I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 107

Couples Resemble Each Other

…A lodging inside the Palace of Versailles.

Marie watched her husband’s back as he left for a meeting with the ministers.

As if yesterday’s commotion was a lie, he left the room with a calm and unwavering gait.

She knew well that it wasn’t because he was downplaying her concerns.

Since she had said she would handle it herself, Christian had genuinely stopped showing any signs of worry.

That’s how much he trusted her.

Then… it was her duty to produce results that lived up to that trust.

There was only one thing she was curious about.

Why did he believe so firmly in her words that she would handle it?

Simply because they were the words of his beloved wife?

Her husband wasn’t such a naive person.

She had learned from living with him that he was someone who sharply distinguished between his personal and public life.

The fact that Christian had entrusted everything to her meant that he saw she had the ability to do so.

Thinking that way gave her confidence again.

“The important thing is how I handle things…”

When she thought about it, this was the first time she was handling something proactively.

The events she participated in in Paris and the collaboration with the newspaper were just her eating the food that Christian or Lavoisier had prepared [a metaphor for passively benefiting from their work].

That’s why she also had a desire to accomplish something on her own.

It wasn’t because she had any ambition or desire to show off.

She just wanted to be someone she wasn’t ashamed of.

The hateful words of Countess Lamotte, who was being dragged to the execution ground for the diamond fraud case, were still vivid in her memory.

[You’re only in your current position thanks to marrying your husband well.]

She had definitely said that.

She pretended to brush it off, but it was a remark that made her think a lot.

Just looking at her sisters’ cases, she was really lucky.

She was able to live a much freer life than when she was in Vienna, and she could learn whatever she wanted to learn.

She could get whatever she wanted, and above all, she received so much love that every day was happy.

So what had she done for Christian?

She still didn’t know.

Others said that she had loved her husband and given him a son, so she had done everything she needed to do as a wife.

She also heard stories that she could just comfortably follow her husband and enjoy luxury.

Personally, she didn’t agree with that.

She somehow didn’t like being satisfied with just such a traditional role.

She wanted to be someone who could support him, not just follow him.

“To become such a person, it would be absurd to worry about something like this, right?”

In fact, if she wanted to, she could move the princesses or the crown princess as she pleased.

The problem was that there was no way to satisfy both sides.

If she took someone’s side, someone else’s feelings would naturally be hurt.

In that case, the social circles of France would not be able to maintain their current state in any way.

In other words, the task she had to do was not simply to resolve this conflict.

Could the newly reorganized social structure be helpful to Christian?

Could there be any side effects?

It was necessary to consider as many possible scenarios as possible and come up with the best result.

Suddenly, a passage from a letter she received from her mother flashed through her mind.

It was as if she had expected her daughter to experience this kind of thing in the palace, and now that she thought about it, it was truly timely advice.

[…My child, no matter how considerate you are, you cannot mediate all the conflicts in the world. There will always come a time when you have to take one side. And when that time comes, you must never hesitate. Do not be foolishly tolerant and considerate of the feelings of the opponent you must confront. Remember, foolish consideration and tolerance will only lead to insubordination. When you need to suppress, suppress thoroughly.]

It was a private letter, so it was written somewhat harshly, but now that she thought about it, there wasn’t a single thing that was wrong.

“Okay. Then let’s take care of it right away.”

Once she made a decision, she immediately took action.

This was also one of the things she had learned from watching Christian.

※※※

Louis XV’s three daughters, Madame Adelaide, Madame Victoire, and Madame Sophie, all had in common that they were unmarried and hated their father’s mistress.

The older sisters had passed away at a young age, and the youngest sister had become a nun, so these three were the only princesses remaining in the Palace of Versailles.

The three sisters had maintained a good relationship so far because they had a common enemy, Madame du Barry.

No matter how much Madame du Barry was Louis XV’s mistress, the three princesses were Louis XV’s daughters.

As Louis XV grew older, the three princesses’ say in Versailles’ social circles gradually increased.

No matter how much Madame du Barry was practically acting as queen, she was destined to be exposed to political retaliation as soon as Louis XV passed away.

But at some point, things started to go strangely.

It happened after the Habsburg princess Marie Antoinette became the center of Parisian society.

From the moment rumors spread that Madame du Barry was close to Marie, the nobles who had been on the side of the three sisters suddenly felt distant.

Feeling a sense of crisis, the princesses had been gathering more frequently these days.

“Could it be that Madame du Barry approached Antoinette from the beginning with this structure in mind?”

Madame Sophie muttered irritably as she stopped drinking her coffee.

Madame Adelaide, who was sitting across from her, scoffed and shook her head.

“There’s no way that woman has that much intelligence. She probably just clung to a target that was easy to flatter.”

“Haa… That’s why I told you to warn Antoinette firmly. If she grew up in the conservative Habsburg imperial family, she would never have a good impression of Madame du Barry.”

