He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 32

(31) Winning the Hearts of the Bonaparte Family

The time had finally come to meet the Bonaparte family.

“Marseille is such a wonderful place. Hahaha!”

In reality, Toulon was only 30 kilometers from Marseille.

So, although they had set off with great fanfare, Napoleon’s party was moving slowly by carriage.

It wasn’t a large group with an army; it was quite simple.

Just Napoleon, Junot, Marmont, other adjutants, and Eugene’s subordinates, that was all.

Even including Marceau, Tournay, and Hippolyte, there were only about 10 people.

At the center of it all was, of course, Napoleon.

Junot listened to Napoleon’s chatter and tilted his head.

Napoleon wasn’t originally from Marseille, so how would he know?

“How do you know that, General?”

“Well, my whole family has settled there, so I know, Junot.”

“Huh, the whole family? Where were you from, General? Corsica?”

Suddenly, Napoleon ground his teeth and spat out the words.

“Yes, I ran away without a penny, all because of that damn Paoli.”

Currently, Napoleon was appointed as a military attaché to the Genoa region and was on his way.

Of course, he wasn’t directly taking office in Genoa.

However, staying in nearby Marseille and monitoring military trends in the Genoa area was the task assigned to Napoleon by the National Convention.

In fact, although he was promoted to brigadier general, it was a position created because there was no suitable corps to command.

But Napoleon willingly accepted the position.

Why?

Because his whole family was in Marseille.

After being expelled from Corsica, the family was entirely dependent on Napoleon’s salary.

So, he needed to stay in Marseille for a while to take care of his family.

Anyway, Napoleon was surprisingly a man who cared about his family.

Even though he never actually took care of them.

‘He seems like a typical Italian patriarch.’

As Eugene sat in the carriage, lost in thought, Hippolyte suddenly asked.

“So, are you going to see your family, General?”

“Huh? Well, yes? It’s a Corsican tradition to invite close people to their homes. Haha!”

“That’s just what French people do too. Well, do you have any pretty younger sisters?”

As expected of the future playboy of history, Hippolyte was looking for beautiful women first.

But there was a problem.

Eugene realized this and tried to stop Napoleon.

However, older brothers with young sisters tend to be doting.

With a very proud face, Napoleon waved his hand contentedly.

“My sister is off-limits! She’s still young! Well, there’s one who will be married off soon.”

“How old is she?”

“Maria Anna, or now Élisa, renamed in the French style? 16 years old. But, well, she’s not very pretty.”

So, he was implying he had a pretty younger sister.

Hippolyte’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Eugene watched from the side and smiled wryly.

Maria Paola, or Pauline in French.

Indeed, Pauline Bonaparte, a woman who would leave her name in history as a notorious flirt.

Still 13 years old, almost the same age as Eugene.

But surprisingly, she already had men chasing after her.

Instead of explaining, Eugene added a little flattery and praised Élisa.

“Instead, she must be smart, like the General.”

This was actually true.

Élisa Bonaparte was the best ruler in the Bonaparte family after Napoleon.

Right now, she was just a dropout from a girls’ school.

Still, Napoleon, being a doting brother, smiled happily.

“She is quite smart. Well, there’s no one as good as me in our family. Hahaha!”

“There probably won’t be anyone who can follow you in this era, General.”

“Wow, boy soldier. Not only good at charging, but even better at flattery?”

Junot clicked his tongue from the side, then glanced at the letter Eugene was reading and smiled slyly.

“Oh? What are you reading so intently? Is it a princess’s love letter?”

It seemed he had become a target of teasing after seeing Marie Thérèse’s letter last time.

Eugene waved his hand.

It wasn’t Marie Thérèse’s letter, and even less a love letter.

“You were in charge of mail, what are you talking about, Andoche? It’s from a dark-skinned man. Or, is he white-haired?”

“Who is it? Oh, is it someone from the bank? Lecamier?”

“I would have been more excited if it was. It’s a congressman. Fouché.”

