People's hearts are fickle, and the wheel of the times always rolls forward ruthlessly. A few months ago, the turmoil and revolution surrounding Paris had plunged the country into shock and panic, but with the passage of time, everything has changed now.
Order has been restored.
People were once shocked beyond measure by big news, but now they are fully immersed in ordinary daily life. They are used to the disappearance of the Bourbon royal family again, used to Talleyrand coming to power again, and are used to it.
When the King of Rome returned, everything returned to peace, as if it were natural.
The same is true for the Tuileries Palace, which once served as a symbol of royal power. Thanks to the official's meticulous repairs regardless of the cost, the traces of the brutal fighting not long ago have now disappeared, and the Tuileries Palace has gradually regained its former graceful appearance.
posture.
And today, this ancient palace ushered in another bright morning.
Under the illumination of the morning light, a group of cavalry guards surrounded several carriages and slowly drove into the square in front of the palace. Then, two children in their early ten years, a boy and a girl, stepped out of a carriage.
They are all good-looking, and their words and deeds show that they are well-educated, but at this time, their faces are obviously timid and uneasy, and they also have a sense of ignorance about the future.
They were ordered by their mother to go to their "brother", but even their mother didn't know how the elder brother saw them and what kind of fate he planned to bring them. She only knew that only
By sending the two children here, it is possible to gain practical protection for their future.
After the two children got off the carriage, they were taken to the palace by the attendants. The journey was smooth, and the guards saluted them one after another. This respectful attitude made the two children feel a little relieved - it seemed that they were here or
More or less still has some status.
Soon, they were brought to a young and beautiful maid.
Although she was wearing the attire of a maid, she seemed to have a very high status here, and even the originally arrogant attendant did not dare to act respectfully in front of her.
"Hello, Your Highnesses! My name is Chanel Noel, and I am His Majesty's personal maid." After seeing the two children, the maid came forward with a smile, and then saluted calmly, "Your Majesty is already waiting.
You guys, please come with me."
Even though they are still very young, the two children are, after all, the children of the former Queen of France and the current Grand Duchess of Parma. They certainly understand the simple truth that "whoever is closest to the core of power will be at the front of the power sequence." So in Chanai
After you introduced yourself to your family, they didn't dare to show off in front of a mere maid, but they saluted Chanel with the same respect.
Seeing the respectful and shrinking look of the two children, Chanel couldn't help but laugh.
"Your Highnesses, you don't have to be so reserved. After all, this will be your home from now on... His Majesty will treat you well, as long as you can respect him and obey him as you treat your elder brother."
The two children nodded hurriedly.
While they were talking, they were taken to the reception hall in the palace. The guards slowly opened the door, and then the wide hall was gradually revealed to the two children along the red carpet.
There were many people here, and they were all looking at the two children who had come from afar from Italy with curious eyes. On the throne in the center of the hall, two young men and women were sitting.
Both Amberdine and William had met the Agrons. Although their impressions were a bit vague, they knew who the protagonists were just by looking at the scene.
The two majesties on the throne were dressed in magnificent clothes, majestic and solemn, and coupled with the courtiers lined up next to them, the grand atmosphere suddenly overwhelmed the two children, making them inevitably nervous and frightened.
mood.
However, after all, they are also descendants of the royal family. They have experienced the feeling of stars and the moon since they were young, so they quickly restrained this fear.
As the elder sister, Amberdine, although she was only 13 years old, stood bravely in front of her younger brother, then led her younger brother along the carpet and finally came to the throne.
At this time, they saw clearly what their "brother" looked like now, and also how "sister-in-law" Teresa looked pregnant.
The two of them are the future protectors and objects of allegiance to their siblings.
Such grace and appearance are indeed worthy...
The two children stopped and then saluted the couple respectfully.
Their respect received a cordial response from the couple. Teresa smiled and waved her hands gently to them, while Aigron walked directly down from the throne, then walked in front of the two children, and then gently waved his hands to them.
Wipe their faces lightly.
"Amberdine, William, welcome you to become a new member of our family——"
Before these two children came to France, Aigron had been troubled by how to receive them.
They are not worthy of using the title of royal family members, and they are certainly not honored guests of the country, so it is impossible to give them too high courtesy; but on the other hand, they have some blood relationship with him, and he had promised to do so back then.
The mother and Count Nepeg, who was terminally ill and about to die, must treat these two children well, and he did not want to break his promise.
Therefore, due to emotion and reason, he could not treat these two children too coldly.
So, after some thought, he decided to adopt the policy of "not making any fuss to the outside world and being as courteous as possible to the inside" and let these two embarrassing children settle down in his palace first, as long as no one talked about their embarrassment.
identity, that means there is no embarrassment.
When they gradually grow up to adulthood, and the people around them have become accustomed to their existence, Aigron will "convert" them into real royal members, making the siblings of the Neipeg family become as powerful as the Beauharnais family.
Half relative and half vassal of the Bonaparte family, they enjoy a special status but are far from the royal family.
He believed that by doing so, he had not broken his promise to his mother, but also that he had done his best to benevolent and righteous.
However, the general policy has been determined, but the specific personal relationship with the siblings is another question. Aigron has high self-esteem, and naturally has high demands on the people around him, so it will also depend on their performance in the future.
——If they are capable, they will naturally have the opportunity to be reused. If they are not capable, then they can just live an ordinary life with the titles they have been given.
At this time, looking at the two timid children, Aigron couldn't help but think of his mother who was thousands of miles away.
