Eagle's Glory

Her tone was quite frivolous, and she was completely joking as a friend—here, only she dared to speak to Madam in such an almost equal capacity.

She successfully achieved her goal, because she obviously noticed that Madam's eyebrows twitched. As a close friend, she knew that Madam must be unhappy.

And this also means that Agnes, this poor girl, has been rejected, and she has more enemies in the dark before she even knows what happened.

The princess knew that she was secretly sowing discord and ruining the future of a chaste and beautiful girl in the social world. It is naturally impossible to say that she does not have any anxiety and guilt in her heart, but she is willing to annihilate her for the sake of her beloved Edgar. To do such things with one's own conscience.

"My dear Diana..." Just as she was feeling secretly in her heart, the madam suddenly turned her head to look at her, and then there was a little playfulness in her eyes, "Why did you suddenly praise Agnes so much today? Could it be Because she is Edgar's wife and sister, do you want to help her?"

As a close friend, the lady knew about the affair between Princess Cardillon and Mr. Edgar de Treville, and even knew that the two of them had an illegitimate child, but of course she didn't care, because for her, it was nothing Not a big deal.

In fact, she secretly envied her friend to have full freedom and enjoy the fun of love. After all, as the prince's widow, even if she wanted to do something, she had to always be wary of the eyes of the outside world.

It was precisely because she knew about the princess's affair with Edgar that she guessed that the princess "valued" Agnes so much for Edgar's sake and kept saying good things.

How could she have imagined that although the princess did notice Agnes because of Edgar's relationship, the purpose was just the opposite?

Being questioned by his wife, Princess Kadiyang didn't hide it, but instead smiled. "You are right. Edgar really hopes that I can help his wife and sister to be more honorable, so that she can enjoy the happiness of being in the spotlight, but now I feel that Agnes herself is worthy of this honor. , I don’t need my help in it... What do you think? Why don’t you do me a favor and let her receive your praise and favor before everyone? This will definitely be a favor she will never forget. "

Without making a fuss, the concubine provoked again, and this time, she completely ignited the madam's jealousy and competitiveness.

"I don't think so." Madam shook her head, "She is indeed pretty, I don't deny that, but she is far from the standard of a famous lady, I think she needs to study hard. I've heard that she's also good at fighting with men, what's wrong with that? If I praise her, what a wrong example it will set for our young ladies? It's just destroying our brilliance. culture and civilization..."

The princess was stunned for a moment, as if she was speechless.

"It seems reasonable to say that. She is indeed a bit too detached and not quiet enough... Her sister is much better in this regard."

The madam put away the folding fan, then beckoned to the attendant next to her, and when the attendant came over and bowed her head to salute, she whispered something in his ear.

Although Princess Kadiyang didn't know what the madam was talking about, she could fully guess what the madam would do next—she would call Agnes to her front, and then reprimanded her implicitly, telling her to settle down a bit later .

Undoubtedly, she won't say too serious things, after all, everyone here has to pay attention to decency, no matter how much she doesn't like it in her heart, she will pretend to be kind on the surface.

But that's enough, because everyone will be able to see that Madam doesn't like Agnes, which means that she will be classified into another book, and her goal will be achieved.

"Poor Agnes..." She sighed to herself.

At the same time, she was a little curious, who is Edgar's so-called friend, and is it worth the price Agnes has to pay?　　

122, contradict

As the guests arrived on time one by one, the ball hosted by the Duchess of Berry just began.

The band played melodious music, and the guests gathered in twos and threes to chat or look for the next dance partner.

Agnes was so immersed in this dazzling, flashy world that she almost forgot about the passage of time for a moment.

Although she is not greedy for wealth, she is still a little dazzled by the sight of jewels in front of her eyes. She doesn't know if she can be the focus of the ball, but she decides for herself, if someone invites her to dance later , she will probably readily agree.

This doesn't mean that she has plans to choose a mate like her father expected, it's just... It's all here, wouldn't it be a loss not to experience it?

She found a corner and sat down, next to several ladies who were also well-dressed.Maybe it was because of jealousy, maybe because she didn't want her to steal the limelight, the ladies sitting next to her deliberately avoided her and chatted happily, but Agnes was not interested in their topics and couldn't hold back her face To forcefully participate in it, so she could only keep silent, and sat obediently on the side in silence.

