He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 17

(16) The Kingdom’s Top Aristocrat Causes the Varennes Flight

So, why was Fersen deceived?

If he had thought more rationally, he might have suspected Eugene.

But if he had any composure left, he wouldn’t have planned a royal escape in the first place.

If it succeeded, the king would become a puppet, and if it failed, he would die as in the original history.

Perhaps, from Fersen’s perspective, the king didn’t matter.

As long as the queen could live.

Just as Eugene thought about the princess now.

Suddenly, Ippolito, who had been staring intently at Eugene, whistled.

“Seriously, you get scarier every time I see you.”

“What are you talking about? You and Mars are doing all the actual work.”

“Oh, are hands and feet the same as the head? Whatever.”

Ippolito shuddered and asked.

“But is this okay? If the National Assembly finds out that the king is fleeing…”

“Of course, he’ll be beheaded.”

“Gasp, then are you perhaps trying to denounce the king?”

This time, Eugene retorted as if he were dumbfounded.

“Do you want to kill the king that much?”

If the escape is discovered, the king will surely die.

France is already surrounded by potential enemies.

The voices opposing the revolution aren’t only from countries like the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia, and Spain.

Even Britain, the source of the Enlightenment that sparked the revolution, is against it.

But the king is fleeing?

The king is still a national symbol.

If the national symbol tries to flee and gets caught, it’s treason.

It’s treason against the nation itself.

It’s a logic unimaginable in traditional monarchies, but it’s obvious in modern times.

It’s also a concept that’s changing during the French Revolution.

Eugene smacked his lips, thinking about the incredibly complex situation.

“Actually, I’m not sure where the flames of this revolution will spread, so I can’t be confident. But the king is incompetent but kind, and the queen is short-sighted but a benevolent mother. I want to save them if possible.”

Of course, that’s just an emotion.

There’s a cold reality.

If the king and queen die as in the original history, there’s a phase that will inevitably come.

The Reign of Terror.

It’s an era when old aristocrats and revolutionaries alike are beheaded.

Among those who are beheaded by the guillotine at that time is his father, Alexandre.

One way or another, to prevent the Reign of Terror, the royal escape must be thwarted.

But Ippolito, who was listening to Eugene, asked back as if he were dumbfounded.

“Then there’s a way? You even gave them money, didn’t you?”

“If they didn’t have that money, do you think the royal family couldn’t gather that much? There are still royalist aristocrats, and even more constitutional monarchist members of parliament. Rather, if I don’t lend it to them, they’ll be anxious and poke around here and there, and they’ll get caught sooner.”

“Oh, so you’re thinking of letting them escape to Austria?”

Eugene smiled bitterly at that.

“That’s impossible. When has the king ever ridden a horse except for hunting? Besides, escaping with the children… It’s impossible.”

In the original history, this royal escape inevitably fails.

What’s the reason?

Actually, it’s because of Marie Antoinette.

She uses a phaeton [a light, open carriage] for travel convenience.

She took breaks whenever the time came.

She even brought a lot of clothes so she wouldn’t be inferior in exile.

Here, the king also relaxed and had contact with the farmers.

So, the revolutionaries had no choice but to pursue them, no matter how disorganized they were.

Then the king’s party is caught.

Right at the border area called Varennes.

While Eugene was thinking about this, another person suddenly asked a question.

“Where do you think the king will go?”

It’s Mars, the cafe owner and deputy manager of Boarne Bank.

Before he knew it, the core members in the cafe, Ellie, Sylvain, and Tournai, were also watching with curiosity.

From the beginning, Eugene didn’t let anyone into this cafe who could leak secrets.

In other words, he had to tell them some secrets.

Eugene shrugged.

“Varennes. It’s close to the Holy Roman Empire’s territory in the Duchy of Lorraine. Maybe the Marquis de Bouillé, a royalist aristocrat, will be there as commander?”

“Oh, I see. Wait. Isn’t that originally a military passage? They’re going that way to escape?”

“I told you. It’s an escape with the queen and children. They can’t just go to the mountains. Well, that’s why I think they’ll be caught.”

If the king escapes alone, he might be able to escape.

The king’s third younger brother, the Count of Artois, and second younger brother, the Count of Provence, successfully fled into exile.

But what if he takes the queen, prince, and princess with him?

It’s never easy.

