention her past events or her next arrangements, but would only make a sincere request to him.
Fulfill the previous promise and ensure that these two children will always respect him, obey him and become his assistants.
After writing the letter, she called the two children, Amberdine and William, over.
Amberdine is now 13 years old. Girls have always developed precociously, and her father has passed away, so she already looks a bit more stable than an adult. However, William, who is only 11 years old, is more like a child and has a focused attention.
Not very focused.
However, because these two children have received very strict education since childhood, they behave well and have a bit of royal style. Louisa is confident that they will never lose her face even if they are in the French court in the future.
Of course, on the surface, Louisa still had a straight face and looked at the two children seriously.
"Children, I have written a letter to the King of Rome. If nothing unexpected happens, he will reply to me after receiving the letter and allow you to enter France. From that time on, I will not stay with you.
I'm with you, but you must remember what I taught you, because it is very important to you. If you don't want to disappoint me, and you don't want to disappoint your father's spirit in heaven, then you must do it well, do you understand?"
Facing their mother's stern expression, the two children were frightened, but they still nodded.
Seeing the two children so well-behaved and sensible, Louisa was quite pleased.
Since reaching a secret agreement with Aigron, she and her deceased husband have been instilling in the two siblings in the past two years that "your brother is your future support. You must respect him and obey him, so that you can have a future."
Consciously, in this subtle way, these two children who lost their father did subconsciously regard Aigron as a guidepost for the rest of their lives.
Of course, this is also because Aigron is indeed "promising" and has achieved such great achievements at a young age. Children all worship heroes. Under the conscious guidance of their parents, it is indeed true that they regard their elder brother as a god.
Not surprising.
"Remember, although you are indeed somewhat related by blood, you must never really call yourself his sister or brother. You must know that many people will hate you because you block their way... so you should call him your Majesty more often.
Everything is subject to his orders, and you must believe that since he has promised to take care of you, then you can just follow the path he has designated for you, and he will not harm you."
Louisa continued to teach her children, "Also, the relationship between Your Majesty and I can be restored thanks to the help of Princess Teresa. She is compassionate and values family and blood relations. When you arrive in France,
You have no relatives. Apart from Your Majesty, she is your biggest supporter. You must firmly flatter Princess Teresa and do whatever she asks you to do. Remember!"
"Mom, what if there is a conflict between Princess Theresa and His Majesty? Then who should I listen to?" Amberdine asked after hesitating for a moment, and then felt a little embarrassed. "Maybe I am overthinking...
…”
Louisa was not irritated by this question. On the contrary, she found that this young daughter seemed to be much more perceptive than she imagined.
However, judging from the last time she received the couple, they had a deep relationship, especially Teresa's love for Agron, so how could there be any conflict between them.
"Of course you give priority to your brother." She replied calmly, "Never try to offend him, otherwise it will be difficult for you to be forgiven."
Both children nodded in understanding, indicating that they had remembered their mother's warning.
"Mom, we don't have to be in such a hurry..." After a moment of silence, Amberdine spoke carefully again, "We are still young and can't help much. If we just go there like this, I'm afraid we will be
It's disgusting...Besides, what will you do if we all leave? You'd be too lonely here alone."
Her daughter's tender words made Louisa feel sad, and then she smiled bitterly.
"Silly boy, you are having such a good time here with us! What kind of place do you think the palace is? It is a place where desires flow, full of jealousy and slander. If you don't rush over there as soon as possible and save a place next to your brother.
, in a few years all the positions you should have will be taken by others, so what's the use of you even if you pass? And it's better to be younger, so that he won't be wary, so he will let you with the cleanest resume
Go and walk on the road he paved..."
Having said this, Louisa couldn't help but sigh again.
People get nostalgic when they get older, and she is no exception. When she just lost her husband, the children under her knees are already her biggest spiritual support. If it were not for their future, she would
How could you be willing to send them all to a foreign country?
"After you go there, if you have any questions, just write to me. Although I can't go there now, I can still give you a lot of advice. But no matter how much you miss me, don't easily ask him to come back to see me; etc.
Come and see me every year after you become adults. I hope that by then you will have grown into smart and reliable people and become your brother's helpers..."
The mother's expectations for her children are also fully revealed in these indifferent words.
There was no possibility of repairing her relationship with her eldest son. Even if Princess Teresa came to negotiate an agreement, it could only stay at this point - she did not dare to hope that it could go any further.
Now, because she was asking for help from him, Louisa had to lower her head and speak softly to her son, but in her heart, she also felt a lot of helplessness and bitterness.
Her fate was indeed bizarre and tortuous. She became the Queen of the French Empire unwillingly. She had already accepted this fate, but a sudden turn made her lose it all. She struggled to accept the reality and tried to rebuild herself.
life, but now new twists and turns lie helplessly in front of me.
If nothing happened, maybe she was already the empress dowager of the empire, so why should she worry about this little Parma anymore?
That's all, what's the point of thinking about it now? Everything that has been lost will never come back.
At first she went to France alone, and now she is alone again, with two husbands and three children, but she seems to never be able to get rid of loneliness. Maybe this is her destined destiny.
The last time mother and son met was almost two years ago. When will the next time mother and son meet? Maybe there will never be a chance...
"I wish you good luck, Your Majesty." She slightly bent her knees facing the void, and then put on the black veil belonging to the widow again, hiding her face under the black mist of Mo Lake.