She could feel that there were many people watching her, but maybe it was because of her "isolated" attitude that she misunderstood. These people were obviously hesitant, afraid that she would rush over to invite her rashly, and in the end they would touch this The frown of the flower of Gaoling was rejected by the crowd and became a laughing stock.

Agnes guessed the predicament she was facing now, she was ashamed and resentful, but there was nothing she could do, and she refused to let go of her body and take the initiative to find a young man to dance with.

As time went by, the girls next to her gradually came to be invited, but there was no movement at all here, and she began to feel that the laughter of the people next to her seemed to be laughing at herself.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn't help squinting her eyes and glaring around.

You greasy-faced, shameless playboys, usually all of you are full of lotus, why is there no one who is more courageous now?Nothing!These are useless guys!

If it was him, he would definitely pull me up to dance with him directly, so he wouldn't be afraid of anything... Pooh, oh, oh, what are you thinking about?How can you remember that bastard thing?

Confused, Agnes angrily picked up the wine glass and took a sip of wine for herself, finally suppressing the anger and depression in her heart.

And under her angry aura, no one dared to get close to the notorious Miss Agnes.

In this way, a subtle stalemate formed around the area a few meters away from Agnes. Many young people were eager to try, but no one dared to take that step. Maybe after a few minutes, there would be a The lucky one will finally break the fear in his heart, grit his teeth and rush forward to flatter Miss Agnes...

At this moment, Agnes realized that someone was approaching her. She was overjoyed and turned her head to look at it, but was disappointed to find that the visitor was wearing the uniform of a court attendant and an old-fashioned wig on her head. It wasn't to find a dance partner in the first place.

Under her gaze, the attendant walked up to her, saluted her respectfully, and looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Miss de Nordrien, Madam would like you to come over and have a few words with you. Are you free?"

"Huh?" This unexpected invitation made Agnes feel overwhelmed.

Afterwards, her mood immediately turned from sadness to joy. Obviously, being received by the Duchess of Berry in person is an honor that her peers do not have today, which means that she is still "brilliant" to some extent .

And at this time, the ladies next to her also heard what the attendant said, and they immediately cast jealous glances at Agnes, but this gaze made Agnes even more joyful.

You deserve it!

"It's my honor, of course I'm free." Agnes replied immediately.

Then, she followed the attendant all the way through the crowd, and then came to the other side of the hall, where the lady rested.

When Agnes came to the lady, she found that the lady was sitting lazily on the sofa, and her close friend Princess Kadiyang was sitting next to her. The two of them were talking intimately with smiles on their faces .

After seeing her coming, the two stopped talking and looked at her at the same time.

The two of them are not only noble, but also the well-deserved top existence in the social arena of the Kingdom of France at this time. Being watched by them like this, even Agnes, who has always been bold, can't help but feel a little uneasy at this moment.

Agnes knew them, but of course she didn't have any real contact with them, so she didn't dare to make a mistake, and bowed to Madam respectfully.

"Good evening, ma'am."

"Good evening, Agnes." The lady nodded with a smile, but the smile was very formulaic, without much warmth. "You are beautiful tonight, Diana and I have noticed you, you are without a doubt one of the prettiest girls we have here tonight, I think... your father will be very happy because her A daughter can be one of the brightest jewels in our society."

This high-level compliment made Agnes overjoyed, as if the resentment accumulated today was also swept away.

"You have won the award!" She smiled modestly, but it was obvious that she didn't mean it.

"I'm not done yet." Madam continued to look at her with a smile on her face. "However, in our place, it's not enough for girls to have beauty. They also need to have corresponding knowledge, talent and character. In these aspects, I am very satisfied." It is a pity to hear some rumors that are not favorable to you. It is precisely because I cannot bear to see that the pearl is dusty and those shortcomings damage your due charm, so I specially hand you over to give you some advice. "

Agnes didn't feel right when she heard it, and the smile on her face froze.

"You...what are you referring to? If I do something wrong, I will try to correct it. Please advise me."

