I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 307

A sea change.

Pit had heard the famous Eastern proverb that rivers and mountains change in ten years.

Pit felt that this proverb had never been more fitting than now.

Just looking at London, it had become almost a different city from when he stepped down.

The fact that the entire country was engaged in fierce debate over the Sedition Act was clear evidence that times had changed.

The advancement of technology is always amazing and awe-inspiring.

That feeling grew even stronger when he arrived in Paris.

“So, have you completely established yourself as a critic now?”

“Yes, the generous Chairman [referring to a high-ranking political figure, likely Christian] allowed me to do that much. Thanks to him, I managed to snag this position, so I’m fortunate.”

“…Tell me honestly. I saw you giving me a strangely grateful look earlier, didn’t I?”

“Hahaha…I can’t deny it. Seeing it from a distance, I realized it for sure. Politics is a disease that eats away at people. Now that I’m free from it, I feel much healthier, both mentally and physically.”

“…I envy that.”

Christian sipped his wine with an expression that was hard to describe.

“But I was honestly a little surprised. I thought you, as Chairman, would cleverly retire again.”

“I thought I could too. But…it didn’t work out.”

“I was honestly surprised when I saw it in the newspaper. Wasn’t that the first national referendum held in France?”

“…It was. I never imagined that I would clash with the parliament over something like this.”

As far as Pit knew, the French constitution did have provisions for national referendums.

Perhaps it stated that important decisions regarding diplomacy, defense, or national security could be put to a national referendum.

However, most people probably thought of it as just a formality, and no one thought it would actually be implemented.

It would not only consume an enormous amount of administrative power, but it would also be difficult to gain consensus on its necessity.

“I thought I had prepared well. My son seemed a bit displeased, but I wanted to rest soon too.”

“Then your son might have been a little disappointed. Even if the real power isn’t that great, the symbolism of being a king is enormous.”

“No. The one who colluded with the parliament and held the referendum was that guy.”

“…Was that rumor true?”

Christian’s attempted abdication.

This commotion, which could never be understood by the sensibilities of power holders, had naturally become a hot topic in England as well.

Until now, the French parliament had always obeyed Christian’s words.

But that time was different.

The Senate and the House of Representatives, both ruling and opposition parties, joined forces to issue a statement opposing Christian’s resignation.

When it seemed that they could not break the king’s will, they even held street marches to appeal for the support of the people.

-Imagine France without His Majesty!

-Remember what happened in the previous war!

-No country has ever had a king step down while he is still in good health!

Even Louis XVI, the symbol of the French Federal Empire and the head of the Bourbon dynasty, seemed to sympathize with the parliament.

Eventually, the parliament cooperated with the imperial family to put the matter of deciding whether to accept Christian’s abdication to a national referendum.

In the end, the citizens of France rejected the king’s abdication with an absurd turnout of 93.5% and 92.3% voting against it.

In addition, they inserted a clause stating that no one could replace him unless Christian was suffering from serious health problems.

In other words, the path to escape was completely blocked.

“Actually, we also had a debate on that topic. We were very interested in what impact this failed abdication would have on the French political scene and what the influence of those who led it would be.”

“Then you must have offered a lot of opinions as a critic.”

“…Well, yes, but I’m ashamed to say that it seems I was wrong. I insisted that the Crown Prince, your son, was unlikely to have been involved in this incident.”

The claim that Crown Prince Theodore colluded with the parliament and incited public opinion had some basis.

First of all, the parliament, which couldn’t say a word to Christian, expressed its opposition to him too actively.

This must mean they had something to rely on to start the trouble.

In addition, the fact that the Crown Prince was so quiet even though the opportunity to ascend the throne had been thwarted lent credence to the claim.

It was inevitable that the story would come out that the Crown Prince didn’t want to ascend the throne from the beginning.

Of course, that’s just what people were saying, and only a few seriously believed it.

There were several reasons, but the biggest reason was, ‘Who in the world would make such a fuss because they didn’t want to be king?’

Most people would hear such words and give up arguing, saying that was true.

It was simply incomprehensible to the common sense of ordinary people.

“I’ve heard of crown princes colluding with vassals to stage a coup, but to oppose the king and beg him not to abdicate…I still can’t understand it.”

“He told me to hand it over in about 20 years. I don’t know if he knows that means I have to keep rolling for another 20 years.”

Perhaps because he was getting more heated as he talked, Christian emptied his wine glass in one gulp.

So that’s why soccer is his only comfort and he pours so much passion into it.

It was easy to understand why FIFA’s [Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of association football] recent activities had become so vigorous.

If France fails to win the World Cup in this situation, he will be even more upset, right?

