The Happy Life of a Duchess

Adele could only feel a rush of hot air rushing towards her cheeks, and in the dimly lit environment, she could even hear her extraordinarily powerful heartbeat, the sound was like a drum, as if it was vibrating in her ears.

She was silent for a long time, and then she calmed down her breathing little by little, letting the unspeakable heat fall from her face, she had to cover her side face with her hands, the strange temperature made her calm down a little Can't help but rippling again.

"This is really..."

Adele stared blankly at the "secret" that was pressed at the bottom and well hidden.

Reason told her that she should treat it as if she didn't see it, just like its own existence. This seemed to be a secret that should be kept deep in her heart, or it was a wonderful chemical reaction that happened by chance when a man and a woman met.

But emotionally—

The trembling and quickening heartbeat can only clearly tell her that she is so shy about the painting in front of her. In this shy emotion, there is a more wonderful emotion fermenting little by little, like noodles with yeast , in a suitable dark environment, when no one is paying attention, it just swells up little by little.

She was so genuinely surprised by it, that joy, mixed with a little shyness, took over her mind.

She couldn't help thinking wildly, couldn't help curling the corners of her lips, couldn't help feeling bewildered and so happy.

Adele reached out and touched the painting carefully.

Pressed under the scene diagram of the finished line draft, behind two sheets of white paper, is the silhouette of a girl.

The beautiful and graceful girl has a moving figure and a flying skirt. She seems to be dancing. Maybe there is a gentleman holding her on the opposite side of her, but it is not shown in the painting. She just raises her beautiful arm, and the other Holding up the hem of the skirt with her hand, the expression on her face was like this——

Adele never imagined that she had such an expression when dancing, so happy, so gentle, and so beautiful.

She has no doubt that the person in the painting is herself. Although the form and action are not done by her today, the costume and appearance undoubtedly belong to her, and perhaps her girlish and joyful look also belongs to her.

"Ah..." She heard voices outside and was forced to withdraw from her thoughts.

Adele hesitated for a moment, rearranged her clothes, and had to cover her overheated face. After realizing that the more she didn't want to, the more she blushed and became hotter, she finally gave up struggling and let out a cry It smelled a bit discouraged but also seemed to have a sweet breath.

"no solution anymore……"

There is no way to cool it down.

Adele is very aware of this matter.

She just felt that there was some confusion in her head.

"This person is really..." After a long while, Adele still couldn't say anything to describe it.

She was pleasantly surprised and even shocked by this, and even involuntarily felt an excitement and excitement that was almost trembling, but she couldn't restrain her anxiety.

The more she understands this era, the more she feels that she is too different from most people. Because of this difference, she naturally feels fear, and of course she also has the fear of making mistakes.

This surprise "out of line" is expressed in a wonderfully reserved way, as if in a flash, some emotion she has been suppressing has been ignited.

As a result, more intense emotions were brewing. She couldn't say that painting her necessarily represented the other party's thoughts about her love between men and women. She could even guess it with the emotion that an artist can't help but want to paint when he sees certain scenes. His mood, but if you want to say that he doesn't like her, it seems impossible.

Her mind is confused, her thoughts are like a very stable machine, but when it is running somewhere, it will involuntarily get stuck, and then the other rational, emotional, and all other things that were able to work well Mixed together...

As long as she thought about that gentleman, Adele felt as if she was getting hot again, which was helpless, helpless with an irrepressible smile.

"What a daring 'Mr. Clever'."

Adele stretched out her hand and accepted this painting, which in her opinion was even better than the completed line draft of the scene.

Since the painting was of her, she secretly took it away, as if there was nothing wrong with it, and also avoided the risk of being seen or taken by others.

Adele found a reason for herself that seemed to be quite sufficient.

As for what the creator of this work with both form and spirit will think at that time——

Adele couldn't help but feel a little optimistic about the show.

Come to see me!

"What have you been up to?"

By the time Mrs. Rudder found her, some time had passed.

She doesn't know what Adele is doing, but it's not easy to look for it in other people's houses, which may damage her reputation. As for the Duke, she made an excuse to fool her for a while.

Seeing Adele, she also breathed a sigh of relief, and she was really afraid that everything that went well would go wrong at the last moment, although for Adele, a change that was sweet orange to her had already occurred.

But fortunately, everything seems to be going well, no one is suspicious, and nothing bad happened.

