He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 535

Extra Story (13) The Empress Still Loves Pistols

In July, the summer sun blazed fiercely over the Iberian Peninsula.

“Wow, it’s so far! Why on earth would anyone govern from a place like this? They could just do it from Madrid or Barcelona!”

To make matters worse, the journey to the southern tip was treacherous.

Unlike the flat plains of France, highlands and mountain ranges appeared frequently.

Moreover, unlike the rivers of France, where bridges were built using modern methods, some places had to be crossed by boat.

As a result, despite the beautiful scenery, the tourism industry hadn’t yet developed.

Of course, Hortense, grumbling in the six-horse carriage, wasn’t here for tourism.

Her fellow passenger, Stephanie de Beauharnais, Marchioness of Bolívar, scoffed.

Considering the distances Hortense usually traveled, this was nothing.

“Stephanie, what are you talking about? You frequently travel between Miami and New York in the New World! This is nothing.”

“Stephanie, when you’re on a ship, you just leave it to the ship to take you there. But with this, whether it’s a carriage or a steam car, it takes so long to travel, so the perceived time is much longer.”

“It’s not like you’re driving, so what are you complaining about? Besides, Hispania [historical name for the Iberian Peninsula] has its own circumstances.”

Stephanie, the former Prime Minister of Nueva Granada and Bolívar’s wife, raised a finger.

“If you govern from Madrid, Aragon will be angry, and if you govern from Barcelona, Castile will be angry. Of course, the Iberian Peninsula isn’t just those two countries.”

Strictly speaking, Stephanie doesn’t live in the Iberian Peninsula but in Nueva Granada.

However, she knows more about Hispania than Hortense, who lives in Nouvelle France [French colony in North America].

After all, the New World is still in a close subordinate relationship with the Old World.

Besides, her husband, Bolívar, was the Prime Minister of a region that served the co-monarch of Hispania.

However, Hortense tilted her head, finding something incomprehensible.

“Why does Marie care about that?”

“I wish you would use honorifics for Her Imperial Majesty, even in informal settings. It’s basic etiquette for the Empire’s citizens. Besides, here in the Hispanic Kingdom Union, she is also the Queen.”

“Isn’t that position one she was forced into because of my brother in the first place?”

Hortense’s cousin, Stephanie, frowned slightly.

“His Imperial Majesty is busy enough with governing the Empire, isn’t he? Alleviating the sense of alienation felt by the citizens of Hispania is Her Imperial Majesty’s task.”

This is an era when the French Empire dominates Western Europe and most of the New World.

But if you look inside, half of it is the territory of the Hispanic Kingdom Union.

However, the Hispanic Kingdom Union has not yet assimilated into France.

Rather, even though they serve the same monarch, their systems are becoming increasingly different.

As a result, they inevitably feel relatively alienated.

The Empress is solving this problem.

She stays in Seville, not Paris, and embraces the nobles and parliamentarians of Hispania.

Hortense propped her chin and retorted.

“In my opinion, Stephanie, the fact that the King and Queen live apart is a national mess.”

“She’s the Queen here.”

“They’re both ‘Regina’ [Latin for Queen] anyway. What’s the difference?”

Stephanie recited what she had repeatedly heard from her husband.

“Strictly speaking, Her Imperial Majesty holds the succession rights to the thrones of each country in Hispania. His Imperial Majesty is co-monarch because he is Her Imperial Majesty’s husband.”

In fact, Stephanie is not very interested in politics.

As the wife of a regional Prime Minister, she had to play a kind of ‘First Lady’ role, so she just remembers it.

However, Hortense, the Emperor’s sister and the Duchess, who occasionally negotiated directly with the United States, was different.

Hortense suddenly noticed a strange aspect in Stephanie’s words.

“Wait a minute. So, if they divorce, Hispania will break away from the Empire?”

“Legally, it’s not French territory now, is it?”

“And the Nouvelle Espagne [New Spain, former Spanish colony in North America] in the New World as well?”