"I can't talk about teaching, but I have friendship with your father, and I can also feel his ardent expectations for you. He has said more than once that you are his most precious daughter. He hopes that you can not only make a splash in the social world, And it is precisely because of this that he will be able to get the most perfect husband-in-law in the future, he begged me to help you, let me invite you to come here..." Madam said unhurriedly, "You must know that you want to achieve This goal is not a problem that can be solved at a dance party, and you need to grow slowly in the future to meet the expectations of the outside world."

Meeting the expectations of the outside world... Agnes was still very confused. She blinked and looked at Princess Kadiyang next to her, as if hoping to get some hints from her.

But the princess didn't say a word, just nodded to her with a smile to show her friendliness. Agnes was still confused about the status quo. How could she think that what was disguised in a group of friendly smiles was invisible How about swords and swords!

Metal swords, she can definitely block them, few people can defeat her; but this simple girl, when exposed to the eccentric and sinister Vanity Fair, is so fragile, almost defenseless , not to mention the power of resistance.

"Thank you for your reminder, I will work hard to grow up." Agnes could only answer like this.

Gu Ji

"Come here." Madam beckoned. "Let me take a closer look at you."

Agnes obeyed, walked in front of her, and then let the other side look at her.

"What happened to your hand?" After looking at it for a while, Madam pointed to Agnes' hand. "It looks like a maid who is used to rough work, not like a princess."

Agnes blushed slightly.

As the price of practicing swords all the year round, she had a lot of calluses on her hands. Although she took good care of herself out of her beauty-loving nature, this was unavoidable.

"This is... it grew out of sword practice." She replied in a low voice. "This is my usual hobby."

"Why do you have such a strange hobby?" Madam raised her eyebrows, and then asked in disbelief, "Lady of a famous family should be gentle and demure, how can she be contaminated with weapons? What will outsiders think?"

Then, she darkened her face slightly, "By the way, I remembered it. I've heard that you were very aggressive and fought against many men before, right?"

"Yes." Agnes couldn't dodge this question at all, she could only nod her head yes.

"How decent." Madam frowned, and the smile on her face disappeared, "Now I understand why your father is so worried about you... That's why. Miss Agnes, what you did is a big deal It's inappropriate, not only will it damage your own reputation, but even your family will lose face. How can a young lady fight with others with a sword and see blood when she is wounded?"

"I'm good at swordsmanship, and I rarely get hurt..." Agnes defended softly.

"It's not that question." Madam interrupted her, "but think about it, is this what you should do? Don't you come here today in all your fancy clothes to be admired? And you are so brave Those ruthless deeds will only have the opposite effect on this purpose, I just noticed that no one has dared to invite you to dance together, so it can be seen that they all have some opinions on you."

That’s because they didn’t grow it, so who can blame me? I was obviously ready to agree... Agnes answered in her heart, but she didn’t dare to say it out of her mouth, so she could only bow her head and listen in silence.

Maybe because she felt that she made the atmosphere too stiff, Madam laughed again, "Agnes, don't get me wrong, I am not reprimanding you. I just hope that you can get what you deserve because of your beauty, you You should abandon untimely actions and work hard to cultivate your talents and character, so that you can become a respected lady in the future, are you right?"

Agnes wanted to answer that way.

It was enough for her to answer like this, to put all of this in a perfunctory way, and then bid farewell to Madam, go back to where she was just now, and pretend that nothing happened.

But the words rolled to her lips, she opened her lips, but found that she couldn't say anything.

Even if she doesn't know much about the world, she can still feel that the wife is suppressing herself and forcibly denying herself, even though she doesn't understand the reason why the other party did so.

So, what should I do?

Do you want to agree with others, deny your hobbies, and deny your previous life?Could it be that the sweat and joy of victory in the past were all just a joke, a joke that could be dismissed just because someone else said it?

No... no... not like that!Even if it is her, there is no way to deny it.

I did make a mistake, but the mistake was that I came to the wrong place, this place doesn't belong to me, but I don't need to bend my knees to cater to them, we live in different worlds, but this is also very good.

Agnes looked up, her eyes suddenly sharpened.

In an instant, a shocking evil spirit burst out from her body, which made both the madam and the princess stunned at the same time.

Of course, Agnes didn't intend to do anything, she just answered each other word by word.

"I don't think you are right, ma'am."

