I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 20

Louis Christian de France

“So, all of Paris was in an uproar?”

“Yes. It wasn’t quite a riot… more like a strong sense of patriotism, so it didn’t escalate to a crackdown.”

Louis XV and the current Prime Minister, Duke de Choiseul, received a report from Maupeou at the Palace of Versailles.

The topic was, of course, the citizens’ overwhelming and fanatical support.

“The court’s claim that the boy, Louis Christian, is His Majesty’s grandson has been thoroughly examined, correct?”

“Yes. We’ve conducted a thorough review and found no room for doubt.”

Choiseul almost rebuked him for handling the matter too carelessly but held back.

He had already led France to defeat in the Seven Years’ War, and his relationship with the King’s mistress, Madame du Barry, was strained.

Adding another word might provoke the King’s reprimand, which would be awkward.

Louis XV wore an ambiguous expression, seemingly undecided on how to resolve the situation.

“First, is it certain that the smallpox vaccine the boy invented is effective?”

“Nearly 150 people have been inoculated, and all have shown positive results. It would be strange to deny it now. The Academy of Medicine has already acknowledged his contribution and announced plans for widespread inoculation.”

The Church also offered a positive response, as Christian had arranged in advance.

This was thanks to a promise that Christian would make a substantial donation if things went well.

Of course, eradicating smallpox is a historic achievement in itself.

Now it was the royal family’s turn to respond.

It was an absurd situation.

A bastard of the royal family, presumed dead, suddenly appears and immediately makes an undeniable contribution.

Could this be dismissed as mere coincidence?

“The public support for Christian is astonishing. The fact that he published the paper before the British seems to have excited the citizens.”

Choiseul nodded in agreement with Maupeou’s analysis.

“Bringing in that British doctor seems to have been a good move. Your Majesty, if we delay any longer, the public might think we’re trying to deny Christian’s achievements.”

“I have no intention of denying it. Of course, if he has achieved something, he deserves to be rewarded accordingly. But the nobles’ opinions are so divided…”

“That’s precisely why Your Majesty can make a decision as you see fit. Unifying all the different opinions is the power you possess.”
Maupeou, the only one who had seen the situation firsthand, cautiously offered his opinion.

“First of all, the option of not acknowledging Christian’s status is out of the question. Embracing him is a given; the important thing is to decide how far to treat him.”

“I hear the public sentiment is leaning towards recognizing him as a formal member of the royal family…”

“As Monsieur Choiseul knows, even those born to government officials from noble families are not recognized as royalty in principle. It goes without saying for someone born to a non-noble woman. There is no precedent for this.”

“But consider this. If we recognize Christian as a member of the royal family, his achievements become the achievements of the royal family. Giving due credit to someone who has accomplished great things will highlight the fairness of the royal family. The citizens will loudly praise the royal family’s impartiality.”

The popularity of the Bourbon royal family was at an all-time low.

Even if they couldn’t openly criticize the king, everyone knew that discontent was building up.

Choiseul considered using Christian to restore the royal family’s popularity.

And no matter how much he thought about it, he concluded that there was no better plan.

“Your Majesty, please consider it. Frankly, what problems would arise from recognizing Christian as a member of the royal family? Even if there was no precedent, exceptions always arise. He has achieved so much, and the public support is high.”

“That’s true, I suppose.”

Maupeou, alarmed by Louis XV’s wavering, quickly raised his voice.

“Your Majesty, Christian is not the problem. The High Court is clearly backing him! If we allow the High Court to become even more arrogant, it will inevitably have a negative impact on the royal authority.”

“So, shouldn’t we take Christian away from the High Court? If Your Majesty treats him well, the boy, who is starved for family affection, will quickly side with us.”

“That makes sense, but we must also consider the possibility that he might not.”

“Alright. Let’s say the boy continues to side with the High Court. What’s the problem? Once we’ve extracted all the value…”

Choiseul stopped speaking, noticing Louis XV’s gaze.

Even though he was a bastard, he couldn’t casually say in front of the King that his grandson should be eliminated.

In any case, Maupeou, understanding his intentions, slightly softened his stance.