Joseph Fouché, the one called Napoleon’s [hound] in the future of the original history.

Right now, he had no connection with Napoleon.

Moreover, he wasn’t particularly famous, and was instead gaining notoriety for his brutal suppression of a rebellion in his hometown.

Because of this, Napoleon’s adjutants and Eugene’s subordinates were more surprised by the fact that he was a [congressman] than by Fouché himself.

Of course, Eugene only had a connection with him from when he rescued Lafayette.

Marmont joined in, admiringly.

“Oh, you must have lived a glamorous life in Paris, Major. What’s the matter?”

“It’s just an informational letter. My acquaintance, Colonel Lazare Hoche, won in Thionville and Dunkirk. I heard he’s getting promoted to brigadier general soon.”

“Huh? Isn’t that the Rhine front? Good for him. We’ll have to participate there soon, too.”

Marmont clicked his tongue with a hint of envy and jealousy.

He was still a young officer, so it wasn’t very noticeable, but his competitive spirit and desire for advancement were quite evident.

Of course, Hoche was too outstanding to be Marmont’s competitor.

At that time, Hoche’s real competitor, Napoleon, replied nonchalantly.

“The Rhine is a dangerous and unprofitable battlefield.”

Everyone on the carriage looked at Napoleon.

The Rhine River region was the core of the so-called [Revolutionary Wars] that France was currently waging.

The capital, Paris, and other major cities were all in the north.

Also, the main force of the Revolutionary Army and the main force of foreign invading armies were all concentrated on the Rhine.

It was a place that soldiers would naturally think of as the most glorious battlefield.

However, Napoleon frowned at the sunlight streaming into the carriage and said.

“It’s a place where offensives and counteroffensives continue. It’s like winning and then losing, and even if you win again, it’s difficult to advance.”

“Why?”

“Adjutant Eugene, you must have read history books, right? During the time of Louis XIV, the concept of a natural defense line was created. The Rhine front is fighting right on that defense line.”

Natural defense line.

This was the concept that natural boundaries such as mountain ranges, great rivers, and seas formed national borders.

It was popular in Europe from the 17th century, and Louis XIV’s lifelong goal was to expand France to this natural defense line.

This was the origin of the Rhine River, which was originally the territory of the German princes of the Holy Roman Empire, coming under French influence.

It was a place where war had been waged for over 200 years.

Therefore, enemy fortresses and allied fortresses were constantly being built.

Napoleon stared at the sky and muttered.

“To break that, you need a wonderful detour strategy.”

At that moment, Eugene blurted out without realizing it.

“Italy.”

Everyone, including Marmont, Junot, and Marceau, stared blankly at Eugene.

It was a completely irrelevant statement, so it was a natural reaction.

Currently, the main enemies of the Revolutionary Army were Austria and Prussia, and the enemy backing them was England.

Wasn’t Toulon, where Napoleon and Eugene fought recently, eventually occupied by the British?

So why did he think of Italy?

It was a simple story.

The way for Napoleon to lead the Revolutionary War to victory was to conquer Italy.

Not just a detour on the battlefield, but a detour operation on a European continental scale through Italy.

That was an operation that no one in this era dared to imagine or attempt.

Napoleon became a legend because he was the only one who succeeded in this operation.

But it was still a strategy close to a dream.

Napoleon stared at Eugene and burst into a hearty laugh.

“Indeed, our boy soldier is a talent I can specially recruit. Hahaha!”

At that moment, the coachman slowly stopped the horse, and the sound of horse cries was loud.

-Neighhhhh!

Napoleon glanced over and smiled.

“Here, finally Marseille. Welcome to the peaceful port city, everyone.”

In the distance, the Mediterranean port of Marseille, surrounded by hills, was visible.

It was the place where Eugene first met Napoleon, and he had returned.

***

Of course, there was someone to meet in Marseille before the Bonaparte family.

That was the commander of the Marseille garrison, the person in charge.

He was the one who would leave Napoleon in charge of the aftermath and depart.

