Eagle's Glory

Edmund just smiled and did not continue the subject.

"Since you are my friend, of course I will do my best to help—" Agnes changed the topic, "Well, I will not participate in those conspiracies, let alone let Father’s participation, I will explain this in advance. But if there are any requests in life, or if you need my help to find out some news, then I will try my best to help for my sister’s sake.”

"Even if I only do these things, it is already a great favor to me. I will never dare to ask for more..." Edmund quickly thanked the other party.

He knew that although Agnes was downplaying, she was a very serious person, and since she said so, she would naturally follow through on what she said—and this also meant that she had half an extra helper.

He had just arrived in Paris, and he was not familiar with the place. It would be much more convenient to have the general and the two sisters as his help.

Moreover, through General Treville, he can also mobilize some people secretly.

He knows that he has several life-and-death enemies in Paris. He has already remembered the names of these enemies, and he will not forget them even for a moment. personal enmity above.

He is now on another important mission of his.

"Miss Agnes, I'm more looking forward to seeing you again than to inquire about any news." He pretended to mention the past inadvertently, "That time in Mesolonghi, at our celebration reception, You showed great power and convinced us one by one. I'm afraid I will never forget that gorgeous performance..."

"What, there is such a thing?" Alice, who had been silent all this time, was really shocked this time, "Agnes, what are you doing fighting against a group of big men? Don't talk about danger, what do you let other people do?" see you?"

"It's nothing, it's just a performance at the celebration reception, no one takes it seriously!" Hearing the earl mention such a thing in front of her sister, Agnes was embarrassed and a little proud, and couldn't help laughing, " Why, Mr. Earl, are you still not convinced? If you want to compete again, I will accompany you at any time~"

"I can't talk about it, but I want to take this opportunity to learn from you. Didn't you say that you would teach me? I didn't have time at the time, but now I have it... I really want to ask you for advice." , after all, I need to practice self-defense skills now." Edmund Dantès replied half-truthfully.

Then, after setting up the atmosphere, he finally revealed his hole card, "By the way, the identity you gave me last time was a relative of your master. To be honest, I am also very curious about your master. I don't know who it is. How powerful a swordsman can teach an apprentice like you? Hearing that she is a woman, it is even more remarkable..."

"Of course!" To her master, Agnes didn't intend to be humble at all, but rather proudly replied, "My teacher is a little better than me."

"Then if there is a chance, can I have a glimpse of her style?" Edmund's eyes are full of expectations, "I just want to see who else is better than you."

"Well..." Agnes mused.

She knew that the master was usually a loner and didn't like publicity, but after all, she had already promised the earl a little help just now, and seeing the master was not a "conspiracy" at all, so she felt that it seemed difficult for her to refuse.

Besides, theoretically, the earl is also his apprentice, so it seems reasonable to let him meet his master's master?

So Agnes nodded in agreement.

"Okay, but I'm not sure when she will come back to Paris. When she arrives, I'll let you see her... But you'd better practice first, or you might be looked down upon by her~"

okay!Edmund was ecstatic.

The task assigned by His Majesty has now taken shape.

In ecstasy, he did not forget to tell the other party, "By the way, don't reveal my identity, just treat it as an ordinary person and introduce her to her."

"Got it, how could I be so stupid?" Agnes replied impatiently.

... No, in fact, you are foolishly fooled now.

Edmund answered in his heart.

His joy suddenly faded away and turned into a kind of sympathy.

Everyone is hiding her and using her to some extent, and she obviously shouldn't be treated like this.

What a wonderful person she is...

Guilt made him dare not look at Agnes for a moment.

If there is anything that can help her in the future, he thought to himself.　　

