I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 103

I’ll Go for a Win-Win.

Already in a festive mood, Paris was even more excited by the sudden visit of a distinguished guest.

It was Joseph II, the Holy Roman Emperor.

It was rare for an emperor, not just a prime minister or minister, to visit a neighboring country in person.

“It seems like he’ll be arriving soon.”

“I heard he passed through the gate a while ago, so he should be here soon.”

“I think His Majesty Joseph would like to see his nephew…”

“He just fell asleep, so don’t wake him up under any circumstances. He’ll be staying for a few days anyway, so he can see him slowly.”

I kept glancing back at the bedroom where our child was sleeping.

Even though I didn’t want to, I couldn’t help but worry that something might go wrong while he was sleeping.

Come to think of it, the memory of Marie’s childbirth came back to me.

Marie noticed me constantly looking at the bedroom and chuckled.

“Now that I think about it, it’s a bit of a shame. Everyone around us saw how flustered you were, but I didn’t get to see it.”

“There’s no particular reason to see that…”

“Oh, come on, it must have been a rare sight to see you, always calm and collected, completely pale and stamping your feet.”

“To be honest, I was so out of it that day that I don’t remember anything.”

I wondered what kind of spectacle I had made for people to talk about it like this.

I was glad I didn’t remember, or it would have been the biggest embarrassment of my life.

“By the way, my brother is quite eccentric. Even so, he’s the emperor of a country, so it doesn’t make sense for him to come all the way here in person.”

“That’s why he came under the name of Count Falkenstein.”

“That’s like covering your eyes and trying to fool yourself. Everyone knows that Count Falkenstein is a title held by the Holy Roman Emperor.”

It was not much different from when I went to the New World under the name of Count Lamarche.

The difference is that no one in the New World knows who Count Lamarche is, but everyone in France knows the identity of Count Falkenstein.

“Still, His Majesty Joseph certainly has a good sense. Just the fact that he said he would stay in Paris instead of Versailles shows that.”

“Isn’t that just because you and I live in the palace in Paris?”

“He used that as a good excuse. All the attention the people of Paris are showing is focused on His Majesty Joseph.”

He probably doesn’t realize it in his dreams, but I had a rough idea of why Joseph visited France.

When Louis XV heard the reason, he once again gave me all the decision-making power.

“Are there going to be any politically sensitive discussions? If so, should I go inside?”

“No. You can just relax.”

It would be easier to lead the conversation with Marie by my side, and she has been very interested in politics lately, so I want her to gain experience.

And just in time, Joseph II entered the palace with the guidance of the servants.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

“I didn’t come as an emperor, so you don’t have to call me that here.”

He strode over and looked back and forth between Marie and me with a faint smile, without any formal greetings.

“It’s been a while, Brother.”

“Yes. I heard everything. You’ve been through a lot. My mother is very proud of you.”

“I received the letter. I wrote a long reply, so would you please give it to her when you return?”

“Of course.”

Joseph looked very happy, unlike the cold expression he had before.

He sat down and took the teacup I handed him.

“I strongly argued to my mother that Marie would be happy marrying you. My judgment was accurate.”

Marie puffed out her shoulders and nodded.

“Of course. I told you, my husband will definitely do great things.”

“My mother and I thought so too. But I never imagined that you would suddenly become the Duke of Orléans and avenge the Seven Years’ War.”

“It would have been nice if you had participated more actively in the war, Brother. The Holy Roman Empire only declared war and didn’t put proper pressure on it, so it didn’t really benefit.”

“…That’s true…”

Perhaps because he didn’t expect Marie to make such a point.

Joseph II’s eyes widened.

“You didn’t show any interest in this kind of thing when you were in Vienna, but you’ve changed a lot in the last few years.”

“Really? Well… I used to live a little thoughtlessly.”

“They say couples become alike, so it will be good for you. By the way, that was a bit of a painful point. To be honest, neither my mother nor I thought that France would push out England so quickly.”

Joseph II looked at me and sighed deeply.

Instead of answering, I smiled awkwardly and sipped my tea.

Strictly speaking, Joseph II’s judgment was not wrong.

After all, Austria allied with France and fought for seven years, but still couldn’t beat England and Prussia.

“But this time the situation was different. England was being unilaterally attacked without any allies.”

“That’s right. But I wanted to use this opportunity to strengthen our internal affairs and keep Prussia in check. Well… it was a complete misjudgment.”

Russia, which had one foot in the door at the end, at least succeeded in fixing the unfair trade structure with England.

However, Austria, which only declared war and showed almost no real movement, really didn’t get anything.

It became the only country among France’s allies that did not gain anything.

Even though Marie, Christian’s wife, was a princess from Austria.

Of course, Russia, Austria, and Prussia each took their share by dividing the Polish region, but this was just accepted as a natural benefit.

