After the roulette wheel started spinning, Aigron watched the beating of the ivory ball calmly, and he also received sideways glances from the gamblers next to him.
On the one hand, in the eyes of experienced gamblers, directly betting on a single number in roulette is no different from committing suicide. It is a method played by madmen or novices, so they will naturally take a glance at it subconsciously;
On the other hand, Aigron is dressed like a young rich boy with a beautiful young lady beside him. It is full of jealous elements.
But at this moment, no one would believe that the country's supreme ruler was actually standing next to him "having fun with the people", and even stingily placed a bet of only 20 francs.
Soon, no one paid attention to him anymore. The gamblers didn't care about anything except the roulette wheel. They all held their breath and waited for the new round of fate to be announced.
Some people were shouting, while others were sullen and silent, but the ivory ball was neither sad nor happy. It was just swinging calmly according to the trajectory given by "probability", but the speed was getting slower and slower.
Finally, under dozens of eager eyes, the ball finally stopped in a numerical groove, revealing the final result.
"25!" Several people shouted subconsciously.
The bettors cheered, the losers were dejected, and Maria, who was watching the battle, looked at Aigron in disbelief.
"You really hit the mark!"
"Yes, I won, and fate still favored me." Although Aigron showed a calm attitude on the surface, he was also happy in his heart.
Of course he didn't expect that he would hit the target with a probability of 1 in 37, he was just trying his luck. Anyway, he lost nothing no matter whether he won or lost, and now the accidental hit gave him a kind of floating happiness, a kind of ecstasy with a racing heart.
No wonder so many gamblers are addicted to gambling. The pleasure they feel when they win may be more addictive than winning the money itself.
After finishing speaking, he looked at Maria, who was still in shock, with the pride of a winner, "Then, dear lady, according to our agreement, since I win, I can get that condition, right?"
Although Maria did not agree with Aigron's boastful words just now, the reality at this moment left her speechless.
He was indeed different from everyone she had ever met in her life.
In particular, although the two of them did not meet many times, he actually grew up under her gaze - Sophie had been sharing the relationship between the two with her sister after she came to Schonbrunn Palace to meet Aigron.
From the initial strangeness and alienation, to the later familiarity and intimacy, to the addiction to the script and the performance, until the final spiritual resonance... As a "spectator" thousands of miles away, she has witnessed almost all of this.
This was a living legend performed in front of her, something she could never encounter in her dull and mediocre life.
But originally I could also become a part of the legend!
When she thought of this, Maria's heart was filled with resentment.
However, she was unwilling to show a weak posture of regret and resentment in front of others, so she quickly restrained her emotions, and then faced Aiglon's gaze, Maria nodded gently.
"Yes, since you won, of course the chips are yours... Congratulations, sir."
What would he ask me to do? Maria couldn't help but feel a little curious at this moment. As a young woman, it was impossible for her not to know the danger of "letting you make demands", but the feeling of walking on the edge of danger at this moment was...
It made her feel a certain kind of stimulation in her heart, a stimulation that made her haggard life look different.
Unfortunately, although Aiglon is good at perceiving people's hearts, he is not powerful enough to read minds, so he is afraid that he will be too complacent now and frighten Maria, so he decided to stay put and patiently wait for the opportunity to make a request.
"Thank you for being so trustworthy." Aigron nodded slightly, "I said, I haven't figured out how to use the trophies I won yet, so let's put this condition in the future... But don't worry
, I won’t make any requests that would make it particularly difficult for you, I’m not that kind of person.”
At this time, the croupier at the gambling table began to allocate gambling funds. Because the number was betted, according to the odds of thirty-six to one, if you put 20 francs into his bet, you can win 720 francs. From an ordinary person's perspective,
This is already a very large amount of money, which can even cover most of the expenses for half a year.
The croupier looked at Aigron and Maria, and then generously pushed this "huge sum" in front of Aigron.
Aiglon opened his wallet and accepted the banknotes and gold coins.
"Boy, you wasted your luck. If you had bet more just now, you could have taken this girl to order the best fashion clothes - how about? A few more. Don't waste your luck when it comes. It's a rare opportunity.
." The dealer said with a wicked smile.
Of course he didn't say this out of good intentions - as a master of discerning gamblers, he was sure at a glance that this young man must have an extremely wealthy family for such a "fat sheep" due to his nonchalant attitude when he took the money from Aigron.
Of course he didn't want to miss it in vain, and made up his mind to drag the little guy into the abyss of bankruptcy.
However, of course, his provocation could not seduce Aiglon. Although he was really happy when he won the gamble just now, with his self-control, he certainly would not indulge in it. He just smiled and shook his head to reject the other party's temptation.
"Sorry, sir, even if I don't need the casino's 'help', I can buy her anything."
After saying this, which was not a boast, he put away his wallet and returned to Maria.
"Do you want to play anything else?" he asked politely.
Maria seemed to still be shocked by Aigron's luck just now, so she asked Aigron, "Before that, I would like to ask you, why did you just bet 25 without thinking about it? Where did this number come from?
inspiration?"
"Of course this is the number I chose deliberately." Aigron put on a serious face, and then quietly walked to Maria's ear.
"When I was placing the bet, I was thinking that you and Sophie are both 25 years old this year. This must be my lucky number this year. As expected, I guessed it right. It seems that fate is indeed telling me...
…”
Aiglon said with a proud face, but did not notice that Maria's face suddenly darkened.
"Are you mocking me?!" she asked coldly.
Aigron was a little confused at first, but soon his mind came around.
Ah, no luck! He finally realized that he had accidentally stepped into a minefield.