But Louis XVI is not a man who can make the decision to abandon his family.

Conversely, he’s not a man who can make the decision to stay in Paris and respond to the revolutionaries.

So, the methods Eugene can choose are limited.

“We have to make it fail. Somehow. But the king mustn’t be revealed.”

Then Ippolito tilted his head and asked back.

“Maybe… What if someone runs away first?”

“What?”

“No, if someone else’s escape is discovered, the king won’t be able to escape either, right?”

At that moment, Eugene snapped his fingers.

“Yes, that’s it! If the most likely guy runs away, but not the king!”

“Huh? No, I just said it. Who is it?”

“There is. There’s someone who’s just returned to France who’s perfect.”

Eugene’s eyes lit up.

“The Duke of Orléans.”

He is the ‘Godfather’ of the revolutionaries and a leading royal aiming for the next king.

He is also one of the main characters who will be beheaded during the Reign of Terror.

***

Surprisingly, in the early days of the Great Revolution, the exile and return of aristocrats were frequent.

“Hahaha! Thank you, General Lafayette. For welcoming me.”

The Duke of Orléans, who has just returned to the Palais Royal [Royal Palace], is one of them.

He had previously fled into exile in London and has now returned.

Why did he go into exile?

Strangely, he fell under suspicion of assassinating the king.

It was in October 1789, when Eugene was in Martinique.

At that time, women rose up in Paris, which was engulfed in the flames of revolution.

It was because there was no bread, they were uneasy, and there were rumors that the king was colluding with the aristocrats again to overturn the revolution.

The women invaded the palace with weapons, and the royal family was forcibly dragged out of Versailles.

It is thanks to Lafayette’s intervention that the king and queen did not die in this commotion.

However, it was during this incident, which was later recorded as the ‘Women’s March on Versailles’.

「Orléans for King!」

There was a situation where someone shouted.

The king suspected that Orléans was behind the march, and there were strange rumors that there was a plot to assassinate the king.

Of course, from the Duke of Orléans’s point of view, it was absurd.

However, Lafayette advised that it would be better to go into exile for a while until the situation stabilized.

Now, more than nine months have passed, and the Duke has finally returned.

Lafayette, a young general in his 30s, sat in front of the Duke and said politely.

“Thanks to Your Highness’s return, many things have become easier. The voices advocating a constitutional monarchy have also grown louder in the parliament.”

“Haha, what Duke! Now call me Citizen Orléans. Haven’t aristocratic titles been abolished?”

“Still, shouldn’t I naturally call you that in private?”

It was then.

“Father, a moment.”

His son, the Duke of Chartres, Louis Philippe, approached and whispered to the Duke of Orléans.

The Duke of Orléans frowned and then smiled again.

Lafayette’s eyes widened.

Something must have happened.

As evidence, the Duke elegantly issued an eviction order.

“Oh dear, I seem to have held you for too long. Then I look forward to your continued support, General.”

“Yes? Ah, I understand. Your Highness. I have to go and lead the National Guard soon.”

“Okay. Take good care of Paris!”

An event worthy of sending away a precious guest, Lafayette.

For example, a debtor.

The Duke of Orléans headed to the reception room where another guest was waiting and asked his son again.

“That gambling prodigy?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Hmm, I wonder how far that friend who sold me American bonds has grown.”

The ‘gambling prodigy’, Eugene, who was waiting in the secret reception room, greeted the Duke of Orléans.

He has a comfortable attitude, as if he were at home.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

The Duke, who had been quietly examining Eugene, twisted his lips.

“You haven’t grown much.”

“It’s a growth period, but it’s only been a year.”

“On the contrary, your eyes and attitude have become very arrogant.”

Eugene also smiled leisurely, unlike when they first met.

“Many things change during the revolutionary period, Your Highness.”

At that time, Eugene was just a child who came to sell bad bonds that he didn’t know if they would be sold.

But now, a year later, Eugene is a banker running a decent bank.

Moreover, he is a banker who knows both the period of soaring prices and plummeting stock prices during the revolutionary period.

The Duke also heard the story that he was making huge amounts of money through speculation.

If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have bothered to meet him, even while getting rid of Lafayette.

“So, what brings you to me?”

Looking at the Duke who asked with interest, Eugene replied.

“Go back to London. Or you will die.”

It’s a completely unexpected and presumptuous statement.

