I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 149

< New Wine in New Bottles >

“The late King has passed away!”

At the scream echoing from afar, Auguste bit his lip tightly.

As expected, no sooner had those words been spoken than a group of people came rushing in.

Numerous nobles and priests, as if they had been waiting for this moment, knelt down and bowed their heads.

“Long live Louis XVI!”

“May the Lord’s blessings be with the new King!”

He hadn’t even shaken off the sorrow of losing his grandfather and the pressure of now having to take responsibility for this country.

Feeling the anxious gaze of his wife, Juliana, upon him, Auguste steadied his trembling breath.

“Your Majesty, please give your orders.”

“······.”

Was this why?

Why Christian had warned him before entering.

“Follow the established procedures. There’s no need to overdo it, nor to be negligent.”

“Understood. Long live Louis XVI!”

It hadn’t even been five minutes since the late King had passed away, and already this scene was unfolding, which was frankly a bit eerie.

He knew as a matter of knowledge that this was the nature of Versailles, but seeing it in person, all he could feel was awe.

It was only natural that his wife had a dumbfounded expression on her face.

Even he, who was born and raised in this palace, hadn’t fully adapted yet, so how could someone from distant Russia?

“Did the late King pass away peacefully?”

“Yes. The Duke of Orléans stayed by his side until the very end, I’m told.”

“Is that so? Then I should hear the story from Christian.”

He was already feeling dizzy from being surrounded by nobles, but fortunately, a good excuse arose.

Hastily leaving the spot with his wife, Auguste headed to the room where Christian was.

He could hear the nobles muttering something, but the content didn’t register in his ears at all.

Still, following Christian’s advice that he shouldn’t let the nobles look down on him, he put strength in his eyes and deliberately strode roughly.

“Long live Louis XVI!”

“Long live!”

With each step he took, the flattering voices of the nobles waiting in the hallway pierced his ears.

It was the day the new King was born, but it was also the day of his grandfather’s death.

Was it really right to be marching so triumphantly while receiving such congratulations on this day?

Or was the very act of having such thoughts proof that he was still weak?

No matter how much Auguste pondered, he couldn’t find an answer.

‘Christian would tell me what to do from now on.’

The only reason he wasn’t completely in the dark was because of the presence of his reliable younger brother, who would always give him divine guidance, as always.

Of course, even that brother had emphasized several times that he needed to steel his heart from now on.

He didn’t know specifically what he needed to prepare himself for, but he thought he would be told soon.

Auguste could only harbor the timid hope that it wouldn’t be anything too big.

※※※

The coronation of the new King Louis XVI was held very quickly.

As the noble closest to the King, I stood at the very front of the Reims Notre-Dame Cathedral, neatly dressed in full regalia.

“You seem to have mixed feelings.”

Marie said.

I looked at Marie and replaced my answer with a wry smile.

She sighed lightly and reached out towards me.

“It seems your collar got a bit crooked when you got out of the carriage earlier. Come here.”

Marie not only fixed my collar but also smoothed out the fine wrinkles in my sleeves before gently taking my hand.

“Knowing your personality, you’re not worried, but are you hesitating?”

“Well… I don’t know. It’s just the time I’ve been expecting has come, so I’m probably not hesitating.”

Glancing around, there were quite a few people watching us while pretending not to.

When a new King ascends the throne, a reshuffling of power is inevitable, and Versailles is no exception right now.

Some of the Secretaries of State will be replaced, and there will be changes in the selection of bishops.

However, my power as the First Noble remains unshaken.

Rather, it was already an open secret that I would have even greater power than before.

This was because Auguste, who was to become Louis XVI, had expressed his deep trust in me whenever he had the chance.

The fact that a count who tried to keep me in check without any tact was immediately demoted just three days ago.

Thanks to that, the rumor that I, who was already at the heart of Louis XV’s efforts to strengthen royal authority, would become Louis XVI’s sword was spreading throughout the palace.

The hint of unease in the gazes of the nobles looking at me was probably for that reason.

In this situation, there’s no need to say unnecessary words.

I glanced once at the nobles looking at us.

As if by agreement, most of them lowered their gaze and avoided eye contact.

Dong-!

A sound that grabbed everyone’s attention echoed.

The sound of instruments formally announcing the birth of a new King in France flowed out in succession.

Auguste, dressed in splendid clothes, slowly walked forward, and all the nobles bowed deeply.

Soon, the sound of the instruments gradually subsided, and Auguste stood before the cardinal.

It was time to completely part ways with the name Auguste.

Auguste knelt down in front of the steps.

In the silence where all sound had ceased, the cardinal slowly took the crown and placed it on Auguste’s head.

“In the name of the Lord, I hereby pass on the throne.”

Thus, Auguste became Louis XVI and formally ascended to the throne of France.

Afterwards, celebratory events commemorating the birth of the new King followed.

Military bands lined up outside Notre-Dame Cathedral played instruments, and the cheers of the citizens shook the land.

Auguste took the hand of Juliana, who was now the Queen instead of the Crown Princess, and confidently strode forward.

In fact, he had practiced so hard in recent days to play the part of a charismatic King.

Thanks to that, Auguste, or rather Louis XVI, had now become a true ‘Mecha Auguste’ who could play the part of a charismatic monarch at any time.