Stephanie lightly fanned herself and replied.

“They all become different countries. So, let’s be serious. What you have to do isn’t just going to reconcile a marital spat.”

Hortense remembers.

Back in the days of the Great Revolution, when France fought a war with Spain, which was still one country.

The Pyrenees Mountains, which are now crossed like one country, could become battlefields again.

If the marital spat isn’t resolved.

Hortense, suddenly feeling anxious, leaned out the window.

“Did you hear that? Hurry, Lasalle!”

Lasalle, the commander of the Nouvelle France Imperial Guard, chuckled and urged the coachman.

“Of course, we must. Duchess of Dreux. Hee-ho! Drive on, coachman!”

The six-horse carriage began to pick up speed again.

***

Now, Seville is virtually the capital of the Hispanic Kingdom Union.

“Mama! Auntie’s here! Kyaa!”

The symbol of that is the blonde-haired girl, ‘Jeanne,’ who jumps up and down with joy.

The noble ladies each wore a smile, then quickly hid it.

A blonde beauty, identical to Jeanne but with a stern face, calmly held Jeanne.

“Jeanne! This is the Royal Palace. What did I tell you to call me here?”

“Huh? Oh, Madam?”

“You have to call me Her Majesty the Queen! In Castilian, too!”

Jeanne pouted and ran away.

“Hmph, Mama is so mean!”

The blonde beauty heaved a sigh, her ample chest rising and falling.

“I’m sorry, Princess Marengo. She’s my youngest child, so the Princess is still immature.”

“Pfft, my kids are like that too, sister.”

“Call me Your Majesty. The Castilian, Aragonese, and Leonese noble ladies are here in this court as well.”

Hortense suddenly smiled and bowed politely.

“Then, wouldn’t you allow me to have a private audience? Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Marie?”

Stephanie, who had been standing next to her to help mediate, blinked.

She had come to help with the mediation, but Hortense had essentially said she wasn’t needed.

Could she really persuade the ‘Empress’ alone?

However, there must be a reason why she called her Empress instead of Queen.

Queen Maria, watching Hortense quietly, turned her head.

“Everyone, withdraw.”

The nobles, noble ladies, and parliamentarians of Castile, Aragon, and Leon glanced at each other.

Of course, the Queen’s power is not absolute.

But her authority is rather high.

It has been over 20 years since the Iberian Peninsula, once a single kingdom, was divided into pieces.

The fact that each country, which could fight each other at any time, lives peacefully is only because of the Queen’s reign.

-Tap, tap, tap.

Hortense shrugged, watching the men and women disappear in a very orderly manner, bowing.

“It’s just like the military.”

“I tried to transplant the etiquette of Versailles [former royal residence in France]. The etiquette of the former Madrid Palace was too medieval.”

“The Tuileries Palace [former royal residence in Paris] in Paris was more liberal, though?”

At that moment, ‘Marie,’ who had become the ‘Empress’ this time, retorted coldly.

“That’s why married men and women share relationships not sanctioned by God! How disgusting!”

Maria ‘Habsburg’ Bourbon, the sole monarch of the Hispanic Kingdom Union, does not get angry.

Instead, she doesn’t reveal her true feelings.

On the other hand, Empress Marie Bonaparte of the French Empire does not hold back.

For example, about her cheating husband.

About her husband sleeping with legal relatives.

About her husband not keeping the vows of chastity sworn to God.

But wasn’t chastity originally a word only found in the Bible in France?

Come to think of it, Hortense’s mother, the former Empress Josephine, was the epitome of freedom.

Hortense, who had been accustomed to free love since childhood, smiled bitterly and took a step forward.

Hortense took Marie’s hand.

“Can’t you forgive Eugene, Marie?”

Marie trembled all over.

It seems like a shiver runs down her spine the moment she hears the name Eugene.

Is it anger, or lingering affection, or longing?

Whatever it is, it is certain that Marie’s eyes are flashing.

Marie glared at Hortense and whispered.

“If you came to talk about that, forget it.”

