He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 443

(443) Breaking Through with the 3B Family Connection Strategy

Later, three families starting with the letter ‘B’ dominated the 19th century.

“Bonaparte, Bourbon, and Boarneh. All start with B.”

“Oh, doesn’t this sound a bit too self-congratulatory? Are you saying that you, Eugene, are on par with Emperor Napoleon or the Bourbon dynasty that has lasted for dozens of generations?”

“Strictly speaking, isn’t that already the case? I am the King of Spain, after all.”

Eugene replied to Ippolito as they passed a huge warehouse on the outskirts of Marseille’s city center.

“Besides, now everyone in France knows the name Boarneh, thanks to the Boarneh Cartel, or rather, Group.”

In fact, even in the original history, the power struggle between Bonaparte and Boarneh dominated French politics in the early 19th century.

Of course, currently, there is no power struggle because Eugene became close to the Bonaparte family from the very beginning.

However, because of Eugene, a family that would have been buried during this period was unexpectedly highlighted.

Bourbon.

The old royal family of France, the enemy of the revolution.

However, the reality is that Marie Antoinette, the ‘Austrian woman’ who triggered the revolution, is still alive and well.

Princess Marie Therese is now the Queen of Spain, and Prince Louis Charles Capet is the Emperor’s adjutant.

In a sense, Eugene, the mastermind behind the old regime’s [referring to the pre-revolution monarchy] evils, stood in front of the warehouse.

Because a bizarre billboard caught his eye.

-〈Start your day with Boarneh Royal Jelly Cans! Great for travel.〉

Ippolito whistled and asked.

“Who on earth came up with that strange product?”

“Of course, it’s our Queen. Even while pregnant, she constantly sends letters and orders to Marseille, Nice, Milan, and Genoa. But I didn’t know it was coming to Marseille too.”

“Oh dear, the French economy is being controlled by the Queen of Spain. How lamentable.”

The Boarneh Cartel is still owned by the Spanish royal couple.

It has now been changed to a joint-stock company system like the East India Company, but Eugene holds the absolute stake, and Marie holds the food and post office shares.

Although she became queen, Marie, who is not particularly interested in state affairs, is still interfering in the management of the Boarneh Group.

Perhaps Ippolito’s joke was too loud?

Suddenly, a man came out of the warehouse and exclaimed in surprise.

“Your Majesty! You should have told me you were coming!”

It was Antoine de Damas, the general manager of the Boarneh Cartel.

Originally, he was the son of the Governor of Martinique who returned with Eugene when he went to save Josephine.

If it were the original history, he would have been an unfortunate man whose head would have been cut off by the guillotine for half-heartedly supporting the revolution.

However, Eugene smiled and said to Damas, the CEO who now leads Eugene’s company, the Boarneh Group.

“It must have been hard coming from Paris. Sorry for calling you out when you’re busy. I thought I’d do a management check for a change.”

“It’s not a big deal, as traveling between Milan and Paris is half of my job anyway. The problem is when I have to go to Cairo sometimes.”

“Cairo? Are you personally taking care of the Eastern Mediterranean trade, Damas?”

Damas, who had rushed to Marseille at Eugene’s call, smirked and replied.

“Originally, Albert Fermont was in charge of it. But, Your Majesty took him to the New World. I haven’t heard from him lately; I hope he’s not dead.”

“He wasn’t dead when he sent me a letter. It was a letter sent through Veracruz, about two months ago. He seems to be busy trying to secure guano [bird droppings, used as fertilizer] trading rights these days.”

“Is that friend of yours going to become completely independent now? Like Dupont?”

Eugene shrugged.

“I can’t help it. The 10-year deadline I promised Dupont has ended. Time really flies. Fermont is still an employee of the Boarneh Cartel. He’s just doing business in the New World.”

Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of Dupont in the original history.

Currently, he has established a Boarneh-Dupont joint venture in New France and is engaged in New World trade and gunpowder business.

In fact, the New World military arsenal, including steamships, is half-owned by Dupont.

Dupont is an important figure for the Boarneh Cartel, but now it can’t be helped.

In 1795, Eugene saved Lavoisier and promised Dupont.

