Two days passed in a hurry, and under the clouds in the afternoon, according to the scheduled itinerary, the Grand Duchess of Parma and the Count and Countess of Nepperg arrived at Schönbrunn Palace.
As usual, His Majesty the Emperor, the father of the Grand Duchess of Parma, warmly entertained his daughter and her party. His Majesty the Emperor still felt a little guilty for this ill-fated eldest daughter.
When Archduchess Louisa arrived at Schönbrunn Palace, Aigron was notified immediately, so he reluctantly followed everyone in the palace to welcome Her Highness.
In the spacious hall of the palace, the Grand Duchess and his wife walked through the ranks of the crowd step by step and greeted every member of the royal family in a friendly manner.
In the evaluation of historians, Queen Louisa cannot be called a great beauty. Napoleon was only fascinated by her youthful beauty. Now she is over forty years old, and she has no chance of being called a "beauty". However,
His figure is still in good shape and his steps are quite light.
Perhaps because she has experienced too many storms in her short life, Grand Duchess Louisa has a calm and steady attitude towards everything, and is polite to everyone. The carefully woven floral decorations on her skirt add a bit of elegance to her.
gas.
Next to her was her husband, Count von Nepperg, holding her arm.
This earl joined the army in his early years and is still wearing a military uniform today. Although he lost one eye due to injury, he is tall and has the masculinity of a soldier. In addition, he is not as vulgar as many officers of this era, but
He is straightforward without being impolite, and his conversation is quite decent.
It was precisely because of these qualities that in 1814, while escorting Louisa and her son back to Austria, he easily stole the heart of the former Queen of the French Empire.
Objectively speaking, this was not a failed marriage. The count was very considerate and loyal to his wife, whose status was much higher than his own. He quietly accompanied her to live in seclusion in Parma, and he lived a happy life.
After greeting each royal member, Louisa and his wife came to Aiglon, who was at the end of the queue.
When she recognized the boy, the Grand Duchess's footsteps obviously paused, and her expression became a little dazed, even melancholy, but soon everything became calm again.
"Franz!" The lady looked at the young man up and down, and then nodded with satisfaction. "You have grown a lot taller than last time. I am very happy."
"Your Highness." Count Naipeg next to her was obviously embarrassed, but he still greeted the young man very politely. "Nice to meet you."
"Thank you for your compliment, madam, you are also radiant." Aigron saluted calmly, "I hope you and your wife will have a smooth trip."
Louisa could certainly feel the young man's polite indifference, but in the end she said nothing else.
"fine thanks."
Then, the Grand Duchess and his wife passed by the young man and saluted His Majesty the Emperor who was sitting on the throne.
This is the first time mother and son have met in two years.
After meeting His Majesty the Emperor, the Grand Duchess and his wife had lunch with His Majesty the Emperor and other members of the royal family.
Perhaps deliberately to avoid embarrassment, Aiglon was not placed next to the Grand Duchess, but diagonally opposite from a distance away. He was happy to be ignored and ate quietly.
For him today, he only had to do those things that he had to do out of politeness, and he didn't want to do anything else.
Princess Sophie was arranged next to Louisa.
Because of Aiglon, Princess Sophie didn't like the Grand Duchess very much, but the royal education she received since childhood was enough for her to maintain a happy and decent appearance at the dinner table. She chatted with the Grand Duchess while dining, and the two of them also
Laughing out loud from time to time made the atmosphere at the table relaxed and happy.
While chatting, the topic was shifted to Aigron.
"Madam, sometimes I think Franz is a little too strong." Princess Sophie said casually to Madam while slowly cutting the roasted venison steak with a table knife, "He just recovered from a fall two days ago.
, I have to run to practice swordsmanship with others again. Look, if something goes wrong again, it will be very troublesome..."
"What kind of injury?" Archduchess Louisa frowned, and then asked in surprise. "Is this the case?"
Seeing Grand Duchess Louisa's surprised expression, Princess Sophie was also surprised immediately.
"I wrote you a letter on the day of the accident..." When Princess Sophie said this, she suddenly realized something and quickly stopped.
She has already guessed the truth of the matter——
It is unlikely that someone intercepted your letter. There is no need to hide this kind of thing. It has spread all over the streets and alleys outside. So... My God, Madam has actually forgotten this!
The princess did not dare to ask any more questions, because Aigron was present, and she was afraid that if she really asked the answer, it would break the young man's heart.
"Ah, it's nothing." She immediately tried to change the subject.
"Oh! That's it." Louisa was stunned for a moment, and then nodded immediately, "I remembered it, and I did receive your letter, but I think boys always have a little bit of trouble when they grow up.
Just stumble, God will make everything okay..."
The princess narrowed her eyes, trying not to show her anger.
"Really? Thank God, everything finally got better." Then, she calmly ended the conversation between the two of them with a polite word.
The only thing Her Royal Highness the Princess is worried about now is Aiglon. How sad would he be if he heard these words?
She immediately turned her gaze away, and found that just as she had feared, the young man's face was pale, and his eyes seemed to have lost focus, as if he was distracted. He tried to pick up the knife and fork and continue eating, but his hands seemed to be shaking slightly, so
There was no way I could have a smooth meal.
The princess was very anxious, but at the same time she was afraid of irritating him again, and she couldn't make any loud noise at the table, so she was so anxious that she accidentally cut the venison steak into pieces with the knife in her hand.
Under her gaze, Aigron kept a straight face, and then took a few deep breaths. It could be seen that he spent a lot of effort to stabilize his mind.
