After the count left, Aigron, in accordance with his promise, proposed to the palace officials that he wanted to attend the funeral of Count Dietrichstein's mother.
His request was quickly approved. After all, the palace had already heard that Duke Lechstadt was about to become famous, and no one would embarrass His Highness over such a trivial matter.
After hearing the news, Princess Sophie also came to Aiglon to express her condolences to the Earl's mother.
"Aigron, I'm really sorry to hear this news. When you attend the funeral, please convey a few words to me." She asked the young man.
"Okay, Your Highness." Aigron agreed immediately, "I think he will also be very grateful to you."
"Everyone will have such a day..." Sophie sighed with some emotion, "At least the old lady passed away surrounded by her children and grandchildren, and the whole family also expressed their condolences at the funeral. Some kind of In a sense, this is also a happy way to die."
Although her words sounded a bit meaningless, Aigron, who had always been by her side, understood what she meant.
Her father, His Majesty King Maximilian I of Bavaria, died on October 23, 1825, just over a year ago.
As a princess who married a foreign country, neither Sophie nor her sister Caroline, who was a queen, attended his funeral. I think she felt quite regretful about this in her heart.
"Your Highness, the so-called funeral is just a formality. Even if you are not present, at least your love for your father will not fade." Aigron comforted Sophie.
"I was just touched by the situation. Actually, if you think about it, we are already lucky, so this regret is nothing... My father is the king. If kings are all pitiful people, then how many people in the world can be considered human?" Sophie herself smiled, and then she stretched out her hand and touched the young man's cheek, "If you want to say pity, you are the one who is really pity. Your father..."
When she said this, she couldn't help but sigh, "He is still sleeping on a deserted island in a foreign land, and he couldn't call for his motherland and his son before he died. How desperate must he be?"
Aiglon didn't answer.
Although he did not think that Napoleon was perfect and did not regard him as a father, it is really sad that a generation of heroes ended up like this.
So if you have another chance, you must learn from his lessons and never make the same mistakes again... Using power prudently is more important than having power.
Of course, Sophie couldn't see what was in the young man's heart. She took Aiglon's silence as a sign of grief in her heart, so she lowered her head and kissed the young man's forehead gently to express comfort.
"Aigron, don't be sad about this. This is a historical tragedy. We can just get over it -"
Then, she suggested, "As time goes by, the hatred of European countries towards him will eventually disappear. At that time, we will find a way to bring his remains back to Europe and find a good place to bury him... He should not Got treated that way all the time.”
What Sophie said was not an unrealistic fantasy - in the original history, in 1840, it was the July Monarchy that dominated France at the time, which welcomed Napoleon's remains back to France from St. Helena Island, and He was reburied at Les Invalides in Paris, where the streets were empty to welcome the Emperor's return.
Of course, the July Monarchy did this mainly for political purposes - the damage caused by Napoleon to France has become history, and the people only remember him. Taking back his remains is a measure to cater to national sentiments. It will bring great prestige in politics.
"Your Highness, thank you for your kindness." Aigron shook his head gently, "However, this matter must be handled by myself. I cannot leave it to others."
"That's right. Now you are the only one worthy of his funeral." Sophie smiled and nodded, "Well, no matter how many years it takes, if I have the chance, I will attend in person to help you. Cheers!"
"This is what we have agreed upon!" The young man raised his head and looked at Sophie stubbornly, as if he was asking for some treasure. "Your Highness, you are not allowed to break the contract."
"What a silly boy, why do I need to lie to you about this kind of thing?" Seeing how serious he looked, Sophie was puzzled and felt a little funny, and couldn't help hugging him, "Besides, I My darling... When have I ever spoken to you without breaking my promise? I’m afraid that you might not have spoken to me without breaking the bank!"
"Of course I still remember it." Aigron closed his eyes gently, then hugged Sophie and kissed her gently.
