I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 204

The news that the Swedish ambassador had a meeting with the French Prime Minister spread quickly.

Knowing that the public’s interest was enormous, the parliament and the royal family wanted the Prime Minister to make a quick decision.

Robespierre even incited the lawmakers, saying that they should prepare on the premise that Christian’s child would become the next King of Sweden.

“Come on, think about it. This is unconditionally beneficial to us. It’s like a path has opened for us to exert influence in the Baltic Sea without lifting a finger.”

“But even if it’s the Prime Minister’s child, from the moment they become the King of Sweden, they will be free from all obligations to France… They will prioritize Sweden’s interests.”

“We can go in a direction that benefits both Sweden and France. Giving maximum consideration to the convenience of allied countries is our current French policy.”

“That’s generally the case… I don’t really know what the Prime Minister is thinking. It seems like it’s time to make a decision.”

Normally, Christian would have reached a conclusion a long time ago.

Could there be other problems involved?

As such questions gradually focused.

“First, I will accurately inform you of the current situation. The decision is yours.”

Christian’s children, including Theodore, learned why the official announcement had been delayed until now.

“…So, if you accept Sweden’s request, one of you must go not only to Sweden but also to the Holy Roman Empire.”

“Are you saying I will become Joseph’s uncle’s adopted son?”

“Yes. And if you go to the Holy Roman Empire, you don’t have to convert, but if you go to Sweden, you may have to convert to Protestantism. Because Sweden is a Protestant country, not a Catholic one.”

Theodore and Charles frowned slightly.

For people of this era, religion was an openly significant issue, not an unexpected one.

In the case of the Holy Roman Empire, Catholicism had a great influence as an element of national identity.

Thanks to having a member of the Imperial Family as their mother, Theodore and Charles also had a strong belief in Catholicism.

In the case of their daughter, Beatrice, she was relatively closer to her father, so she was less influenced.

“Do I have to convert to go to Sweden?”

“Of course. As Ambrosius said, shouldn’t you live like a Roman when you go to Rome? [A common saying meaning to adapt to the customs of a new place.]”

“That’s a bit difficult…”

Charles scratched his head with a click of his tongue, and Theodore, who was next to him, asked in a subtle voice.

“But is Father considering sending me too?”

“You? There’s no way. From the beginning, Sweden and the Holy Roman Empire made proposals with you completely excluded. I called you because it’s a matter of your younger siblings’ lives, so I called you to think about it together. Don’t worry. People all think of you as my successor, so would I ever send you?”

“Ah… that’s right. I see… hahaha.”

It took less than 10 seconds for the grand dream of escape to be shattered.

Secretly disappointed, Theodore forced a relaxed expression and looked back at his two younger siblings.

“But if we have to send two people, shouldn’t Charles go to the Empire? The Empire has traditionally not recognized female accession [the right of a woman to succeed to the throne].”

Realistically, there is virtually no choice.

If they unconditionally want a man, one of the two countries, Sweden or the Holy Roman Empire, will have to hope that the fifth child, who will be born soon, is a boy.

If not, they could give up Christian’s bloodline and take Louis XVI’s second or third son.

However, Christian surprisingly shook his head firmly.

“You don’t have to worry about that. If Beatrice, you want to go to the Empire, I’ll do whatever it takes. There is the case of Theresa [likely referring to Maria Theresa, who ruled the Holy Roman Empire but not as Emperor, as she was a woman], so if we do some work in a similar way, it won’t be difficult. I can’t call myself the Holy Roman Emperor, but it will be possible to remain a practical ruler.”

“……”

Father was always like this.

He says ridiculous things without a word and actually does them all.

In fact, if Father really wanted to, it seemed like he could make his younger sister the Holy Roman Emperor.

Of course, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t go to the Holy Roman Empire, let alone Sweden.

Especially if it’s a woman’s body.

Beatrice also seemed to think the same way, as she chuckled and slowly shook her head.

“I don’t really want to be the Emperor of the Empire. I know how much my grandmother suffered, so why would I go there and go through unnecessary hardships?”

“Yes. That’s what I think too. Just be happy with Dad in Paris…”

“But Sweden doesn’t sound so bad? Unless there’s a law that says it has to be a man there.”

“Then I will go to the Empire instead of my sister. The Holy Roman Emperor… Even if it has declined, doesn’t it have some resonance that moves a man’s heart?”

In Europe, there is no man who doesn’t fall for the name of Rome.

Even if the reality is not so, the position of Roman Emperor clearly had something that paralyzed people’s reason.

Of course, Beatrice, who had relatively little of that tendency, openly clicked her tongue at her brother, who was shining his eyes.

“I’m reminded of Voltaire’s words~ ‘This country, which calls itself the Holy Roman Empire and still calls itself, is neither particularly holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.’ It’s always a poignant remark, isn’t it?”

“But isn’t the situation better now than when that statement came out? Besides, if you’re a man, you should have the ambition to revive such an empire.”

“Yes, yes. Do as you please. Of course, I’ll bet my entire fortune that you’ll send at least three letters a week to Mom and Dad.”

“Don’t you dare change your mind later and ask me to change it.”

Theodore, who had been guessing that his younger siblings would stay in France, was secretly surprised.

I wanted to go outside because of the pressure pouring in from all directions, but there was no reason for my younger siblings to do that, right?

‘Could it be that they don’t know what it means to go into public office with the label of Father’s child?’

Come to think of it, that’s right.

How would they know?

Rather, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were secretly cheering, saying that they could do well and that the opportunity had finally come.

