Flowers, Swords and France

"Charles, this is such a nice place!"

In the rare bright sunshine of winter, Charlotte carefully looked at the magnificent building in front of her, then held Charles' hand tightly and sighed in a low voice.

Although this sigh was very ordinary, Charles had to admit that she was right.

Looking in from the open door, at the end of the neat corridor, the building in the distance was indeed exquisite and gorgeous. The house is divided into three floors, with slender lines, and the building material looks like marble, which is emitting a soft white light under the sun. There are several columns on the front, with some exquisite sculptures carved below, and behind the columns is a door, which is wide enough for several people to enter and exit side by side. There is a large window on each side of the door, decorated with stained glass, hidden among the trees and flowers next to it.

Overall, this rigorously designed building combines Gothic and modern styles, giving people a unique sense of architectural beauty, which is both generous and exquisite.

In Satory, in front of a large group of officers, Louis-Bonaparte promised to reward him with the mansion that originally belonged to Prince Julesville.

Without much delay, Louis-Bonaparte's promise soon became a reality. Shortly after returning to Paris, Charles was notified that he had been given the opportunity to "auction" the mansion of Prince Julesville of the previous dynasty.

And Charles did not waste time. In order to please Charlotte, he immediately brought Charlotte here.

No matter how you look at it, this is a dazzling reward-although in order to look good, they still need to pay more than 200,000 francs to buy it. But how much difference can this price, which is less than one-tenth of the actual value, be compared with a direct reward?

"Okay. Let's go in?" After looking for a while, Charles turned his head and looked at Charlotte. "If you like, today, no... you can see enough in the future."

"Well, let's go in, Charles."

Charlotte was wearing a winter dress with floral decorations today, a white hat on her head, and her golden hair was carefully combed and tied behind her head. She looked dignified and charming, and her face was radiant with joy.

Her attitude was gentler than before today, perhaps because of the joy and shyness of checking her wedding room.

In this way, Charles took Charlotte's hand and walked in the wide vestibule under the guidance of the government's guard, observing everything in the mansion.

After the initial sigh, they soon discovered that the changes in time and the current situation had not left unique marks here. Because of wind and rain, the marble steps were slightly mottled, showing a half-new gray-white color. And because no one had taken good care of them for several years. Weeds also grew in the gaps.

However, no matter how desolate it is, people can still see some of the old momentum and splendor from this building with exquisite materials and magnificent style - after all. Even just three or four years ago, this place was still a great attraction for the upper class.

"Well, the overall feeling is good. But I think we need to repair it before we can move in." After inspecting the exterior for a long time, Charlotte gave her opinion. "Charles. It's really fascinating... We will live here in the future!"

"I think it's good too, and it saves you from spending time looking for a place here..." Charles replied with a smile. "But for me, anywhere is fine, as long as you are happy..."

"You are always able to be glib." Charlotte glanced at him with a look of displeasure, and then pulled her hand out of Charles's arm.

However, she raised her head, took a deep breath, and then turned her head to look at Charles steadily.

"Will we live here together in the future?"

Her expression was confused and a little unbelievable, as if she had not yet recovered from the happiness that fell from the sky.

"It will be soon." Charles whispered in Charlotte's ear, "We will live here forever and continue our family together."

Under Charles's determined gaze, the originally confused expression finally turned into an incomparable smile.

"Yes... We will live here together..." Charlotte muttered a few words at first, then looked up at Charles, "Charles, then we have to hurry up! Finish the renovation here as soon as possible, we can't wait until we get married before we can move in?"

"It's up to you, madam..." Charles bowed flatteringly.

Then they walked along the corridor to the door, pushed it open and walked in.

Because no one had been taking care of it carefully, Charles and Charlotte frowned slightly after entering, feeling a little uncomfortable with the stuffy and slightly musty smell.

Looking at the faded carpet, the floor that was no longer shiny, and the candlesticks and tassels on the wall that had lost their luster, Charlotte sighed, "Charles, there are still many things we need to do!"