Both the Duke of Orléans and the Duke of Chartres were dumbfounded and opened their mouths wide.

At least they thought he would come to talk about financial transactions or business.

But to tell the Duke, who has just returned home, to get out to a foreign country.

It’s an absurd story.

“Huh, this is truly repaying kindness with evil. Have you forgotten that I helped you with your first success?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. So, I’m here to warn you of the danger.”

“Danger? Is Paris dangerous for me, a friend of the citizens?”

At that moment, Eugene said calmly.

“Soon, Robespierre will seize power.”

The Duke hesitated at those words.

Robespierre is not yet the synonym for ‘Guillotine’ like in later original history.

However, there are already aristocrats who were executed as traitors in the early days of the revolution.

Also, Robespierre is the one who most strongly advocates the destruction of the old aristocracy in the parliament.

The Duke, who is also a member of the National Assembly, knows that fact.

But how can Robespierre seize power?

There are prominent leaders of the revolution, including Mirabeau.

Even Lafayette, whom he met today, is like that.

The Duke frowned and glared at Eugene.

“That radical friend? No way. Of course, I’ve heard that his gang is growing within the [Club des Jacobins].”

“The [Montagnards] faction has already seized power once within the Jacobins. That’s when you went to London.”

“Yes. But moderate friends like Lafayette have taken it back, haven’t they? And Mirabeau too.”

Montagnards, soon refers to the famous Mountain faction.

The Club des Jacobins, that is, the Jacobin Club, is already the mainstream political faction of the National Assembly.

The number of affiliated members of parliament does not exceed the majority, but they are leading all opinions.

In fact, even so, the leaders are still Mirabeau and Lafayette.

However, the so-called [Mountain Faction] is gradually taking control.

Robespierre, Danton, Marat.

It is the time when the three giants of the Mountain faction, who present the guillotine to the opposition and even die themselves, are beginning to stand out.

Instead of explaining that way, Eugene brought up an easy-to-understand story.

“Mirabeau is a spy for the king, Your Highness. So, you can’t trust him. Not to Your Highness, not to the Mountain faction, not to the National Assembly.”

The Duke opened his mouth wide and exclaimed.

“Dangerous words! If Mirabeau heard that, he would try to kill you.”

“That would be fortunate. The problem is that Mirabeau will die soon.”

“What?”

Mirabeau, the leader of the early revolution.

However, in this period of 1790, he is close to being a double spy crossing between the king and the parliament.

This is because he is planning a conspiracy to suppress the hard-line Mountain faction in the parliament, restrict the king’s absolute power, and introduce a British-style constitutional monarchy.

If he had succeeded in this conspiracy, there would have been no problem.

The real problem is that Mirabeau’s life is not long.

Absolute information that only those who know the original history can predict, soon lifespan.

Eugene decided to use this information.

“You know? That Mirabeau frequents my mother’s salon.”

The Duke blinked.

Clearly, the story that Mirabeau frequents the salon of Eugene’s mother, the New World woman ‘Marie Rose de Beauharnais’, is widespread in Paris.

In fact, there are rumors that Mirabeau, who likes women, is rumored to have a new lover, Rose.

But why would this boy bring up a story that could insult his mother?

Eugene added a very terrifying story.

Right, the ‘assassination conspiracy theory’.

“Soon, you will hear the news that Mirabeau is enjoying a party at the salon and then dies.”

“Su, surely… Is it an assassination plot?”

“It’s the work of the radicals. Remember when you hear that news.”

Eugene got up from his seat and told the frozen Duke.

“If you don’t run away, the next one is His Highness the Duke of Orléans.”

The Duke could not get up from his seat.

***

The Duke of Orléans, currently calling himself Philippe Egalité [Philip Equality].

“He is suspicious, indecisive, but also very timid.”

So, no matter how slow he is to act, if he gets scared, he will definitely move.

Mirabeau, the early leader of the revolution.

Furthermore, he is the one who is working to save the current king.

But Mirabeau’s life is already short.

Why?

Pericarditis, soon a disease in which the heart becomes inflamed.

It is an incurable disease in this era, a difficult disease to treat even in modern times.

On the way out of the Palais Royal.

Eugene’s secretary, Ippolito, who was accompanying him, asked.

“Is it true?”

“Well, he’ll die soon anyway. His health is a mess. That’s what the doctor says.”

