I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 25

“Oh? So, the Palace of Versailles and Paris are quite far apart?”

“It would take at least a few hours to walk, so you can’t say they’re right next to each other. But it’s quick if you go by horse.”

“I see. I just vaguely thought they were almost connected.”

It’s not strange to think that if you haven’t been to France in person.

In fact, many tourists assume that the Palace of Versailles is very close when they come to Paris.

“By the way, do you like the refreshments? I heard that French people like sweet pastries, so I asked them to prepare some.”

“I like them very much. You are very considerate, Princess.”

Somehow, Marie Antoinette and I were having a small tea party in front of the Orangerie.

It was because she asked if she could talk to a prince from France.

I had no reason to refuse the request of the person who would become the most famous queen in European history.

Bishop Beaumont decided to talk to the attendants elsewhere to assess Marie’s overall education level and left first.

Thanks to that, a rare sight unfolded: a French prince and an Austrian princess talking alone.

“I’m studying in advance because I have to adapt to French culture when I go to France. But you are also fluent in this language, Prince?”

“I lived here when I was young. Of course, I took the time to study formal expressions separately before coming.”

Even though Louis Christian’s memories are vague, he didn’t forget essential things like language or basic common sense.

Marie stared at me with sparkling eyes, as if she found something amusing in my words.

“So, you lived in Austria before coming to France. In a way, it’s similar to me?”

“I suppose you could see it that way.”

“How did you feel then? Since France is your homeland, were you happier to be able to return to your original country?”

“Well… I don’t think it was entirely like that, but I probably had some expectations.”

I’m sorry, but I can’t recall what happened back then, no matter how much you ask.

Anyway, I roughly understood why this princess was interested in me through our conversation.

Even if she’s a princess, Marie Antoinette is only about 15 years old at most.

She must be anxious about leaving her beloved homeland and living in a foreign country for the rest of her life.

So, she probably wanted to find peace of mind by talking to me, who was in a similar situation.

As expected, Marie naturally turned the topic in that direction.

“You live in the Palace of Versailles now, right? I’d like to hear about life there, if possible.”

“I can tell you what life in Versailles is like, but I don’t live there now. I go to school in Paris. I only visit Versailles on weekends when there’s a public banquet.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s because my background is a bit special. It’s not usually the case.”

Living in the Palace of Versailles means being at the heart of French power.

Nobles struggled to live in the palace, even if it meant living in humble quarters compared to when they were on their own estates.

“I heard that the rules of Versailles are very different from those of Austria… Is it true that everything in life is open to the public there?”

“Not everything. But… I can’t deny that a lot of it is open to the public. You’ll be less shocked if you give up half of your privacy.”

For royalty, a certain part of their lives is open to the public in any country.

Even Schönbrunn Palace allows visitors to enter and see the gardens if they have identification.

However, very few places expose the lives of royalty as thoroughly as Versailles after Louis XIV.

For the first time, a slight shadow crossed Marie’s always smiling face.

“So that was true… I had heard a lot about it, but I thought it was exaggerated. I’m feeling a little dizzy.”

“But I’m sure you’ll adapt well, Princess.”

“…I’m a little envious of you. If you’re in Paris, you can freely roam the city and go wherever you want.”

It’s well known that Marie Antoinette’s personality was free-spirited and cheerful from a young age.

I wonder how it feels for someone with that kind of disposition to have to live like a well-packaged display item in the Palace of Versailles from now on.

I’m sure it’s not very pleasant.

“I’m also of royal status, so I can’t act that freely. I can’t help but be reluctant to go to public events.”

“Ah, I guess so. Still, I’m glad. I’m glad I could meet someone like you before going to France. I still have time before I go to France, so could you talk to me often during that time?”

“Of course.”

I smiled brightly and slowly lifted my coffee cup, pretending to enjoy the aroma while my mind raced.

I felt sorry for the woman in front of me, but politics is reality, and for me, it’s a means of survival.

You have to use what you can to the fullest and cut off what you need to without looking back.

So, what about this girl, Marie Antoinette?

There’s no doubt that she’s a good kid and has a personally likable character.

Most of the negative reviews about Marie Antoinette are false, which is now quite famous in modern times.

She actually never said things like, ‘If they have no bread, let them eat cake,’ she didn’t live extravagantly, and far from being arrogant, she was a kind queen who treated people without prejudice.

It’s just that the revolution had to be justified, and the king and queen had to be seen as evil to be executed, so a false image was created.

Moreover, unlike other queens, she was used as a scapegoat by the citizens even before the revolution.

The biggest reason is that she was a descendant of the Habsburg family, who were the sworn enemies of France.

They are allies now, but France and Austria have been enemies for over 200 years.

Even if they say, ‘We’ll be allies from now on~,’ the accumulated national sentiment won’t disappear in an instant.

In particular, Louis XVI, Marie’s husband, did not have mistresses, unlike other French kings, and even this was blamed on the innocent queen.

The absurd logic prevailed that ‘that woman from Austria is nagging our Majesty, so the king can’t spread his wings.’