98, past events

在埃德蒙-唐泰斯的诱导下，艾格妮丝很轻易地就答应了将他引见给自己师傅的建议。不过，他也害怕陛下的情报有误，所以进一步地旁敲侧击了。“不知道您那位师傅的名讳是什么呢？”“比昂卡，她就叫这个名字。”艾格妮丝不疑有他，立刻就回答了这个问题，“她是意大利人,不过嘛，她一向四海为家，也经常会来到法国，所以说不定您很快就能碰到她呢。”“是吗？那就太好了！”埃德蒙装出一副倍感荣幸的样子，实际上心里已经充满了杀机。埃德蒙虽然心里对艾格妮丝有点愧疚，但是对胆敢刺杀陛下的比昂卡，是绝对没有任何同情和怜悯的，在他看来犯下此等罪行的人用任何刑罚来惩处都不为过。当然,他不是一个鲁莽的傻子，他知道自己的身手连艾格妮丝都比不过，更别说和比昂卡对垒了，他只是要假借新的身份然后接近比昂卡，探查这个女人的底细，并且找出她背后的人。反正只要陛下回到巴黎，比昂卡绝对插翅难逃，也不急着马上就处决她——她应该由陛下来亲自发落，这样才能消去陛下心头之恨。正因为带着这种想法，所以埃德蒙-唐泰斯继续装得浑然无事，饶有兴致地继续打探消息。“艾格妮丝小姐，原谅我……我真的很好奇，您是怎么遇到她，又是怎么被她收为徒弟的呢？”他问出这个问题之后,艾格妮丝突然同爱丽丝对视了一眼，然后艾格妮丝对着姐姐灿然一笑,“这多亏了我的好姐姐。”嗯？埃德蒙有些迷糊,这又关爱丽丝什么事情呢？他疑惑地看着爱丽丝,等待着她的解答。爱丽丝略微有些脸红，扭捏着不知道该如何作答，不过很快她又恢复了正常，然后不好意思地笑了起来，“这倒是一个令人愉快的故事呢。”“我洗耳恭听！”埃德蒙连忙说。爱丽丝又沉默了片刻，似乎是在组织语言，又像是在回忆那些遥远的往事。片刻之后，她重新开口了。“您知道我们一家在之前那个时期流亡意大利的事情吗？”她先问。“他知道的，我曾经跟他说过呢！”艾格妮丝插话了，“我还跟伯爵先生说过您带着我去卖手绢的往事……”艾格妮丝这么一说，埃德蒙也想起了当初她刚刚到希腊的时候，在艾格隆的欢迎宴会上说过和姐姐的故事，想起了那感人的回忆，更想起了艾格妮丝当时的泪水。这个年代兄弟阋墙的故事早已经屡见不鲜，但是这对姐妹真的感情深厚，非同寻常。“让您见笑了，伯爵先生。”也许是因为尴尬，爱丽丝的脸更加红了，“说起来，那也不过是十几年前的往事，很多回忆至今还历历在目呢……如您所知，我们当时是流亡者，我们的父母在年纪很小的时候就被他们各自的父母仓皇带着逃离法兰西了，在多年的流亡当中早已经失去了所携带的少量财产，而他们结合之后，又缔造了一个多子女的大家庭，所以算起来的话，我们应该是流亡者三代了吧？我是长女，从出生的时候就过着一无所有的日子，我父亲还见过我们祖辈富贵时的样子，会跟我讲过去我们家的煊赫，但是在我听来，那简直就像是遥远的童话一样虚幻……我真的不敢相信我们曾经那样富有过，更加不敢奢望我会有机会再经历那样的生活，我自从懂事起既要帮助父母补贴家用，也得抽出时间照顾弟妹，生活并未奉送给我多少希望，我只觉得我一定会成为一个意大利人，过完贫苦的一生。”伯爵欠了欠身，为自己所听到的一切表示遗憾，然后爱丽丝却摆了摆手，表示自己并未为此哀伤。“好啦，这种闲话想必您也不爱听，我只是描述一下我当时的心情而已。说实话这都已经是过去的事情了，我确实庆幸自己摆脱了那样黯淡无光的日子，但是我绝不会觉得那是耻辱……”爱丽丝微笑着继续说了下去，“总之，当时我才几岁，就已经承担起了命运交给我的重担，我拼了命地干活，白天去卖手绢和织锦，晚上帮着母亲和奶奶裁衣，日子就这样一天天过去。”