He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 449

(449) Paris is Originally a Paradise of Adultery

Peace isn’t necessarily synonymous with quiet.

-Crash!

Viktor, a man who looked exactly like Chief of Staff Berthier, trembled violently.

In fact, he was Chief of Staff Louis Alexandre Berthier’s brother, so it was only natural.

He had charged ahead on battlefields and participated in Napoleon’s major battles, a veteran warrior who wouldn’t be easily surprised.

But at this moment, he was trembling with rage, enough to shatter an expensive porcelain vase from the East.

Suddenly, Viktor Leopold Berthier pointed at the bed and shouted.

“How! Lasalle, are you in my bed!”

In fact, it wasn’t just Lasalle.

Right next to him was his wife, ‘Josephine’.

While Empress Josephine’s nickname was given by Napoleon in the original history and by Eugene in the current one, this Josephine was his wife’s real name.

Startled, Josephine covered herself with the blanket, but her naked body was still exposed. Lasalle grinned, shielding her.

“It’s a misunderstanding, General Viktor Leopold Berthier.”

“A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!”

“Indeed. I was merely comforting your wife. She’s been feeling down lately, you see.”

Of course, Lasalle was also naked, so it must have been a very passionate comfort.

-Click!

Instantly, Viktor cocked the pistol he was carrying on his hip.

Thanks to the diligent work of the Poley armory these days, every general carried the latest percussion breech-loading pistol.

However, he wasn’t much of a marksman, so the muzzle trembled.

Viktor gritted his teeth and shouted.

“So, it’s true. My wife, ‘Josephine,’ has always looked at you strangely!”

“That’s a bit of a misunderstanding. Actually, I met your wife first. It’s just that I was busy traveling abroad, and you married her first.”

“Haha! That tongue of yours never stops.”

Of course, Lasalle’s words weren’t a lie.

Originally, in the original history, Lasalle met Viktor’s wife during the Italian campaign.

However, Lasalle had been a free spirit, roaming through Europe, Egypt, New France, and Spain.

On the other hand, Josephine remained in France, so Viktor Berthier married her first.

In the original history, they would have divorced long ago, but now Lasalle had even been to New France, so they met too late, perhaps.

“Will you only stop when I kill you!”

Nevertheless, the enraged Viktor let out a scream and pulled the trigger.

-Bang!

The muzzle was already pointing upwards.

Lasalle had swiftly rushed in and grabbed it.

The sight of the naked Lasalle and the uniformed Viktor entangled was quite explicit.

“Eeeek!”

“General Berthier, calm down. Just get a divorce.”

“What! Would you leave your wife alone if she was playing around with a scoundrel!”

Then, Lasalle whispered into Viktor’s ear in a voice that sounded sweet only to women.

“If you divorce here and give me your wife, I’ll turn a blind eye to the fact that you’re playing around with Guillaume de Bonnemains’ wife.”

Guillaume de Bonnemains isn’t very famous in later history.

However, he was a prominent lawyer in Paris who had participated in the Estates-General from the beginning of the revolution.

Currently, he was a member of the Chamber of Peers, commonly known as the [Senate], created by Napoleon.

In the original history, he was a man who was caught having an affair with Bonnemains’ wife, whom he would have married long ago. Viktor trembled this time in the opposite sense.

“Is that a threat?”

“No, it’s a proposal. Of course, I’ll give you reasonable compensation. Actually, I’m a shareholder in the [Suez] Canal, you see.”

“What? Suez?”

Just as Viktor’s eyes widened, Lasalle grinned.

“That’s right. It’s finally opened, and the first profits are coming in soon. How about 500,000 francs as compensation?”

The Suez Canal opening was something Eugene had asked Governor Auch of Egypt to do.

In fact, Eugene didn’t even expect the canal to be opened during his lifetime.

The only purpose was to appease the Egyptians through the canal.

However, the diligent and capable duo of Auch and Kleber finally succeeded in opening the canal.

Although the technology was lacking, a canal connecting the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea had been opened, and trade would begin along the Arabian Peninsula sea route, which Britain couldn’t completely control.

Lasalle, who had received Suez Canal shares as a reward for his service in the Egyptian expedition, was about to become very rich.

Viktor gritted his teeth, thinking that it was unfair that this scandalous adulterer was succeeding.

“I have one more condition.”

“What is it?”

