I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 314

“Gifts left by the Joseon [Korean Dynasty] and Japanese diplomatic missions, you say?”

“That’s right.”

Returning after a long absence, I was greeted by a mountain of tribute piled up as if to welcome me.

Finest porcelains gleaming with an ethereal light, silks, and handicrafts imbued with the touch of artisans—a hoard of cultural treasures grand enough to be presented to the Son of Heaven [Chinese Emperor] in the Central Plains [China] lay before my eyes.

“They really went all out. Did they say anything else to you?”

“Just hoping for my continued good favor? It’s well-known that I don’t accept solicitations of any kind, so they didn’t make any blatant, tactless remarks.”

If it were people from Joseon, they would be capable of making such tactless remarks… Was it because the representative this time was Jeong Yak-yong [A prominent Joseon scholar and official] that they didn’t cross the line?

“What were your impressions of them?”

“I’ve seen Count Kondo several times, so there’s not much more to say. But judging from his demeanor, he seemed very conscious of the Joseon side, who had visited first. I don’t know the relationship between the two countries, so I can’t say much more.”

“To be honest, I’m worried that those two countries might cause some trouble in the future.”

Before leaving Paris, Jeong Yak-yong came to me and rattled off all the schemes he had heard from Kondo.

They were making such absurd plans, but they assured me that they would never offend France, so I shouldn’t worry.

In fact, the very possibility of Joseon doing anything with Japan didn’t exist in my mind, so it was quite shocking.

Perhaps it was because, in my modern mind, there was a prejudice that the relationship between Korea and Japan could never go beyond a certain point.

But in this era, there was no reason for Joseon and Japan to be so hostile.

The Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century] was fading into the past, with Japan taking a step back, saying that Toyotomi [Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Japanese leader who initiated the Imjin War] was a bad guy and that they were a completely unrelated government.

In addition, both sides were taking France as a role model and accelerating their modernization.

Joseon still looked down on Japan as *wako* [Japanese pirates], but they might be drawing a picture of cooperation from a broad perspective.

At first, I thought it was impossible because Confucian conservatives would be rampant, but after hearing the story, it seemed that the situation had changed a lot.

Perhaps a completely different future from what I knew might unfold—a brief moment of interest.

One problem arose.

Thinking about it again coldly, the alliance between Joseon and Japan was not a pleasant thing for me.

Joseon feels like my spiritual home, and I don’t want to curb its momentum if it’s doing well.

Since my soul is Korean, I have no desire to film a nationalistic movie like ‘Reproducing the Majesty of Hwan Empire!’ [A fictional, exaggerated historical drama].

It’s just that if it doesn’t work out, it can’t be helped, and if it works out, it’s good—that’s about the extent of my feelings.

But this is all when it doesn’t threaten my France.

Originally, no matter how much Joseon flew and crawled, it shouldn’t have any influence on the hegemony of Asia.

Even if it really succeeded in modernization and was completely transformed, it would only eat up the Primorsky Krai [A region in Russia bordering North Korea and China] and end up dabbling.

However, if it starts to get involved with Japan, the story is a bit different.

Putting aside the Joseon-Japan Federation Empire that Kondo was talking about, even if they only form a military alliance, there is no country in Asia that can check these two.

Still, it wouldn’t be as good as Guangdong France, but it would be possible to grow in size without conflicting with this side.

Unless they touch an alliance like Manchukuo [A puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria], we can’t intervene if Asian countries fight each other.

I can’t even predict what kind of variable it will be if it grows so much and becomes the new overlord of Asia.

Who knows if it will go astray into militarism like Japan in the original history.

Above all, given my personality, I can’t stand trusting those who have caused accidents in history without any safety measures.

Why else would I have prevented my own son from annexing Prussia?

Once the impure word ‘Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’ [A Japanese concept promoting Asian unity under Japanese leadership] comes out, we must not let our guard down.

The context is completely different, but we can’t just laugh and ignore words like *Lebensraum* [Living space, a Nazi concept] or *Anschluss* [Annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany] just because the context is different, can we?

Of course, my wife, who has a completely different perspective on accepting the situation, doesn’t seem to understand this sensibility.

“From my point of view, both Joseon and Japan seemed to value etiquette very much. I think the Orient has a strong tendency to do so, so if we make good use of this point…”

“Well… we’ll have to. First, I need to come up with a plan to separate those two.”

The best way to suppress potential troublemakers is, of course, to make them fight each other.

In particular, Asian countries originally have a stronger tendency to not mix with each other than Europe, so it won’t be that difficult.

“Come to think of it, haven’t there been many times like this before? It’s a familiar task, so it won’t be too difficult. It’s just that what I’ve always done has expanded to the national level.”

“Honey, if you put it that way, it sounds like I’m always plotting and scheming?”

“Oh~ wasn’t it? It reminds me of the old days when we sat facing each other like this and shared so many stories.”

“Those are fond memories.”

People say that suddenly going on a trip down memory lane is a sign of getting old.

I used to feel sad when I realized this, but recently I’ve been able to accept it willingly.

In a way, it may mean that I’m really old and can’t deny it anymore, and in another way, it may mean that I’ve gained more experience.

Of course, I hope it’s the latter.

In fact, when I look back, there is no one more suited to the word ‘experienced’ than the person sitting in front of me now.