But surprisingly, a familiar face greeted Napoleon with a warm welcome.

It was General Jacques François Dugommier, the commander of the Toulon suppression army.

“Welcome, Brigadier General Bonaparte! Just as I was about to leave for the Spanish border, a good military attaché has arrived.”

General Dugommier was also on his way to a new post, passing through Marseille after the Toulon suppression.

France was already entering a state of war across its entire border.

In later years, the famous battlefields were Italy, the Rhine, and Toulon, but those were not the only borders.

The border between France and Spain, the Pyrenees Mountains, was also in a state of war.

Why?

Because the royal family of the Kingdom of Spain was none other than the Bourbon family.

This was also a seed sown by Louis XIV.

“This time, we drove out Naples from Toulon, and next, we will drive out Spain from the Pyrenees. That way, we can prevent the restoration of the old Bourbon monarchy!”

General Dugommier shouted with a confident face.

That was the strategic structure that the National Convention was drawing.

Eliminating the possibility of a monarchy restoration.

To do that, they had to defeat the foreign forces that still harbored the Bourbon royal family.

Sending the victor of Toulon to the Pyrenees Mountains was part of that.

Napoleon smiled and greeted him.

“You will do well. And I thank you for what happened in Toulon the other day, Commander Dugommier.”

“No need to thank me, the General and General Lapoype did it all back then. I just fought according to the General’s plan.”

“In the first place, everything was possible because the Commander accepted my plan. Think about the previous commander. He only insisted on his own way and killed valuable soldiers.”

At that moment, Dugommier, who was busy preparing to leave, frowned.

“General Bonaparte, let me give you one piece of advice. Stay away from politics.”

Napoleon hesitated at the very strict words.

“Yes? What do you mean by that?”

“You are an excellent soldier. You may become the person who leads this France in the future. But, politicians are an untrustworthy bunch. They are people who change their words at any time.”

“…I see. I will keep that in mind.”

In fact, Napoleon became the chief of staff in Toulon because of ‘politics’.

It was thanks to the power of Saliceti, a powerful figure in the National Convention and a fellow countryman of Auguste Robespierre.

Of course, Dugommier, who recognized Napoleon’s skills, had not pointed out this problem in the meantime.

This was because the [crossfire] tactic led by Napoleon was what broke through the British army’s defenses in Toulon in a short period of time.

However, Dugommier, who was a born soldier, seemed to have been bothered by this all along.

Dugommier patted Napoleon on the shoulder and laughed as he quickly accepted it.

“Good. You may become my successor in the future, so be prepared.”

“Yes? Successor?”

“The Army of Italy.”

Suddenly, Dugommier looked at the map hanging in the headquarters office and his eyes lit up.

“Right now, your mission is to monitor Genoa as a military attaché stationed in Marseille. However, if the Austrian army moves in the future, the defense forces will be reorganized. It will be difficult to stop them with just Lapoype.”

The three people who led the Toulon suppression this time:

Dugommier, Napoleon, and Lapoype.

The Revolutionary Government plans to scatter these three people in the southern region to prepare for the future political situation.

However, Dugommier believed that Lapoype’s skills were not enough to take responsibility for the Italian region.

Until just before being appointed commander of the Toulon suppression army, Dugommier was in charge of the Italian border.

As such, he knew exactly what kind of general was needed.

Outstanding tactical skills and courage, and above all, decisiveness were required.

Lapoype, who was extremely cautious, was disqualified.

Dugommier looked at Napoleon and said meaningfully.

“Do you understand?”

Napoleon smiled and replied.

“Yes, General. If I am entrusted with it, I will do it very well.”

He wasn’t just saying it.

Dugommier was the commander of the Toulon suppression army.

Moreover, he was now on his way to take office to defend the Pyrenees border.

If there was a problem in the Italian region, the Revolutionary Government would immediately ask General Dugommier.

Who would be qualified to take charge of the Italian border.

