Chapter 24: "The Door of Death" (Part II)

Ding Mu could feel the irrepressible surprise on the Duke of Orleans' face when he saw him, and although he had been talking to Alfonso, the old man who had actually been secretly paying attention to the situation on the Duke's side also saw the Duke's strange color, and when his eyes followed the Duke's line of sight to Ding Mu not far away, the old man's face turned pale for a moment.

The Duke of Orleans's face was equally ugly, he never imagined that he would meet again with the Bohemian he had met on the road, and it was actually on the territory of the Aragonese.

What surprised and shocked the Duke even more was that this Bohemian was dressed as if he were an Aragonese!

Less than half a year ago, King Charles VIII of France had just suffered a crushing defeat, and after paying a heavy price of nearly 4,000 casualties, Charles VIII barely managed to survive the quagmire of war in the southern Alps.

It was the French alliance led by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximian I and King Ferdinand II of Aragon that led to this French defeat.

Despite the crushing defeat, everyone knew that Charles VIII, who was young and even more arrogant, could not accept defeat so honestly, and in the eyes of the young king, who was not too old but ambitious but not inferior to anyone, the land south of the Alps was so rich and charming that it was worth it even at a great price.

Because of this, it was rumored that Charles VIII had decided to regroup and go on another expedition, and this time he was better prepared and the army he was about to bring with him was even larger.

And the Duke of Orleans was precisely the cousin of the ambitious French king.

It is conceivable that at such a sensitive time, a French royal duke who sneaked into enemy territory in disguise and incognito will face what kind of terrible situation he will face once he is discovered!

The old man's face turned pale, he couldn't care about Alfonso, who had a suspicious face when he noticed his strange appearance, and just as he was about to greet Ding Mu, the thing that worried him the most happened-looking at the Duke of Orleans, who also had a strange face, Ding Mu let out a surprised cry: "How could it be you?" ”

The old man's heart suddenly tightened at this moment, and in despair, he was already thinking about how to ensure that the duke, whose identity was exposed, was not insulted and harmed.

On the contrary, the Duke of Orleans had calmed down at this time, and a helpless smile appeared on his face, perhaps ironic that he would finally be planted on an unexpected little person, just as he slowly puffed up his chest and was about to announce who he was with a momentum that would never be humiliating, Ding Mu's next sentence almost made the Duke who was full of momentum fall on his head.

"Aren't you the student of anyone, why are you here to eat?"

For a moment, the Duke believed that he seemed to hear the sound of a dislocated jaw, and if it weren't for the quick realization of the situation that had been trained over many years, he might even feel that he was not dreaming.

The erected chest was quickly withdrawn, and the aura that had just accumulated disappeared in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, a royal nobleman with a noble status became a young man who looked just a little arrogant, this change made Ding Mu a little dumbfounded, and a strange thought flashed in his mind in an instant: This kid is really his grandfather's grandson, not his grandfather's son? Otherwise, how could he learn his grandfather's acting skills so well.

The old man, who had already taken a step, also paused suddenly, although he was also surprised, but the sophistication of the world made him instantly understand what the scene in front of him meant.

"Teacher, look, isn't this the person we met in Road Wound?" Orleans spoke first, he looked at Ding Mu with a stunned face, just like all the reckless young men who forgot their proper manners because of an accident, and even pointed to Ding Mu while continuing to say to the old man who had changed to walking slowly, "I really didn't expect to meet him here." ”

The old man had regained his composure completely, and he deliberately glared at the seemingly reckless student sternly, and then turned to Alfonso who came over apologetically: "Sorry priest, my student is so rude, but it is no wonder that he is surprised to meet an unexpected person here." ”

"Oh?" Alfonso asked curiously, "Can you tell me what's going on, the way you look really makes me curious, I think it must be an interesting story." ”

"Of course it's interesting," replied the Duke of Orleans in a deliberately unruly manner, and then bowed a little before turning back to Ding Mu and saying, "If you wish, I can tell you about our meeting." ”

Ding Mu heard the duke's hint, and it was clear that Orleans was asking if he could tell him that he was bohemian.

Ding Mu secretly sighed that the nobles were really not fuel-efficient lamps, and in the blink of an eye, he not only guessed that he did not want to expose the identity of the pair of 'master and apprentice', but also very cleverly hinted at asking if he could reveal his identity as a Bohemia.

Ding Mu believed that if he nodded, it would mean that both sides had been seized by the other party because they had ulterior secrets, and even the Duke might immediately turn against the guest and threaten him.

It's a pity that I don't have any secrets, at least not for you.

