"Sorry!"
After burping, Elizabeth suddenly realized that she was at the Hofburg Palace and not Bossenhoften Palace, and the person she was facing was a foreign monarch, so she felt a wave of guilt.
Jero Bonaparte, sitting opposite Elizabeth, shook his head and then lightly stirred the soup in his plate with a spoon, smiling as he said, "At your age, you really should eat more!"
To ease Princess Sisi’s embarrassnt, Jero Bonaparte simply set aside his spoon, picked up the plate, and drank the soup in one gulp, then grabbed the white sausage on another plate and took a bite.
"It’s not sothing to be ashad of!" Jero Bonaparte responded to Elizabeth with a calm expression after swallowing the sausage, "Sotis, when I’m busy at Tuileries Palace and have to eat, I do just like this!
Following that, Jero Bonaparte changed his tone and advised, "But now that you are the Empress of Habsburg, it would be better to be a bit more refined!"
"I will be careful!" Elizabeth nodded and replied to Jero Bonaparte, then cautiously reminded him, "Your Majesty, isn’t your seating posture..."
Just then, Empress Augusta entered the dining hall led by Countess Raphaelt, and both saw Jero Bonaparte and Elizabeth inside the dining room, along with the section of sausage in Jero Bonaparte’s hand.
Empress Augusta showed a helpless smile, while Countess Raphaelt looked at Jero Bonaparte and the piece of sausage in disbelief.
Rafael, accustod to the elegant dining manners of the Habsburg Court, couldn’t believe her eyes.
She always thought such crude thods only existed in Vienna taverns, never expecting to see them one day in the dining room of Hofburg Palace.
Besides, Jero Bonaparte’s free and easy posture was more befitting a bandit who had mistakenly entered Hofburg Palace than a monarch.
And Empress Elizabeth, she was actually sitting in the dining hall with Emperor Jero Bonaparte wearing pajamas.
Oh God!
Countess Raphaelt felt a wave of dizziness, thinking that her court etiquette education for Empress Elizabeth would probably have to continue for a long ti.
"Augusta, you’re awake!" Jero Bonaparte said while stuffing the remaining sausage into his mouth.
"Your Majesty!" Empress Augusta exclaid with a slight tone of reproach.
"Got it!" Jero Bonaparte shrugged and straightened his posture, then reached out to invite Augusta, saying, "Sit down!"
Empress Augusta and Countess Raphaelt approached Jero Bonaparte, and Countess Raphaelt hurriedly paid her respects, saying, "Your Majesty!"
"Madam Raphaelt, have you eaten?" Jero Bonaparte asked Countess Raphaelt with a dignified expression, which was entirely different from before.
"Your Majesty, I have already eaten!" Countess Raphaelt promptly responded to Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte nodded slightly, then asked Empress Augusta what she was ready to eat.
"A glass of milk, a piece of bread, and half a sausage!" Empress Augusta said to Jero Bonaparte.
"Please follow the Empress’s nu!" Jero Bonaparte commanded Countess Raphaelt.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Countess Raphaelt curtsied to Jero Bonaparte and then headed towards the kitchen.
After Countess Raphaelt left, Empress Augusta imdiately whispered "criticism" about Jero Bonaparte’s lack of attention to etiquette earlier.
anwhile, Jero Bonaparte displayed an expression of humble acceptance, while winking at Elizabeth.
Jero Bonaparte hoped Elizabeth would understand his aning and help him out.
"Sister Augusta, His Majesty Jero just said he did this to ease the atmosphere!" Elizabeth did not disappoint Jero Bonaparte’s expectations; she imdiately helped Jero Bonaparte out.
"Really?" Augusta looked at Jero Bonaparte with a face full of doubt.
Although she was willing to believe Elizabeth’s words, Jero Bonaparte’s behavior had a precedent.
Back then, Jero Bonaparte called a bunch of soldiers to Tuileries Palace to eat and drink to maintain the army’s loyalty.
As a result, the entire Tuileries Palace imdiately turned into a den of bandits, and soldiers began ignoring their image after a few drinks.
The army’s crude language was also brought to Tuileries Palace, causing Jero Bonaparte to "suffer greatly."
Over ti, Jero Bonaparte unknowingly developed bad eating habits.
Originally, Empress Augusta wanted to help Jero Bonaparte correct these, but the trip to the Cria Peninsula led the emperor further down this path.
