After Empress Dowager Sophie left with grievance, Franz Joseph smiled and extended an invitation to Jero Bonaparte.
On the way to the ball, Franz Joseph quietly expressed his gratitude to Jero Bonaparte.
"Why thank !" Jero Bonaparte replied with a smile.
"If it weren’t for you, Sophie might never have returned to Elizabeth’s hands." Franz Joseph gave a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth, then said frankly, "You don’t know how strong my mother’s desire for control is. She wants everything at Hofburg Palace to move along the established trajectory, even I am not an exception!"
"I understand your dilemma! One is a wife, the other is a mother, both are the closest of people! When two people have a conflict, the one caught in the middle often has to endure great pain!" Jero Bonaparte let his hand droop on Franz Joseph’s shoulder (a hint of an unnatural expression flashed across Franz Joseph’s face but was quickly concealed) and said to him.
Then Franz Joseph once again expressed his gratitude to Jero Bonaparte.
When Jero Bonaparte and Franz Joseph returned to the ball, they imdiately drew the attention of all the nobles present.
The originally elegant music abruptly stopped at that mont, Jero Bonaparte waved his hand and said to everyone present: "Continue to play music, continue to dance!"
The band played music again, and the nobles in the dance floor continued dancing gracefully to the elegant music.
Jero Bonaparte, Franz Joseph, and others sat on the sofa next to the dance floor and chatted casually. Jero Bonaparte asked Franz Joseph when he would be departing, while Empress Augusta thoughtfully shared childcare tips with Empress Elizabeth.
After talking for a while, several nobles appeared in front of Jero Bonaparte and Franz Joseph.
They bowed to Jero Bonaparte and Franz Joseph, then asked if the two monarchs could invite the empress to dance with them.
"You should ask the empress, not !" Jero Bonaparte shrugged indifferently.
"No, thank you!" Empress Augusta firmly declined the noble’s invitation, leaving them with a disappointed expression.
" too!" Empress Elizabeth also responded.
The noble who was rejected by the two empresses awkwardly left, followed by two elegantly dressed ladies who curtsied to the two monarchs and then asked if the monarchs would honor them by dancing.
Jero Bonaparte politely refused the ladies, but Franz Joseph, owing to one of them being an important minister of the empire, accepted the invitation.
After Franz Joseph left, Jero Bonaparte ordered the servant to bring Countess Raphaelt to him, as he had matters to ask the Countess.
After a while, Countess Rafaelt appeared in front of Jero Bonaparte, she curtsied to the emperor and the two empresses.
"Madam Raphaelt, don’t stand, sit down!" Jero Bonaparte coldly responded to Countess Rafaelt.
"Your Majesty, I dare not!" Countess Rafaelt quickly replied to Jero Bonaparte.
"When I tell you to sit down, you sit down! No more nonsense!" Jero Bonaparte said impatiently to Countess Rafaelt.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Countess Rafaelt answered Jero Bonaparte, maintaining a façade of composure but had already prepared herself to face Emperor Jero Bonaparte’s wrath.
Seated nearby, Elizabeth seeing her etiquette teacher and friend being reprimanded by Jero Bonaparte, also spoke to diate: "Your Majesty, what did Madam Raphaelt do to displease you? I will reprimand her! Please make sure to forgive her!"
Jero Bonaparte ignored Elizabeth completely, continuing to fix his gaze on Raphaelt, he said: "Madam Raphaelt, I think you know why I called you over here!"
"Before I did it, I had already prepared myself, Your Majesty!" Countess Raphaelt replied firmly to Jero Bonaparte.
"Alright, as long as you’re prepared!" Jero Bonaparte still emotionless said to Countess Raphaelt, "Madam Raphaelt, you..."
Just as Countess Raphaelt was silently waiting for Jero Bonaparte to punish her (in theory, Countess Raphaelt was not under Jero Bonaparte, yet as a foreign monarch Jero Bonaparte could still reprimand her), Jero Bonaparte suddenly said to Countess Raphaelt: "You did well!"
The previously tense atmosphere instantly relaxed with Jero Bonaparte’s words.
Countess Raphaelt clutched her chest and took several heavy breaths, as if she had just gotten off a roller coaster.
