The autumn of 1866 was, as usual, the most indulgent time of year in Paris.

In such a season when the climate is the most pleasant and pleasant, and the people are the most leisurely, the passions burn in this nation, and the cross-currents of the imperial era can also be most unbridled and cathartic. Everywhere the dance halls and theaters are crowded, as if they want to spend a year of energy here.

During the reign of the first emperor, every autumn the imperial court would hold a series of large banquets in the palace, banqueting celebrities from all walks of life, showing the wealth and cultural prosperity of the empire, and occasionally even parading around the market with the empress to experience the fun of being surrounded and cheered by the citizens.

After Her Majesty Empress Nanali I succeeded to the throne, although she no longer cruised around the market for safety reasons, the tradition of court banquets was preserved, and every autumn was a grand event for the high society of the empire.

And this year's passion and joy in the court are much more blazing than in previous years.

The entire court was lit up with lights, countless floral ornaments and tassels decorated it with a dreamlike world, and the Empire's usual ostentatious grandeur was brought to the extreme, as if no one cared about the Empire's financial difficulties.

The reason for this celebration is that the Empire won a glorious victory in the year that attracted the attention of the whole world.

In the summer of that year, there were so many shocking events that it turned into a major conflict that shook the whole of Europe. First, Prussia and Austria, the two most powerful states in Germany, ended in war because of a series of diplomatic conflicts, and then, at the instigation of the Reich's Prime Minister Charles de Treville, Duke of Kerson, the Reich forcibly intervened in the war, and quickly mobilized almost all of its forces to launch an all-out march towards Prussia.

In a series of battles, the Kingdom of Prussia was finally defeated, and the Duke of Kersun achieved great deeds.

After the decisive battle of the war had been decided, Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck committed suicide by poisoning, but the news did not cause much repercussions in the Reich - people would never know what a great man he was supposed to be, but only as a common defeated general.

Now, under the leadership of the generals of the Duke of Kerson, the French army had been stationed under the city of Berlin, and the war was effectively over, and it was only a matter of what kind of terms he was going to impose on Prussia.

Such a feat, comparable to that of Napoleon the Great, completely moved the nation and ignited the madness of the whole country. The French have always been fascinated by the glory of war.

Although the Duke himself had not returned, nor had the important generals, many of the officers who had been wounded or on other duty came back in droves, and they were regarded as heroes of the nation, and everyone cheered everywhere they went.

As the leader of the society, the court naturally bore the brunt, and since the good news came, the celebration banquet lasted all night and was endless. It was another pinnacle of the Imperial Age, the most glorious victory of His Majesty Nanali I to date.

However, at this moment, in the heart of Her Majesty the Empress, what is surging is not complete joy, but a little bitterness.

The Empress, who is now only ten years old, is now sitting on the throne in the study of the Tuileries. She wore a dress converted from a military dress, like her father, she did not have too many decorations on her body, except for a Grand Cross Legion of Honor medal pinned to her chest, and a little of the firmness of her parents and ancestors could be seen in her immaturity.

Those bitterness came from the person in front of her.

"Your Majesty, after our deliberations, in recognition of the merits of the Duke of Kerson, I ask you to crown him Prince of Potsdam." Charlotte de Treville, Duchess of Kerson, who stood before her and dressed in a purple court dress, said to her in a tone that was not very respectful, "The Battle of Potsdam was the hardest battle of the Imperial Army, and the decisive battle for the defeat of the Prussian army, so we decided after deliberation that it was the most appropriate to use it as a prime minister." What do you think? ”

Although this may seem like a question, Her Majesty knows that this is not something she can refuse. Years of experience have taught her that it's best to agree quickly so as not to make herself even more ugly.

"Approved." She opened her mouth slightly, then declared her will in a crisp voice.

With her royal approval, the clerk next to her also signed the document.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." "The Duchess, no, the Prince's Lady smiled happily, "I think Charles will be very happy, he will be grateful to you, and it all proves that his loyalty, his life for you and your empire is worth it." ”

"I guess so." The Empress replied with a blank face.