"Yes, I will arrange for someone to clean up here as soon as possible." Charles replied quickly.

"Is it all over after cleaning? Charles, the daily maintenance here is not an easy job," Charlotte suddenly whispered, "We still have to find a way to hire servants! In addition, we have to clean up those rooms and rearrange a few bedrooms. We can't sleep where Orleans slept?"

"Ah..." As soon as he heard these things, Charlotte felt a little troublesome, "Okay, I leave this kind of thing to you, you just have to find a way to deal with it."

"I knew you would say that..." Charlotte sighed, "Forget it, who told you to be so busy on weekdays? I will take care of these things. I will think of a way to see if I can Bring a few more people over at home, after all, it will be easiest for people who have been used to it since childhood..."

As they talked, the two people walked out of the mansion from the side door and came to the garden.

This garden is very large, and the walls are covered with flowers and plants. Although they have withered due to winter, you can still imagine the scene in summer. There is a dome pergola at the end of the garden, and there is a bench under the pergola. There is a sundial in the garden, which can be seen as a decoration of the old owner.

"The Orleans people still have some taste after all!" Looking at this exquisitely arranged garden, Charlotte sighed, "Much better than the Bonapartes."

Read the original text in Liu#9@书/吧!

"But it was the president who gave this place to us?" Charles asked with a smile. "Besides, he is also a noble, and his uncle is an emperor. His title is much higher than ours! How many kings and dukes were in those days? Are you vying to flatter him?"

"Humph, Bonaparte!"

Charlotte fully revealed her contempt with a brief exclamation, "They can't get rid of the earthy smell of Corsica in three hundred years."

Although in the scope of heraldry, all titles are actually meaningless, because the nobles are completely equal. They each once enjoyed feudal power in their respective territories, and there is no distinction between superior and inferior.

This kind of equality has been maintained by the French royal family in a window-dressing manner in the past. Many French kings only gave their children the ordinary title of count. Louis XI even married his daughter to a nobleman without a title. In rural places like Brittany or Normandy, a small local lord was even more respected than a large nobleman in the capital.

In the era of highly centralized Louis XIV, this concept was greatly damaged. Under his monarchical regime, the Versailles court completely overwhelmed the local feudal lords and took back almost most of the local power. into the hands of the palace. Therefore, among the nobles, there is naturally a set of tacit rules, which clearly define their superior and inferior status in a quiet manner - mainly based on the closeness to the kings as a benchmark.

As close servants of the king, the Treville family has always enjoyed the favor of successive Bourbon kings. Therefore, even among the duke families of the Bourbon dynasty, they all enjoy a special status, and they have naturally cultivated the kind of self-esteem that they are superior to others. of arrogance.

Although times have changed greatly now, Charlotte still retains this ancestral pride intact in her heart. Naturally, it is completely impossible to treat Louis-Paul, who "has not yet got rid of the Corsican earthy smell". Naba took it seriously - no matter how many benefits the other party gave her, she still didn't feel grateful to him.

However, this is not a thought unique to Charlotte. Throughout the Second French Empire, no matter how handsome Louis Bonaparte was, the old aristocratic families still reserved their family status and despised Louis Bonaparte and his family. Nouveau riche, this is a common phenomenon.

Fortunately, though, Ciel may be immune to such scorn. After all, his surname is Treville, and he will marry a Treville. In terms of family status, he will indeed get enough respect.

Like most ladies, Charlotte likes the colorful social world, and enjoys the feeling of being admired and envied by others. If she is really rejected after marriage because of herself, Charles will really feel for her. Heartache.

"Charle, I plan to transform this place into an open-air reception place..." Looking at the scene of the garden, Charlotte had a sudden thought, "Then we will entertain guests here in the future? It will definitely make everyone happy. Very happy!”

"Okay!" Charles nodded without thinking, "It doesn't matter, Charlotte, you can just do it according to your own ideas. I fully support it. You don't need to ask for my opinion..."

"Ciel..." (To be continued...)