“Gasp, then isn’t that a scam?”

Eugene smiled and replied.

“So, it’s effective. Isn’t it strange that everything is a coincidence? Well, originally the king should run away, but…”

He is someone who will die anyway.

He uses that person’s death to arouse suspicion in the Duke.

Right, the suspicion of the ‘conspiracy theory’ that the radicals, soon the Mountain faction, are trying to ruthlessly murder the old aristocrats and constitutional monarchists.

Suddenly, Eugene’s gaze turned to the huge palace, the Palais Royal.

“I’m betting the Duke of Orléans on my card.”

Eugene’s card to prevent the king’s escape has been thrown.

***

The revolution is never an equal time for everyone.

“Wahahaha! You are so pleasant, Madam.”

Winter in January 1791.

The streets are still full of starving poor people.

Most of the aristocrats who enjoyed power are fleeing abroad.

However, in various parts of the capital of France, Paris, [salons] that aristocrats used to enjoy are reopening.

One of them is the salon of the former Mrs. Beauharnais.

The owner of the salon, Rose de Pashery Beauharnais or Josephine, laughed.

It is to smile at the fat man who just praised Josephine’s humor.

“Oh, Count Mirabeau. Thank you for the compliment.”

“Oh, oh. Madam. You came from the New World and haven’t adapted yet. Try to follow me. Citizen, Monsieur Mirabeau.”

“Huh? Isn’t Monsieur an honorific used for precious people?”

Mirabeau, a VIP of this salon and a prominent member of the Revolutionary National Assembly, laughed and replied.

“That’s not true. Now, any male citizen is Monsieur [Mister]. Hahaha!”

Monsieur, in English, corresponds to [Mister].

Originally, it was an honorific used for lower-ranking aristocrats or higher in both England and France.

Now, in an era where the world has been turned upside down by the revolution, anyone who is a [male citizen] has become [Monsieur].

Of course, only the title has become equal, but the citizens have not really become equal.

Immediately, there are few people who are qualified to enter this salon.

At that time, Camille Desmoulins, a member of parliament who was sipping alcohol next to him, glanced at Mirabeau and said.

“Monsieur Mirabeau, are you okay? Your face looks a little pale.”

“Ah, I’m fine. Rather, Camille. I’ll ask you one thing while we’re at it. They’re calling us [traitors] these days? It’s really too much. Your friend too.”

“Th, that’s… Maximilien wouldn’t want that either. Citizens’ demands are pouring in.”

Desmoulins said lowly, glancing at the salon guests around him.

“In particular, the citizens who call themselves sans-culottes [common people] are, uh, about to rise up at any moment.”

The salon is a place where leading figures of France gather at the end of the 18th century.

In particular, the salon of [Madame Rose] is frequented by many leaders of the revolutionary faction.

This is because she is the ex-wife of Alexandre, a close aide to the revolutionary general Lafayette, and the mother of the prodigy Eugene.

Therefore, even Desmoulins, a friend of Robespierre, had to be careful with his words.

In any case, Robespierre has already risen to the position of leader of the ‘hardliners,’ the Jacobin [Mountain Faction].

But what are hardliners?

In the age of revolution, hardliners demand the demolition of everything from the old era.

Status, old customs, and religion are all targets to be smashed.

Among them, what is at the pinnacle of the old era?

The [King].

In short, what the hardline Mountain Faction and the hardline citizens, the sans-culottes [common people, literally “without breeches,” referring to their simple attire], demand is one thing.

The king must be overthrown.

Mirabeau, a moderate reformist who wanted a constitutional monarchy, clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, controlling that is what politicians do. Anyway, Maximilien needs to get married too. Like you.”

“Yes? M, marriage?”

“Do you know what they’re saying these days?”

Mirabeau said, laughing as if joking.

“Saint-Just, Hébert, and even Robespierre. They say that unmarried bachelors are getting frustrated and becoming radical. Puh-huh!”

Of course, Desmoulins, who is listening to this, is also still unmarried.

Although he has a lover to marry.

However, Mirabeau’s words were not entirely a joke.

Many of the leading members of the hardliners are so-called [ascetics].

The suspicion that they are relieving the stress of asceticism with radical political claims is actually present even in modern original history.

Desmoulins, who blinked at the seemingly persuasive story, frowned.

“Ah, teacher. That can’t be true, can it? This is not the time for jokes. It’s really dangerous!”