==========================================
Time soon came to the day when Count Dietrichstein’s mother was buried. On this day, the church next to the count’s residence suddenly became very lively. A large number of carriages decorated with family emblems stayed outside. People from all walks of life came in droves to pay tribute to the count’s family. Mother's funeral.
The reason why it will be so grand is that on the one hand, the count has been careful in his words and deeds over the years and has left good connections in all walks of life; but more importantly, the most famous prince in the empire, Archduke Karl himself, will be here in person. , so more people came to cheer.
The reason why Archduke Karl personally attended the funeral of an ordinary noble family has long been spread in the social world, and everyone understands it tacitly - the count, as the guardian of Duke Leichstadt, has taught meritoriously for many years, and this is also Just to show respect.
Some of those who knew the inside story had attended Archduke Karl's birthday party and had seen Princess Theresa and the Duke himself; while the rest were curious and hoped to see the true face of the legendary son.
Their wishes were soon fulfilled, and just before the funeral officially began, Aigron arrived outside the church in a royal carriage.
Under the gaze of everyone, Aigron strutted into the front of the church, while the Earl himself greeted His Highness at the door.
Because he was attending a funeral, Aigron was dressed very simply, all in black, and his tie was tied meticulously. Against the backdrop of his clothes, his face looked paler than usual.
"Your Highness, thank you very much for coming!" The Earl walked down the steps and saluted Aiglon. Although his face was full of sadness, his spirit seemed to be much better than before.
"This is what I should do." Aiglon held the earl's hand and shook it gently a few times to encourage him, "Sir, please get over your grief as soon as possible."
"I will, Your Highness." The Earl nodded repeatedly.
At this moment, another carriage stopped at the door of the church.
Then, an old man with gray hair but a strong body stepped out of the opened car door.
The crowd was silent at first, and then took off their hats to pay tribute to the royal prince.
Archduke Karl swept the whole place with his serious eyes, and finally fell on the count and the young man. Then, he walked over.
"My condolences," he said briefly to the count, then took off his gloves and shook his hand.
Then, he naturally walked to Aigron's side, and then asked in a low voice, "How have you been during this time?"
"You're doing quite well, Your Highness." Aiglon first bowed to the other party and then replied in a low voice.
"Teresa also heard about the funeral, so she told me that she must give me this face... I have commanded so many legions, and now I really deserve to be commanded by a little girl when I am old." The Grand Duke frowned. Head, complaining in a low voice, "You guys are really fooling around, insisting on visiting that musician, and insisting on ordering some music from him..."
"This was Teresa's sudden idea." Aigron replied with a wry smile, "I thought about it and thought there was nothing wrong with it, so I agreed -"
"Forget it this time, let's avoid unnecessary things in the future." Archduke Karl nodded, "You are all adults, you can no longer act willfully, especially since you are members of the royal family, every word and deed will be punished. The outside world is focusing on you, so don’t give others the opportunity to maliciously speculate on you, as this is also very bad for you.”
You can't control your own daughter, why should you blame me? Aiglon could only curse in his heart.
"Thank you for your advice, I will pay attention to it in the future." He could only agree superficially.
"Come here." Archduke Karl waved to him, motioning for him to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. "In this situation, the closer we are, the stronger the signal we can send to the outside world. I don't want to be rumored suddenly. Said I was deliberately snubbing you."
Of course Aiglon would not object, so he got close to him, and the two of them stood side by side in the howling cold wind.
Their expressions were very calm, full of solemnity and solemnity that should be expected at a funeral.
If camera technology had been available at this time, then tomorrow's newspapers in Vienna and the front page of social news would be the photos of these two His Highnesses in the same frame.
However, for Archduke Karl, this was just the usual emotional management of the royal family, and there was no real grief - he didn't even know the Earl, so how could he have any real grief for the death of the Earl's mother? It was nothing more than giving the Count some face and complimenting Duke Leichstadt.
