It was not until the afternoon that Charles left the country house in a simple and shabby carriage.

After a period of driving, the carriage returned to Paris, and then Charles changed his carriage in a secret place, and then rushed to his home.

When the carriage finally stopped, the fatigue after the long journey and the "hard battle" made it almost difficult for Charles to get up. After a moment of adjustment, he walked off the carriage.

The carriage quickly left again and drove towards the stables, leaving Charles alone in the wide courtyard.

There are only a few paths to pass through the wide lawn, and there are several green trees dotted beside it, swaying in the cold wind of the middle of winter. When you walk along these paths, you can see several marble steps. On the steps, you can climb up the steps and a grand mansion is a magnificent mansion. The house is divided into three floors, with a large door on the front, which seems to lead to the living room on the ground floor. There is a wide window on both sides of the door, decorated with stained glass.

It was already evening, and the winter night was about to cover the entire earth, so candles had been lit in the room of the mansion, facing the front of Charles, with brilliant lights.

This is the residence of Duke Kerson, which is the home of Charles.

Shire did not pause, but walked slowly along the path towards the mansion. Along the way, servants kept greeting him, but he ignored him and just walked forward step by step.

The Duke walked up the steps step by step, and the servants stood on both sides to greet each other. The moment before he walked up to the last step, the gate slowly opened inward. So the Duke walked in without slowing down.

Following the carpet at the door, Charles walked forward step by step. It was not until a moment later that he finally reached the center of the long hall.

And there, there was a person standing there.

"Charle, you're finally back." Charlotte, Duchess of Kerson, welcomed her husband's return with a heartfelt smile. "We've been waiting for you for a long time."

At this time, she was wearing a court-style long skirt with a fluffy hem. She looked graceful and elegant, and her long golden hair was also bundled on both sides in a fashionable style, and floral decorations were hung on the back of her head. She looked noble but charming. The light of the pearl necklace she wore on her neck made her face and neck look whiter.

However, all this was not as good as that smile in Charles' eyes.

Under the bright light of the daylight, Charlotte's smile added a lot of warmth to Charles' heart. The concern contained in his blue eyes made him full of home.

Although his wife no longer has the youth she used to be, she has become more calm and luxurious.

"Well, I'm back, sorry, I've kept you waiting for a long time." He nodded and apologized to his wife.

"It's okay, Charles, after all, there are a lot to do now." Charlotte chuckled and shook his head. "Anyway, the guests have not come yet."

"Is the evening party ready?"

"Well, it's ready." Charlotte nodded. "Anyway, there are not many guests invited today."

"Although there are not many, they are not easy to mess with. You have to deal with it carefully. Besides, we should not make too much noise and let His Majesty stop worrying."

When Charlotte's face suddenly became gloomy when he heard Charlotte's mention of the emperor.

"Charle, don't ask him in front of me." Charlotte's tone suddenly became cold. "We should think more about those pleasant things on such a good day."

Then, Charlotte slowly approached Charles and said in a volume that only Charles could hear, "Charles, I will never forgive any Bonaparteans. They dared to treat us like this..."

"So too," Charles replied with a smile, then took his wife into his arms. "But we are never angry, we are just revenge."

"Yes, we must take revenge, I will definitely not spare them." Charlotte's face pressed against Charle's chest and murmured softly, "As long as we are still together, we don't have to be afraid of anyone."

"Well, yes, that's it." Charles gently patted Charlotte's back, "Thank you for your hard work during this period, Charlotte, you're so busy..."

"Of course I'm so busy, there are so many things to do." Charlotte whispered, "I'm going to follow you to Vienna, and the children and the family's affairs must be re-arranged..."

"Charlotte, actually... you can stay in Paris, there is no need to suffer with me."

"What are you talking about? I am your wife, of course I have to share the joys and sorrows with you. Even if you go to the ends of the world, I will go with you. Besides, Vienna is not a very bad place, and I can't suffer any crime..." Charlotte replied in a warm voice, and then, her lips slightly raised, and her smile suddenly felt a little chill, "Also, if I don't look at you, God knows that you will hook up with some wild woman there, you bastard!"

It seemed that because he was still not satisfied after talking, Charlotte suddenly stretched out his right hand, grabbed Charle's ear, and rubbed it hard.

"Ah!" Charles screamed in pain in surprise, and then quickly reached out to grab Charlotte's hand, but Charlotte tightly, as if he wanted to take this opportunity to vent his anger. "Charlotte, don't do this... don't do this!"

