Eagle’s Glory

Independent world line, the story takes over 6

March 1839

After suffering for several months in the winter night, the earth finally ushered in the breeze of early spring. All things began to recover. The green grass emerged from the melting snow with its stems and leaves, bringing the breath of spring to the world.

Just in this warm and cold season, under the order of the Regent Empress Dowager, the original court team came to Baden, a small town on the outskirts of Vienna.

The town of Baden is a well-known hot spring resort, which was first recorded in ancient Roman times. Since the 18th century, Europe has gradually stepped out of the era of ignorance, and the hot springs favored by ancient Romans have also been fully favored in Europe. Baden, with its hot springs, became increasingly important under the Habsburg family.

From 1793, under the active care of the then Emperor Franz II, a large number of spa facilities were built in the town. After decades of development, the town has grown to a considerable scale, including not only bathing and hot spring facilities, but also hotels, theaters, parks and villas, becoming a leisure destination for the upper class of the empire.

Her Majesty Sophie liked to come here very much before she came to power, and after she became the Regent Empress Dowager of the Empire, she even specially allocated funds to build a large-scale villa in this hot spring town as a resting place during her fortunate tour.

Since 1837, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has been in power for nearly two years, and the empire has also ushered in a calm new era after breaking through stormy waves. Almost everyone has become accustomed to her frequent whims, so no one is surprised. , In this spring, she will come here to recuperate with the members of the court.

[Because there is a similar spa resort in Germany called Baden-Baden, this spa resort is generally called Baden, Austria. 】

As one of the members of the court, Duke Reichstedt also naturally accompanied him. He was favored by the Queen Mother. Almost every time there was an event in the court, Her Majesty the Queen Mother would let him attend - and why she was so fond of The duke, almost everyone is tacit.

At the end of last year, the Duke of Leichstedt married Princess Christina from the Savoy royal family. At this time, it was the newly married Yaner. However, after receiving the order of Her Majesty the Queen Mother, he agreed without any hesitation. Called, and came here with his wife.

After a few hours of driving, the mighty carriage convoy from the palace came to the small town of Baden, and then came to live in various places of the villa according to the prior arrangement.

The duchess also got down from the carriage and came to the suite prepared for them.

The furnishing of the villa was of course not comparable to that of the palace, but it was comfortable enough that the servants put down their luggage, and the duchess came to the bedrooms to rest.

The duke is 28 years old this year, at his prime age, and because he is deeply trusted by the empress dowager and began to participate in national affairs, his original handsome appearance has become a little more majestic and looks extraordinary.

And Her Royal Highness is much younger than him, with a petite stature, but because of the few months of marriage, there is a little more of a little woman's style in every gesture.

The couple's union, to be honest, was just a coincidence.

Last year, the Savoy royal family, where the princess belonged, suffered a tragic defeat because of recklessly launched a war against the Austrian Empire and was forced to cede the land to pay indemnity. Even she herself was married to Vienna as part of the "indemnity", and she The object of his marriage was to lead the Austrian army to defeat the Duke of Reichstedt.

So even though they are married, there is still an insurmountable barrier between husband and wife.

In addition to these political estrangements, there is another estrangement that is even more indescribable, causing the relationship between husband and wife to be distorted...

"Christina, how are you feeling?" the Duke asked his wife gently after sitting down on the sofa.

"I'm fine." The princess replied softly, "I'm just a little tired."

"Well, then have a good rest." The Duke nodded, and then he didn't know what to say.

Their conversation was very brief, and then fell into silence.

Since the two got married, the princess has been unhappy all the time, and because the duke can understand the feelings of Her Royal Highness, he is quite polite to her and did not deliberately embarrass her.

Under normal circumstances, time would smooth out the edges and corners between the couple, make them both forget the conflict between family and country, and tenderness would replace hatred and make them a happy family - after all, a lot of politics The marriage ended up being a happy one.

However, the ordeal that the Duchess Reichstedt will face is not destined to be just an armed conflict of the past.

The duchess had just arrived when a maid of honor knocked on the door of their suite, and was led to the couple by the servants.

When she saw this maid of honor, although Princess Christina's expression remained unchanged, her eyes flashed with hatred and resentment.

