After exiting the Perriette Mansion, Charles took out his pocket watch from his bosom and looked at the time.

It's not yet noon.

Well, it should still be there. Charles thought to himself.

The carriage came to a small, dilapidated attic. This kind of attic is usually rented out by the owner to young people who have just arrived in Paris, who are shy of money but want to start a career, so the facilities are very incomplete, and of course the rent is extremely low.

Walking down the creaking stairs and enduring all kinds of strange smells, Charles walked to the door of a room in the corner of the fifth floor.

He knocked softly on the door.

No response.

"Albert, it's me!" Charles shouted in a low voice.

The door opened suddenly.

"It's you, Charles, I thought the creditor was coming again......" Albert de Foa-Grassy's delicate face was full of surprise.

[Foa and Grassy are both ancient French aristocratic families, and the two families merged their surnames into one through marriage in 1398]

Even as a homosexual, Charles had to admit that Albert was a handsome man.

His features were thoughtful and gentle, his eyes were a soft pale blue, his forehead was extremely fair, his brown hair was naturally curled, his skin was white and crystal clear in the bright light, and his smiling face looked very pleasant and infectious.

However, what is extremely inconsistent with this handsome and literate appearance is his character. From the time they were studying together at Henry IV Secondary School, Charles felt this.

[In the 19th century, the French aristocracy and bourgeoisie usually sent their children to Henry IV Secondary School, which produced countless elites. To this day, it is still one of the top aristocratic schools in France. 】

After graduating from school, Albert chose to live a life of debauchery, and now, at a young age, he is already a well-known prodigal, even in their circle of prodigal children.

Today's nobles have long lost the vigor of their ancestors, and under the pressure of the nouveau riche step by step, they are at a loss and have no choice but to watch the glory no longer exist.

On the glorious three days of July 1830, the Bourbon dynasty was ousted, and the new era of France was officially announced, and the nobility first lost power, and then lost hereditary privileges, and Zuihou could not even keep the House of Lords.

[On July 28, 29, and 30, 1830, in order to resist the perverse actions of the Bourbons, a revolution broke out in Paris, which finally destroyed the dynasty, and became known as the Three Days of Glory. 】

The seats of the French House of Lordship were hereditary, and the surnames of each family were recorded in the gold book, and the hereditary succession was not replaced. However, at the end of 1831, France abolished the hereditary system of seats in the House of Nobles and replaced them with appointments by the king. At the same time, the primogeniture system of aristocratic property was officially abolished and replaced by equal sharing among all children.

These reforms of the July Dynasty destroyed the foundation of the French aristocracy - the hereditary political status was stripped away, so that the nobility was no longer naturally noble; The abolition of primogeniture led to a diminishing fortune of the nobility. Once the foil of power and wealth is lost, how much is the noble blood worth?

In the face of the irreversible tide of the times, no matter how unwilling they were, the nobles had no choice but to accept it. If the shrewd, capable and ambitious monarchs and ministers of France had spirits in heaven, I am afraid they could only sigh: I am afraid that this great France will be finished......

Time has evolved to the present, the original arrogant and arrogant French aristocracy, except for a very few smart people who can adapt to the times, the others have gradually degenerated into two groups: one is simple, stingy, and regards accumulating wealth as the joy of life; A kind of unruly, squandering money, high debts, living with a mocking posture, not wanting to do tomorrow today.

Albert is the latter kind of person.

These swingers are a combination of contradictions, on the one hand, cynical, irresponsible, and regard pleasure-seeking as the ultimate meaning of life; On the one hand, they are strong and bold enough to make them live carefree in the current situation of debt, and at the same time they can do all kinds of horrific things.

However, these personality differences did not stop Charles and Albert from becoming friends. Maybe it's because the two have very different personalities that they are attracted to each other?

"Oh, my friend, please come in." Albert invited Charles into his rented apartment.

The room was unbelievably rudimentary: nothing furnished, just a bed and a few suitcases with luggage, and the floor and walls of the room were covered in smudges and there was no sign of the owner cleaning it up.

