"Mrs. Alice?" Prince Albrecht paused for a moment, and then finally remembered something.
"Is she that lady's sister?"
During this time, through the help of newspapers and some private information channels, the prince also roughly knew Agnes’s family situation, so he knew that Agnes had a sister named Alice, and she was with Theresa.
Serve.
He didn't understand this situation, and he didn't understand why his sister would put his enemy's sister beside him. He guessed that it could only be explained by his brother-in-law's deliberate arrangement, which naturally made him even more angry.
"Yes, that's her I'm talking about." Teresa nodded. "This lady is smart, capable, and has a kind personality. She is a very competent person. You can just convey your father's opinions to her."
"You don't seem to mind her?" The prince was a little confused. "Isn't she that lady's sister?"
"That's true, but why should I mind that?" Teresa asked, "It's two different things."
The prince was choked by his sister's answer and was speechless. He always felt that Theresa seemed to be a different person since she got married. She was no longer the sister he was familiar with before. So he looked at his sister with doubts, and couldn't help but wonder for a moment.
Know what to say.
After an awkward silence for a short while, Teresa sighed softly.
"Well, actually I don't mind this at all, it's just...Mrs. Alice's use to me outweighs the discomfort she brings to me. You know, I came here alone, even if I can help
I can rule the entire palace as a queen, but after all, I still need people who serve me to exert my authority. There are too few people around me to rely on right now, and Lady Alice’s ability has been tested, and I have no one for the time being.
can replace her position, so naturally I can only continue to rely on her. In the future, I will slowly test and rely on others, but at least for now, she is my right-hand assistant and good friend. I respect her, so you must respect her too.
Does she understand?"
After Teresa's explanation, the prince finally understood.
The royal family always works with people they don't like and appoints ministers they hate, so it's not that he can't understand this situation, but he can't help but feel a little more sorry for his sister.
Marrying in a foreign country, walking on thin ice, you can only live cautiously in the cracks. Even with the title of queen, how much freedom can you say?
"There is no need to feel sorry for me. Since this is the path I have chosen, I will have the courage to bear all the costs. No matter from any angle, I have got everything that others dream of, who do I need?"
"Come to sympathize with me?" As if she saw what her brother was thinking, Teresa spoke calmly, "There is no doubt that the French are unfamiliar with me now, and I can't get their heartfelt love even if I live in seclusion.
But I still have a lot of time, and I will let everyone know that I am not only worthy of this title, but I can also do better than any queen before me. I am not another Habsburg princess who comes to ruin things.
, I am the leader who will lead this country to prosperity! Since His Majesty has chosen such a mission, then I will help him complete this mission, and then let everyone admit that I deserve it all - Miss Agnes
All the praise I get now will not be as much as what I will get then, I can do it!"
Sister Kang's passionate words left the prince even more speechless.
From an objective standpoint, becoming a queen - especially the queen of a country as big as France - is already the highest honor that Theresa can receive as a collateral princess of the royal family. There is no reason to feel sympathy for her, but she is in the middle of the game.
Although he was young, he still couldn't help but feel sorry and desolate for his sister's experience.
His Highness will never love his sister as much as she loves him, and the sister herself knows this, but just avoids talking about it. Does she really care about the people of France that much? No... She just wants to use her own efforts to
It’s the only recognition you get.
This kind of effort may not lead to the desired result, but she will definitely go all the way to the dark side, because this is her sister, she was like this at the beginning, and she will not change in the future.
Perhaps, there is no perfect fairy tale in the world. Even if the prince and princess really come together, they still have to pay the price for the fate.
When he thought of this, he felt a little helpless in his heart, but in order not to make his sister sad, he still acted like he was inspired and excited on the surface. "I believe you can do it...Sister, you can do it..."
Your Highness will definitely become a monarch praised by future generations, and everyone will be grateful for your achievements and everything you have brought."
After he finished speaking, he bowed slightly and said, "Please let Mrs. Alice come over, and I will have a good talk with her."
=====================================
At this time, Alice was of course also in the Tuileries Palace.
Previously, with the help of her father-in-law, General Treville, she took her family south from Paris and became the first group of nobles to "welcome". She also took the opportunity to seamlessly join the Bonaparte family's court.
She did not waste this opportunity, and took advantage of her old friendship with the two majesties. She was quickly put into their employ, assisting Theresa in rebuilding the palace, and became an indispensable figure around Theresa.
When the Agrons went to Paris from Fontainebleau, they naturally took her with them. During this period, she has been by Teresa's side, assisting her in handling various affairs, and using her own network of connections to provide special services to Teresa.
Lesa passed on information from all walks of life and became more and more active.
This time, after being summoned by Theresa, she put down her affairs and rushed to the princess, and then found that her brother Prince Albrecht was also here, and had no intention of avoiding it.
Although she was confused, she still bowed to the two royal members respectfully.
"Alice, I'd like to thank you for this time." Teresa greeted the other party calmly, and then pointed to her brother, "My brother heard about everything you did for me, so he wanted to express his gratitude to the other party.
Thank you in person."
Alice was originally a smart person, and after coming into contact with power during this period, she made rapid progress in human sophistication. Her ability to observe people's emotions was far beyond that of ordinary people. She could tell at a glance that the mood of the princess and the prince was not very good at this time.
It's right, and Theresa's words are obviously not sincere.
It's strange to think about it. As a prince, why do you need to go out of your way to thank yourself? In their view, it is only natural for others to serve them.
After thinking for a moment, Alice roughly guessed the real reason why she was summoned.
It must be because of my sister.
During this period of time, she was well-informed and could of course follow His Majesty's every move while on tour, as well as the outside world's attention and praise for her sister.
