"You are a happy father."
Count Nepeg did not notice the coldness in Aigron's eyes. On the contrary, because Aiglon rarely praised him, he was quite happy and even a little proud.
"Yes, I think so too." Count Naipeg smiled slightly, "My talents are mediocre and my character is vulgar. I originally had nothing worthy of God's love. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be with Louisa, and she was the only one." You can give me such a lovely child and make my life full of glory...Although life is short, I am proud of being so lucky. Louisa and my children are the meaning of my life."
Aigron listened silently to his "stepfather" showing off his affection in front of him. Although he was impatient, he did not want to pour cold water on others out of etiquette.
But the more he listened to it, the more he felt something was wrong, because there was a sense of desolation in the earl's words, and he really didn't look like a middle-aged man completely immersed in happiness.
It seemed that what really happened was clear - he was more firm in his judgment just now.
While he was thinking, Count Naipeg motioned for the two children to come closer and came in front of him and Theresa.
The two children kept silently sizing up their brother and sister-in-law, not daring to express their anger and looking respectful.
To be fair, they all look pretty good and have good manners and manners, so they are not annoying.
"What cute children." Seeing these two beautifully dressed children, Teresa couldn't help but stop her lunch, then stood up and gently touched their cheeks.
Then, she took out the gift she had prepared for them from the purse embroidered with gold thread that she carried with her - William got a small commemorative medal specially made by Aigron and Theresa for the Greek War of Independence. And Amberdine got a gem brooch.
"Children, this is the gift your brother and I picked for you." She smiled and handed the gift to them. "I hope you like it."
Both children thanked her and Agron at the same time. "Thank you, I like it very much."
At this time, William took the initiative to speak to Aigron. His expression was a little excited, as if he was paying homage to some important figure, "Your Highness, I have heard about your deeds. My father and I have been watching the news recently and marking them on the map. Where you stand, I am truly proud of your victory over the infidels... I never thought you would be standing in front of me one day!”
"You're flattered, William." Aigron replied calmly, "I just try my best to do what I should do. There is nothing worth bragging about."
"But what you have done is beyond the capabilities of ordinary people or even dare to imagine..." William was still a little excited and blurted out, "My father said that you will definitely be a great hero, and you will definitely have great achievements in the future. Achievements, just like... just like your father. So I admire and admire you."
These words made Aigron stunned for a moment.
Judging from William's expression, he should be telling the truth. It seems that during this year, Earl Nepeg said a lot of good things about himself to his children in private?
Everyone likes to hear nice words, so Aigron's mood suddenly became better.
Although he was full of resentment towards his mother and was constantly sarcastic when they met today, he had no interest in venting his anger on the two children.
"Unfortunately, I have nothing to admire. You can see now that I am not a monster, just a mortal who is only a few years older than you." He said to them gently, "The few things I have achieved are Achievements are achieved through the loyalty, dedication and bloody fighting of my men. All I can do is live up to their sacrifice and continue to move forward."
The children seemed to understand Aiglon's high-end clothing, but when they saw that Aiglon didn't put on airs, they instinctively relaxed and became a little closer to this "brother".
Now that the topic had started, Aigron didn't want to make it too embarrassing, so he asked them politely about the education they were currently receiving.
"Mom and dad usually call me Amber, you can just call me the same." When he asked, the little girl whispered.
Then, she answered the question seriously, "I received education in several languages, and also studied vocal music and art. If I want to write some short articles for my parents to appreciate every weekend, William will do the same."
Aigron could feel that, like William, her attitude towards him was respectful, and even showed signs of trying to please.
Aigron looked at her again.
She is not tall and has a slender figure, just like Theresa. Her chestnut hair is curled at the temples. She looks a little less childish and a little more solemn. From her delicate facial features Among them, one can vaguely see Aigron's childhood features - after all, they are children born to the same mother.
Although it was difficult to recognize her as his "sister" from the bottom of his heart, he couldn't reach out to avoid hitting the smiling person. Since she had already shown such a good attitude, Aigron had no interest in embarrassing a group of people anymore.
"It looks like we have another cute little princess here." So, he complimented her at the right time. "Teresa should be familiar with the education you received. Maybe she can give you some pointers?"
He just said it casually, but the speaker was unintentional and the listener was interested. Louisa and Prince Nepeg looked at each other.
"That's just right, Amber, why don't you show Princess Teresa your painting? I heard that she is very good at this -"
Teresa nodded happily at first, and then realized that this was Luisa trying to politely remove herself.
So she hesitated a little.
She was not worried that Louisa would have any plot against her husband after leaving Aigron alone, but she was worried about what if they had a big fight without her?
"It's almost time. I'll take William over to practice his marksmanship." Count Naipeg suddenly spoke.
It seemed that the couple had made up their mind to leave mother and son alone to talk, and Teresa understood instantly.
She couldn't make up her mind, so she glanced at Aigron with a slightly worried look, but Aigron still looked calm and made a gesture to let her go out first.
That's right, the problem between mother and son should be solved by mother and son, Teresa sighed inwardly.
"Aigron, good afternoon." She kissed her husband's cheek, as if to suggest that he control his temper, and then Amberdine took her to her bedroom to admire her practice paintings.
The servants cleared the table and then left one after another. Soon, only the mother and son were left in the huge dining room.
Luisa sat next to a coffee table by the window, and then motioned for Aiglon to sit next to her, "My son, do you mind wasting a little time for me after lunch?"
"Of course I don't mind." Aiglon replied coldly, "I've already wasted a lot, I don't care about more."
"You are really..." Louisa smiled bitterly, but she didn't want to argue with her son anymore.
