I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 7

Child Prodigy (1)

“So that’s what happened.”

It was dusk, and twilight was settling in.

Lavoisier was recounting the events of the afternoon to the estate manager.

Though called a manager, he also served as a de facto butler, assisting Lavoisier for over a decade.

He was as trustworthy as family.

“Then, sir, are you inclined to follow Master Christian’s wishes?”

Lavoisier nodded slightly at the manager’s question.

“I have no choice. He and I are now in the same boat. If we clash, we’ll only destroy each other. Shouldn’t we cooperate as much as possible?”

“I agree that’s the right decision. But it’s hard to believe. I’ve seen him many times, but I never imagined he was hiding such sharp claws.”

“Indeed. I still can’t believe it myself. But denying it won’t make what happened disappear.”

Christian’s triumphant smile from just moments ago vividly resurfaced in his mind.

He still couldn’t understand how he had hidden his true self and acted like a fool.

“Did you guide him to his room?”

“Yes, sir. I escorted him with the utmost courtesy.”

“Good… well done. Unexpected things have happened, and I’m a bit out of it, so please take extra care.”

Lavoisier had Christian stay at his house until he canceled the assassination request and persuaded the High Court.

Moreover, to make good use of Christian in the future, there was a lot of groundwork to be done in advance.

Simply leaving his education to a tutor as he had been doing was not enough.

Perhaps because of the sudden increase in things to worry about, he was starting to get a slight headache.

“By the way, sir, is there really a possibility that the young master will be incorporated into the royal family?”

“Normally, it would be impossible. That’s why the higher-ups said he was useless and should be disposed of.”

“Then isn’t the risk a bit too high? We should keep a moderate distance to minimize damage if something big happens later. Cooperating with the young master is unavoidable, but I think we need to be careful not to get too close.”

“That’s sound advice… but seeing his true colors, I’m not so sure anymore. It’s a truly difficult problem…”

As Lavoisier sighed quietly, a deep question formed on the manager’s face.

“Is it that serious? He’s still just a twelve-year-old child.”

“150 years ago, they would have been married at that age. Even now, he’s old enough to enter college, so he’s not exactly a child. And it’s because he’s twelve that it’s even scarier. When I think about what he’ll be like if he receives proper education and becomes an adult, I even think I might need to actively align myself with him.”

“Hearing your words, it’s clear that he possesses a level of cunning beyond his age.”

“It’s not just that. The report I saw clearly stated that when he was first discovered in Austria, he was excessively aware of his surroundings and seemed to lack confidence.”

Lavoisier couldn’t help but chuckle, finding it absurd even as he spoke.

If that was a lack of confidence, what were confident people supposed to be?

Of course, he didn’t particularly blame those who wrote the report.

They must have been deceived by Christian as well.

“So, from the moment he first contacted us, he must have been acting to ensure his safety. If he had shown only competence, we would have been satisfied, but it would have also drawn attention, and he wouldn’t have been able to investigate our weaknesses. Then, he wouldn’t have been able to create a situation where we both held each other’s throats.”

“…If that’s true, he’s truly a frightening person for the future. Even if we don’t know now, if he grows up, even the High Court might not be able to control him.”

“I think so too. An illegitimate child of royalty can become a noble even if they aren’t incorporated into the royal family. And if someone with that level of ability holds a high position in the future, who knows what might happen. That’s why I’m considering investing in him first. It might not matter much to me… but perhaps he could be the one to give my son wings.”

This time, the manager didn’t raise any objections.

He knew how strong Lavoisier’s desire for social advancement was.

Even though he was a legal advisor to the Paris High Court and possessed considerable wealth, Lavoisier’s lineage had its limits.

No matter how strong the influence of the bourgeoisie [the middle class] became these days, and even though they had the right to participate in the Estates-General [a representative assembly of the three “estates,” or orders, of the realm], the Third Estate was still just the Third Estate.

It couldn’t compare to the First Estate, the clergy, or the Second Estate, the nobility.

Lavoisier was planning to buy his son a noble title with money for his future, but even then, it would be hard to compete with true nobles.

No matter how much money you had, no matter how high your social status, the ceiling on how high you could climb was still solid.

To break through this ceiling and ascend, you couldn’t do it with your own power alone.

The existence of someone to act as a ladder was essential.

“Who would accept that we can’t rise any higher just because we weren’t born with noble blood? I don’t care about myself, but I can’t let my son live in this absurdity.”

His wife and daughter had passed away, so his only remaining bloodline was his son.

Nevertheless, Lavoisier was judging his son’s talent more objectively than anyone else.

His son’s talent was beyond comparison to his own.

He was sure that his child would one day become a great name praised by many.

When that time came, the name Lavoisier would refer to his son, not himself.

So, he had to open a path that would allow him to break through the wall of status and move forward.

Could Louis Christian be the person who could open that path?

He couldn’t be sure yet.

But the time to gauge that would come soon.

Lavoisier hardened his heart with that conviction.

Then, he reached out to sign the document he had been debating whether to process or not.

※※※

Having been allowed to stay at Lavoisier’s mansion for the time being, I managed to safely greet the next morning.

