Eagle’s Glory

Because she was thinking about her daughter, after Sophie returned to Schönbrunn Palace that night, she immediately conveyed Princess Teresa's request to visit "a certain child" with the attendants of His Majesty the Emperor.

Although she was anxious, she knew it was useless to be anxious, so she could only wait in peace.

After two days of silence, the good news that she was looking forward to finally came from His Majesty the Emperor—approval of the request.

She knew in her heart that it was definitely not because of His Majesty's mercy. This old man still hated 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 very relieved.

Soon, Teresa who stayed in the manor also received the news.

She called Chanel to her side, and then offered to take her to meet Crystal.

Chanel didn't know the reason for this, and thought it was Sophie who took the initiative to fight for it after returning to the palace, so while being surprised by Sophie's efficiency, she was also happy that her status in the court was slowly recovering.

Not long after, a few unremarkable ordinary carriages were sent from the palace to the outside of the manor, waiting silently for Teresa.

Teresa took Chanel into the carriage, and then the carriage quietly left the manor and traveled through the countryside outside Vienna.

The window of the car was not sewn shut, Teresa could look at the surrounding scenery and location through the window at any time, it can be seen that His Majesty the Emperor is not very wary of her - of course, this is also reasonable, can she still snatch someone away no?

Chanel has been serving people at Schönbrunn Palace, and Teresa seldom goes out. They only have a rough idea of ​​the surrounding terrain and location, so they quickly gave up the futile attempt to remember the route, and It's sitting in the seat and chatting.

After several hours of driving, the carriage finally brought them to a manor.

After getting off the carriage, Teresa and Chanel subconsciously looked at the surrounding environment.

This manor is located in a remote location with a quiet environment, surrounded by stretches of forests, but because it is winter at this time, 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 Crystal lives.

It is conceivable that Crystal has been unable to leave this manor since she was born. This small space is her whole world.

I don't know how long it will take before she can get rid of this fate?

"Poor child." Teresa couldn't help sighing to Chanel in a low voice, "She shouldn't suffer such bad luck."

Although Christel was the illegitimate child of her husband and others, Teresa still had compassion for her. After all, an innocent child was involved in disputes between adults and had to live a dark life. Life——Teresa, who was well taken care of by her parents since she was a child, can hardly imagine how such a childhood should be endured.

Chanel's heart is more bitter than Teresa's - His Majesty is her benefactor, and His Highness Sophie is also highly respected in her heart, but the children of these two people have suffered such treatment, how can she not feel distressed?

However, they all know that they can't change anything right now, they can only bury this sympathy and sorrow in their hearts.

Soon, they were brought 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, with a dignified demeanor and a serious and cautious person.

"Your Highness, I am very honored to entertain you."

After meeting Teresa, he had already been notified and saluted Teresa respectfully.

However, he did not report his name—obviously, this job was not something to be proud of in his opinion, and he was even afraid of being hated by Duke Reichstedt for it, so he simply chose not to use his name.

Teresa also knew the embarrassing position of the other party, so she didn't embarrass the other party, but nodded indifferently.

"Nice to meet you, sir, please show us the boy."

The other party didn't say much, obviously knowing that Her Highness the Princess had no interest in greetings, so he simply led the way and put Teresa and Chanel in the hall of the mansion.

At this time, several people had already gathered here.

The adults were men and women, wearing their own uniforms, lined up in two groups, like soldiers being inspected, and the atmosphere seemed a little tense.

Teresa's eyes lingered on these people, looking at them—obviously, they were all the people arranged by His Majesty the Emperor to take care of, monitor and imprison Christel.

She found that there were no vicious-looking people among these people, and she felt a little relieved.

What they do is guard work, but the prisoner they guard is only a one-year-old child. Obviously, no one is proud of this kind of work. They are all just following orders, and it is impossible for Crystal What hatred and malice.

At this time, she found that a woman was holding a child in her arms.

Her eyes immediately focused on the child.

This child is about one year old, only a few tens of centimeters in length, wearing a thick winter skirt, with silver-white hair, as beautiful as a delicate doll.

At this time, she was opening her blue eyes wide, curiously looking at the uninvited guest on the opposite side, without fear, and without 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.

Thinking of this, Teresa just wanted to smile wryly.

Forget it, the children should not be blamed for the absurd nonsense of the previous generation.

She put away her distracting thoughts, and then walked to the woman holding Christel in her arms.

"This is Miss Anna...well, she is Miss Christel's nurse." The person in charge beside her quickly explained to her.

Then, he pointed to a young woman who was dressed in a maid's costume and listened 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 good child, so we don't need to worry too much."

Teresa heard a sense of alienation from the maid's tone. Obviously, the other party was an introverted person who didn't like to follow suit. She didn't take it to heart, but reached out her hand and stroked Christel. hair and cheeks.

