After the two of them struggled with each other for a while, Charlotte finally broke free from Charles's embrace, and then rearranged her clothes, and her face regained the stern expression she had just had.

"Charles, let's go to grandpa's place quickly, don't let the old man wait for a long time, now he is even worse health, he has to go to bed early."

"Okay, take me there." Charles was as good as he could, and made a gesture for Charlotte to lead the way.

Without further ado, Charlotte led Charles upstairs and walked down the hallway into the depths of the mansion.

After reaching the deepest point, she stopped at the doorway of a room, and then raised her hand to look softly at the wooden door of Nan.

"Grandpa, I'm Charlotte, Charles is already here, is it convenient for you to receive him now?" Charlotte asked in a whisper.

A moment later, a dull response came from within.

"Is it already here? Then hurry up and bring him in. ”

Although there is a sense of weakness that patients share, the tone is still very steady, as if it has not suffered any blows, and even if it is only heard by this voice, it can give people a slight sense of stability.

Looks like it can hold on for a while. Charles thought to himself.

After hearing her grandfather's greeting, Charlotte gently turned the doorknob to open the door, and then walked in with Charles.

Because of the depth of the room, and the fact that only a thin candle was lit, it was relatively dim, and Charles saw only the white sheets on the bed in the room at first glance, and a vague shadow lying on the bed.

Then, he glanced inside with his peripheral vision. After all, it was the first time he had come to his cousin's bedroom. Even in this situation, I still can't help but be a little curious.

Surprisingly simple. This was Charles' first impression.

Compared to the opulent furnishings of his son's bedroom. It's a shabby. There are no particularly expensive furnishings, and there are no extravagant decorations. It was just simple wooden furniture – a desk, a few cabinets, a few chairs, and a few bits and pieces. Right next to the bed, Charles saw two men, one dressed as a servant and the other as a doctor, all the while watching the man on the bed.

And in one corner of the room, there seemed to be some small machinery and tools piled up. These little pieces of machinery look well-maintained. It glowed metallicly in the dim candlelight, but the light was so dim that Charles couldn't make out what it was.

Seeing these furnishings, Charles couldn't help but be surprised, and couldn't help but whisper to Charlotte.

"Hey, your grandfather's bedroom is so weird."

"It's weird, but it's good to get used to it." Charlotte replied in a whisper, but her tone seemed odd.

"And what the hell are those gadgets?" Charles continued.

Charlotte frowned slightly, and finally replied with a little embarrassment.

"Those things. Those are all tools that grandpa used before, tools for repairing shoes. ”

"Huh? Brought back from Germany? Charles almost exclaimed.

"Yes, I brought it back with me when I returned from Germany." Charlotte nodded slightly, then frowned slightly in displeasure. "I really don't understand grandpa's thoughts, why do you keep those things when you've already returned to China......

The two men muttered quietly as they walked in. It's getting closer and closer to the bed.

Now Charles was able to see more clearly who was lying on the bed.

He is tall and has gray hair and beard. Coupled with a cold face covered with wrinkles, even when lying in bed, he still has an extraordinary bearing.

This is indeed his cousin. At the helm of the Trevier family.

At this time, he was looking at himself with a sideways face.

Unexpectedly, the eyes of the two people met.

Although it was a serious illness, this gaze was still so sharp, as if it could see through the whole person.

Charles was stunned for a moment, then stopped and bowed to the duke, but did not speak.

Charlotte, on the other hand, did not stop, walked directly to the head of the bed, and then leaned into the old man's ear and whispered, "Grandpa, I have already brought him here, if there is anything you want to say, please tell him......"

At this time, her tone was solemn and full of sadness, and it could be seen that she was really sad about her grandfather's illness.

The Duke nodded slightly, then slowly raised his hand and made a gesture.

As if given a silent order, the servants and doctors who had stayed by the bedside immediately withdrew silently.

After everyone else had left, the Duke of Treville looked at Charles again, and made a gesture to greet him.

Charles followed the old man's instructions and walked gently to the side of the bed, then reached out and took the duke's hand.

"Please take care, grandpa." He looked at the old man sternly and respectfully, "After hearing the news that you are sick, I am also very worried about you, you should try to rest for a while, don't overwork yourself, for everyone, it is more important for you to take care of your body as soon as possible than anything else......"

Because Charlotte and the others also hid his illness, Charles didn't dare to say anything too strictly, so he had to say some very common comforts, and he was secretly sad in his heart.

After hearing his comfort, the Duke just shook his head indifferently.

"Thank you. But my body knows that this is no longer something that can be solved by recuperation. ”

Although he was very weak, his tone was still stiff and cold, as if he were not speaking of himself.

Charles was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

"Grandpa, Charles rushed over directly after hearing that you were seriously ill, you can talk about it well......" Seeing that the atmosphere between the two people was a little stiff, Charlotte hurriedly started a round.

"There's nothing to say, everyone has this time, and we shouldn't focus on irreparable things." The Duke came back coldly and raised his head to stare at Charles, "Don't sue Sù Victor. He himself has not been in good health recently, so there is no need to let him worry about it. ”

"I know. I'm not going to talk to him lately. Charles nodded in agreement.

By this time, Charles had already understood in his heart, although his children and grandchildren had been hiding his illness from the duke. But he should have a premonition in his heart and was mentally prepared.

For a while, his heart became more and more melancholy, and he didn't know what to say.

"Well, you're not the sentimental type, so don't put on a blank look." The Duke frowned slightly, then raised his voice, "Don't you want to do something big?" Then cheer up! If you want to be a man who can stand the test of a qiē, you must be strong and you must be able to face a qiē calmly! ”

The old man's scolding. Charles' heart was shocked.

