"Hey...it can only be a little while. I really don't have time."
Princess Sophie's tolerance moved Aigron even more.
Although His Highness not only helped him so much, but also compromised with him again and again and tolerated his willful demands, this kind of true love is so precious.
He kept his promise, and after a short hug, he let go.
"Okay, Cinderella can turn back into a princess." Then, he shrugged regretfully, "I look forward to the next time the fairy waves her wand and brings me another dream."
"It won't be long, Your Highness." Perhaps to comfort the young man, Her Royal Highness the Princess replied in a very gentle tone, "Isn't the value of fairies' existence to fulfill people's wishes?"
An elegant smile appeared on her face, and the anger she had felt just now seemed to have dissipated, or in other words - she must have never been angry at all.
The two people walked out of the box, led by the guards, and walked out of the theater among the crowd. Then they walked to the street in the distance, got on the carriage again, and started the way back to the palace.
The moonlight shines through the window, casting the shadows of the buildings on the road onto the inner wall of the carriage. Sitting on the carriage, Aigron uses the cold light to memorize the streets outside.
"I'm sleepy. Wake me up when you get there." At this moment, Princess Sophie yawned and then ordered Aiglon, "Sit tight and don't move."
Then, she lowered her neck, leaned on the young man's shoulder, and quickly fell asleep.
As she moved, her hair also poured down, gently swaying on the young man's chest, and also touched the young man's heartstrings.
Aiglon sat motionless in compliance with her orders. He remembered that he had asked her to do so last time.
But this time, without waiting for him to say anything, Her Royal Highness the Princess did it again very naturally.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at her peaceful sleeping face.
Maybe it's not that difficult after all. he thought.
The carriage sped towards the palace in the outer suburbs, bringing the young man back to reality from his dream.
After returning to Schonbrunn Palace, with a slight disappointment, he said goodbye to Princess Sophie and returned to his residence. After a quick wash, he fell into a sleepy state.
When he woke up in the morning, his guardian, Count Dietrichstein, was already looking for him. .
"Good morning, sir." Aigron ignored the fatigue of getting up early and immediately received the other party.
"Good morning, Your Highness." The Earl saluted meticulously, and then got straight to the point, "I have a message to convey to you."
Looking at the count's serious expression, Aigron couldn't help but feel an ominous premonition.
However, he maintained his composure and nodded.
"Please tell me."
"Your performance at Archduke Karl's birthday party has aroused the curiosity and doubts of many people. In the past two days, people have been asking me for information, both Austrians and foreigners." The count replied softly. "Of course, the most nervous people are the French. The people in the embassy are trying their best to figure out how the palace plans to arrange for you."
"The Bourbon family has no reason to be afraid of me, right?" Aiglon replied coldly, "After all, I don't have a single soldier in my hands."
"When your father landed in France from Elba Island, he also had no soldiers in his hands." The Count pointed out calmly, "Just the fact that this surname shines again on the European stage is enough to give them nightmares."
"Then I should thank them for thinking highly of me." Aigron sneered.
"If France were prosperous now, they wouldn't have to worry so much, but the current king is unpopular, and the French are full of complaints about their king. So they will become more and more nervous." The count explained in a low voice, "Only powerless people will be afraid. "
"So, what should I do?" Aigron asked.
"You don't have to do anything extra. The reaction of foreigners will be handled by the Prime Minister. You only need to act in accordance with the previous instructions." The Earl shook his head, "However, in my personal opinion, regardless of the response, How about it? You'd better not appear too high-profile, so as not to irritate their fragile nerves and affect your personal future."
Aigron blinked and looked at the earl in confusion.
It stands to reason that although he has a sensitive and special status, he cannot have such great energy. Why does the earl tell him so solemnly?
"I will, sir." He nodded doubtfully, "Don't worry, it is not difficult for me to keep a low profile. I have been doing this for more than ten years. However, I hope you can explain to me. , what are you nervous about?"
"In your current situation, you'd better not get involved in the internal affairs of the French, let alone be easily used by them." The count's voice became lower, "The less attention you pay to them, the better. , you are an Austrian now, and your future is also in Austria. Whether it is Bourbon or Orleans, to you they are just guys far away, and it is really not worth the risk for you."
"Am I involved in France's internal affairs?" Aigron was a little shocked. "How can I do this-"
Just when he said this, he remembered.
