As if on display of his most precious treasures, Emperor Franz-Joseph appeared with his fiancée. And unsurprisingly, the girl quickly won everyone's attention and amazement—even Charlotte, who was above the top, subconsciously felt that the two were very compatible, like a fairy tale.

Guided by the solemn attendants with fixed steps, the young emperor and the young princess walked towards the center of the hall, where the Treviles were sitting, the pace of the Emperor's footsteps was slow, the spacing of each step seemed to be measured by a ruler, and the posture was very restrained, with a composure that did not belong to this age; In order to match the pace of her fiancé, the princess's pace is much faster, and it looks a little like a fawn moving forward.

As the distance drew closer, the princess's eyes widened, and she swept her gaze to the Trevilles, as if to identify the two most important guests of the day.

Charlotte and Charles smiled at them, and when the Emperor and Princess walked to the table, Charles stood up and bowed to greet the unmarried couple.

"Allow me to congratulate you, Your Majesty. You will make one of the most beautiful princesses queens, and she will surely add new splendor to your glorious lineage. Charles said, gesturing to his wife, "My wife also thinks that you have a most suitable fiancée, she was almost stunned just now, and now she is only unable to congratulate you because she is pregnant, please forgive her......"

His courteous and seemingly heartfelt praise made the Emperor, who was already in the mood to show off, even happier than ever, and he didn't mind complimenting Charles in the same way.

"You also have a charismatic wife. Mr. Treville. The Treville family is no less illustrious. ”

And when the two of them complimented each other, the princess did not speak. Just curiously continued to look at Charles and Charlotte.

Then the Emperor sat down on the throne. She sat on one side with Charles, and the princess sat on the other side with Charlotte.

As soon as they were seated, the servants of the court quickly set up their meals, and supper began.

In the much more relaxed atmosphere, people also let go of the tension just now, and began to talk in twos and threes, and the whole restaurant suddenly became noisy and noisy, but this did not affect Charles's mood, on the contrary, he felt that in this case, he could get along with the emperor more harmoniously. Pull in the relationship between the two sides.

While talking to the Emperor, Charles gave Charlotte a look, hoping that she would be able to talk to the princess and draw in a relationship with the future Empress of Austria.

At this time, the princess was nervous that the emperor's eyes were no longer on her, and she found that even during the meal, she was the center of attention of most people, and everyone glanced at her from time to time as if they were judging her while they were talking.

Because of this. The princess only felt that her whole body was very stiff, and she did not dare to move, for fear that she would lose her demeanor and make people laugh. However, she looked so nervous. On the contrary, it makes people feel more compassionate.

"Your Highness, let's have a drink." Charlotte filled her cup with juice and looked over to the princess, who was on pins and needles. "I'm pregnant, and you're young. The two of us can just use this toast. ”

“…… Well?! As if awakened, the princess was stunned at first. Then reacted immediately, nervously picking up the cup, "Okay, de Treville, it's really nice to meet you." ”

Her French was a little strange because of her German accent, but it was still very crisp.

Because of nervousness, some of the juice in the cup was spilled and fell onto the table, but Charlotte pretended not to see it, touched the cup with the princess, and drank the juice, this calm attitude and demeanor made the princess graveyard envious.

"Don't be nervous, Your Highness, it's glory rather than disaster to be in the limelight." After Charlotte finished the juice, she looked at the other party with a smile, "You're still too young, so you may be a little uncomfortable." But when you become a queen in the future, you can go in and out of this kind of occasion in about three days, and it will be difficult for you to be nervous at that time, and I am afraid that you will only feel monotonous and boring. ”

"Maybe you're right, ma'am." The princess drank the juice from her glass, and finally calmed down. "You...... You're in Paris, so you must be attending similar occasions in the social world, right? Do you find it boring? ”

When she talked about Paris, there was some yearning and envy in her tone, probably influenced by some kind of tutor.

"To say boring...... There were some in previous years. Charlotte raised her gaze slightly, as if recalling her previous experience, "You might think I'm exaggerating, I was really one of the stars in the social world back then. However, after a few years of being in the limelight in the social world, one day I suddenly felt that I had enough of the limelight, and it was boring to say repetitive polite words to people at the ball...... However, after a while, I found the fun and meaning in it again, and I no longer felt bored. ”

"Why?" The princess asked curiously, not feeling at all that her inquiring attitude was a taboo in the social world.