Maybe not now, but maybe the next time or the time after that, things could change.

After all, France’s power is still being dispersed, while this side and the Holy Roman Empire are getting stronger.

“Ah, by the way, is that rumor true? There’s a rumor circulating that France is trying to revive the ancient Olympics.”

“The news will spread after this event anyway, so there’s no need to hide it. It’s true. After the official announcement, the organization will be launched, and the games are scheduled to be held within six years.”

“Reviving the Olympics as well…”

There had been several attempts to revive the ancient Olympics before.

England had also tried it once, but the original purpose gradually faded, and international response was insufficient, so it was eventually abolished.

However, France has the know-how gained from the World Cup, and transportation is getting better day by day, so it seemed that there was enough room for success.

“Then the first hosting will be…”

“Of course, it should be in Athens, right? Because of the symbolism.”

“Ah…that’s right.”

This is also a wise decision.

First of all, Greece has only recently become independent, so it must be looking for an opportunity for unity.

If we throw the Olympics at them, they will be desperate to jump at it.

“One way or another, it seems that the Chairman is steadily implementing his plan to make France the center of the world. The International Exposition that will be held after the World Cup will also eventually become the standard of the French way.”

“To be honest, I’m just annoyed.”

That’s what he said, but Pit wasn’t naive enough to believe it all.

The reason why the top leaders of each country are gathering in Paris this time is not just to watch the soccer game.

The plan to expand the industrial expositions, which had been held to showcase the technologies of each country, into world expositions was scheduled to be discussed.

Currently, each country in Europe was holding expositions one after another to show off how much they had developed.

To remedy the confusion caused by this, the Bureau International des Expositions [International Exhibitions Bureau] was recently established, and only expos recognized by it will be granted official status.

The problem was that France was leading even this.

The World Exposition, which will be the first in the world, will be held in Paris in a year.

“The citizens of Paris have an international event almost every year, so they must not have time to get bored.”

“…Do you think so?”

Unlike the playful atmosphere until now, Christian’s voice lowered slightly.

“You know that the exposition is a bit different from the Olympics or soccer, right? This side has too much of a propaganda nature by its very nature.”

“Ah…I understand what you mean.”

The initial purpose of the Expo was clearly to easily compare the technological developments of each region in one place.

However, in less than 100 years, this exposition has turned into a propaganda tool for each country to show off its national power.

Even at expos involving multiple countries, they did not hesitate to engage in open power struggles.

Since war is prohibited, they are trying to show in this way that their national power is superior to other countries.

“Since next year’s exposition is the first officially recognized international exposition, most of the leaders of each country will also participate. And to discuss this, a summit will be held in this very place in a week.”

“Our Prime Minister also asked me to convey his regards in advance.”

“If so, please tell him to avoid conflicts with other countries as much as possible.”

You might say that France is the most developed country in the world right now, so what is there to be proud of, but the battle of pride between countries doesn’t always go that way.

Rather, because the number one position is so solid, there are an enormous number of people aiming for the number two position.

This all happened because England fell from its firm position as the second-in-command.

Still, England thought that even though they had fallen, they were still second.

On the other hand, Spain was openly expressing the idea that they might be able to compete with England now.

In particular, the Holy Roman Empire has been rapidly increasing its national power recently and has joined this rivalry.

Russia was too badly hit in the last war and was holding its breath, but you never know what will happen over time.

“When I think about it, the people who are gathering this time are amazing. Our Prime Minister, the new Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and the leaders of Spain, Russia, and Sweden are coming, so it must be dizzying.”

“It looks like you’re a little excited no matter how I look at it.”

“Isn’t this the first time that the new leaders of Europe are gathering in one place? Still, as someone who used to eat political rice [a metaphor for being involved in politics], I can’t help but look forward to it. And when you think about it, aren’t many of these people connected to the Chairman?”

When you think about it, Christian of France is the only one who is still stubbornly holding his position.

Russia, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, England, and Sweden have all changed leaders.

If I thought that I was going to be in that position, I also had the thought that it would have been fun in its own way.

It seems that the instinct of a politician is still there.

‘But when I think about it, it’s going to be quite a spectacle.’

The new Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the new Queen of Sweden are all Christian’s children, aren’t they?

The new Tsar of Russia, who was crowned this year, was the son of Louis XVI, so he was Christian’s nephew.

The King of Spain was also a member of the Bourbon dynasty.

It’s a place where you can discuss the direction of the world, but…when I look at it now, isn’t this just a large-scale family meeting?

In other words…the Prime Minister who will come from England is in a position that is no different from an uninvited guest at a family meeting.

I stand corrected.

I am once again truly grateful that I did not end up in that position.