"...It's easy for you because he's a very nice guy."
Haidee was confused when she heard this, but judging from the behavior of the person opposite, she had instinctively sensed his kindness.
She vaguely felt that maybe her fate would be completely different in the future, and she would no longer be as lonely and helpless as before.
After comforting Haidee, Edmond Dantès had no nostalgia. For him, his mission here had been completed. Now he should go back as soon as possible to avoid long nights and dreams.
"Please allow me to say goodbye to Mr. Ambassador -" he turned to look at von Mayrhofen, "I hope to leave Istanbul as soon as possible."
Von Mayrhofen was not surprised at all by Count Monte Cristo's decision, and he nodded immediately.
"Okay, I'll take you to see the ambassador now."
Soon, they left Haidee, who was still ignorant, for the time being, and then walked together to the small garden of the embassy to meet the ambassador.
"Mr. Ambassador, on behalf of my lord, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to you." As soon as he saw him, Edmond Dantès thanked the other party in the most sincere manner. "Without your help, his idea would not have been possible." It will never be achieved so easily.”
"You're welcome, it's just mutual benefit. We are also grateful for his help." Ambassador von Genz replied calmly, "I had anticipated that you were preparing to leave, so I prepared to send a letter to Prime Minister Metternich. There is a ship, and you can sneak into it with the child as a member of our embassy - the Turks are very anxious at the moment and they need us, so they won't embarrass us, and I don't expect you to be hindered."
Seeing that the ambassador had arranged things so well, Edmond Dantès felt even more relieved.
"Okay, everything depends on you." After a moment, he asked hesitantly, "By the way, Mr. Ambassador, I suddenly thought of a question - if His Majesty uses the banner of Grand Duchess Ioannina next, Then the Sultan and his ministers will definitely guess that Haidee’s real buyer is us, then they...will they get angry with you? Will they...cause you any trouble?"
It's so hypocritical to ask if it will cause trouble for me after everything has been done... The ambassador thought to himself.
But this kind of hypocrisy is part of diplomacy, so he is not angry.
"It takes time for news to come back and forth. I think that by the time the Sultan and his ministers know about this, they will no longer care about Ioannina..." The ambassador laughed sarcastically, "With the speed of the Russian advance, I am afraid that within a month they will threaten Varna and then approach Adrianople. At that time, all they can do is beg the West to intervene quickly, so how dare they do anything to us?"
The ambassador still had something to say - now that the situation has reached this point, Turkey's territory will inevitably undergo major changes. Rather than doing so, it is better to simply take advantage of the situation to force the exhausted Sultan to make further concessions and weaken Turkey.
Since Duke Lechstadt cannot get the crown of Greece, he must need a comfort product to feel at ease. Austria cannot give this "comfort product" and does not want to give it, so let this shaky Turkey give it - anyway, it can Just having it survive is a huge kindness.
Edmond Dantès didn't know what the ambassador was thinking, but from the ambassador's calm attitude, he had confirmed that the situation was under control, so he no longer worried too much.
"Since you have already made up your mind, that's the best thing." Edmond Dantès bowed again, "Goodbye, Mr. Ambassador! I wish you all the best in the future."
"Say hello to Princess Teresa for me. I didn't expect this little girl to have such courage. It's a pity...ah, she used her courage outside the motherland!" The ambassador shook his head as he spoke. He shook his head, seemingly disapproving.
Until now, he still thought that Duke Leichstadt had done this with Princess Theresa's dowry.
But now that the matter was over, he knew that talking more would be useless, so he could only wave his hand to say goodbye.
After bidding farewell to the ambassador, Edmond Dantès returned to the room just now, while Haidee was still waiting here timidly.
At the moment, Edmond Dantès is feeling very proud. He knows that his mission is about to be a complete success.
Just because he was in a good mood, his eyes when looking at Haidee were particularly gentle.
"Little girl, are you ready?" he asked, "I want to take you out of here."
"Where to go?" Haidee asked with both caution and expectation.
"Go to your true buyer," Edmond Dantès replied immediately, "to the place where you will be a ruler..."
Haidee blinked, not understanding the second half of his sentence at all, but it didn't matter.
Edmond Dantès held out his hand to her, and Haidee blinked, then stretched out her hand and took his.
This hand is so thin and slender that one cannot help but feel a sense of care.
She is only a child after all... Edmond Dantès thought to himself.
Fate tortured her and made her lose everything. From now on, everything will be different - she will enjoy a glory she has never had.
At this moment, von Mayrhofen opened the door and informed the Count of Monte Cristo that he could leave, so he resolutely took Haidee's hand and walked out of the room.
===================================
Ever since he bid farewell to Edmond Dantès, Aigron has been thinking about his mission.
He was not worried about his safety on this trip, because he knew in his heart that according to inertia, Edmond Dantès should easily get Haidee and bring him back.
What he is struggling with is how to position the relationship between Haidee and Edmond Dantès?
In the original work of "The Count of Monte Cristo", this issue does not need to be entangled at all. Haidee is obsessed with her master, and eventually becomes a lifelong love with him, and the two travel around the world together.
But the current environment is completely different - Edmond Dantès came out a few years early, and in his mind, nothing can replace the weight of his fiancée Mercedes in his heart.
Moreover, Haidee is only ten years old, and she doesn't understand any emotional issues at all. A gentleman like Edmond Dantès will not have any love for such a young child.
What's more, this time, in theory, Haidee's buyer is herself...
More importantly, he planned to crown Haidee as the Grand Duchess of Ioannina and use her as a puppet to rule the Ioannina region. If he really proposed to marry her to Edmond Dantès, the political impact would be too great. If it’s too big, you have to weigh it carefully.
