I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 914 Quiet Village

3 month 11 day.

Vienna's outskirts.

The warm spring breeze blew through the village of Trenheim, and the tender green grass stems all bent down, like a mother's hand gently stroking her child's head. Everything seemed so peaceful and lazy.

In the small manor on the northwest side of the village, there was a soft rustling sound from the marble fountain.

Mrs. Scherer sat under a short maple tree beside the pond, the golden sunlight shining through the gaps between the leaves and falling on the most popular novel in her hand.

Her eyes swept over the French words one by one, but she did not smile along with the plot in the book. Instead, a hint of fatigue inadvertently revealed between her brows.

The Springer Spaniel curled up at Mrs. Scherer's feet suddenly stood up and wagged its tail vigorously at the young man who was about sixteen or seventeen years old, tall and thin, with a pair of light gray eyes, who was walking into the yard.

"Mother, Mrs. Fink said that you asked the servants to sow oats with the serfs?" The young man took off his sword and threw it to the butler beside him. He loosened his tie irritably and said loudly, "When we return to Vienna, this will be regarded as a joke by everyone..."

"Shhh..." Mrs. Scherer put down the novel and raised her hand to signal, "Lucas, please pay attention to etiquette."

She remembered something and continued:

"By the way, Madame Colombier is coming to talk to me this afternoon about your service. You will have to help me decorate the drawing room. The chairs are very heavy, and it will require a strong arm."

The young man protested with a pout, "I'm going to go riding later. These things should be done by the maids."

Mrs. Scherer's voice became louder: "Lucas, don't be willful. You know, we are short of manpower at home recently."

In fact, she really didn't want her son to do these chores that were not appropriate for his status.

But the serfs in her family were conscripted in large numbers by the Emperor and sent to the battlefield, leaving the farmland unattended.

It is the spring sowing season now, and she had to order all the servants in the house to go to the fields to help, otherwise it would seriously affect this year's harvest.

Her husband needed money to maintain the necessary dignity in Vienna, and the family also had to spend money everywhere. Even if there was no money to bribe the masters of the Military Committee, her Lucas might be conscripted into the Guards.

If the harvest is poor, this family will soon be unable to survive.

Lucas shouted, "I hope David can come back soon. The reward given by the emperor will surely be enough to hire dozens of serfs, and then there will be no trouble."

David was his older brother, a lieutenant in cavalry in the Royal German Regiment.

Mrs. Scherer thought of the letter her eldest son sent back last week, and the worry on her face suddenly eased a little.

The letter said that the Emperor's army numbered more than 6 in northern Italy, while the French had less than troops and had been forced to abandon Trento.

She didn't know where Trento was, but she thought Marshal Alvinzi would return triumphantly soon.

Her David will come back with her.

Lucas came over and took her arm:

"Mother, when are we going back to Vienna? I really don't want to stay in this shabby place any longer. There are no balls, no salons, God!"

Mrs. Scheerer sighed. The last time the French troops approached Vienna, she was so scared that she and her family ran to the village of Trenheim.

At that time, that incident even caused the housing prices here to rise by 40% to 50%. Fortunately, his family had a small manor in the village.

She thought of her former neighbor, Deman, whose family had to live in a shabby farmhouse.

Although the French troops have withdrawn for more than half a month, people are still worried and want to wait and see how the situation develops.

She stroked her son's hair, which was reflecting the sunlight. "Wait until your brother comes back. Then we will go back to Vienna together."

She sighed again: "I heard that Baron Trapp and his family hid in Pressburg. I hope this will not affect your marriage with Miss Alice..." As Mrs. Scherer was speaking, she suddenly heard a bell ringing in the distance. She immediately stood up nervously and turned to look in the direction of the village church.

Usually, this is when something big happens.

Lucas suddenly shouted excitedly: "Ah! It must be Marshal Alvinzi who defeated the damn French! I'll go and see!"

However, before he ran out of the yard, he saw the family's servant Jocelyn running in with sweat all over his forehead, bumping into him and causing him to stumble.

The servant, however, acted as if he had not seen his master, and waved to Madam Scherer, saying:
"Madame, they say that Marshal Alvinzi was defeated by the French! Tens of thousands of people died, and tens of thousands were taken prisoner! Others say..."

Lucas grabbed the butler by the collar and said with glaring eyes:
"What did you say? This is impossible! You are talking nonsense!"

Although Mrs. Scherer's face was also pale, she still maintained her proper demeanor and said:

"Lucas, calm down! Jocelyn, what else did you hear?"

The servant swallowed and looked extremely nervous:

"What did they say? The French are coming towards Vienna with a hundred thousand troops. It's over, everything is over!"

Mrs. Scheerer interrupted him and said, "Don't shout, it's okay. Mantua is still a long way from Vienna. The marshals will definitely find a way to stop the French."

She paused, then looked at her youngest son and said, "Lucas, go get ready. We're going to Pressburg early tomorrow morning."

At this moment, the voice of the parish priest came from outside the manor:

"Please tell Mrs. Scheerer that the Military Committee has sent the list of the dead. Please send someone to the square in front of the church..."

Yes, it was this list of casualties that let the people in the village know the situation on the front line.

Mrs. Scherer did not hear clearly what the priest said next. The book in her hand fell to the ground with a "thump" and she turned around and rushed into the house.

Soon, she came out hastily wearing a coat and holding a hat in her hand, staring at the direction of the church:

"Lucas, I...I'll go check it out..."

The young man followed immediately.

Since the family's driver was away helping with sowing, they walked along the bumpy paths of the village for nearly half an hour before arriving at the parish church.

The place was already packed with people, all with their heads hung low, and from time to time the sharp cries of women could be heard from the bell tower.

The two priests comforted the people in a perfunctory manner - there were so many people who needed comfort that it was difficult for them to repeat the same words emotionally dozens of times.

Jocelyn pushed through the crowd, and Mrs. Scherer and her son squeezed under the bell tower.

Several officers stood in front of several huge wooden boards, pushing back anyone who came too close. On the boards were a dozen pieces of paper with names on them.

Those are the people who died in battle.

At this moment, whether they were serfs, self-employed farmers, or noble lords, there was no difference at all.

They are just a name on that piece of paper.

Oh, it's slightly different.

The page of the list of nobles was surrounded by a beautiful border of lace.

(End of this chapter)