From the perspective of the 21st century, a 25-year-old ordinary person has just graduated from college, which can be said to be very young, not to mention there is no age taboo. Of course, Aigron does not notice any problem; but according to the standards of this era
, especially according to the standards among royal families, this is quite problematic.
In this era, it was normal for women to marry early at the age of sixteen or seventeen. Because of the marriage between royal families, it might even be earlier. Theresa was already discussing marriage with Agron when she was 15 years old, while Sophie married to Austria.
He was only 19 years old when he came, and even Aiglon himself is now planning to marry Prince Eugene's 16-year-old daughter.
Therefore, for this era, Princess Maria, who is not yet married at the age of 25, is already a proper "older leftover girl"! When she hears that she bluntly talks about her age, she will naturally be sensitive and angry.
Aigron, who sensed something was wrong, felt regretful and could only bite the bullet and clean up the mess.
"Where did you go? How could I have any ill will towards you? I promise, I just regarded this as a number and had no other meaning." He looked at Maria aggrievedly, and then wringing his hands
Nao Jui defended himself, "Besides, you are now in your prime and radiant. Anyone who sees you will call you a beauty. Standing next to me, people will probably think that we are the same age, and they may even think that you are my sister."
!I think there is no need for you to think too much about those distant things, just enjoy your current life."
Although Aiglon spoke extremely exaggeratedly in order to appease the other party, he did not speak too unconscionably. Although Maria was 6 years older than him like Sophie, she was indeed still young and beautiful at this age. Even just now
When he is angry, he also has a charming and charming feeling.
His sweet talk had always worked well when dealing with Sophie, and now it seemed to work well when dealing with Maria. After several attempts from him, Maria's originally gloomy face finally gradually cleared up, and she gave Aigron a sideways look.
, and then laughed again, "No wonder my sister was coaxed to death by you. It turns out that you do have a talent in this area..."
"You're flattered." Aigron could only smile and shrug, showing his innocence.
In any case, the age crisis was finally deceived by him, and he also understood the biggest fear in Maria's heart - time passes easily, and there is no one to rely on, the kind of person who doesn't know where her destiny is going, and who is not taken seriously.
No wonder she vented her confusion in this way.
And the little turmoil between the two people also fell into the eyes of the gamblers nearby.
Because they couldn't hear clearly what Aigron and Maria were whispering to each other, in their opinion, this was just a common performance routine in Parisian entertainment venues.
Experienced social butterflies try their best to hook up with the rich kids, and then show off their flirtatious ways while deliberately maintaining boundaries. From time to time, they pretend to be angry over trivial matters, leaving the young people scratching their heads, and then try their best to please themselves - these are social butterflies.
Commonly used routines that work best every time.
This kind of drama is performed here every day, and they are all used to it.
If casinos are gold-selling dens, then those beautiful and charming courtesans are no less generous, and there are countless poor people who have gone bankrupt on them!
"This boy seems to have fallen into a cobweb, and sooner or later he will lose all his wealth to that woman..." The gamblers whispered, and then they no longer bothered to watch the drama of the young man and woman, and continued to invest in their own gambling games in full swing.
After such a small incident, Aigron felt a little embarrassed, and even Maria seemed to be less interested because of it, so the two of them played other gambling games casually, and then walked out of the casino.
In the subsequent gambling games, Aigron no longer had the unlucky luck he had just now, but lost and won, but it didn't matter to him at all - if he was willing, he could completely take over the management rights of this casino.
If everything is nationalized, why should we care about winning or losing?
After walking out of the casino, all you have to think about is your next move.
"Let's go have something to eat together, Maria?" Aigron asked Maria proactively, "I won some money just now, and I just used it to treat guests. I ask you to give me this face - can you?"
Now that Aigron said this, Maria naturally couldn't refuse, so she nodded.
So, the two of them went to a famous nearby restaurant to have lunch together.
I have to say that there is indeed a strange joy in using the money you win to treat guests.
Aigron was not someone who had to care about money in the first place, and now he had a "spending money like water" attitude. After entering the restaurant, he started ordering a lot of food according to the menu, regardless of whether the two people's appetites could sustain it, he just wanted to
Have fun eating.
The cooking utensils and cooking techniques of this era are not as rich and complicated as those 200 years later. In order to show off their style, the main means of competition for restaurants is to use fresh or rare ingredients, which are then processed by famous chefs and served with delicious ingredients.
The soups and snacks are seasoned to win the hearts of diners.
Parisians are also the people who like to eat the most and are most willing to spend money on food in this era. They have also formed their unique meal culture. Therefore, under Aigron's deliberate efforts to please, various expensive dishes are constantly served.
In front of a dining table for two.
The fresh ones are like live fish just caught from the sea, rare game, vegetable and fruit stuffing, pig blood sausage, fried partridge, and even macaroni that was recently introduced from Italy, all using the best techniques of this era.
Cook it and pour it with selected aged wine... This is definitely a delicious meal that ordinary people can't try.
Even for Maria, who is a princess, this is an excellent experience.
After all, Maria is a German, and Germany is famous for not having much food culture. Even though she grew up in fine clothes and fine food, she did not enjoy this aspect too much.
After coming to France, she really experienced the French people's pursuit and talent in enjoying life - this is one of the reasons why she never wants to leave Paris.
She kept tasting the delicious food while chatting and laughing with Aiglon. In order to taste more, she only took a few bites of each dish and then stopped. Even the diners next to her were dumbfounded by such a luxurious way of eating.
Aiglon was not worried about the monetary cost. On the contrary, he was very happy to see that the previous turmoil had disappeared. At this time, he had grasped the "conditions" offered by Maria and had taken the initiative. What he was going to do now
It is to use this luxurious life to corrupt and retain Maria so that she can be used by him in the future——
Judging from the current results, it is indeed quite ideal.