"Because, when I married my husband, I was no longer Mademoiselle de Treville, but Madame de Treville." Charlotte was not upset by the princess's attitude, "I am no longer doing these things for myself, but for the sake of my family, and I want to make everyone else understand the prestige and grandeur of our family, and I want to communicate well with others for my husband—because you don't think he is so easy-going, he is actually a person who does not like to socialize with others." ”

"I see!" The princess blinked, and then she looked at Charlotte with some admiration.

She is a social star from Paris, and she is the descendant of a famous French family, and her attitude is so kind and funny. I know a lot of things.

"It seems that you love your husband very much and live happily." She asserted.

"It's impossible to say if you're happy or not," Charlotte smiled. Then he took another sip of juice, "but if I don't love him." Why do you marry him? ”

"I envy you, I want to ...... If only I could be like you. The princess looked at Charlotte enviously in an unpretentious tone, "I will also love him as much as I can, he is His Majesty the Emperor, how can I not love him?" ”

"I think you'll only be happier than I am, after all, your husband is very handsome, and he can love you with an empire." Charlotte was still smiling, "I guess I envy you." ”

"Nope. I really envy you! You're about to become a mother, and I don't know when I'll be able to do it yet. When the princess said this, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed, "Mother and some others told me that my duty was to continue the Habsburg lineage, and I was afraid that I had not done a good job. ”

The princess felt that Charlotte was mature and happy, and that she was the kind of future she longed for. It was also for this reason that she and Charlotte hit it off at first sight. It's as if he regarded Charlotte as his teacher, so he was quickly guided by Charlotte and said what was in his heart.

"Since God has blessed you with such a good heart and such a good heart. Then God will also give you another child, you don't have to worry about that, just wait quietly for God's gift. Charlotte poured herself another glass of juice. Then he raised his hand to the princess again, "Cheers to you and your fiancé's two great lineages!" You'll let them pass on. And carry them forward with your kindness. ”

"Thank you for your blessings!" The princess hurriedly poured herself a glass of juice and then clinked glasses with Charlotte.

After another drink. The princess's mood was much more natural, and the original pressure and tension had been swept away. At this moment, she was radiant, as if she had been covered with a layer of powder.

It's nice to be young—Charlotte thought with envy. Although she herself is only twenty-four years old now, compared with the princess who is ten years younger than herself, the youthful vitality makes her a little sideways.

At that moment, she noticed that the princess had blinked, and her lips moved slightly, as if to say something.

"Your Highness, what do you want to say?"

"Madame, I think...... I would like to ask you a question, which may be a bit presumptuous, but ...... I'm really curious, though. The princess looked at Charlotte apologetically. Will you be able to forgive me for my offense? ”

"I may ask, Your Highness." Charlotte smiled, "It's okay. ”

"Everyone says that the Tréville family is a famous family in France, but when I studied the royal lineage of France, I didn't find out the relationship between your ancestors and the royal line......" She glanced at Charlotte a little unnaturally, "Oh, please don't mind, I'm not questioning your lineage, I'm just curious, because everyone says that and I don't quite understand why......"

Studying the lineage of the nobles of the major wealthy families in European countries is a compulsory course for almost every nobleman, and the princess naturally has to take such a lesson, but after all, she is a prince of Germany, so she does not know much about the French family.

"Our Treville family goes back to the Carolingian era, when one of our ancestors, the Count de Treville, married a daughter of the royal family when King Charles III was in power." Charlotte, who has always been proud of her family tree, can of course answer this question completely calmly, "Although the Capetian family replaced the Carolingian royal line, the royal blood is still passed down from our ancestors after all, so we finally got some insignificant fame." ”

Although she said it modestly, the pride in Charlotte's heart was overflowing, and it was obvious that she had always been proud of such a pedigree.

"I see! I finally got it! The princess finally understood, and then nodded incessantly, "No wonder they say that......"

"Who are they? And what do they say? Charlotte asked keenly.

The princess was a little embarrassed, and she looked at Charlotte hesitantly, as if she didn't dare to say anything.

But Charlotte kept watching her, and in the end she had to give in.

"They were referring to some of my father's friends in Bavaria, who often visited my father's place. And your husband ...... We don't have a good reputation there......" After a moment's hesitation, the princess answered Charlotte's question honestly, "They all say he ...... Said he ......"

Oh, my God. Did she really answer me honestly?

Charlotte didn't have to think about it to know what her husband's reputation would be in the country and even in Europe, but she didn't expect the princess to answer the question so honestly in front of her.

This should be said to be a deliberate mockery. Or should I say that I can't understand the naivety of ingenuity?

At the moment, it looks like it's the latter.

