354. Chapter 354: Doing Nothing
So, that evening, William attended the local ball, and as a matter of course, Victoria attended as his female companion. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
The presence of a prince and a duchess made the ball a lot more stylish. And of course, William and Victoria succeeded in becoming the center and center of the ball. All the guys who think they have enough status and energy are moving closer to these two guys, intentionally or unintentionally. If you want to get a little benefit, you should at least make a little impression on the other person, so that you can have more things to brag about to future generations in the future.
That's it. The ball was at least twice as lively as the usual balls of the same type.
Then, as a result, William felt physically and mentally exhausted, very bored, and felt like a waste of time.
At first, William was a little bit looking forward to it. Maybe you can get some secret information on this occasion, or you can meet some talented people on this occasion. Or something else.
All in all, William didn't see this ball as any kind of entertainment, William completely regarded this ball as a task, or a move to improve his own strength.
It's just a pity. Secret...... Perhaps. If there are some gossip rumors, the peach lace news or something is a secret. As for talent. Or maybe. If you say that a group of people is only at the level of a big knight at the highest in terms of strength, the actual combat effectiveness is weak. Or if you can write sonnets, you can even think of talents, then there are indeed a lot of talents here that are moving.
All in all, it's a waste of time.
To make matters worse, because William was one of the focal points and cores of the ball, it was difficult for him to leave, even if he wanted to. So he could only continue to smile, continue to laugh, and discuss jokes that were not funny at all with those vulgar and low-key bastards. Or take the hand of a lady or lady who is only five points at most and dance on the dance floor.
It's still a waste of time.
Thankfully, the ball was over, and William, exhausted, was finally able to return in a carriage. By the way, the carriage in which he rode was likewise provided by Victoria. Or to be more specific, this guy is sitting in Victoria's carriage right now, talking to Victoria about today's ball.
"What's wrong, isn't it disappointing?" asked Victoria in a narrow tone.
"Disappointment? Well, more than disappointment. William said with some annoyance: "These guys are all scum, they are useless at all." ”
In a sense, it is. Victoria replied, "The question is, what exactly are you saying 'useful', and if you want to gain some prestige, some entertainment, then these bastards are the best candidates." Rigoletto, courtier, court jester, or whatever, I'm sure every single one of them can do that. ”
"But it's not those guys I want. William complained: "What I want is a civil and military general who can really be useful to me, to my family and to my country." Not a bunch of court jesters. ”
"I'm sorry, but you may have been in the wrong place. Victoria chuckled, "Maybe tomorrow you can take part in a dance party organized by the rich local businessmen, many of whom are self-made." Or maybe you want to participate in some literary salon, or something else. Where can I see a lot of scholars? The noble ladies who were vassals and elegant liked to finance them for some benefit for themselves. I mean prestige. ”
"Maybe in a few days. Recently I needed to take a break. William frowned, but finally didn't say yes to Victoria.
"Oh, rest, of course, of course you need to rest. Victoria smiled and said, "If you didn't say that, I thought you were a machine that could go on forever." ”
"Even machines need to rest. William said, "I just sighed...... Speaking of which, this port should be important in Frisia, right?"
"You mean Rotterdam? Of course, it was one of the most important ports in Frisia, and one of the most prosperous and wealthy. Victoria replied.
"I thought the nobles here would be a little better...... Or is it something else?"
"What is the reason?" Victoria asked rhetorically, "If the former question is the case, then I can tell you unequivocally, yes." Money - The nobility here is richer than the nobility of most places on the mainland. These guys rely on their status, social networks, and some things passed down from their ancestors to maintain a very prosperous life. ”
"So, is that what you want to show me?" asked William.
"You think I did it on purpose?"
"Well, maybe. William didn't go any further on the subject. Then he began to close his eyes - he seemed to understand why Victoria had made him see the nobles in a bad way. Although also an aristocratic and even a "duchess", Victoria prefers to call herself the executive director of the company. In other words, this guy is on the side of the merchants, the big merchants, the capital, the factories, the industry. It can be said that he is a traitor to the aristocratic class.
She wants to let herself know about the decay and unednification of the aristocratic class, and hopes to subtly influence herself, hoping that she can completely stand on her side and become a part of her class......
But of course, William was sure that this was not Victoria's ultimate goal, and she would never think that casually letting William see these things would change William's mind. It's just her myriad plots...... Or one of the plans. At the same time, it is also an insignificant part of her countless plans.
"This guy seems to have some ...... Like a fish in water?" thought to William. He looked at Victoria, who was sitting across from him, and in the light of the light, the guy seemed a little spirited, or something like that.
Because, this is Victoria's home turf. The guys here, the rules of the game here, are all familiar to Victoria. If you want to enter it, you are likely to be played by Victoria.
"But it doesn't matter, I'm just here for a break. Thinking of this, William closed his eyes and began to rest. Although it is said that Frisia was an important part of the Ostrogothic Empire. At the same time, Frisia was also an important part of the world's capital markets, manufacturing, commerce. But in the case that William's power has not yet been cast here, William has little desire for Frisia.
As long as normal business and trade are not affected, everything else is secondary. And if you want to do business and trade here without being affected, then the only thing to do is to have a good relationship with Victoria, and to be more precise, with the Briton Company, the big Briton Company representing the Breton bourgeoisie, and everything else is unimportant.
Of course, that's what Victoria wants to see. She wants to make outsiders misunderstand their relationship. Or she wants outsiders to misunderstand that the relationship between her and William is not just a "business partner". She needed William, she needed the White Army, she needed Russia, she needed the invincible army units of the Hereford family.
It's as if William needed the markets she owned, the capital she owned, the countless trade routes, the connections, the networks, and all sorts of information.
Both sides need each other. However, the two sides do not want a relationship of "mutual need" between the two sides. It's like it's in the outer packaging. It's like dye and gold leaf. Although cloth, although Buddha statues, although commodities are already everything. But it also needs the necessary embellishments. For example, personal relationships, intimate personal relationships, such as couples, lovers, etc.
"I see, let's move on...... It's up to you. For the next two months, I'll be at your mercy. William said to Victoria after a moment's thought.
"At my mercy, as if I'm forcing you to do something. "Victoria is cheap and good.
"Yes, everything is voluntary on my part. William smiled, not dwelling too much on the issue.
Before, he had already received information from the territory of Russia that everything was normal. For the time being, everything is normal. Although his father really wanted him to go back to reunite soon. But since everything was normal, and there were no problems with the internal affairs of the Russian kingdom, he was happy to spend some more time outside.
In this way, for the next two months, William and Victoria frequently frequented the various high-profile social balls held near the Kingdom of Frisia, where politics, philosophy, and natural sciences were discussed. Sometimes, William's two wives, Elise and Charlumie, would also come here. But more often than not, it's William and Victoria.
Under such persistent publicity, William's ambiguous relationship with Victoria soon spread. Two months later, even in the remote Tartariya Khanate, Sarida Khan had a piece of information on William's relationship with Victoria on his desk.
That's it, William and Victoria are very satisfied. Although both parties know that the other is acting, it is rare to be able to perform the drama so realistically.
In other words, immersing themselves in such a drama that does not know whether it is true or not, for William and Victoria, is in itself a rest, and in itself a precious entertainment. That's it. Two months later, William was even a little reluctant to live this pleasant life.
It's December.