‘Oh, well, yes. You’ll only know how I feel when you become the person involved.’

If you have to dip it in to know if it’s poop or chaff, I won’t stop you.

Rather, Theodore was just pleased with the fact that his comrades had increased.

※※※

“Prime Minister, have you made a decision?”

“Yes. After talking with my wife and children, I have decided to accept it.”

“Oh! Thank you. You will never regret it. But why did you invite the Holy Roman ambassador to this meeting?”

Clemens von Metternich, who was newly appointed as the Holy Roman Empire’s ambassador to France this year, shrugged his shoulders as if asking what he was talking about.

“That’s because we had a prior appointment.”

“A prior appointment… Could it be that the Holy Roman Empire is also…?”

“That’s what it is. We have been continuously asking the Prime Minister for several years. That was directly from our Joseph II. Isn’t that right, Prime Minister?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“So it’s natural for us to finish the negotiations first.”

Metternich subtly emphasized their priority.

“Besides, the First Lady is the sister of Joseph II. The Prime Minister’s children are all descendants of the Habsburg Imperial Family. There will be no room for disagreement even if we only look at legitimacy.”

“Since the Prime Minister has already said that he will accept our proposal, we don’t care who finishes the negotiations first.”

“I understand. Then, Prime Minister. Can I understand that it is a confirmed matter that young master Charles will come to us?”

“That child said he would. Anyway, Charles is the only one of my children who can become the Holy Roman Emperor, so I will respect his wishes.”

“Phew… that’s a relief. We strictly adhere to the Salic Law [an ancient Frankish law that excluded women from royal succession].”

The Salic Law of the Frankish people, a representative of old-fashioned laws, absolutely does not recognize female succession to the throne.

Therefore, the Holy Roman Empire could never have a female emperor.

Even Theresa, who was loved by the people of the Empire, was not officially the Holy Roman Emperor, but the Empress.

Of course, this law is still applied by many royal families in Europe, not just the Holy Roman Empire.

The only difference is whether the application is slightly relaxed like in England, or strictly applied like in the Empire.

“Wait a minute! If young master Charles goes to the Empire, young master Theodore will not come to us…”

The Swedish ambassador, who belatedly realized this, glared.

“Yes. The only person I can send to Sweden is my eldest daughter, Beatrice. I know that Sweden interprets the Salic Law a little flexibly and only recognizes female accession in limited cases where there is no male heir.”

“That’s true, but… bringing in a woman as an heir is another matter.”

“Of course I understand. So, if you wish, I will ask His Majesty if he can send one of the princes to Sweden.”

To be honest, I don’t want to send my daughter, who I wouldn’t want to hurt even if I put her in my eyes.

And unlike the Holy Roman Empire, there were definitely some things that needed to be clarified with Sweden.

“No, that’s…”

“Isn’t His Majesty’s son the real heir to the Bourbon royal family? As you know, I am a bastard, so I have no right to inherit the French royal family.”

“No! Who would call the Prime Minister by such a derogatory term? We really don’t care about that at all!”

“The Empire is the same! His Majesty has threatened to cut off the tongue of any nobleman who utters such disrespectful words.”

The two ambassadors shouted urgently as if they had made a promise.

In fact, the Holy Roman Empire wanted Marie’s bloodline anyway, so this issue is not very relevant.

Of course, when Charles goes to the Empire, there may be nobles who gossip behind his back, calling him the son of a bastard, but Joseph will take care of those guys.

“Anyway, the eldest son must succeed me, and the second son must go to the Holy Roman Empire, so I have no choice but to send my eldest daughter to Sweden. If that’s difficult, as I said, I will ask His Majesty…”

“No! It will be fine. No, it will definitely be fine. I will contact my home country right away and come back! Please wait a moment!”

The Swedish ambassador hurriedly got up and almost ran out of the room.

Metternich, who was staring at the scene, nodded as if he was impressed.

“Make sure whether you want the bloodline of the Bourbon royal family or the bloodline of Louis Christian… that’s a good method.”

“Oh, did it look like that?”

As expected, is he one of the best diplomats of the time, on par with Talleyrand?

He immediately sees through this level of technique.

“The Prime Minister’s children have the inheritance rights to the Orleans ducal family, but not the succession rights to the Bourbon royal family. However, I think there is a possibility that it could become a point of contention later because the Prime Minister’s prestige is so great. Wouldn’t it be better to draw a line like this?”

“How about the Empire, leaving Sweden aside? Can you really be sure that there are no problems?”

“Of course, that’s…”

“To be honest, I don’t feel comfortable sending my child to the Empire.”

To put it coldly, the current Holy Roman Empire is no exaggeration to say that it is an outdated old-generation country.

There is no need to compare it to the United States, which is implementing a presidential system, or France or England, which are moving towards a constitutional monarchy.

Even compared to countries that still adhere to a solid centralized system, the Holy Roman Empire had many shortcomings.

It might be better to break down the empire itself and build it up again.

He says he will be able to do well, but I didn’t want to send my young son to such a place.

“I understand the Prime Minister’s feelings. Then what should we do?”

As expected, it is easy to talk to someone who is quick-witted.

You don’t have to explain it in detail, and they immediately lie flat and tell you what you want?

“Isn’t it the heart of a parent to want to pave the way for their son to go as smoothly as possible? So I want to do some work for you.”

I was going to leave it as a hollow shell, but if it is a country that my son will rule, the story changes.

The future use of the Holy Roman Empire was newly organized in my head.

All right.

Shall we make a country that is neither particularly holy, nor Roman, nor an empire a little more like an empire?

End