“The dangerous ones are those three. Tsk, do you think the people will run wild without agitators? If we make a mistake now, the National Guard and the people could clash.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

Mirabeau told Desmoulins, who was a member of the Mountain Faction but still someone he could talk to.

“Hébert is constantly agitating the people. Soon, these guys will cause a commotion. Be careful.”

Jacques René Hébert.

Along with Babeuf, who is called the founder of so-called communism in later generations, he is an ultra-hardline leftist in the revolutionary period.

Purifying France by killing all royals, nobles, and clergy is Hébert’s political goal.

Of course, the king is the top priority for purging.

But will everything be resolved if the king is killed?

Mirabeau judged that it was not.

Killing the king is not easy, but the problem is what happens after death.

Surely, kings outside the border will feel fear and attack.

Mirabeau pondered the fact in his head and gently clutched his chest.

Perhaps because of the stress these days, his heart sometimes hurts.

“Hmph, those hardliners. Huh? What is it?”

At that time, a handsome young boy approached Mirabeau.

“Hello. I came on an errand from Count Fersen.”

“Huh? Count Fersen? What’s going on?”

“The Count told me to tell only Count Mirabeau.”

The boy, Hippolyte Charles, whispered in Mirabeau’s ear.

“Soon, His Majesty the King will try to escape. So, he asks for your help.”

For a moment, Mirabeau’s brain stopped.

The words he just heard were so shocking that he couldn’t accept them right away.

It is a time when the leaders of the revolution are saying that the king is dangerous, so he should be killed.

But, the king himself actually escapes and proves his own danger?

It is the moment when everything Mirabeau has envisioned for a constitutional monarchy collapses.

Standing up from his seat, Mirabeau shouted.

“Crazy! That stupid king. That won’t do!”

At that moment, everyone looked at Mirabeau.

Pale face, uncirculating blood, and intense stress.

In original history, Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Count of Mirabeau, dies of heart inflammation, or pericarditis.

Originally, it happens in April 1791.

However, in January 1791, pericarditis is already in a severe state.

Enormous stress was strangling Mirabeau’s heart.

Camille Desmoulins, who was sitting next to him, carefully asked Mirabeau.

“Monsieur Mirabeau?”

In an instant, Mirabeau fell to the ground.

“Mirabeau! Good heavens, a doctor! Call a doctor!”

As Josephine screamed, the salon party ended that day.

With Mirabeau’s death.

***

A foretold death sounds just like the next death sentence.

“I have to escape quickly. Now, everything is ruined!”

The Duke of Orléans screamed and hurriedly packed his bags.

Who is Mirabeau?

He is the one who led the declaration of the [Tennis Court Oath] when the Estates-General was transformed into the National Assembly, and at the same time, he won the favor of the royal family, and furthermore, he was the one who tried to turn the French Revolution into a British-style parliamentary system.

Therefore, Mirabeau, despite being a revolutionary, was in a position to protect the remaining nobles.

But Mirabeau is dead.

Also, as the gambling prodigy Eugene had predicted, at the salon party.

This can only be taken as someone killed Mirabeau.

Orléans was convinced that he was next.

Conversely, his son, the Duke of Chartres, tried to stop Orléans.

“Father, you should at least talk to Count Lafayette once!”

“Enough! General Dumouriez is more trustworthy now. The general is out to capture Belgium now, right? I have to contact him and escape.”

“But everything is uncertain. It’s dangerous to move based solely on what that little kid says!”

He couldn’t trust Eugene.

Isn’t he just barely under 10 years old?

No matter how much of a prodigy he is, how much he has traveled to the New World, and how much he has established a bank, a child is still a child.

The Duke of Chartres was dissatisfied with his father, who was moving on the words of a child.

At that moment, the Duke of Orléans’ eyes flashed.

“Mirabeau is dead, Philippe!”

The Duke of Orléans shouted at his son, Louis Philippe, the Duke of Chartres.

“Mirabeau was connected to the Queen, but he was still a leader of the revolution. Moreover, he wanted the monarchy to continue!”

“Isn’t that why you were trying to get rid of him?”

“That’s when he would be purged under my control! An incident happened that was out of my hands!”

The Duke does not know who killed Mirabeau.

But one thing is certain.

Mirabeau, who was restricting the hardliners, is dead.

