I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 15

The Grandfather’s Counterattack (1)

Crown Prince Louis Auguste was intently observing the gates of Paris through the carriage window.

Even from a distance, he could tell that an enormous crowd had gathered.

As someone who didn’t particularly enjoy appearing before the public, he found it excruciating.

If he could, he would return to his workshop right now and tinker with his hobby: clocks.

In fact, just a few days ago, he had been nauseous from extreme stress.

Those around him constantly chattered about how he needed to get used to these situations, which only intensified the pressure.

It wasn’t that Auguste didn’t want to do well.

As the Crown Prince of France, why wouldn’t he desire to present a splendid image?

However, his innate nature always held him back.

Whenever he stood before people, he would naturally become tongue-tied, and his gaze would wander.

He wished that no one would pay attention to him, but he couldn’t say such things in front of people.

‘Why was I born as the Crown Prince?’

If there had been a capable eldest son and he had been the second, would he have been able to indulge in his hobbies and live happily?

He couldn’t say for sure, but it was highly likely.

However, Auguste had no intention of relinquishing his position as Crown Prince.

He was too diligent for that.

He was the Crown Prince of France, so he couldn’t escape from reality.

This sense of duty always weighed heavily on Auguste’s shoulders.

‘It would be nice if Grandfather could remain healthy and strong for a long time to come.’

As soon as the announcement was made that Louis XV would be presiding over this event, the surge of tension disappeared as if by magic.

Of course, if he showed such a reaction, he would be labeled as weak again, so he had to manage his expression to appear as nonchalant as possible.

As they passed through the gates of Paris, the view was filled with citizens who had gathered to see the King’s procession.

The cavalry, lined up on both sides, escorted the carriage, and the crowds, upon seeing the ornate carriage, cheered enthusiastically.

No matter how unpopular the royal family was at the moment, a king was still a king.

Just a wave of Louis XV’s hand was enough to send the citizens into raptures of emotion.

Auguste carefully observed and memorized his grandfather’s actions.

He thought that if he could do even this much similarly, he could at least maintain the appearance of a king.

Louis XV had recently been complaining that his body wasn’t what it used to be.

“I’ll be almost 60 in two years. I don’t know when God will call me, so you must always be prepared.”

Whenever Auguste heard these words, his heart would pound, and his head would spin.

He hoped that day would be far in the future, but only God knew a person’s fate.

The Crown Prince must always be prepared so that there would be no problems no matter what happened.

This was the burden and duty that the heir to the throne had to bear.

So, he would simply do what he could for now.

As he kept a close eye on Louis XV’s every move, the procession arrived in front of the High Court [Parlement of Paris, a major judicial body].

The nobles and advisors of the court lined up and bowed towards the King’s carriage.

Minstrels played music, and children scattered flower petals, beautifully adorning the surroundings.

Now, the King would step out of the carriage, give a congratulatory speech, and then enter the building with the nobles.

Everyone was waiting for the King to open his mouth, when Louis XV, who had just set foot on the ground, stopped as if struck by lightning.

“Your Majesty?”

Auguste, noticing something strange, cautiously called out to the King.

Yet, Louis XV remained motionless, staring intently at one spot.

Auguste’s gaze naturally followed.

His eyes landed on a group of what appeared to be the sons of the court nobles, bowing respectfully.

Auguste could only see the backs of their heads, but he couldn’t find anything particularly odd.

“Your Majesty, is there anything amiss?”

The court nobles, flustered by the King’s unexpected behavior, anxiously watched his expression.

They seemed worried that some fault had been found, but Auguste didn’t see any signs of displeasure on the King’s face.

To be precise, he seemed more like he had seen a ghost.

“If there were any inadequacies in the preparations, summon those responsible and hold them accountable…”

“No. It seems I merely saw an illusion.”

Louis XV slowly turned his body.

Even if others didn’t, Auguste certainly heard it.

“…Even if he resembles him, he is but a child… I must be getting old.”

There was an inexplicable sadness in Louis XV’s voice as he muttered to himself.

The King’s back, which had seemed so large, suddenly seemed much smaller.

As Auguste followed behind his grandfather, he turned back one last time to look at the place the King had been staring at.

At that moment, Auguste’s eyes met those of a boy who appeared to be about his age.

The eye contact was fleeting because the boy immediately lowered his head again.

However, even in that brief moment, Auguste felt a strange sense of familiarity.

It was the kind of familiarity that made him feel like he had seen him somewhere before.

‘If he’s the son of a court noble, he might have frequented the Palace of Versailles. Perhaps I saw him then.’

