The Shadow of Great Britain

464: Chapter 254 London Focuses on You (6K4)_3 464: Chapter 254 London Focuses on You (6K4)_3 “His forehead was covered with sweat.

It was clear that even Foil Napoleon had his moments of nervousness.

Bertrand caught sight of Arthur and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

He quickly approached, taking three steps in two, ‘Mr.

Hastings, I now truly rejoice at the wise decision I made that day to accept your hand-held…

uh, no, friendship.

Nope, that’s not right either, it’s the loyalty to the Bonaparte Family and the friendship between us.

Heh, looking at the situation today, even if I win, I doubt I could walk out of the theater alive.

From the moment I stepped through these doors, I realized that today I had to be carried out.’

Arthur chuckled softly, ‘Don’t worry, Mr.

Bertrand, as long as you follow the script, I can assure you that neither of us will run into trouble.

Take it easy, it’s just a play after all.

Though neither of us are professional actors, we’ve rehearsed several times.

And to prevent the audience from taking potshots at us, we’ve specially set our dueling stage a bit farther away and have asked Scotland Yard to tighten gun control.

So…’

Upon hearing this, Bertrand interjected, ‘If I hadn’t agreed to you that day, would Scotland Yard not have imposed gun control?’

‘No, they still would have.’ Arthur smiled, leaning back in his chair, ‘But in that case, I couldn’t guarantee the thoroughness of the gun control.

After all, you understand that policing is a tough job, and occasionally there will be the odd fish that slips through the net.’

Bertrand shivered, ‘I’m increasingly convinced that I made the right decision.

But it’s my own fault, I seem to have gone too far.

If I hadn’t picked a fight with so many fencing clubs in London, I wouldn’t have ended up in a duel with you.’

Arthur was noncommittal about Bertrand’s conjecture, simply shrugging his shoulders, ‘Alright, Mr.

Bertrand, you better hurry and get the props ready.

There are quite a few big shots attending tonight, including many of your French nobility, like Mr.

Talleyrand, the French ambassador.

If he takes a fancy to you, it’ll surely aid your career in Paris.

As I said before, I don’t plan on making you lose too badly, you can certainly lose with style.

Overall, I advocate for a win-win situation.’

Bertrand reached out and gave Arthur a crisp high five, ‘I won’t disturb you any further, you should get prepared as well.

But seeing how calm you are, I probably don’t need to worry about the performance.’

No sooner had Bertrand left,

than a familiar face entered the resting room.

It was Lionel Rothschild, dressed to the nines in a formal tailcoat and bow tie.

Lionel’s lips bore a faint smile, but his brows were knit with worry, the antithesis of cheerfulness.

This always polite and well-mannered young man walked straight toward Arthur without even a greeting.

He sat down in front of Arthur and asked, ‘Arthur, are you confident about your chances of winning today?’

Arthur, sensing something amiss in his words, inquired, ‘Is something the matter?’

Lionel took a deep breath and nodded, ‘Good news, but also bad news.’

Arthur teased, ‘I thought only civil servants in various departments talked like that.

Are bankers the same?’

Lionel chuckled, waving his hand dismissively, ‘Enough joking, now isn’t the time for it.

Arthur, I have something very important to tell you; you must win today’s match.’

Arthur poured himself another cup of tea from the teapot, ‘Thank you for the reminder, Lionel.

But I intended to do so from the start.’

‘Arthur, I’m not referring to your determination to win, but that the outcome of this duel has to be your victory!

I’ve just been notified by my father that there will be some special guests in the theater today.

If you can impress them with your performance, it will not only benefit Rothschild as the organizer but also your own future prospects.’

‘Hmm?’

Arthur, deciphering clues from the other party’s words, thought for a moment and seemed to understand something.

His eyes widened slightly as he pointed to the ceiling, ‘Are you talking about that person?’

Lionel’s smile brightened, ‘Exactly, that person!’

Agares, sitting atop the chandelier, tugged at his face in sarcasm, ‘Oh!

My King Solomon!

Arthur, has God Himself come down to watch your monkey show with Bertrand?

But I still think that carpenter prefers watching Jews being nailed to the cross!

Now that we have the Jews, Arthur, take advantage of the time left to saw a couple more rotten pieces of wood.

Since you and I have been together for so long, I might reluctantly agree to nail you up.’

Arthur, however, did not pay heed to the Red Devil’s mockery, merely asking, ‘Why would His Majesty the King come to the Astley Theatre?

Don’t royal family members usually go to Covent Garden Theatre to enjoy their high-brow operas?’

Lionel clapped his hands together, smiling coyly, ‘That’s only because we’ve been too successful in publicizing this duel!

Arthur, let’s be honest, the Rothschilds have a rather extensive network.

You know, in addition to stock and bond trading, our main business is loan services.

You’re aware you’re one of our loan service customers, and before you, we provided many others with high-quality, affordable services, such as Duke Wellington, the late Duke Liverpool, or former Chancellor of the Exchequer Vansittart and former Chairman of the Board of Trade Mr.

Hasting are among our clients.’”