Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Actually, Solovyov was not very skilled in cutting duck with a knife, but after slicing it in this way, he finished the dish according to the standards of roast duck.

It’s just the sauce that’s obviously a matter of personal preference.

However, during the meal, Napoleon still mentioned some information about Archduke Karl, and Solovyov could not understand his intention for a while.

".You mean Archduke Karl? He is now living in seclusion in Teschen's official residence, staying indoors with his Bourbon woman. I didn't keep in touch with him before I left. As for the book we co-authored, we have only completed eleven chapters."

"If you analyze battle examples this way, you will make rapid progress. However, theory is static, and application is dynamic. If it were Carl, I believe he would be able to apply it very well. This time in Wagram, it was already very difficult to defeat him, and it has become even more troublesome."

"Fighting is only the last part. If you are like Mr. Talleyrand, you can only do it through diplomacy."

"You put strategic planning first and diplomacy second, and there is nothing wrong with that. These theories are not wrong. Only when you cannot get what you want at the negotiation table will you resort to military means."

"But you underestimated Mr. LI."

Solovyov's reminder was actually something that many people in France had done before. He was just testing Napoleon.

According to Talleyrand's description, Napoleon no longer cared so much about his subordinates' plans after he achieved a series of brilliant victories. Therefore, when Talleyrand was mentioned, he would only sneer at him, at most he would be more cautious, and then he could not do without this man.

This is a very contradictory idea, and the emperor himself deliberately changed the subject.

"Let's talk about Karl and his Bourbon women. Strangely enough, the royalists weren't very interested in Louis XVI's only princess."

"Because she had no interest in politics, Her Majesty the Queen knew it very well. At that time, as a guest in the palace, the Bourbon princess had always wanted to escape from marriage. Then, after a series of arrangements, she became the Grand Duchess of Teschen."

"That's fine. We don't want to continue to be stained with blood. To be honest, it's hard to evaluate the sentencing standards for Louis XVI and his queen, the Austrian woman, during the trial."

"Your Majesty, let's put this issue aside. The most important thing is peace, and we have to eliminate the roast duck."

Considering that there were too many women and children at the table today, Napoleon did not say much and just proceeded step by step.

But for some reason, today Polina took Katya and Sylvia and left quickly. The latter was her housekeeper and Solovyov's mistress. It was really confusing that a lover took away his legal wife.

The reason was simple. They were going to continue taking a bath in the evening and then hold a small salon.

If they wanted to hold a salon, Catherine would not be able to bring sisters Maria and Catherine, and she would go back to the palace with her husband.

Maria is the only one here, and that's a big problem.

"Maria, I'm also curious, why are you still here? The children have been sent back to Weimar?"

"Yes, you've seen Polina and Katya getting along really well these past few days, which is really unexpected."

"If you have nothing else to do, I think it would be better for you to go back to the guest room."

"No, I want you to accompany me today."

Solovyov knew that Maria's affection for him began when they were in the Winter Palace.

But fate can really play tricks on her. Silvia was unwilling to get married due to religious reasons; Paulina had a ridiculous reputation, and Napoleon agreed to let her sister marry a Roman prince; Louisa's situation was similar to Maria's, but Solovyov had a deep affection for her, but they could not be together because of their status and identity, and because Louisa was the Queen of Russia.

Otherwise, it is unlikely that Louisa arranged for Katya to be her wife after telling Alexander about it.

But Maria is the only one among these women who is still "unrepentant". She has been pestering me since she was still a jumping girl, and she is even a little bit "lingering". This ambiguous relationship has lasted for a long time.

"At home, only my father takes the best care of me, because I had smallpox and if it was dangerous, I would die. He lost Olga and he doesn't want to lose any of us again."

"But the emperor is not caring about you just for this reason. It's because you are very sensible and willing to help your brothers and sisters and friends. Your kindness is also very important. Although as the spouse of the monarch or the crown prince, it is a royal duty to do some charity work, I think you are the only one who has been doing it seriously."

"That's because we're always together, and you've been to Weimar before, so you know the situation here. In fact, my sisters are doing it too, but not like me."

"No wonder the Queen said it was a pity that you were not a boy. If you were a boy, you would have been an outstanding warrior."

"No, I'm not like Constantine. He's a bit reckless. I still like people like you who are thoughtful and attentive. Besides, I haven't figured out what other skills you have hidden yet."

Maria was wearing a red dress and had a slender figure, so she didn't need to do the "fainting trick" and just leaning on his shoulders was obviously quite lethal.

As for the fact that I didn’t notice it before, it was probably because Maria was a hidden beauty. After getting married, she looked very beautiful even without dressing up.

It's just that the weather in Versailles is so cold.
"Let's go for a walk together."

"You are wearing so little, how can this be possible?"

"If I go back to get my clothes, Katya will know. Although I like you, I don't want to hurt her feelings. Please put on your coat for me."

Solovyov put his coat over her and wrapped her in it.

Now, he finally understood that there must be something special about Polina and Ekaterina today.

Polina called Katya over and asked her to take a bath and shower at night. This was just an excuse to lure her away. But why did she help Maria? This move was incomprehensible.

But Polina did not treat Catherine, a "wild girl" princess, like she treated her aunt. Instead, she was very friendly to her. Perhaps it was because they had similar personalities.

As for other aspects, Solovyov was unlikely to figure out the situation. After all, he would not attend some of the more private salons of these young ladies, not when Maria and Catherine were still little girls.

