"Charles, if everything goes the worst...... Charles, I beg you to at least keep my daughter and son, no...... I plead with you! ”

In the cramped carriage, the Attorney General of Villefort pleaded with Charles in an almost pleading manner.

Under the recent series of blows, his psychological defense line is now close to collapse, and his whole face is colorless, and it can almost be said that he is unable to give up.

He seemed to have a premonition that he was about to come to a catastrophe, so that he could no longer care about the face of the high-ranking officials, and pleaded directly to the young man in front of him—not for himself, but for his children.

For a man of his age, children are indeed all he can have.

Charles looked at each other quietly, and the anger on his face slowly subsided.

Although he doesn't have much compassion for this guy, a middle-aged person who has lost his soul in front of him to this point, no matter who he is, will have some feelings in his heart.

Moreover, since the box that was dug up was not the one that Villefort himself had buried, but was only a prop deliberately laid by the Count of Monte Cristo, it showed that all this was not irretrievable, and that it was not enough to abandon His Excellency the Attorney-General.

It's hit him hard enough now, and he needs a little reassurance.

"That's enough, cheer up—" He feigned his hand and put his arm around the other's shoulder, "for Valentina's sake, I'll help you, sir." However, the premise of all this is that you can't make any more mistakes and give others the excuse to continue to hurt you. ”

Charles's statement was tantamount to giving the Attorney General of Villefort a shot in the arm, and he immediately came to his senses and sat up straight again.

"I understand, I understand! Charles, I must have lived in seclusion during this time, and I have taken leave on the official side, and I will never give anyone a chance to spy on me again! ”

Now that the Count of Monte Cristo has a storm of bones here, there will definitely be a storm in the city in the next period of time, and he is naturally happy to hide at home and get out of social affairs first, and wait until the public opinion turmoil gradually subsides before showing up.

The only thing he is afraid of is that during this period of living in seclusion, he will be forgotten by the world, especially His Majesty the Emperor, after all, there are too many people who want to please His Majesty, and if he hasn't brushed his face in front of His Majesty for a while, he will definitely be replaced by others - not to mention, there will inevitably be many people who are willing to spread negative news about themselves in front of His Majesty, wanting to make themselves not turn over.

However, if the Tréville family helps, the situation will be different, as long as the old marshal is willing to contribute a little, he will have a chance to win His Majesty's trust again in the future.

He knew very well that in order to curry favor with His Majesty, he had deliberately played the image of an upright enforcer, and almost had little contact with most powerful families, so he couldn't count on the help of others now—that's why he was so depressed just now.

It can be said that the Tréville family was his last straw.

Even though he knew that the Tréville family could not be angels and that there was another purpose for helping him, he had no choice but to accept the other party's "kindness".

"Alright, calm down." Seeing that he had finally calmed down, Charles frowned slightly in disgust and re-released the hand that was holding his shoulder, "Remember, don't spread the word about our relationship, otherwise, no one will save you." ”

The Attorney General nodded and said nothing more.

So, in silence, the two men followed the carriage to the final journey to the city of Paris.

………………………………

While Charles and the Attorney General of Villefort were on their way to the capital in the Tréville family's carriage, one of their respective family members was also in another carriage and went back with them.

Compared to the Attorney General's disillusionment and Charles's rage, the atmosphere in this carriage was much more harmonious, at least on the surface.

Fran bowed her head obediently and shrunk to the side of the cushion - as a famous lady, she had grown up in a state of being watched and served since she was a child, rarely interacting with other outsiders, and her personality was a little afraid of life, so she had not said a word since she got into the carriage.

Madame de Villefort, on the other hand, looked at Charles's sister with a smile on her face, but the sight in her eyes was rather complicated.

"What a beautiful child, she will definitely become a great beauty in the future." After looking at it for a while, Madame smiled and sighed, "Child, I really don't know how many people will be fascinated by you in the future......

Madame's sudden compliment broke the silence in the carriage and put Fran in embarrassment.