"Nothing?" Adele waved her hand, hiding the folded drawing paper behind the opened fan and pressing it in front of her, so that no one would notice.

It took a little effort to restore the easel in the studio to its original shape, which also made her a little "guilty" when facing the strict Mrs. Lude.

"Why is your face so red?" Mrs. Lu De frowned, feeling that her cheeks were too rosy, and even the tips of her ears were stained with crimson. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, it's okay." Adele waved her hands again and again, and instantly woke up.

"Let's go back quickly." She looked at Mrs. Lude, who looked at her suspiciously, "Amande, where's Dad?"

"Mr. Duke is already waiting for you in the carriage, let's go up as soon as possible. I have already greeted Ang Li and his wife in advance, and the sir asked you to go directly to the door and get on the carriage without blowing too much wind."

Mrs. Lude put on the cloak she brought, and Adele hid the painting in the pocket of the cloak while she was arranging her clothes. After getting into the carriage, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's time to go back."

"Yes." Mrs. Lude reminded her in a low voice that she must remember to ask Mary and Jenny to remove her makeup before going to bed. If she has to take a bath, don't waste too long time, especially since she doesn't look too good. Cool.

The Duke's father had already closed his eyes in the carriage, and there were several carriages on the same road at night, but after passing through the streets of Provence, the sound was basically silent, and only their carriage slowly drove back to Bailu Manor.

It has been a long time since such a serious trip in the family has happened. Adele was not in good health before, and rarely socialized or went out. Mr. Duke is getting old and has insisted on health regimen for a period of time. Go out to have fun, unless it is an essential invitation.

However, this does not mean that the servants are unprofessional, the housekeeper has already brought people to wait.

When the two masters returned to the manor, everyone immediately went to work, and everything was in order.

Adele was soaking in the bathtub sprinkled with flower petals, and Mary was helping her wash her hair, rubbing essence and massaging, which relieved a lot of the smell of alcohol and exhaustion from her body.

Perhaps because of some "little accidents", Adele's sanity is unprecedentedly sober now, and she doesn't feel sleepy at all.

"Miss, would you like to arrange a cup of hot milk for you?"

Jenny can't do the delicate work of massage, but she is also learning from Mary. After thinking about it, she decided to start with food.

"Add some honey, and by the way, help me put the book on the study table on the bedside." Adele agreed after thinking about it. Judging from her excitement, she hoped that the milk could help her fall asleep.

"Mary, do I have any other plans for the future?"

"Not tomorrow, you can rest at home for a few days." Mary kept moving her hands and was still helping her massage her scalp, but her mind quickly went through the content. This was Mrs. Armand Rued's work. But Mary always wanted to go further, so she naturally did her homework.

"In a few days, there will be invitations from several families. According to Mr. Duke, these are the ones he must go to, and he will return in the same way. There is one family that needs to be paid attention to. It is the family of Mr. Duke's former subordinates. He will invite Many officers have gone, there must be good gentlemen here. In addition, after today, there should be some new invitations, which probably depend on your performance at today's dance."

"If you have received a lot of invitations, it at least shows that the effect of your ball this time is good, you have been accepted, and it will be more convenient to ask a few gentlemen in the future."

"I see." Adele thought about it, and waved her hand to indicate that it's ok, "It doesn't take long to soak, and the red wine over there is fine, although it would be comfortable to drink with red wine in the shower, after all, I just got out of it. I feel like I’ve had enough to drink at the dance party. After a while, Jenny will deliver the milk, and you two should go to rest too, it’s been hard work.”

"It's not hard, it's not hard." Mary quickly expressed her loyalty.

The next day, when Adele woke up, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky.

There is also a good weather today, the wind is sunny and the sun is warm, even the midday sun will not look too hot.

Adele herself didn't know what time she fell asleep yesterday.

She only vaguely remembers, because of that painting that people love and hate, she has been repeatedly impressing in her mind, coupled with the whole night of dancing, the physical fatigue caused by sore legs and the noisy dance. The sound of the stopped music played repeatedly in her head, both of which made her unable to fall asleep immediately.

Adele guessed that for people in this era, they should be used to this kind of life, so they are not surprised, and their physical fitness should be better than hers.

It's not like her, when she thought of the crazy music that was still ticking in her mind last night like a party, she couldn't help but rub her forehead. She didn't expect that after the dance, she would also have a party in her mind to synchronize Celebrate.

"If it really happens..." Adele muttered.