Her hatred and resentment, of course, were not directed at the servant lady, but at the master behind the lady, the vicious and shameless slut.

Every time a female servant came over, it meant that her husband wanted to be called by that woman, to leave his side, go to her side, and hang out with her.

It is shameless to do such a filthy act even though she has the honor of the empress dowager...

And the Duke also guessed what was going to happen, so he glanced at Princess Christina apologetically, and then prepared to leave with the lady.

However, contrary to the couple's expectations, the invitation was not aimed at the Duke this time.

"The Duchess, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager invites you to come over there." The maid of honor said politely.

The couple looked at each other in astonishment, and no one knew what the Empress Dowager had on a whim.

"May I take her to meet His Majesty?" asked the Duke a moment later.

The lady officer didn't answer, just looked at the duke with a humble smile, obviously denying the proposal.

"I think..." The Duke wanted to say something else.

"Okay, please take me there." Princess Christina suddenly interrupted her husband and stood up.

She is not willing to show weakness to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.

So, the female official took the lady out of the suite, and after passing a short corridor, they came to the spacious suite of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.

The room had an expansive view, with expansive windows offering views of the valley beyond, and the roaring fire in the fireplace dispelled the chills of early spring.

At this moment, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was wearing a fancy dress, standing by the window, looking at the Duchess with a half-smile.

"Good afternoon, Christina."

The warmth of the temperature could not dispel the chill in Christina's heart. Every time she saw this beautiful woman, she couldn't stop disgust and hatred in her heart.

She carefully hid her disgust in her heart, and then quietly bowed to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. "Good afternoon, Her Majesty the Queen Mother."

"I called you here because I have good news to tell you." Her Majesty the Queen Mother went directly to the topic, "In recognition of Duke Leichstedt's contribution to the empire, I plan to present this completed villa as a gift. Give it to him, so—this place will be your property shortly after."

This sudden "goodwill" made Princess Christina a little confused.

what does she mean? Did she expect herself to be grateful to her for this little favor?

No, absolutely impossible.

She just wanted to win over her husband and keep him by her side.

Thinking of this, Princess Christina couldn't help but feel another burst of hatred, so that she didn't even say her due thanks in the scene, she just stood there silently.

Her Majesty the Queen Mother was not angry at her disrespect, but smiled gently, as if looking at a canary in a cage.

Then, she spoke again.

"The hot springs and scenery here are very good. You can stay here for a long time and enjoy it. It is very good for your body."

Originally, this was just a polite remark, but Princess Christina suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Why is this woman suddenly courting herself?

"Thank you for your kindness, I'll try to enjoy it." She thanked coldly at first, then changed the subject. "However, as a wife, I should be by my husband's side and not in the country."

Her Majesty the Queen Mother's smile suddenly contained a bit of sarcasm, and then she sighed softly.

"Dear Christina, haven't I been clear enough? You - lately - could - stay here longer."

The most terrifying conjecture suddenly came true, Princess Christina only felt a chill in her heart, and even her feet were a little unsteady.

What did you do wrong? So that you have to be quarantined for a long time?

She asked herself, she could be sure she had done nothing wrong.

If there is anything wrong, it is that she has unfortunately met this vicious woman, and even witches and witches cannot compare with her.

"Then I reject your offer!" she answered loudly.

Although she herself knew that it was meaningless to defy Her Majesty's will, but the pride and anger in her heart at this time made her speak out.

"Unfortunately, this is an unquestionable opinion." Her Majesty's smile slowly disappeared, and then she replied calmly.

Then, she seemed to start threatening the princess again, "Christina, don't you think I've been polite enough to you? I think you'd better be a little more acquainted, lest everyone be too polite in the end."

You're polite... She still has the face to say she's polite... The long-buried anger rushed into her heart, making Princess Christina unable to control herself any longer.

"You are polite to me? You have brought me only one disaster after another! You have brought shame to my family, you have brought disaster to my country, and you have even taken my husband!"

The princess seemed to have given up, looked at Her Majesty the Empress Dowager with extremely resentful eyes, trembling all over because of anger, "How can there be such a vicious and shameless woman like you in the world? I pray to God every day, let the almighty The Lord will give you the punishment you deserve, let you be blown to powder by the thunder, let you be burned to ashes by the fire, I believe that there will be such a day, and I am also waiting for that day!"