She has a lot on her mind now, and she doesn't really want to deal with each other, she just wants to return home quietly. However, since an elder and a noble lady have opened a conversation with her, it is impossible for her not to respond because of her family education and etiquette.

"You're overrated, ma'am......" Fran forced herself to squeeze out a smile, and then looked up at Madame.

As she moved, her blonde hair swayed with her, and it seemed that even the light in the carriage was a little brighter.

"Ah, even the sound is so good, it's soft, it makes me feel comfortable." Madame's smile was still so gentle, like the kindest elder, "I vaguely remind me of Alice back then...... She was just as radiant as you were then. ”

"My mother ......" Fran opened her mouth slightly, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Alas, blame me too, what are you talking about!" Madame de Villefort patted her lips as if she had just woken up from a dream, and looked at Fran very apologetically, "I'm sorry that I was dazed for a moment to mention this in front of you......

"It's okay." Fran lowered her head, "I've been used to it for so many years, and besides, there are more unfortunate people in this world than me, and God has given me enough luck." ”

"What a sensible and good boy!" Madame sighed again, "If only my Edward had such a sensible as you, I wouldn't have to worry about him!" ”

Although she was sighing on the surface, her heart was unusually calm, she had been taking the opportunity to weigh this thirteen-year-old child, and now she felt that after a short conversation, .

It's really unusually beautiful, and she looks quite smart, but after all, she's just a child, and she can be used and even find a way to drive her.

Although it is not a legitimate behavior to treat a child like this, she does not care about any righteousness and impropriety now.

Yes, it was urgent – even if she didn't actually understand what was going on, she knew it was urgent.

The Count of Monte Cristo was obviously directed at her husband, the Attorney General of Villefort, and it should have been involved in some secret old matter.

She has been married to the Attorney General of Villefort for almost ten years. Although she never told her about her husband's past, and she never asked about it, she could certainly perceive that her husband was definitely not as innocent and incorruptible as he appeared on the surface, like the embodiment of the law, on the contrary, he and his father were able to stand tall in the bloody decades of France, and they were definitely burdened with too much blood.

Of course, this did not affect her loyalty and love for her husband, and as long as he loved her and her children now, then the past was just the past.

And now, she must protect the family, protect her husband, for this is the ultimate guarantee of her happiness, and the guarantee of her son's future life, if the Attorney General of Villefort falls, then her son Edward will lose all good prospects.

This is a situation that a mother absolutely cannot tolerate, so she has to do something.

Moreover, her husband was clearly involved with the young master of the Tréville family—and it was even possible that something had fallen into the hands of the young man.

Only in this way can she explain why her husband is so reluctant in front of the young master of the Trevill family and allows the other party to dictate.

She now recalled the way she was scolded in public by that young man just now, and she was still a little indignant, this kind of powerful, arrogant and arrogant young master was really too resentful.

Of course, she will never show it in front of others.

She won't get angry, she will only retaliate.

Of course, this revenge can't be too fast, it has to be done slowly, after all, now for her husband, the Tréville family seems to have become a lifesaver, and she can't rush to affect the relationship between the two families.

But she is not in a hurry, for her, there is time to slowly exert influence, as she has done to other people before, she has such a mind, such a means, and even more such a heart.

If the boy was too powerful to start, it might be wiser to start the other way.

Charles de Treville, you won't know how many mistakes you made tonight...... She said coldly in her heart as she looked at the little girl next to her with a caring smile.

"You're learning to draw now, aren't you?" Madame asked again.

"Yes, how do you know?" Fran was a little surprised.

"The eldest lady of the Trevills, even though she has not yet entered the social world, must have been the talk of the conversation in various families, and your grandfather was very proud of you, and often boasted about you in front of people—so of course I know." Madame replied with a smile.

"Grandpa is really eventful." Fran's face flushed slightly, and she replied in disgust, "I'm just learning to draw to pass the time like everyone else, and it's not a big deal." ”

"It's different, I heard that you're a pretty good learner, and everyone praises you for your talent." Still smiling, Madame said, "Oh, how nice it would be to have a daughter like you!" It was just perfect! It's a pity that my son is just a naughty ghost and can't learn anything! It's still a daughter's peace of mind. ”

"Boys are going to be a little more active, aren't they...... It's not a disadvantage. Fran replied with a slight bow.