Both her parents and her father-in-law and husband were delighted with Agnes's rapid rise in status, but she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed in her heart.
Agnes was her most beloved sister and her pride all along. How could she have imagined that she would become famous because she became someone else's mistress?
Moreover, the more favor Agnes receives, the more embarrassed she becomes on Princess Teresa's side - after all, objectively speaking, her sister has always been stealing Princess Teresa's limelight, which is very difficult.
Tolerable.
Her current power and influence were all obtained with the help of Theresa, and Agnes has no desire for power at all, and will not interfere in political affairs, so she cannot give herself these, so if she is with Theresa
The princess has fallen out of favor here, which means that she will fall from her current position - and this is a consequence that she cannot accept.
I'm afraid that the prince brought me here today just to accuse him of this matter...
Although she had already made a general guess in her heart, Alice still maintained a calm and just the right amount of politeness on the surface.
"You are serious, Your Majesty. I am just doing my duty, how can I be qualified to receive praise from His Highness the Prince? I am only willing to use my little ability to share more of your burden..."
"I told you that Mrs. Alice is smart, capable and humble. Do you believe me now?" Teresa said to her brother with a smile. Then, she waved her hand and signaled the maid next to her to help her to the room.
Rest, "I'm a little tired today, so you guys just have a chat. I'll take a rest first."
Naturally, Alice had no objection, so she bowed her knees and watched Teresa leave, then stood there, waiting for the prince's attack.
And just after she came in, Prince Albrecht was also secretly sizing up the lady.
Although he had been mentally prepared for it, he still couldn't help but secretly admire his wife's beauty.
The lady with blond hair and blue eyes and exquisite facial features has her long hair tied up in a bun with jewelry and hair accessories. Coupled with a luxurious palace skirt, she has a palace aura coming to her, just like she came from Louis X.
The paintings of the Four Ages came down the same.
Even if he hasn't met Miss Agnes yet, from his sister's appearance, the prince probably understands why his brother-in-law is addicted to it.
But my sister’s appearance and talents are no worse than any of them…
With such annoyance and dissatisfaction, the prince finally spoke and broke the silence.
"Mrs. Alice, I was just talking to my sister about you. She has been praising you, thinking that you are smart and reliable, and that you are now her indispensable assistant, and you have great appearance. She said it very well, so I also
I didn’t quite believe it, but now that I see him face to face, I’m convinced, it does seem to be the case.”
"Compared to Your Majesty the Queen, everything I have is insignificant, Your Highness." Alice replied calmly, "She is far better than me in every aspect, and I really cannot deserve her such praise."
"You are too modest."
Albrecht groaned inwardly.
Although he was born in the royal family, he is very young now and has not enough life experience. He is not very good at dealing with such a sophisticated lady at first sight - not everyone can be as good at Sophie as his brother-in-law was.
He is at ease in front of him.
"Although I haven't met your sister yet, I have heard about her deeds for a long time. I guess she is as charming as you, right?" He asked again, and hinted that he was here to investigate.
"I'm making you laugh. My sister is young and ignorant, and she really can't bear the attention and praise from the outside world." Alice shook her head gently, and then continued in a gentle tone, "However, to be honest with you,
I have been proud of her since she was a child. Her appearance and talents are far better than mine. Because of this, I can only stand behind her in obscurity, as you see now."
The prince frowned secretly again.
Although he was deliberately hinting, the other party seemed not to understand at all, and still responded according to his own formula, refusing to continue at all.
He already knows that no matter what he says, whether he goes straight to the point or makes indirect remarks, the other party can easily deal with it.
So after hesitating for a moment, he decided to simply move his father out.
"To tell you the truth, in addition to me hearing these rumors, my father in Vienna also heard these rumors... To be honest, this did not make him happy, because the praise from the outside world overwhelms you too much.
My sister, so much so that people forget her identity."
Sure enough... Alice had already guessed the purpose of the other party calling her here, and this was completely confirmed.
Although time was in a hurry, she could not think of any better way to deal with His Highness, but under the current circumstances, she absolutely could not back down in front of the Prince, let alone draw a clear line with her sister.
He is fighting for his sister, but he is also fighting for his sister.
Although it is indeed her sister's fault now, and although she is now relying on Princess Teresa to earn a living, she still has to help her sister, because she has no one to rely on except herself.
"It is indeed a great pity to make His Highness the Grand Duke feel unhappy." So, she lowered her head slightly and replied softly, "However, all this is beyond my sister's control. All the praise, grace, and courtesy she has received
, are all rewards given by Your Majesty, and only Your Majesty can take them back. Apart from passively accepting all this, what can she do? I dare not ask you to be considerate of her, but as a sister, I also ask you to allow me to do something for her.
Defense - Agnes is definitely not the kind of child who is greedy for vanity and loves to be in the limelight. On the contrary, she hates being in the limelight more than anyone else. She would rather stand behind others and watch others being in the limelight...so all this is not from her.
willing."
Of course the prince didn't believe this excuse, so he shook his head gently.
"But from what I see now...it's really not what you said."
After a pause, he emphatically stated his position, "Madam, I am here to congratulate people. If possible, I do not want to get involved in any disputes and conflicts. But now my sister is being treated
It is so unreasonable, even close to humiliation, that neither my father nor I can turn a deaf ear to this... So I ask you to forgive me for raising my opinion to you in person. I think you should also be able to understand our feelings.
?”
"I can understand, Your Highness..." Alice bowed slightly again, "But even so, I still have to defend my sister, because she also doesn't deserve to be judged like this by you. She is already trying her best to complete herself.
She has also endured too much humiliation and pain, so she should not be unfairly blamed!"