If she really found her one, then it's okay for her to be excited, but the actual situation is that she still has nothing to gain for the time being, except for the slightly subtle painting.

Right now, the beautiful and charming thoughts swaying in her mind always make her feel that she has become extraordinarily clumsy and extraordinarily sensitive, but it is unrealistic for her to completely exclude other thoughts.

"Miss?" Jenny had to call again, "You're in a daze again."

"But thinking about yesterday's prom?" Mary also joked with a smile, her eyes were a bit envious, she also wanted to attend the prom, but unfortunately her skin did not allow her to go out too often, and she was only allowed Participating in several large public balls and their private balls, the scene is certainly not as good as the games of the nobles.

"Yes, yes, I met some interesting people yesterday."

Adele responded with a smile, rather than ambiguously making people suspicious, it would be better to agree directly.

"What kind of dance is it?"

Jenny has never participated in it, unlike Mary, who is in Paris anyway and has seen some big scenes.

So Adele picked out what she could say to them, and they both asked questions in amazement.

Different from Jenny's pure curiosity and confusion, Mary also knew about other nobles. She also had acquaintances with other maids, and they also had their own information exchange and communication.

As a result, Adele quickly learned some gossip again.

For example, the old Mrs. Dressel, who was very kind to her and seemed to be very talkative, felt very friendly to get along with, but she was not very good to her servants. Their family changed servants more frequently among the big nobles. , In addition, she and her eldest daughter-in-law are not very harmonious.

Rather, the wife chosen by her eldest son is not the one she likes, but the current Mrs. Dressel is good at means, a good butler and noble, the husband and eldest daughter of the old Mrs. Dressel The son is very satisfied with her, so she can't touch her for the time being, but when choosing a wife for her most beloved youngest son, she wants to choose one she likes more, preferably one who can fight with the eldest daughter-in-law .

Mrs. Lude would not be willing to say this to her, and it's not that she doesn't care about Adele. It's just that Mary and Jenny are young, including Adele, and it's impossible to say that they don't have longing for love.

It can be said that the girls all look forward to having such a prince-like real son.

In comparison, whether it is Mr. Duke or Mrs. Lude, they are more realistic.

If Mariana disapproves of Mr. Dressel Jr. as her husband because she thinks he is not rich enough or of status, she thinks that Adele can go to another "future", even if it is a sequel, so that Mariana It can be regarded as one more reliable and excellent relative.

What Mrs. Lude considers is that Mrs. Dressel is obviously more partial to her younger son. When she distributes her dowry to the children, she will obviously favor Mr. Dressel Jr., and she has a good relationship with her. There is no doubt that leading ladies can be more active in the circle of ladies. It is really important for ladies to have their own circle.

As for the consideration criteria of the duke's father, Adele guessed it herself. In addition to her personal preferences, there should also be considerations of the other party's status and social status. She tended that he should hope that her child could be the legitimate heir.

"But..." Mary rolled her eyes, looked around to confirm that there was no one there, and then continued with Jenny's curious "tell me soon" eyes.

"I've heard some gossip."

"Little Mr. Dressel seems to have a regular mistress." She pouted. For a girl who fantasizes about love, the existence of a mistress seems to be a bloody fact, making it impossible for a man to believe that when facing marriage loyalty.

"Isn't he a college student?" Jenny blinked, unable to think about it.

"Yes, yes, he is a student, but Mrs. Dressel has always been loose and gave him a lot of money. You said that he is a man, why is he going to a jewelry store to buy women's jewelry? Whose servant went to You can see it when shopping on the street.”

The freckles on Jenny's face wrinkled together with her frown, and Mary's face was also very disapproving.

"Although Mrs. Dressel has never admitted it, nor has she overdid any of his illegitimate children or mistresses..." Mary took a biscuit, like a little squirrel, chewing her mouth quickly, swallowing it before continuing over.

"But we all feel that he should have been raised for a few years. Since he went to university in Paris, for such a long time, no matter whether it is frequent changes or a fixed position, he may not be a good person... But if it is a fixed Yes, that's too bad, maybe the illegitimate children outside are a few years old, and I always feel weird."

The existence of illegitimate children is indeed the norm, but it does not mean that women will like their existence.

Although the law does not allow an illegitimate child to inherit his father's title and property, it is very uncomfortable if the illegitimate child becomes prominent.

To put it simply, if they are famous and promising, the family or his biological father will probably recognize his identity, and whether to give him a surname depends on the situation.

