Eagle's Glory

Then, they were warmly received by Grand Duke Karl and Grand Duchess Henrietta.

Compared with 12 years ago, this couple is much older, but their care and love for their children and grandchildren have not diminished by half, and their thoughts have become stronger.

As time went by, their children also had their own future or started a family. Except for the eldest son Albert who stayed with his parents, the other children could not be guaranteed to attend. On the contrary, the Aigrons often came and went because they lived close together. Their children have also become treasures in the hands of their grandparents.

"Merry Christmas." While Henrietta was playing with the children, Aigron walked up to his father-in-law and said hello to Grand Duke Karl.

Although Grand Duke Karl is still serious on the surface, Egron knows that he has been silently doing his best to protect his daughter and son-in-law, so that they can live in the way they want without distraction, for ten years.So he has always been grateful to his father-in-law.

"Well, Merry Christmas." Archduke Karl nodded coldly, as if that was all he wanted to say.

After getting along for so many years, Aigron certainly knew his habits, so he didn't think he was disobedient, and continued to express his thoughts.

"I have encountered some difficulties in writing and need your guidance." He said to his father-in-law very politely,

"Then I'm afraid you have found the wrong person. I don't know anything about literature." Archduke Karl shrugged, showing no interest.

To be honest, Archduke Karl was quite critical of his son-in-law who would rather devote himself to study and study literature than seeking power, but his daughter insisted, so he stopped interfering and let his son-in-law complete his hobbies.

But as time passed, Archduke Karl slowly accepted the choice of his son-in-law, especially after he showed his talent and won praise.

Unknowingly, he also became one of his son-in-law's book fans—it's just that he never admits it.

"What I need is not literary advice, but military advice, especially your experience can help me a lot." Aigron still insisted on his opinion.

"Alright then." Archduke Karl spread his hands and agreed to his son-in-law's request.

Then, Aigron handed his manuscript to his father-in-law.

With the help of bright candlelight, Grand Duke Karl browsed roughly, without speaking for a long time.

Aigron didn't make a sound to disturb, just waiting by the side.

"It's not bad." After a long time, Grand Duke Karl finally spoke. "It looks like you have a big idea."

"Yes, I plan to write a group portrait novel, the protagonists are both French and German, and use the experience of all of them to show the lost era, and all the pain and happiness that people have experienced." Aigron replied, "It may It will take a lot of my time, but I think it will be worth it, and I can't stand its obvious flaws - so I ask for your help."

Archduke Karl looked at the clock on the fireplace.

"I don't have enough time today, so let me tell you a few things casually."

Then, he talked non-stop, and mentioned any of his points that needed to be highlighted or changed—obviously, he was not so indifferent to his son-in-law's creation.

Soon, with Henrietta's urging, their communication could only come to an end temporarily.

"Everything you said was very helpful to me, and I will remember—" Aigron said to his father-in-law with a smile.

"It's not worth mentioning, and that's just my personal opinion. You can choose according to your needs." Grand Duke Karl waved his hand, "By the way, do you have a name?"

"Not yet." Aegron shook his head.

"How about calling it "War and Peace"? It's easy to understand." Archduke Karl suggested.

Aegron froze for a moment.

"Why, are you not satisfied?" Archduke Karl asked.

"No... I just think it's a little strange..." Aigron quickly shook his head in denial, but he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "However, it's not bad to think about it carefully. Well, let's call it this name! I will try my best to spur myself and devote all my energy so that I will not live up to this name."

"It's just a random name. Is it necessary to react like this?" Grand Duke Karl was a little puzzled.

However, he was not interested in further arguing with his son-in-law, so the two men returned to the center of the living room and their respective wives.

"Your Highness, how are you?" Teresa asked her husband in a low voice.

"It went very well." Eggron replied with a smile, "Your father is more involved than I thought."

"That's good~" Teresa also laughed happily, "At this age, he must find something to do."

Then, adults and children gathered together, came to the Christmas tree, and then gave gifts to each other to celebrate another Christmas Eve.

Then, like every Christmas gathering, Teresa walked to the piano in the living room and began to play music, and this time she chose the well-known piano piece "Canon in D Major".

Amidst the melodious music, the family ushered in a new festival in an atmosphere full of laughter.

"By the grace of the Lord!"

