As night approached, Charles stepped on the envious gaze of the guards and walked out of the Tuileries Palace without hurrying.

He was indeed very pleased with today's audience - although Louis Bonaparte did not explicitly approve of his proposal, he did not intend to convince Louis Bonaparte today, as long as he listened carefully and gave a noncommittal answer, which Charles did.

It is evident, then, that, as expected, that he has a good chance of getting this done, adding a helper to the royal family, and drawing the young man Jérôme Bonaparte into his party, although it is possible to offend Joseph Bonaparte and his son, but their relationship is not good anyway, so what if he offends him a little more?

With this light-hearted mood, he walked out of the palace gate under the guidance of his attendants, and then prepared to board his carriage.

However, as soon as he walked to the side of the carriage, the coachman leaned over to him with a nervous look on his face, and reported to Charles the news he had just received.

Upon hearing his report, Charles' eyes widened in disbelief.

The Duke of Treville suddenly became critically ill, and according to the doctor's judgment, it was irreparable, and now he was on the verge of death.

"What...... My God. Charles exclaimed, "Grandpa...... Does Grandpa know? ”

"The master already knows, and he sent someone to inform you." The coachman replied respectfully, "He has already arrived, and has instructed you to go to the Duke's palace at Treville as soon as you have finished your audience." ”

Is Grandpa already gone? That's a place he hasn't been in years...... It really looks like it's the last moment.

"Then don't waste time, hurry up!" Awakened from a dream, Charles jumped into the carriage. Urging the carriage to hurry away.

The carriage galloped through the city of Paris, and soon carried him to the Duke's palace in Treville.

Because I know it's urgent. So Charles's carriage drove straight into the gate without passing the rumor, and only stopped in the vestibule. And then. Charles hurriedly stepped out of the carriage and walked up the steps to the mansion above.

The Duke's Mansion was already in a panic at this time, and the servants all looked anxious, just barely maintaining their last composure, and it seemed that everyone knew that the lord was dying.

In fact, Charles was not as flustered as they were.

To be honest, he was mentally prepared, after all, before he went abroad, the Duke of Treville was already in very bad health, and he was always going to linger on the sickbed. Although he didn't say it at the time, he felt in his heart that the other party might indeed live a long time, so he wasn't very surprised now. Moreover, the Duke of Treville was not particularly close to him.

It was Charlotte who really worried him.

Now that Grandpa and herself have been informed, Charlotte must have been notified as well, and she must have rushed from home - oh my God, how sad Charlotte must have been!

Thinking of his wife's mood at the moment, Charles couldn't help but feel a little nervous, thinking about how to comfort her.

Thereupon. As soon as he entered the mansion, he ordered his servants to take him to the duke's bedroom.

When the door was opened, all eyes were on him.

Sure enough, Grandpa and Charlotte have arrived. Not only them, but also the Duke of Trevill Jr. and Charlotte's two brothers, Philip and Eugène, were also here, and everyone gathered around the large bed where the Duke was lying.

Although only a glimpse. But Charles soon noticed that there were more or less tears in the corners of their eyes, but they all held back and did not cry.

Follow their line of sight. Charles saw the Duke himself lying down.

His face took on the dead gray characteristic of a man who had been ill for a long time, and his face was full of wrinkles. Even his beard was completely white, his body had become very thin from the pain of many days of illness, and even his eyes did not have any sparkle, and it was obvious that this man had completely withered from spirit to body.

At this moment, as if hearing footsteps, the Duke moved his head slightly, and his already dilated eyes focused slightly on him.

The old man and the young man looked at each other silently, and after a moment, as if stung by the energetic light of the young man, the Duke of Trevill slowly closed his eyes, as if he had fallen asleep again.

"Sorry, I'm late." Seeing that the Duke had fallen to such a point, Charles felt a slight pain in his heart, and then bowed apologetically and walked to the bedside.

"Charles, Charles!" Charlotte's nose ached, and then she quickly grabbed her husband's arm and buried her head in Charles's shoulder to avoid crying.

When Charlotte lay on her shoulder and sobbed slightly, Charles was also very sad and gently patted her back.

In this family, she has the strongest feelings for her grandfather, so when the deadline comes, I am afraid that no one will be more sad than her.

"There will come a day, okay, Lolot, don't cry." He lowered his head and whispered comfort in Charlotte's ear.

"I know...... I know......" Charlotte replied as she sobbed, tears quickly soaking her clothes.

Infected by her sobbing, the three father and son of the little Duke of Treville also cried together, and for a time the mourning filled the entire bedroom, which made people feel sad and sad.

Although his father was able to rightfully become the new Duke of Treville after his death, Charles's cousin was still weeping from the bottom of his heart, tears streaming down his cheeks.

This pain is not only due to the natural father-son relationship, but also due to the fear that after my father is gone, I will no longer be able to enjoy the life that I have to obey orders...... After the Duke was gone, he had no one to guide him in the right direction, and he had to sail on his own.