埃德蒙-唐泰斯静静地听着，不敢说话，甚至不敢大声呼吸，生怕毁掉了此时的气氛。他并不是为悲惨所打动——他自己经历过的悲惨就已经足够沉痛了，这点程度的“悲惨”简直是司空见惯的东西，他真正被打动的是，是爱丽丝夫人娓娓道来时那种优雅、温和甚至客观的态度。她并不忌讳自己庆幸家族翻了身，但也并不像很多流亡贵族一样对当时自食其力那些穷困的日子引以为耻，她甚至还有点小小的骄傲——因为这副瘦削、稚嫩的肩膀上，曾经承担了照顾弟妹的重任，并且她全力以赴地做到了。他的故事跌宕起伏，充满了悲剧和戏剧；但是他人的故事也同样如此，他们也有自己的悲欢离合，虽然未必残酷到令人发指或者辉煌到令人无法直视，但是同样具有感染力。“我们言归正传，那时候是1814年——嗯，也就是帝国的最末期，拿破仑陛下第一次退位的时候。”调整了下情绪之后，爱丽丝继续说了下去，“我们当时都在那不勒斯，您知道，这一年4月4日，拿破仑陛下正式宣布退位，在4月下旬的时候，消息传到我们这里来了。我们现在都是波拿巴分子了，但是请原谅，那个时候我的父母都在为帝国的毁灭而眉飞色舞，他们觉得自己的苦日子就要结束了，因为皇帝退位就意味着王家能够重新君临法国，那也意味着曾经身为廷臣的我们，又可以回到王上身边。这个想法很美好，但是却又有着难以逾越的困难——我们没有钱，自然也就没有回国的盘缠，我们甚至没有能力给流亡朝廷写信，厚颜讨要一笔回国的盘缠……”说到这里，爱丽丝的表情有些消沉了，“那时候战乱不休，哪怕在那不勒斯也同样如此，您知道的，缪拉亲王当时试图背弃皇帝，偷偷地与反法联军媾和，并且指望他们能够承认自己的王位，可是皇帝虽然退位了，但是联军却不肯放过他，因为齐聚于维也纳的国王们觉得那不勒斯的王位也应该是波旁家族的原主的，于是他还是要为自己的王位而战了。国王们的事情那时候离我们太远太远，我们面临的现实问题倒是很简单——兵荒马乱的时节没人愿意花钱买东西，我们没有钱作为回家乡的盘缠，甚至连维持生活都成了问题，尽管父母已经极度节省，但是我们仍旧不可避免地陷于饥馑当中……艾格妮丝当时才三岁，所以很多事情她肯定都没有印象了，对于贫穷她经历得太少，可是对我来说那一切却刻骨铭心，因为我永远记得被长期的饥饿啃食理智是什么滋味儿。”“夫人，我也知道，甚至比您更清楚。”埃德蒙-唐泰斯心生恻隐，然后长叹了一声，“我曾经连续吃了十几年生了霉的稀粥和快要发馊的咸鱼，我甚至庆幸自己居然没有因此而丧失味觉。”听到伯爵这句话，爱丽丝和艾格妮丝又对视了一眼，心里好奇这位基督山伯爵大人当年到底经历了什么，又到底是何方神圣。不过这种个人隐私的问题，她们当然也不会主动询问，很快爱丽丝又继续说了下去。“贫穷里没有优雅，饥饿当中自然也没有什么公爵小姐，我没有想过回到法国我将拥有什么，那些梦想对我来说比星星还要遥远，我只想着今天能吃什么，明天能吃什么，以及我的弟弟妹妹们能吃到什么……我忍饥挨饿但我不能停下来，我发了疯地到处兜售手绢，甚至不顾尊严地向路人乞讨，但是很可惜，在战乱时节同情心永远是奢侈品，人人都自顾不暇又怎能去大发善心呢？所以我经常一无所获。”“当然……我能够理解。”埃德蒙-唐泰斯经历过人心的惨痛，所以他立刻就表示了理解和赞同。他已经全神投入到了其中，甚至已经快要忘记一开始自己想要问什么了。“那接下来呢？”“抱歉，跟您提了这么多背景……不过说了这些之后，有助于让您理解当时我到底做了什么，以及为什么要这么做。”