When you’re in Versailles, you see countless nobles every day.

Auguste thought of the boy as just one of those people.

He was merely puzzled as to why his grandfather had suddenly lost his energy.

In the end, Auguste quickened his pace again, chasing after the King, who was walking far ahead.

And almost simultaneously, the boy, Louis Christian, who had been bowing his head, raised his gaze and watched the King and Crown Prince disappear from view.

The first people he could call family.

But of course, they didn’t recognize Christian.

A strange emotion flickered in his eyes, fixed on the two figures.

※※※

In an absolute monarchy, the king’s power is immense, but its limits are clear.

The word “absolute” might give the impression that the king can do whatever he wants, but doing so would immediately book a one-way ticket on the rebellion express.

For example, the establishment of any system, taxation, or matters related to land must follow procedures, even for the king.

Of course, as long as certain standards were maintained, there weren’t many ways to prevent the king from exercising his power.

In other words, the fact that the divine right seems to be checking the king’s power in France is only because Louis XV isn’t pushing hard enough.

If the king were to decide to crack down, the High Court could be swept away at any time.

Even if there’s an unwavering belief that this won’t happen, such a situation is bound to cause anxiety.

The only person enjoying the banquet comfortably in this setting is Louis XV.

“This veal breast dish is amazing. It’s been a while since I’ve had meat cooked to such perfection.”

Elegant and relaxed.

Yet, Louis XV’s hands and mouth didn’t stop for a moment.

‘Goodness, my grandfather eats so deliciously.’

It’s not easy to eat with such perfect etiquette and a ‘chop-chop’ feeling.

“It would be the greatest honor for the chef if it pleases Your Majesty.”

“Help yourselves, everyone. The precious food will get cold. Or is there something that you find uncomfortable?”

“N-no, not at all. Hahaha…”

Logically, no one could possibly enjoy a meal in this atmosphere.

It reminded me of a nightmare from my military days when the Minister of National Defense made a surprise visit to boost the morale of the soldiers.

At that time, we were running around since dawn, wiping, scrubbing, and polishing everything.

I don’t even remember how I forced the food into my mouth.

That’s why I can deeply understand the feelings of the people desperately trying to manage their expressions in the back.

However, it wasn’t that the King was seriously oblivious or lacked consideration.

Louis XV might have been fond of women, but his basic character wasn’t bad.

The anecdote of him making his own coffee in the morning because he felt bad about waking the maid was famous.

Of course, the court officials were even more anxious because such a person was openly criticizing them.

The crowd that had gathered to fill the large hall to see the King’s face was also a considerable burden.

Unusually, many aspects of the French royal family’s private lives were open to the public.

The Palace of Versailles was already a famous tourist attraction, and the royal family’s Sunday banquets, in particular, were events that garnered enormous attention from the citizens.

Even the Queen’s childbirth scenes were sometimes open to the public.

That’s why princesses from foreign countries often experienced immense culture shock and had difficulty adapting.

‘If I’m recognized as royalty, will I have to live such a life?’

Thinking about it, it felt a bit absurd.

It’s not like the Truman Show; how can a person live like that?

Unless you’re someone with a desperate need for attention, anyone with a normal mind would be appalled.

And the King of France, the pinnacle of attention-seekers, was continuing the conversation without any qualms even in this atmosphere.

“I know that you all work tirelessly day and night for France. In fact, wouldn’t it be fair to say that the judicial order of this country is maintained thanks to you?”

“We are simply overwhelmed by your kind words.”

“So, about the Jesuits, when will we be able to eradicate them completely? The nobles’ expectations are quite high, and I’d like to see some results soon.”

Even the Chief Justice of the High Court, Blancmesnil, couldn’t easily answer this question.

“Your Majesty. That is, well…”

He seemed to be searching for something to say while sweating profusely, but the words didn’t come out easily.

The purpose of Louis XV’s sudden visit was now fully understood.

It was a truly sharp attack, unlike his usual indecisive demeanor.

A sudden schedule and a public banquet with so many people watching.

They were caught off guard, and since all their statements were being made public, they had to be even more cautious.

Since many of the nobles had antipathy towards the Jesuits, a single wrong word could quickly worsen public opinion.

“It’s already been five years since the Jesuits were declared an illegal organization. That was a policy that you ambitiously pushed forward, despite my opposition at the time. So why haven’t they been completely expelled yet? If you handled the matter independently, you should have achieved definite results.”

