[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

chapter135

The Count of Monte Cristo got out of the carriage with Maximilian in his arms, walked quickly into the bedroom closest to the door, and carefully let him lie on the bed.At this moment, Maximilian was already unconscious, murmuring Valentine's name in his mouth, and grabbed the earl's forearm with one hand, as if there was a desperate force in his fingertips.

The count hurriedly took a small transparent bottle from his pocket, and made Maximilian drink a few drops of the red liquid which he had forced him to drink when he first got into the carriage.

Maybe it was the effect of the medicine, and Maximilian fell asleep quickly.Looking at the pained expression on that young and handsome face, the Earl felt as if something had tightly gripped his heart.

After coming to Paris, he has always taken care of Maximilian as his own son.And witnessing the heartbreaking scene at Villefort's house, he couldn't help being moved by it.He should not let Maximilian bear the hatred between him and Villefort, let alone let the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet repeat itself on him and the girl.

Observing that Maximilian's condition was gradually improving, the count came to the table, dipped his pen in ink, and quickly wrote a letter, describing everything that happened at Villefort's house and all the inside stories he knew.Then, he called Ali, the black slave, and handed him the letter, "Give it to Mel, hurry up!"

Ali bowed deeply and took the order to leave.

Almost at the same time that Ali left the room, the butler Bertuccio entered.He knew that a good servant should suppress his curiosity, so he just asked, "My lord, is there anything I can do for Mr. Morel?"

The Count of Monte Cristo looked directly into Bertuccio's eyes.Although he hadn't given the butler 100% trust at this time, he had to say that Bertuccio's work was indeed reassuring.It's just that there really isn't much he can do to help right now.

After a few seconds of silence, the count said, "Then pray for him."

Time flew by, and after the hour hand on the pendulum clock made a half turn, the bell struck slowly and depressingly, announcing the arrival of midnight.

Under the deep night, the cold moonlight with a trace of loneliness shone through the window onto Valentine's white bed curtain.

Half asleep and half awake, Valentine suddenly saw Renee standing by the bed, her eyes full of fear, as if she wanted to tell her something.Valentine did not dare to call her mother, because every time she did, her mother disappeared.But she couldn't restrain the tears welling up, and the illusion gradually became blurred.

The moment she woke up completely, Valentine didn't understand why she was lying alone in this dim room.She tried her best to recall, but she only remembered that she was exchanging thoughts with Maximilian in front of her grandfather just a moment ago.In order to fulfill them, the old man planned to take her out of the house and live separately from Villefort.

Yes, she remembered.At that moment, before she had time to finish telling her grandpa's plan, an extremely painful feeling swept over her body and took away her consciousness.The last voice in her memory fragments was Maximilian's anxious cry.

But now Maximilian is not here, and neither is Grandpa.Valentine suddenly realized that she might suffer from the same disease as her grandparents, and she was filled with terror and sobbed softly.

"Valentine!" whispered a voice.

She was so frightened that she stopped crying immediately.

"Valentine," continued the voice, "do not be afraid, I have come to protect you."

This time Valentine heard it clearly, it was an extremely gentle voice, was it a hallucination again?Or..."Mom?" she asked subconsciously.

"No, I'm..."

The voice stopped suddenly when there was a sound of rustling footsteps by the door.Immediately afterwards, the doorknob began to turn slowly, and the soft female voice sounded again, "Valentine, don't move, don't make any noise, and let that person think you are asleep."

"Why?" Valentine asked subconsciously.

"Please believe me, she is here to harm you," the kind voice reminded, "Don't make a sound, pretend to be asleep, and then pay attention to what she is going to do, and you will find out the truth. Don't be afraid, I will always be there around you..."

When the door was gently opened, the sound stopped abruptly.

Valentine was full of doubts. Who wanted to kill her in her house, her room, her bed?Why did that person want to see her die?

She didn't dare to ask, because she clearly felt the footsteps getting closer to her.