At that time, Dugommier said that he would recommend Napoleon.

However, there was one problem here.

A problem that only Eugene knew.

“Commander!”

Eugene hurriedly blocked Dugommier, who was leaving.

“Commander Dugommier, I have something to say to you before you leave.”

“What’s the matter, boy soldier? I have read your merits quite impressively. If you are asking me to take you to the Pyrenees Mountains, I will refuse. It’s still dangerous for a boy soldier there.”

“That’s why I’m telling you, because it’s dangerous.”

Eugene looked at Dugommier and said clearly and forcefully.

“The area around the Spanish border is rugged, and there are many small-scale engagements. But when I looked at your command, Commander, you often lead from the front.”

Dugommier widened his eyes and smiled strangely.

“If the general doesn’t step forward, what soldier will follow?”

“It doesn’t matter if you are in a position where you can be sufficiently protected. But in the Pyrenees Mountains, it is easy to be ambushed.”

“Stop.”

However, Dugommier cut off Eugene’s words and replied firmly.

“I understand, boy soldier. But it is our job to prevent boys like you from fighting. To do that, we have no choice but to fight more bravely.”

He was truly a real soldier.

A soldier who had participated in the New World at the age of 10 and had lived on the battlefield until the age of 55.

Instead of ordering soldiers to charge, he was the one who shouted to follow.

But this courage becomes poison.

Because in the original history, Dugommier dies from a stray bullet right on the Pyrenees front.

He wanted to advise him, but in the end, General Dugommier would not listen.

Next to Eugene, who was silently watching Dugommier’s departure, Napoleon shrugged his shoulders.

“He’s a soldierly soldier, but he’s hasty. Everyone! Well, it’s time for dinner now, isn’t it? Shall we eat at my house today?”

“Good! General!”

“Wow, is it your mother’s cooking? I’ll get to eat homemade bread for the first time in a while!”

As Junot and Marmont cheered, Eugene smiled bitterly.

“That’s really true. Unfortunately.”

Leaving Dugommier’s fate behind, Eugene also followed Napoleon.

Anyway, the people we were originally supposed to meet today were separate.

That was the Bonaparte family.

***

Marseille is also the city where the famous [La Marseillaise] (French national anthem) was born.

Kill the oppressors, fill the furrows with blood, and fight the enemy.

A song created and sung by volunteer troops when France and Austria fought their first battle in the previous year, 1792.

The National Convention has now adopted this song as the national anthem.

That means that passionate southerners live there.

Of course, this passion is not necessarily applied only to the natives of Marseille, so immigrants are also quite passionate.

One family that was passionately recorded in history was the same.

A very passionate wife, Letizia, shouted in a small house.

“Did you hear? Napoleon is finally coming back!”

Because she gave birth to Napoleon early, Letizia was still only 43 years old.

However, she had suffered a lot, so she had quite a few wrinkles.

However, as the mother of Napoleon and Pauline, she was still a middle-aged woman with a hint of beauty.

The soldiers who had just delivered the news to Letizia were even shyly talking to her for a moment.

Suddenly, her younger sisters jumped out at Letizia’s shout and shouted.

“Brother is coming back? Really?”

“Is he bringing gifts too?”

“We need to move out of this house right away. I heard he got promoted?”

The youngest Caroline, the second daughter Pauline, and the eldest daughter Élisa were excited and chattering.

Anyway, the de facto head of the household right now was Napoleon.

Moreover, the story of him being the hero of the conquest of Toulon, right next to Marseille, was already widespread in the city.

Even the influential people of Marseille were visiting the humble Bonaparte family home.

But a boy sitting in the corner of the house snorted.

“Hmph, he’s just a brother who failed in the revolution anyway. Unlike me, I shouldn’t give up and start over with the city union!”

The boy’s name was Lucien, Napoleon’s brother.

He was the first to open a Jacobin club [a radical political club during the French Revolution] in Corsica and threw himself into the heat of the revolution.

