As the carriage decorated with the family crest slowly stopped, the young Miss Valentine de Villefort stepped off the carriage with light steps and stepped on the pedal.
She did not walk away immediately, but stretched out her hand under the carriage, took hold of her grandfather's withered right hand, and then helped her grandfather out of the carriage.
The Marquis of Noirtier was dressed like a member of the Senate, with the medal bestowed upon him by the late Emperor pinned to his body. Although he was old, he still had an aura of calmness and dignity. At first glance, he looked like a "senior minister." " style.
Obviously, he came to meet His Majesty today.
However, after getting off the carriage, the Marquis did not act in a hurry. Instead, he looked at his proud granddaughter with eyes full of admiration and expectation.
In order to enter the palace, Valentine naturally dressed up, but because she was still young, she did not wear any additional accessories. She just wore a white gauze skirt decorated with lace, which highlighted her skin. As white and delicate as gelatin, it looked like a blooming white orchid in the empty square.
However, although she is still young, in her delicate and calm face, she can already faintly see some of the "perseverance" she inherited from her grandfather - it is this perseverance that makes her stand out in the cold wind. Among them, they stand quietly like strong seedlings.
"Yes, Valentine." The old Marquis nodded lightly, and then hugged his granddaughter, "When you meet Her Majesty the Queen, you must observe the etiquette and don't lose the face of our family. .”
Not long ago, the Marquis received a notice from His Majesty to summon him, and along with this notice, there was another piece of news - Her Majesty the Queen wanted to see his granddaughter, Miss Valentine, so she asked him to bring her with her. .
Although His Majesty and his wife did not speak clearly, with the Marquis' sense of smell, how could he not detect the subtle meaning?
This means that His Majesty and His Majesty are somewhat interested in their proposal of a marriage between the Count of Monte Cristo and the Marquis of Noirtier. Otherwise, Her Majesty the Queen would not have had to summon such a young Valentine alone.
Therefore, this is to examine whether Valentine is worthy of this "honor".
After figuring out the joints, the Marquis was naturally overjoyed, and then told Valentine his deduction.
Seeing that her long-cherished "plan to save her father" has made promising progress, Valentine is naturally as happy as her grandfather. However, along with the excitement comes unspeakable pressure. After all, she is so young. To face Her Majesty the Queen.
She couldn't imagine the consequences of her failure - it might mean that she had personally ruined her father's hope of living in the world.
However, no matter how nervous and scared she was, Valentine still stubbornly withstood it. She cheered herself up over and over in her heart and rehearsed it at home countless times, striving to leave a good impression on Her Majesty the Queen. .
Now, she is here with grandpa.
Although in the past, when she was young, she had entered the palace with her father, but that was in Paris. Now the palace has come to Fontainebleau in the outer suburbs. This is her first time here.
Of course, children are a little curious about places they have never been to, especially such beautiful palaces and gardens that are even more eye-catching. However, Valentine still remembers her grandfather's teachings and looks around without losing her composure. Instead, she looks calm and He calmly supported his grandfather and walked deeper into the palace with the guards.
Soon, they were taken to the waiting hall. After a short wait, a palace attendant and a female official quietly walked up to the grandfather and grandson.
"My Lord Marquis, Your Majesty is free now and will meet you in the study - please come with me." The attendant bowed his head to the Marquis respectfully.
"As for Miss Valentine, Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for her, please come with me -" the female officer also whispered.
The Marquis looked back at Valentine and nodded as a final encouragement.
"Valentina, no matter what the outcome is, I will always be proud of you."
Then, he strode away with the attendants and went to meet His Majesty.
Valentine watched her grandfather's leaving figure, then took a deep breath and looked at the female officer who received her.
Then, she bowed and said, "Thank you, ma'am."
The palace has always been a place where food is served. As the granddaughter of the famous court minister, the Marquis de Noirtier, and the daughter of the equally famous Grand Prosecutor Villefort, Valentine will naturally get things that are difficult for ordinary people to do. Facing Valentine, the female official smiled so much that she even narrowed her eyes.
"Miss, please come with me. Please don't be nervous. Her Majesty the Queen has always been tolerant towards others. Besides, you are so outstanding... I believe she will be very satisfied with you."
Then, the two of them stopped talking, and the female officer took Valentine all the way to Teresa's reception room.
As Her Majesty the Queen's private reception place, this room naturally displays the royal style. The large room is covered with huge carpets, exquisite furniture in the rococo delicate style, and is covered with silk brocades and curtains. They all look magnificent.
In such a jeweled place, ordinary women would be dazzled, but Valentine came from a noble family after all, so she managed to take it lightly. She quickly noticed the man sitting on the central sofa wearing a palace dress. young woman.
Although this was their first meeting, it was obvious that she knew who the other person was without any introduction.
"Your Majesty the Queen! I am honored to be summoned by you..." Following the process she had rehearsed countless times at home, she walked gently to the front of Queen Theresa, and then saluted Theresa solemnly.
Then, she kept bending her knees, lowered her head and looked at Teresa's feet, silently accepting Her Majesty the Queen's scrutiny.
She did not wait long, and soon Teresa broke the silence in the room with a very kind tone.
"Valentina! This is my private summons. You don't have to be so formal... Please sit down."
At this time, Valentine dared to raise her head and look directly at the young Queen Theresa.
At this time, what caught her eyes was Teresa's kind and gentle smile. There was appreciation and expectation in this smile, which made her feel a little warm.
Maybe I succeeded? Valentine asked in her mind.
However, she did not show any emotion on the surface, but sat down in front of Teresa respectfully.