Maybe it was because she was too emotional, she cried while talking, and finally she was speechless because she choked so badly, she could only stare at Her Majesty the Empress Dowager with bitter hatred.

If you look at this look, most people will be horrified, because it is full of hatred that wants to tear the other party into pieces.

She was obviously just a petite little woman, but because of this bitter hatred, she was very imposing, and even dared to scold the most powerful Regent Empress Dowager in this empire.

Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, who has always been domineering, seemed a little surprised. She didn't seem to have thought that Her Royal Highness, who was usually taciturn, would dare to speak to herself like this.

All the attendants and female officials nearby were shocked by this scene. They looked at each other in panic, and no one dared to say a word, for fear of becoming a victim of Her Majesty the Queen Mother's thunderous wrath.

However, to everyone's expectations, after recovering from the shock, Her Majesty the Queen Mother did not burst into anger, but seemed to understand something and looked at Princess Christina with a playful look.

After a moment, she smiled slightly.

"Madam, you are right, it is true that I have hurt you deeply, but what reason do you have to be so angry with me? Because of the war? This war was not provoked by me, but because of your Family, what's there to complain about losing? No, it's nothing—"

Speaking of this, the Queen Mother Sophie narrowed her eyes and continued, "So, you care about your husband, and you don't want to see him sharing the same bed with others..."

What a brazen remark! Princess Christina almost fainted in an instant. She had never dared to say such words in front of her since she was a child, and she was also the Queen Regent of a country.

"God—look at it!" she couldn't help shouting again.

Then, she categorically denied Her Majesty the Queen Mother's conjecture, "I... I don't care about the Duke himself at all. If we don't get married, what does it have to do with me whether he lives or dies? It's just that now we have become a couple, Then according to God's will, of course I should cherish him... instead of swallowing up your unethical behavior!"

"Come on, you Italians are always good at attributing all good and bad things to God, and then having fun with peace of mind." Queen Sophie sneered. "Poor Christina, is there anything you're embarrassed to admit? It's not shameful to like someone, on the contrary, you like someone the same way, which proves that you have some vision—"

"You're talking nonsense!" Christina flatly denied again. "How could I care about the evil enemy of our family!"

"Don't quibble with me, little girl." Queen Sophie still sneered, "Although we are not from the same family, we have all had similar experiences, so I can understand... If you are as fundamental as me If you don't like what God forced you to say to your husband, then you don't care who he slept with - there's only one reason you care, you like what fate gives you."

In the imperial court, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager openly said that she didn't care about her husband at all.

But just because she said it out of her mouth, it makes people feel surprisingly reasonable. Maybe everyone has become accustomed to her unscrupulous and do whatever they want.

In the face of such piercing words, Princess Christina wanted to argue, but she seemed unable to argue, and in the end she could only continue to stare at Her Majesty the Empress Dowager with hateful eyes.

The affair between the duke and the empress dowager is almost an open secret among the upper classes in various countries. After she was forced to marry here, they didn't seem to have any plans to hide it, and they often went out of their way.

The worst part was that on the night before their wedding, they were still shamelessly hanging out in the room next to them, and that abominable woman deliberately used all kinds of wild shouts to demonstrate to herself.

In theory, she should have hated this shameless pair of lovers who made her into despair, but after marrying the duke and enjoying the married life for a while, she found that she did not hate her husband so strongly. .

This young man is handsome, personable, and has outstanding talents. He also has a surname that is remembered by everyone. Although he is not wholeheartedly towards himself, he can also be called caring and considerate - she can feel it, The Duke took some pity on his tragic fate.

Therefore, after getting along for a few months, Her Royal Highness gradually accepted the fate that God arranged for her, and even when she saw her husband showing a melancholy expression for something, she even felt a little distressed for him.

Now that the hatred for the Duke has been eliminated, the Queen Mother Sophie will naturally gain her double hatred. In her opinion, if Her Majesty the Queen Mother hadn't shamelessly seduced her husband, her life would definitely be out of the quagmire of disaster. .

This hatred is accumulating more and more because of their rendezvous. If there is a chance, she will definitely not hesitate to plunge a knife or any other handy weapon into that vicious heart to kill the world. .