“Yes, that’s because we need the Holy See to formally sign the decree to dissolve the Jesuits…”

“So, you mean we should just keep waiting until the Holy See approves it?”

“No, it’s not that the King of France would be swayed by the Pope. It’s just that if we crack down too hard, it could be seen as religious persecution.”

The gazes of the people towards Blancmesnil grew colder.

If it hadn’t been in the King’s presence, there would have been jeers.

That’s how strong the antipathy towards the Jesuits was.

The reason why the Jesuits were so hated was simple.

The Jesuits were a Catholic religious order that had grown to an enormous scale by the 17th century.

The foundation for their significant influence was in education.

Unlike other religious orders, the Jesuits put tremendous effort into educational projects.

Descartes, one of the greatest intellectuals in the West, was educated at a Jesuit school in his youth.

In addition, thanks to a culture that emphasized a vertical hierarchical structure, they were also receiving favorable evaluations from the cardinals.

However, the Jesuits were a thorn in the side for secular rulers and other dioceses.

They gave various reasons on the surface, but the most important factor was separate.

It was because they opposed the slave trade.

The slave trade at this time was mainly the triangular trade centered on the Atlantic Ocean.

Europeans would buy slaves from Africa, sell them to colonies in the Americas, and bring goods like sugar from the Americas.

In modern times, it has been overshadowed by events like the Nazi Holocaust, and they’ve done a great job of whitewashing their image, but the atrocities of the European powers at this time were on par with the Nazis.

In fact, if you think about it, there must have been many natives in the New World, so you might wonder why they were taken from Africa.

There are two main reasons.

The first is that the number of Native Americans in the Americas decreased rapidly due to diseases brought by Europeans.

Diseases like measles and smallpox, for which Native Americans had no immunity, were like biochemical weapons.

Secondly, the Valladolid debate that took place in the 16th century was a decisive factor.

In this historical debate, Native Americans were recognized as ‘people’ with reason.

Europe had long adhered to the principle that fellow Catholics should not be enslaved.

Due to the basic proposition that humans are equal before God, Native Americans who had been recognized as humans could not be enslaved.

However, the greedy powers of that time, mad with greed, wouldn’t just say, ‘Ah, then we won’t use slaves anymore and live virtuously from now on.’

They very naturally turned their attention to Africa.

Europeans naturally defined those whose civilization was vastly different from their own and whose skin color was black as not human.

Since they were not human, there was no problem in buying and selling them as slaves and making them work until they died.

The Jesuits criticized this way of thinking and openly advocated that the slave trade should be banned.

Of course, there were some within the Jesuits who made a fortune through slave management while saying such things.

Still, the official position of the Jesuits was against the slave trade.

As a result, the forces that were making a good profit by using slaves did not look kindly on the Jesuits.

The High Court, which had been waiting for an opportunity, used the bankruptcy of Jesuit priest La Valette in 1762 as an excuse to declare the Jesuits an illegal organization.

However, the Jesuits were not all expelled from France and were scattered here and there.

The vested interests of France wanted to uproot all those who were hiding like weeds.

“The nobles are demanding the abolition and expulsion of all institutions that were influenced by the Jesuits every day. They want you to crack down even harder than now, so shouldn’t the court step up? It would be simple if I issued a decree myself, but it would look cleaner if the court followed formal procedures. Am I wrong?”

“…No. Your Majesty is right.”

In short, he didn’t want to take the blame, so he wanted them to take it.

Cracking down on the Jesuits directly was one thing, but suppressing all the places that were influenced by the Jesuits would be a considerable burden.

Even if the Pope’s authority had declined, it didn’t mean that he could be completely ignored.

If the court arbitrarily handled the matter and a problem arose, would the King take responsibility?

Blancmesnil knew that he absolutely wouldn’t, so he couldn’t say anything with such a constipated expression.

Frankly, Louis XV probably didn’t care what happened to the Jesuits.

He was simply signaling to the court not to act up and to stay submissive, and it worked perfectly.

Seeing the court nobles so flustered made me feel a little sorry… just kidding, it was so refreshing.

It was like pouring cider down your throat after eating sweet potatoes [a Korean expression for a satisfying feeling after enduring frustration].

Seeing those old foxes suffering so much made me think that I had made the right decision to come today.

Just as I was about to continue enjoying the popcorn with such an excited heart, Louis XV’s gaze suddenly turned towards me.

“It’s also important to hear the voices of the citizens in such matters. You, the bright-looking boy over there, what do you think about this issue?”

“……?”

I wondered if he had actually pointed me out, but everyone’s eyes were fixed on me.