Facing the young, beautiful and graceful Her Majesty the Queen, her heart was filled with admiration and shame, and she believed that even if she grew up, she would never have such grace and appearance.
However, fortunately, she is the Queen of the Empire. She does not need to think about "matching". She only needs to learn a few points and she should be able to be praised by everyone, right?
Facing the silent and worried Valentine, Teresa, who knew the inside story, inevitably had some sympathy.
"Oh, poor child. It's really embarrassing for you to face bloody hatred at this age and think about who you will marry in the future! The sins of your father's generation have to be repaid by such a fragile daughter. How unfair.”
Her Majesty the Queen's emotion also aroused the pain in Valentine's heart, but she still maintained her composure and replied to Theresa with a firm tone.
"Your Majesty the Queen, I don't think there is anything unfair about this. The money I have spent since childhood, the education I have received since I was a child, and everything I can get when I grow up are all given to me by my parents and ancestors. Since I have shared The glory brought by their wealth and titles, then of course I cannot stay away from their sins...
It is impossible for me to enjoy all the benefits my father has given me. When my father is facing a disaster, I can easily say, "Oh, this is just a disaster he caused himself. What does it have to do with me?" ', and then watch him die with peace of mind. This is not what a child should do. On the contrary, I must stand up at this time and do everything possible to save my father's life and repay the sins he committed... I believe you can understand me. "
Faced with Valentine's firm and honest response, Teresa was noncommittal on the surface, but nodded secretly in her heart.
As a member of the royal family, she also has a strong sense of family. For her, her father's love and care for her since she was a child are a kindness that is difficult to repay.
Although her father had lived an upright life and would never be as sinful as Villefort, she asked herself that if her father was in trouble, she would save his life at all costs.
Not for anything else, just because he is his father.
Because of this, she accepted Valentine's argument.
A young child is willing to use his meager strength to wash away the grievances and sins that have been buried for more than ten years, and can even talk to the queen. This courage is worthy of praise.
"It seems that you have completely made up your mind..." After a moment, Teresa spoke again, "But, Valentine, I still want to remind you that for a girl, getting married is not a light thing. , but entrust your life to it! After all, you are still young now and do not understand the weight of it. If you regret it in the future, it will be irreparable. "
"Yes, Your Majesty, I am indeed young, so I know that anything I say will be regarded as childish and not convincing enough..." Valentine nodded slightly, but still looked at Te with determination. Lesa, "However, I must tell you with pride that in addition to being myself, I am also a descendant of the Noirtier family and the Saint-Meran family that have been passed down for hundreds of years! I know the meaning of every word I say. I also know that I will never live for myself. I regard the reputation of my family as something more important than myself, so I will never do anything to tarnish it. I am willing to marry the Count of Monte Cristo, And I will dedicate everything I can in the future to take care of him, help him, continue his family line, and make our family as prominent and prosperous as the family I came from, I believe we can do it!"
Although Valentine's voice was very soft when she spoke, her expression and eyes at this moment were enough to make anyone believe in her determination at this moment.
Teresa, who had been watching her, asked again. "Then have you ever thought about the price you will pay?"
"I haven't thought about it, and I don't need to think about it. I dare to ask you, have you ever thought about it before?" Valentine asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, you have a legendary story, which has been so widely praised that I even thought about it. I have heard it for a long time. For the lover you chose, you pursued him desperately at the age of 16. Have you thought about the consequences? Are you afraid of the consequences? No, you won't... So, I can tell you that You set an example! I am only a few years younger than you were then, but I also have the same determination as you. Just watch if you don’t believe me.”
Teresa was stunned at first, and then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Pfft, haha, you confused me... You really confused me. However, I did it for my lover, and your motives were different."
"Then I will fall in love with him, so what if we are very different in age? A happy life is never determined by age, everything depends on man-made things." Valentine replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty, I will prove I can take on all responsibilities myself, so I implore you to give me such an opportunity, Your Majesty..."
After saying this, she stood up again, then bowed respectfully to Teresa again, waiting for her fate to be judged.
Facing the short, immature, yet secretly admirable Valentine, Teresa suddenly had an indescribable feeling.
She does mean it, and she can do whatever she says - even though there is no basis for it, she still believes it.
"Did you think of these words yourself, or did your grandfather help make them up?" Teresa suddenly asked.
Valentine's face blushed slightly, "Some... some are helped by grandpa."
"It doesn't matter, you are already capable of saying these words fluently and freely in front of me." Teresa smiled, and then motioned for her to sit down again.
She did admire Valentine's performance.
Because she herself is such a determined and desperate person.
Moreover, she liked the temperament displayed by Valentine very much: modest, prudent, dignified and gentle, without the disgusting frivolity, just like her past self.
Isn't this the kind of person she wants to cultivate?
Although France claims to be a big Catholic country, the domestic trend of glitz and dissoluteness has been around for a long time, and has become a social rule that all classes are used to and accepted. Not only are they not surprised by those romantic affairs, they actually treat them as something they enjoy talking about. Talk.
Apart from anything else, the matter between her husband and Miss Agnes was regarded as a matter of course by everyone in the country.
She never thought that she could change the "fads" of the entire nation by herself. She just hoped that at least within the scope of her own ability, she would try to be as strict as possible in the palace's customs, so that people would not feel that the palace under her leadership was filthy.
And Valentine was exactly the person she wanted to see.
"Come here often, Valentine." After a moment of silence, Teresa suddenly looked at the little girl in front of her in a friendly manner, "The one we want to match to Edmund is the purest and smartest bride, so , be sure not to learn from the outside world."
(End of chapter)
