I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 302

With a nervous heart, Theodore boarded the ship bound for France.

Nouvelle France [New France] was clearly ascending to unprecedented heights, so why was he so restless?

Still, he managed to maintain his peace of mind by thinking that his father would take care of it.

He hadn’t realized it at first, but after being there for a while, he understood.

The New World was practically the family’s territory.

It had been discussed in the General Assembly, but most people trusted him and his father, not the royal family.

It wasn’t just the minorities who felt this way.

The majority of French immigrants didn’t feel much differently.

Unlike other ethnic groups, they respected the royal family, but that didn’t change the fact that they preferred the Governor-General.

No, when he thought about it, wasn’t mainland France similar?

‘If I suggest that we serve Father as king, the French might think Nouvelle France is trying to steal him away.’

He had told them he would clearly convey the wishes of the New World to the mainland, but the closer he got to his homeland, the more uneasy he felt.

He wished the ship would just be wrecked and drift off to England or something.

And how relieved he would be when he returned to France to find that his father had taken care of everything.

But contrary to his wishes, the damn Atlantic Ocean didn’t have a storm or even a drop of rain, and the wind was so pleasant that it was perfect for sailing.

“Hahaha! It seems the sea itself is blessing the Acting Governor-General’s return home.”

“Hahaha… I guess so.”

That damn sea. It has no tact.

Still, he had years of experience in managing state affairs in Nouvelle France.

Who knew, once he assessed the situation, he might see a flash of insight.

Besides, his father was in the homeland, so there was no way his mental state would completely hit rock bottom.

Sure enough.

A smile crept across Theodore’s face as he picked up the day’s newspaper after disembarking at the port with a trembling heart.

-‘France Moving Forward Together.’ His Majesty King Louis XVI’s speech symbolically showed the direction France should take. Prime Minister Christian emphasized that Nouvelle France, which made a significant contribution to this war, should be given top priority…

As expected of Father. He had it all planned out.

There was no way the recent topics in Nouvelle France could have reached this far already, but Father’s response was always one step ahead.

Perhaps he even knew about the constitutional monarchy discussion that had become the trend in Nouvelle France, advocating for the Duke of Orléans to be crowned king.

Theodore shook off the burden in his heart and turned to the attendants who had come to meet him.

“Oh, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Welcome, young master. You must have suffered a lot in that distant land! The Governor and his wife have been waiting eagerly.”

“Yes. Are they both well?”

“Of course. They were worried that your health might have suffered.”

“Hahaha, I was a bit uneasy, but stepping on my homeland naturally puts my mind at ease. Let’s go home first. And I want to know the recent domestic situation, so please get me newspapers from each media outlet over there.”

He wondered if the newspaper he had picked up first had coincidentally highlighted the Nouvelle France issue, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Most of the front pages of the newspapers he saw on the train to Paris were decorated with articles about Nouvelle France.

-The Emerging Integration Theory. Will There Be Any Side Effects?

-Exploring the Similarities and Differences Between Nouvelle France and France with Professor Gatliffe.

-France Must Embrace Nouvelle France.

-Five Absolute Strengths Unique to Nouvelle France That Europe Doesn’t Have. What Made Them Grow?

After skimming through them, there wasn’t a single article that was negative about integration.

If he had to pick one, it would be concerns about potential side effects due to cultural differences.

But even that was about preparing for these concerns, not opposing integration.

‘So, France is thinking of incorporating Nouvelle France. It’s not a bad situation, but…’

He was relieved that the public didn’t think, ‘Why should those colonial bastards be treated as equals?’

But the problem was that many in Nouvelle France were negatively disposed towards a typical integration.

‘It would be good if we could integrate, but also find a way to alleviate their anxieties…’

As he was pondering this and that, Paris station came into view.

And so, he returned.

To the homeland he had almost fled from.

He could have indulged in sentimentality, but being a man of strict public and private life, he wasted no time.

No sooner had the grand welcome party ended than Theodore requested a private audience with his father and rattled off the public opinion in Nouvelle France.

“…That’s why I told the colonial assembly members to trust me and come to the homeland. I was relieved to see that you were preparing in advance, Father. Did you foresee this situation?”

“…Of course.”

As expected of Father! He always comes to the rescue when I’m in trouble.

Theodore, seeing the calm smile on his father’s face, who showed no emotion, felt relieved and gulped down his wine.

‘Ah~ Wine is definitely French.’

Now he could relax and enjoy his vacation.

Theodore looked as if he had finally had a tooth pulled.

※※※

Louis XVI as Emperor and me as King to establish a constitutional monarchy?

What the hell is this?

“…Of course.”

The ingrained bluff came out reflexively, but his mind was instantly in chaos.