Bang! Bang!

The warships anchored in the river fired cannons, and flower petals rained down, adorning the entire sky.

It was truly a large-scale event in which money and manpower were poured in without reservation.

It was deliberately made more magnificent and splendid to show that the authority of the royal family would remain steadfast in the future.

After all the events were over, it was only natural that a large-scale banquet would be held.

The wide-open Palace of Versailles was more crowded with nobles than ever before.

Naturally, Louis XVI, the protagonist of the party, felt like his soul had left his body from the endless praise of the nobles.

After finding a suitable time, I requested an audience, and Louis XVI followed me as if he were a traveler who had found an oasis in the desert.

“Hoo… it’s tough, it’s tough. It’s really driving me crazy.”

Perhaps because he had been tormented for several hours, Louis XVI took off his jacket as soon as he entered the empty room and sat down roughly.

“It will become a daily routine now, so you should adapt quickly.”

“How on earth did grandfather continue this life for 70 years? I have a newfound respect for him.”

“Isn’t there a saying that humans are creatures of adaptation? Your Highness, or rather Your Majesty, will gradually get used to it.”

“Just call me ‘hyung’ [older brother] like before when we’re alone. I’ve heard the sound of ‘Your Majesty’ so much that my ears are about to fall off, and if even you do that, I’ll go crazy.”

“Understood. Then I will call you ‘hyung’ only in this place.”

Before I knew it, a burst of hollow laughter escaped my lips.

There are many bigger things to come, so what are you going to do if you’re already tired?

“By the way, Christian, what am I supposed to do from now on?”

“You are the King, hyung. What do you want to do?”

“I… I don’t know. At least, I have the desire to not let this country regress compared to when grandfather was here…”

“Don’t worry. If that’s what you want, hyung, I will definitely assist you.”

Louis XVI smiled contentedly at my answer.

“Grandfather said that if I trust and rely on your words, everything will work out. He said that everything you’ve achieved is actually your work. So I’m going to trust only you.”

“If you trust me, hyung, you will never be disappointed in the future, just like now. In that regard, I have a good opportunity to tell you something. In order for France to not regress compared to when the late King was here, it must continue to develop endlessly.”

“…I think it would be better to just maintain the status quo rather than being too greedy…”

“Hyung. The moment a country stops progressing, it’s as good as regressing. If you don’t want to fall behind, you must constantly move forward.”

I took out the document I had received from the Director of the Treasury for times like this and spread it out on the table.

Louis XVI glanced at the document.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a report that coldly records the reality of France right now.”

“Reality? Wasn’t France at its peak right now?”

Instead of answering, I slid the paper forward.

[The Current Status and Projections of the French Royal Finances.]

Skipping the details, Louis XVI’s eyes widened as he skimmed through the conclusion.

“What is this? It’s so different from what I thought?”

“It’s much worse than you thought, right? If we continue like this, the debt will not decrease but increase again. This is a fact that the late King was also aware of.”

“Heo… this is a bit embarrassing.”

It was the reaction I expected.

Louis XV was like this when he first heard these words.

“France is still maintaining an outdated system in many areas. Not just one part, but finance, taxation, and administration are all in a comprehensive mess.”

“Still, didn’t grandfather and you fix a lot of things? I thought the situation had improved quite a bit because of that…”

“It has improved a lot. Shockingly, this is how much it has improved. If you had inherited the throne without any improvements at all, this country would already be beyond saving.”

Louis XVI’s expression gradually darkened.

The conclusion of the report was clear enough for anyone to understand.

If there are no groundbreaking improvements, the finances will only worsen.

If that happens, we will eventually have to collect more taxes from the citizens or colonies, which will lead to an uncontrollable deterioration of public sentiment.

In other words, we are slowly walking towards the path of destruction without anyone knowing.

The victory in the last war was only enough to slightly extend the life of a terminally ill patient, but it was not enough to cure the disease.

Louis XVI, having fully realized that fact, pressed his temples with his index finger as if he were feeling dizzy.

“I never imagined I would hear such a report from the first day of my reign.”

“There is a saying in the East that it is better to be beaten sooner rather than later. Isn’t it true that you can only solve problems if you face them quickly?”

“Is that so? That means you have a solution, right?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it! But wait a minute…”

Louis XVI, who was clapping with a bright smile, scratched his head with a face that he didn’t understand.

“If there is a definite solution, why didn’t you use it when grandfather was here? Did grandfather refuse?”

“The late King was already in poor health, so it was difficult to take such a strong measure. And isn’t now, when you have newly inherited the throne, the best time to start reforms?”

“…Reforms?”

I could see a deep smile on my face reflected in the window.

The current year in which Louis XVI ascended the throne is 1774.

This is the time before the historical Great Revolution took place.

Should this be called the irony of history?

“Yes. In order to further develop France, drastic reforms are needed.”

The die has already been cast.

Louis XVI’s uneasy gaze only strengthened my resolve.

As my mind became lighter, a sense of ease naturally permeated my voice.

“We will abolish the tax exemption privileges of the first and second estates [clergy and nobility]. Will you allow it?”

There will be tremendous opposition and resistance, but it doesn’t matter.

From the beginning, that was my true purpose.