Crystal was obviously not used to it, but she didn't 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 generate hostility.

"Mom..." she called out softly.

Obviously, at her current age, she can only speak a few fixed and simple words. Seeing Teresa calling her mother is also an instinctive reaction.

She smiled happily, but Teresa felt even more sour in her heart.

This is not her daughter, indeed her husband's daughter, she should hate him logically, but now she only has pity in her heart, this child is too cute to be hated.

"Good boy." She hugged Christel from the nurse's hand, and then looked at her with caring eyes.

Then, she raised her head and looked at everyone gently. "Everyone, you have worked hard. To tell you the truth, I have just become a mother recently, so I can understand how hard it is to take care of a child. Not only do you have to take care of Christel, but you also usually live in this isolated The place where you live... I think there are not many opportunities to go out, so the life here is also a great torment for you. There is no doubt that your work is not glorious, but you are not at fault for following orders, I I also feel sorry for the sacrifices you made, your precious time should have been spent in more meaningful places, not wasted here."

Her Royal Highness's magnanimous attitude moved all the people present.

Under people's gaze, Teresa continued, "However, since the status quo is already like this, there is no point in regretting or being unwilling. I think you all know very well that your future fate and this child It is closely related, and 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 forgive you, but the father of this child will also make you irreparable.

Hey, even if you don't mention these threats, as long as you have a normal heart, can you still not see it? How lovely and pitiful the child was! She has encountered bad luck since she was born, and she is destined to spend her childhood in this small place, unable to see the scenery of the outside world, and even more ignorant of her own life experience... So, I implore you, to be able to In the future, in accordance with the conscience that human beings should have, I will have a little pity on this child. I think, when she grows up and knows all this, she will also appreciate your efforts. "

Teresa's words seemed to have touched the hearts of the people present, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive and sad.

After speaking, Teresa took a string of pearl necklaces from her neck and handed them to the person in charge.

"This piece of jewelry is not a valuable item, but it should be able to exchange for a sum of money after pawning it. It should be regarded as a gift from me to you... If you share the money, it is equivalent to a little more allowance. I have nothing for you All I ask is that you will take better care of Miss Christel in the future—if you can, buy her some gifts and toys, and treat her as a gift 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 Miss, and will continue to do so in the past. You are right, we are not proud of this job, and we hope to end it as soon as possible, But now that we are here, we must also do this job well, not only because of our responsibilities, but also because of our sympathy. We all like Miss very much, and hope that she can get God's mercy and a better destiny in the future .”

"She will." Teresa smiled lightly, and then made a promise.

Then, she lowered her voice and asked with 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 last six months she seems to have gotten permission, and she can come here about once a month or so."

Then, he sighed again, "Every time I leave here, Madam is always reluctant to let go and weeps silently. To be honest, we feel uncomfortable after seeing it, but what can we do? We can only pretend that we didn't see it."

Teresa also sighed in her heart, and she couldn't help feeling a little more sympathetic to Sophie.

Then, she asked another very important question, "Kristel is growing up slowly, and her education should also be on the agenda. Are you prepared?"

"We are also worrying about this matter." The person in charge immediately answered her, "We can only take care of people, but we can't teach them skills. This needs to be sent by someone from above. I have written a report application several times before. I have, but there has been no response, and I don't know what's going on."

Teresa frowned slightly.

It's still early, and there's no need to be too anxious about Kristel's education, but in a year or two, this issue must be seriously considered.

The point is, what kind of education should Crystal receive?

From Teresa's point of view, she should receive complete vocal music, grammar, etc. education like other princesses, so that she can seamlessly integrate into court life in another place in the future. ,

But, would His Majesty think so? Not always.

And this is a question that must be decided by His Majesty the Emperor.

Teresa thought about it, and finally felt that she could only make a plea to His Majesty the Emperor through her father.

She doesn't know what will happen to Crystal's future, but she is willing to help fight for her - on the one hand, this is out of instinctive compassion, on the other hand, she does not want to see His Highness's daughter As light as dust, that's terrible.

"I understand, I will try my best to fight for it." She sighed softly.

Then, as if thinking of something again, she looked at the other party again, "The next time Madam comes to visit Miss, can you pass a message for me?"

A trace of confusion flashed across the face of the person in charge, "What do you want to say?"

"Tell her that Crystal will eventually escape this fate. And as long as we are alive, Crystal will always enjoy our care."

"Understood." The person in charge immediately nodded. He was afraid that Teresa would ask him to spread some prohibited words, but now he was relieved. "I also sincerely hope that you will fulfill your promise as soon as possible, and let us get rid of this job that is not proud of you, Your Highness."

Teresa just smiled.

Then, she took Christel's hand and walked in the square inch separated by the fence.

The wind in winter is bitterly cold, but the sun shines tenaciously through the clouds and falls on the withered and yellow earth, quietly waiting for the season of recovery of all things.