Chapter 60: I Have a Friend Who Can Divinate
The "Flower Girl" opposite sneered, drawing his sword from his waist. "I, Honoré Roger de Villars, will make you remember today's lesson!"
Almost all members of the Villars family were military, and Roger was no exception. He was a Major in the Bourges Legion and certainly possessed some courage.
"No!" Émilie cried out, alarmed. "Stop it, both of you!"
However, once two young men drew their swords, all they desired was each other's blood.
André launched the first attack, his rapier thrusting straight for his opponent's ribs.
Roger slammed down with force, pushing André's sword tip toward the ground, then followed through with a lunge at his leg.
André had genuinely fought on battlefields and seen blood, so his reactions in life-or-death situations were incredibly swift. He immediately stepped back, simultaneously slashing upwards with his sword.
Roger hastily dodged. He hadn't expected this low-ranking officer's swordsmanship to be so formidable, and he instantly became serious, his movements quickening.
In the garden's flowerbeds, the "Lady in Red" and the "Flower Girl" darted back and forth amidst flashing blades, locked in an intense struggle.
Thoughts flashed through his mind.
First, he absolutely couldn't let the future Marshal Davout's brother die here.
Second, Émilie and her mother were clearly being victimized, their family fortune on the verge of being seized. Since Émilie was André's beloved, it would be unforgivable not to help the young couple.
Furthermore, if Émilie and André were to marry, with his help, they could surely reclaim the influence that belonged to the Duke de Villars. The Villars family held great sway in the Moulins army, and in the future, they might even become a significant asset to him locally.
"Stop fighting... André, look out—" Émilie cried, looking at the two men locked in a duel, then suddenly ran forward, about to reach out and step between them.
Both men were startled, hastily retracting their swords.
However, Roger's reaction was a beat too slow, and his sword tip grazed the girl's arm.
"Ah!" Émilie cried out in pain, looking down to see a finger-width wound appear on her arm.
Roger paused, then dramatically placed a hand on his chest and said to the girl, "Oh, dear Émilie! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!"
André, however, grabbed his beloved's hand, so frantic he could barely speak. "W-what's wrong? Is it a serious injury? Why did you suddenly rush in...?"
Seeing this, Joseph stepped out from behind the tree. Eman quickly moved to stand in front of him, addressing the two sword-wielding men. "Please put away your weapons!"
Perna, meanwhile, quickly opened her small leather case, took out her tools, and stepped forward to treat Émilie's wound. Seeing that it wasn't serious, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Roger, seeing outsiders appear and Émilie injured, knew the fight couldn't continue. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, sheathed his sword, and reached for Émilie. "Hmph, he got lucky. Émilie, let's go back to dancing."
Joseph suddenly said coldly, "Sir, why are you pulling Mr. Davout's fiancée?"
"What did you say? Davout's? Haha!" Roger, failing to recognize the Crown Prince in women's attire, immediately let out a mocking laugh. "I don't know who you are. But he will never be able to climb into the Duke de Villars' family."
"Is that so?" Joseph smiled. "Then let's make a bet."
Roger stopped. "Oh? What kind of bet?"
"If Mr. Davout and the Duke de Villars announce their engagement tomorrow, you will publicly kiss his boots," Joseph declared. "If they don't get engaged tomorrow, then Mr. Davout will kiss your boots."
"How can this be..." André was startled and hastily spoke up to object, but then he saw the young person winking at him.
Joseph pointed to Eman. "Mr. Davout, please trust my friend here; he is skilled in divination. He just accurately divined that you will be engaged to this young lady tomorrow."
Eman: "..."
André found the voice somewhat familiar and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Is that Your Royal—"
Joseph immediately coughed loudly to interrupt him. "Ahem! What do you two think of this wager?"
Although André had no idea what was going on, since the Crown Prince had said so, he gritted his teeth and nodded. "I agree."
Roger sneered. "Fine, I'll bet you."
"Excellent, please shake hands, both of you." Joseph then gestured to the crowd. "All of you present are witnesses, and I hope you will uphold fairness."
Roger didn't take it seriously at all, casually clasped André's hand, then swaggered away.
André had intended to ask the Crown Prince about his plans, but then heard him say, "I won't disturb the precious time of you lovers. See you tomorrow."
He could only suppress the doubts in his heart and watch the three walk away into the distance.
Émilie then remembered something and hastily waved at Perna's retreating back. "Thank you for treating my wound! May I know your name?"
Receiving no reply, she sighed softly, then turned and hugged André tightly, thinking, 'This might be their last time together.'
After they had walked some distance, Perna curiously asked Joseph, "Your Highness, how will you get Miss Émilie and Mr. Davout engaged?"
Joseph smiled faintly. "I will go and convince Miss Émilie's mother."
"Convince?"
Joseph gestured toward the Hall of Mirrors. "Come, let's go find her now."
By the time the three returned to the Hall of Mirrors, the ball was reaching its climax, and everyone was dancing gracefully to the music.
Joseph, worried about being surrounded, simply remained in a corner, sending Eman to find Émilie's mother.
No sooner had Eman left than a young man in a sequined dress approached. He looked Joseph up and down, then slipped a note into his hand, pointing to the lady disguised as a scholar on the second-floor platform of the Hall of Mirrors. "She asked me to give this to you."
Joseph glanced suspiciously at the alluringly graceful woman, then opened the note. There was only one line: "I know your biggest secret. If you want to keep it safe, come to the second room from the east end on the second floor of the South Wing."
The note was from Madame de Semberant, who deeply understood the art of attracting men.
Usually, writing something direct like "I admire you," as a young girl might, or "I wish to spend a pleasant night with you," as a wanton noblewoman might, wouldn't have a high success rate.
She knew that no one could resist a secret.
Especially the secret of why someone else would know their secret.
She smiled triumphantly.
She was utterly confident that once the thirteen-year-old entered her room, he wouldn't want to leave!
Joseph frowned. 'My biggest secret?'
'Of course, it was about him coming from another world.'
'Could that woman be a transmigrator too?'
With that thought, he immediately turned and left the Hall of Mirrors, heading towards the South Wing.
On the other side of the Hall of Mirrors, a young man dressed as a fairy watched Joseph's departing back and couldn't help but narrow his eyes. 'The Crown Prince has left hundreds of noble young ladies here and gone out twice already. What is he doing?'
After a brief moment of thought, he immediately moved to follow.
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