The two of them were like this, kneading each other as if they were young, while Shir's Yu Guang found that the servants in the distance had strange expressions, as if they wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh.

Although the Duke and Duchess were over thirty years old, they often made some slightly childish actions in front of everyone, which really made these servants feel speechless.

Fortunately, the clock suddenly rang, and finally saved Charles from the pain and embarrassment. Because...

"The kids are coming," Charlotte withdrew his hand and restored his dignity and luxury just now, as if nothing had happened. "Tell them well."

"Yeah, OK." Shire nodded.

Just as the two of them were muttering, the door on the side of the hall opened. Three children - two men and one woman - walked in quickly under the guidance of the servant.

They are not old, the oldest is only five or six years old, while the youngest girl is only two or three years old, and it seems that she is not walking very steadily.

Under the gaze of the duke and the couple, the children in costumes walked up to them. Then they stood respectfully, waiting for their parents' blessings.

Among the three children, the oldest and youngest are blonde and blue-eyed. However, the boy in the middle is a little strange. His hair is dark brown, and what is even more surprising is that his pupils appear a faint purple color. Compared to the ignorance of his brother and sister, the child seems to have learned a lot. There is no more childishness on his face, and he just stares at his parents calmly with his strange eyes.

This kind of gaze seemed both inquiry and judgment, which made Charles forget to speak for a moment.

Charlotte next to him quickly pulled Charle's sleeve secretly.

"Oh, Merry Christmas, children." Charles then reacted and greeted his children.

"Merry Christmas. Dad." The three children also greeted him.

"Well, this is great. Very good." In front of his children, Charles seemed to have no idea what to say, but just kept smiling, "You can get a gift tonight, and you can get it after you fall asleep. I hope you have a good dream..."

In this era, the legend of Santa Claus wearing Christmas outfits to tilt the chimney to give gifts to children has not yet spread, but it is indeed a tradition of parents giving gifts to their children.

"Thank you, dad." The eldest son and daughter thanked their father at the same time, but the second son just nodded gently.

Charles did not pay much attention to the second son's cold attitude, but instead turned his eyes to his daughter. The blonde and blue-eyed were looking at his father in admiration, thanking him with a nipples, as if he was like a little doll.

Because the more I looked at it, Charle reached out and hugged her daughter, then kissed her forehead, and then asked her to ride on her neck. The little girl was amused by her father, which made everyone in the hall laugh.

After playing for a while, Charles put down his daughter and looked at his two sons quite seriously.

"You all listen. Dad and mom are going to go out for a long time recently. Maybe it will take a long time to come back. You must be obedient and don't cause trouble. Do you understand?"

Under Charles' gaze, the two sons nodded quickly and agreed to their father's order.

Then, because there was still some serious matters next, Charles made a gesture and asked the servants to take all three children away.

"Clovis and Lerush have little relationship with each other and often fight. If we are gone, they won't make a fuss during this period, right? It's really worrying..." Charlotte murmured in Charles' ear, as if he was a little worried, "Also, you spoil your daughter too much, right? You don't usually smile at your son... Especially Lerush, you have always been very strict with him, don't do this, Charles! Will you still believe in the absurd legend of Zitong causing disaster? No matter what, he is our child!"

"How could it be? You're overthinking." Charles quickly replied with a smile, "Isn't it necessary to be strict with his son and tolerant of his daughter? Boys have to work hard, how can they be cultivated in gentleness? As for Lerush, of course I won't believe in any legends of ghosts. I just think this child is usually indifferent, always a little careless when studying, and can't help but become more harsh when disciplined..."

"You are right to say this. Lerush seems to be a little bit indifferent... We really need to urge him to learn more. Now he has us to help. What should he do in the future? Charlotte, I must leave more property for him." Charlotte sighed softly, obviously worried about his youngest son's future prospects. "However, we can't completely belittle him like this. According to my opinion, Lerush is still very smart. As long as you are willing to study hard, you can learn anything."

"It's too early to think about so many things now, Charlotte."

"Of course, mothers have to consider these things. No one can be as ruthless as fathers." Charlotte replied with some displeasure. "We don't care about our children, who will care about them?"

"Since that's the case..." Charles shrugged, and then lowered his voice quite cringely. "How about we work harder recently and have another one? Of course, it's better for my daughter..."

