The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 898: Chapter 18: The Two-Faced_2

Of course, this mostly wasn’t out of any uncle-nephew affection, but rather because of Lady Dino’s captivatingly charming face. So, when His Excellency the Prince proposed to take his niece-in-law to Vienna to host his salon banquet, his gambler nephew agreed without a second thought.”

Arthur blinked twice after hearing this: “Didn’t they ask Lady Dino herself for her opinion?”

“Lady Dino herself?”

Victor laughed heartily: “I heard from the prince’s butler that when Lady Dino heard her uncle wanted her to accompany him to Vienna for high-society socializing, she couldn’t have been happier. She didn’t care about age differences and jumped straight up to tightly embrace her uncle’s neck, coyly saying: ‘Dear Uncle, wherever you go, I’ll follow.’ And the prince, seizing the moment, tossed away his cane as if his leg wasn’t lame, directly hugging Lady Dino tightly in his arms.”

Arthur showed a disappointed expression upon hearing this: “Mr. Victor, I was expecting something more thrilling. To be honest, stories of this level aren’t very exciting to me anymore.”

Victor took a drag from his cigarette: “More thrilling… let me think… Oh, right, you surely don’t know about Mr. Thiers’ affair, do you?”

Arthur, seeing the topic thrown his way, quickly responded: “You’re referring to his affair with the real estate developer and her daughter, right?”

“Damn!” This time it was Victor’s turn to be astonished: “How did you know about this? Has this news spread to London already?”

“Not quite.” Arthur replied: “I overheard other guests talking about it at Mr. Thiers’ banquet yesterday.”

“Thiers invited you to his banquet?”

Victor, hearing this, couldn’t help but look at Arthur with newfound respect.

He sighed somewhat enviously: “Brother, a year or two ago, you and I were roughly at the same level. But now, we’re worlds apart. You’ve become a bona fide British Lord, a knight specially appointed by the King. Whereas I, I’m still struggling to make a living on the streets of Paris.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur couldn’t help but offer some encouragement: “Though he’s not as smooth as Mr. Talleyrand, Mr. Thiers seems to be doing quite well in Paris. Besides, he directly manages affairs in Paris. Next time I see him, I could say a few good words for you. I believe, with your talent, it won’t take long to make a comeback.”

Victor, upon hearing this, shook his head with a smile: “Someone like Thiers probably doesn’t want any affiliation with me. But thanks for your kind words, brother. By the way, let’s get back to Thiers. In the current government, this guy holds a very unique position. He not only has the appreciation of the republican leader Marquis Lafayette but is also considered a confidant by Talleyrand.

Most importantly, during the Bourbon Dynasty period, he was an outright opposition member. And when His Majesty the King ascended, he was the first in the arts to publicly support the July Monarchy. Unlike many in the arts who supported Bourbon during its reign and only gradually shifted allegiance to the new monarchy once the July Revolution had ended, he has a very unique significance to His Majesty. Hence, His Majesty’s generosity in rewarding him is particularly noteworthy.”

At this point, Victor emphasized again: “Actually, Mr. Dumas also had such a chance to rise to prominence. As he was originally closer to the King, when the King was still the Duke of Orleans, Mr. Dumas was a copying clerk in his secretariat. However, during the July Revolution, he was too single-minded.

When the July Revolution erupted, he was ecstatic, carrying a flintlock gun around Paris for three days, trying every means to have Marquis Lafayette send him to Soissons to gather ammunition, and then requested to be sent to Vendee to organize the National Guard to prevent Juans from causing unrest. But after all this hustle and bustle, he ended up throwing a fit once he realized that France hadn’t achieved the republican system he desired.

Upon returning from Vendee, his former superior at the secretariat wanted to recommend him to the King again, but this stout gentleman, having written a few famous scripts, had become too arrogant and unwilling to accept any lowly position. And the King was well aware of the temperament of this former little clerk, so he didn’t want to entrust any significant position to Mr. Dumas either.

Ultimately, Mr. Dumas ended up with a deputy lieutenant position in the artillery and continuously made incendiary speeches against the new monarchy in the military, threatening to instigate a second revolution and fully realize Republicanism in France. After this, you probably know the rest. Nothing more than getting chased, sneaking out of the country overnight…”

Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing this: “Listening to this, it seems that the chubby man being wanted wasn’t particularly unjust!”

“Who says it wasn’t?” Victor laughed heartily: “In France, what’s in your heart doesn’t matter to anyone. But if you want to express it freely, then that’s a big issue. At least now it’s better than during the Great Revolution period, in most cases, His Majesty the King is quite mild-mannered.”

After finishing their cigarettes, the two chatted away while strolling out of the alley. Just as Victor planned to hail a carriage to take Arthur for a tour of Paris, they suddenly heard a commotion and screams coming from a café around the corner.

Meanwhile, they witnessed a group of frantic gentlemen and ladies rushing out in panic, as if something terrifying was happening inside the café.

They were about to stop a guest to inquire about the situation, but before they could speak, they heard a man’s angry shout from inside the café.

“Alexander, you shameless, vile scoundrel! I trusted you so much, I considered you a friend, yet you went ahead and stole my lover. Your relationship with Dovar has left me humiliated in both Paris and the entire literary circle! Most importantly, you damn well have the guts to return to France!”

“Vini, calm down! My good friend, listen to my explanation, it was never intentional. Damn it, trust me, I never meant to offend you. If there’s any conflict between us, it’s entirely my fault, absolutely not yours. Even if you pull the trigger now and shoot me, I wouldn’t have a single complaint.”

“What are you doing? Draw your gun, I want to engage in a man-to-man duel with you! I don’t need your apology; today, between you and me, only one can walk out of this café triumphantly!”

“Vini, you’re one of my best friends, you know I could never draw a gun on you. Regarding Dovar’s matter, I genuinely apologize from the bottom of my heart. I… Damn it! I’m such a fool! I knew she was your woman, but… but I just couldn’t control myself… You know, Vini, it wasn’t intentional. Remember that other time? The manager at the Odeon Theatre wanted me to write a script based on Napoleon, but I was never enthusiastic about Napoleon because my father suffered greatly under him. To make me comply, they tricked me into the theatre and locked me in a room connected to the actresses’ quarters, then had Miss George, who had been Napoleon’s mistress, seduce me and bathe in front of me, and I couldn’t hold back, so… Within eight days, I wrote the script ‘Napoleon Bonaparte.’ Vi…Vini, I’m such a fool!”