D'Treville is only for himself, he has been usurping his power for years, where is there any loyalty?

Nanali's heart grew more and more bitter, this is where her father and cousin two generations of emperors used to deal with state affairs, they both ruled the country absolutely by their own will, and now she can only bow her head to obey her subordinates, and it is too painful to not be able to show even the slightest resistance in the day when the de Treville family is gaining more and more power because of their glorious victory.

"You seem to be tired?" Seeing her uncomfortable appearance, Charlotte stopped talking and asked with some concern. "Is it because you're not feeling well? If that's the case, it's better to rest early. ”

"No, I'm fine, thank you for your concern." The Empress wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible, so her tone was a little cold, "There is still a lot of work to be done, do you have anything else?" ”

"There's only one left, Your Majesty." Charlotte also felt the rejection of herself, but she was not angry because of this, "Today's ball also has a special session for young people, and we would like to invite you to attend it too." ”

"Special?" There's something strange about Nanali.

"Yes, Your Majesty. You're still young, and it's probably going to make you feel depressed and uncomfortable to stay with us old people, so today we've gathered a lot of young children to the palace so that you can have some fun. Charlotte replied with a smile, "They are all the children of the nobles of the Empire, and they all want to take the opportunity to get to know Your Majesty...... Clovis is also there. You can lead the dance with him, and it should be a nice spectacle. ”

When she heard the last sentence, the excitement that had been burning in Nanali's heart was quickly extinguished. The sense of anticipation turns into a sense of weariness that makes people feel powerless.

It wasn't that she hated Clovis, in fact this handsome and slightly shy and at the same time generous boy was indeed quite likeable, but she hated being forced, she hated being subordinated, she hated being given orders with smiling etiquette that were practically indisobeyable.

But no matter how annoying it was, she knew she still had to attend this occasion. She is the emperor of the empire, and her duty must not be shirked, not to mention that she can also use this to distract herself, and it is more comfortable to talk to young men and women than to face these rigid servants and female officials of the court every day.

"Have they all come to the palace already?" Nanali asked.

"Yes, they are all here, and we told the guests attending the banquet beforehand that children between the ages of ten and fifteen must be brought over to support Your Majesty." Charlotte nodded, and then urged, "Okay, Your Majesty, hurry up and change your clothes, go to receive them early, and dance in a military uniform, I always feel a little ......"

"No, I'm not changing my clothes, I feel good about this outfit." Nanali shook her head and interrupted Madame's words directly. "It's still a time of war, and I should stand with the Empire."

Although she had to comply in most respects, Nanali still didn't mind showing her insistence in some small places.

Charlotte's face changed slightly, with her usual character, it is already rare for Her Majesty to endure silently with the indifference she has always had, and this blatant resistance is a bit excessive.

"Your Majesty, is this a sign of rebellion against us?" She sneered slightly, "If that's the case, it's too naïve, what's the point?" It's just a piece of clothing. ”

"That's what I want to do, can't I?" Nanali asked without fear.

Just when Charlotte was about to get angry, Matilda, the wife who had been silent on the side, hurriedly walked between the two of them and grabbed Charlotte. "Madam, since Your Majesty wants to wear this dress to meet people, then wear it, anyway, it's just a dress, it's actually quite good-looking......"

Under Matilda's persuasion, Charlotte's complexion softened slightly.

"Your Majesty, I really don't want you to treat us as enemies, although I know that you are angry with us, but at least we have always protected you, and I hope you can become our family......"

Her sincere words made Nanali stunned for a moment.

"In the future, you will be my daughter-in-law, and no one will care more about your safety than me." The Prince's wife replied in a low voice. "Please believe me, I love every family member, as long as you are willing to be my family, then you can get my infinite love. I sincerely hope that the rift and hatred between two families and two generations have caused too many misfortunes and too many terrible consequences, and that the bloodshed and sacrifice are not enough. No matter how much you hate me, no matter how much you hate us, I want it all to end this way. Your Majesty, you can marry Clovis and continue the empire, and according to the path we have planned, you can at least go on happily, if not very free...... Is there a better way for you? ”

Then, she gently stroked the Empress's hand, "Please listen to me, no matter what you think, I hope that things will go on this way, and there will be no interference." Hurry up and prepare, it doesn't matter what clothes you wear, come to the side hall in half an hour, there are all the people gathered now, please don't let everyone wait for a long time. ”

Before Nanali could reply, the Prince's wife left the study with a group of her attendants.

