Under the mediation of Prince Lucien Bonaparte, the meeting between Aiglon and His Majesty the Pope ended in a pleasant and harmonious atmosphere.
Both parties are satisfied with the outcome of the talks - for the Pope, he received Aiglon's "donation" with peace of mind; for Aiglon, he and the Roman Church have put aside their past grievances, which also greatly benefits the Bonaparte family. Image, at least in the future no one can accuse him of being an enemy of God.
In the days that followed, Aigron served his grandmother and made up for the lack of family affection in the past. At the same time, he and Teresa traveled around the city of Rome, admiring the many monuments and works of art left by the ancient Roman era and the Renaissance era.
During their stay, the news that "the King of Rome and his new wife came to Rome" gradually spread, so Aiglon and Teresa often attracted the surprised attention of others, and even were watched by others - this It's not surprising, after all, they are both young, have outstanding looks and extraordinary temperament, so they can be easily recognized.
Every time they were recognized, some people in the crowd got excited, and from time to time someone tried to squeeze in front of them. Fortunately, Andre Davout and others performed their escort duties with all their heart, and tried hard to block these overly enthusiastic people. .
But even so, the number of people watching around them continued to increase, and people cheered and cheered from time to time.
Napoleon had brought serious disasters to Italy in the past, but he founded the Kingdom of Italy and for the first time made Italians who were accustomed to being divided into ideologically aware that Italy could become an independent country.
As time goes by, people have forgotten the pain and disasters of the past, and instead praise that person's great achievements in the past, and then appreciate the legends of the next generation in the present.
For them, these legendary stories are much more interesting and more shining than their ordinary lives.
Amidst this curious gaze, Aigron finished enjoying his "holiday" in Rome.
Although he enjoyed the leisure and Teresa was happy, he knew it was time to leave Rome.
There are still too many things for him to complete next.
According to the scheduled plan, he will go to the Principality of Parma with his wife to visit his mother, Queen Louisa - well, the former queen; and then he will find a way to go north to Bavaria to complete the final step of selecting the king of Greece. Work.
It was almost April, and in a slightly warmer atmosphere, Agron and Teresa bid farewell to their grandmother, Queen Mother Letizia.
Although Letizia tried hard to control her emotions, her eyes still shed tears. It was really uncomfortable for her to finally meet her grandson and then have to say goodbye so soon.
Over the years, she has endured too much pain of separation. Several of her children have passed away before her. She has even become accustomed to the heartbreaking pain when hearing the news of death, but the more she loses, the more she loses. , the more she cherishes the children she gave birth to.
Elderly people with many children and grandchildren have preferences in their hearts. Although Aiglon is not the eldest grandson in age, as the only son of Emperor Napoleon, he is naturally the orthodox heir of the family. In Letizia's mind, he is also the eldest grandson. It has irreplaceable weight.
"My grandson..." The tearful old woman gently touched the young man's face, "I really can't bear to leave you...but I know that you will leave, and all of you will leave me. Hey, This is my destiny, what can I say? I can only pray to God all the time, hoping that the Lord will bless you and be safe——"
"Thank you, grandma." Aigron felt uncomfortable, so he kissed his grandmother's cheek tenderly and said goodbye to her solemnly, "I will also pray to God to bless you."
"I know you may not listen, but I still have to say it again. I don't care whether you can ascend the throne. You must take care of yourself!" The old woman warned again, "Your career can be successful or not. It doesn’t matter, you are considered a free man now anyway. There are countless places in heaven and earth where you and Teresa can live well. Don’t force yourself to risk your life. I am not advising you, I am begging you! Don’t let it happen again. I am heartbroken again...I really can't bear it anymore..."
After hearing these words, Aigron didn't know how to answer, so he could only respond in silence.
Grandma was right. He actually had a way out if he didn't pursue the throne. If that didn't work out, he could go back to Austria to seek shelter from his father-in-law and live a good life - but he wouldn't even think about it.
Now that the matter has come to this, he will not leave any escape route for himself. It is either success or destruction. Otherwise, what is the meaning of the sacrifices he has made along the way?
Seeing his look, Queen Mother Letizia knew that her advice was completely in vain. She sighed secretly, and then looked at Theresa again.
"Teresa, it's really hard on you. You have to accompany these wayward children in our family to go crazy... I know what you will endure, because I have endured it myself. All I can help you is I’m just passing on everything I have to you. I’m old and can’t do anything anymore. It’s up to you to take care of our family. I haven’t done a good enough job, so I’m not qualified to ask you to do it. How wonderful, I just beg you to take good care of Aigron and your children as much as possible, a harmonious family is more important than anything else."
Teresa was also deeply moved. She also hugged Letizia and then kissed her cheek.
"I will definitely do it, grandma."
According to her previous promise, Queen Mother Letizia has been counting her properties during this period, and then handed them over to Teresa one by one.
The easily portable jewelry and various bills were packed directly into the couple's luggage. She also entrusted a notary to transfer the manors and castles that were difficult to cash and move to Teresa. Name - it just needs a little more time.
In other words, Teresa has mastered a large amount of family wealth, and the two of them have received valuable replenishment from their money box, which was greatly depleted due to aiding the Greek independence cause.
Aigron was touched by his grandmother's care, and he secretly vowed to repay her in the future.
In this way, the young couple bid farewell to Letizia's grandmother and left the city of Rome in a carriage. And just as they were leaving, Letizia stood in the vestibule and watched the carriage silently.
She knew that after this separation, she didn't know when they would see each other again, especially when she was already in her final years and could leave the world at any time. Who knew if she could see her again?