"Okay, let's go into the church." After standing for a moment, Archduke Karl said to Aigron.
"Okay." Of course Aigron obeyed.
Just when he was about to take steps, Archduke Karl suddenly asked abruptly.
"Have you kissed Teresa?"
This question was so unexpected that Aigron hesitated for a moment, and his hesitation allowed the Grand Duke to confirm the truth.
"She took the initiative..." Seeing the Grand Duke's suddenly fierce expression, the young man quickly defended.
"You misbehaving brat!" Archduke Karl's eyes flashed with anger, "You seduced Teresa, how dare you make excuses?"
"Both Your Highnesses are too young, and they can't help themselves when getting along. This is also inevitable..." Fortunately, the Earl on the side was smart and quickly spoke up to smooth things over, "Let's go in first, Your Highness."
"I really don't understand why she treats you so well." Archduke Karl glared at the young man angrily, "Anyway, if you dare to be sorry to her, I can't spare you."
And Aigron could only face it with a calm smile.
After a few words of greeting, the Earl led the way, and then brought the Grand Duke and Aiglon into the church.
The seats on both sides of the church were already filled with people. Archduke Karl and Aigron walked from the middle aisle to the innermost altar, and were watched silently by everyone along the way.
Archduke Karl had long been accustomed to the feeling of being noticed by everyone, so his face was expressionless, while Aigron relied on his natural calmness to maintain a decent solemnity.
Several people walked to the altar.
As time came to the scheduled moment, the funeral officially began.
First the funeral mass is pronounced by the parish priest.
"May God open the door of heaven for her and allow her to return to her hometown: there will be no death there, only eternal happiness!" The priest in sacrificial robes spoke in a solemn tone.
"Amen!"
Archduke Karl and Aiglon, as well as the people on the seats, responded at the same time.
Then, the priest continued to read.
“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May the love of the Father, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you…
...Lord, we offer you this sin offering on the day of the burial of your servant Augusta; if she still has the blemishes of sin or the stain of human nature, forgive her mercifully and cleanse her she. The above requests are through Christ our Lord. "
A long list of prayers was slowly finished while everyone responded with "Amen" many times.
Then, Aiglon and Archduke Karl completed the necessary ritual links such as speeches, offerings, and receiving Holy Communion during the mass, which also brought the funeral mass to its end.
Although not everyone expressed condolences, everyone expressed solemn expressions and said nothing, expressing their condolences to the bereaved family in this way.
While reciting the eulogy, Agron looked at the coffin placed on the altar with an expressionless face.
The people lying inside, no matter what reputation they had or how many joys and sorrows they had during their lifetime, are now ignorant and can only wait to be buried and eventually turn into loess.
Funerals have nothing to do with the deceased; they are always held for the living.
The living must use rituals to free themselves from the fear of death, or to give death a meaning and comfort themselves.
But does death really mean anything?
As far as his personal worldview is concerned, of course it doesn't exist.
All glory has nothing to do with the individual after death and can only be strived for during life.
Time is short. Although he is still a teenager now, the time left for him is only a few decades.
So seize every moment and work hard for your dream goals - only in this way can you live up to this new life.
He stood on the altar and scanned the audience with calm but indifferent eyes, trying to find a face around him that he had only seen once but had already engraved in his heart.
He patiently looked over one by one, devoting all his attention, and his body seemed to be controlled by another program, numbly responding to the priest's prayers.
He has long since learned to separate what he thinks from the real world.
So...my dear cousin, are you unable to get in, or are you already in it?
Eggron finally found the answer.
He found a young man in the crowd, who happened to raise his head and look at him at this moment.
So the two young people looked at each other during the funeral eulogies.
The young man is now standing at the door of the church. He is wearing casual clothes, holding a pen and paper in his hand, and wearing a pair of glasses. At this moment, he seems to be working hard to record something on paper - he looks like a newspaper reporter. .
Very good, Aiglon nodded towards him gently.