Then, he suddenly stood up unsteadily and bowed to His Majesty the Emperor.
"Your Majesty...I'm sorry...my...my body is not feeling well..."
His Majesty the Emperor looked at his pale face in surprise, and then nodded silently.
As if he had been pardoned, Aiglon apologized to the others at the table, then took a few steps back and staggered out.
Following this small disturbance, the atmosphere of the royal family banquet suddenly became depressing.
"It would be unseemly to leave the table early. Your Majesty... do you want me to call His Highness back?" the attendant asked cautiously.
"It's okay, just let him rest for a while." The old Emperor sighed helplessly.
He knew that he was one of the initiators of everything that happened to his grandson. Although he had never felt guilty, at this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little pity for the child.
At least let him take a breather for this moment. It is not good if the string is too tight. His Majesty the Emperor thought to himself.
In an instant, as if a doll had been pulled by a clockwork, everyone was talking and laughing again, as if nothing had happened.
But although they were still talking and laughing on the surface, Princess Sophie only felt upset.
"Don't you go and see him?" After a while, Princess Sophie couldn't help it anymore, and she asked Louisa in a low voice. "Franz seemed to be really unwell just now. Considering the injuries he had suffered before, it is best to
It’s better to pay more attention..."
"You're right, I'll go there later." Louisa nodded, seeming to be convinced. "This poor child, we really owe a lot."
Wait a moment? The princess frowned and almost had a seizure for a moment.
"Your Majesty, I'd better go over and take a look. It would be terrible if something really happened." Then, she didn't care anymore and stood up to apply to His Majesty the Emperor.
His Majesty the Emperor looked at Sophie in astonishment, but under her intense gaze, he finally nodded silently.
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At this time, Aigron had stumbled back to his bedroom.
What was usually a short journey seemed so long now that he even suspected that he would fall down on the road.
Fortunately, he came back.
As soon as he returned to the room, he threw himself on the carpet again.
He felt it was difficult to breathe, the blood flow all over his body was accelerating, and the beating of his heart was beating against his eardrums, forcing him to lie on the bedside and gasp for air.
He knew that his gaffe was inappropriate, but he really couldn't control himself just now.
It wasn't that he didn't want to hide his emotions, but the pain in his soul made him completely unable to maintain normal behavior, so he had to excuse himself rudely. He couldn't let himself be embarrassed in front of the Habsburg royal family.
This is not his pain, this is the pain deep in his soul, the last remaining soul of the original King of Rome.
There was only the last remaining wisp of consciousness left in his mind. After dormant for more than ten years, it suddenly let out a terrifying roar in Aigron's mind.
How should we describe this feeling?
Pain, resentment, despair? Maybe a combination of all of them, but it was still difficult to fully describe his mood at the moment.
If his father abandons him and passes away, his mother will never care about him...
So wasn't my birth a mistake?
So isn't the world a lie?
So is there any value in living?
These desperate thoughts echoed in his mind, making the ghost roar and tremble.
In 1832, the King of Rome, who was lingering on the sick bed but could not see his mother for a long time, must have been quietly waiting for the arrival of death with such a mood.
Aigron did not expect that this kind of despair for the human world would cause the Roman King's residual consciousness to collapse. In his final desperate cry, he also caused Aigron extreme pain.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! This is the time!
He was panting violently, like an asthmatic patient, and tears kept falling from his eyes.
"Your Highness..." Chanel, the maid in the room, was almost frightened when she saw his appearance. She quickly knelt on the ground and tried to help Aigron up. "You...are you okay?"
"Leave me alone..." Aigron pushed her hand away weakly, "Chanel, this is not my problem... I need to calm down for a while."
"But...but..." Chanel was so anxious that she almost cried, "What's wrong with you?"
"I told you to leave me alone!" Aigron scolded impatiently.
Then, he covered his chest and almost gasped. He felt that he was about to lose consciousness, and he could hardly feel the passage of time.
I don't know how long it took, but he finally got over it.
The sweat coming out of my body was like taking a shower, and my whole body was soaked.
He finally regained consciousness and feeling, and at this time he felt that someone was surrounding him.
How long have you been holding me?
"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" Aigron said impatiently.
"What should you do if I don't care about you..." All he got was a sigh.
He suddenly looked back and found Princess Sophie looking at him quietly.
"You...how long have you been here?" Aigron asked softly.
"It's not that long." Princess Sophie smiled. "Aiglon, are you feeling better?"
Looking at the princess's warm smile, for a moment, he, who had always been conceited and arrogant, suddenly felt a little ashamed of himself.
How can I deserve her favor...
"Aigron...Aigron..." Seeing his dazed expression, Princess Sophie became a little anxious and asked repeatedly, "Don't scare me!"
This is the only person who cares about and loves me unconditionally without asking for any reason. In the past ten years of my new life, I have only met him once.
I want...I want to hold her.
I want to be closer to her!
Yes...I want this!
The boy didn't know where he got the strength, turned around suddenly, and then hugged the princess tightly amid the stunned and shocked eyes.
"Aigron!" His move caused the princess some pain, and she struggled instinctively.
But how could her strength compare to that of today's young man?
Before she could finish shouting, the young man had already pulled her to a close distance and kissed her lips heavily.
A warm touch came from his lips. At this moment, he not only felt the bliss of bliss bombarding his mind, but he could even feel the wounds in his soul being healed.
If I were to die tomorrow, at least I would have no regrets now. At this moment, the young man suddenly thought to himself.