“Get out of Paris. You’re originally King Eugene of Spain’s guard officer, so it wouldn’t be too difficult, would it?”

Lasalle glanced back at ‘Josephine’ and grinned.

“Alright, General.”

He had to return to Madrid or Seville soon anyway, so it didn’t matter.

As long as he was with ‘Josephine’.

***

It’s not just the French who have affairs in Paris.

“Kyahaha! You’re so funny!”

A radiant blonde beauty burst into laughter.

At first glance, she seemed more like a northern beauty with strong Slavic blood than a Frenchwoman.

The man talking in front of her was General Conté, the inventor of the pencil.

“No, my balloon corps is not a funny story at all. It’s a history of challenge and tragedy. Experiments are already being conducted in Egypt to travel by balloon!”

“Conté, what Madame Bagration is saying is that she wants you to stop talking nonsense and tell her something more interesting.”

“Marshal Murat. You should listen to my story even more carefully. The world isn’t just made up of cavalry charges! More balloons are needed for the French Grande Armée!”

Murat, who had recently been appointed Marshal, and Conté, who had become the commander of the balloon corps, glared at each other.

In fact, it was extremely rare for two people who couldn’t be called rivals to get so heated.

Unless they were in front of a beautiful woman.

The radiant blonde beauty, looking back at the two generals and the other men who were watching them with envious eyes, asked.

“Then, who will escort me tonight? Conté? Or Murat?”

Seeing the scene unfolding in the middle of the party, Madame Récamier, the host of the party, turned her gaze away.

“The star of today’s reception is Madame Katerina Skavronska Bagration.”

“It’s amazing that you let a woman like that run wild, Madame Récamier. I thought you were the type who couldn’t stand not being the center of attention.”

“Doesn’t the Foreign Minister like it? I heard she has Metternich on a leash? Hehe.”

Talleyrand, a middle-aged man leaning on a cane, shook his head.

“Well, these days, Madame Dorothea von Lieven is Metternich’s interest. Ah, by the way, Madame Lieven is the wife of the new Berlin ambassador, Christoph von Lieven.”

If diplomats were present at this gathering, they would all be shocked.

First of all, the woman Conté and Murat were after was none other than the wife of the Russian general, Bagration.

She was famous as one of the most beautiful women in Russian society, but she actually hated her husband, Bagration.

It was for a very simple reason: Madame Bagration thought Bagration was ugly.

Later, she left for Western Europe alone under the pretext of traveling and was now staying in Paris.

In fact, she had come to Paris to find Metternich, whom she had met in Vienna a long time ago.

Currently, Metternich was serving as the ambassador of the Kingdom of Hungary to France, carrying out the important task of handling [Western Diplomacy].

However, he was also diligent in his work in bed, so he had brought his old lover, Madame Bagration, to Paris.

However, a playboy is a creature who isn’t satisfied with one woman or one man.

Madame Bagration, intoxicated by the glamorous Paris, was looking for handsome men in Paris, and Ambassador Metternich was also playing with other lovers.

Madame Récamier, the leader of Parisian society, covered her face with a fan and laughed.

“You’re really interested in the wives of diplomats, aren’t you, Foreign Minister?”

“Some of them will come to my bedroom. But not you.”

“You were aiming for Princess Hortense, but you went too far, didn’t you?”

Talleyrand raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“Since you know, it must have reached the Emperor’s ears. Hehe.”

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Because His Majesty told me he would give me the title of Duke of Benevento.”

This time, Madame Récamier was surprised.

Benevento was a region in southeastern Naples, a city ruled by noble Italian families.

But now, the lineage had died out, and it was just a region of Naples, which had become a satellite republic.

However, it was surprising that the Duke title was given to Talleyrand, who wasn’t a war hero, even though he was a key figure in the cabinet.

“Congratulations, Your Grace. It seems His Majesty needs you very much.”

On the other hand, Talleyrand didn’t seem very proud and replied calmly.

“It’s just proof that my diplomatic skills are still needed to maintain the Rhine Confederation. I need a title to deal with those princes. Also, to control those wives, enemies, and diplomats.”

“So, Metternich is the most dangerous one?”

“Hungary, Prussia, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal. These are the six countries in Europe that the French Empire can’t reach. Among these countries, the most dangerous one is Karl’s Hungary.”

Madame Récamier tilted her head at Talleyrand’s explanation.

“Wouldn’t it be simple to just get rid of them all? Why does His Majesty leave them alone?”