Then, there was another burst of cheers, Teresa also stopped playing the music, and began to have dinner with the whole family.

The cheerful atmosphere has always stayed in the room, and laughter is everywhere. Whether it is the elderly or children, they are all immersed in the joyful family relationship. They are looking forward to the arrival of the coming year and looking forward to the continuation of this happiness.

After eating, Aigron walked to the balcony of the villa, stood under the fine snow, and looked into the distance quietly.

The sky is dark and the light is dim, only a few candles flicker among the reefs in the snowy sea. These flashes rush to the snow blanket on the ground, and then make it reflect a light blue fluorescent light. Standing on the balcony and looking out Going there is like feeling like being in a fairy tale world.

Aegron's face was a little hot because he drank a little wine, but his consciousness was clearer and sharper than usual.

He stood in the cold wind, savoring the air mixed with snowflakes carefully.

This is your choice... this is your life for ten years and maybe decades to come.

What did you gain for this, and what did you give up?

He already had an answer to this question.

Maybe it is a bit regretful, but he will never regret it, because...he is with the person who loves him deeply.

In this world, he found people who could tolerate him, and also found his own foothold.

If this world is a cruel and cold snow country, then under the fiddle of fate, he finally found his own reef and fortress.

That is also the home he must protect...

I am no longer alone.

"Teresa." He suddenly called softly to the void in front of him.

"Your Highness..." A low voice responded unexpectedly from behind.

Aigron didn't have any surprises, because he knew Teresa would definitely come to him-she liked to stay by his side.

He turned his head and looked at his lovely wife in front of him.

And Teresa was also looking at him.

The dim light could not hide her fiery gaze, even after ten years, she was still the same as before.

"Your Highness, I once read a book that said that after marriage, a woman should not only confine herself to children and the kitchen, but should find the joy of life so that her husband can find novelty in her from time to time, and only In this way, the marriage can always maintain its original deliciousness—" Teresa said with a slightly joking tone.

"Novelty?" Aigron felt amused. "Every day I get along with you is the most novel experience for me."

"Your Highness..." Teresa walked in front of him, and hugged him.

Yes, even though his daily routine seems to have always been such a repetition, he still has a novelty for his wife to this day.

"I don't regret it." Eggron said suddenly and thoughtlessly.

"Huh?" Teresa looked at her husband inquiringly. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing—" Aigron bowed his head and ended his wife's questioning with his own lips.

The fine snowflakes quietly fell on their hair and bodies, as if God was blessing them.　　

43. Meeting

As summer approaches, the temperature continues to rise, and the field outside Rome has already turned into a sea of ​​flowers.

On this beautiful and fertile land, manors and farms are dotted all over the wilderness, and the dense vines are blooming with flowers, gestating the fruits of the autumn harvest.

Aigron wandered through this lush green field, and then came to a secluded country church under the leadership of his uncle, Cardinal Fish.

Of course they didn't come to visit the mountains and rivers.

The group stayed outside the small church, carefully observed the surrounding situation, and after making sure that there were no idlers waiting, Cardinal Fish opened the door first and walked in.

After a while, he backed out again, nodded to the young man reassuringly, and then made a gesture to invite him in.

It seems that there is no problem... Aigron was relieved.

That's right, he came here on purpose today just to meet people.

To be precise, it was the meeting with Cardinal Vittorio Esposito.

Since receiving the task from Aigron, Cardinal Fish began his private activities with long-lost enthusiasm, and the focus of his activities was the bishop.

After his frequent lobbying, Cardinal Vittorio Esposito was finally moved and agreed to the meeting, and the place they agreed on was this remote country church.

Obviously, the two sides did not trust each other. Because of the distrust, Aigron did not invite the cardinal to the hotel where he was staying, but chose to meet at the agreed place.

And the cardinal was also afraid of any conspiracy on his side, so he also wanted to choose a place he was familiar with.

So after secret negotiations between the two parties, this place was finally chosen as the meeting place.

Now that he was sure that he was safe, Aigron no longer hesitated, and walked into the church with his head held high.

The light inside the church was quite dark, exuding a decaying atmosphere that had been in disrepair for a long time, and Aigron quickly walked into the depths of it.

And at this time, he saw the person he was going to meet beside the altar.

