Chapter 464: Galieni's Old Wounds Recur
In the end, Charles only received an insignificant piece of information.
At the airport, the thoughtful Mr. Girard, along with the others, said his farewells to Charles and waited outside, intentionally giving Charles and Lucia a chance to be alone together.
"Sorry," Lucia said. "Our relationship has spread through Belgium, so..."
"I know," Charles nodded, already having guessed as much.
Then, Charles asked, "I didn't disappoint them, did I?"
Lucia smiled faintly, lifting her coffee cup, "What do you think?"
Charles didn't need to do anything extraordinary. His status alone would have won over any parents, and besides, his behavior was appropriate. But Charles seemed unconcerned with that; he quickly changed the subject to something more pressing: "Nothing happened in Paris, right?"
Lucia thought for a moment before replying, "People are very angry about Grevy's betrayal, especially since it was aimed at you. They plan to send him to the guillotine next week."
"Hmm," Charles responded indifferently. He had already received this information.
Grevy was asking for trouble. This idealistic, stubborn man could only be sent to the guillotine to avoid becoming a problem for Charles.
Lucia continued, "Armand was acquitted. Some suspect that the Second Bureau captured Grevy based on his intel."
Charles nodded without changing his expression.
The truth, however, was that Charles had arranged through Colonel Fernand from Galieni's team that Armand would cooperate with him. In exchange, he would help Charles rally support for the right-wing; otherwise, he would be executed alongside Grevy as a traitor.
Any intelligent person would have accepted those terms.
Lucia lowered her coffee cup and stole a glance at Charles, hesitating before asking, "You don't... have anything else to say?"
Charles stared at Lucia, paused for a moment, and then suddenly seemed to understand. He leaned in closer, and their breaths met.
Lucia's heart raced, both startled and pleased, thinking, "Finally, this guy has figured it out."
To her surprise, Charles lowered his voice and said:
"The intelligence you provided about Belgium was very accurate, and the guerrillas you contacted played a significant role in this battle."
"The victory in this battle is also thanks to your contribution."
"Next, the focus of intelligence should shift to the enemy-occupied areas, especially the line between Leuven and Namur Forts."
Lucia's heart sank, and she could not hide her disappointment. Still, she answered quietly, "Yes, General."
...
Lucia forced a smile as she dealt with her family's curious questions all the way back to Ghent. Only after she locked herself in her room did she allow the tears of frustration to fall.
She sat on the bed, feeling a deep sense of regret for taking on this assignment. She had thought being Charles's girlfriend would be easy, but she had no idea it would be such torment.
If she could, she would ask to be reassigned.
But Lucia knew that was unrealistic. There were only two ways to "get reassigned" — either Charles would break up with her, or she would have to break up with him.
Neither seemed normal, and both could potentially expose her identity and endanger "The White Lady."
Lucia realized that she was stuck in a situation where, whether she liked it or not, she had no choice but to play this role.
"Lucia?" Her mother's voice came from downstairs. "Relatives and friends are here to see you!"
Lucia quickly got up and checked her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were slightly red and swollen. She knew that might give her away. Besides, she wasn't in the mood or had the energy to deal with them.
Pretending to be tired, Lucia answered in a faint voice, "I'm exhausted, Mom. I want to rest for a while."
"Okay," her mother replied helplessly.
Lucia changed into her pajamas, climbed into bed, and continued to resent Charles. She wanted to smack that clueless idiot over the head.
At that moment, her mother softly knocked on the door: "Lucia? The mayor wants to see you. He said he'd like us to join him for dinner tomorrow night."
Lucia hesitated for a moment, then turned towards the door and answered, "Mom, I only took two days off. I'm going back to Paris tomorrow!"
"Okay." Her mother hesitated a moment before replying, "I'll tell him no."
After a while, there was another knock on the door.
Lucia nearly snapped. She threw the blanket off and poked her head out, speaking in an irritable tone, "Mom, I just want to sleep! I don't want to see anyone!"
Damn Charles! All this because of him.
All those who wanted to see me only did so because I'm Charles's girlfriend. They don't know how difficult it is to play this role!
"Lucia!" Her mother's voice came from outside, tinged with a note of panic, "It's His Majesty the King. He's downstairs and wants to have dinner with us!"
Lucia bolted upright, her face filled with disbelief.
The King?
King Albert I?
Downstairs?!
Okay, then it hit her. Although the King had supreme authority in Belgium, internationally speaking, Charles was far more important than King Albert I.
Once again, it was because of that bastard! Why can't I escape his shadow wherever I go?!
...
At Antwerp Airport, it was now afternoon.
Charles and Tiziani agreed that they could reduce the frequency of fighter plane take-offs.
"We've shot down 39 German reconnaissance planes," Tiziani said proudly, "Not a single one was a fighter plane."
He then mockingly added, "The Germans are scared of our 'Camels.' They can't compare to it in speed or maneuverability."
This was all thanks to the design of the "Camel" fighter.
This was an idea Charles had brought in from a British car company. They had concentrated the engine, pilot, fuel tank, and weaponry near the aircraft's center of gravity.
This allowed the plane to generate additional torque when turning in the air, making the turning radius smaller.
With the engine's high thrust, the Camel could turn faster, and when the German "Fokker E1" finished two loops, the "Camel" had already completed three.
This huge advantage allowed the Camel to easily catch up to the "Fokker E1," even if the Camel had run out of ammunition, and the enemy had no way to deal with it.
"We can't be complacent," Charles said, marking the locations of the downed enemy reconnaissance planes on the map. "The Germans might just be testing the range of our fighter planes. From what we're seeing, it looks like they have a plan."
Tiziani was startled and then nodded slightly, his face becoming more serious.
Using reconnaissance planes to test the range of fighter planes clearly indicated that they were preparing for later logistical or artillery advances, or possibly making plans for operations beyond the Camel's control zone.
"Brigadier," the communications officer suddenly exclaimed, "General Galieni has been hospitalized."
"What?" Charles shot up, his expression turning tense. "What happened?"
"It's said that he had a dispute with the Commander-in-Chief (Foch)," the communications officer answered. "The general got so angry that his old wounds flared up, and he collapsed in the car."
Charles's face darkened.
He understood the cause immediately. Galieni had tried to persuade Foch to delay Romania's entry into the Allies.
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