Aigron sat next to her, and then mother and son sat side by side on the bed, admiring the garden outside the window.
The room fell into silence, only the soft and gentle breathing accompanies it.
The precious flowers that were carefully cultivated in the garden were in bud in spring. Louisa looked at these colorful flowers quietly. After a long time, she let out a long sigh.
"Look, there are so many things there, but... the good times never last long!"
Before Aigron could ask, she turned to look at her son, and then her expression became serious, "Do you still remember the deal we mentioned when we were at Schonbrunn Palace?"
Of course Aigron remembered it - at that time, Louisa told herself that she was trying hard to match Princess Theresa for her son, not because she wanted to help unconditionally, but because she hoped that Aiglon could take care of him when he rose to prominence in the palace in the future. My own half-brothers and sisters.
"I remember this deal, but I think the prerequisites for the deal are gone." Aigron hesitated for a moment, and then replied in a low voice, "My marriage with Theresa was on the verge of falling apart, but we later insisted It took unremitting efforts to get back on track, but you did not contribute, so this is not something you earned for me, but something I earned through my own efforts. I don’t think I owe you anything.”
"Your defense is really sharp and severe." Seeing Aigron's tit-for-tat, Louisa said helplessly.
"That's probably because I don't dare to admit your love -" Aigron replied with a slight smile.
There is no doubt that although there were twists and turns in the matter, from a logical point of view, Louisa initially tried to find a way to bring him and Theresa together with Archduke Karl, which objectively did help him. He was forced to lower his body in front of his mother.
It was obvious to him that Louisa and his wife had designs on him.
If he gives in verbally now, then it will be difficult for him to evade Louisa's request next time - he has no interest in being a foolish and filial son, and it is impossible for him to agree to everything Louisa asks.
Luisa's nose suddenly felt a little sore at Aiglon's repeated sarcastic remarks. "Are you so stubborn that you don't want to be polite to me?"
"I have always been very polite to you, madam." Aigron frowned, and then replied, "Your loyal Franz has always been very polite to you."
"Well, give me a hug." Louisa interrupted, "Show me how respectful you are?"
Aigron was stunned.
"Why?" he blurted.
This reaction made Madam's heart sting again.
But she had no time to fight with her son anymore.
"You followed Albert all the way here. Did you notice anything?" she asked softly.
Abbott, of course, refers to her husband, Earl Neipeg.
"I feel that his physical condition is not particularly good recently." Aigron answered cautiously, "and his expression is quite worried."
"You are really good at observing words and emotions..." Louisa half-closed her eyes, "Yes, he has been in poor health recently, and according to the doctor, this is a serious chronic disease, and it may... get worse in the future. It's getting worse, maybe, maybe within a year or two, I will lose him."
The further she spoke, the more her voice trembled. It was obvious that this information was a huge blow to her.
Aigron hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Logically speaking, he should be happy that his "stepfather" was dying of illness, but he only felt a little confused.
To be honest, he had never taken the earl seriously, nor could he regard him as an enemy. Subconsciously, he believed that the earl did not deserve his hatred at all - so naturally he had no interest in cursing the other person to die soon.
"I...I'm sorry." In the end, he could only reply politely, "Does the count himself know?"
"He knows." Louisa smiled bitterly, "Actually, he is quite open-minded. He has always said that he was lucky to not die in the hail of bullets. The life he recovered can still live for so long and be able to start a family with me. That's good enough...but the more I say this, the more I feel sorry for him."
"People always have to face reality. Please be more open-minded. You see, my grandfather has been married three times. As a daughter, you can learn from him and maybe find a more suitable candidate-" Aigron answered subconsciously.
The reason why he said this was because he remembered that in history, after Count Naipegg died of illness, Louisa was widowed for a few years, and then she did get married again. As for the person of that marriage, he had forgotten it-anyway He is not an important person, and his third marriage did not produce any children.
Just because he knew there would be a third marriage, he subconsciously didn't take it seriously and said it casually. After all, when he faces his mother, he can't help but be sarcastic.
But he realized at this time that this was "something that happened in the future." In other words, from the perspective of the present moment, he was actually saying to a worried wife, "It doesn't matter, your husband is dead." Just find another man to marry in the future.”
This was a bit too much, beyond the realm of cynicism and more like a vicious curse - so much so that he immediately felt that it was too much.
In particular, Louisa clearly had feelings for Count Kneiperg - as can be seen from the fact that she remained a widow for several years before remarrying.
Sure enough, the expression on the mother's face suddenly froze, and then she opened her eyes angrily and stared at him, as if this sight could burn her son's soul clean; at the same time, her hands were shaking, as if she could not bear the pain. If he doesn't stop, he will be slapped in the face.
Even Aigron knew that what he said was very unsatisfactory - even if they only hurt each other after years of resentment, Aigron felt that he should abide by some bottom lines.
"Sorry, Mom." Feeling guilty, he blurted out, "I...I..."
He didn't know what to say, and in the end he could only look at his mother with apologetic eyes.
"I'm sorry, I made a mistake."
This was the first time he said sorry to his mother.
To his surprise, his mother's violent storm did not fall on him, and the raging anger slowly disappeared after he apologized.
"So can you give me a hug?" A faint question echoed in the huge hall.
The voice was weak and weak, with fear and confusion about the future. This was the first time that Eggron had seen this look in his mother - maybe she escaped from Vienna in this way in 1805; maybe she also looked like this in 1814. Escape from Paris like this.
He understood.
"It's my honor, Mom." He hugged his mother with some sympathy, "You have faced many hardships in life, and you can still get through it this time, just like before."
He comforted his mother tenderly - although this was not out of mother-child love, but out of a man's tenderness for a lady.
