Just as Eggron predicted, Teresa's performance on stage became the headline news of various newspapers the next day. People rushed to spread the word about Her Majesty the Queen's "people-friendly performance", and in the reports, they all praised Queen Teresa.
He greatly praised his artistic quality and appearance.
This was not a planned program, but Teresa received unexpected praise from the outside world. Naturally, Teresa herself was very happy about it.
She wanted to continue to maintain contact with the public in the coming days, so that people would forget that she was a high-ranking Habsburg princess and truly accept her as the mother of a country.
At this time, the entire palace was fully mobilized to prepare for the first grand Christmas celebration in the empire.
In order to let the people feel the current authority and splendor of the empire, Aigron naturally spared no expense and planned to use lively and extraordinary celebrations to make the people of Paris adapt to his rule.
Now that the "Supreme Will" has spoken, the palace is busy nervously welcoming the arrival of Christmas and New Year.
Among such a group of busy people, Lady Alice, who is trusted and relied upon by both Her Majesty, is undoubtedly the busiest among them. She is almost everywhere, supervising various preparations on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, determining the guest list and queue order, and
The various procedures of welcome and concierge...are almost too busy to even touch the ground.
Although she was busy, her heart was full of happiness at this time. First of all, she felt extremely fulfilled with the feeling of holding great power and being trusted. Secondly, the company of her husband and daughter also made her feel the sense of family at all times.
of warmth.
Since taking over the task of making commemorative paintings, Edgar has lived in the palace and devoted himself to creation. He changed from his normal state and began to work seriously. When he was free, he helped take care of his daughter Xia Lu. He looked like he had changed his mind.
, Alice, who was close to despairing of her husband, finally saw a glimmer of hope.
At this point, she naturally doesn't expect Edgar to climb to a high position. Her only hope is that he won't cause trouble, won't go out and live a family life with her, and raise her beloved daughter together.
.
The success of her career and family made Alice feel very good. Even though she was so busy, she still felt happy.
One day before Christmas, her father Nordion quietly found her and expressed that he wanted to discuss something secretly with her.
Although her relationship with her father had not been good in the past few years, Alice did not refuse her father's request and found an empty room to receive her father.
When the two were face to face at close range, she noticed that her father's face was solemn, and when he looked at her, he was filled with annoyance and helplessness.
Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and she began to have a bad feeling in her heart.
"Dad, do you have anything to tell me?" Alice suppressed her uneasiness and asked her father in a low voice.
The Duke hesitated for a moment, and then asked Alice in a low voice, "Alice, I heard that your husband came to the palace recently?"
"Yes." Alice nodded, "He was given the important task of making a commemorative painting for His Majesty's coronation, so he concentrated on creating it in the palace."
"Really? How do you feel about him treating you? Is there anything he is hiding from you?" the Duke then asked.
"Huh?" Alice was a little curious, "What do you mean?"
"Well...it seems like he didn't tell you anything...but that's right, that's just the way they are." The Duke shrugged.
Then, his expression became solemn again, "Listen, daughter, what I told you today is of great importance. You'd better not spread it outside, as it won't be good for yourself."
The ominous premonition in Alice's heart became more and more intense, but she still maintained a reluctant shock.
"What exactly do you mean? Tell me, Dad, I won't tell anyone."
"First of all, the first thing you should know is that Edgar and Princess Kadiyan had an affair in the past." The Duke said in a low voice.
Alice's delicate face suddenly twitched. Obviously she already knew about this matter, and it has always been a heartache for her. "Yes, I know. But that is already in the past, and now the princess is nowhere to be found.
Edgar has also returned to his family, let the past be in the past..."
"Originally, I thought so too. After all, such affairs are everywhere, how can I manage them? But, Alice, the situation is not that simple..." The Duke sighed, "They have an illegitimate child.
And according to reliable information, the illegitimate son was not abandoned by Edgar. He was brought to the exiled Duke of Treville, and it seems that he has been regarded as a member of the family."
Following her father's words, Alice's face became increasingly ugly, and her original good mood was wiped out.
"Really?" she asked immediately.
"Why would I joke about something like this? You can go check it out then," the Duke replied.
Seeing that her father didn't look like he was lying or joking, Alice's heart suddenly throbbed. Her husband's betrayal turned out to be more serious than she thought. But she didn't expect that the blow she suffered didn't stop there.
Then, the Duke lowered his voice again, "Alice, the situation is not just that. I heard privately from His Majesty that General Treville is very dissatisfied with you because you have not given birth to an heir.
He had even planned to secretly hand over all the family property to the illegitimate son, and asked Your Majesty's permission for this. Moreover, I also secretly inquired during this period, and it turns out that he is indeed trying every means to conceal and transfer the property... It seems that this is indeed true.
