April 1, 1857

As night falls, thousands of lights fill the Paris sky like stars. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoThe evenings in Paris are as gentle and affectionate as ever, with countless pedestrians strolling along the banks of the Seine and all the places to spend time in the city, admiring the Empire, a city of unparalleled splendor known throughout the world.

As a result of His Majesty's policy of urban renewal, Paris began to be built on an unprecedented scale, with a large number of streets widened and carefully laid out, and the city became more and more beautiful over the years.

The riots and coups d'état of the past are a thing of the past, and the war with Russia has long since ended, and now the citizens of Paris are enjoying a comfortable time of peace, because the economy is booming, the market has become particularly prosperous, and the most glorious era of peace of the empire has come.

As usual, feasts were held all over the city, and wealthy and powerful families were showcasing their wealth in the light of the empire. The same was true in the grand residence of the Duke of Kerzon on the outskirts of the city, His Excellency Chancellor de Treville.

The Duke is now the Empire's Chancellor of the Exchequer, with an immensely large budget in his hands, while also maintaining the financial foundations of the Empire, and after two years of hard work, the Empire has emerged from the financial quagmire of war and regained its economic prosperity. And because of this achievement, the Duke became more and more favored by His Majesty, and he was considered to be the last powerful person under the Emperor.

Duchess Charlotte had always been fond of socializing, and the family often held banquets, and after the Duke reached the peak of power, such banquets were held more frequently in order to win over the party, almost every two or three days. Because most of the people in attendance were celebrities and dignitaries, the scene was very grand, and even in Paris it was considered one of the top social occasions.

The Duke's Mansion was now brightly lit, carriages were constantly coming and going, and a large crowd of richly dressed men and women entered, either arrogant or humble, but with a hint of anticipation—no doubt that it would be of great benefit if the Duke could take care of him.

In the midst of the traffic, a small gray-black moped carriage was also in the middle of it, but instead of going to the gate of the vestibule as normal and waiting for the announcement, it went around the back door of the mansion unobtrusively and stopped.

Then, a woman in a gray dress stepped out of the carriage, her steps were very steady and rhythmic, and her footsteps were very soft, showing vigorous vitality between movements. However, with the help of the faint lighting, subtle wrinkles can be seen in the corners of her eyes, indicating that she is not as young as she looks.

She walked slowly after the servant, her expression flat and even a little solemn, as if she was doing something big.

After skirting the hallway of the garden, she followed the servant into the mansion, and though she deliberately walked on the less crowded road, she still could not help but pass by some of the guests, but she walked without greeting her, as if no one had seen her.

Soon she went upstairs, and then came to the door of the study of His Excellency Chancellor Tréville.

The servant knocked cautiously on the door, then walked away after informing the comer, and the door was pushed open by the visitor.

"Good evening, Aunt Agnes!" His Excellency Chancellor Charles de Treville, Duke of Kerson, who was sitting at his desk, stood up enthusiastically, then stepped forward and extended his hand to the visitor, "I miss you very much......

Although the Trevill House was full of celebrities and guests tonight, Charles did not plan to stay with them all the time. He did not like to be in a lively place, and was less interested in chatting with a large group of people in boring polite conversations, so that the Duchess was traditionally the duchess for social banquets in the mansion, and His Excellency the Chancellor was only present at the final stage to greet the guests—of course, for the guests, as long as there was such an outcome, it was worth satisfying.

Agnes was different, not only as his closest relative, but also as someone who had taken care of her since she had been a child, and more importantly, since her return to France, they became close again.

However, unlike the discouraged Duke, Agnes reached out to block Charles' hand, then turned her back to watch the door, and then, she looked at Charles with a calm and somewhat sharp gaze.

"Get in." She said coldly, with some commanding tone unnaturally

Her cold attitude stunned Charles for a moment, and then he could only smile bitterly and walked back into the room, sitting down behind his desk, while Agnes walked directly in front of him and stared at his nephew through the desk.

The two men were silent in the room for a moment.

"Or ...... Would you like to take a seat? After a moment of silence, Charles felt a little embarrassed and said to Agnes.

Agnes, however, remained unmoved, and kept staring at him, as if to see something in it.

Charles stopped talking, and finally could only sigh.

"I'm sorry ......"

"Oh, Your Excellency, you will even say sorry!" Agnes interrupted.

"Don't call me that...... Please. Charles was even more embarrassed.

"It's you who think you're amazing." Perhaps Charles' plea had taken effect, and Agnes relented a little, and her tone became a little more normal, but still a little sarcastic. "Now that everyone is complimenting you, I'm afraid you're lost yourself."

"I'm sorry." Charles repeated. "But...... I still remember who I am. ”

"Do you remember?" Agnes asked rhetorically, and then she smiled wryly again, "Yes, you remember, of course you do, you are Edgar's son, who inherited the blood of your ancestors and father, and carried their careers forward......"

