Chapter 156: Roland is injured

Thinking of this, Roland couldn't help but feel regretful. If only he had been more clever, found a couple of helpers, or even brought a gun, perhaps this tragedy wouldn't have happened. Due to the small power, short range, heaviness, and non-automatic nature of pistols in this era, Roland had always refused to carry such a crude weapon.

Originally, with the stabilization of the French political situation, the security in Paris had improved over the past two years. Moreover, being in the Palace of Versailles, a gathering place for numerous high-ranking officials and dignitaries, the security forces here were naturally formidable. Added to that was Roland's status as Napoleon's favorite nephew, with an unlimited future ahead of him; very few dared to have designs on him. Therefore, he had never considered himself to be in danger. But he had never expected to capsize in a ditch today.

"Ah! It hurts so much!" Roland tried to sit up, but immediately a throbbing pain came from the back of his head. Roland remembered that he had been knocked out.

"You bastard! How dare you knock me out! Vuren, I'll remember you. You better not let me catch you, or I'll make you regret it," Roland said fiercely. Since crossing over, he had never suffered such a big loss.

Just then, the door was opened and two people hurried in. Roland saw that it was his father Louis and his mother Maria. Both were still in their evening wear, so Roland could deduce that they had been summoned from the banquet, indicating that he hadn't been unconscious for long.

Seeing Roland lying in bed, Maria immediately ran over, grasping Roland's hand and saying, "Thank God! Son, are you alright? Please don't scare Mom like this."

Seeing Maria's anxious expression, Roland's eyes couldn't help but moisten. Indeed, in this world, only a mother worries about her son the most.

"Mom, I'm fine now. I'm much better," Roland reassured her.

"That's good. Remember, you're not allowed to wander around alone in the future. Even if you have to go out, you must bring enough guards," Maria said with concern.

At this moment, Louis also walked over. He came to Roland's side and asked with concern, "Roland, are you alright?"

Roland nodded. Although it was only this sentence, Roland could still feel Joseph's deep fatherly love for him. Sometimes, a man's love didn't need to be expressed in words.

"By the way, Dad, how did you know I was injured? And how did I end up here?" After a moment, Roland asked.

"He informed us," Louis turned around, revealing a figure behind him, and said to Roland.

"It's you! Marlin." Seeing the person behind, Roland couldn't help but smile. It seemed that Marlin understood the hand signal Roland gave him.

"Oh! Thank you so much. Thank you for saving my son. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what I would have done." Maria hurried forward, shaking Marlin's hand, and expressed her gratitude.

"It's nothing, ma'am. Roland and I are very close friends. When he was in danger, of course I had to go save him." Facing Maria's thanks, Marlin scratched his head awkwardly and said.

"How is that girl doing now? Is she okay?" Roland asked again. After all, she was Jobst's sister, so Roland naturally cared about her.

But upon hearing Roland's question, Louis and Maria both flashed a playful look in their eyes. Both of them almost thought at the same time: "The girl? Has this kid fallen in love early? Had a date with a girl by the river and then ran into trouble? In the end, Roland couldn't help but play the hero to save the beauty, but it didn't work out."

However, Roland didn't notice the two's expressions, so he didn't know what they were thinking. Even if he did notice, he probably wouldn't care because she was his friend's sister.

"Oh, by the way, Marlin, how are those guys who attacked me?" Roland asked, referring to the ones who had assaulted him. Roland wasn't the kind of petty person who wouldn't let those who attacked him go without retaliation.

"I've already arrested all of them. But Roland, when did you become so weak? You ended up injured against five little ruffians?" Marlin said expressionlessly to Roland, though his tone carried an obvious hint of mockery.

"Marlin, enough. It was just a careless mistake that caught me off guard. They ambushed me," Roland stubbornly defended himself, trying to salvage his pride.

However, Marlin responded to Roland with a smile that was somewhat mocking.

"Marlin, what are you laughing at?" Roland pretended to be annoyed.

"I'm laughing at you!" Marlin answered honestly.

"Alright, alright. I won't argue with you. I want to ask, where did you take those little ruffians? Where are they now?" Roland asked.

"They are in the military's confinement cell, but the leader is from the Oudolf family. That complicates things quite a bit," Marlin replied, even he seemed somewhat troubled. Obviously, the Oudolf family had considerable influence in Paris.

"The Oudolf family!" Louis's expression changed upon hearing the name.

"What's wrong, dear? Are they very powerful? I don't care, they hurt my son, so they must pay," Maria said excitedly, holding Roland tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"This Virtue I've heard of. He's a notorious playboy in Paris, known for bullying the weak and deceiving respectable women, all because of his family's influence. He's caused quite a stir. But his father, Maurice Oudolf, is just a mayor in Paris. In terms of family influence, they're far behind our Bonaparte family," Louis explained.

"But rest assured, Maurice Oudolf is only a mayor in Paris. Compared to the Bonaparte family, their influence is far less," Louis continued proudly, his head held high. Clearly, the power of the Bonaparte family made him proud as a descendant.

"Alright, then. Make sure to teach these guys a good lesson. They dared to hurt my Roland. I will never forgive them," Maria said angrily.

"Oh, by the way, did you remind Napoleon brother?" Maria continued to ask, in her impression, Napoleon was the pride of the Bonaparte family, and a very powerful person. If he was willing to help Roland, then this matter would be foolproof.

"Of course, I informed Napoleon as soon as the incident happened. I believe he will arrive soon," Louis nodded and said.

He knew that although the Bonaparte family far surpassed the Oudolf family, he himself might not necessarily be able to suppress Maurice Oudolf in a background confrontation. After all, the power of the Bonaparte family relied on Napoleon, not himself. He was just a small logistical officer. Maurice Oudolf might not necessarily regard him highly.

At eight o'clock in the evening, inside the Palace of Versailles, Napoleon had just left the banquet. Despite successfully leading the French army to defeat the Austrian forces in the recent battle, it didn't mean he could rest easy. On the contrary, there were still many matters in France that required his attention.

In the evening, after attending the banquet, Napoleon went straight back to his office.

"Talleyrand, did you see anything at today's banquet?" Napoleon sat down as soon as he entered the office, then asked his Foreign Minister, Talleyrand.

"I did, Your Excellency. The Austrians and the Dutch seem to be getting very close. They appear to have some conspiracy," Talleyrand answered, bowing slightly.

"I don't care what conspiracy they have. I only know that the great French army is invincible. Even if the Dutch and Austrians really conspire together, I'm not afraid. I can defeat them the first time, and then defeat them again the second time," Napoleon said indifferently.

Napoleon did not hide his disdain for the Austrians. After the Italian War, he had thoroughly understood their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, faced with the threatening Austrians, he had no fear.