"And what about Madame Castellana?"

Adele asked another person, she was more impressed by these ladies.

Mary rolled her eyes slightly and smiled mysteriously.

"I really do know that."

"She is most famous, isn't it..." Mary picked up the fan on the table and fanned it pretentiously, but didn't answer right away.

"Is... not clear?" She groaned, but she didn't say the most important thing. Jenny couldn't wait to jump up and pinch her collar to ask her, but Adele was suddenly a little stunned. , she has heard of this before.

"Is there any basis?" Adele pursed her lips and smiled, "You can't talk nonsense about this."

"The gossip in this circle is true and false. Most of them are rumors, but some of them are the truth. Just like Mrs. Barry that you mentioned, Miss, some people say that she once worked with three court ladies in the palace. Serving His Majesty the King, who knows about this kind of thing except the King himself..."

"I don't have fifteen thousand Louis and that qualification to watch our King go to bed." Mary smiled exaggeratedly, and couldn't help but follow up, "It's a good thing our King Orleans doesn't do this, Luckily the Bourbons are gone.”*

Adele lowered her eyes and had no intention of discussing such political issues with them.

As a French who traveled over time, she learned history for nothing, and this happened to be a chaotic era in French history that pursued freedom and independence. Of course, she was deeply impressed and clearly remembered that this Bourbon family The King of Orleans, a distant relative, did not last long, and France was destined to belong to the people.

The servants at home have different political leanings, but they do not have the right to influence the political situation.

For example, Armand is very obvious. She is still obsessed with the past Napoleon era. She has a strange admiration and obsession with Emperor Napoleon I. Even if the once mighty king was defeated and exiled in the end, she still misses the past. A mighty France led by Napoleon that would awe and fear all of Europe.

Of course, this is also the first time she has seen from Mary, who is a little timid and sensitive and prone to crying, that she doesn't like the current king under the constitutional monarchy system very much.

As for Jenny, she just didn't know, and Adele had reason to believe she didn't even know the difference.

"So, what's the matter?"

Mary took a carrot and hung Jenny tightly. She was still curious, like a cat's paw scratching her heart, and she felt uneasy if she didn't know.

"Mrs. Castellana and the women are a little unclear." Mary whispered, covering her mouth.

"How did the news get out?" Adele asked curiously. The attitude towards homosexuality in this era is not good. Even though the influence of Catholicism has been weakened, neither religion nor secularism accept it. Even if there are such people, they dare not come here openly, let alone the rumors that are spreading everywhere.

"I don't know, but at first it seemed that the courtesans were spreading the word that she went to find her husband's lover and did some... things." She was vague, and she really didn't know.

Adele laughed when she heard the words, Mary's vague impression and ambiguity did not bother her, on the contrary she took it for granted.

She was originally inclined to believe that this was false news. Judging from her relationship with Mrs. Castellana, she didn't seem to be ambiguous with the girl. Before there was no other more reliable evidence, she was more inclined to So her husband's lover had some conflicts with her, so the two tore apart, and the other party deliberately discredited her.

But judging from the current situation, this lover still has some successes. For example, this long-standing gossip has even made Adele, a "newcomer" in the Parisian social circle, hear such rumors.

Of course, it is true that not all wives can tolerate their husbands looking for a lover outside, or even a lover who directly demonstrates in front of his wife, even if all the property belongs to the husband and puts him in a helpless disadvantage, but the wife who should be on the bar can also Not without it.

"As for the old Mrs. Barry, when she was alive, she was famous for her rigidity, and she couldn't rub a little sand. She directly shamed her husband several times, only forcing him to blush on the spot, but she didn't dare to have sex with those men again. Go to the club to play prostitutes, let me watch," Mary shook her head, "Although there is a bad reputation, but I'm angry, I'll talk about it when I'm happy."

"I don't know what kind of character Miss Barry is. I haven't really met her, but I heard that she has a very good reputation as the 'No. [-] Beauty', and many young men pursue her. This is really enviable, but She seemed very upright and very pure, unlike that lady who was determined not to be a courtesan or a mistress..."

"That sounds good."

Adele nodded, she was just as curious about this beauty as she was about the future queen.

"Among us civilians, there are very few people like this..." Jenny thought for a while and said, "But there are also men who hire prostitutes when they have money, but there are also many honest people who keep their money for their wives, although They do some manual work, but..."