Augusta eventually abandoned thoughts of rescue, as long as the emperor didn’t do anything against etiquette in formal occasions.
Now, Elizabeth was saying Jero Bonaparte did this to ease the atmosphere, Augusta was sowhat reluctant to believe it.
"Indeed!" Jero Bonaparte quickly followed up, imdiately explaining his reasons to Empress Augusta.
"Your Majesty, I’ll trust you this ti!" Empress Augusta said with a smile, then she turned her gaze to Elizabeth and said earnestly, "Elizabeth, I think Jero was right just now, you really can’t keep blindly pursuing your figure!
You should also consider Sophie (the Princess)!"
"Sister Augusta, I won’t do it again!" Elizabeth nodded in response to Empress Augusta.
Soon after, Countess Raphaelt reentered the room, accompanied by a servant carrying a breakfast tray.
"Your Majesty the Empress, your breakfast is ready!" Countess Raphaelt commanded the servant to set the contents of the tray before Augusta, to which Empress Augusta said.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Empress Augusta nodded with a smile, then proceeded to eat slowly and carefully.
After twenty minutes, Empress Augusta put down her knife and fork and said to Countess Raphaelt behind, "I am full!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Countess Raphaelt promptly ordered the servant to clear away all the trays.
Just as Jero Bonaparte and the others were about to leave the dining room, Count Gneer reappeared to deliver Franz Joseph’s verbal ssage.
"His Majesty Jero Bonaparte, His Majesty Franz regrets that he cannot accompany you and Her Majesty Empress Augusta on your tour of Vienna!" Count Gneer paused and then addressed Elizabeth, "So His Majesty hopes, Her Majesty Empress Elizabeth, that you can take over this responsibility!"
"?" Elizabeth murmured softly.
"Indeed! Your Majesty the Empress!" Count Gneer nodded in response to Elizabeth.
"I understand!" Empress Elizabeth replied confidently to Count Gneer, then turned to glance at Jero Bonaparte and Augusta, "Where do you want to go?"
Jero Bonaparte thought for a mont and tentatively suggested, "How about we go fishing?"
"Fishing?"
Elizabeth recalled three years ago when she was still at Bossenhoften Palace; fishing was one of her favorite activities.
Since becoming Empress of the Austrian Empire, she had hardly touched a fishing rod.
Now that Jero Bonaparte had brought up fishing, Elizabeth felt a surge of excitent inside.
Empress Augusta couldn’t help but smile slightly; she rembered the last ti they went fishing, where Jero Bonaparte confidently set out to fish but didn’t catch anything all day.
Frustrated and embarrassed, he jumped into the river to catch fish, eventually exerting great effort to catch one.
On the way back to Tuileries Palace, Augusta asked Jero Bonaparte why he insisted on catching a fish himself.
Jero Bonaparte imdiately said so inexplicable words like "An angler never returns empty-handed."
"Alright!" Empress Augusta nodded and said.
"I’ll go prepare now!" Count Gneer imdiately went to prepare the fishing gear.
Then, Elizabeth also temporarily bid farewell to Jero Bonaparte and Augusta; she needed to change her outfit first.
...
Jero Bonaparte and Augusta stood in the main hall of Hofburg Palace, waiting for Count Gneer and Elizabeth to arrive.
A little while later, Elizabeth appeared before Jero Bonaparte, dressed in a tight black dress and wearing a black sun hat, holding a fishing rod in her hand.
Jero Bonaparte showed a hint of surprise on his face, pointing at Elizabeth’s fishing rod and asking, "Elizabeth, is this your fishing rod?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Elizabeth nodded in response to Jero Bonaparte.
"Could I take a look?" Jero Bonaparte asked Elizabeth.
Being a professional angler, Jero Bonaparte had so interest in fishing rods.
"Take a look!" Elizabeth handed the fishing rod to Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte repeatedly admired the fishing rod, showing a look of excitent on his face, "Nice! Really nice!"
Elizabeth displayed a proud expression; Jero Bonaparte’s praise was certainly a recognition of her.
At this mont, Count Gneer also appeared in front of Jero Bonaparte, holding two fishing rods, a small box of bait, and a net for storing fish.
"Your Majesty, we can set out!" Count Gneer called out to Jero Bonaparte.
Jero Bonaparte returned the fishing rod to Elizabeth, then took the fishing gear in hand.
"You don’t have to follow along!"
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