Although she was modest in her words, the lady could naturally see that her compliments were still very useful to this young lady.

Very well, this is proof that she has lowered her vigilance, she has come to think of herself as an elder who dotes on her.

Mrs. knows too well, these eldest ladies who have been raised in the boudoir since childhood and don't know the world are still very naïve in nature, as long as they are well guided, they are not afraid that they will not be able to manipulate this child.

What's more, this is a child who has lost her mother since she was a child, and she must be very, very dependent on the love of others, just as a plant that lacks sunlight thirsts for nutrients.

"If Alice, who is in heaven, would be very happy to see her children so good—" Madame decided to move on to the next temptation, "even Valentina often praises you!" ”

"Valentina?" As soon as she heard the name, most of the smile on Fran's face disappeared, and she just replied coldly, "Ah, thank her then, I think she's pretty good too." ”

It's easy to see that she doesn't like Valentina.

"Where can she compare to you!" Madame shook her head and sighed, "You are born with everything, and like your brother, you are beautiful and talented, and you are very intelligent. Although Valentina is not bad, her personality is still too gloomy after all, and she is not particularly smart, she is not as good as you. ”

As soon as she heard that Valentina's stepmother was able to make such an evaluation, even if she knew that the other party was deliberately complimenting herself, Fran was still very happy, after all, in her opinion, this was a clear thing - Valentina was not worthy of her brother.

"Actually, I like Valentina a lot, after all, she is a very good person." Fran first foreshadowed for a moment, and then abruptly changed her words, "It's just that sometimes I think she should pay more attention to the perception of the outside world—"

"What do you mean?" Madame asked.

"You know, she came to our house a while ago, yelling, and hugging my brother and crying - although it was because of the sudden death of my grandfather, I can understand that it was a very indecent act, right?" Fran raised her head and looked at Madame quite seriously, "Also, as a child who has not been out of the cabinet, if she has too much contact with people outside, I think this is a very bad thing, and it will affect her reputation in the future, right?" So you see—I think it's necessary for you to do your motherly responsibilities and make Valentina a little more stable, so that it will help her in the future. ”

Although her words were a little vague, the subtext was clear - "Please restrain Valentina in the future and let her not have much contact with my brother." ”

The childish, innocent and lovely face said such a large number of social words, without any cowardice just now.

This is a thirteen-year-old child, and it will be amazing in the future.

Hmph, the people of the Trevill family are really mean ghosts by nature, and they can't be measured by their age. Madame thought to herself.

"You've got to the point of my sore spot, kid." She sighed as if sadly, "You must already know the situation of our family—although I am nominally Valentina's stepmother, where am I a mother?" She refuses to listen to me, only superficially respectful, and I have no influence over her at all. ”

Then, she shook her head with a wry smile, "Besides, you see, since she and my husband fell out over the matter of inheritance and will, now although we are nominally a family, we are like enemies, she has always gone her own way, and no one in the family can stop her...... What's more, now her maternal grandmother also lives in our house, and the Marquise de Saint-Merand is not a character I can afford to provoke at all, and I dare not touch it anymore, so you see, I am just superficial now, but I have to deal with my husband and children, and I have to deal with my father-in-law and stepdaughter who hate me, who can understand the inner suffering? ”

As soon as she said this, she was full of sorrow and sighed, this is not even pretending.

It's really hard to be in her position.

As a continuation of the marriage to the Villefort family, although on the surface she has become the envy of everyone's wife of the prosecutor general, but the father-in-law who is paralyzed in bed does not like her, and the stepdaughter does not like her, and now the family is also in crisis, and the husband's position does not seem to be very stable.

"I'm sorry for you, ma'am."