"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Alice's original calmness and calmness disappeared instantly, replaced by a face twisted with anger and a scream filled with hatred.
Now there are no beautiful and dignified ladies here, only resentful women whose souls are traumatized and on the verge of collapse.
Facing his daughter's angry face, the Duke couldn't help feeling a little nervous. He swallowed and then answered carefully.
"I heard it from Your Majesty, and I can assure you that it is accurate word for word. Alice, do you think I have the courage to forge His Majesty's words in order to alienate your relationship as husband and wife? If it weren't for the fact that you are my daughter.
, I won’t risk telling you this!”
Then, he told his daughter the whole thing, including the secret kidnapping of Princess Kadiyang.
"Impossible! You must be lying to me!" Alice still screamed in denial of her father's words.
But her reason gradually told herself that her father's words should indeed be true. Although it seemed bizarre, it seemed to be consistent with some of the clues she had observed.
Okay, great, it turns out that I have been played around by this father and son, and I thought I could live a simple life like this in the future, but I didn't expect that they were still plotting against me in private.
In fact, Alice doesn't particularly care about the Marquis of Treville's money and family business now. After all, she herself is also a popular figure in the court.
However, the feeling of being humiliated, deceived, scorned, and trampled on cannot be erased no matter what.
What a shame! What did they think of their mother and daughter?
Alice suddenly felt a fishy sweetness welling up in her throat, and Alice knew that it was her own blood.
No... you can't be embarrassed like this in front of your father... hold it in, you have to hold it back!
With shocking perseverance, she forcibly swallowed the mouthful of blood again.
"Alice, aren't you?" Seeing his daughter's face gradually distorting, the Duke panicked a little.
"No...it's okay, I'm fine...Dad." Alice suddenly laughed silently. "Great, I finally see clearly. It turns out that in the end, all this is just deception and humiliation! Okay, great,
It’s useless for me to be so conceited, it turns out that I have been played around by these two father and son... I really deserve it!"
Along with her smile and curse, little bits of blood spread to the corners of her mouth. This shocking sense of poignancy left the Duke stunned.
"Dad, tell me? Have I...have I ever felt sorry for them?" Alice suddenly stared at her father.
Before her father could answer, she gave the answer herself. "No...never! I worked hard to be a good wife and daughter-in-law, and I paid so much for it, and I was even abandoned by you! But, what did I get in exchange...
?It’s been used and humiliated mercilessly. Okay, it’s really great! I deserve this, I gave them the chance myself!”
Although the Duke and his daughter had been angry for many years and no longer had much affection for each other, now that he saw his daughter being so severely hit, he still felt a little compassion after all.
"Sigh... I told you that marrying him would not bring good results, but why didn't you listen?" He sighed.
Alice received another heavy blow in her heart.
Yes, now she knows, but what's the point? The youth, love and hope she lost are all irreparable in the end, and she gains nothing.
Gain nothing, not even cherished by anyone, just trampled on at will.
"Edgar...fortunately he still dares to put on a warm face in front of me! But he never said a word to me, and never apologized to me, not even a word! He put me
He treats me like a fool and makes excuses every time he goes out for a romantic getaway. What does he think I am?!"
She cursed loudly again.
"etc!"
As if she noticed something again, she suddenly stood up from the chair.
"No wonder... no wonder he suddenly came to the palace and made friends everywhere. That's it... that's it!"
The Duke didn't know Ed's true intention to join the palace, so he didn't think much about it. But for Alice, the situation was completely different. She was originally a very sensitive person, and before, it was just because of busyness and blindness that she
So I didn’t pay special attention to Edgar’s suspicious words and deeds.
But now, after her father revealed the truth, the clues that she had deliberately avoided were connected in front of her again.
After all, false happiness is just a fragile bubble. When she faced the truth, the cold stinging pain made her feel like a knife.
Her heart was throbbing violently, and the pain almost drove her crazy.
"It turns out that he is here to find someone, no wonder! No...does he think he can still get the happiness of free enjoyment? Does he think that no matter what he does, I still have to endure it silently? No...he is wrong, I want revenge
, I must take revenge! I want them to bear my anger together, and I want to return all the humiliation I suffered to him!"
Seeing his daughter's red eyes and distorted face, the Duke was almost frightened out of his mind.
Although he was happy to see his daughter and son-in-law break up completely, at this moment, he did not dare to propose his original plan. After all, if his daughter was angry now and he added fuel to the fire, God knew what would happen.
Anyway, there is only a long time to come, and there is no rush.
"Yes, this kid has gone too far. Not only has he been promiscuous, he has also humiliated our family. We must remember this account and make him suffer terribly if we turn around!"