爱丽丝微微笑着，碧蓝色的眼睛里荡漾着温柔的光芒，“饥饿折磨着我们，也慢慢地消磨了我的理智，而就在这时候，缪拉亲王也正和维也纳关系破裂，开始整顿军队准备迎战奥地利派出的大军——我们都知道他最后于1815年5月在托伦蒂诺战役兵败，然后逃亡，一年后不死心又跑回那不勒斯想要复辟，再又被奥地利人枪毙了，不过那是他的故事，与我的故事倒是没有什么关系，我们两个人的故事只有一个交集——在战败之后，缪拉亲王和他的夫人、皇帝的妹妹卡特琳娜公主仓皇逃离那不勒斯的王宫，而这时候整个城市的社会秩序都已经崩坏了，王宫很快也被周围的居民哄抢，人人都想要从这对夫妇遗留下来的东西里面得到几分‘馈赠’，您应该能够想象得到当时的场面吧？当时全城的人都在往王宫里涌，要我说，我这辈子迄今为止见到的最令人激动的场面就是那时候了……我没见过革命长什么样，但是总有一部分和那个时候相当吧？”“按年纪来说，您当时应该不到十岁。”埃德蒙猛然想到了一点。“但十岁就不能闹革命吗？您可是在歧视儿童的革命热情呢。”爱丽丝笑着回答。“哈哈哈哈……”埃德蒙被这个风趣的回答逗得大笑了起来。“这么说来，您也参与了‘革命’咯？”他当然知道，爱丽丝参与所谓的哄抢根本就不是为了什么革命，不过动机仍旧崇高而且正当——至少他是这么看的。“是啊，我参与了，不过我基本挤不进群众的队伍，再说了我当时又瘦又小，又怎么可能从旁人的指缝里抢到什么东西呢？”爱丽丝笑着回答。“那您做了什么？”埃德蒙疑惑地问。“我跟着卡特琳娜王后的车队走了。”爱丽丝的眼睛里闪过了一丝狡黠，“当时英国人的舰队就在那不勒斯的港口外，不过他们当然不会为难一位王后，他们允许王后带着她的一部分财产离开，这‘一部分财产’，就已经丰厚到令人难以置信了，不过这时候王后却再也没有能力约束她身边的人了，落魄的王族总是会被人分而食之，法国经历了一遍，那不勒斯也不例外，有些仆人保持着忠心，为她携带财产上了离开那不勒斯的船，有些财产却在码头搬上船之前就被这些仆人哄抢一空，这种哄抢规模就要小得多了……而这就是我在等待的时机，在他们哄抢的时候，我也偷偷地冲了过去，我没有落空，我得到了一只怀表和一串小小的项链。”接着，她瞥了埃德蒙-唐泰斯一眼，“先生，您可以把这当成偷盗，没错，这就是偷盗。可是，又有谁能够苛责我呢？这些东西对缪拉亲王和卡特琳娜来说毫无意义，他们拥有着常人无法想象的巨额财富，那本来就是他们从别人手中夺来的，而我手中的那些东西他们根本不屑一顾，甚至他们都不会想到这些玩意儿……而与此同时，这些东西对我来说却意义重大，它们可以让我、我的弟弟妹妹不至于挨饿，挽救我们的生命，我们还会因此拥有回到祖国的盘缠……难道这不是它们更好的用处吗？如果当年那场夺走我一切的革命有理，那我的所作所为就有理；如果我没有理的话，那他们应该尊称我为公爵小姐才对，又何必让我流亡海外呢？”“您放心吧，我不是拘泥于什么法律条文的老学究，夫人，您做得太好了，简直顶呱呱。”埃德蒙-唐泰斯心悦诚服地说，不过他还有点疑惑，“不过，那些仆人就眼睁睁地看着您来分一杯羹吗？”“那当然没有……”爱丽丝笑着摇了摇头，“我挨了一顿好打，不过即使被揍得躺在了地上，被人拳打脚踢，我还是把那些小物件死死地攥在手心里，那时我不怕死只怕疼，也许死对我来说也是一种解脱——但是，我的运气不错，我活下来了，因为拯救我的人终究还是出现了。”“比昂卡……”即使爱丽丝夫人还没有说出名字，但埃德蒙-唐泰斯一瞬间还是明白了。他一下子头皮有些发麻。既是在为当时的爱丽丝感到庆幸，也在为自己的任务感到惊骇——他要将爱丽丝和艾格妮丝的救命恩人怎样呢？　　