10 years.

To serve Eugene during that time.

Now that time has already passed.

“Speaking of Cairo, how is Madame Désirée doing?”

While Eugene was lost in old memories, Ippolito asked a strange question.

“Wow, are you even targeting Madame Hoche, General Charles?”

“What are you talking about? I’m just asking how she is.”

“Madame Hoche is doing well. She already has three children: Oscar, Étienne, and Julie!”

Damas clicked his tongue and replied.

Of course, Ippolito is asking about Désirée because he is interested in women.

Someday, when he goes to Egypt, he will meet Désirée and salivate at the possibility of seducing her.

Eugene also clicked his tongue lightly, then asked back after hearing an unexpected name.

“Isn’t Étienne the current head of the Clary family? Did she name him after her uncle?”

“He’s the manager of the Boarneh Cartel’s Marseille branch. I heard he’s about to receive the title of Count. Well, Your Majesty saved him once, right? Unfortunately, he’s in Nice right now. Shall I call him?”

“No, I don’t have time for that. Then.”

At one time, the Clary family in Marseille was on the verge of ruin.

It was during the height of the Reign of Terror [a period of extreme violence during the French Revolution].

At that time, it was Napoleon who saved the Clary family, but it was Eugene who saved Étienne.

In the original history, Étienne would eventually die.

He mentioned a man he met through Eugene’s introduction to Désirée at that time.

“Is Uncle Hoche satisfied with his life in Egypt?”

Lazare Hoche, one of the three great commanders of the French Revolutionary Army in its early days.

Moreau remained in Europe and became the one who dismantled the old empire, and Napoleon became emperor, but Hoche went to distant Egypt.

He was in charge of cleaning up the aftermath of Eugene’s Orient expedition.

He was also appointed Marshal and has been serving as the Governor of Egypt for a long time, but of course, it is not as good as Europe.

However, Damas shook his head as if he didn’t mention any particular complaints.

“What would you do if he wasn’t satisfied? There, Marshal Hoche is a king, no, a pharaoh. Besides, he’s the son-in-law of the Clary family, who are relatives of His Imperial Majesty, isn’t he?”

However, the reason why Hoche, who truly believed in the revolution, does not return may be different.

Dissatisfaction with the empire.

If there is a reason why Hoche does not oppose Napoleon, it may be because of his old lover Josephine and her son Eugene?

Eugene sighed lightly.

“That’s been 5 years already. I should keep my promise soon.”

Then Ippolito turned his head and asked.

“More importantly, how are you going to explain this situation to that new couple?”

Eugene turned around, looking at the procession of fancy carriages rushing in from outside Marseille.

“Well, His Imperial Majesty will take care of that, right?”

It was the carriages of 2B, Pauline of Bonaparte and Louis Charles of Bourbon.

***

Louis Charles Capet, a loyal adjutant who had rushed from Paris upon receiving the imperial order, was shocked.

“Your Majesty, what did you just say?”

Inside the Marseille military headquarters, the Emperor in military uniform smiled and said to Louis Charles.

“My loyal adjutant, Louis Charles. I promised you that if you made meritorious achievements in the war, I would reward you. I intend to keep that promise.”

“Your Majesty, that was already last year. Besides, I am receiving excessively good treatment from Your Majesty.”

“Only 300 gold coins a year? At one time, everything in France could have been yours.”

Instantly, Louis Charles knelt down and shouted.

“Your Majesty! Please remember my loyalty. I have never harbored any disloyal intentions!”

Louis Charles’ face was covered in cold sweat.

Even so, his status as the legitimate heir to the old royal family always puts Louis Charles in danger.

But the Emperor mentioned that France was his private property.

Was someone slandering Louis Charles and calling him?

Then Pauline, who was standing behind with an indifferent expression, opened her lips.

“Brother, don’t tease him. Why do Louis and I have to get married?”

“What is it? Are you calling him Louis now? Already using nicknames?”

“Well, the Jacobin [radical revolutionaries during the French Revolution] uncles would all hate it, but if I call him Charles, it’s confusing with our cute nephew, right? Well, I thought we would get married someday, but.”

Pauline looked at Napoleon with a serious face.