"It's different, Jenny," Mary interrupted righteously.

"That's inferior."

Jenny didn't speak anymore, and Adele changed the topic with a smile.

She thinks what Jenny said is right, and hopes that she can stick to this idea. In the future, she can marry a husband from such a decent family. She is so hardworking and capable. If we work together as individuals, we will definitely get better.

And Mary doesn't seem to have a clear path for the time being. On the one hand, she is indeed greedy for money and longing for a luxurious life in the upper class, but on the other hand, she also has expectations for love. Adele can't say anything. She and her are only one birth apart, even though this is the biggest gap, the insurmountable gap.

Adele's life gradually became normal, and she began to get used to the life of a noble lady step by step.

When there is no prom arrangement, she learns some Latin or Spanish from the teacher at home. With a certain foundation, she only needs to transform her old skills into the one that people are used to now. However, it is not very difficult, but it is very embarrassing to be praised and praised by the teachers as a genius.

She already knows how to play the piano. She just needs to practice the pieces more, get started with popular pieces, and ensure her proficiency in case she needs to perform in public in the future.

The study of the pipe organ is a new project for her, because she needs to use her hands and feet and need to tune the pegs. To be honest, she thinks that this musician is also a pipe organ tuner and she doesn't know how to teach her, but it depends on whether the Duke's mansion pays him or not. For the sake of less, he still tried to teach her a simple tune patiently.

Adele has the keyboard foundation of the piano in her hands. Although this organ has three rows of keys, she practiced the score first in her hands and then slowly added the keys with her feet.

Alexander has already gone to school, and he still lives in a dormitory, but Adele and him often write letters, and have promised to visit him often. Judging from the feedback from his first reply letter, the new school gave him a good impression , not particularly good, but much better than the previous ones.

After all, the society has some opinions on illegitimate children. It is already an improvement if he can be treated as usual. Alexander is not a person who cannot adapt to the environment. It is just that he has become violent and irritable because he was too much before. The bad boy, now with a little care from the Duke, he has begun to learn to mature.

As long as others don't provoke him, he will not go to the prisoner's house.

This is already very good, and Adele was slightly relieved.

"Today's ball is from Count Garcia's house?"

Adele asked Mary while adjusting the position of her hat in front of the mirror.

"Yes, are you sure you want Jenny to follow you?" she asked worriedly.

Mary's skin problem is not completely healed, and she also knows that she will not be allowed to go out like this, but fortunately, she can almost go out during the Easter ball.

The relationship between her and Jenny has improved a lot after getting along during this period. Jenny is a carefree character who does not hold grudges. Although Mary is sensitive and slender, she can't stand the simple stick on the other end. She knows how to hang out in the kitchen all day long. Stealing lessons from the chef, and those who don't know how to trouble the lady for guidance.

So Mary quickly tasted the irony of the inability of the other party to return a ignorant and silly smile in the past, and soon she lost interest in her, and Jenny herself didn't realize that she was initially resisted by the servants of the manor. He was also sued by his colleague Mary for Xiaohei.

Now, Adele can be sure that the other servants have a higher opinion of Jenny than Mary. Jenny seems uncompetitive and not worth caring about. On the contrary, Mary has done some things that offend others and has a bad temper. Appropriate, as long as a little grievance does not affect serious affairs, the host generally doesn't care.

"I'm still worried that she's going to make a mistake..."

"It doesn't matter, there will always be such a time."

Adele thought about it very much, pointed to the yellow opal necklace she took out from the drawer, and motioned for Mary to help her put it on.

Mary picked it up carefully, not daring to be sloppy. Although she was obsessed with this luxury, she was never brave enough to steal or covet the owner's jewelry, so Adele was not worried.

Sitting in the carriage, Adele looked out the window without speaking.

The Duke is in another carriage. Today's ball will be held at Count Garcia's estate in the outskirts. The men will go hunting on horseback, and the ladies can change into equestrian clothes and go for a lap or two if they want.

Adele can ride a horse, and she has practiced it at home before, but her mind is still not here.

I don't know if it's a coincidence or it's true. After the ball at her cousin Marianne's house, she never saw Mr. Duval again. She met his son, Mr. Armand, at several private balls, but she just didn't. seen him.

According to Mr. Armand, because he was worried about his sister, Miss Duval, who was still at home and had not fully recovered, he declined part of the social activities, and Armand would complete the other ball parties for his father——

But everyone knows that Armand did not inherit his father's career, and even studied law that is not relevant, so he will not be of great help in this matter. Of course, if it is just a relationship, let them young people get along is totally enough.