However, after Paoli’s betrayal, Lucien also lost everything and fled to Marseille with his family.

Nevertheless, he was still active in the Marseille city union and was involved in the revolutionary movement.

Of course, he was only 18 years old, so he was old enough to do that.

Letizia sighed and said a word.

“Yes, Lucien. But when your brother comes, don’t say such nonsense?”

“Please call me Brutus, Mother! I renamed myself according to the revolutionary spirit!”

“Please stop saying such nonsense. Whether it’s Brutus or Bluetooth, aren’t you an old Roman? What does that have to do with the revolution?”

At that moment, Lucien was furious and passionately spoke.

“It matters! The revolution is about going back to the era of the old Roman Republic!”

So, in 1793, Lucien had renamed himself [Brutus] (after one of Julius Caesar’s assassins).

If you ask if it’s the Brutus who killed Caesar, you’re right.

Of course, it wasn’t just Lucien who was renamed in the Roman style; the leaders of the French Revolution generally took the ancient Athens and Roman Republic periods as models.

Furthermore, Lucien was not the only one who renamed himself with a Roman name.

However, it is certainly something to be ashamed of even if you get a little older.

Knowing this, Letizia tried to say a word of admonishment.

In fact, Letizia wasn’t just an ignorant housewife when it came to the revolution.

From the start, she had participated in the Corsican independence movement with her husband, Carlo Bonaparte.

“Lucien, revolution and independence aren’t things that can be achieved by renaming yourself…”

Just then, the eldest son, Joseph Bonaparte, burst through the door.

“Alright, alright, our proud Napoleone, no, ‘Napoleon’ Brigadier General, will be here soon! Everyone, come out and prepare to welcome him. He’s the pride of the Bonaparte family.”

“That’s right! It was in the newspaper, too! Brother Joseph!”

“Exactly! Pauline, that’s how you should praise him.”

As Pauline, who was close to Napoleon, smiled brightly, the youngest, Caroline, ran out first and shouted.

“Ah, he’s coming!”

Carriages were approaching the Bonaparte family’s old temporary residence on the outskirts of Marseille.

The Bonapartes all rushed out, eager to greet their proud second son.

But it seemed he wasn’t coming alone.

Caroline, Elisa, and Pauline whispered to each other.

“But who are those people coming with him?”

“Probably his subordinates.”

“Oh, but there’s a child with them?”

Suddenly, Pauline’s eyes widened.

“Could it be, is that Brother’s hidden child?”

It was Eugene, but the Bonapartes had no way of knowing that.

Besides, why would a child be with their son who had gone to the military?

To be ‘fiery’ meant to be quick-tempered.

Letizia, a very fiery former independence activist, turned bright red and shouted.

“Napol-eone!”

Eugene and the Bonaparte family’s first meeting began with quite a commotion.

***

The Bonaparte family’s commotion ended when they realized it was a misunderstanding, of course.

However, there was a problem.

This wasn’t just a simple misunderstanding.

“Hmm, sorry for the misunderstanding. So, you’re a noble lord?”

Letizia placed a plate on the table with a very blunt expression, snapping at him.

Clearly, this was a dinner to welcome Napoleon’s return to the Bonaparte household.

But the atmosphere was strangely stiff, and even the adjutants who came with him were watching carefully.

Why was it like this?

Eventually, Hippolyte, unable to bear it, asked Eugene in a low voice.

“Hey, why is the atmosphere like this?”

“Originally, the Bonaparte family were Corsican independence activists and French nobles. However, they’re lower nobles.”

“Hmm, so they’re hostile to the orthodox French nobility? It doesn’t seem like it’s just that, though?”

Of course, Eugene was a little curious too.

In fact, the Beauharnais family and the Bonaparte family had a very bad relationship in the original history.

The reason was very simple.

They were in competition for the resource of Napoleon’s favor.

But shouldn’t it be too early for that now?

Just then, a cautious-looking young man, the eldest son of the Bonaparte family, Joseph, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um, is your mother’s name ‘Josephine,’ by any chance?”

