I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 303

I had entrusted everything to my father, planning to enjoy a vacation, but Theodore’s plans hit a snag.

It was something that even a Governor-General or the son of the French Prime Minister couldn’t avoid.

It was his mother’s nagging, a universal experience for any bachelor of marriageable age, that now bombarded him.

“My dear, as the eldest son of the family, shouldn’t you be thinking about marriage now?”

“Yes, I suppose I should.”

“Your father said he would respect your wishes if there was someone you loved. Of course, their status would have to be somewhat appropriate. Is there anyone you have in mind?”

“…No, there isn’t. I’ve been too busy working in the New World…”

If it weren’t for the problems in Nouvelle-France [New France, the French colony in North America], I thought I wouldn’t have any worries, but it turns out there was this challenge left.

The children of the Orléans family instinctively knew who held the real power in the house.

My father had a high public profile, but at home, he was a simple man.

Especially with his daughter’s charm, he would do anything, and he never put pressure on his sons, so it was impossible not to feel closer to him.

It wasn’t that my mother was scary, but everyone commonly recognized that she was very strict when it came to family education.

Looking back now, it felt like my mother kept things in balance, offsetting how lenient my father was.

But regardless of such feelings, perhaps because of the instincts learned since childhood, even at this age, I couldn’t go against my mother’s words.

“As you know, our family is now a symbol of reliance for all French people. And since your siblings have gone to be kings in other countries, you are the only one who can hold the center of the family. So, I trust you know that your marriage is not just your own affair.”

“Of course, I know.”

My father was saying that love marriages were fine, but that’s because he was strangely soft on his children.

It wasn’t like Theodore was so ignorant that he didn’t know these basic facts.

If it weren’t for the privileges and special treatment he had enjoyed as the eldest son of the family since childhood, how could he possibly be in this position?

If you receive something, you must take on at least the minimum responsibility.

Since arranged marriages were the norm in this era anyway, I didn’t have much aversion to it.

When you think about it, my father and mother were a couple with a rare level of affection in France, but didn’t their marriage start as a political arrangement?

The King and Queen, my uncle and aunt, were definitely not on bad terms either.

“Do you perhaps have any prospective matches in mind?”

“If you just say yes, there are plenty of places begging to have you take their daughters. Of course, I’ll have to do some more comparing, and it has to be someone you like too.”

As she said that, Marie pointed to a mountain of paper piled up in one corner.

Could it be that all of that was the result of efforts to somehow connect their daughters with me?

Looking at it briefly, it seemed like letters of courtship were coming from all over, not just France.

Spain, of course, and the newly formed states of England and Italy, and what’s this? Even from Turkey.

“Does Mother have any places in mind? I don’t have any at the moment, so if there’s a place Mother thinks is good, I’ll meet them.”

“There are some decent ones, but there’s nothing that makes me think we absolutely have to form a relationship with this place. That’s why I asked for your opinion.”

“…I see. Then I’ll understand that I don’t necessarily have to meet someone while I’m staying in France.”

“It’s fine if you don’t, but wouldn’t you have to help your father with his work a little more then?”

Is this the flow we’re going back to after all?

It seems that mothers are inherently imprinted with the instinct to dislike seeing their grown sons lazing around at home.

“Mother, it may look like I’m just playing around, but it’s not just that, I’m resting my tired body and mind from the New World…”

“Your father is starting to get a little gray hair, but he still does at least twice as much work as you do. But you’re in your prime and trying to pass everything on to your aging father…”

“Okay, I get it! I was wrong. I’ll go to work right away and help my father with his work.”

When my mother starts lecturing on this topic, I have to lie flat and obey unconditionally.

I knew very well that she could be scarier than anyone when it came to matters related to my father, even though she seemed endlessly kind.

It was thoroughly kept secret so that it would never reach my father’s ears, but Theodore vaguely knew.

There aren’t any such foolish people now, but in the past, there were some noblewomen in society who maliciously disparaged the Prime Minister.

I don’t know if it was for political purposes, economic issues, or just because they were clueless.

But at some point, those people had their dirty laundry exposed and were completely buried in society.

Most of them were taken care of before it even reached my father’s ears, so it wasn’t my father who did it.

So who on earth did these things?

Of course, she would only give kind discipline to her family, but it’s still scary.

Theodore put on his clothes as they were and hurried to the Prime Minister’s office.

A loving smile appeared on Marie’s lips as she watched her son’s back as he ran away as if fleeing.

“Even if he’s a Governor-General, he’s still a child.”

No matter how old he gets and when it’s time to marry, in his mother’s eyes, her son is just a cute child.

Looking at her husband, men seem to become more like children as they get older, so maybe that’s why she feels that way even more.

Of course, she said this, but she didn’t really expect Theodore to be able to help her husband in a meaningful way.

Originally, this kind of support is something that a wife should do rather than a son.

She leisurely got up from her seat, changed her clothes, and called the servant.