………………………………

As the prince's wife said, at this time, a large group of young men and women were already gathered in the side hall where banquets were often held at the court.

Unlike the jeweled fathers who talked in the main hall, they did not make any noise because of the scarcity of ordinary meetings and the restraint peculiar to young people, but gathered together in twos and threes.

However, there were of course exceptions to this group, and the eldest son of the Imperial Chancellor, Clovis de Treville, was in the limelight. This fourteen-year-old blonde and blue-eyed young man has already begun to look like an adult, wearing a black formal suit, with regular and powerful steps, looking handsome and calm.

With his father's rare victory at the helm of the Empire, the Trevills' dominance in the Empire has been strengthened, and it is clear that he will become the heir to the family business and the true ruler of the Empire in the future.

Even these young men knew that he should be the object of their future allegiance, or rather the object of flattery, and so everyone everywhere he went was courteous to him.

However, he did not get carried away because of this, and just responded to everyone's greetings with an indifferent smile.

And next to him was also standing a teenager walking side by side with him, but he was not touched by many people's eyes. The teenager was his younger brother Lelouch. He had long black hair and rare purple eyes, but he was still very handsome. But unlike his easy-going and outgoing brother, he is much more melancholy and hesitant, and his attitude of rejecting people from thousands of miles away is almost like a poet.

His strange appearance, after the initial commotion, was quickly subsided by the Duchess and Duchess, but he was still affected, and since he was a child, he was very introverted and did not like to associate with other people, so he had few friends, and even on occasions like today, people's eyes were drawn away by the brother next to him, and not many people paid attention to him - but it was a good thing for him, he did not like to be noticed in the first place.

Clovis is happy today, because everyone is now celebrating his father's victory and exploits, and he is sincerely proud of his father's victory.

Everyone was courteous to him, but it was evident that everyone kept a little distance, the boys because of the difference in status, and the girls because they knew that he had an agreed marriage, so they gave up hope early.

Although he was not enthusiastic about the marriage arranged for him by his parents, he was not disgusted, just like the family education he had to receive since he was a child, he accepted the marriage contract as a family obligation, and he was willing to fulfill the obligation for the needs of the family, because he was the eldest son, and he was destined to inherit the family business.

Besides, Nanali is pretty cute.

However, although he looked around, he did not see the arrival of Her Majesty the Empress, but was haunted by unexpected people.

"You're so proud, Your Highness, look at the girls' eyes." Liana, the daughter of the Duchess of Ricarnitt, greeted him and looked at him with a rather playful smile, "Do you regret that you were tied to a tree?" ”

"Of course I won't regret it, Liana, I like Your Majesty very much." Clovis pretended not to hear the ridicule in the words of this 'sister' who was only more than a year younger than him, and responded to Liana with a smile, "It's you, do you have a crush on anyone?" ”

"No, it's just little hairy kids," Liana shrugged, "Besides, how dare I look here, what if I accidentally find my brother or brother again?" ”

Hearing this, Clovis's face became even more strange, and of course he understood what Liana was mocking. Dad is good at everything, but it's a little too ...... It's merry.

"Liana, don't be too your father, let's have fun today." He sighed, trying to make Liana less sarcastic. "It's a good opportunity today."

"Oh, Father! I'm glad you were willing to throw this name at me...... But can I call it? Liana shook her head, "Don't taunt me, okay?" ”

Perhaps out of jealousy, Liana had a very strong antipathy for the children born to Clovis and the Duchess, and couldn't help but ridicule them every time she ran into them, so she had a bad relationship with her own children other than Clovis.

"Clovis, ignore her!" Just as Clovis was about to speak, a young girl came up and grabbed Clovis by the way.