This spicy sarcasm made Charles even more uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but cover his face.

"Agnes!"

He called him by his first name, omitting any other titles, as if he were an ordinary friend.

It was a secret between the two of them, and he only did it when he was alone.

This title also evokes memories of the two people, it was a time of guilt and panic, but also excitement.

At this shout, Agnes's face suddenly turned pale.

"Don't call me that!" She yelled at Charles.

If it weren't for Charles's deliberate effort to split the guards and servants for the two of them to meet in private, I'm afraid that this reprimand would have provoked people to knock on the door. Downstairs, however, the hall was full of singing and dancing, and the Duchess was smiling and chatting with the guests, and the jewels and medals made it shine, and no one cared about the little disturbance upstairs.

There was another awkward silence.

"I ...... It's painful right now, pain you can't imagine. Agnes pursed her lips, then looked up at Charles. Charles, tell me, why are you putting me in such a painful situation? Why should sin be passed down from generation to generation from your father? I...... What did Alice and I do wrong to deserve such punishment from you? ”

Her face was slightly distorted, and it was clear that she was genuinely distressed.

Coupled with a gray-black skirt, it looks like a surviving person in mourning clothes.

Her painful appearance naturally caused Charles to feel uncomfortable for a while, he didn't expect that Agnes would find himself with such an attitude today, feeling guilty.

However, this is not the first time, she has been tormented by this pain in front of him many times.

Because it was clear that everything she had received from Charles had eased her loneliness and allowed her to taste joy that she had never experienced in her life, but she was also accumulating guilt, because she was denying everything she had taken for granted, and she was also denying everything she had done.

If you stay with that person's son, what's the point of killing that person for the sake of your sister? Isn't your life a joke?

This terrible thought haunted her and made her miserable.

As much joy she received from Charles, as much guilt had accumulated in her heart.

The pain and self-destructiveness of this guilt is like a silted flood that will one day burst out and swallow everything.

Seeing her in such pain, Charles became more and more uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but get back to his feet, walked over to Agnes, and gently put his arm around her shoulder, as he had done many times.

"Agnes, don't think about it so much, we are just mortals, and all we can pursue is the life of this life, is it important to be worthy of who is sorry for whom? Besides, you've worked so hard that you don't owe anyone anything more. He leaned into Agnes' ear and whispered, "Don't be afraid, you still have me by your side, even in hell, I will always be with you, you have suffered so much, shouldn't you enjoy life?" ”

As he spoke, he gently stroked Agnes' sideburns, as if he wanted to soothe the other person's emotions in this way.

"Both...... It's all about this time, and you still have to ...... To deceive me with such words? Agnes turned her head sadly and replied bitterly, "No, Charles, I've had enough of you, and I don't want to be fooled again." And...... There is no need to be fooled again, we will eventually have to pay for what we have done. ”

Her words grew colder, giving Charles a terrifying feeling, and his eyes widened as he looked at Agnes in disbelief. "What's wrong......?"

"We're all sinful, God won't forgive us, and we have to find a way to atone for our sins, right?" Agnes suddenly smiled coldly, "Now, it's time to atone for your sins. ”

"How...... How to atone for sins? Charles asked, frightened.

"You atone for your sins with your life, and I atone for my sins with my last years." Agnes replied immediately.

"No matter how sinful the bloodline, I believe...... As long as there is love to water it from the beginning, it can be better after all. ”

"...... this?" Charles still didn't understand.

However, suddenly a flash of inspiration in his mind made him understand something.

His gaze shifted slightly, staring at her chest and abdomen in amazement, and there was no obvious trace of it now.

Agnes ...... No, don't ......," he cried out, almost pleading, not knowing what he was pleading.

Agnes, however, remained unmoved, and she looked up at Charles, her eyes almost solemn. "I'm going to prove that selfishness will eventually be punished, whether it's Edgar, or you, or ...... I. ”

And this is a very clear determination.

Oh, my God!

Having come to his senses, Charles turned abruptly and tried to get away from Agnes' side, but Agnes quickly walked behind him and waved his hand at his neck.

Charles instinctively lunged forward to avoid the vital point of the neck, but Agnes hit him the shoulder, and the hot pain suddenly came from his shoulder, and the force was so great that Charles almost fell directly to the ground.

Thankfully, the soft carpet didn't hurt Charles any more, and he struggled to turn to look at Agnes.

Under his horrified gaze, Agnes gently and deftly drew a metal dagger from the sleeve.

This short sword seems to have been made recently, with a metallic silver-white color, a simple style, a thin body, a blade no more than twenty centimeters long, a sharp edge, and a hanging tassel on the hilt, as delicate as a work of art.