99, master and apprentice

Alice didn't notice Edmund Dantès' entanglement. She was already immersed in the memories of the old days and couldn't help herself. She continued to narrate without waiting for the count to urge her.

"Because I participated in the looting, I was beaten badly. People have little sympathy in times of war, and gold, silver and treasure will obliterate all morals in the world. In short, no one pities me as a little girl. They beat me I was half dead, almost dying. Facing a group of adults, I couldn't resist, I could only lie on the ground and be beaten, and I begged God to save me in my heart... Fortunately, just when I was about to lose consciousness, the person who rescued me Appeared—well, you guessed it, it was Bianca."

Tears suddenly appeared in Agnes' eyes. She stretched out her hand and held her sister's hand tightly. Thousands of words were in the tears—although she was very young at that time, she She still remembers her sister's love and sacrifice for her.

Alice also held her sister's hand, and then said with a smile that she was not sad now, but just remembering the past.

"Bianka beat those people away, and then pulled me up from the ground. It's funny to say that at the time, I knew she had saved me, but my first reaction was to hold the things in my hands tighter. Afraid of being snatched away by her—even though it is meaningless, what can I do if she wants to snatch it away? Hey, I can only say that my mind was already blurred at the time...she saw me like this Then she couldn't help laughing, and said don't worry, I won't steal your things, then she took out a handkerchief and wiped my face, I have never been treated so tenderly before, but more importantly, I kept what I grabbed, and I made it possible for me and my brothers and sisters to survive! The relief and joy made me pass out.

When I woke up again, I found myself lying in a very bright and clean place, and Bianka was watching me and gave me food and water. She congratulated me on my narrow escape, and I can say what?Of course, I am very grateful to her for saving my life, and then I asked her to allow me to leave there, and I will return home with my spoils and bring hope to my parents and younger siblings..."

Then, Alice suddenly blushed again, "After thanking her, I asked for her name, and I told her that I am a princess in exile, and when we return to France, I will do my best I could repay her kindness to me, but she looked at me like a fool, and then burst out laughing..."

Edmund Dantès couldn't help laughing after hearing this - obviously, at that time, hearing a beggar-like little girl say that she was a princess, normal people would just laugh.

After laughing for a while, Alice spoke again, "After she finished laughing, she told me that she didn't care if I was a princess or a princess, she needed something else in return. I quickly asked her what she wanted? Because we obviously She had nothing, but her answer was - me. She said that she had been wandering for a long time, and now she wants to take an apprentice, and she thinks that I am quite suitable to be this apprentice."

"Ah? Why is it you?" Edmund Dantès was a little confused. It seemed that Agnes had become Bianca's apprentice, but why was it Alice?

He looked at Alice suspiciously again, but he couldn't see any trace of a healthy figure from this delicate lady.

"Mr. Earl, I was as surprised as you were at that time." Alice smiled and shook her head, "I asked her why she picked me? She replied that she didn't come to rescue me immediately after seeing me being beaten, but She looked at it for a while, and she felt that although I am thin, I have good physical endurance and a strong will. Although I am a bit older, I should still be able to learn some of her skills if I work hard—— "

Although Edmund Dantès accepted her explanation, he still felt that this was a bit too lucky, and he was able to be favored by a famous teacher after being beaten for no reason.

"Of course, this is not the most important reason. She then told me that with her ability, if she wanted to choose an apprentice, there would be girls who were better than me. I want to find a girl with a perfect appearance... And she said, I am the most beautiful child she has seen in the whole of southern Italy. Although I am dressed in rags, I will definitely be able to become a great beauty, enough to become her inheritance... …it doesn't matter at all whether I'm a commoner or a princess."