Alice looked at Liana with unrelenting hostility. "You seem to have gone too far, miss."

"Is it too much? I'm just saying hello to Your Highness. Liana shrugged.

"It's not the right way to say hello, and you should have respect for him." Alice didn't back down at all, "He's the heir of the Trevill family, and it's not something you can joke about easily. ”

"Do you really think of yourself as the guardian of your family...... Look at how active you are, I don't know how noble you are. Liana's face froze, and then she sneered, "It's obviously a wild child, so don't get involved in adult affairs." ”

"You, this wild species dare to talk to me like that?" Alice was furious, and her brilliant blonde hair fluttered with it.

"Alright, stop arguing!" Seeing that the two 'sisters' were about to scold each other, Clovis hurriedly dissuaded him. "Don't lose your manners on such an occasion, or it will become a joke!"

The threat worked against the two girls, who immediately glared at each other and stopped talking.

"Your own two sisters didn't speak, but outsiders came to give orders." Liana gave Alice a blank look, then turned to leave, "I don't know what she thinks she thinks she is." ”

Alice was furious and tried to reason with her again, but was caught by Clovis.

"Are you alright?" Clovis asked with concern, "Don't be angry with her at this time, you don't know her temper, the more you provoke her, the more energetic she becomes, it's better for everyone to relax like this." ”

"You should be merciless to this kind of person, you are too forgiving!" Alice's face was still tense, as if she hated iron but not steel, "She is full of hatred for us, God knows what she will do!" You've got to keep an embankment on her. ”

"Okay, I got it." Clovis nodded, but his tone was as if he was coaxing his sister.

Looking at his expression, Alice also understood the other party's attitude, she sighed, "In short, I will help my father protect the family, and none of these people want to cause trouble." ”

While they were talking, many people were secretly watching them, including two young girls playing cards in the corner. They were playing the most fashionable card game, and no one was around.

"Those two guys seem to be very pretentious." When throwing out the cards in her hand, Eugenie, the eldest daughter of the Duchess and Duchess, said coldly. "I really don't know where they got their confidence."

She also held a girl of about six years old in her arms, and she kept caressing her sister Isabella, the youngest daughter of the Duchess and Duchess, while playing cards. Originally, Charlotte had always taken care of her, but because she had to meet His Majesty and participate in the banquet, she was temporarily entrusted to her sister to take care of.

"You're going to make them pay for it sooner or later, aren't you?" The girl on the opposite side replied, and at the same time played the cards in her hand.

She was Marianne, the daughter of Madame Marie-de-Léorent, and one of the considered illegitimate daughters of the Duke of Kerson, but unlike her mother, she was not close to Madame de Treville's daughter, her nominal sister, but to the eldest daughter of the family.

"I'm sure there will come a day." Eugenie laughed softly, then looked down at her sister in her arms, "Is it, Bella?" ”

"Yes, sister." Isabella nodded lightly and smiled bewilderedly, as if she didn't know what her sister was talking about.

"It's so cute." Eugenie pinched her face, then played her card, "I won!" ”

…………………………

As time passed, the side hall, like the main hall, was filled with a joyful atmosphere, and the young men abandoned their initial shyness and soon began to talk to each other.

However, this warm and cheerful atmosphere did not infect everyone, and there were still people who were out of place here.

Bored, boring, unbearable, why is everything so dull and so tiresome?

With this in mind, Lelouch wandered through the side halls like a traveler in the desert. After witnessing the quarrel between the two 'younger sisters' in front of his brother, he walked away on his own.

It's not that he doesn't understand, but he understands too well, he's smart enough to see what's in everyone's mind, and he's not smart enough to put all these negative effects out of his mind.

He was so tired of these things, everyone was fighting over their own boring ideas, there was no point, there was no end, he didn't know why they were having fun, and he didn't know why, he found that he didn't want to pay attention to anyone at all.

There was an aura of unapproachability from his body, so much so that no one dared to greet him, and he felt even more isolated because of it.

Before he knew it, he bypassed everyone and walked to the balcony.