Waiting makes every second feel infinitely long.A figure walked to the bed and opened the curtain.Valentine tried to control herself, breathed evenly, and pretended to be sleeping peacefully.The only thing she couldn't hide was her heartbeat, and the unspeakable horror made her heartbeat faster and faster.

No, do not be afraid, and must not be afraid.She told herself that the invisible friend had promised that she would always be by her side to protect her.

Maybe this kind of psychological comfort worked, and she successfully deceived that person.Then everything was silent, but Valentine soon heard a small sound, that was the sound of liquid being poured into a glass, and she boldly opened her eyes, looked through the gap under her arm, and saw a Woman in white pajamas is pouring liquid from a bottle into her glass.

Valentine suddenly understood that that arm was pouring out nothing but death.Thinking of this, she couldn't help shivering, and even the bed shook.The woman stopped her hands uneasily and looked over here.Now she saw clearly that it was Madame de Villefort!

As the stepmother approached the bed, Valentine caught a glimpse of a dagger in the hand that was not holding the bottle. She mustered all her energy and desperately tried to close her eyes, but this simple movement is very easy to do in ordinary times. This time it became almost impossible.no no...

When Madame de Villefort drew back the curtains again, Valentine almost collapsed.But at this moment, she heard a short cry from her stepmother, and she fell limply to the ground.

A woman in black came out from the shadow behind her stepmother, "Valentine, please don't be afraid, I am your mother's friend and I am here to protect you."

Through the moonlight, Valentine finally saw the protector's face clearly, and she said incredulously, "Are you... my godmother?"

"You know me?" Mei Tess walked to the bed in surprise.

"Yes," Valentine said excitedly, "when I was very young, my mother held your portrait and told me your story. Although she did not go through the baptism ceremony, she recognized you as my godmother. .Although those memories gradually became blurred with the passage of time, but later, I learned about you from Dr. Avrigini."

"Valentina, I promised your mother that I will protect you and treat you as my own daughter." Mei Tess's amber eyes flickered, "I was always worried that you would die because of me, an unexpected guest. Trespassed and scared, didn't expect you already knew."

"I know, I've always known!" said Valentine, choked up.

"Valentina..." Mei Tess sat on the edge of the bed, gently brushing the hair hanging on Valentine's forehead with one hand, "Please forgive me, I haven't been by your side these years."

"But you appeared when I needed it the most, when my stepmother was about to kill me." Valentine glanced at the murderer who fell on the ground, "but...why did she do that?"

"There's only one reason, Valentine, and that's profit," Maisette explained, "and it's for that reason that the Marquis de Saint-Méran died. And Barros, I guess he just drank That glass of poisonous water that was originally prepared for you."

"But how do you know that?" asked Valentine doubtfully.

"Valentina, after you passed out, Mr. Morel drank the other half glass of water, which confirmed that someone was poisoning you," Mei Tess explained, "Later, a friend reported to me Letter, so I rushed over."

"What? Maximilian..." asked Valentine anxiously. "How is he?"

"Don't worry, he's saved," Mei Tess comforted.

"Thank God!" said Valentine excitedly, with tears in her eyes, "if anything happened to him, it would mean nothing to me to live alone."

"Valentine, don't say that..."

"Yes, that will satisfy my vicious stepmother," Valentine said with a wry smile, "but I don't understand that my property is not hers, it was left to me by my grandparents." ah."

"Valentina, you are still too kind." Mei Tess sighed softly, "Now you have inherited the property of the Saint-Méran couple, if you die too, your father will inherit yours property. In this way, your younger brother, as the only son, will inherit the money from your father."

"Little Edward! Poor child, it turns out that all the crimes she committed were for him." Valentine shook her head. "I only hope that the retribution of heaven will not fall on him."

"Valentine, you are an angel," said Mei Tess, smiling, "like your mother."

"My mother..." murmured Valentine.

"Yes, I understand. You want to know about her very much. I will talk to you slowly in the future."

"Then what shall we do now?" asked Valentine, "shall I tell my father, the prosecutor, about the crime?"