"I'm talking to you about serious business, what are you kidding!" A blush flashed across Charlotte's face. It seemed that he wanted to reach out and twist his ears again.

At this moment, the servant's reputation came from outside the door to the hall.

The duke and the couple returned to their usual attitude in an instant, and had a perfect smile on their faces.

Indeed, the matter is coming.

……………………

As time passed, each of the guests rushed to the Duke of Kerson's mansion and was taken to the restaurant by the servants.

Like the usual banquets at the Duke of Kerson's mansion, the dinners tonight were all celebrities. From soldiers to politicians, from merchants to officials, they could almost be regarded as a small upper class society.

However, unlike ordinary social banquets, the group of people sitting around the dining table have very serious expressions, and can even be said to be a little solemn.

The luxuriously decorated restaurant is magnificent under the stunning gilded candlesticks. The gold tableware is also perfect, and the delicious dishes sent by servants are enough to make any picky gourmet.

However, the people sitting around the dining table were silent, without any chat or laughter, and not even many people met with their eyes, and the entire restaurant fell into a strange silence.

The Duke and Duke of Kelsson sat upright on the main seat of the long dining table, and on the wall behind them was a huge portrait of the late Marshal Victor de Treville, the Duke of Kelsson. The Marshal in military uniform was looking at everyone by the dining table with a firm and stern look, which made people feel solemn.

After almost all the people came, Charles gently raised his glass.

"Cheers everyone."

"Cheers!" After the silence was finally broken, the others agreed, then raised their glasses, took the first sip of wine, and started to eat.

"I think everyone already knows that His Majesty the Emperor has decided to let me serve as ambassador to Austria." The Duke seemed to say casually amid the sound of the collision of tableware.

"Your Majesty is so amazing..." His friend, the great merchant Albert Defoa Gray, said with a playful expression, "Isn't this the best thing to do? Let the pro-Ao Sect clean up the mess and enjoy the fruits of it yourself."

Although this sarcastic tone was very disrespectful to Your Majesty, none of you here was surprised by Albert's performance.

"I'm afraid your Majesty's consideration is not just that." Government official Cleman Leczinski interviewed. "He was not just dissatisfied with the Duke. After the Duke was transferred, there would probably be many unlucky people next."

"Who said no! Haha, before Charles left, he had already started. The army's personnel and affairs are very different now... I think, His Majesty really plans to make a complete change this time." The person who spoke was Marshal Conrobel. Although he was nearly 60 years old, he still looked energetic and ambitious. But his expression seemed to be a little depressed, "Oh, in my opinion, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape by then."

Then, he glanced at General Lucien de Le Fleir next to him intentionally or unintentionally. "After this war, His Majesty promoted a large number of people. Now many of us may have to stand aside. Who doesn't know that the Duke of Magenta is the pillar of the future of the Empire, hey!"

The Duke of Magenta refers to Marshal Patrice Morris de McMahon. During the French-Austrian War, as the commander, as the commander of the army, he became one of the key figures that made France win the Battle of Magenta because of his courage, and also became the new favorite of His Majesty the Emperor in the army. Since the end of the battle, the emperor directly appointed him as the marshal and duke of the empire. He also became a newly rising star of the army. The emperor also appointed these new favorites and slowly excluded the old ones. Of course, Marshal Conrobel was also among them.

De LeFrell was a little restless by the Marshal's gaze with a slight suspicion. He was about to say something, but Charles spoke directly.

"Although Lucien has been promoted recently for military achievements, I believe Lucien will not surrender to those ill-believers. He has always been his own people, Marshal, you don't have to worry about him."

Lucien gave Charles a grateful look.

Without waiting for the others to speak, Charles glanced at everyone again, "Now, I believe everyone has figured it out. His Majesty the Emperor has squeezed me away not only because he and I have disagreements on the issue of Austria, but have deeper considerations. Let me put it more bluntly. That is us... our group of people have already aroused His Majesty's dislike, and now everyone has begun to be excluded."

Although there was a commotion at the beginning, everyone soon returned to peace and obviously agreed with the Duke's judgment. Then, everyone looked at the Duke, as if they were planning to wait for him to come up with an idea.

"Yes, we are all our own people. Now that we are suppressed, we should be even more in a group. Only in this way can we get out of the storm." Shir said calmly. "Although our situation is not good now, we are all people who have contributed to the empire after all, and we cannot be thrown away at once. I have confidence in this."

"So. What should we do?" the marshal asked in a low voice.
To be continued...