Originally, the citizens of France could not directly criticize the king, so there was a tradition of using the king’s mistress as a scapegoat.

But since Louis XVI did not have a mistress, all the dissatisfaction went to the queen.

Due to these various complex circumstances, Marie Antoinette lived her whole life suffering from unfair rumors.

In some ways, she may be the most pitiful queen in French history.

Of course, it was definitely a mistake to try to crush the revolutionary forces by mobilizing foreign powers when the Great Revolution broke out.

There is no excuse for this part.

But considering the stress that had built up until then and the fear she must have felt, I think we can give her some consideration.

“Actually, when I go to France, I have to start a new life in a place where I don’t know anyone. The person who is most likely to be my husband has not even met me yet. It would be really reassuring if I had a close friend nearby.”

“Don’t worry. I will spare no effort to help you adapt quickly in France.”

For now, it’s okay to throw out empty promises as much as you want, as long as you don’t fulfill them later.

I carefully examined the value of this woman.

First of all, the most useful way to use Marie is to make her a scapegoat, as in the original history.

Even if she marries Louis Auguste [later Louis XVI], she will still be a member of the Habsburg family who will be ostracized in France, just like in the original history.

Moreover, Louis XV, who has been vaccinated, will no longer die of smallpox.

Inevitably, Auguste will have to spend more time as crown prince, and Marie will have to live as crown princess for the time being.

What if we bundle Marie and Auguste together and spread all kinds of scandals and rumors?

It would effectively erode the current crown prince’s support base.

To use this strategy, I would inevitably have to cut off relations with Marie Antoinette after going to France.

If I associate with her too closely, I might become the target of the scandal.

However, this is not only cowardly but also too sleazy, so I don’t think I should adopt it.

If I’m dealing with the slippery eels of the court, I should be willing to use any means necessary.

But if I’m dealing with someone who only shows me pure goodwill, I should use a more gentlemanly approach.

Marie Antoinette, who had no idea what I was thinking, looked better than before.

Seeing that innocent smile, I felt a little prick in my heart.

“By the way, Princess. Have you ever thought about not wanting to go to France?”

“Pardon?”

“Some princesses don’t go abroad and stay in Vienna. I was wondering if you wanted that more.”

A shadow briefly crossed her smile, which had been as bright as the sun.

Just when I thought I had asked a pointless question, she returned to her original expression and shook her head nonchalantly.

“If there was no need at all, I would have preferred to continue living where I was born. But my mother believes that an alliance with France is necessary. And the most suitable person for that is me. So, from the beginning, my opinion doesn’t matter. Of course, I have no complaints. I just accept it willingly.”

“It will be harder than you expect when you go to France.”

Once the marriage alliance is concluded, Marie Antoinette will have to give up everything she enjoyed in Austria.

She cannot take her clothes, her pets, her close friends, or even a single piece of underwear to France.

You could say that she is going through a process of transforming into a perfect French woman, not an Austrian.

But even after doing this, her perception in France is still a woman from Habsburg.

In some ways, it can be said to be the height of absurdity.

If they are going to send prejudiced eyes anyway, they should just welcome her as a guest from the beginning.

But Marie Antoinette would not have gone to France without such background knowledge.

The Habsburgs are not fools, and they cannot be unaware that the French people hate them.

She would have accepted it to some extent.

Of course, I doubt she would have felt the same way after actually experiencing it.

“No matter how difficult it is, I am prepared to accept it if it is my duty. Since I was born into royalty and raised with the love of many people, I cannot turn a blind eye to what I have to do.”

Correcting my previous thought.

She is a much more upright and strong person than I expected.

“You have a strong heart. I am impressed.”

“My mother always emphasized it. Never forget your position. From the moment I realized I was a princess of the royal family, I gave up the expectation that I could live my own life. I have no choice but to adapt.”

It’s sad, but that’s the reality.

What’s surprising is that Marie Antoinette was more aware of her situation than I thought.

She was not just a bright woman with a flowery mind, but she was aware of her situation and accepted it with composure.

Let’s forget about the first plan anyway.

Even if I don’t step in, our reporters, who are good at propaganda and fabrication, will run to it on their own.

I can look at the situation then and take advantage of it in either direction from an appropriate position.

There’s no reason for me to voluntarily become trash.

“Since you were born into royalty, you have no choice but to bear a certain amount of duty. But there are not many people who can really think that way and dedicate themselves. In that respect, you will definitely be a good queen.”

“Thank you. Actually, I never thought I would tell this to someone I met for the first time. Maybe it’s because I felt some kind of kinship.”

It’s the same for me. In that I couldn’t live my own life, there was not much difference between my past life and this life.

“Oh, by the way, there will be a concert here at Schönbrunn Palace in a few days. It’s the orchestra conducted by the famous Joseph Haydn [a prominent Austrian composer]. Would you like to go see it together?”

“I would be honored. I will definitely go.”

I readily accepted her offer and promised to hang out often in the future.

This level of friendship is okay. Of course.