Before the princess could ask any more questions, she went all out and continued, "I respect you, just as I respect any member of the royal family. My ancestors served this royal family, and I must be a good subject of it. But even It's you, you who sit high on the throne, and you have no right to decide for me what I should like and how I should do it. I know, maybe you are right, but so what? I have lived before I am very happy, I found my self-esteem on the sword, I found the glory of defeating a powerful enemy, this is not about being brave and ruthless, even when I am fighting for life and death, I am full of compassion for human life!

Compared with those, how to be a lady is a trivial matter not worth mentioning to me, and I have never thought about it.This is how I was brought up, and I will do what I think, and I remember with respect the advice you gave me tonight, but I will do what I think, ma'am. "

After Agnes made such a call, Madam's face immediately turned pale, which is also understandable. It has been a long time since she has been confronted face-to-face like this.

Princess Kadiyang noticed that the lady's hand was tightly holding the handle of the folding fan, obviously out of anger.

This little girl is really stupefied... She just wants to have a quick talk without thinking about the consequences. Her father is just a courtier begging for favor. How can he bear the consequences of angering his wife?

Her goal has been achieved, and now she has to find a way to smooth things over, after all, Edgar did not embarrass Agnes too much.

"Caroline, the next dance is coming soon, shall we choose a partner? It doesn't seem appropriate to chat here all the time." She finally spoke, interrupting the stiff atmosphere at this moment.

Madam also knew that she couldn't lose her composure in public, so she slowly calmed down. Then, she gave Agnes a hard look with her eyes, and then nodded without saying a word.

Agnes also knew that the princess had helped her, so she sent a grateful look to the other party, and then she saluted and bid farewell with a resolute and fearless heart.

Being resolute and fearless is for herself, and being uneasy is for her father. She knows that she may have gotten into trouble.

She walked back in a state of anxiety, her usual sharp perception had faded away most of the time, and the laughter and laughter around her seemed to have turned into the chirping of bees, which was noisy and piercing but she couldn't hear anything clearly.

Just when she was about to return to her previous position, she felt as if the skirt behind her was pulled by someone. She looked back subconsciously, but saw a well-dressed lady looking at her with a smile that was not a smile. look at yourself.

"Teacher?!" Agnes opened her eyes wide in shock.　　

123, reunion and anxiety

"teacher?!"

Agnes' shock and astonishment at this moment are simply indescribable.

Although she had already learned from the correspondence that the teacher was coming to Paris, she never thought that she would meet the teacher first at the ball in the palace.

As far as she knew, although the teacher claimed to have a bit of noble blood, everyone in Italy seemed to be similar, so it was absolutely impossible to be treated as a distinguished guest by the court, let alone invited here.

So why is she here?

Just when she was in doubt, Bianka stretched out her finger to her mouth and made a "shh" gesture to signal her not to make any noise.

Agnes suddenly woke up, so she forcibly calmed down, stopped talking, and just looked at the teacher suspiciously.

Then, Bianca turned around and walked towards the corner, and Agnes followed her without thinking.

Although the dance is still at its climax, after the conflict with the wife, Agnes has lost interest. She is no longer interested in everything here, and she doesn't care if anyone will invite her to dance. She just wants to end this as soon as possible. Everything, and forget about this unpleasant experience tonight.

Therefore, for her, now she wished that she would not be watched by anyone, and it might be a little happier to stay in a corner where no one noticed with the teacher.

The two found a quiet place and sat down, because many people ran to dance, so there was no one around to disturb them.

"Teacher, why are you here?" Agnes asked impatiently as soon as she sat down.

"Why can't I be here?" Bianka asked back. "Can't I come here?"

Her tone was a bit blunt, as if she was provocative, but Agnes had been with her for so many years and knew her temper well, so she was not angry.

"No... I'm just curious about how you got the invitation. It can't be that you sneaked in~" Agnes asked with a smile.

If someone else joked with her like this, Bianka would definitely let the other party know what the consequences were, but she was much more tolerant of Agnes as an apprentice.

"Of course not, I'm a real guest—" Bianka replied coldly, "You don't need to know the specifics. All in all, I won't cause you any trouble today, don't worry."

"I've never worried about that..." Agnes protested.