Eugene’s eyes widened.

“How did you know? Monsieur Joseph?”

“Well, Napoleone, um, Napoleon always babbled about wanting to meet her in his letters.”

“Excuse me?”

In the first place, Josephine’s real name was Marie Joseph Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, so it wasn’t just Josephine.

Usually, those who knew Josephine mostly called her Rose as a nickname, or Madame Tascher de la Pagerie when being formal.

This nickname, Josephine, was originally given by Napoleon later in the original history.

However, Eugene knew the name, so he had been calling her that since he became aware of his past life.

How did Napoleon know?

Napoleon, who had been sitting blankly at one side of the table, chuckled feignedly.

“Hmm! I know your mother’s name isn’t Josephine. But, no one calls her that, right? So, I decided to call her that!”

It seemed to be originally Napoleon’s naming preference.

In fact, Napoleon quite enjoyed giving nicknames, as can be seen from the nickname he gave Junot.

However, as can also be seen from that nickname [Red Storm], his naming sense was just not good.

It was just as Eugene, who had briefly learned a little of history’s secrets, was about to smack his lips.

Suddenly, Elisa snorted.

“Hmph! To fall for a married woman with a child, he’s crazy.”

Just like the historical evaluation that she was the oldest, the smartest, and the most honest.

In short, the animosity shown by the Bonaparte family was nothing special.

It was because Napoleon had been blabbing about it all along.

That he had fallen for Josephine.

Eugene, who now realized the situation, opened his mouth wide this time.

Hippolyte, who had been carefully watching, asked Eugene again in a low voice.

“Now I know why the atmosphere is bad, but what should we do?”

It was an unexpected situation.

The family, who had never even seen Josephine, had already become hostile to her.

In fact, it was common sense.

Napoleon, a decent bachelor and a fairly successful soldier, had fallen for a divorced woman with a child?

Even if there was no power struggle, the family would be furious.

However, Eugene had not visited the Bonaparte family without any thought.

In any case, the conflict between the Bonaparte family and the Beauharnais family was one of the reasons for Napoleon’s decline.

For Eugene, it was a task to be solved.

Eugene, wearing a bitter smile, subtly fiddled with something in his pocket.

“I guess I’ll have to use some bribes.”

“What? What bribe?”

“I didn’t bring it to use like this, but I have something prepared to use in times like this.”

Touching a very hard [bribe], Eugene’s eyes sparkled.

“I’ll have to use it at today’s dinner.”

A dinner of welcome with the Bonaparte family, full of misunderstandings and animosity, began.

***

The first person to misunderstand Eugene was Pauline.

“What are you looking at so intently, Paola?”

Elisa called Pauline’s Italian name, Paola.

Pauline, who had been watching Eugene, frowned slightly.

Although young, she already had a fairly mature appearance, befitting her Italian heritage.

In fact, the men who visited the Bonaparte household were all captivated by Pauline.

Pauline, not yet a heartbreaker, corrected her sister Elisa’s address.

“What’s wrong with you, Sister Marie? I’m Pauline now. Paul.Ine.”

“Hmph, changing everything to French style. I don’t like it. We’re Corsicans.”

“We’ve been kicked out for a long time anyway. Really, both you and Brother Lucien. Why do you all live so complicatedly?”

Smiling lightly, Pauline glanced at her third brother, Lucien.

“Brother Lucien even changed his name strangely.”

Brutus was even difficult to pronounce, and it wasn’t particularly French either.

Of course, Lucien had a grand cause.

It was to inform his revolutionary comrades of his will as a revolutionary.

However, from Pauline’s perspective, who was young and uninterested in complicated matters, it was just ridiculous.

“Because he’s an idiot.”

Of course, the realistic Elisa also ridiculed him in the same way.

Pauline chuckled and looked at Joseph, who was constantly talking to the officers.

It seemed he wanted to build friendships with the newly arrived officers.

“By the way, did Brother Joseph find a job? Sister Elisa?”