At that time, whenever they wanted to do something, they would always ask a maid to stand guard, or ask a guard officer to stand as a fake sentry at the door.

The situation is different now. Solovyov is still unaware of Polina's tricks, but he has to accompany Maria alone.

The Palace of Versailles is so big, with many rooms and many places to walk.

In addition, in Napoleon's time, there were not many rooms with servants at the door. Most of the rooms were empty, and there were not so many guests here. It looked very deserted, but this was also the once magnificent Versailles Palace.

When Napoleon came here to live, he usually chose the Grand Trianon, and Paulina occupied the Petit Trianon. Most of the places were still empty, and these halls were enough for Solovyov and Maria to take a look around.

Maria felt quite warm in Solovyov's coat.

"It's very warm, Mishka, but the coat is a little too thick for here."

"You're wearing such a thin skirt, aren't you afraid of catching a cold? It would be even more troublesome if you got pneumonia."

In short, this was premeditated, and it is hard to say what will happen today.

Maria always does things in an unexpected way. Who knows what she will do next time.

Now, if I let myself speak according to my conscience, as I did with Louisa, I would be unsure.

Besides, considering the current situation of Katya and Polina, he must sleep alone at night.

"It doesn't matter, but do you like this dress?"

“How should I evaluate it?”

Maria obviously realized that Solovyov was still a little resistant, so she moved closer and started talking into his ear.

"Just tell me, does it look good or not? Also, do you like me?"

This is not truth or dare, but among the five princesses, Maria and Elena are indeed more down-to-earth and can get along well with low-level nobles, servants and civilians.

Her advantage over Elena is probably that she is more lively, and more people respect Elena and are more friendly to her.

As for her success this time, she was completely trapped in Solovyov's arms and could not escape.

Solovyov also realized that Maria had known him since she was twelve years old, and now she was only twenty-three years old. Every time she asked or forced him to do something, it was not easy for him to find a reason to refuse.

"It looks good. Also, I pity that we are both married. How can you be engaged at the age of fourteen?"

If we exclude off-field factors, the girls in the palace are indeed very cute. Paul and Queen Maria were well-educated and were somewhat more popular than the subsequent archduchesses who were somewhat detached from the common people.

"This is destiny. If you were the son of a prince, or the son of an earl at that time, I would have talked to my father and maybe I could have become your wife."

"That's unlikely. The misfortune that happened to Katish may happen to me. Although Katya and I have a good relationship, I am also worried that something will happen to me one day, if bullets or shells don't have eyes. And look here."

Solovyov unbuttoned his collar to show Maria the scar on his collarbone.

"I was stabbed by a French bayonet. I was already a general at the time. If I had met with an accident and was lucky enough not to die, but was injured and disfigured, with scars all over my body, it would have been very ugly. Would you still like me as much as before?"

"I like your talent, but I'm not like my cousin who was staring at your face like a fangirl."

By the way, when Solovyov met Bagration's wife, the "little fairy" from St. Petersburg, the little girl, who was only a little girl, flirted with him and tried to attract his attention.

Well, Solovyov could still resist at that time, but since he got together with Louisa, he probably couldn't control himself.

Although this would be like throwing the blame upon yourself, in St. Petersburg, if you were talented, handsome, an officer of the Guards or a court attendant, it would be difficult not to attract the attention of noble ladies.

It’s just that what Solovyov encountered was of too high a level and configuration.

As for Maria saying this, it is naturally confirmed that she is still a good girl who is more interested in other people's talents, rather than...
But the two of them were alone together, and her thoughts were always more dangerous than being ambiguous. However, Solovyov probably couldn't separate because she was hiding in his arms.

Moreover, the Palace of Versailles from the Napoleonic era has been maintained and has so many vacant rooms.

As for Maria pouting and wanting to kiss him, Solovyov could not refuse. After careful consideration, the other party said that even if he was disfigured and became disabled, as long as his smart mind was still there, he would still love him.
"Luckily we all have the good habit of cleaning our mouths, if it's mixed with garlic..."

Solovyov's words were sometimes so unromantic. As for the fact that he had his hands on Maria's waist, there was always something strange about what he said.
But Maria didn't complain and rested her chin on Solovyov's shoulder.

"You always talk like that at times like this. Just kissing isn't enough. What is this place?"

The two of them chose this room and found it empty except for the pool table.

The Venus Room in the Palace of Versailles once had a large number of exquisite silver furniture in addition to billiard tables. However, due to the huge expenses of the War of the Spanish Succession, many of the furniture were melted down. Now there are only some billiard tables here, but someone cleans them regularly.

"Mishka, you amorous bastard, have you ever tried it on the carpet before?"

When Maria said this, her face felt a little hot, as if she had a fever. She knew what she was talking about, so blushing and feeling shy was inevitable.

After all, she had never had a lover before, and although her husband was a little cowardly, she still married well. Now...
"On the carpet? Oh, that has never happened before, but I have heard that it is always the case with the Greeks and the Balkans."

"Just think of me as a Greek woman with big feet, but my body is not that strong"

But Maria still has a good figure. She is "disarming" herself, and she is doing it in the Venus Hall.

"Of course, your feet are quite big. If you calculate this size based on shoe size, it would be about the same as some shorter men."

As Soloviev said this, he also spread his coat on the carpet, picked up Maria, and then laid her on it.

As for the outside of the floor-to-ceiling window, the moonlight shining on Maria's body was indeed very beautiful.

This winter is probably the most peaceful, just like being in the Winter Palace, with a hint of youthful sweetness. (End of this chapter)