The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1725: Chapter 70: The Great Adventurers of [British]_3

This man walked every step as though he were on ironclad rails, yet he always appeared in the most unexpected places.

Thinking about this, Louis couldn’t help but recall the advice Arthur once gave him. He paused slightly, even his smile restrained a bit, ”Arthur, I must first apologize to you.”

The moment he spoke, the room suddenly grew quieter, even Dickens’s teacup was placed more gently.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, but he did not speak.

Louis coughed lightly and then continued, ”That year in Paris, I indeed suspected you... someone had passed me a few reports suggesting collusion between you and Talleyrand. I must admit, I was somewhat shaken at the time, even to the point I thought you and Thiers were in cahoots to take me down.”

At this point, he laughed self-deprecatingly, ”But thinking back now, I was probably too sensitive at the time. Sorry, I had just returned to France then, and besides rekindling the glory of the Bonaparte family, there wasn’t room for anything else in my heart, not even the sincere advice of some good friends.”

Hearing this, Arthur’s eyelid twitched; he didn’t expect that the person who tipped off Louis had actually discovered the fact of his dealings with Talleyrand.

Although his dealings with Talleyrand did not involve any threat to Louis’s personal safety, Talleyrand merely requested him to bring Louis to Paris, so Louis could represent the July Monarchy Government in bringing back his uncle Napoleon’s remains from Saint Helena Island, stabilizing the Bonaparte Party’s sentiments for Louis Philippe’s government.

Yet, the feeling of having the corner of his plan exposed still made Arthur uncomfortable, especially considering that the person who exposed his plan dared to embellish it by saying he intended to team up with Thiers to eliminate Louis. It was simply unbearable.

Arthur did not immediately respond; instead, he picked up the red tea beside him, took a sip, and only then unhurriedly spoke, ”You were indeed reported.”

Louis’s expression froze for a moment, and everyone held their breath nervously.

”But it wasn’t done by me.” Arthur put down his teacup, his gaze calm, ”You should know, I was carrying out diplomatic missions involving Young Italy on orders from the Foreign Office at that time. Moreover, putting you in danger does not align with Britain’s interests.”

”Do you know who it was?”

Arthur shook his head, half-truthfully deceiving, ”I don’t know. At that time, I was at the Russian Embassy. Honestly, when I learned from the Foreign Office that you might launch a coup in Strasbourg, I was also surprised. I thought of writing to you to advise, but before that letter could be sent, Alexander’s letter saying you had already been arrested arrived in Saint Petersburg. However... if you want to know who it is, I might ask the little tails following you; they might know something.”

After speaking, Arthur raised his hand, pointing out the window at two passersby reading newspapers.

Everyone glanced out the window in shock, not yet understanding what’s going on, when Louis’s face sank, ”Sorry, this is on me; I didn’t realize I was being followed.”

”Those two people...” Dickens scratched his head; his frown gradually relaxed as well, ”Wait! We seem to have seen them at the pier.”

Arthur stood up unperturbed, ”People from the Foreign Office, Mr. Auguste Schneider’s subordinates. Or, in other words, Benjamin, these two will be your subordinates from now on.”