This wasn’t just because Madame Récamier was ignorant of political affairs.

In Paris, since the Battle of Austerlitz, this was a common topic among the bicameral legislature, high-ranking officials, and the military.

Wouldn’t it be possible to put all European countries except Russia under French control?

Especially Hungary.

But Talleyrand shook his head.

“Well, His Majesty is afraid of the Great Revolution spreading around the world.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Hmm, Madame Récamier was still young when the Great Revolution broke out. So you wouldn’t know much about it.”

Talleyrand, who was once a Jacobin revolutionary, narrowed his eyes.

“How scary it is when the people unite and rise up. His Majesty is afraid of mass uprisings in the countries he has conquered. It’s something that happens often in Naples.”

The reason why he gave the title of the Kingdom of Naples might be because of that.

In the future, when Marmont or another member of the Bonaparte family completely establishes the Kingdom of Naples, it might be his intention to entrust the coordination to Talleyrand.

In fact, few people in Napoleon’s cabinet know the horrors of the Great Revolution as well as Talleyrand.

Anyway, none of the other revolutionary participants had ever been exiles like Talleyrand.

“Kyahaha! Then, Murat! It’s you today!”

Suddenly, the sound of Madame Bagration shouting was heard from afar.

Madame Récamier was startled and frowned.

Because she saw Murat dancing with a very joyful face.

“Hmph, if all the generals are so easily swayed, it’s certainly something to be afraid of.”

“No, that’s a different story. Ah, did you hear? Lasalle had a fight with Chief of Staff Berthier’s brother.”

“Don’t tell me they were rolling around in bed like [Arch-Chancellor] Cambacérès?”

Cambacérès is the nominal second-in-command of the empire, holding the position of Imperial Arch-Chancellor.

Of course, in reality, Talleyrand was the real power, so everyone just called him the [Arch-Dictator] who read the imperial orders.

Moreover, he was secretly a homosexual, which made him a laughingstock in the still conservative French society.

But just as Talleyrand chuckled and turned around, Cambacérès was seen rushing out.

Talleyrand blinked.

“Huh? That’s strange. Why is Cambacérès leaving the party so hastily? On a day like today, when there are so many [handsome men].”

However, Cambacérès doesn’t have time to look at handsome men right now.

***

The Emperor came out of his office with an unpleasant look and completely disheveled.

“What is it, Cambacérès? I’m busy with matters in Fontainebleau.”

There must be a lover inside the office.

Moreover, the fact that he had matters to attend to at the Palace of Fontainebleau must also be because a lover was waiting.

Was it Madame Foures in the office, or Josephine, or Eleanor?

Cambacérès became a little curious, but he decided to take care of his business first since he wasn’t particularly interested in beautiful women.

“It’s an urgent matter, Your Majesty.”

“What is it? Did the steamboat that Lucien introduced explode in the Seine? Or did the King of Hungary suddenly go crazy and declare war? If the Sultan of Constantinople is pointing a gun at us, we’ll deal with that later.”

“It’s about the Russian Tsar.”

Napoleon, who was hurrying back into the office, stopped.

“The Tsar has declared an invasion of India. Right now, the Russian army is urgently gathering towards the former Kingdom of Georgia. It’s a letter from Ambassador Danton, who is in Russia.”

Napoleon stood still and frowned.

“Didn’t Danton ask for help, and I replied that it was difficult right now? Half a year ago?”

“It seems the Tsar made a decision despite that.”

“Pavel is really crazy!”

Someone inside the office seemed startled through the crack in the door.

Only then did Cambacérès realize who Napoleon’s lover was in the office.

Pauline Foures, the wife of the colonel who had recently been sent to New France.

Cambacérès wanted to joke that it reminded him of David and Bathsheba, but Napoleon rebuked him with a serious face.

“First, tell Eugene to come back to Paris. It would be good to say that I want to see my ‘grandson’ in person.”

“Excuse me? He’s a newborn baby, so he won’t be able to come. Also, if you summon the King of Spain, there will be several problems. The Spanish political situation could become unstable, and foreign countries may feel threatened.”

“That’s why I’m calling him.”

At that moment, Napoleon’s eyes flashed.

“We need to show that there are military cards that can move besides me in France! This is a British plot to drag me into Russia!”

Still, Napoleon’s judgment is quick, accurate, and clear.

Even though he was an emperor who led the paradise of adultery.