Thinking of this, Adele couldn't help feeling agitated.

She didn't know if it was his intention, and she didn't know exactly what she thought and thought about him. If she really wanted such a gentleman to be her reliance for the rest of her life, she couldn't say for sure. It must be too hasty for both of them to make a decision based on first sight.

During this period of time, Adele was thinking all the time, asking side-by-side, and inquiring about a lot of news.

For example, Mr. Duval has no illegitimate children. There are absolutely no mistresses in Paris. His children are only Armand Duval and his sister, Miss Duval. He also loves his two children very much. As a father He is qualified, and he is undoubtedly successful as an official.

From this point of view, his strengths and weaknesses are very obvious...

"Miss? Miss?" Jenny called her softly, "You've arrived, and you're in a daze again."

"Well, I see, let's go down." Adele responded nonchalantly, with a smile on her face that was not inappropriate at all.

Jenny helped her check her makeup and hair for the last time, and after making sure that the long-distance carriage ride did not affect her makeup, she got out of the car first and let the waiter lead her down, and then followed her obediently, together Changed to a simple open carriage.

This car was prepared by Count Garcia's family. It was pulled by two horses, and it was convenient for activities in the huge forested estate. Most of the time, it was used when guests wanted to come in.

"I don't know how many people came to today's party..."

Adele glanced over unintentionally, and saw the Dressel family's carriage slowly approaching at a glance.

Although the carriages were not crowded together, it seemed that there were quite a few guests.

Count Garcia did not marry a wife, usually his sister and brother-in-law helped him organize the ball at home.

He also does some business himself, and his wealth and title are not bad. Compared with his two sisters and brother-in-law, he is slightly weaker. It seems that he has no intention of marrying a wife for the time being, so he can let his sister and brother-in-law directly live in him. Home, often when the social season comes, and will not leave easily, and will live in the Garcia family's manor for more than half a year.

Adele is not the little white at the beginning, she has heard a lot of news.

Although she only danced with the count once, she probably knew that he was a more friendly person with looser hands and a more generous person.

If he is not one of the many men who are pursuing La Traviata, perhaps Adele will add him to the candidates for a future husband.

Through letters with Margaret, Adele asked about this matter cryptically, but the other party replied very generously and gave her an explanation. It seemed that she was also embarrassed by the encounter in the jewelry store before, but she was not guilty. this matter.

Marguerite told her that she would go out for activities during the social season, but she would not use the name of the old Duke and related parties to damage her reputation. She is still living in the residence on the Rue d'Antin very well. She has officially received any man. She has a neighbor and a former friend called Prudence, and she is also very happy to get along with her neighbors and friends.

"Hey, that's the Duval family's carriage, right?" Jenny's eyes lit up, and she pointed over there. Maybe Adele asked too many questions. Although Jenny hasn't realized anything yet, she has the sensitivity of a small animal. , so I caught the key in time with instinct.

Hearing the sound, Adele immediately turned around, and realized that her reaction might have been too exaggerated, and quickly glanced at the Duke's father who was sitting on the side playing with a pocket watch from the corner of her eye.

Seeing that he didn't respond, she was slightly relieved, then adjusted her mentality, and asked pretending to be very concerned.

"The ones following... are the cars of the Baron's family and the Barry's family, right?"

She frowned, and quickly let go of her brows. The Duke followed suit with a glance, nodded in response, and didn't think much about it.

Jenny looked at the Duke and then at her. She couldn't find anything in Adele's smile, and turned her head to continue observing.

The author has something to say:

Louis: Gold coins engraved with the heads of Louis XIII and others, mixed with silver. At that time, gold and silver were still common in France. 1 Louis was equal to 20 francs.

"Big bed", or "big bedtime", is a ceremony for Louis to take off his clothes and go to bed.Several nobles waited aside, eagerly hoping that they would have the honor to hold the candlestick for the king when he changed his clothes.After the bedtime was ready, only a handful of carefully selected nobles could stay with the emperor.These people who enjoyed special treatment spent up to 1.5 louis in gold to obtain this honor: worshiping the emperor and proceeding to another ceremony, that is, "little couch".His Royal Highness showed his noble ass, sat on the "commode chair", that is, on the closed toilet, and held the last royal ceremony of the day. (Data source network)