“Do you ever think, ‘If I went back to the past, would I make the same choices as I do now?'”

“Of course, I do. But every time, the choice was the same.”

My wife leaned back against the headboard of the bed with a comfortable expression and closed her eyes.

Since we’ve been together for so long, I could easily guess what she was trying to say without having to hear the rest of her words.

This is… even at this age, I feel embarrassed for no reason.

How awkward.

※※※

As you get older, many things change.

Now, it’s a familiar age to have grandchildren running up to you, calling you ‘Grandma,’ and hugging you.

It’s been decades since the streets of Paris brought me much more peace of mind than the scenery of my hometown, Austria.

The countless experiences I’ve had and the names of many people I’ve been close to are now fading into the past.

Nevertheless, there are memories that never fade.

Past memories that become clearer over time.

Antoinette, who was leisurely sharing wine with her husband after a long time, was reminded of old memories.

When exactly was that?

It must have been around the time her husband received the title of Duke and reigned as the true power in France.

In fact, he was so busy with public and private affairs that he tended not to pay attention to the trivial pebbles in front of him.

When did I first realize that? Maybe about three years after coming to Paris.

In fact, it wasn’t a big problem, but you never know when these things will pile up and continue to accumulate.

“Hmm… that’s another amazing aspect. Well, there’s no such thing as a perfect superman in the world. Our grandson should have such a cute flaw.”

The only person to consult with about these concerns was the King, who could absolutely be said to be on her husband’s side.

But Louis XV did not consider this a major problem.

“Originally, a minor scandal is like an accessory to a member of the French royal family. It may be a little unpleasant for our child, who grew up in a thoroughly moral imperial family.”

“But he didn’t grow up in the French royal family.”

“Of course, that’s true. But since the Director of Publications is on good terms with that child, there will be no strange rumors spreading among the citizens.”

Of course, that’s true, but both her husband and Louis XV were overlooking one fact.

The source of rumors and gossip is none other than the mouths of nobles and ladies.

It’s hard for men to feel firsthand how the rumors created here create perceptions among the nobles unless they are women.

Because it is a society completely isolated from men, men only face the finished product.

As expected, when her husband received the position of the first nobleman of France, the Duke of Orléans, envy and jealousy were endless in the shadows.

It was only a slight noise that could only be said to be trivial to the rising Duke of Orléans, but Marie was not happy.

People who can’t say a word to his face are trying to find fault by grumbling behind his back.

I wouldn’t mind if it was a story close to the truth.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. The mistresses of the nobles close to His Majesty are refraining, but others are not. This tendency is especially strong in noble families with a long history.”

“They’re still talking like that even after seeing how the Duke of Orléans’ head was cut off… I don’t know what to say… Do they not have any thoughts?”

“In fact, they don’t even realize that they will be punished for gossiping in private. Rather, they can attack the other person for being petty.”

Marie-Anne, the wife of Lavoisier [A famous French chemist], who often goes back and forth to the ladies’ salons, already had anger in her eyes.

“Don’t the ladies look down on you?”

“You can’t even imagine. They just openly criticize me as the wife of a tax collector who got ahead by luck.”

“When did Lavoisier quit tax collecting, and they’re still saying that?”

“They don’t say anything openly because my husband is the Duke of Orléans’ confidant. It’s always like this. ‘Oh, I’m so jealous. My husband doesn’t have an eye for people, so he still can’t get ahead, but Marie-Anne has so much husband luck.’ They’re subtly implying that I got ahead by standing in the right line.”

I know that feeling well.

When I first came to France, there were quite a few people who subtly scratched my nerves next to me.

Most of them were childish jokes like, ‘You don’t have this in Habsburg [A powerful European royal house], do you?’ so I just listened to them with one ear and let them flow out.

“It seems like a drastic reorganization is needed. Please pick out a few of the most representative people who are spreading the most malicious rumors about the Duke of Orléans.”

“I’ve already gathered them all. First of all, there’s the Count of Damerbal. They’re the worst.”

“The Count of Damerbal is quite a powerful family… Are these guys doing such stupid things?”

“The Count of Damerbal doesn’t seem to know yet. The Count took a young noble lady as his bride at the age of 50, and this Countess is so arrogant that it’s sickening.”

Marie-Anne explained in detail how the Countess of Damerbal was creating rumors about her husband.

Surprisingly, the reason for doing this can be briefly summarized as ‘It was sickening to see a bastard of illegitimate birth succeed.’

A reason that is so inferior that it is doubtful of its intelligence level.

“Hoo… I’ve been watching and watching, but they keep crawling up endlessly.”

“What should we do? Should I tell my husband and let it reach the Duke of Orléans’ ears?”

“No. I don’t want to taint his ears with such trivial matters.”

Louis XV said that if you are a member of the French royal family, you should laugh off such scandals, but it seems that the blood of Habsburg still flows in me.

“If the Princess intervenes, things could get noisy…”

“If I can’t handle this quietly, would I be qualified to be the wife of the Duke of Orléans? Let’s take this opportunity to clean up Parisian society.”

My husband is a man who will achieve great things.

Wouldn’t it be the duty of a wife to clear away the small stones in front of such a person in advance?

I didn’t intend to tell my husband even after the work was done.

Because I wasn’t doing it hoping he would recognize it.