However, in Agnes's hands, it became a terrible murder weapon.

"Agnes, don't do this!" Charles couldn't help but persuade her again.

But Agnes didn't notice it, and slowly paced towards Charles.

"Someone's coming!" Charles shouted as he stepped back.

However, the servants who had already been branched out could not hear it, and the people downstairs who were singing and dancing were naturally even more unaware.

Charles couldn't regret it, and he stepped back step by step, but the hard desk mercilessly blocked his retreat.

In Charles' sight, Agnes was frighteningly cold.

"Agnes, please calm down! We don't have anything we can't talk about, do we? He couldn't help but shout at Agnes again.

"Okay, don't say this kind of thing, since I'm like this, you should understand that it's useless to say anything." Agnes laughed sadly, but her gait was steady and terrifying, "It's already like this, don't be so unruly anymore, please leave with dignity." ”

Yes, I don't really like it, but ...... But isn't that the case for everyone? His Majesty the Emperor and the ministers, don't everyone do this?

- He tried to defend himself, but in the end he felt that he could only anger Agnes even more, so he had to give up.

"If I had to atone for my sins, I would atone for my sins." He made a final effort.

"Sir, I'm forty years old, and you think you can fool me by playing with those little children's rhetoric?" Agnes sneered again, the cold light in her eyes that seemed to freeze her blood. "I want you to give up everything you have, put aside those immoral sins, and live like an upright person again, taking care of your wife and family...... Can you do it? Don't give me any more false promises, I don't want to hear them. ”

Charles was momentarily speechless.

Indeed, this is the truth.

It seems that it can't be passed.

Agnes was already very close, and then rushed towards Charles, and the short sword in his hand also pierced Charles's chest, Charles hurriedly opened his waist sideways, and then dodged to the side, and then Agnes's pace did not slow down at all, quickly turned away, and then slashed again.

"Ah......h Agnes ......"

Agnes paused and looked at the tragic nephew.

He has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and now he is a majestic man, and he is no longer the introverted and shy child he used to be.

However, in Agnes's eyes, everything seemed to go back to twenty years ago.

The timid child, under his own strict supervision, clumsily made gestures one by one, causing himself to laugh.

If only time had stopped at that moment.

"It's time to take responsibility for yourself, kid."

The tears had been wiped away, and the corners of her eyes were still white, as if they had never appeared.

She hardened her heart and took another step forward, leaving another fatal wound on the other party.

Blood poured out in large chunks, staining the carpet and desk, turning it into a tragic murder scene.

Charles endured the sharp pain, staggering to dodge, and finally circled to the side of his desk, where a thread appeared in front of him.

This is his tool to summon his secretary, and as long as he pulls this bell line, the servants who are always on call downstairs will hurry up and accept the Duke's orders.

Charles leaned over to the side of the desk, slow from his injuries, but still reaching the edge of the thread.

He reached for it, and it looked like it was about to touch. At this time, blood was pouring out of his chest, making him dizzy and weak, and he only felt the weight of his feet, and it took his last strength to keep himself from falling.

However, just as he was about to touch it, he stopped.

If I call someone, she won't survive.

A flash of realization suddenly flashed through his already drowsy mind.

Yes, no one can save herself even if you call someone over, so why drag her to die with her?

Tears congealed in his eyes, and then fluttered and rolled down.

He withdrew his hand, then flipped back to look at Agnes, who was rapidly rushing towards him, and the thin sword that shone with cold light. In his eyes, the cold glow of the tip of the sword became more and more vigorous, and it was irretrievably pressing towards him.

"I'm sorry." He muttered to himself.

Almost instantly, a sharp stabbing pain came from his chest again, piercing his body mercilessly, revealing a metallic cold glow behind him, and a large patch of blood spurted out, staining the precious carpet and turning into a shocking red-black.

"Goodbye." Agnes leaned down, looked at Charles, and whispered.

Then, the blood-soaked dagger stabbed hard at the heart.

Endless darkness enveloped Charles' eyes.

The pain is over.

Even if the head is cut off, there will be no more pain.

………………………………

Spring has come to the earth, bringing vitality and reviving the countryside of France, where the greenery is everywhere and the woods are rattling in the spring breeze.

In the midst of the verdant forests of the countryside, there was an uninvited guest today, dressed in a black dress and a hat with a veil, and her face was pale, like a widow.

The only strange thing was that her belly was already slightly bulging.

She stood quietly in front of a tombstone with no inscriptions, and stopped for a long time.

"I'm sorry...... Alice. ”

Then, she gently dug a small hole next to it, and then took out a small jewelry box from her body, which contained no jewelry, of course.

She kissed the jewelry box, and tears suddenly flowed irrepressibly.

"I'm sorry."

With such a murmur, she buried the jewelry box inside.