Edmund was dumbfounded in surprise. Although this reason seemed absurd, it was inexplicably convincing when she said it.

Hey, this world is so realistic, pretty people are always easy to get preferential treatment.

And Alice also blushed in embarrassment, but there was also a bit of pride that a woman must have in her blue eyes.

She probably does deserve that compliment.

"Then why didn't you become her apprentice?" Edmund Dantès asked after he collected himself.

"Because I rejected her." Alice replied, "I don't like swords and fighting, and I have younger brothers and sisters to take care of. How can I learn swordsmanship from others every day? But she won't allow me to refuse, she said She is not a kind saint. Since she saved my life by being merciful, she has the right to ask me to make a corresponding return. If she doesn't want to repay, then she will pay her back with this life... I I cried and begged her, told her the situation of my family, and begged her to let me go for the time being, and when we returned to France and got back the property of our ancestors, we would definitely pay her a large sum of money to repay this kindness.

My crying didn't arouse her compassion, but after listening to my crying, she seemed to have other thoughts-so she asked me, is my sister pretty, needless to say?Of course I replied that I was very beautiful and as lovely as an angel, so she laughed again and said that if I lied, I would have to pay for it with my life, but if I didn't lie, then she got a satisfactory result.Then she forced me to take her to our house, intending to see for myself..."

Having said that, Edmund Dantès actually understood the whole story.

Obviously, Bianka is not a kind-hearted person. She watched Alice being beaten and forced Alice to either become an apprentice or die, which proved her character, but even so, she still had objectivity towards Alice. Well, so it's normal for the sisters to respect her so much.

Alice finished the last part of the story calmly.

"In desperation, I took her home, and then I told my parents what happened and handed over my spoils to them, while all Bianca's attention was on Agnes On the body, this little guy was only four years old at the time, she didn't understand anything, she just smirked at Bianka, and Bianka picked her up, and then directly announced that Agnes would be her apprentice in the future, We must promise to repay her kindness, otherwise she will let my blood splatter on the spot-my parents are powerless to resist, of course, for them, this is double good news... They got the money to return to China through me, and at the same time I also got a free bodyguard, the price is only to pay Agnes as her apprentice, objectively speaking, it should be a big profit, right?"

After saying these words, Alice smiled and spread her hands to Edmund, "Mr. Earl, thank you for your patience. I have revealed to you all the past events back then. Undoubtedly, I have nothing to be ashamed of." place, but this is personal privacy after all, I hope you can keep it a secret for us sisters, can you?"

"Of course!" Edmund Dantès nodded naturally, but out of his own conscience, he asked again, "Can His Majesty be an exception? I believe he will still be very interested in this story." of."

Although Edmund could break his promise and tell His Majesty in private, he really couldn't muster up the courage to face his conscience at this time, so he simply asked directly.

"Your Majesty's words, of course, can be an exception..." Before Agnes could speak, Alice narrowed her eyes and agreed, "Your Majesty is our friend, just like you are our friend, if this story can help His Majesty pass Given the time, it’s our honor too.”

valley

Alice's magnanimity made Edmund secretly feel ashamed. Alice regarded herself and His Majesty as friends, but these two "friends" were planning to deal with her savior at this time... Thinking about it, I am really ashamed.

Yu Li, since Bianka did such a thing, His Majesty and he can use any means to retaliate cruelly; but Yu Qing said, he really couldn't bear to see the two sisters sad.

Alice saw Edmund's hesitation and entanglement now, but she was a little baffled. "What is the matter with you, sir? What are you thinking?"

Edmund was a little confused at this time, so he instinctively changed the topic, "I only have one last question, why was Bianca in Naples at the time? Is this a coincidence?"

"It's not a coincidence." Alice shook her head, "I found out afterward that she was hired to escort the king's family back to their hometown in Naples, and she also came to the pier that day, that's why she saw the scene where I was beaten. A scene..."

Edmund Dantès knew that the "king" family that Alice referred to this time did not refer to Prince Murat, but to the king of the Two Sicilies who came back to Naples after Murat, Ferdi, a branch of the Bourbon family. King Nan IV.