She must be worried about the children in the palace of Parma right now, right?
That is a worry I will never have...
Originally, Aigron would be indignant when he thought of this, but now, he can only feel plain relief.
After all, time can smooth over a lot of things, and now he has a lot less resentment towards his mother - of course, this is also closely related to the fact that he has made a comeback. People are always very easy to become generous when they are proud of themselves.
In his opinion, his mother Louisa is completely his negative asset - his greatest capital is his surname and bloodline, but once people think that his mother is the Countess of Naipegg, they will make him laugh even if they have no intention of ridiculing him.
The face is dull.
The more high-profile Louisa is, the more attention she will attract from the outside world, and the more people will remember this.
Therefore, after Aigron returned to Paris, Louisa did him a favor by remaining wisely silent for several months without making any public remarks.
It is conceivable that after the two children were brought over, she will continue to keep silent appropriately for the rest of her life, so that her son and grandson will not be embarrassed, and in exchange for Aigron's protection of Amberdine and William, this can be regarded as
There is an unspoken understanding between mother and son.
"Your mother, do you have anything to say to me?" Aigron suddenly asked.
The two siblings looked at each other in confusion - Aigron called Louisa 'your mother', obviously deliberately keeping distance from his mother.
However, they certainly did not dare to question Aigron. After a moment of silence, Amberdine replied in a low voice. "When we left, my mother asked us to say hello to you. She wished that your future career would be as successful as it is today, and she will always
Praying for you before God.”
After a pause, Amberdin took the opportunity to emphasize, "In addition, mother also told us that we must treat you as a father. We must obey whatever you say without hesitation, and we must do our best.
, to be your right-hand man."
"Becoming my right-hand man? That can't be achieved just by relying on her blood. You must have real ability." Aigron smiled, although it was slightly sarcastic, but his tone was not harsh.
"Then you should work hard in the future, I'm waiting to see your performance!"
The two children nodded repeatedly, and then Amberdine picked up a sachet from his arms and carefully handed it to Aiglon.
"This is a gift from my mother to Prince François. She said that she regretted not witnessing the birth of the prince with her own eyes, and that there will probably be no chance of meeting him in the future, so she hopes to use this gift to make up for the loss.
Pity."
Aiglon took the sachet, then opened it and looked inside, and found a cross inlaid with gems. It looked like it had been around for some time, and the pearls on the edge were covered with a round light.
Aigron recognized it at a glance. It was an item that his mother had worn all year round.
Humph, does this count as grandma’s protection for her grandson?
Aiglon silently put the cross back into the sachet.
She may indeed be sincere in giving this gift.
No matter how bad the relationship between mother and son was, Louisa, as a woman in her twilight years, could not miss her eldest grandson who was just born. She knew that it would be difficult for her to see her grandson in this life, so she left her personal belongings as a substitute.
With my grandson around, this is understandable.
From another perspective, this is a gift from grandma to her grandson. No matter how unkind Aiglon is, he can't say no to it.
"I thank her. I think François will definitely value this gift when he becomes sensible." Aiglon nodded lightly and accepted the gift for his son.
Seeing Aigron's statement, the two siblings felt a little relieved.
And Aigron also had mixed feelings at this time. He knew that the grudge between himself and his mother would be difficult to settle in this life, and he did not want to "smile away the grudge", but the next generation should not inherit his hatred, and everything will eventually be resolved.
For dust and smoke.
Just as Aigron was feeling emotional, Theresa, who was sitting beside him, suddenly spoke.
"My dear brothers and sisters, please forgive me for my inconvenience, can you come over?"
Aiglon waved his hand gently, indicating that they obey Theresa's order, and the two children quickly came to her side.
Seeing the well-behaved and sensible looks of the two children so close to her, Teresa couldn't help but feel a sense of intimacy.
During this period of time, she suffered a lot and felt the cold treatment of her by the French, which must have secretly brought her some "homesickness". At this time, the arrival of two children of the blood of Austrian princesses
, also greatly catered to her lingering nostalgia, and she regarded them as some kind of comfort for herself.
From the perspective of interests, these two children will naturally be labeled as "outsiders" in the palace, which is consistent with their own position. In order to seek asylum, they will definitely move closer to themselves - so,
They are like their natural confidants.
Therefore, whether it was based on personal feelings or interests, Teresa certainly needed to find a way to win over these two children.
In her opinion, this is not a difficult task. After all, two children who are far away from their homeland will also long for shelter and warmth.
"Come closer, I want to have a private word with you." She winked and motioned to the two children.
Amberdine and William did not hesitate. One of them leaned against Teresa and held her left and right hands. This kind of friendly scene, in the eyes of everyone, was tantamount to Teresa publicly announcing to everyone that from now on
These two children are the ones under my protection. If any of you can't get along with them, you can't get along with me.
This silent hint is sometimes more effective than any words.
"You must be very tired after a bumpy journey, right? Although the current welcome ceremony is grand, it is still a bit complicated after all. Since you have already met your brother, let's have a meal together and rest now, right?" Teresa smiled.
Tell them, "Since we are relatives, we should get along with each other as relatives, right?"
Now that she said that, the two children could only nod in agreement. Then, following Teresa's order, everyone dispersed, but they kept talking about intimate family talk, getting closer to each other.
distance from each other.
Amberdine and William were naturally overjoyed at Teresa's courtesy and responded with a hundredfold enthusiasm. However, Amberdine, who was slightly older, tended to pay attention to the reaction of his "brother" - after all, that is what determines everything.