He was lucky that his son was happily skipping back to his room alone, or he wouldn’t have been able to hide his embarrassment until the end.

“If this gets out, public opinion will definitely worsen.”

In fact, the mainland fully incorporating the colony on equal terms was a pretty big deal.

Regardless of the actual benefits, the French citizens living in the mainland would naturally feel that way.

Giving all the colonists citizenship and treating them without discrimination was no easy task.

This was all possible because the 2nd Corps from Nouvelle France had been steadily building up their reputation with their outstanding performance in the war.

But what if these guys said, ‘Forget that, we’re going to establish a new Orléans royal family and do our own thing separate from the mainland’?

Wouldn’t the average French person naturally say, ‘You damn bastards. You’re just a colony. Live as a colony forever’?

Honestly, I think I would too.

Our lawmakers’ thoughts weren’t much different when they heard about this the next day.

“It’s not an incomprehensible argument considering the independence of Nouvelle France. But public opinion won’t accept it.”

“I agree. Citizens might feel that the colonists are trying to stand above them. If that happens, we won’t even be able to achieve a normal integration.”

The lawmakers were being very cautious and rational, probably because they had caused a huge accident in the war.

If only they had done that from the start.

Of course, not everyone was against it.

People like Lafayette, who had actually been to Nouvelle France, seemed to think that their argument had some merit.

“But we can’t completely ignore their anxieties. It’s easy to say ‘integration,’ but many people naturally think they’ll just be left as a neglected part of France.”

“We would never do that.”

“That’s what we think. And even if we don’t mean to, we might inadvertently touch a nerve. How many people here can confidently say they truly understand the culture of Nouvelle France?”

“That’s true when you put it that way…”

“So, they want to ensure their status externally while maintaining the status quo in other areas. I understand.”

By this point, the other lawmakers seemed to understand what Lafayette was trying to say.

Of course, I knew why this argument came about.

But understanding and accepting are two completely different things.

“Lawmaker Lafayette’s words have some merit. But it’s hard to accept that, especially since Nouvelle France is so far away geographically, unlike if it were right next to us.”

“Excuse me? Prime Minister, isn’t it the opposite? If it’s right next to us, integration would be relatively easier, so there’s no reason to leave it as a quasi-feudal state.”

“We need to consider whether it will be easy or difficult to maintain homogeneity not just now, but in the distant future. If it’s a country right next to us, we can make it like a feudal state and slowly assimilate it over time, but Nouvelle France is too far away. Of course, there won’t be any problems until my son’s generation, but what about after that?”

As time goes on, public opinion within Nouvelle France will inevitably rise in favor of separating from France.

Nouvelle France, which possesses Canada, Alaska, the Great Lakes, the Great Plains, southern Texas, and the entire western part of North America, will naturally become more powerful than France over time.

If such a time comes, how can France hold onto Nouvelle France, which is trying to break away?

Who knows, maybe one of my descendants will be a fascist who will shout that Nouvelle France should be made an independent country.

Physical distance is also the distance of the heart.

Even lovers’ affections can fade when they’re far apart, let alone complete strangers.

If we try to run the country on two tracks, we won’t be able to avoid the country splitting apart in the distant future, even if it doesn’t happen right away.

“Prime Minister, what should we do then…”

“For now, we can consider going to a federal system like the United States next to Nouvelle France as a compromise. If we guarantee Nouvelle France broad independence with a federal system, we can alleviate their anxieties.”

Since it’s being implemented perfectly in the neighboring country, there will be less resistance, and if we modify the system to suit our circumstances, we can minimize the side effects.

“A federal system… Well, it’s not an unprecedented event, so it’s not unreasonable. The UK is similar when you think about it. Then, how about inviting members of the colonial assembly to coordinate opinions in more detail?”

“We should. My son, who is acting as Governor-General, is in Paris, so it won’t be difficult to create a draft.”

It’s a bit tough, but if it’s just Nouvelle France, we can somehow manage.

I’ll have to spin my brain so hard that my hair falls out.

However, to make matters worse.

The news that crossed the distant sea didn’t just arrive from across the Atlantic.

A report that made me grab the back of my neck from the other end of Asia, beyond the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, came to the parliament on the same day.

“Prime Minister! This is a message from Governor-General Robespierre. The people of Guangdong Province, which separated from Qing [the last imperial dynasty of China], want to form an independent government in conjunction with Hong Kong.”

“Then you should have sent a more detailed summary of the situation. How can we make a judgment if you just send this?”

“That is… The people of Hong Kong say that the Emperor of the Central Plains has now disappeared, so they want you, the Prime Minister, who is equivalent to him, to be their new king…”

What the hell is this?

Why can’t these people live without a king?

Why are they so eager to make me, who is doing well as Prime Minister, a king?

End