Who knew that being able to see tomorrow’s sun would be such a refreshing and pleasant thing?

Life in the mansion was also very comfortable, as Lavoisier had instructed.

Putting strength in my shoulders and acting like the world’s greatest big shot had become quite natural after a few days.

In fact, it wasn’t that difficult because I just had to copy and paste Professor Lee Yong-wook’s behavior, whom I had watched from the side.

One day, while I was enjoying a peaceful mood for the first time in a long time, Lavoisier suddenly summoned me.

“Enroll in the Collège?”

“Yes. It’s difficult this year because the timing is already past, but it will be possible next year. Permission has already been granted to use the connections of the higher-ups. I will take care of all the admission procedures, so you just need to go and focus on your studies.”

“It’s not that I can’t, but… where are you planning to put me?”

“Before I knew the young master’s true worth, it would have been different, but the situation is different now. I have prepared for you to receive the best education possible. You’ve heard of the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, haven’t you?”

“…Isn’t that the best prestigious school in Paris? A place swarming with prodigies.”

The Lycée Louis-le-Grand, also known as the Grand Louis School, was called the best school in France since it was sponsored by the Sun King Louis XIV.

This reputation continued to this day, and it was still regarded as the best prestigious school in modern France.

There was a joke that gathering the famous people who graduated from this school would be like creating a who’s who of France.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was the real-life version of the Imperial Academy that often appeared in fantasy novels.

“It may be difficult to keep up with the classes right away after entering, but the young master will be able to adapt quickly. If you graduate successfully, it will be of great help when you obtain a noble title in the future. It will prevent any doubts about whether you have the qualities of a noble.”

“That makes sense when I hear it. It seems like it won’t be a problem to get decent grades, so it won’t take up that much time.”

“Seeing that confidence, it seems you weren’t doing it properly when you were learning under the tutor.”

“Well… maybe, maybe not.”

I neither affirmed nor denied, and let the answer flow appropriately.

Even if Louis-le-Grand was the best prestigious school in France, I didn’t think I wouldn’t be able to adapt.

It’s not that I underestimated the knowledge of this era.

Rather, I just believed in my study skills.

Who was I?

In my past life, I was someone who had abandoned half of my life to study all my life, from middle school, high school, university, and even graduate school.

Energy drinks were my water, and coffee flowed through my body instead of blood.

If it was just about mindlessly digging in and studying, I would be in the realm of a master.

If some kind of scout machine measured my study power, it would come out to be around 530,000.

The fresh children who haven’t tasted graduate school yet just look cute.

“If the young master graduates from this school with excellent grades, we will do our best to find a way for the young master to be recognized for his bloodline. The nobles in the court who are still sending suspicious glances will all be convinced then.”

“That’s all good. It’s all good, but after I graduate… that might be too late…”

“Yes?”

“No. It’s just a soliloquy, so don’t worry about it.”

The proposal to graduate from the best prestigious school in Paris and cultivate my character was appealing in itself.

Looking at my past of wandering around the slums of Vienna, I had to put up a sign of this level to avoid noise.

However, if I were to gradually climb up in this orthodox way, how long would it take for me to gain power?

At the very least, it would take 10 years, or even longer.

The problem was this.

I didn’t have the luxury of climbing up so leisurely.

The reason was simple.

The current time is 1767. And 7 years from now, the current king, Louis XV, will die, and the crown prince, Louis XVI, will ascend to the throne.

If the succession structure is successfully established, it will be difficult for me to stand out in the subsequent political situation.

But can I develop a power comparable to the current crown prince in just 7 short years?

It’s absolutely impossible to go the orthodox way.

No, there didn’t seem to be any sharp means no matter what method I used.

Lavoisier doesn’t know that Louis XV will die in 7 years, so he doesn’t feel as impatient as I do, but I can’t be in that position knowing what’s to come.

A way for me to build a foundation at once and overcome this tight time limit.

I need to think more about a clever plan to overcome this difficult situation.

Right then.

“Come to think of it, one of the elders in the court recommended that the young master meet an intellectual before entering school to broaden his horizons. He said that he was a man who had been issued an arrest warrant for writing a banned book and had lived in exile in Prussia and England, and that he was a very interesting person.”

As Lavoisier suddenly changed the subject, I responded appropriately.

“A criminal with an arrest warrant, and a noble of the High Court knows about it but isn’t arresting him?”

“Yes. He’s so popular and has so many enthusiastic supporters that they’re just leaving him alone. It’s been quite a while since the arrest warrant was issued, so even if they touch him again now, it will only attract public attention. The royal family probably wants to avoid the banned book he wrote becoming a topic again. It doesn’t seem like it will be forgotten just by keeping quiet.”

“Really? If it’s such a famous book, I’m getting a little curious. What’s the name?”

Lavoisier took out a book hidden in the corner of the bookshelf and showed it to me.

“The Social Contract. The most controversial work of this century that directly denied the divine right of kings. The author of this book has just returned to France this year.”

“If he’s the author of The Social Contract, then his name must be…”

“Have you heard of him? His name is Jean-Jacques Rousseau.”

“…Huh?”

What obvious nonsense are you talking about?

How could I not know?