However, there was nothing she could do about it. Her children and grandchildren always had their own paths, and she could only watch them silently as they went on, as it was then and still is.
"I wish they would let me see my great-grandson soon..." After the carriage disappeared on the road, Letizia made the sign of the cross and let out a long sigh.
Then, she slowly turned around and returned to her residence. The smile on her face disappeared. She returned to her previous life of peace and isolation, praying for her grandson's success. .
=============================
Aegron and his men left Rome as discreetly as they had come, and headed north.
Their next stop was the Principality of Parma, ruled by Aiglon's mother Louisa, and Rome and Parma were actually quite close - only separated by Modena, which was also ruled by the Este family, a branch of the Habsburg branch. Principality.
They passed through this small principality with forged Austrian passports without causing any commotion, and not long after, they arrived in the Principality of Parma.
Parma is an inconspicuous small principality - or more like a city-state. Its central capital, Parma, is located at the southern end of the Po River Plain and is only a small city.
The city is quiet, the surrounding scenery is beautiful, and it even feels like it has been left behind by the times.
However, if it is simply used as a place for retirement, it is indeed a good choice.
Historically, Aiglon's mother, Queen Louisa, was placed here by her father, Emperor Franz, after the empire was destroyed, and ruled this small principality until her death in 1847. I think she lived a good life.
After Aiglon and Teresa arrived in the city of Parma, they stayed in a hotel. Then he sent his guard captain Andre Davout to take his token to the palace of the Principality of Parma to announce that he had arrived in the Principality. Domestic news.
Aigron didn't wait long. Soon, a group of people came to the hotel where they were staying. The leader was a middle-aged man in uniform with an eyepatch on his head.
This person is naturally his stepfather, Count Naipeg.
When the two people met, they both felt a little embarrassed.
Agron clearly remembers that just over a year ago, they met at Schönbrunn Palace. At that time, Agron was in a very depressed mood, so he and his mother had a very tense argument, and even made sarcastic remarks to keep the other party from getting off the stage.
However, he later learned that his mother and stepfather were busy planning his marriage to Theresa.
In this sense, they objectively benefited themselves, so the anger that had accumulated in their hearts slowly dissipated.
Furthermore, Aigron's state of mind is very different now - at that time he was a subjugated prince who was resentful because of being under house arrest for a long time; but now he is a legendary figure who has built a great business, and those things back then are naturally his. I won't take it to heart anymore.
"Mr. Count Naipeg, I'm very happy to see you again." Because of his change of mood, Aigron extended his hand to the other party generously.
Count Naipeg also regained his composure. He also reached out and held the young man's hand. "Your Highness, it's a pleasure to see you again - for more than a year, I have been amazed by what you have done. I never thought that you would dare to do this..."
"Really?" Aigron used to argue, "Then are you planning to arrest me and bring me to justice today?"
"Of course not." Count Neipeg smiled bitterly, "His Majesty the Emperor has already forgiven you and allowed you to marry Princess Theresa. Since Your Majesty doesn't mind, then why should I mind? You are me today And Luisa’s guest…the most distinguished guest.”
After finishing speaking, he looked at Theresa again.
"Your Highness, because of Louisa and I, you were involved in a nerve-wracking incident... I have always felt guilty for this."
"It doesn't matter. As far as the results are concerned, isn't everything going well?" Teresa replied with a smile, "I'm very grateful to you... Without your and His Highness Louisa's hard work, my father might not have agreed to this deal. Regarding the marriage, considering that I am so happy now, instead of feeling guilty, you should consider yourself my benefactor!"
Count Nepeg laughed, "Fate always causes us ridiculous accidents...but as long as the result is good, then everything will be fine."
In the initial greetings, the atmosphere was quite harmonious, and Aiglon and Count Nepeg quietly put aside their past grudges.
However, he vaguely felt something was wrong.
This "wrongness" was not because he felt that his mother and stepfather had prepared some conspiracy for him, but because he felt that Count Naiperg seemed to have a physical problem.
As a long-serving soldier, Count Nepperg was a very strong and tall man - which is why he charmed Louisa.
But now, his originally strong body had relaxed a lot, and his piercing eyes seemed a lot muddier at this time. When the two of them shook hands just now, Aigron felt even more how weak he was at this time.
His body is definitely not healthy, maybe he has some disease-Aigron thought to himself.
If Aigron knew this more than a year ago, he would definitely be gloating about his misfortune, but now, he is not like that.
However, other people's physical conditions were not something he could interfere with, so he quickly got to the point.
"My mother, does she know the news about me?"
"Of course I do..." Earl Nepeg replied with a smile, "In fact, she sent me here to greet you - unfortunately, due to various considerations, we are unable to greet you with an honor guard and a grand welcome ceremony. hope you do not mind."
"No, I don't mind." Aigron shook his head, "I don't care about the welcoming ceremony. I am so excited and excited to see my mother that I forget everything."
When talking about his mother, Aigron always took on a mocking tone unconsciously, even now that the resentment has dissipated.
Teresa and Earl Nepeg also heard it, so the atmosphere suddenly became a little tense.
"Hey!" Teresa nudged Agron with her elbow, "Didn't we agree to be respectful to her? If you still have this attitude later, I will be angry!"
"Don't worry, it won't be..." Aigron replied with a smile.
Then, he seemed to suddenly remember something, "By the way, when you see her later, what should you call her? Mom, or cousin?"
Teresa's eyes suddenly widened with anger, and she couldn't help but raise her hand to hit him in the chest, while Agron laughed and took the initiative to receive a punch from his wife.
"Just call His Highness." Count Naipeg whispered, as if he had already considered this issue.