“Not yet? He’s meeting a lot of people. He was even invited to the Clary family’s house recently.”

“Really? Isn’t that the richest family in Marseille? Wow.”

Looking at Pauline, who was admiring, Elisa frowned.

“What’s the point? He doesn’t earn a penny. We’re all going to starve to death if it weren’t for Brother Napoleone. The eldest son can’t even provide for the family.”

At that moment, Jerome, the youngest, who was clumsily cutting bread next to his sisters, widened his eyes.

“Are you fighting, sisters?”

“No, our cute Jerome. How could we? Here, eat this.”

“Wow! Stew! It looks delicious!”

Looking at Jerome eating the stew cheerfully, Pauline smiled brightly.

It seemed peace had finally been found.

It was something she couldn’t have imagined just four months ago when they were hastily escaping from Corsica.

Back then, they all thought they were going to die.

Conversely, thinking about that time, what was happening now was nothing.

Just then, Napoleon suddenly approached Pauline.

“By the way, is Louis not here?”

A smile bloomed on Pauline’s face.

Even among siblings, everyone has different personalities.

Also, different people get along well with each other.

There was no particular reason, but Pauline somehow liked Napoleon the most among her siblings.

It wasn’t particularly because he was talented, but because he made her feel good.

Maybe it was because he was the most handsome brother.

“Really, Brother. You took him away to send him to artillery school, and he hasn’t come back yet. Isn’t he around Champagne by now?”

“Oh dear, hasn’t he graduated from artillery school yet? I thought he would have returned home by now. I’ll have to check.”

“If he’s going to serve in the military anyway, have him serve under you, Brother. By the way, is that the son of [Josephine], then?”

Pauline asked what she had been wondering since earlier.

Eugene de Beauharnais.

He was sitting at one side of the table, carefully observing the family.

He was acting cautiously, trying not to be noticed, but Pauline, who was quick-witted, saw everything.

But she felt like she had seen him somewhere before, and she had been thinking about it.

On the other hand, Napoleon frowned and waved his hand.

“That kid is not allowed.”

“Hmph, whatever. What does it matter who I date?”

“You’re still young! Anyway, that kid is the son of the woman I’ve set my sights on. Besides, he already has someone he’s devoted to.”

Pauline, a 13-year-old girl who found other people’s love affairs the most interesting, sparkled her eyes.

“Really? That sounds fun. What’s the story? Huh?”

At that moment, Pauline felt like she was about to remember something and brought her hand to her mouth.

She hadn’t seen him in person.

She had a memory of seeing him in an illustration in the newspaper.

“I think I’ve seen him somewhere.”

“Did you see him in a letter? Our Napoleone wrote very long letters, didn’t he?”

“No, Sister Elisa. Not that. In the newspaper. Ah!”

At that moment, Pauline kicked her chair and shouted.

“The Princess’s Knight!”

The trial of the century that was reported in the newspapers even in this southern Marseille.

The very boy who saved the Queen for the Princess!

***

At the end of the 18th century, this was the era when Romanticism was emerging.

“That’s right! The boy who saved the former Queen for Princess Marie Therese!”

“Oh my? Really? That kid? He doesn’t look so burly?”

“He is handsome, though, hmph.”

In short, it was a time when [romantic] things worked.

It was an era when people risked their lives for romance, and such people were objects of envy.

It was no coincidence that Lucien chose the corny pseudonym ‘Brutus.’

But what is the ultimate of Romanticism?

It is, of course, risking one’s life for the person one loves.

The girls couldn’t help but be excited.

There were three girls in this place.

Pauline, Caroline, and Elisa.

In particular, the anecdote of risking his life for the princess was bound to be popular with the girls.

Eugene smiled lightly with an awkward face and replied.

“I’m not a knight, but I am that boy.”

“Oh my, oh my! It’s real!”

“Wow, a person I only saw in the newspaper is coming to our house! Brother Napoleon, you’ve really made it!”