“I did? I told her that woman was no different from a prostitute, so don’t expect her to have the same etiquette as us. But I don’t know why she keeps hanging out with her.”

“When you think about it, isn’t it because her husband was born to a similar woman?”

Madame Victoire casually blurted out a word while trimming her nails.

“Victoire, you wouldn’t be talking about that outside, would you?”

“Am I stupid enough to do that? If this story gets into Father’s ears, I’ll be in big trouble.”

In this France, slandering Prince Christian was the same as attacking the country and the king.

The princesses were not so ignorant that they didn’t know that.

“So the best thing to do is to bring in the Crown Princess, right?”

“Probably. It seems impossible to bring in Antoinette now.”

“Should we put more pressure on her? Anyway, isn’t Princess Antoinette just a puppet of the prince? There are many rumors that she’s just a kind pushover.”

“Hmm… I think it would be okay if we had the chance. But the problem is Prince Christian. If we push too hard and it gets into the prince’s ears, it could get a little complicated.”

Unlike the cautious Adelaide, Victoire shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing.

“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about? This is our business, after all. Unless we involve political intentions, what can Prince Christian do? He’ll only be criticized for being a narrow-minded man who interferes in women’s affairs.”

“That’s true. Okay. Then should we talk to Antoinette at the next party? First, we need to educate the Crown Princess a little.”

A smile spread across the faces of the three princesses at the same time.

The arrival of the naive Crown Princess in the palace at this time was the best opportunity for them.

Marie Antoinette had become too big, so it was difficult for them to wield her as they pleased, but Crown Princess Juliana was different.

Anyway, she didn’t have a proper background in Russia, and her personality was obviously passive and lacked aristocratic qualities.

Therefore, they were periodically calling her to tea parties to coax and persuade her to follow their wishes.

“But why isn’t she coming? Sophie, you told her to come here, right?”

“Of course. We met here last time, didn’t we? I don’t think she’d get the place wrong.”

“Is she trying to rebel as the Crown Princess? Well, that would be more fun…”

They were already experts at harassing people without being politically caught.

As they were thinking about how to cook the country bumpkin from Russia, suddenly…

The door opened and two people came in.

One was the Crown Princess they had called, and the other was someone they never expected to see in this place.

The uninvited guest calmly looked at the surprised three people one by one.

“You were really here. Hello, Princesses.”

Marie Antoinette. She was smiling brightly, but somehow the atmosphere was different from usual.

The Crown Princess was standing one step behind, as if trying to hide behind her.

“…Princess Antoinette. What brings you here?”

Adelaide, who had regained her composure, gave an awkward smile.

“I don’t think we invited the Princess to this place…”

“There was a fun place, so I’m trying to join in. I’ve already received permission.”

“Permission? We never said anything like that.”

“The Crown Princess gave permission. But who else do I need to get permission from?”

Formally, the highest-ranking noblewoman in this court now was Crown Princess Juliana, not Antoinette or the three princesses.

Marie indirectly criticized them, saying, ‘The person with the higher status gave permission, so what are you talking about?’

Naturally, the faces of the three princesses hardened.

Madame Victoire narrowed her eyes and glared at Marie.

“Antoinette? What’s the reason for suddenly appearing and acting so rude?”

“Rude? I don’t know what rudeness I’ve committed.”

Unlike the princesses, who couldn’t hide their annoyance, Marie calmly approached the table and pulled out a chair for herself.

Then, she pulled out another chair and looked back at the Crown Princess, who was still standing at the entrance, and smiled.

“Come here, I think you can sit here.”

“Haa… This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing. Antoinette, do you have any grudges against us? I don’t understand why you’re suddenly doing this.”

Adelaide’s words seemed subdued.

It was a voice full of resentment, but Marie immediately saw that it was acting.

“Stop pretending to be a victim. The reason I came here myself is because I found out that something that shouldn’t be happening is happening in this court.”

“Something that shouldn’t be happening? What kind of slander are you trying to make…”

“This Versailles is a place where strict order is maintained to the point where a person of low status should not speak to a person of high status first. But daringly, there are people who are trying to wield the precious person who will become the next queen as they please. What do you think of this?”

“Ha, are you pointing at us? Do you have any evidence?”

Victoire glared.

Considering Marie’s usual gentle attitude, they thought that if they came out strong, the other party would back down.

However, contrary to expectations, Marie’s expression as she looked around the princesses did not falter, but rather turned cold.

“Knowing that you would deny it, I have already secured all the testimonies and witnesses. Are you still going to deny it?”

At Marie’s gesture, the door opened wide, and the figures of the maids lined up beyond it could be seen.

Even at a glance, all those visible were daughters of at least count families.

As long as they all testified in one voice, it was difficult to dismiss this as a lie.

“Wh-what. Why suddenly… What are you going to do to deal with the aftermath if you turn against us…”

“Princesses.”

Marie interrupted in a cold voice that the princesses had never heard before and looked down at them.

“Why should I worry about dealing with the aftermath if I break up with you?”