“Is the public opinion not good in Vienna?”

At my question, Joseph II clicked his tongue softly.

It was a positive meaning no matter how you looked at it.

“It can’t be helped. Everyone around us took a big piece of the pie, but what are you doing and not getting anything… that’s the kind of story that’s bound to come out.”

“So, Your Majesty… no, Count Falkenstein, that’s why you came all the way here. You need my help, right?”

“I guess you knew it all along. To be honest, yes. It may sound like an excuse, but it’s not like I didn’t do anything. I’ve been preparing for it, but I’m not sure if I can do it with just my power.”

“I’ll listen to what you have to say first.”

As I pretended not to know anything even though I knew everything, Joseph II took out a map and showed it to me.

“Look here. There are rumors that Maximilian, the current Elector of the Electorate of Bavaria, is in poor health. The important thing is that he has no heir. Then, naturally, the next elector would be Karl Theodor, a collateral relative of the Wittelsbach family, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But Karl Theodor also has no proper heir. He has an illegitimate son, but illegitimate children cannot claim normal inheritance rights. So I did some research, and 300 years ago, Emperor Sigismund of the Holy Roman Empire had a document promising to give the territory of Bavaria to the Habsburg royal family. I’m going to use this to incorporate Bavaria.”

Just listening to it, claiming ownership with a 300-year-old document is nonsense that no one would believe.

Before I could say anything, Marie raised a question first.

“Would the courtiers of Bavaria accept that willingly?”

“Of course, I won’t make a direct claim, but I’m going to make a secret agreement with Karl Theodor, the next elector, using this as an excuse. I’ll use my authority as emperor to specially recognize the inheritance rights of the illegitimate child, so why don’t you give us the Lower Bavaria region?”

“But if they find out about this, wouldn’t the current elector and the successor elector be furious?”

It’s a reasonable inference.

In the original history, Joseph II’s plan was met with fierce opposition from the electors and courtiers of Bavaria.

They even appealed to Frederick of Prussia and formed an alliance.

Using this as an excuse, Prussia actively blocked Austria’s actions and interfered with the annexation of Bavaria.

England also criticized Joseph II for doing wrong, and France, an ally, was too busy with the American Revolutionary War to provide proper support.

But now the situation is very different.

The American Revolutionary War ended just in time, and England is not in a position to interfere in other countries’ affairs.

It is not unreasonable for Joseph II to judge that he can push through with France’s help.

“Certainly, from Austria’s point of view, it is necessary to expand its territory further towards the Rhine region.”

“That’s right. If we can annex Bavaria, we can make up for the loss of Silesia, and the criticism of the imperial family in the country will subside.”

Currently, the Rhine River region has a much wealthier economy than the Danube River region.

If Austria had successfully annexed Bavaria, the direction of the power struggle in Germany may have flowed in a different direction.

“I understand what you said, Count Falkenstein. But wouldn’t the current method cause too much noise? We need to find a way to build a more solid justification.”

“Really? Still, if France takes our side, even if Bavaria asks Prussia for help, it seems like they won’t be able to intervene easily.”

I shook my head slightly.

Of course, if I mobilize my allies and put direct pressure on them, Prussia will have no choice but to back down.

Unless they can cooperate with England, it would be suicide for Prussia to take on the French alliance alone.

However, in this case, it may give the impression that we are taking an excessively expansionist stance.

We are currently advocating a line that is the opposite of England, so we need to pay more attention to image management.

There is no reason to take on risks by buying Bavaria, which I am not eating.

“Originally, justification is important in this kind of thing. It is especially important to maintain it permanently, not just to annex territory.”

“Well, if we use too coercive methods, the nobles there will continue to resist… then what should we do?”

“Let’s think about that part carefully. Don’t worry. It’s not just any alliance, it’s the relationship between France and Austria. I will definitely do my best to make the Bavaria region Austrian territory.”

Now that we have broken the momentum of England, it is Prussia’s turn.

In fact, if England and France are close to a fierce rivalry image, France and Germany have a strong impression that Germany is unilaterally beaten.

France and Germany are right next to each other, and Germany, which has risen rapidly in modern times, has suffered too many painful defeats.

In fact, there were still some 불안 [insecurity] elements.

In the long term, even if we grow Nouvelle France [New France, referring to French colonies in North America] and expand our influence in the West Indies, that side is far away, and Prussia in front of us is close.

If Prussia seizes the leadership of Germany and grows its power as in the original history, it could be a considerable threat.

Before that happens, we need to break the momentum at least once.

Fortunately, we have a stage to do so, so there is no need to refuse.

Above all, how reliable is the existence of my brother-in-law who will take on the role of villain?

In this history, my France will never be the first to draw aggro [aggression/hostility].

I’ll give you Bavaria, so it’ll be a win-win for both of us, Your Majesty.

Maybe….