The fresh air that he had not seen for a long time finally dispelled the glitz and noise of the hall, and he tilted his head and took a deep breath, then looked at the dark night sky. He seemed to be alone under the stars, as if the world had abandoned him.

Yes, he was just alone, and he understood that again.

Although he was the second son of the Troville family, he might be able to get a duke in the future and live his life in an enviable way, but what was the point? Who really needs themselves?

The family has an older brother to inherit, and his parents have never asked for themselves and taken care of him like he did.

However, the care and love from his brother and parents made him realize that he was just a superfluous person. No one needs themselves, no one cares about themselves, they are just another shadow under the shadow, just like ...... It's the same shadow under the starlight.

He looked at his shadow and thought to himself.

At this moment, he noticed that there seemed to be a person next to him.

As far as the eye could see, it was a girl with long hair, squatting on the ground with her head buried between her legs, and strangely dressed in a military uniform.

Soon, he could see who it was.

"Your Majesty?" He exclaimed, "Why are you here?" ”

"I want to be here for a while, can't I?" Her Majesty stood up softly, and replied with a not-so-friendly emotion, "It's not in anyone's business, is it?" ”

"No way, Your Majesty." LeRoche quickly shook his head in denial, and then he looked at Nanali's strange attire, "Aren't you going to attend the banquet later?" ”

"Do I like to dress like this?" Nanali interrupted him loudly, "Why do you all have to take care of me? Can't I even wear a piece of clothing to my heart's content? ”

"No, that's not what I meant......" Lerouche quickly shook his head, "you...... You can, of course, do as you wish. ”

"Sorry...... I'm sorry......" Her Majesty also noticed her gaffe, and then apologized, but the tears in the corners of her eyes couldn't be taken back, "I'm just in a bad mood." ”

Lerouche was a little speechless, although he was a child, he certainly did not know anything about the politics of the Empire, and he certainly did not know where the pressure on Her Majesty the Empress came from. And he did sympathize with His Majesty's situation. A person who has not been able to manipulate his own destiny since he was a child, and is held hostage by others everywhere, he can imagine how unhappy such a life is.

"I'm sorry." He subconsciously apologized.

"What are you saying this to me?" The Empress smiled wryly.

"Even though I know it doesn't make sense, I want to say sorry to you......" LeRouche still insisted. But I want you not to hate my father, there are some things that are really helpless. ”

"So is it all my fault?" Perhaps angered by the mention of that person, the Empress suddenly became angry again, "Did I do something wrong?" I'm sorry...... Can a word of sorry write everything off? ”

Before he could reply, Her Majesty continued, "Can you imagine? Can you tolerate it? Since I don't know when, my life has become torment again and again, every minute is torment, all the people who greet me with a smile are not really respectful of me or hobbies, they are polite, but they are at the mercy of me, and they are at the mercy of me, and they are at the mercy of me...... Can you relate to it? Can you tolerate it? But I endured it...... I endure it even if it's uncomfortable, do you think this kind of life is easy to endure? No...... It's uncomfortable, it's uncomfortable! It's very uncomfortable, and there's no hope in sight...... Thrown into a dark tunnel, nothing, nothing to see! ”

After venting loudly for a while, Her Majesty finally regained her composure, she was a little out of breath, but she calmly wiped her tears, "It's strange to say this to a Trelville...... Well, please, if you don't hear anything, I'll go and dance with your brother as long as I want. ”

Lerouche did not answer.

His heart was no longer filled with boredom, but with a strange moonset, a joy similar to that of finding a companion.

Yes, I'm not alone, and it's not that I'm being ignored by the world.

Life is not meaningless.

"You can't be joking at me, are you?" Looking at his strange appearance, the empress asked.

However, she received a rather strange answer.

"I'll protect you, Nanali." LeRoch stretched out his hand and took the hand of Her Majesty the Empress. He found that he could finally find a purpose for his life.

This time he did not call His Majesty again, but called his name. "I will spend my whole life protecting you, and no one can hurt you. Even if the whole world abandons you, I will protect you...... I swear. (To be continued.) )