The feeling is like a person suddenly being thrown into the cold wind from the comfort of someone's bedroom, and the confusion is full of fear and uneasiness.

And what about grandpa? He must be just as sad, right?

The thought crossed Charles' mind, and he looked at his grandfather worriedly.

This old man. His hair was completely gray, and his face was wrinkled. He was staring at the duke, looking as depressed as his brother in bed. I don't have the usual sharpness anymore.

He stood beside the bed and gently grasped the duke's lean, crumpled right hand.

Although he didn't cry out loud, the tears slowly overflowing from the corners of his eyes and his trembling hands showed how agitated his mood was at this time.

Worried that the old man would be too sad, Charles gently patted Charlotte on the back again, then let go of her and walked gently to the old man's side.

"Grandpa......" He wanted to comfort him, but he couldn't say anything. In the end, I could only look at each other worriedly.

"I'm fine, don't worry." The old man shook his head as if he had just woken up from a dream.

Then he wiped his tears from his sleeve and looked around the bedroom with teary eyes.

"I'm back after all......"

Charles just grabbed the old man's hand and let him continue.

"This is my home, and it was here that your great-grandmother brought me into the world. When the Revolution broke out, it was here that your great-grandfather said goodbye to us and let us escape from the clutches of the mob - when the Bourbons returned. At the grace of Louis XVI, the mansion was restored to Philippe, who then renovated and expanded it. His voice trembled, as if he had been dragged back into his memory. But I haven't set foot here in fifty years, fifty years! How many times can a person have fifty years......"

As he spoke, the old man's tears slowly flowed down again. "It's fine, my kid. You don't have to put up with this kind of thing anymore, our brothers have struggled for so many years. Finally you have it all again...... At least it's worth it. ”

He lifted his brother's hand and brought it to Charles.

"Thank him, Charles, for without Philip, I would not have survived that terrible storm, and you would not have come to this world. He fought with his own life, took me out of the country, and tried his best to make a living to support me, and God knows how much he suffered for me at that time...... I will never be able to repay his kindness to me. He muttered to himself, as if to himself, "In our lives, we have to speak to a few people about our conscience." ”

Charles obeyed his grandfather's will, took the duke's wrinkled hand, felt the already faint pulsation, and felt the feeling in his heart, and he was about to cry.

Only then did he realize that the duke's clothes were pinned with a lily-shaped insignia.

During the serious illness, the clothes were very light, which should have been specially requested by the patient when he was dying......

Even if he acknowledges the reality that the lilies have faded, he is still a royalist in his heart. A duke is a duke after all...... Charles couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.

However, from another point of view, even if he is reluctant to give up on the glory and privilege of the old days, he can face the reality and deploy the family's business according to the situation step by step, isn't this also a skill?

Let him be buried with this badge...... Just like in old days. Charles sighed inwardly.

At this moment, the Duke slowly opened his eyes again.

His hands were already wet with his brother's tears, but he didn't realize it.

"Victor, don't be sad, people will have this day after all." He barely bred himself up, and said in an extremely weak voice, "I'll go there first, help you see the situation, and if it's not good, you can find a way to go to heaven." ”

The duke, who had always been serious, made such a joke at the end of his life, and Charles and his grandfather were stunned for a moment.

"What stupid things to say, you can go to heaven!" After reacting, the Marquis of Treville wept silently.

"It's the same everywhere, it's not going to be worse than then, and we've all survived it when it's so bad, right?" The Duke shook his head slightly, revealing a very faint smile. "So what else are you worried about?"

Then, he turned his gaze slightly and looked at Charles, who was standing quietly on the side, "I'm sorry, I originally planned to leave after Charlotte gave birth...... Right now...... Now, it seems, it's too late. ”

Charles just sighed and didn't answer.

"Promise me to take care of Charlotte, and her children." A hint of blood suddenly flashed on the duke's face.

Is this the final flashback? Charles's heart sank, and he quickly took his hand and listened to his last words.

"She's my wife, and of course I'll take good care of her." He replied as a matter of course.

"I believe in you." The Duke sighed.

Then, he gently beckoned his beloved granddaughter over as well.

"Grandpa......" Charlotte wept as she clutched his hand tightly, as if she wanted to keep her grandfather in front of God's messenger in this way.

Charles had never seen Charlotte so sad, and the pride of the past was gone, leaving only pain and grief.

"Sorry, kid...... I still can't make it through after all. The Duke sighed lightly, "However, although I can't witness the birth of your child, I have been idle and bored in the hospital bed during this time, so I have thought of some names for your child." If it's a man, it's called Clovis, if it's a woman, it's called Clea - that's all the names our ancestors used, okay? ”

"Okay, grandpa, just do it according to yours!" Charlotte agreed without hesitation.

"Good boy!" The Duke sighed, as if he had fulfilled a great wish. (To be continued......)