flower and sword and france

Chapter Thirteen: Tangled

"No! No!"

"Be good, be obedient, Fran." Ciel called softly, "Brother, this is for your own good..."

"Don't! Don't!" The volume grew louder.

"Okay, it might be a little uncomfortable at first, but bear with it and you'll feel better later."

"Just don't! You let me die! Let me die!" Fran still resisted loudly.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Ciel raised his voice, "Listen to your brother!"

"Don't listen! Absolutely don't listen!"

Ciel's patience was gradually worn out.

"You should take medicine when you are sick, right?" Xia Er used a tone of rebuke, "Also, don't talk to your brother under the quilt, it's not good for your health!"

"I just want to be covered with a quilt, just don't take medicine!" The quilt was wrapped tighter and tighter, and it was still shaking slightly, showing how excited the owner was now. "I don't want to see you, you go out!"

Because she was wearing a thin pajamas and wandered outside for so long last night, and she experienced so much emotional stimulation, Fran caught a cold the next day, and it looked more serious, so Ciel sent someone directly. I went to the studio to ask for leave, and let my sister recuperate at home.

"Okay, don't be angry, Fran." Charles sighed softly, "Let's just pretend that nothing happened last night."

"You still remember it!" Fran's reaction was even more intense, and there was even a faint cry, "You are satisfied now! I often avoid reading the manuscripts you wrote, now you can be proud of it. Oh! Woah..."

"Uh..." Ciel didn't know what to say, and finally said reluctantly, "Actually, if you want to see it, I will let you see it, so don't..."

"I'm going to do this!"

"Anyway, since I already know, let's look forward..." Charles sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted the bulging head under the quilt, "Don't be angry, take your medicine quickly. ,have a good rest."

Under Ciel's rhythmic and light tapping, the quilt's trembling gradually stopped, and finally calmed down. "Really?"

"Really, in the future, you can look at it however you like. If you want to look at it clearly, you can also pretend that you don't know if you want to look at me secretly. Is that good?" Ciel replied softly.

After waiting for a while, the sound came from the quilt again. "After that, you must pretend you don't know, and don't barge in while I'm in the study!"

Even if I pretend that I don't know, in fact I don't know, is everyone deceiving themselves? What is this girl thinking? Ciel was a little puzzled, and he found that he didn't understand his sister more and more.

Yes, as her sister grew older, she became more and more a standard, elusive French woman, a reality that Charles felt bitterly.

God, what did I do wrong, why should I incur such a punishment? Have to watch your sister turn into another creature bit by bit? He groaned inwardly.

"Well, I don't know anything." Because of the loss, his tone was extremely lonely and bleak, "Nothing happened."

"Don't talk and don't count!" His answer made Fran give up her resistance, and the quilt fell down a little bit, revealing that beautiful face that was slightly haggard due to illness, but even more pitiful because of it.

The timid look in the girl's eyes made Ciel forget his dissatisfaction with her for a moment.

This is my sister!

He reached out his hand and gently stroked Fran's white forehead.

Then, he picked up the medicine bottle on the dressing table next to him and gently brought it to his sister's lips.

Different from the era of advanced medicine in the future, doctors in this era can only do very limited, and the equipment can only be described as simple, using a variety of potions to treat diseases, God knows how effective it can be. However, Fran only had a common cold this time. Ciel asked the pharmacist for the most commonly used one, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Fran opened her lips and drank the potion handed over by her brother obediently. Her tongue was slightly pale due to her illness, which made Ciel feel a little distressed.

"You have a good rest first, I'll come and see you at night." Charles, who finally completed the task, heaved a sigh of relief, turned and walked out of his sister's bedroom.

Since it was almost lunchtime, Ciel walked straight to the dining room, where he found his grandfather already waiting for his meal.

Wearing a simple black flannel tuxedo and a starched white shirt, the Marquis of Victor de Treville sat upright in his seat. He kept flipping through the most recent newspapers in his hand, although he never looked at Ciel, the aura of indifference still made Ciel a little awe-inspiring. His neatly trimmed gray beard added to that seriousness.

Ciel walked gently to the table, sat down quietly, and prepared to eat.

"Looking at the recent newspapers, there are more and more criticisms of the government. Here and there, too." The Marquis suddenly spoke just after Charles took his seat. "There are those who criticize the government's incompetence, those who criticize the government's ineffectiveness in dealing with famines in various places, and those who criticize the government for being too servile to foreign countries..."

"This shows that there are more and more complaints from all walks of life, doesn't it? It shows that the control of the current government is declining, and even the power to guide and deter public opinion is about to lose."

"No, Charles, you have to look at the essence through the phenomenon." The Marquis replied coldly.

"Um?"

"Our family subscribes to several newspapers, some with conservative leanings, some with the current government, and some with radical republican views. Yes, newspapers or any other media have their own positions - although they each say their own It is neutral and objective. If you look at it alone, you will get nothing but brainwashing, but if you combine these things and compare them with a calm attitude, you will find a lot of very interesting things.”