If that was his intention, it wouldn’t matter if Choiseul had his way.

Even if they couldn’t touch him now, popularity would naturally erode over time.

After a few years, it would be easy enough to stage an accident or illness and get rid of him.

He passed all decisions to the hesitant Louis XV.

“Duke de Choiseul’s words make sense. Therefore, Your Majesty should make a decision according to your heart.”

“Hmm… yes. I must make a decision by the end of the day.”

Louis XV, in his heart, simply wanted to acknowledge his grandson.

He was honestly heartbroken that his bloodline had lived in poverty in the slums of Austria.

But despite those circumstances, he had grown up admirably and achieved such great things.

Moreover, he had even received reports that, despite being in a position to resent the country, he seemed to have tremendous patriotism.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t proud.

It seemed that too many events had coincided perfectly, but Louis XV didn’t think it was particularly Christian’s scheme.

This was the case not only for Louis XV but also for Choiseul and Maupeou.

If there was any conspiracy, it was natural to assume that the court, not the young Christian, was the instigator.

The scrutiny of Christian would primarily occur after the court had been thoroughly weakened.

Louis XV secretly hoped that if he could appease the intelligent Christian, he could become a good ally for the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince and a bastard were of incomparable status, even if they were classified as the same royal family.

If he was smart, he would know his place and support the Crown Prince.

If that were the case, he could alleviate some of his worries about the Crown Prince Auguste…

Just then, a servant who had been waiting outside hurriedly entered the study.

Louis XV snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the servant.

“What is it?”

“Your Majesty, the court and the Academy of Medicine have sent a request for an emergency decree.”

“Emergency decree?”

Louis XV widened his wrinkled eyes.

“This… to go this far, they must be serious.”

“Has the court pulled another trick?”

Instead of answering, Louis XV handed the paper in his hand to Maupeou.

As Maupeou quickly scanned the contents, a sense of dismay crossed his face.

“…Indeed. They wouldn’t be able to take such bold action unless they were quite confident. But this ultimately forces our choices to just one.”

Choiseul, who had taken the report from Maupeou, suddenly muttered coldly.

“Even if this goes well, we need to weaken the power of the court at least once.”

There was no dissenting voice.

Even the indecisive Louis XV now agreed with Choiseul’s opinion.

However, their attention was focused on the High Court, not Christian.

※※※

“This village is finished.”

“Then let’s move on to the next one.”

Meanwhile, unlike Versailles, which would be bustling right now, my surroundings were enveloped in quiet silence.

Nevertheless, the tension felt by the people was considerable.

It couldn’t be helped.

After all, we were in a village on the west coast of Normandy.

It was right next to a village that had been closed off due to a smallpox outbreak.

As soon as I heard the news of the smallpox outbreak in the outskirts, I volunteered to go to the site.

The report was sent to the royal family, but they couldn’t find any grounds to refuse, so they had no choice but to approve.

As soon as permission was granted, I traveled to nearby villages with vaccinated people, inoculating people with cowpox and recording everything.

Of course, even though they had been vaccinated, the faces of those who had not yet experienced the effects were filled with anxiety.

On the other hand, people like Guillotin, Jenner, and Lavoisier were calmly looking at the map, checking the locations of the villages they would visit in the future.

“I never thought we would start vaccinating on-site so quickly.”

“You have to strike while the iron is hot.”

I chuckled softly. Lavoisier circled a few villages on the map and held it out.

He seemed to be trying not to show it, but his tone of voice was somehow a little higher than usual.

“That’s right. The public, no matter how much evidence you present, won’t easily understand unless there are definite results. We need to push hard and achieve results at times like this.”

“But why do you seem to be in such a good mood?”

“Well… I’m so pleased with my patron’s successful career…”

My eyebrows twitched.

Lavoisier took a step back and scratched his head.

“Lavoisier.”

“Yes.”

“Everything will come out if I shake you.”

“…I understand.”

He sighed deeply and took out a wad of paper from his pocket and voluntarily submitted it.

As soon as I received it, I immediately understood why Lavoisier was desperately trying to suppress his rising smile.