"What? I'm out of words? It seems that I was right." Looking at Her Royal Highness's speechless but full of hatred eyes, Her Majesty the Queen Mother asked with a sneer, "Poor little girl, this is not the case either. Your fault, nothing to be ashamed of, just - you should face up to the fact that he and I were already together, it's just that I needed to find a legal wife for him, so I found you. If you don't care about this marriage, then you don't need to care who he is with; and if you are satisfied with the marriage, then you should thank me and pay me something for it."

Princess Christina was so angry that she almost fainted.

"Shameless!" She could only scolded weakly, and this kind of scolding not only could not cause any harm to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, but made her feel more and more interesting.

"Since you don't want to hear it so much, then I'll tell you something you don't even want to hear..." Empress Dowager Sophie walked to her side, leaned slightly, leaned into her ear, and whispered to her, " I am pregnant."

Incomparable anger, in an instant, a large amount of blood poured into Princess Christina's head frantically from the heart, making her a little dizzy.

She wanted to wave her hand and slap this hateful woman hard, but the Queen Mother Sophie seemed to be well prepared. After saying this, she immediately backed away, and under her gesture, two female servants left immediately. He came over, put his hand on Her Royal Highness's shoulder, and helped the poor princess to "calm".

Her Royal Highness was powerless to resist, and could only stare at Her Majesty the Empress Dowager with incomparably resentful eyes. The flames in her eyes seemed to be able to burn the opponent to ashes.

And Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is also looking at her, with indifference and playfulness in her eyes, and it seems that there are other things that are unclear.

In addition to the anger, Her Royal Highness suddenly thought of something.

Why did Her Majesty the Empress Dowager just say that she would stay here for a long time?

She was trying to hide it.

Everything is connected, why did the Queen Mother bring herself to this hot spring town for "recuperation", she not only wanted to torture herself mentally, but also had another ulterior purpose - she must be She will declare to the outside world that her illegitimate child is the Duke and her own child, so she must not let outsiders see that she is not pregnant.

So... her plan was to make this illegitimate child legitimately the duke and her own, and let that wild beast inherit everything from him.

"So you want to use me as a prop to deceive the world!" She opened her eyes wide and asked the other party loudly.

"Smart." Her Majesty the Empress Dowager nodded approvingly, "It seems that you are not as ignorant as you appear to be."

Although the anger in Her Royal Highness's eyes was enough to burn people's souls, she didn't realize it and didn't take it to heart at all.

She looked at Her Royal Highness, and continued to speak.

"Poor little girl, stop cursing and struggling. This is something I have already decided. No matter how much you protest and oppose, it is meaningless, except to make yourself more embarrassed."

Then, she spread her hands calmly, "Of course, if you like, you can hate me, I don't care-"

Then, she slightly lifted her skirt and said a thoughtful farewell to Princess Christina.

"Then, I wish you a pleasant time here."

The Duchess was still scolding Her Majesty the Empress Dowager constantly, but the maid of honor ignored her struggle and scolding and took her out of the room. Soon, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was the only one left in this spacious suite.

Her Majesty the Empress Dowager quietly looked at the scenery outside the window, and it wasn't until a long time later that a sigh came from behind her.

"You don't need to take such a ruthless attitude towards her, she is pitiful enough after all."

Her Majesty the Empress Dowager turned her head and smiled charmingly.

"Do you feel sorry for your wife?"

Then, she grabbed her sweetheart's hand.

"No matter what, we still owe her a debt. I think we should be more gentle with her." The Duke replied in a low voice, and then grabbed the hand of Her Majesty the Queen Mother.

"With what we have done, how can we be gentle to her? She will definitely hate it." Her Majesty the Queen Mother threw herself into the arms of the Duke, and closed her eyes contentedly, "However, if we must If there will be hatred, then let her only hate me... I'll be stricter, you go treat her better, in this case, at least she will recognize that she is your wife."

After enjoying the tenderness for a long time, she opened her eyes again, and looked at her beloved provocatively.

"Okay, let's leave her alone, we're the only ones here... Aegron, the snow and ice have melted outside, let's melt together!"

Then, she desperately hugged the young man, and under the reflection of the firelight of the fireplace, the shadows and humming of the two people merged together.