In other words, did Bianca serve the royal family of Bourbon at that time?

The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies and the Bourbons of France have been separated for many generations, but they also have the same clan friendship with each other, and there are marriages with each other-for example, the youngest son of King Charles X, the Duke of Berry who was assassinated The married wife is Princess Mary-Caroline from this family.

So is Bianca really the killer that the Bourbon royal family of France found in a fit of rage, trying to physically eliminate the heirs of the Bonaparte family in order to get rid of it once and for all?

This is indeed a quite logical inference, but Edmund Dantès felt in his heart that things might not be so simple. This was an intuition, but he couldn't explain why.

But no matter what, this time he gained more than he imagined. He got a lot of important information from side-stepping. This is an excellent start.

It was still a cloud of fog before him, but he had already seen the dawn that penetrated it.

He tried his best to put aside the guilt on his conscience, and then opened his mouth as if nothing had happened.

"After hearing your description, I admire this lady I have never met. I really hope to see her as soon as possible! By the way, what is her personality, married or not?"

"I didn't expect you to be so curious..." Alice covered her mouth and chuckled, "She was unmarried when we met last time, so she must have no interest in getting married at this age. As for personality... …You can tell from my description that she is arrogant, sarcastic and stern, quite egotistical and stubborn."

"Over the years, her temper has become more and more bad-tempered, and her words are extremely unpleasant. She was not so harsh before..." Agnes, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interjected. "I think it's because I have been lonely for a long time, so I have become an old aunt."

"So you have to be a warning, be humble and kind to others, and find someone to marry as soon as possible, lest you become such a weird and mean character when you get older..." Alice replied.

"Hey! Why are you dragging me!" Agnes protested dissatisfied. "I'm already very kind to others, okay?"

"I can testify to this." Edmund Dantès said loudly, "Miss Agnes is proud but not arrogant. She is an existence that we all admire. I believe she will never become that kind of person no matter what. Human...in her life, there will never be a lack of care...and companionship."

Agnes couldn't help blushing too. "It doesn't need to be so exaggerated..."

"I hope so!" Alice couldn't help laughing too.

After laughing for a while, she restrained her smile and looked at the count again, "Sir, there are many things you have to do, but you have to do it step by step. Next, we will find a suitable place for you. This is the most important thing." Don’t worry about important matters, we will find them for you soon—as for Bianca, if she comes to Paris, we will tell you as soon as possible, and try to satisfy your curiosity, but I advise you It's best not to ask her for advice, she is a merciless person, my sister was often beaten black and blue by her when she was young."

"I've never blamed her for this. If you're not strict, you can't teach good students—" Agnes defended the teacher, and then looked at her sister, "If I teach Xia Lu in the future, I will do the same of!"

"Hey!" Alice became anxious when she heard that, "Agnes, I warn you, don't touch my poor daughter!"

Under her sister's stern gaze, Agnes flinched and lowered her head, "Well, if she wants to learn, I'll teach her again..."

"That's not okay." Alice still didn't think so, "My daughter will be the protagonist of the ball, and she doesn't need to dance with knives and guns."

"Wouldn't it be more showy at the ball if I had a sword?" Agnes whispered.

"Agnes!" cried Alice again, angrily.

"Okay, I'm going back first~ Mr. Earl, if you have any errands, please call me!" Agnes made a face at her sister, then got up and ran away.　　

100,"Father"

In fact, Paris has two faces, one is the appearance of luxury and pleasure, it is in full bloom at night, those princes and ladies and street warblers are either enjoying themselves in theaters or balls, or wandering around , greedily sucking the brilliant lights, regardless of everything in the world.

The other appearance appears during the day, it is serious and rigid, indifferent and harsh, and everyone operates according to their position in the social machine.

Every morning, Paris is like a busy hive, full of energy, people rushing to and fro to get the seemingly never-ending work done.

On this early summer morning, as usual, at eight o'clock in the morning, Jean-Antoine Poncena got out of the carriage on time and came to the building of his bank.