“Please let His Majesty know that I need to see him.”

First, I need to get the consent of the most important person.

※※※

Wow~ I was really popular.

I feel needlessly proud… bull.

What’s with that damn king that everyone is barking about and tormenting people like this?

No sooner had news arrived from Hong Kong than the parliament began to review how realistic their request was, and there were many debates.

And, of course, Napoleon, who remained in Asia, strongly supported this opinion.

He wrote and sent a long report of more than 10 pages detailing why I should be the King of Asia.

It’s a declaration of support from a national hero who has achieved such great feats in Asia, no less.

Newspapers, which couldn’t miss this news, printed articles all at once, and all the citizens of Paris learned of this fact.

“Honestly, shouldn’t the Prime Minister be allowed to be king?”

“What do you mean king? I heard they call him emperor in Asia?”

Of course, the majority of voices were in favor.

Even the people who opposed it didn’t really hate it when you listened to their reasons.

“If the Prime Minister becomes the king over there, won’t he be able to stay in France much?”

“Huh? I don’t like that. The Prime Minister has to be our Prime Minister of France!”

“Exactly. No, what are those guys in Asia and the New World trying to take the Prime Minister away for? That’s ridiculous.”

There were many different opinions, but it wasn’t just the citizens’ reactions that were worrying.

No matter what anyone says, the owner of the French royal family is currently Louis XVI, and this is a fact that will not be shaken in the future.

No matter how close the King and I are, how could he feel good about wanting another king in the colonies?

Fortunately, Louis XVI happily welcomed me, who had rushed to the Palace of Versailles to explain the situation.

“Oh, Christian, what brings you here today without even contacting me?”

“I came to talk about the various topics that have been circulating lately.”

“Ah~ you too, huh.”

Me too?

I wondered if someone had come before me, but Louis XVI was definitely drinking tea instead of the wine he usually enjoyed.

Could it be that one of the lawmakers came and blabbed first?

What a fast-acting human.

“I heard that Nouvelle-France and Hong Kong are begging you to be their king?”

“Yes. Well… that’s why I have a headache.”

“I’ve seen cases where people want to be king, but this is the first time I’ve seen people asking each other to be king? It’s a rare sight.”

“They’re doing that because they all have their own calculations.”

It’s pointless to talk about Nouvelle-France, and it’s not difficult to predict why Hong Kong and Guangdong are doing this.

Originally, Hong Kong was our land, and Guangdong Province had many pro-French factions.

The Qing Dynasty [The last imperial dynasty of China (1644-1912)] was splitting apart and standing tall as an independent country, but the reality is that it was bound to be unstable.

In addition, it was originally a quick-witted area, so it was obvious that they had calculated how to gain an advantageous position in the Central Plains [A region in China], where new countries would be rampant.

In that respect, if they make me, who has agreed to be treated as equal to the Son of Heaven [A term for the Chinese emperor], their king, they can take a big lead in terms of justification.

In addition to this, they must have thought that if they remained in a position like a vassal state of France, they could receive more crumbs more easily.

Right now, not only Japan and Vietnam, but even Joseon [An ancient Korean kingdom] were eager to get on this side.

“Still, I don’t really prefer such positions. Besides, the King of France is His Majesty, so how could I be king? In the first place, I’m also the person who took the current position while declaring that I would not ascend to the throne.”

“Come to think of it, there was such a thing. It’s so long ago that I can barely remember it.”

“…You shouldn’t forget things like that.”

I’m glad that he doesn’t seem to be sulking when I read his expression.

No, far from sulking, I started to feel an ominous premonition.

In these cases, my premonitions never failed, and this time, my expectations were not wrong.

“Well, that was giving up the French succession, so wouldn’t it be okay for other countries?”

“…Yes?”

“That’s the truth, isn’t it? There’s no law that says you can’t be the king of another country if you don’t have the French succession, right?”

No, no, you can’t come out like that.

You have to oppose it so I can use that as an excuse to somehow get out of it!

But whether he knows my heart or not, Louis XVI continued to speak in an indifferent tone, as if handing candy to a child next door.

“You can do it. The King of Nouvelle-France and Asia.”

“As I said before, I’m going to lay the foundation for only 5 more years and retire to enjoy a leisurely life…”

“Then you can retire as Prime Minister and become king. Still, being a king would be more comfortable than being a Prime Minister, right?”

Is he seriously saying that?

Is it because he doesn’t want to see me retire and live comfortably that he’s doing this?

It goes without saying, but Louis XVI cannot skillfully deceive and say things he doesn’t mean because of his innate nature.

Based on my long experience so far, Louis XVI’s words now were 100% sincere.

Ah. I’m going crazy.

Please set up the stage so I can leave when people are applauding.

No matter how popular a song is, if you keep singing it, it goes beyond the first verse, to the second, third, and then it becomes a cringe, you know?

France has been doing well for a while, so now it’s Asia after the New World… I wonder when this damn first verse will stop.

End