Ding Mu smiled secretly in his heart, he deliberately tilted his head like the duke, and then suddenly bowed to Alfonso on the side and said, "My lord, I have something to hide from you." ”

Orleans' face froze for a moment when he was already smiling, although he still tried his best to remain calm, but he knew that the intimate inner armor he wore inside had been stuck to his body because of sweating at this time, looking at Ding Mu's expression as if he was repentant, the duke regretted offending a little person for the first time in his life.

"Do you have something to hide from me?" Alfonso unconsciously glanced at the pair of master and apprentice next to him, and then continued to ask, "What is the matter, I can listen to your statement in any capacity of priest and employer." ”

"Thank you, sir," Ding Mu took the priest's hand and kissed the huge gem on his index finger ring, until he felt that the people around him had been hung up because of curiosity, and the pair of master and apprentice had been almost tormented, he said, "I told you that you wandered with some bohemians because you had trouble on the road, but I didn't tell you more of the truth," he said as he looked at the pair again, and saw that the Duke of Orleans, who had been excellent in acting, had a gloomy face, and then he said again. Actually, while wandering with the Bohemians, I married a girl. ”

Ding Mu's words made the people around him a little inexplicable, and the duke's face really sank to the bottom this time.

I actually let this kid play tricks!

Orleans didn't know what it was like, but by this time he had understood that Ding Mu didn't care about his so-called coercion, and this bohemian kid who dared to target the flying knife was definitely not a fuel-efficient lamp.

The bohemian dared to tease him in front of so many people just because he was slightly threatened, and Orleans had the annoyance that he had become a clown to be made fun of, although he also knew, in fact, others had no idea what it had to do with him.

"This is what you're hiding from me?" Alfonso looked at Ding Mu a little strangely, "You didn't say this to me before, but why did you suddenly take the initiative to say it now?" ”

The priest said this, but his eyes were already looking at Orleans beside him, and then he said to the old man: "Dear Ficher, allow me to guess a little, whether the sudden confession of the treasurer of my library to me has something to do with this student of yours?" ”

The old man had completely calmed down at this time, although he was also curious about how Ding Mu could appear at the party held by the Palermo Priest, but at this time, as long as he could keep his benefactor's identity from being revealed, he was even willing to sign a contract with the devil.

"Forgive my student, Jean Duné is a very clever man, but he is also a reckless Orleansman, and although I have been with him for a long time, I have always been worried about his studies and his impulsive recklessness," said the old man, who seemed to be really caught up in the annoyance of this student who did not let him worry, "You must know that he always thinks that after a certain decision has been made, whether it is worth it, and I even think that this recklessness will one day get him into big trouble." ”

Listening to the old man's endless complaints, Alfonso looked at the student with interest.

"Perhaps, I think he's a little similar to my treasurer, and believe me, if I tell you what he's done before, probably you won't think that only your own students are the most reckless," Alfonso said with a smile, but then continued, "Can you tell us how you met, I think maybe it's an interesting topic for tonight." ”

The priest's suggestion was immediately echoed by everyone around him, and in a burst of urging, Ding Mu began to talk about his previous experiences.

The duke listened with concern, and when he heard Ding Mu talk about performing throwing knives for them, the duke tried to restrain himself from grabbing the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"This Lord Dunay ......" Ding Mu deliberately paused before he continued, "He is very arrogant and rude, he insists on watching that dangerous game, and my wife," said Ding Mu deliberately accentuated his tone, and then showed a helpless expression, "because I coveted his gold coins and made me risk being her target, even now I think it is terrible, although she saved me from trouble before, but after that incident I think it is enough to repay her." ”

"I see, did you finally decide to confess to me because you saw Ficher's master and apprentice and thought that this marriage was about to be exposed?" Alfonso stared at Ding Mu with stern eyes, and after a while, he shook his head slightly, "Alexander, do you really think that your so-called marriage is legal and valid, or do you think that Bohemian woman is your wife?" ”

"But my lord, I am indeed married according to Bohemian custom," Ding Mu seemed helpless to look back at the Duke of Orleans, who was almost rolling his eyes at him, "This should be guilty, I dare not face my guilt, but now I know that the appearance of this Monsieur Duné has made me understand that God is just, and I am willing to accept all your punishments." ”

"Alexander, I have to say, you are still too young to be troubled by a marriage which is not at all legitimate," said the priest to the old man with some amusement, "behold, this is a young man, impulsive, sentimental, and cranky, who is so troubled with himself for the sake of a game. ”

The old man laughed as well, this time he was really laughing, but when he looked back at his student, he saw that the duke's face, which had not been white, had become a black ball.

"The ancient Greek drama master Moeopdos had a play called 'The Door of Death,' and the duke in the room said to the teacher sitting opposite, "It was a tragedy, my grandfather liked it very much, and everyone died at the end of the play, and now we are the same, but we don't know who will die in the end." ”