He thought about this problem for a long time, but he didn't have a clue. Finally, he did what most people do when they have no clue -
Let nature take its course.
Anyway, Haidee fell into his hands, and he can arrange it as he wants. It will depend on the situation when she grows up in a few years.
As the days passed, he anxiously awaited the results.
And one night, he finally received the report that the Count of Monte Cristo was back.
Aiglon, who was having dinner with Teresa, was suddenly ecstatic, so he ordered the count to be brought over, and he wanted to summon him immediately.
As he expected, the Count of Monte Cristo came with a little girl this time.
In the shadow of the candlelight, the two of them came to the dining table together and accepted the inspection of the two highnesses.
The little girl's steps were very light, almost silent. She was wearing a white skirt. Because her skin was pale and thin, she was like a floating ghost. She looked at the young man in front of her timidly but full of doubts.
From Edmond Dantès's respectful performance, she smartly realized that the young man in front of her was her real buyer.
Therefore, although this young man looked gentle and had a very friendly attitude, she just stood in fear and did not dare to express her anger for fear of angering the new "master".
At this time, Aiglon also looked at the little girl in front of him who was pale and thin, but could not hide her natural beauty, and then looked at Edmond Dantès.
"Edmund - you did a great job!"
After complimenting her, he made a gesture, "Take her to sit down with her, and we will have a meal together."
Of course Edmond Dantès would not refuse this favor, and he immediately took Haidee to sit at the table.
Haidee was on pins and needles. She couldn't understand what the people present were saying, and she didn't know what to do.
However, looking at the sumptuous meal on the table and smelling the fragrance floating on the food, she almost forgot all her worries and fears, and only the most instinctive desires of human beings were left in her mind.
It had been a long time since she had had a good meal.
Aigron and Teresa are both from the royal family and grew up in the palace. The food they eat here can only be described as simple by their standards, but for Haidee, who has just got rid of her status as a slave, She said that this was a feast that she had not dared to imagine in many years.
"Let's have a meal." Aiglon made another gesture, then looked at Haidee with a smile, "Eat more, little girl."
Haidee couldn't understand what Aigron said, but judging from the young man's friendly attitude, she guessed that she could enjoy the meal.
So, driven by hunger, she no longer had any scruples. She directly grabbed a piece of grilled lamb chops with her hands and stuffed it into her mouth. Then she took a big bite of the cake coated with butter, and then scooped out a piece of it with a spoon. Spoon pumpkin soup.
This eating behavior made her choke quickly, and she couldn't help coughing, but she kept stuffing things into her mouth while coughing.
This look of devouring food made Aiglon and Edmond Dantes laugh a little.
Teresa couldn't bear it and sighed.
"Poor child, she must have suffered so much!"
Then, she stood up and sat next to Haidee, then picked up the tableware and cut the food into small pieces for her, and then started to feed Haidee.
After eating something, Haidee began to wake up, and then she did not dare to act recklessly anymore. She allowed the girl to manipulate her obediently, eating food bit by bit, and then drank soup to moisten her throat every short period of time. Finally, she finally No more gaffes.
While they were dining, Aigron and Edmond Dantès started talking.
"It seems like your trip went much smoother than I imagined."
"Yes, Your Majesty. This is all because of Ambassador von Genz's careful cooperation." Edmond Dantès replied, "He thinks that Austria needs your cooperation this time, so he is happy to make it convenient for you. And He believed that indirect rule in the manner of the Grand Duchess Ioannina might be an outcome acceptable to both parties."
Aigron also nodded secretly in his heart.
He knew in his heart that Ambassador von Genz, as Metternich's confidant, also hated the empire and made many diplomatic conspiracies against Napoleon, and he had not shown any goodwill to him over the years.
However, what happened then was then, and what is happening now is now. Everyone decides their actions based on their position, and there is no hatred or hatred.
Since he helped this time, he will accept this favor.
Since Haidee didn't know French, the two of them had no worries and got right to the point.
"You have taken her with you along the way, so you should know something about her -" Aiglon asked again, "Do you think she is suitable for our plan?"
"I think she is very suitable." Edmond Dantès replied firmly. "She has a gentle personality, and because she has suffered a lot before, she has very low expectations for the future. She only hopes to meet someone who can It is enough to treat her master well... I think as long as we make good use of her, she can definitely play her due role and will not resist your will."
Aigron was a little dissatisfied with these words. People's hearts are fickle. Low expectations now does not mean low expectations in the future. He did not dare to take it lightly.
But at least for now, everything is very ideal. He can control and manipulate this child at will, and she will never have any objections.
"In that case, let's carry out the original plan -" Aiglon nodded, and then looked at Haidee, "First of all, we must give her the proper education so that she can communicate with us and respect us. It is best for us to learn the etiquette knowledge necessary for being a Grand Duchess..."
"Leave it to me." Teresa, who had been busy feeding Haidee, suddenly interrupted. "I think I can teach her that."
"That would be great, Teresa. I think there is no one more suitable than you - as long as you don't find it annoying." Aigron agreed immediately, "She will be your student from now on."
"I will make her an outstanding woman, and I think she has this potential." Teresa said enthusiastically, "Of course, first of all, she will respect us and obey your leadership."
As she spoke, she smiled and winked at Haidee.
"Poor child, you will never have to suffer from hunger or cold from now on... We will make it up to you."
Haidee was still ignorant. She didn't understand that the three people present were deciding her fate. She didn't know who the person who bought her was and what they wanted to do.
But looking at Teresa's smile, she felt an inexplicable sense of kindness, and the food in her belly also brought her a stable sense of satisfaction at this moment, so she also smiled sweetly, I'm glad I found a new home.
Aigron was also full of satisfaction at this moment. He picked up the wine glass and paid tribute to his favorite.
"cheers."
