I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 33

The Time of Closing

The day after concluding the negotiations with Christian, Theresia called Marie into her room.

The daughter fidgeted with the coffee cup on the table, glancing at her mother, seemingly unsure why she had been summoned.

She didn’t seem to have any idea why she had been called.

“······.”

“······.”

The mother looked at her daughter.

The daughter also looked at her mother.

Marie had secretly steeled herself on the way here.

She had told Christian that her mother’s permission was necessary, but even if that wasn’t the case, she was prepared to persuade her mother.

It was the first time in her life that she hadn’t gone against her mother’s opinion on such an important matter.

Just as a nervous Marie was about to open her mouth, Theresia spoke first.

Unlike her usual strict demeanor towards her daughters, her voice was very gentle.

“…I think we should reconsider the marriage with the Crown Prince of France.”

“Mother, I’m really sorry, but I… the Crown Prince… What?”

“What about Prince Christian? He seems to get along quite well with you.”

“…The person I have in my heart is Chris… tian? What did you say?”

“I’m saying, how about marrying Prince Christian instead of the Crown Prince? Of course, if you don’t want to, I’ll have to consider other options.”

Theresia wore a gentle smile.

It felt somewhat awkward for her, who had arranged countless political marriages for her daughters, to be asking for the person’s opinion.

On the other hand, Marie looked around, as if wondering if it could really be this easy.

She had come with a firm resolve to persuade her mother, but what was going on?

She felt like a fool for saying it was impossible in front of Christian.

But at the same time, her affection and trust for Christian, who had lightly turned her seemingly absurd words into reality, deepened even further.

There was no more hesitation.

She resolved to spend her life with the man she had chosen.

“Yes. If I could, I would like to marry Prince Christian.”

Theresia shook her head, seemingly troubled by the unwavering answer.

“Aren’t you trusting someone you’ve only just met too much?”

“That’s precisely why. He understood me in that short amount of time. Isn’t that because he cares about me and has affection for me? And… I don’t think the amount of time you’ve known someone is that important when it comes to falling in love.”

“So, you’re saying you definitely have feelings for Prince Christian.”

“…Yes.”

Marie was shy but made her intentions clear.

Her face, already fair, was even more noticeable as it flushed pink.

She was the very picture of a girl in love.

“I’ve told Prince Christian that I will respect your decision. So, if you really want to, I will let you marry him instead of the Crown Prince. But think about it coldly. Marriage is reality, not imagination. At first, it may seem like you don’t need anything else as long as you have that man, but those feelings are fleeting.”

“…But weren’t you and Father always on bad terms?”

Theresia’s smile vanished for a moment at the mention of her deceased husband.

Maria Theresia was one of the rare cases in European royalty where a love marriage succeeded.

The couple had a good relationship and had as many as 16 children, 12 of whom survived to adulthood.

The fact that one woman had 16 children meant that she was pregnant for most of her married life.

That meant her husband spent a lot of time with her, and she accepted him as well.

A bitter smile appeared on Theresia’s face as she reminisced about her younger days.

“When I first saw him, I was the same. I prayed to God to let him appear in my dreams, I always talked about him to the people I met in the palace, and I made all sorts of excuses to be with him even for a little while. Your current state is definitely similar to how I used to be.”

“Then I can get along well with Christian like you and Father did.”

“Well… I hope Prince Christian isn’t like him.”

“Yes? Why? Father was always kind and respected you.”

Theresia’s husband, Franz Stephan, left all state affairs to his wife and lived a life of retreating like a scarecrow.

There was some pressure from the surroundings, but he did not actively resist it and chose such a life himself.

Theresia respected Franz and followed her husband’s wishes in most matters, unless they were political.

In private, the two were a typical lovey-dovey couple.

But even this harmonious couple did not have a complete absence of conflict.

Most of the reasons for their clashes stemmed from Franz’s uncontrollable womanizing.