After glancing at Charles, looking at his slightly stiffened face. Charlotte couldn't help but want to laugh, and then deliberately continued to ask. "What do they say about my husband? Please tell me, I'm not going to be angry. ”

After receiving Charlotte's assurance, the princess hesitated slightly, then turned slightly to the side and moved closer to Charlotte's side.

"They say that your husband is a big villain, one of the worst of Bonaparte's gang, so he has the trust and importance of Bonaparte." The princess lowered her voice. "They also say that he has ruined the reputation and honour of the best French surname and is not at all worthy of my respect......"

As if she felt that she had gone too far, the princess quickly stopped, and then looked at Charlotte with an apologetic face, "Oh my God, look at me...... What do you think I've said? ”

Charlotte's expression became a little strange, but instead of being angry, she ...... It's holding back a smile.

The corners of her eyes rolled. Glancing at her husband again, she noticed that Charles's expression was very strange.

Her husband and the emperor had been listening to the conversation between the two of them, and the emperor's expression was embarrassed and apologetic. Charles's expression was embarrassed and helpless.

"They say that my husband is a big villain and has taken refuge in Bonaparte. Did you do all the bad things with him? With an inexplicable pleasure, Charlotte deliberately asked rhetorically. She also deliberately let her husband hear, "Oh. They actually say that about my husband? This...... It's amazing. ”

"I'm sorry......" The princess felt that she had gone too far, so she quickly apologized to Charlotte, "It's just something they said in private, I hope you don't mind, I think you and your wife are very cultured and charming people, and they are by no means bad people, and sure enough, some things can only be considered true if you witness them yourself." ”

Is a well-bred and charismatic person necessarily a good person? Kid, don't be so naïve...... Charlotte, of course, wouldn't say that, she just pretended to be depressed and lowered her head, while looking away at her husband's rare embarrassment.

This is the "diplomatic fruit" you want, so keep it safe.

"I'm sorry." After a moment of silence between the four of them, Emperor Franz-Joseph finally broke the awkward silence, "Sissi is still young, and she doesn't understand the world a little, Monsieur Treville, I hope you don't mind because of this. You need to know...... Her father, with ...... There's a certain kind of liberal spirit, so he associates with people who don't agree with your politics, and they may say bad things about you behind your back. Rest assured, however, that their opinions will in no way affect the Habsburgs' friendship with you. ”

The princess's father was an idle royal family, and he was usually liberal, as Charles knew. He knew all the more that after the coup d'état, he and Louis Bonaparte expelled many political enemies and ****** in France, and some of them naturally fled to Bavaria, and these people were even less likely to speak of him.

However, even so, only children can talk to people like this, how can the social world be so honest. Charles thought a little depressedly.

What made him even more depressed was that he had no way to refute this kind of thing...... Presumably, in the whole of Europe, his reputation is almost like this.

I'm a big villain, and I took refuge in that villain of Bonaparte, and I did all the bad things with him.

However, strangely, despite being punched in the face like this, Charles was not angry.

Matilda's grandfather, the late Count of Delion, had viciously taunted Franz Joseph, who was then only the heir to the Empire, as "a new puscular wound on the dead Habsburg zombie", and Charles honestly thought so.

However, even if he knew that the fourteen-year-old girl was destined for a bad fate, he could no longer use vicious language to ridicule her, on the contrary, his attitude was extremely gentle, like watching a child.

Who's going to be angry with a child?

A fourteen-year-old child, who grew up in a greenhouse, wants her to understand so many people, which is a little too embarrassing in itself. Charles thought to himself.

"It's nothing, I just think your wine is particularly delicious, so I'm savoring it." Charles quickly smiled again, "I'm honored to be the talking point between the two. ”

Under Charles's smile, the princess hung her head slightly embarrassed, as if to apologize for the loss of honor just now.

After the Emperor and Charles had a round, the banquet resumed in a cordial atmosphere, after which Charles sent Charlotte back to her room.

"You can rest first, I still have some things to discuss with Your Majesty." After settling his wife, Charles turned around and prepared to go out, "After the meal is full, everyone has the spirit to bargain." ”

"You seem to like her a lot?"

Just as he was about to leave, Charlotte suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Come on, I can see your attitude, just like when I saw your sister. Since more than ten years ago, you have been eating this set, and now you still can't change it. Charlotte glanced at her husband dissatisfied, as if she was a little jealous, "I see that you have a brain disease, and angels are in heaven, how can there be in the world?" You've been deceived by your sister, can't you wake up? Besides, they are the future queens. ”

"But I woke up early." Charles shrugged with a smile before turning to leave the room. (To be continued.) )