Because she was worried about her daughter, Sophie returned to Schönbrunn Palace that night and immediately conveyed Princess Teresa's request to visit "a certain child" to the attendants beside His Majesty the Emperor.
Although she was anxious, she knew it was useless to be anxious, so she could only wait peacefully.
After two days of silence, the good news that she sincerely expected finally came from His Majesty the Emperor - the request was approved.
She knew in her heart that this was definitely not because His Majesty the Emperor showed mercy. This old man was still full of hatred for her. His motive was nothing more than what Princess Teresa said, hoping to increase the "value" of Crystal. That’s all.
But even so, she was still greatly relieved.
Soon, Teresa, who stayed in the manor, also received the news.
She called Chanel to her side, and then offered to take her with her to see Crystal.
Chanel didn't know the reason for this, and thought it was Sophie who took the initiative after returning to the palace. Therefore, while being surprised by Sophie's efficiency, she was also happy that her status in the palace was slowly recovering.
Not long after, several inconspicuous ordinary carriages were sent from the palace and arrived outside the manor, waiting for Teresa in silence.
Theresa took Chanel into the carriage, and then the carriage quietly left the manor and traveled through the countryside outside Vienna.
The car window was not sewn shut, and Teresa could see the surrounding scenery and location at any time through the car window. This showed that His Majesty the Emperor was not very wary of her - of course, this was reasonable, could she still be snatched away? Can't?
Chanel has always been waiting for people at Schonbrunn Palace, and Theresa rarely goes out. They only have a rough idea of the surrounding terrain and location, so they quickly gave up the futile attempt to memorize the route, and It’s about sitting in your seat and chatting.
After several hours of driving, the carriage finally brought them to a manor.
After getting off the carriage, Theresa and Chanel subconsciously looked at their surroundings.
This manor is located in a remote and quiet environment, surrounded by forests. However, because it is winter, there are only large areas of withered yellow or gray-red color, which makes people feel depressed.
Come to think of it, this is where Kristel lives.
It is conceivable that Christel has never been able to leave this manor since she was born. This small space is her entire world.
I wonder how long it will take for her to escape this fate?
"Poor child." Teresa couldn't help but sigh to Chanel in a low voice, "She doesn't deserve such a bad luck."
Although Crystal was the illegitimate child of her husband and someone else, Teresa still had compassion for her. After all, an innocent child was involved in the disputes between adults and had to live a life of darkness. Life - Teresa, who had been well cared for by her parents since she was a child, could hardly imagine how she could endure such a childhood.
Chanel felt even more sad than Theresa - His Majesty was her benefactor, and His Royal Highness Sophie was also highly respected in her heart. However, the children of these two people were treated like this. How could she not feel distressed?
However, they all know that they can't change anything at the moment, they can only bury the sympathy and sorrow in their hearts.
Soon, they were taken to the house of the manor, and the person in charge of the manor was waiting for them here.
The person in charge seemed to be in his forties. He had a dignified manner and seemed to be a serious and prudent person.
"Your Highness, it is a great honor for me to entertain you."
After seeing Theresa, he had already been notified and bowed respectfully to Theresa.
However, he did not give his name - obviously, this job was not something he could be proud of, and he was even afraid of being resented by Duke Lechstadt, so he simply chose not to give his name.
Teresa also knew the other party's awkward position, so she didn't embarrass the other party and just nodded calmly.
"Nice to meet you, sir. Please take us to see the child."
The other party didn't say much, obviously knowing that Her Royal Highness the Princess had no interest in small talk, so he simply led the way into the hall of Teresa and Chanel's residence.
By this time, several people had gathered here.
The adults, both male and female, were dressed in their own uniforms and lined up in two groups, like soldiers being reviewed. The atmosphere seemed a bit tense.
Teresa's eyes wandered over these people, sizing them up - obviously, they were all people arranged by His Majesty the Emperor to take care of, monitor and detain Crystal.
She found that there was no one who looked vicious among these people, and she felt a little relieved.
They were doing the job of guards, but the prisoner they were guarding was just a child over one year old. Obviously no one was proud of this kind of work. They were all just following orders, and it was impossible for them to care about Kristel. What hatred and malice there is.
At this time, she found a child in a woman's arms.
Her eyes immediately focused on the child.
This child is about one year old, only a few dozen centimeters in length, wearing a thick winter skirt, with long silver-white hair, and is as beautiful as an exquisite doll.
At this time, she was looking at the uninvited guest opposite with her blue eyes wide open, without fear or making a sound.
The two looked at each other silently, and for a moment, Teresa suddenly had a strange idea.
What should she call me?
Mother? Aunt? Obviously neither is right.
Teresa thought of this and just wanted to smile bitterly.
Forget it, children should not be blamed for the absurd nonsense of the previous generation.
She put away her distracting thoughts and walked to the woman holding Kristel in her arms.
"This is Miss Anna...well, she is Miss Crystal's wet nurse." The person in charge beside her quickly explained to her.
Then, he pointed to a young woman next to him who was wearing a maid costume and listening silently, "This is Miss Mia. She is Miss's personal maid and is responsible for taking care of Miss's daily life."
Teresa looked at the maid again, then nodded slightly.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"This is my job, Your Highness." The maid replied respectfully but coldly, "Besides, Miss Crystal is a very well-behaved child, so we don't need to worry too much."
Teresa heard a sense of alienation from the maid's tone. It was obvious that the other person was an introvert and didn't like to follow others' influence. She didn't take it to heart. Instead, she reached out her hand and touched Crystal. hair and cheeks.