“Fresh stock prices from the stock exchange.”

“…It may sound like an excuse, but there were absolutely no illegal or overreaching actions.”

“I never thought there would be from the beginning.”

See that?

As expected, Lavoisier’s skills were as written in history.

Not only was he a brilliant scientist, but he was also very talented at making money.

He must have known that the smallpox vaccine would be successful and poured a lot of money into the stocks of related companies, and they were all on the rise.

At this point, I can understand why he failed to manage his expression.

No matter how hard you try to maintain a poker face, you can’t stand a 300% surge.

Unless it’s illegal accumulation, there’s no reason for me to step in and stop it.

Instead, there’s one thing I need to make clear.

I whispered in a small voice so that only Lavoisier could hear.

“So, what’s my share?”

Lavoisier glanced around and quickly raised five fingers before putting them back down.

Exactly half and half. Not a bad calculation.

“I’m glad I can communicate with you. In the future, don’t do it in secret like that, and let’s work together while consulting with me. I actually have a few things in mind.”

Lavoisier, who had carefully put away the returned stock prices, smiled awkwardly and took my hand.

“Then I won’t refuse… I’ll use it for the advancement of science, not for my personal gain.”

※※※

A clear sky. A cool breeze.

Like a lie, the nightmare of a few days ago when smallpox struck the coastal outskirts was a peaceful day.

After completing the vaccination in the nearby villages where smallpox had broken out, I returned to Paris in triumph.

The court hired people to hold a grand event outside the city gates, and members of the Academy of Medicine were eager to talk to me.

[The Great Royal Bloodline That Saved Humanity from Smallpox]

Originally, once smallpox broke out, the village would be restricted from entering and almost closed off.

This is because small towns, unlike cities, can prevent the spread of epidemics in this way.

Still, once it starts to spread, the village will inevitably suffer enormous damage.

But this time it was different.

Although those already infected were unavoidable, the damage was minimized thanks to the rapid vaccination.

Compared to previous cases, the situation was resolved too easily.

At this point, there’s no need to promote it.

It was a more satisfactory result than expected.

The reputation I’ve built up will be a strong breakwater that will protect me even as time passes…

“Hmm?!”

At that time, Lavoisier, who was walking next to me, widened his eyes.

Naturally, I looked over there too.

A number of people with ornate emblems were walking from the opposite side.

People who recognized it as the royal family’s emblem whispered and stepped aside all at once.

“Young master.”

There was tension in Lavoisier’s voice.

I took a deep breath and slowly moved towards the royal messenger.

The royal family’s people, who had come through the crowd as Moses parted the Red Sea, soon came right up to me.

“Louis Christian. Take the letter that His Majesty has given directly and receive it with respect.”

I slowly bent my knees and politely held out my hand.

Before giving the letter, the herald spread it out and read the contents in a loud voice.

“As a result of the royal family’s thorough investigation of Louis Christian’s identity, it has been confirmed that he is a descendant of the former Crown Prince Louis Ferdinand. In commemoration of his great service without forgetting his loyalty to the country and the royal family even though he grew up in a foreign land, it has been decided to officially recognize his status, so he must express due gratitude to the grace of His Majesty the King, who has made a generous and benevolent decision.”

I gave my thanks in perfect accordance with etiquette.

Since the time of Louis XIV, French etiquette had become so complex and demanding that it was excessive.

As I flawlessly performed all the steps without much difficulty, the herald’s brow furrowed in embarrassment.

“…Louis Christian. His Majesty the King has allowed the glorious name of the motherland to be used in that castle in honor of the country welcoming your return.”

Then, he handed over a token embroidered with the royal family’s emblem from his inner pocket.

“Prepare as quickly as possible and enter Versailles. His Majesty is waiting for you.”

“Thank you.”

As I bowed gracefully to the end, the crowd, who had been watching with bated breath, gave thunderous applause.

It was a difficult road, but now I can finally stand on the high ground, or rather, on the proper starting line.

Now, I can proudly reveal my name to anyone.

Louis Christian de France.

My name, officially recognized by the French royal family.