On the opposite side is an old man who is about six or seventy years old. His hair has long been gray. He is tall and thin, with a sharp chin and a high nose. His face is more sharp and gloomy because of the contraction of muscles after aging; his body is not very old. People have a decadent aura, and their eyes are piercing, and it is easy to see the vigor and desire for power in it.

For understandable reasons, he was not wearing the red robe of a cardinal, but the black robe of an ordinary priest, and behind him stood two middle-aged men who were about 50 or [-] years old and also wearing robes People, probably his secretary and confidants.

At this moment, the three people on the opposite side were also looking at him with scrutiny, obviously weighing the weight of this young man.

Aigron walked in front of the three of them calmly with the pace he had been trained since he was a child, staring directly at each other without showing any nervousness.

Then, he bowed and saluted, showing respect to the other party, "Nice to meet you, Your Excellency Bishop."

"Nice to meet you—Young Highness."

Like its appearance, the cardinal's voice is aged but still full of life, full of piercing sharp stones. "This is a very unexpected meeting for me, but I think it is also a rare honor in my life."

"You're flattering yourself for saying that." Eggron replied with a smile.

"No, Your Highness, to be honest, seeing you at this moment made me very emotional." The cardinal shook his head lightly, "I saw you at the imperial celebration, and you were only over one year old at that time, although you I certainly don’t remember, but I and everyone else once thought that he was the king of Rome, the future king of Rome—that is, the future earthly emperor, huh, but who of us can imagine what happened next?”

The cardinal sighed and shook his head, as if regretting something.

He doesn't seem to resent me, thought Aggron.

But language is never worth money, especially the words spoken by this kind of population, it is especially untrustworthy.

Able to rise through the ranks of the intriguing, seven deadly sins of the Roman Church, Cardinal Esposito would never be an easy character to deal with.

He may not lose all human affections, but those affections must rank below power.

So Aegron would not take such words seriously.

"I'm a victim of these tragedies, but I think I can fix it," he replied flatly.

"Maybe it's a tragedy, maybe it's a comedy, but to me both are the same thing - they're both the will of God." The cardinal replied deadpan, "My lord, I'm neutral in all things , I followed God's direction."

Be neutral!Very good, that is implying that anything can be negotiated, as long as the price tag is right.

Eggron understood.

"Would you like to hear my plans, then?" he asked.

"If I don't want to, there's no need for me to come here." The cardinal replied indifferently, "But Your Highness, I didn't intend to get involved in this muddy water, but you gave too much, no one The cardinal will not be moved by the gift you gave me..."

Perhaps it was because he felt that there was no need to pretend to be with young people, but the cardinal's words were very frank.

Obviously, Aigron could hear that the Cardinal said this on purpose. He wanted to limit the relationship between the two to money transactions rather than political alliances. He didn't want to bear any obligations to Aigron.

Hmph, this old slicker, although moved by money, still has to reserve freedom of action for himself until the last moment.

However, Egron was not angry at all. After all, he had never counted on the other party and his incarnation as his loyal subjects. How could there be good men and women in the top ranks of the Roman Church.

Everyone uses each other, each takes what he needs, and that's all he needs.

"These gifts are just a way for me to show my sincerity. You can accept them. Of course, I also have my appeal—" Aigron also directly entered the topic, "My lord, I am going to carry out a Great action, I hope you can help me persuade His Majesty the Pope to give me some favors."

"It is a difficult thing," replied the cardinal. "It is impossible for His Majesty the Pope to grant favors for no reason, let alone your special status——"

"It is because it is difficult that I need your help. After all, everyone now knows that His Majesty the Pope is both fond of and dependent on you, and your opinion is very important to him." When Egron said this, he deliberately pulled There was a long voice, "Besides, I have also prepared a gift for His Majesty the Pope..."

Then, he winked at Cardinal Fish, who had been silent all this time, and the cardinal also understood, took out a package from his arms, and opened it.

"Oh!"

When seeing this emerald with his own eyes, even the well-informed cardinal couldn't help but lose his mind for a moment.

But he soon calmed down.

"Do you really wish to dedicate it to the Pope?" he asked, staring at Eggron.

"Of course." Aiger nodded solemnly, "What I miss is the throne. Treasures are meaningless to me. I am willing to give them to anyone who is willing to help me..."