Somehow, it seemed that having a celebrity come with him was more surprising than his promotion to general.

Napoleon was also wearing a bitter smile.

Still, the atmosphere seemed to have improved a bit.

Slowly loosening up, Eugene breathed a sigh of relief.

“The atmosphere seems to have improved a bit, Hippolyte?”

But this time, Hippolyte was blankly looking at Pauline.

“That girl is pretty, isn’t she?”

“Hey, get a grip.”

“What was her name again?”

At that moment, Junot made the first move.

“Wow, beautiful lady. What is your name? I am Andoche Junot, adjutant to Major General Napoleon, haha!”

Only then did Eugene recall an anecdote from history.

Pauline, the most beautiful woman in the Bonaparte family.

She was still 13 years old, but Napoleon’s adjutants, including Junot, all followed her around.

Somehow, she had a distinctly more [mature] appearance than the older Marie Therese.

Eugene, who was briefly contemplating the differences between French and Italian beauties, chuckled.

“Junot is quick.”

“Iik, I should have been first!”

“Don’t worry, Junot, Pauline’s taste wouldn’t be Junot anyway. I don’t even know if it’s you.”

Hippolyte widened his eyes and retorted.

“How do you know that, Eugene?”

Because the people Pauline actually marries are all older.

Besides, Eugene felt it when Pauline’s gaze was directed at him.

That gaze that only saw him as cute, not treating him as a man.

It was the opposite of Marie Therese.

Perhaps, it was because of her outstanding brother Napoleon.

That her taste in men became older men.

But what’s important now is not Pauline.

Eugene subtly looked for the core of this family.

Letizia.

The eldest of the Bonaparte family.

Also, the woman who hated Josephine the most in the original history.

It was time to make a move.

Eugene, who had risen from his seat very politely, headed towards Letizia, who was placing food on the table.

Eugene bowed politely to Letizia, who was still looking at him with displeasure.

“Madam, first of all, I apologize for suddenly attending dinner.”

“There’s no need to apologize. However, I hope you don’t act familiar.”

“I understand. As an apology, I would like to give you a gift.”

Suddenly, a sparkling jewel was in Eugene’s hand.

“What is this?”

The women’s gazes were drawn to the dazzlingly shining, crafted ring.

Eugene smiled and slipped the ring onto Letizia’s finger.

It was a very familiar skill, and he took advantage of the fact that it was a child’s hand, making it difficult to avoid.

“It’s war booty obtained on the battlefield. The British left it behind. A specialty of India.”

Eugene whispered to Letizia, who was staring intently at the dazzling ring.

“It’s a diamond ring.”

In fact, it was difficult to call it war booty.

Strictly speaking, it was an item that Eugene bought cheaply when looting occurred after the recapture of Toulon.

However, it was true that it was a jewel that had lost its owner and wandered around the port of Toulon during the war.

A noblewoman who would later be adorned with war booty brought by the hero of the battlefield.

But now, a woman who had been chased out of her hometown and lost all her jewelry.

Letizia stared blankly at the ring and whispered.

“Oh my, such a precious thing. For me? And if it’s war booty.”

At that moment, Hippolyte intervened like a ghost, quick-wittedly.

“He risked his life to get it! You should have seen it. This kid, well, he broke through the British army and snatched the flag. Here, for General Napoleon!”

“What? This child? Goodness gracious!”

“No, is it true, Napoleon?”

Letizia and Joseph asked in surprise, and Napoleon blinked and nodded.

“Oh, it’s true, Brother Joseph.”

Everything was true.

That Eugene broke through Toulon, that he snatched the flag, that he ran to get into Napoleon’s eyes.

It’s just that this diamond ring wasn’t the war booty from that time.

Letizia looked at Eugene intently.

“You risked your life for our son?”

At that moment, Letizia snatched the plate that had been placed in front of Napoleon.

It was a freshly baked meat dish with steam rising from it.

As everyone blinked, Letizia placed the plate back in front of Eugene.