"Like what?"

"Have you not noticed? In those newspapers that hold opposing positions, the criticism of the government has become more and more general these days, not accusing a specific event or the misdeeds of a specific person, but legitimizing the existence of the current government itself. to question...and their sales haven't diminished?"

"This shows that years of incitement have gradually had an effect, and people are no longer disappointed and disgusted by a certain part or person of the current dynasty, but the existence of this dynasty itself?"

"Yes." The old marquis agreed with Charles' reasoning this time. "People are born to criticize the government anyway. The key is where the criticism is concentrated. If everyone in France ten years ago was questioning the existence of the government today It's justified, and now you're debating whether the authorities have done something well, whether someone has done something bad, which shows that today's government is safe."

"You are right." Charles admitted the Marquis's opinion.

"Blessed by M. Todd-Bourbon-Orleans, France has now been reduced to a country of moderation, with no more of its past glory, and our mission is to restore her to her glory."

[Since Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orleans, a young branch of the Bourbon royal family, took the throne of France, he changed his surname to Bourbon-Orleans]

Hearing this sarcasm, Ciel couldn't help laughing.

In his speech to the French Parliament in 1831, King Louis-Philippe of the present day included the phrase "this government is taking the middle course", which means that his government intends to take a middle course that is neither radical nor conservative. Since the king was not liked by both Bourbon Orthodox and Republicans, the phrase was often quoted and extended by his political opponents to ridicule the disrespectful king.

"Well, we will restore the glory of France." Charles repeated his heart, then raised the glass to his grandfather, and the two took a sip of wine together.

Then the two began to eat, silent for a while.

Due to his age, the Marquis ate very little, so he ate it quickly, and then he continued to read the newspaper, while Charles continued to eat the rest of the food.

"Have you coaxed Fran?" the Marquis suddenly asked without looking up.

"Well, it's finally coaxed, she's finished her medicine now." Ciel nodded to confirm, "However, because she has a cold, she has no appetite now, so she's coming to lunch. I'll bring something to eat later. go up..."

"Hey, it's fine..." The Marquis breathed a sigh of relief, "Now the children are all very delicate, they catch a cold every three days and two heads, and they don't take care of their own bodies..."

Although the words seem to be blaming his granddaughter, the marquis's concern and love for his granddaughter are still beyond words.

"Yeah," Ciel echoed his grandfather's statement, "Fran's body is a little weak, so she needs to take good care of her."

"You children, none of you are worrying!" The Marquis sighed suddenly, then raised his head from the newspaper and looked at his grandson carefully. "However, finally, all of them have grown up... I'm already old, and I don't have much energy to take care of you. Ciel, you're an older brother, and you're an adult. You should pay more attention to taking care of your sister. She is too young to understand the world."

Ciel looked back at his grandfather and replied in a sincere tone.

"I will work hard for this my whole life."

"Very good." The Marquis nodded in approval. "Charle, remember this man's promise! I'm already old, and I'm afraid I won't have many years to live. If one day I'm gone, the two of you must support each other, and don't dilute your family because of time, you know. ?"

"Your health is still very good, how can you say such a thing!" Xia Er was anxious.

"Come on," the Marquis curled his lips and smiled at himself, "I'm already 70 years old. Even if my body is decent now, how much can I expect?"

Charles was at a loss for words.

"Don't worry, each of us will have such a day after all." Seeing that his grandson was a little sad, the Marquis smiled and comforted, "The important thing is to live well now! I don't see my grandchildren living a good life, Old Victor won't close his eyes!"

"Definitely," Charles replied.

"You should also pay attention to what I told you that day." The marquis brought up the previous matter again and continued to instruct. "Find a rich and talented woman early to continue Treville's blood-although France lacks such women, they can always find a few..."

Cough, Charles lowered his head and continued to eat, not daring to answer.

"And Fran, she's not too young now, we should think about her future earlier - don't forget that your grandmother was only 16 when she married me, when I was still in Dusseldo. My husband repairs shoes..."

[Düsseldorf is a city on the Rhine River in western Germany. During the French Revolution, many French aristocrats fled to this city, and because of their livelihoods, they were forced to operate many "low occupations" that were despised in the past. 】

Ciel didn't respond on the surface, but he was a little confused on the inside. He knew in his heart that, in fact, what Grandpa said was the truth, and there was no problem in this era, but deep down in his heart, someone seemed to be asking himself all the time.

Can a married sister still be a sister?

After a moment he was taken aback by his own reaction, how could he have such a bizarre idea? Of course, Fran will always be her sister, right? No matter what happens, it will always be.

But...if you really marry someone else...

Just as he was in a strange tangle, the servant's communication rescued him.

"Two of Miss's classmates came to visit her?" Charles asked.

"Well, one of them said that he would like to thank you separately." The servant replied.

Charles faintly understood what was going on.

"Then let them in, and I'll go meet them." With a sense of relief, Ciel escaped from the restaurant and his inner tangle.