If there is someone who killed Mirabeau, that person will lead the political situation.

It is highly likely that it is a hardliner.

But what are the revolutionary hardliners shouting for now?

Just kill the king?

Who will they kill next?

Perhaps they will kill the next most important aristocrat after the king, even if he supported the revolution, he still has a strong influence?

That is the Duke of Orléans.

“Now there will be a bloodbath. I can’t control Robespierre or Hébert!”

In fact, in original history, the Duke of Orléans does not act this quickly.

He sits still and agrees to execute the king.

After that, in the rapidly changing political situation, he fails to escape and is soon executed.

But now, he has already been warned by Eugene.

His sense of urgency has reached its peak, and Mirabeau has really died.

He had no choice but to move.

Hurriedly running out of the Palais-Royal, the Duke shouted to his son and servants.

“I’ve packed the bare minimum, right? Cash only, discard all banknotes.”

“What about mother?”

“Louise? Oh dear. What to do?”

Only then did the Duke of Orléans remember his estranged wife.

Louise Marie Adélaïde, a woman who was once the wealthiest heiress in France.

The reason why the Duke of Orléans once occupied 5% of the kingdom’s territory is half thanks to his wife.

However, the Duke cheated a lot, and his wife left the Duke when the revolution broke out.

In short, they are on the verge of divorce.

Still, a wife is a wife, and if the Duke runs away like this, his wife is in danger.

He doesn’t love her, but she becomes the Duke’s political weakness.

At that moment, someone politely said to the Duke in front of the Palais-Royal.

“We will take care of your wife. Your Grace.”

The surprised Duke stepped back.

A fairly handsome and lively young man was smiling with a group of people.

Could they be people from the hardline faction of the National Assembly?

But there is no ominous sign.

The Duke asked cautiously.

“Who are you?”

“Would I be a stooge of the revolution? I am Marceau, a loyal servant of a boy who is indebted to Your Grace.”

“Ah, I remember hearing about you. I think you were the vice president of Banque Boerne?”

It was François Marceau, who had become Eugene’s right-hand man.

He is currently working as the vice president of Boerne Bank, assisting Eugene, who has limitations because he is a minor.

Also, he was monitoring the Duke of Orléans and stepped forward like this.

With a complicated feeling, the Duke looked at Marceau.

Indeed, could all of this be a trap?

However, even if Eugene had set a trap, there is something that does not change.

Mirabeau, the leader of the moderate reformist faction of the National Assembly, is dead.

In the end, the Duke made a decision.

“Okay, then I’ll leave Louise to you.”

As the Duke hurriedly left, Marceau suddenly asked from behind.

“Before you go, where are you headed?”

At that moment, the Duke, who was riding a horse, stopped the reins.

Unlike the royal family, the Duke’s party consisted only of adult men.

They can move with mobility and can also maneuver in the mountains.

Therefore, they had not specifically decided on an escape route.

Only the refuge was decided: to run away to Belgium and then go to England.

But when Marceau asked, he became curious.

Why would this young man, who claims to be Eugene’s subordinate, ask that?

“Why do you ask that?”

“Ah, you don’t have to tell me if you’re worried. I was just going to tell you not to go to one place.”

“Where is it?”

Marceau said with a meaningful smile.

“Varennes. It’s a dangerous place.”

The Duke, staring intently at Marceau, grabbed the reins.

Moving quickly and leaving Paris, the Duke headed northeast.

Which way should he go now?

The Duke declared to his son and subordinates.

“We’re going to Varennes.”

“Yes? Father. Didn’t that Eugene Boerne’s subordinate warn us?”

“Nonsense. Do you really believe that guy? Philippe, wake up!”

The audacity to give a murder warning in advance.

The result is finally death.

The warning given after sending a subordinate.

There is a conclusion that all of this points to.

The Duke shuddered, recalling Eugene’s angelic face.

It is certain that there is a devil behind that face.

The Duke, whose doubts had now become certainties, asserted.

“Eugene, that guy is the one who killed Mirabeau.”

At that moment, the Duke fell completely into the trap that Eugene had created.

***

A trap is not successful only when it catches an animal.

-Clatter!

Varennes, a village near the northeastern border of France.

Suddenly, a group of dragoons on horseback rushed into this place.

The villagers were surprised and greeted the soldiers, but the soldiers did not cause any trouble.

