How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?

"Camellia," Basel gripped the girl's shoulders tightly, staring intently into her exquisitely beautiful violet eyes, his tone stern, "You must go to Paris! Not only must you go, but you should also do everything in your power to get close to that Crown Prince."

Camellia was clearly taken aback, and said nervously, "Why... why? And I have no way of getting in touch with the Crown Prince..."

"Please trust your teacher!" Basel said earnestly, as if giving her a final lesson. "You just need to find a way to stay by the Queen of France's side. Becoming her maid is unlikely, but a servant should be possible—you are very familiar with Vienna Court Etiquette, Her Majesty the Queen will surely like you."

"The Crown Prince must visit the Queen often, so you'll run into him frequently. You should first learn about his habits and preferences, starting with simple greetings, and try to talk to him as much as possible."

"You are so beautiful, no one would refuse to talk to you."

Camellia stared blankly at her mentor and friend, Basel: "What are you saying? This is completely unimaginable..."

Basel, however, did not hesitate. "You need to play to your strengths. I mean, even at the Versailles Palace, you'll be the most eye-catching girl of all!"

"You need to make the Crown Prince infatuated with you. You need to be proactive... no, no, more importantly, you need to be careful not to make him feel like you're too forward. You need to make him feel very natural. Oh, I know this is difficult, and you don't have any similar experience, but you can ask the Noblewoman of the Versailles Palace for advice. They are all very good at this. Of course, this requires giving them some benefits and being willing to spend money..."

The Music Teacher became increasingly excited as she spoke, "Once those techniques have taken effect, well, once your relationship with the Crown Prince becomes very 'harmonious,' you must seize the opportunity—become his mistress!"

Camellia flinched as if stung by a bee, forcefully pulling her hands away from Basel's grasp. Her face flushed crimson, like the evening glow, she stared at the ground, shaking her head repeatedly. "Please stop... This, how can this be? I can't..."

"No, you can do it!" Basel shouted. "This is an opportunity that so many people dream of, a destiny bestowed upon you by God."

Trust me! You have to do this!

The girl frantically threw the Cocoa cup on the table and backed away. She had always trusted her teacher and had never made a mistake in handling things according to his instructions, but at this moment, she didn't know whether she should listen to him.

"I... I've come to say goodbye." She suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit, retreated to the door, and, with her back turned, felt for the doorknob before continuing, "I will write to you. You will always be my most trusted friend. God bless you. Now, I think I should go."

After she finished speaking, she forcefully opened the door and fled Basel's Villa without looking back.

Basel reached out his hand towards her retreating figure, then withdrew it, his hand trembling. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he murmured, "Will we ever meet again? My Camellia... Oh no, it's better if we don't."

I hope you have a happy life in Paris, I hope you are happy! You must be happy!

"But without you in my world, how am I supposed to live...?"

He saw the girl seem to turn back and look at him before getting into the Carriage, and immediately waved to her, "Come on, Camellia, go with His Crown Prince. It's alright, smile, yes! Smile!"

Camellia got into the car, feeling utterly confused. Mr. Basel had actually said it was her destiny, the destiny of becoming that man's mistress...

The handsome face of the Crown Prince of France flashed through her mind, and she trembled slightly, her cheeks flushing red. Indeed, as her teacher had said, countless girls dreamed of winning his favor. Should she really do it?

But the teacher had never lied to me, and the decisions he made for me had never been wrong...

She returned home lost in thought, it was nearly dusk.

From a distance, she saw the Manor gates were wide open—there shouldn't be anyone there—and hurriedly asked the France Servant anxiously, "Mr. Eric, it seems someone has come to the house?"

The Carriage stopped some distance away, Eric got out alone to check on the situation at the Manor. A moment later, several men dressed in Court Guard uniforms pushed him out, shouting something.

Camellia only vaguely heard words like "fraud" and "seizure"...

In a luxurious Villa in southwest Vienna, Baron Walter, with a heavily made-up woman in his arms, raised his wine glass to the group opposite him and said smugly, "That old hag is finally dead. Hahaha, God, you finally remembered you hadn't taken her with you. And I can finally get my hands on that lovely little lark."

On the sofa, a slightly overweight Nobility was groping the woman's chest beside him, teasingly saying, "Fred, I bet Miss Camellia will refuse you again, just like before, haha."

The other Nobility also smiled.

Walter forcefully pushed away the woman clinging to him, saying disdainfully, "I've already had Judge Meyer and Marquis Vilhorna make the arrangements. This time, she absolutely cannot refuse me."

"Just you wait and see," he patted the cushion next to him, smugly. "In two weeks at most, maybe even next week, you'll see my little sweetheart sitting here."

The other Nobility joined in the jeering, even cracking some risqué jokes, congratulating Walter on getting what he wanted.

"Yeah, I have to take her to that 'party' at the end of the month." Walter stroked his chin, a lewd grin spreading across his face. "Those guys at Backhaus will be drooling with envy, haha."

Just as Walter was boasting to his cronies, Joseph was in his room on the second floor of the Schönbrunn Palace, frowning as he looked at his Servant Eric: "You mean, the Court Guard seized the Delvaux Manor?"

The latter nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, they said that Madame Delvaux was involved in a fraud case before her death, and in addition to the Manor, three acres of property in the northern suburbs of Vienna have also been seized."

The responsibilities and powers of law enforcement in this era were very blurred. The military was an important department for law enforcement, while the Police usually only handled cases involving civilians. The fact that the Court Guard were mobilized indicates that this fraud case was extremely serious.

Camellia, who had been calmed down by the maid, burst into tears again upon hearing this.

Joseph's face darkened. He knew that his mother gave her wet nurse a sum of money every year, at least four or five Livre. Over the past ten years, that amount of money alone would have been enough for the Delvaux family to buy the Manor and that small amount of real estate. She had no reason to commit fraud.

Eric continued, "Oh, by the way, Your Highness, the Court Guard also said that Baron Walter knows some relevant evidence."

Upon hearing the name Walter, Joseph immediately understood.

"It really was this guy causing trouble!"