"No, you can't trust anyone, not even your father."

"Please tell me that my father has nothing to do with this terrible plot, please," said Valentine, clasping her hands.

"Not really, but..."

"But?"

Mei Tess was silent for several seconds. She would let Valentine know about her grievances with Villefort and everything Villefort did to Renee, but now is not the time.

So she simply told her that Villefort, as a public prosecutor, was used to filing indictments in the courts, and it should be clear that all deaths do not happen naturally.

"I see...he should have been by my side, he should have dealt with this murderer!" Valentine said sadly, "Godmother, please take me away...and my grandfather, We can't leave him here alone."

"I really want to do this," Mei Tess pondered for a while, "but running away won't solve the problem."

"Why?" asked Valentine involuntarily. "My father doesn't care about me, my stepmother wants to kill me, what's the point of me staying here?"

"Think about it, Valentine. You are the biggest beneficiary of the death of the Marquis of Saint-Méran. If you disappear like this, people will think that you are absconding in fear of crime. And the truly guilty person will get what originally belonged to you." Everything, don't you want to see this result?"

Seeing that Valentine was silent, Mei Tess paused and continued, "What's more, the hand that poisoned you will follow you wherever you go, and your servant will be ensnared by money, God of Death It will come upon you in every form."

"What on earth should I do?" asked Valentine in despair.

Mei Tess pondered for a while, "Valentina, there is a way to bring the guilty to trial, and also allow you to escape from all this forever and be reunited with Maximilian, just..."

"I will give anything for it," begged Valentine. "Please tell me!"

Plum Tess took out a small bottle made of glass, which contained a transparent liquid, which was a potion from the Dark Star.

"It's called Juliet's Tears, and it can make you fall into a deep sleep and wake up after a few days," explained Mei Tess. "During this time, your body will lose its temperature, and your face will lose its vitality... "

"I understand. In that case, my father will think I'm dead, and my stepmother will be punished for it." Valentine took the bottle, her eyes gradually became firm, "I will drink it!"

"Wait, Valentine," Mei Tess stopped, "the drug itself is not dangerous, but you must promise me one thing, no matter what happens, don't be afraid, even if you wake up Find yourself lying in a grave or a coffin, and wait with hope."

"I promise you," Valentine nodded, "No matter what happens, I will never be afraid, because I have you, grandpa, and Maximilian."

"Good boy," Mei Tess hugged Valentine gently, and couldn't help worrying about what kind of fear she would face if she woke up in the dark.

But this is the only way.She had seen Villefort's pamphlet dedicated to recording enemies, and it was shocking.Only by letting Valentine completely leave this evil family can her safety be ensured.

After a while, Valentine seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly said, "What if Grandpa is sad for me? And Maximilian, if he doesn't know the truth, I don't know what kind of stupid things he will do."

"I'll find an opportunity to let them know the truth."

Now Valentine had no reason to hesitate.She unscrewed the cap and drank all the potion in the bottle.

Plum Tess stayed by the bed until Valentine gradually fell asleep under the influence of the potion.Then she got up, took Valentine's glass, and poured a large part of the poisoned water into the fireplace, so that it might be believed that Valentine had drunk it.In order to prevent Madame de Villefort from waking up prematurely and hurting Valentine, she stuffed another hypnotic pill into the vicious woman's mouth.

Now, it's time to leave.Mei Tess took a last look at Valentine, and then disappeared into the blurred night.

Maize Tess's house was only a short distance from the Villeforts'.When she came in, she found that Haidee was still awake.

"How is Sister Valentine?" asked Haidee anxiously.

"She..." Mei Tess wanted to say that she was fine, but she couldn't, because Valentine's condition worried her. "You'll see her soon."

"I've been wondering whether my revenge plan will distract you, maybe we should postpone..." Haide said hesitantly.

"No, Haidee. Viscount Morcerf is already on alert, we can't delay any longer." Mei Tess managed to smile, "Don't worry, everything will go smoothly, now go back to sleep."