Crystal was obviously uncomfortable, but she did not resist. She just opened her eyes wide and continued to look at Teresa curiously.
The strangers she could meet here were obviously a huge surprise to her. Coupled with Teresa's appearance and temperament, it was naturally difficult for people to be hostile.
"Mom..." she called out softly.
Obviously, at her current age, she can only speak a few fixed and simple words. It must be an instinctive reaction to see Theresa calling her mother.
She smiled happily, but Teresa felt even more sour.
This is not her daughter, indeed her husband's daughter. Logically speaking, she should hate him, but now she only has pity in her heart. This child is too cute to be hated.
"Good child." She hugged Kristel from the wet nurse, and then looked at her with caring eyes.
Then, she raised her head and looked at everyone gently. "Everyone, thank you for your hard work. To be honest, I also recently became a mother, so I can understand how hard it is to take care of a child. Not only do you have to take care of Kristel, but you also have to live in this isolated place. This place... I guess there are not many opportunities to go out, so the life here is also a great torture for you. There is no doubt that your work is not glorious, but you are not at fault for acting under orders. I also feel sorry for the sacrifices you have made. Your precious time should have been used in more meaningful places instead of wasted here."
Her Royal Highness the Princess's magnanimous attitude moved everyone present.
Under people's gaze, Teresa continued, "However, since the current situation is already like this, there is no point in feeling sorry for it or being unwilling to do so. I believe you all know very well that your next fate and that of this child It's closely related. I don't want to explain the specific situation, but I can assure you that if she makes any mistakes, you will definitely suffer... Not only will His Majesty the Emperor not be able to forgive you, but the father of this child will also make you irrecoverable.
Hey, even if you don't mention these threats, as long as you have a normal heart, can you still not see it? How cute and pitiful this child is! She has encountered bad luck since she was born, and is destined to spend her childhood in this small place, unable to see the scenery of the outside world, and knowing nothing about her own life experience... Therefore, I implore you, can you From now on, in line with the conscience that humans should have, show some mercy to this child. I think when she grows up and knows all this, she will definitely appreciate your efforts. "
Teresa's words seemed to touch the hearts of the people present, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became depressing and sad.
After saying that, Teresa took off a pearl necklace from her neck and handed it to the person in charge.
"This piece of jewelry is not a valuable item, but it should be able to be exchanged for some money after being pawned. Consider it a gift from me... If you share this money, it will be equivalent to a little extra allowance. I have nothing else for you. All I ask for is that you will take better care of Miss Crystal in the future - if you can, buy her some gifts and toys, just treat them as gifts from me."
The person in charge looked surprised and embarrassed. He looked at the pearl necklace and didn't know what to say.
Finally, he sighed and accepted the gift. "Thank you, Your Highness. Please rest assured that we will do our best to take care of the young lady, as we have done in the past and will do so in the future. You are right, we are not proud of this job, and we also hope to end it as soon as possible. But now that we are here, we must also do this job well. It is not only our responsibility, but also our sympathy. We all like the lady and hope that she will receive God's mercy and a better destiny in the future. .”
"She will definitely do it." Teresa smiled lightly and then promised.
Then, she lowered her voice again and asked at a volume that only the other party could hear, "Can Madam come here to visit Miss?"
The person in charge hesitated again, and then answered her in a low voice, "It wasn't possible before, but in the past six months she seems to have gotten permission, and she can come about once a month or so."
Then, he sighed again, "Every time I leave here, my wife is always reluctant to leave and weeps silently. To be honest, we feel uncomfortable after seeing her, but what can we do? We can only pretend not to see it."
Teresa also sighed in her heart, and she couldn't help but feel a little more pity for Sophie.
Then, she asked another very important question, "Kristel is growing up slowly, and her education should also be put on the agenda. Do you have any preparations?"
"We are also worried about this matter." The person in charge immediately answered her, "We can only take care of people, but we can't teach them skills. We have to ask the higher-ups to send people here. I have written report applications several times before But there has been no response, and I don’t know what happened.”
Theresa frowned slightly.
It's still early now, so there's no need to worry too much about the education of Kristel, but in a year or two, this issue must be seriously considered.
The key is, what kind of education should Crystal receive?
According to Theresa's idea, she should receive a complete education in vocal music, grammar, etc. like other princesses, so that she can seamlessly integrate into palace life in another place in the future. ,
But, would His Majesty the Emperor think so? Not always.
And this is an issue that must be decided by His Majesty the Emperor.
Teresa thought for a while, and finally felt that she could only plead with the Emperor through her father.
She didn't know what the future would be like for Crystal, but she was willing to help fight for her - on the one hand, this was out of instinctive pity, and on the other hand, she didn't want to see His Highness's daughter. Being like light and dust, that's terrible.
"I understand, I will try my best to fight for it." She sighed softly.
Then, as if she thought of something again, she looked at the other party again, "Next time when Madam comes to visit Miss, can you pass a message to me?"
A trace of confusion flashed across the face of the person in charge, "What do you want to say?"
"Tell her that Krystel will eventually escape this fate. And as long as we are alive, Krystel will always have our care."
"Understood." The person in charge nodded immediately. He was originally afraid that Teresa would ask him to say something forbidden, but now he was relieved. "I also sincerely hope that you will fulfill your promise soon and get us out of this job that we are not proud of, Your Highness."
Teresa just smiled.
Then, she took Crystal's hand and walked through the small area separated by the fence.
The winter wind is bone-chilling, but the sun shines through the clouds tenaciously and falls on the withered earth, quietly waiting for the season when all things revive.