“My dear, do you know why he always carried a telescope with him?”

“Wasn’t it because his eyesight wasn’t good?”

“No. It was to observe women from afar at any time and bring his favorites into his bedroom. In my life, I have never seen or heard of a man carrying a telescope to observe women except for him.”

“…Oh, um… that’s a bit…”

Marie was momentarily stunned by her father’s actions, which she had vaguely known about but was hearing about in detail for the first time.

“Even on the day he suddenly left… I remember it clearly because it was so absurd. I watched a ballet at the theater, but he didn’t watch the play and instead scanned the women sitting in the audience with his telescope. It’s just like him to be true to his instincts until the day he died. Men are such creatures. If you expect a perfect superhuman from a fairy tale, you’ll only get hurt.”

“Father… was like that.”

Marie was only 10 years old when her father, Franz I, died.

The father in her mind was the typical daughter-fool [a father who dotes excessively on his daughters] who doted on his daughters and listened to everything they said.

Perhaps that’s why the other aspects of her father that came out of Theresia’s mouth were a bit shocking.

“He raised you too tenderly, so I was relatively stricter. Of course, I have no excuse for favoring Christina…”

Theresia was aware that she was not a good mother.

It would have been nice if she could have given equal love to all 16 children, but that was not realistic.

She always kept her most beloved daughter, Maria Christina, close to her, and there was no excuse for sending her other daughters into political marriages for the sake of national interest, even if criticized.

She wanted to somehow compensate the daughters who went to other countries, but now that was difficult.

There was also an aspect that she accepted Christian’s proposal more easily because of such guilt.

If her youngest daughter got the marriage she wanted, she might be able to relieve some of her burden.

Marie seemed to sense Theresia’s feelings and smiled brightly as she took her hand.

“It’s okay, Mother. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Of course, happy days won’t continue every day. But that’s okay. Because this is the marriage I chose. So I won’t blame anyone.”

“I see.”

The daughter, who she thought would only be young, had already grown up.

Theresia’s eyes welled up as she felt the passage of time.

“Then let me tell you one last thing. This will be the last teaching I give you, so listen carefully.”

“Are you going to tell me to obey my husband and acknowledge his authority? You don’t have to keep emphasizing it, I’ll do it.”

This was what Theresia had repeatedly emphasized to her daughters since they were young, but the princesses did not take it seriously.

Daughters originally learn by watching and learning from their mother’s actions.

The princesses who went to Parma and Naples even pushed their husbands aside and wielded power themselves.

The only one who followed Theresia’s teachings well was Marie Antoinette.

“I think you’ll do well on your own, so I don’t want to nag you anymore. What I’m about to say is much more important than that, so don’t take it lightly.”

Marie, reading that the atmosphere was serious, erased the smile from her face and straightened her posture carefully.

“Yes. I will remember it.”

“Even after you go to France, write letters often and send them to me. And it would be great if you could write about what achievements your husband is making there.”

“Yes? Are you telling me to monitor Christian…?”

“Not like that, just tell me information that anyone in France would know. If you feel guilty, you can ask your husband and write it down. After this marriage is concluded, many forces in Europe will pay attention to him. England, Russia, and Prussia will be no exception. So, please watch him carefully from the side and let me know.”

Marie nodded, thinking that would be okay.

“And this is the most important thing… I hope you can help ensure that Christian continues to have a favorable attitude towards us.”

“Um… I don’t know how to do that…”

“The most primary way is to become the most beloved wife. If your love for your wife deepens, you will naturally be favorable to your wife’s family.”

“Leave that to me! We will definitely be as harmonious a couple as you and Father were.”

“I sincerely hope so too.”

Theresia recalled Christian’s cold face from yesterday.

At least the Christian she saw was completely different from Franz I.

Coupled with the story she heard from Kaunitz, she was even more doubtful.

Could such a person truly love and cherish someone?