Instead, they persistently inquired about someone’s whereabouts.

The village chief was flustered and replied to the soldier.

“Ah, a handsome middle-aged man and a young man? They did pass by here. Why do you ask? Soldier?”

National Guard Dragoon Captain, Jean-Louis Romeuf, reported to his superior with gritted teeth.

“Damn it! We missed them!”

The superior, National Guard Commander Lafayette, slammed the table.

-Bang!

He missed the person he had to catch.

The Duke of Orléans.

The one who represented constitutional monarchy reform among the royal family and nobles.

But this man left the country without permission from the National Assembly.

Anyone can see that it is an escape, no, an exile.

If this happens, the hardliners in the Assembly, the Mountain Faction, will naturally become emboldened.

「Look! All the great aristocrats are traitors to the nation! They must be killed!」

Hébert’s voice is already ringing in his ears.

Lafayette sighed deeply and turned his head.

Behind him, Major Alexandre de Beauharnais, now Brigadier General, was standing at attention.

“This is a big problem. Your son told me, but what should we do about this?”

“It’s not the General’s responsibility! Who knew the Duke would suddenly choose to flee the country?”

“Nonsense. The people don’t think so!”

Lafayette confided his true feelings to Alexandre, who was now his closest aide.

“They will be seething with anger! They will want to sweep away the king, the nobles, and everything from the old regime!”

That old regime naturally includes the Marquis Lafayette.

Is it fortunate that the king was not trying to escape?

There is a way to fight back.

The problem is that all of this is expected to lead to armed conflict.

The revolution is about to turn into a civil war.

It was at that moment that Lafayette frowned.

“There is a way.”

Suddenly, a boy on a mule approached and spoke in a clear voice.

It was Marceau, Hippolyte, and Tournay, whom he had brought as escorts.

Lafayette and Alexandre were surprised and greeted Eugene.

“You’ve come, Eugene?”

“No, Eugene! Why did you come all the way here? It’s dangerous.”

“Just in case. There’s something you need to do right away if you miss him.”

Suddenly, Eugene smiled and threw out terrifying words.

“Arrest the King.”

Lafayette opened his mouth in amazement with a dumbfounded face.

To arrest the king because he missed the Duke, isn’t that just like the Mountain Faction?

Alexandre was also shocked and asked back.

“What do you mean?”

“The General knows, even if Father doesn’t. How much anger is the public seething with right now? Moreover, there are loud voices in the Assembly calling for the king to be killed.”

“Are you telling me to sell out His Majesty the King! You, even if you’re young!”

At that moment, Eugene shouted at Alexandre, actually towards Lafayette.

“That’s not it, Father! If you want to save His Majesty, or even Her Majesty the Queen, the Prince, and the Princess, we have to make the first move from ‘our’ side!”

Eugene stared at Lafayette and emphasized each word.

“From our [Constitutional Monarchist Faction]!”

Still young, Eugene lacks the power to overwhelm people.

But his eyes alone were by no means ordinary.

Even Lafayette, who had participated in the American Revolutionary War, was momentarily taken aback.

Alexandre, regaining his senses, hurriedly said to Lafayette.

“General, don’t listen to this kid. Let’s go back to Paris first…”

“No, you’re right. Let’s go to Paris and arrest His Majesty.”

“General?”

Lafayette shook his head with a stern face and asserted.

“We must capture His Majesty first, so that the Republican guys lose the justification to kill His Majesty!”

Eugene wore a satisfied smile.

This is exactly why Eugene made the Duke run away first.

If the king runs away, public sentiment will be so enraged that he won’t even be able to use his hands.

But if the Duke runs away, the citizens will not be as angry as when the king runs away.

In that case, what if Lafayette, who is identified as a ‘Constitutional Monarchist,’ captures the king for safety reasons?

Public sentiment will be divided.

Between the hardliners who still insist on pushing forward and the moderates who want to watch the situation.

Just that much is enough to prevent at least the famous dangerous situation in later generations.

That is, the [Reign of Terror] in which everyone dies in droves, especially Alexandre.

Eugene summarized all of this in a single sentence and declared.

“That’s right. That way, the blood flowing in this revolution will be reduced even a little.”

This is Eugene’s card.

To imprison the king for the sake of historical change in the revolution.

It was the moment when the king’s flight to Varennes, which would originally occur in June, was thwarted.