“Why now?”

As will be proven later in the original history, the person among Napoleon’s siblings who is closest to Napoleon is Pauline.

It has been proven that Louis Bonaparte, who once lived in the same boarding house, and Joseph, who always consulted with him about everything in letters, have lower loyalty than Pauline.

However, as she did in the original history, Pauline is always dissatisfied with Napoleon’s demands for political marriages.

Napoleon raised his eyebrows and replied.

“Are you asking that as my sister, or as Louis Charles Capet’s lover?”

“Am I asking as the New France General Manager of the Order of Saint John and the Commander-in-Chief of the French Nursing Corps?”

“Oh dear, it’s even harder to tell you if you’re a French external force. Hehe.”

Napoleon, realizing that Pauline’s words were a joke, smiled and said.

“But, I’ll tell you because you’ll have to listen to my words anyway. It’s to break the evil Desmoulins’ plot to shake the position of your cute nephew’s’.”

He said nephews.

Of course, there are also the adopted daughter Hortense and the biological child Florence, but this probably includes Eugene.

It’s Napoleon’s wordplay, knowing that Pauline can’t help but move if it’s about Eugene.

Indeed, Pauline’s face changed, and she asked directly.

“What does that mean? Why does my marriage to Louis solve the succession issue?”

“Because Bourbon becomes a candidate for successor.”

“What?”

This time, Pauline was also shocked, but Napoleon answered with a face that was not surprised at all.

“Of course, I have no intention of doing that. Also, it’s impossible in the French Empire, which is actually controlled by the Revolutionary Army! But, of course, people will pay attention, and the old royalists will be excited. Furthermore!”

In fact, Eugene had already explained this.

Napoleon had even thought of marrying into the British royal family, but he had not thought of raising Bourbon as a candidate for the throne.

But if Pauline and Louis Charles get married, Louis Charles can naturally become one of the candidates.

Suddenly, Napoleon smiled, twisting his lips.

“Wouldn’t everyone think that Charles and Eugene are better?”

If the heir to the old royal family marries the princess of the current imperial family, he can naturally become a claimant to the throne.

But this is France after the Great Revolution.

Unless they are extreme royalists, it is natural to avoid people from the old royal family.

Naturally, in order to prevent the return of the old royal family, attention will be focused on Napoleon’s sons, in fact, his biological children.

Pauline stared at Napoleon and opened her lips.

“You’re telling me to be a scapegoat. Louis, will you accept it?”

Louis Charles blinked and stood up to salute.

“If I can be with Pauline, I will gladly follow you. Your Majesty.”

Napoleon smiled contentedly and stared at Pauline.

“So, you? Pauline?”

Pauline closed her eyes for a moment.

Because there was someone she had to see before making a decision.

***

Eugene opened his mouth as soon as he entered the secret room with an unwelcome face.

“You wanted to see me?”

There are only two people in this room.

Pauline and Eugene.

Coincidentally, Pauline is wearing an Empire style dress, a see-through style dress that Hortense made popular.

As if she wasn’t wearing underwear, her flesh was clearly visible.

Pauline gave Eugene a strange smile as he tried to take his eyes off her.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty the King of Spain?”

“It’s not a good habit for a woman with a fiancé to have a private meeting with a man. Duchess of Parma.”

“Oh my, what’s that title I don’t even know? Do I get it when I get married?”

Eugene still tried to look up and replied.

“With Marmont virtually appointed as the King of Naples, it’s a low position to give to Louis Charles. But even Uncle Joseph is only the Duke of Milan.”

However, he couldn’t help but keep looking down without realizing it.

He couldn’t control his heart from beating fast.

Furthermore, strangely, every time he blinked, Pauline seemed to be getting closer.

“I don’t really care about that.”

“Then what do you care about?”

“Do you want this marriage?”

Pauline, who had suddenly come right in front of Eugene, whispered.

“If so, I’ll do it. But, you have to meet me when I want. Secretly.”

Eugene’s eyes widened.

These words are not just about sitting down and having tea.

It means that the two of them must meet secretly in a place where no one can see them.

What on earth would an adult man and woman do when they meet secretly in a secret room?