"Okay, I see, Your Excellency." He quickly cheered up, then straightened his waist and looked at the old man sternly. "I'm here to do anything for you, so please do whatever it takes me."

"That's like a little talk." After seeing Charles's expression, the Duke's tone finally softened a little, and the oncoming gaze relaxed a little.

Charlotte only smiled helplessly at Charles, as if she was apologizing for her grandfather's attitude.

Time. Charles just held the old man's hand and didn't speak.

Although the atmosphere seemed stiff and tense, Charles suddenly felt that this comfort was much more fervent than his own insincere words.

After a long silence, the Duke finally spoke again.

"I think. You've heard Charlotte say what I think since you've been here, right? ”

"Yes, I've heard that. It was a shock. Charles nodded.

"Judging by your words, you have agreed to my arrangement?" The Duke asked in a low voice. It seems to be very sure.

Yes, there are indeed not many people who would want to push such a large fortune outside.

However......

"Nope. I don't want to do exactly what you want. Charles replied directly.

"Huh?" The Duke's eyes widened slightly, and then his gaze seemed to be a little more stern. "Is Philip saying something weird? Leave him alone, I have the final say in this home, what I want to do with it, they have no room to intervene! ”

"No, I'm not scared of him, but ...... Consider one principle. Charles shook his head, "If you just unilaterally take benefits from you and don't give anything, I'm afraid it's not fair, and it won't be recognized by everyone." Whatever your intentions are, in the end, in our family, it will only lead to strife and disagreement......"

"When do you need to be afraid of them? When the time comes, just force them to listen to you? The Duke replied impatiently.

Why do you have to rush to keep your family business in your own custody?

Charles really couldn't understand the Duke's mentality.

However, he has his own pace.

He glanced at Charlotte, and Charlotte understood.

"Grandpa, don't be angry, actually...... In fact, the charr is not disobeying your arrangement, but ...... Rather, there are other plans. ”

Then, Charlotte told the old man everything about Charles's previous plans and arrangements, as well as her negotiations with her father, but skipped the quarrel between herself and her brother.

After listening to Charlotte's account, the Duke became more and more surprised, and then looked at Charles with a strange expression, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"What do you think of my arrangement?" He asked the duke, a little smugly.

"I agree with you, Charles, and your generosity has exceeded my expectations." After a moment of silence, the Duke replied in a low voice.

Then, he added, "In the meantime, thank you for Charlotte." ”

Anyway, he does love his granddaughter—though I don't know how much he loves.

Although the duke's tone was very flat, Charles knew in his heart that this was already a rare compliment from the old man, and he smiled a little embarrassedly.

"As long as you can agree, that's all the best."

The Duke kept a close look at Charles, then slowly withdrew his hand from Charles' grasp.

"Now it seems...... Victor and I have indeed made a wonderful arrangement......" He sighed slightly, as if with some kind of indescribable emotion, "Charlotte, Charles, you two, you must not live up to our expectations, okay?" ”

Charlotte nodded hurriedly.

"I will, grandpa, I will follow your instructions and protect the ...... of this family" She choked up a little in her tone, as if she was about to cry.

And Charles answered.

"You still seem to be a little confused?" The Duke suddenly asked Charles again.

It can be seen that his energy has declined a lot, so he tries to be concise and to the point.

"yes, I still don't quite understand why you're arranging it that way." Charles replied simply, "If you're worried about the two of them, there's no need to be so decisive?" They...... They're not going to be happy......"

"It's better if they're not happy than dead." The Duke said coldly, "I've already thought about it...... After me and Victor, the Tréville family should have a leader who says nothing about it, and they must not part ways. I thought about it, my son and grandson...... None of them are people who can shoulder this kind of responsibility, so is there any other way for me? ”

"But ......"

"It's nothing, don't I know Philip and his son? All of them are arrogant, if there is no restraint, will they listen to you? The Duke sneered, then raised his hand and pointed at Charles, "Now, they must listen to you, and they will not make mistakes and ruin their family business...... Isn't that great? ”

And I'm ...... But at the same time, they also undertook the obligation to protect their father and son, and they must not be allowed to suffer. Charles mentally finished the Duke's words.

He couldn't help but look at the duke's face again.

Pale but still resolute.

Even when he was on the verge of death, he had more willpower than most people.

If it weren't for the unpredictable times that made him lose his future twice, how much career this person should be able to make! Charles couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"Okay, I don't have any other opinions, I accept it."

"Good." The Duke smiled slightly, "Your great-grandfather must not have imagined that we who fled France in a hurry would still be where we are today, at least, I am worthy of him." ”

……………………

"I'm so sad for my grandfather......" After leaving the room, Charlotte was still a little sad.

"Don't do that, Charlotte, cheer up." Charles shook her hand, and then suddenly asked, "What are you going to do with those tools in the future?" ”

"What else can be done? Such a shameful thing, just throw it away, do you still keep it? ”

"What's so embarrassing about that? Charlotte ......" Charles couldn't help but sigh, and then patted her face, "If he hadn't repaired shoes for so many years, how could there still be us in the world?" Your grandfather saved our family with his own efforts, and we should be proud of that, right? ”

"What are you proud of......," Charlotte shook her head, then glanced to the side with resentment, "If it weren't for those hateful mobs, how could our family have suffered such humiliation?" ”

Charles stopped talking.

Although she loved her grandfather, she had never understood him, and she could never really understand him.

Is...... Happy people. (To be continued......)