Because of the interaction just now, Fran is now a little sympathetic to Madame's anxiety, "I think everything will be fine after all, and you don't have to be too sad." ”

"I hope everything can slowly get better, after all, after so many years, I have nothing to fear." Madame smiled wryly, "For Edward's sake, I must get through everything too." ”

Seemingly isolated, Valentina now has a large inheritance that not only her late mother and paralyzed grandfather, the Marquis de Novatiers, but also the estate of her grandfather, the Marquis Saint-Meran, who died suddenly, as long as her grandmother, Madame Saint-Meran, dies as well.

In order to maintain a semblance of integrity, the Attorney General of Villefort was very careful in making money, and the aristocratic family had a lot of expenses, so they had not saved much over the years - at least not much by the standards of the aristocratic family.

The son will have nothing, but the stepdaughter will have everything and become a huge rich.

The arrangement of fate is so indignant, why? As a mother, she really couldn't swallow this breath.

If Valentina dies...... The situation is quite different.

If she died, her father would be the heir to a large inheritance, and then, as an only son, Edward, would naturally be the last heir to the entire vast estate, with everything he should have.

Since Valentina was so inconsiderate of her family, disrespectful of herself, and stole the property that belonged to Edward, there was no need for her to show compassion for this stepdaughter.

However, it is easy to kill a person, but it is obviously very difficult not to be held accountable.

Especially since the husband is now in a precarious position, it is really difficult to suppress the death case, especially the death of his own daughter.

Therefore, if the hand of the eldest lady of the Treville family can be used, the situation is very different, and with the words of the old marshal, one can regard the disappearance of Valentina as a trivial matter.

So, the question is, how to make this eldest lady hate Valentina so much that she is willing to make her disappear?

It's not that yet, but it's clear that there's a good foundation.

No one could discern the coldness and terrible calculation under Madame's calm exterior, and both of them were speechless for a while, only listening quietly to the sound of the wheels rolling.

Even so, because of the interaction just now, the distance between the two seems to have narrowed a lot.

"Little girl, do you have a sweetheart now?" Madame asked suddenly and coldly.

"Huh?" Fran was clearly not prepared for this problem, so she was stunned for a moment, and then immediately shook her head. "I didn't ...... There is no ......"

"Ah, I'm just asking casually, don't be nervous." Madame looked at Fran with a smile, "Artists are generally emotional, aren't they?" So I'm a little curious, but sure enough, you're too young to be able to enjoy such an honor. ”

"That's not what I'm thinking about right now." Fran looked away at the dark window, "I'm already happy to stay at home, why leave?" ”

Madame was a little puzzled by this answer, but children of this age were inexplicable, so she didn't take it to heart.

"That's right, a child like you can choose as he pleases, and you can't make a decision too early, so as not to delay yourself. But I think your brother is almost old, and your grandfather seems to be in a hurry to give him a choice for a future wife...... Many people are interested in marrying their daughters to your brother. ”

"It's still early for him, he wants to be a pillar of the country in the future, and he can't be burdened by his family at such a young age." Fran interrupted Madame abruptly, "And—my brother has promised me that he will choose carefully, and that he will ask for my opinion then!" Just now, he promised me personally! ”

Looking at the girl's serious appearance, the lady suddenly couldn't cry or laugh.

Sure enough, it's a child, and you can believe this kind of thing.

"Oh, I can understand your thoughts. But you have to admit that many people do want to marry the Trévilles—" replied Madame with a smile, "my father-in-law, for example, very much wants to marry his granddaughter to him, and has pleaded with your grandfather several times, according to me, we can't afford this kind of family, so why let the two families be unhappy about it......"

"Please stop him!" Sure enough, as soon as she heard this, Fran's face became gloomy.

"I've just said that I don't want your stepdaughter to have too much to do with our family, she should live her own life."

Hmph, sure enough.

Madame finally got the result she wanted to see.

A good step, but certainly not the end.

She had now only planted the seed of disgust, which, if watered diligently, would grow and sprout, eventually bearing the fruit of sin.

This is revenge, but not just revenge, if this eldest lady can really be involved in some terrible incident, then the Tréville family will definitely have to protect their husband.

"Well, I'll do my best to stop it, miss." Madame smiled and replied, "Please wait for my good news." ”