Because of his son's misdeeds and unrepentance, Albert's father had already cut off financial aid to him (his father happened to be the first type of person mentioned above), so that the direct descendant of one of the oldest families in France could only live in this kind of ghost place now.

"You may be seated." Albert pointed to a chest as if the king had received the courtiers.

Charles sat down on a dusty crate with a roof of goodness. A sour smell came from under the bed into Charles's nose, and it seemed that the other party had drunk a lot of alcohol last night.

"My friend, you went crazy again last night, didn't you? Every day, I have to wait until noon to get up. ”

As soon as he said this, Albert was a little energetic, "That girl was really good last night, I didn't come back until two o'clock!" ”

"And how much debt have you owed lately?" Charles poured cold water.

"It's only a few tens of thousands of francs...... I don't remember the exact number," Albert sat down on a nearby box, frowning as if he was counting the numbers, and after a moment his brow was furrowed again, "whatever." ”

"Albert, don't live like this, you'll ruin yourself." Charles still didn't hold back, and whispered to his friend.

"Having fun in time is the only life I want." Albert still looked indifferent, and directly rejected his friend's suggestion, "Okay Charles, what kind of wind are you blowing today, and you came to the door directly?" ”

"It's nothing, I just want to see you, and I want you to do me a favor by the way."

"Want to see me? Then you can see through it now......" Albert stretched, "poor Albert is still the same......"

Charles shook his head and smiled wryly, giving up on persuasion again.

"As for asking me for help...... Absolutely. Say, what does Albert need to do? ”

Charles pondered for a moment.

"My cousin Charlotte, granddaughter of the Duke of Treville, is about to marry the son of the Marquis de l'Éolang."

Albert didn't look very interested, just raised a slender eyebrow. "Oh, and then?"

"My friend, you know how much it costs a duke to marry his daughter these days. But no matter how much I asked and investigated, no one could tell the details of the marriage, and both families were so tight-lipped about it that they couldn't ask about it—generally speaking, if it was an ordinary marriage, wouldn't both sides trumpet how much money each family had paid, for fear that others would not know? It's like ......"

"It's like there's something greasy in there?" Albert answered.

Charles nodded. "And, I heard that the young lady of the Leolan family had recently been sent to the convent. These two things, take a look together...... It doesn't feel right, does it? ”

"Since you're here today, why don't we go to Bois de Boulogne together?" Albert didn't know if he could do it, but he stretched again and stood up. "Just a ride, I made an appointment there in the afternoon."

"Okay." Charles agreed, and he didn't feel comfortable staying here anyway.

Soon, the two men sat side by side in the light carriage of the Charles, heading straight for the Bois de Boulogne.

The carriage was running down the road, and for a moment all I could hear was the sound of horses' hooves, until a few moments later, Albert suddenly asked.

"Looks like you're interested in this marriage? What, why did your cousin mess with you? ”

"He didn't mess with me...... But he got into trouble with someone he shouldn't have messed with, so I had to run errands. Charles replied jokingly.

"And what do you want me to do?"

Charles's expression became serious, and he lowered his voice.

"My friend, I know, you have a wide range of friends and are well-informed. And you see, I have this relationship with the Duke of Treville's family, and if I go to find out myself, I am afraid that people will be wary...... So, I want you to help me inquire about what is going on in this marriage. ”

"Haode, no problem." Albert nodded without hesitation. "I'll find a way to find out."

"Xiexie you!" Charles stretched out his hand and squeezed the other man's slender right hand, "I knew there was nothing wrong with please!" ”

"Still, I'm a little curious, why are you so active? Is there any benefit to be gained from this? Or is it that you were commissioned by someone to save poor Miss Léorang? Albert stared at Charles with interest, "Charles, I know you too well, you are not a good man who is willing to do the good things of others, and you don't like to do those chivalrous things at all. ”

"For ......, of course," Charles did not intend to hide from the other.

"Your sister, right?" Before Charles could reply, Albert quickly replied himself, "I know." ”

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