Haidee knew she could not fall asleep, but she bowed and left the room.

Mei Tess looked up at the stars in the sky, and couldn't help recalling the quarrel with the Count of Monte Cristo the night before. She never thought that they would come to this point.

How could she forgive the count and face him after he had hurt her Valentine?

Early the next morning, Mrs. Villefort finally woke up from the cold carpet after being knocked out. She couldn't help wondering why she was sleeping here.At this time, she found that she was still holding the dagger in her hand, and hurriedly hid the murder weapon in her sleeve.

By the way, there is also the bottle of medicine that was just prepared.She touched her waist, but found that the bottle was missing.When she raised her head, she found that Villefort was already standing in front of her, holding the bottle of her medicine in her hand, and the anger in her eyes was like blazing iron.

"I..." She was about to explain, but Villefort grabbed her by the collar and had to struggle to stand up.

"Murderer! Sinner! Look at what you have done?" Villefort said angrily. "It's a good thing God let you faint here, otherwise I wouldn't have any evidence of your crime."

"Oh, have mercy..." cried Madame de Villefort.

But her husband turned a deaf ear to her begging, forcing her to see his masterpiece, and forcing her to see Valentine on the bed.The intense terror made Madame de Villefort tremble all over, and her face turned from white to dead gray.It is not the dead that she fears, but her husband.

No, he was no longer a husband, but a prosecutor!

Before, she managed to deceive Villefort with bitter tricks, but what she thought of was not how to cover up the previous crimes, but to take the risk and kill Valentine again.Now Valentine was really dead.

Madame de Villefort struggled to break away from Villefort's hand, trying to escape from the room, but she staggered and fell to the ground.For some reason, when she stood up again, although tears were streaming down her face, the corners of her mouth curled up like a twitch. If you listen carefully, you can still hear a few piercing laughter from her mouth.

"I'll settle the score with you after Valentine's funeral is over," Villefort threatened through gritted teeth.

He called for two servants, and bade them take Madame de Villefort to her room. "The madam has lost her mind because of the grief of losing her daughter. Don't let her leave the room without my permission!"

When he was the only living person left in the dark room, he looked at his daughter again.Valentine on the bed was no longer breathing, her beautiful hair was scattered on her waxy cheeks, no breath passed between her half-closed teeth, her snow-white lips had stopped trembling, her eyes seemed to be Floating in the light blue mist.

This scene at last made Villefort's insensible heart tingle, and perhaps because grief was a novelty for him, his grief was more heart-breaking than ordinary people.

This is his daughter, the only child he and Renee have!

A few servants outside the door who were about to resign hesitated to come in, because they saw the majestic master buried his head on the bed and howled.

The author has something to say: Thank you Jiuliu, the flying butter, the joyful bottom, and the dusty mine, it’s a waste of money, okay~

Thank you, how do you become stronger without charging money, Xiao Weijiang, Maro-jun, Yinyin irrigation nutrient solution, huh~

In fact, Renee had already foreseen this scene (Chapter 29):

Although Renee was very scared, she still walked into the huge house, and there was a force in the dark that guided her into a dark room.In the very center of the room was a bed, on which lay a slender girl.Somehow Renee knew it was her daughter.She couldn't help but want to touch her daughter's beautiful face, but found that her almost transparent hand passed directly through her body, and it turned out that she was just a lonely soul.Before Renee had time to think, a woman in white suddenly flashed into the room, with an angelic smile on her face, but holding a dagger and a poisonous potion in her hand.No doubt she wanted to hurt her child.

Renee tried desperately to wake her daughter, but no sound came out.Just when she was desperate, another woman came out from the shadows, the darkness was her coat, the night was her veil, her eyes shone with a frightening sharp light, but she held nothing in her hand.But in an instant, the woman in white was knocked down by her and fell softly to the ground

——It turned out that she was an unknown guardian.

At that moment, the moonlight illuminated the face of the woman in black, and it was Plum Tess!