"You don't have to wait to look back... You have to do it as soon as possible, you have the chance now!" Alice said quietly.
If just now she was filled with furious fire, then at this moment, her words make people feel bone-chilling.
"Ah?" The Duke was caught off guard.
Alice's mind was spinning rapidly at this moment, and her anger and desire for revenge made her almost desperate at this moment.
"Dad, do you still have contact with the exiled little court?" Alice looked at her father and asked softly.
"How can there be any contact?" The Duke quickly denied.
"Then you must at least have someone with whom you have a close relationship and who needs help from you, right? After all, you were once a courtier." Alice continued to ask.
"Well, yes, there is, but why do we need to interact with them now? This is not in line with our position..." the Duke asked rhetorically.
"That's enough... I ask you to do me a favor." Alice interrupted her father.
"What's the rush?"
"You go find such a person, and then use him to contact Prince Kadiyang, and ask him to reveal in a roundabout way that the princess's current situation is miserable and that she is in urgent need of money and other help, and then let him get a letter from His Highness the Prince.
"Send me the letters and documents secretly." Alice instructed her father in a somewhat cryptic manner.
Good guy!
The Duke was shocked beyond words.
Although his talent was mediocre, he had been in the court for many years, had some sense, and had seen the world. He immediately understood what his daughter wanted to do.
"Are you trying to frame Edgar?"
"False accusation? What did I frame him for? Didn't he just want to save his old lover?" Alice asked with a smile.
And this smile made the Duke's hair stand on end.
He didn't expect that after hearing the news that the world was falling apart, his humiliated daughter was indeed extremely angry as expected, but she didn't cry and start to prepare for revenge in the blink of an eye.
Already.
This went beyond his original plan.
I just wanted to let my daughter and son-in-law break up in private and live their own lives, but I didn't expect that my daughter would be so cruel and determined to kill her husband.
Although Edgar's private attempt to rescue Princess Cadyang violated His Majesty's taboo, this was nothing more than a romantic affair. Even if Edgar's affair came to light, relying on General Treville's reputation, he would still be the same.
I can get a chance from His Majesty to be given a lighter sentence. But if "politics" are involved, that's another matter.
What is important is not what happened to the princess, but that Edgar actually communicated with the exiled small court and followed the instructions of Prince Cadyang.
Now that His Majesty has just ascended the throne, many forces at home and abroad are dissatisfied. Naturally, the imperial government will adopt the toughest attitude to face potential hostile forces.
The exiled Bourbon royal family and the small aristocratic court surrounding them are undoubtedly the most prominent among the "rebels".
Once Edgar is labeled as a "traitor", it is not a problem that can be solved by reprimanding and punishing him. At the very least, his future will be ruined, and he may even be imprisoned for it.
Moreover, it would be difficult for him to clear his suspicions. After all, the identity of the princess was known to everyone, and he had such a close relationship with the princess, and even wanted to secretly rescue her. If he were to be interrogated, he might not be able to defend himself.
For a moment, the Duke took a breath of cold air and stared blankly at his seemingly delicate and timid daughter, as if he no longer recognized her.
When did she become like this? And who forced her to become like this?
"This... this is not good." Faced with the sudden pressure, the Duke couldn't help hesitating. "Alice, that kid really deserves to be taught a lesson, but if he makes the matter so big, will he go too far?
?I don’t think it’s necessary…”
It's not that he feels sorry for this hateful son-in-law. In fact, he wishes that Edgar would be in bad luck. He is afraid that the matter will get too big and it will not be settled by then. After all, Edgar is Alice's husband and his own husband no matter what.
Once my son-in-law is suspected of having an affair with the party, I am afraid that his own family will also be implicated.
"What, are you scared?" Alice sneered at her father, "You were still full of indignation just now, saying you wanted to take revenge. Why are you backing down now? Dad, although your status is no longer what it used to be,
But you are still as cowardly as before, no wonder His Majesty is unwilling to reuse you..."
If he had been ridiculed by his daughter before, the Duke would have been furious, but at this moment, he could no longer care about his anger.
Because of Alice's cold eyes at this moment, the Duke couldn't help but feel scared.
"I... of course I also want to teach that kid a lesson..." So, he defended himself awkwardly, "But if we make the matter bigger, it will not be good for ourselves. Think about it, you are him
Madam, if he is made a political prisoner, there is no guarantee that he will not cause trouble to you."
Although her father's advice did make sense, Alice, who was extremely angry at this time, was already filled with the flames of revenge and turned a deaf ear to her father.
"I have my own solution to this problem." She replied coldly. "Just tell me, can you help me with this?"