“My brother says it’s a misunderstanding. He said he didn’t do anything disgusting.”

“So that’s why the Queen of Naples is staying in Fontainebleau [palace near Paris]? But there’s another reason why I’m not going back to Paris, Hortense.”

Marie did not shake off her sister-in-law’s hand, but replied in a clear tone.

“Eugene is making France too free. That makes it even less likely that Charles will succeed to the French Empire. Even if he does succeed, it will be too difficult.”

Even if she is not the Queen but the Empress, she cannot be free from politics.

Especially when it comes to the issue of her children’s succession rights.

Besides, France was originally the country ruled by Marie’s father.

Remembering that the woman in front of her was once a princess, Hortense inhaled.

If it’s a matter of succession, she shouldn’t divorce even more.

“Marie, my brother is inevitably promoting liberalization for the sake of governing the Empire.”

“Far from it. You want Charles, don’t you? As the successor.”

“Yes? No, that’s… It’s decided by the electoral system, so of course, it’s not up to my brother.”

Charles.

That name is very common in France.

There is one each in Beauharnais, Bourbon, and Bonaparte.

Because Karl is also Charles in French.

But the Charles that Marie is talking about now is not her son, Karl.

Nor is it her brother, Louis Charles, the King of Naples.

She is talking about the son of the late Emperor, Charles Napoleon.

At that moment, Marie shook off Hortense’s hand.

“I can’t forgive it. My half-brother instead of my son! Eugene’s throne was won with blood. With my father’s blood!”

Clearly, Hortense sighed as she watched Marie trembling with anger.

“But, don’t you still love my brother?”

Marie did not answer.

Until Hortense finally left the palace.

***

Seville is a coastal city, so it rains often.

-Drip, drip, drip.

It was when Marie was staring blankly at the window where raindrops were falling.

“Mama, sleepy.”

Marie patted her youngest daughter, Jeanne, who was yawning, and turned her gaze to the head maid.

“Take her away.”

“Your Majesty, the Duke of Asturias [historical title for the heir to the Spanish throne] is requesting a meeting.”

“I don’t feel like meeting Karl. Tell him to come back tomorrow. Besides, that child is not the Duke of Asturias.”

Marie corrected the head maid’s title.

“He’s the Dauphin [historical title for the heir to the French throne].”

The honorific that the old French royal family attached to the Crown Prince.

The head maid politely took the princess away and closed the door.

The name ‘Jeanne’ that the youngest daughter has is also taken from Johanna, one of the names of Marie Antoinette, who was the former Queen of France.

The titles of the royal family that have now disappeared.

There is no need to be obsessed.

In fact, it is meaningless to the Empress.

Suddenly, Empress Marie unconsciously brought a meaningful name to her lips.

“Eugene.”

The moment she speaks, the trembling begins again.

Anger, lingering affection, longing.

No, the biggest emotion is different.

Desire.

I want to be held right away.

But I can’t stand the fact that the hands that will hold me are filthy, dirty, and terrible.

I can’t even guess what kind of woman he touched.

Like the gazes of the men who had been looking at Marie with sticky eyes.

“I miss you. But how could you do this to me? I overcame so many temptations.”

Marie trembled all over and grabbed the window frame.

Her whole body is like a ball of fire.

But Marie knows exactly what happens when she gives in to desire.

She will be ruined like her mother, Marie Antoinette.

For the sake of Karl, Eugene, and Jeanne.

No, that’s a lie.

I don’t want to be held by any man other than Eugene.

But did Eugene keep his vow?

He claims it’s a misunderstanding, but I can’t believe it.

Clearly, Marie has seen something.

“If he makes Napoleon the successor, or if he slept with Pauline.”

Suddenly, Marie took out a silver lump of metal from between her ample breasts.

-Click.

The pistol engraved with a cross glitters in the light of the whale oil lamp.

“I may not be able to stand it anymore.”

If that happens, the bullet in the pistol will aim for only one thing.

-Clunk!

The Emperor, Eugene’s heart.