Not long ago, Metternich's deputy Gentz brought a man to the palace to ask for a meeting with him. The man claimed to be Mr. Gordon, the counselor of the Duke of Orleans.
The two talked for a short time. Gordon proposed that if the Orleans family seized the throne one day in the future, he would give himself a large sum of money in exchange for recognizing the rule of the Orleans family and voluntarily giving up his pursuit of the throne. Aigron flatly rejected this request. , the two finally broke up unhappy.
He thought this was just an accident in his life, but he didn't expect that the aftermath has not subsided until now.
"Is it about Gordon?" Aigron finally reacted, "What happened?"
The Earl hesitated for a moment, and then looked at Aigron strangely.
"Then can you tell me what exactly you and Gordon talked about?"
This time it was Aigron's turn to hesitate.
He thought for a moment, and finally decided to tell the truth. Anyway, Gordon and himself had broken down, and there was no reason to keep it secret.
So, he told the earl about the negotiations between himself and Mr. Gordon.
The count had been listening quietly, and his expression suddenly became a little strange. "Your Highness, is that all? Is there no secret agreement?"
"Secret agreement? How is it possible..." Aigron laughed dumbly, and then suddenly understood.
"So, the outside world thinks that I and the Orleans family have joined forces to engage in conspiracy?"
He finally understood why the French Embassy was so nervous.
They spied on Gordon's whereabouts, and then thought that they and Gordon had reached some secret agreement to discuss a huge conspiracy against the Bourbon family (in fact, if the two people had reached an agreement, this might actually be the case).
In addition, the Austrian court suddenly intended to marry Princess Theresa, and it was obvious that they wanted to be promoted to the front, which further aggravated the French government's doubts.
People at the peak of power are somewhat suspicious. In addition, the current political situation in France is unstable, so no matter how ridiculous the rumors are, the French King will probably believe them.
So, what should be done?
It is useless to refute rumors. Of course, the Orleans family will not say much to defend themselves in this matter.
And even the earl, who has been by his side for so many years, is a little doubtful, which shows that others are even less likely to believe in his innocence.
So let’s just not explain it.
"Sir, whether you believe it or not, the only contact I had with the Orleans family was that one time, and it ended at that time." Aigron replied calmly and coldly, "I don't expect them to believe me, and I don't care. What to explain to the Bourbon family. In addition, when Mr. Gordon visited me, I had no prior knowledge. I was as surprised as you at the time, so there is no way to say that we had any secret agreement with him - about this , Your Excellency Metternich should know better than me."
"But Your Excellency Metternich did not give any explanation to the French government, but completely fooled them with an attitude of having no comment. Therefore, Your Excellency is playing a conspiracy and using you as a cover." The Earl finally understood. "Maybe the Orleans family is also deliberately spreading the news that you support them... That's why France knows so quickly."
Although there was no basis for what the count said, Aiglon easily believed his inference - because his inference was very consistent with reality and common sense.
"Yes, that must be the case. They use me as a sign, but I have no way to tell the outside world my true will." Aigron frowned and tried hard to hide his anger.
"Your Highness, please relax. Now that the matter has happened, it is meaningless to dwell on it. No matter how angry you are, you will not be able to solve the problem." The earl comforted Aiglon in a low voice, "Anyway, no matter what conspiracy they are playing. , after all, it’s just their business. As long as you don’t get involved, everything will have nothing to do with you in the end, and you can live your own happy life.”
Oh, the reason why I planned so many things and the reason why I was prepared to pay so much price was to prevent "everything has nothing to do with me"! The young man said in his heart.
"Looking on the bright side, since they can play a conspiracy, it means that the French still take me seriously. At least a large group of French people still take me seriously." Aigron looked at the count expressionlessly, "So I still have value, so no one cares about me, right?"
"If you think so, you can." The count smiled bitterly, "Anyway, your highness, according to the information I have received, the dynastic government in Paris has strictly ordered the French ambassador to find out what Austria is planning to do. If you are willing, I thought I could convey your true feelings to them—and save you some trouble.”
Aigron was suddenly surprised. He raised his head and looked at the earl in shock.
"Why are you doing this? This is certainly not what Metternich had in mind, right?"
"I am not Metternich's pawn, but your guardian." The Earl shook his head. "I can act in the latter capacity without going against Austria's interests, or so I think."