"Madam Raphaelt, would you like so red wine?" Jero Bonaparte snapped his fingers, signaling the servant who promptly brought four glasses of red wine.
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty!" Countess Raphaelt raised her red wine glass and responded to Jero Bonaparte.
"It’s nothing!" Jero Bonaparte shook his head and answered Countess Raphaelt, then gently sipped his red wine.
"Your Majesty, what exactly are you talking about?" Empress Elizabeth looked at Jero Bonaparte with a puzzled expression.
"Your Majesty the Empress, the matter is like this..." Countess Raphaelt explained in detail to Empress Elizabeth how she used Jero Bonaparte to "take revenge" for her.
"My God!" Empress Elizabeth responded to Countess Raphaelt with a horrified expression, covering her mouth, "How could you dare do this?"
"Your Majesty the Empress, I was just outraged by the way the Empress Dowager treated you!" Countess Raphaelt replied to Empress Elizabeth, "A kind and lively empress like you should not be treated in such a manner! That’s why I thought of using the power of His Majesty Emperor Jero Bonaparte to take revenge for you!"
"Your Majesty, I deeply apologize on behalf of Countess Raphaelt for using Jero Bonaparte in this matter," Empress Elizabeth lowered her head and apologized.
"Apologize? Why apologize?" Jero Bonaparte shrugged and quietly said to Empress Elizabeth, "Even if Madam Raphaelt didn’t choose to use , I would still find an opportunity to teach Grand Duchess Sophie a lesson for you!
Qianqian, you now have the guardianship of Princess Sophie. You must show a mother’s presence to Grand Duchess Sophie.
Otherwise, she will find another opportunity to take Sophie away from you again!"
"I will!" Empress Elizabeth firmly responded to Jero Bonaparte.
"Alright! Madam Raphaelt! There’s nothing more for you here, you can go about your business now!" Jero Bonaparte waved his hand and said to Countess Raphaelt.
Countess Raphaelt finished her wine, stood up, and bowed farewell.
After a while, Empress Elizabeth rose again and said to Jero Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, might I invite you for another dance!"
Jero Bonaparte and Augusta both showed surprised expressions, then Jero Bonaparte nodded and affectionately replied to Elizabeth, "Of course, my angel!"
Jero Bonaparte and Empress Elizabeth held hands and once again entered the dance floor during the interlude between the previous and next song, as the music started again.
Jero Bonaparte and Elizabeth began to dance hand in hand, and as they gradually got into rhythm, Empress Elizabeth looked at him with clear eyes and asked, "Your Majesty, why do you keep helping over and over again?"
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Jero Bonaparte dodged the question.
"Your Majesty, this makes feel pressured!" Elizabeth replied to Jero Bonaparte.
"You know, what kind of pressure can an 18-year-old girl have?" Jero Bonaparte teased lightly, gently pinching Elizabeth’s nose during a montary release.
"I cannot betray my husband!" Elizabeth said to Jero Bonaparte with a serious expression.
Jero Bonaparte was first taken aback, then held back his laughter and said to Elizabeth, "You don’t think my actions are born out of love for you, do you!"
"Your Majesty!" Elizabeth pouted slightly and said to Jero Bonaparte, "Could you please answer my question seriously!"
"Let tell you a story! Once upon a ti, there was a carefree princess..." Jero Bonaparte recounted the tale of a past life movie "Princess Sisi" combined with so real history while dancing.
After listening to Jero Bonaparte’s story, Empress Elizabeth instinctively said, "Her life was truly tragic!"
"Tell about it!" Jero Bonaparte nodded empathetically.
Subsequently, Empress Elizabeth suddenly realized that the first half of Jero Bonaparte’s story bore a striking resemblance to her own life. She widened her eyes in disbelief and asked, "Your Majesty, the person in the story isn’t , is it?"
"You guess if it’s you!" Jero Bonaparte answered ambiguously.
"It should be...right!" Elizabeth hesitantly wondered whether it was about her, then looked at Jero Bonaparte seeking an answer.
Under Elizabeth’s eager gaze, Jero Bonaparte slowly opened his mouth to speak to Elizabeth, "I..."
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