This is a beautifully constructed five-story building. The building has been carefully designed. The facade presents golden and cherry red colors, and is divided by marble pillars. There are marble carvings between the pillars and windows, although It is not ostentatious, but it is also somewhat solemn, which seems to symbolize the rising new power class in this country.

Under the guidance of the secretary, Jean-Antoine Poncena quickly walked up to the top floor and came to his spacious office.

This office occupies half a floor, but the furnishings inside are not luxurious. There are cabinets for documents and receipts everywhere, just like a library.In the middle is a walnut desk and a large chair. From this position, you can see the Seine and the Louvre in the distance through the window, and enjoy the view of Paris.

The building itself, and everything in it, as well as the "Bank of Poncena" based on it, belonged to the old Jean-Antoine Poncena.

He is very thin, and his face is more stern because of his age, showing a rigid blue color, combined with the black clothes on his body, it is as cold as marble.

He came to Paris by chance in his 30s, and after more than 20 years of struggle, he has changed from an unknown shopkeeper in other provinces to a prestigious banker today.

Although he already has a huge family fortune and has a huge influence in the financial world, Jean-Antoine Poncena is still the same as before, dressed in a very simple, even a bit shabby, he only wears casual clothes Badges or medals, and rarely participate in public activities, and even declined the proposal of being invited to hold public office. This simple and humble life attitude has aroused the respect of others. Everyone said that there was a priest in the smoky Paris Exchange. .

And he is indeed worthy of the nickname "Father". He has always been known for his iron will. The rise and fall of public bonds, and the division and closing of debts cannot move him. He runs his business in an orderly manner, and His iron will keeps the money network he wove stable.

He lends money to enterprises, underwrites bonds, and issues promissory notes. He has been involved in almost every business field. However, such a huge business volume has not overwhelmed his spirit. Under the management of him and his carefully selected subordinates, over the years There have been few mistakes in these businesses, and his promissory notes have always enjoyed a reputation for being extremely stable, and they have faintly become one of the benchmarks in the industry.

Although his life is very low-key, he is rarely known to the outside world, but the reputation he has accumulated over the past few decades has earned him the admiration of people in the industry, and he has the prestige of a "priest".

Today, however, the priest changed from his usual marble-like composure and appeared restless.

The source of his restlessness was a letter in his desk - he had received this letter yesterday.

Given his status, it is logically impossible for an ordinary letter to be delivered to him. Naturally, his secretary will handle it for him, but yesterday his secretary brought the letter to him, and he just looked at the cover. You will know that this letter is extraordinary-the name of Lucien is signed on the letter.

The name was ordinary, and the surname was not specified, but Poncena had already corresponded with Prince Lucien Bonaparte several times, so he understood that the prince had sent the letter on purpose.

Jean-Antoine Poncena remembered the favor that the prince had given him. If he hadn't supported him back then, he would have lived his entire life in obscurity in a small town, and would not have come to Paris to create the present His career is over, so he is very grateful to Prince Lucien Bonaparte. He has written to the prince living in Rome many times before, but the prince seldom replied to him.

He quickly opened the envelope, and then quickly browsed the contents of the letter.

The content of the letter was quite ordinary, it was nothing more than ordinary reminiscences and greetings, but at the end of the letter, the prince told him that he might have friends who would come to Paris recently, and if he asked for help, he was asked to support him as appropriate.

A few ordinary words, but aroused great waves in Poncena's heart.

As a successful banker, although he looks reclusive, he always pays close attention to the news of all aspects and uses it as a benchmark for investment, so of course he knows that the Bonaparte family is now under the leadership of the King of Rome. He became active again—and his appearance near Strasbourg before caused a great disturbance, even His Majesty the King was furious.

In this context, Prince Lucien Bonaparte took the initiative to write a letter to himself and asked himself to take care of his "friend", which made him feel a heavy pressure.

Undoubtedly, he could burn the letter directly, and for his own safety, he should do the same, but in the end Poncena didn't do that, and just put the letter on the desk.

This aspect is due to Prince Lucien's kindness to him. He will always remember that without the help of the prince, he would never have been able to rise to the top;