So, even now, as she wished him blessings, she felt sorry for her daughter.

Only the target of the political marriage had changed, and it was uncertain whether her daughter would find true happiness.

Still, she couldn’t make a definite answer.

Human emotions, especially the love between men and women, were a mass of variables that no one in this world could master.

Even Maria Theresia herself was not rational when it came to her relationship with her husband, Franz I.

Objectively speaking, her daughter was full of charm.

She thought there was a high possibility that she would capture Christian’s heart if they spent time together.

Theresia could only hope that there were no lies in what Christian had said yesterday.

※※※

The agreement I made with Theresia has not yet been made public as I requested.

On the surface, the current flow was proceeding without much difference from the last regression.

“Your Highness. Should we proceed with the attendance at today’s banquet as planned?”

I was in the midst of reviewing the upcoming schedule. Charles Gravier, who was following behind, asked cautiously.

I signed the documents that needed to be processed and handed them back to him.

“You must have heard that there will be an important announcement tomorrow after today’s banquet, right?”

“Yes. I heard that there will be changes regarding the alliance agreement. I heard that Prince and Theresia had a conversation…”

No matter how much the working-level staff discussed, the decision-making power belonged to me and Theresia.

If we added something, they had no choice but to follow quietly.

“Rest assured. I have no intention of touching any of the details you have worked so hard on. There was just a little something to add.”

Charles breathed a sigh of relief.

He must have been worried that all the work he had done so far would be for nothing.

I understand.

If you worked hard on a thesis and then heard, ‘Ah, the topic has changed, so let’s rewrite it from the beginning,’ the anger would boil over to the point of murderous intent.

I’m sure because this is a personal experience.

Honestly, they should give you a suspended sentence even if you kill them.

I took my eyes off Charles, whose complexion had noticeably improved, and turned my gaze to Bishop Vermond.

“Bishop Vermond. How is the princess’s education going?”

“Of course. The princess’s enthusiasm to learn French is very great. At first, she seemed a little unable to concentrate, but these days it’s rewarding to teach her. By the time she goes to France, I think not only French but also cultural and historical education will be successfully completed.”

“That’s good news. Please continue to work hard.”

In order to gain the favor of the French citizens, it is necessary to show a love for French culture above all else.

There is no element that can properly fill the national pride as much as the proud Habsburg princess comes and says, ‘French culture is the best! Viva la France!’

In fact, in history, Marie had quite a few times when she unintentionally touched the pride of French citizens.

We must not repeat such mistakes this time.

We must not do sloppy lip service like ‘I love you Entertainment Relay’ or ‘Kimchi is delicious,’ but really sharpen our knives and prepare properly.

I finally called Esterhazy, who was in charge of security.

“Colonel, thank you for your impeccable vigilance and escort so far. Please do your best a little more in the future.”

“Yes. Please continue to rest assured and trust us.”

“Today will be a pleasant day, so please let your subordinates relax a little if possible.”

“I thank you on behalf of my subordinates for Your Highness’s generosity.”

In fact, unless they were fools, they couldn’t help but know that the holding of such a grand banquet meant that there had been great progress in the negotiations.

Vermond and Esterhazy now had a clear sense that they could take a breather.

“As Your Highness said, today will be a really enjoyable day. Haha.”

“That’s right. I have to let my subordinates relax, but I have to warn them not to get too excited.”

“Yes. How many opportunities will there be to enjoy a banquet at Schönbrunn Palace?”

I nodded at the two people who were laughing heartily and left the place.

As they said, today and tomorrow will surely be very interesting and enjoyable days.

The criminal who is laughing, thinking that things are going according to plan.

It was subtly fun to watch the clown who was unaware that the trick had been exposed and was still performing.

Now, when the heat of the stage reaches its peak, I just need to bring down the curtain myself.

I hope you laugh as much as you can while you can laugh.

Because once the banquet is over, the moment to smile in life will never come again.