I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 48

All Roads Lead to Rome (3)

In 18th-century Europe, there was no single dominant power, but there were clearly rising and setting tides.

In terms of GDP, France still held the top spot, but post-Industrial Revolution England was catching up at an alarming rate.

Prussia was on the rise, while Austria was declining.

Meanwhile, the Russian Empire was quietly ascending, making it clear that the world order was shifting.

Even though China and India still had overwhelming economic power, their military strength had already been surpassed.

It was obvious that the world would revolve around Europe in the future.

Among them, England made no secret of its confidence that it would be the protagonist.

“Your Excellency, I hope you have a safe voyage to the Papal States!”

The soldiers guarding the port saluted Augustine Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton, the former Prime Minister, in unison.

He returned the soldiers’ greetings with a smile.

“Thank you. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir!”

The journey from England to the Papal States took quite some time.

The Duke of Grafton stared intently at the waves crashing below the ship.

“To think that I, a former Prime Minister, has to go to the Papal States to manipulate public opinion… Those Tory [Conservative Party] bastards.”

The British Parliament was currently divided between the Tory Party, the predecessor of the Conservative Party, and the Whig Party, the predecessor of the Liberal Party.

The Duke of Grafton was an exceptional figure who rose to the position of Prime Minister as the leader of the Whig Party at the young age of 33.

However, he relinquished power to the Tory Party and stepped down, failing to maintain his position for even two years.

This was due to the public opinion plummeting because of the smallpox vaccine incident in France and the annexation of Corsica.

“I can understand the Corsica annexation, but what was I supposed to do about the vaccine? I’ve never even heard of that Jenner fellow.”

When he first heard the story, he was simply dumbfounded.

A vaccine to eradicate smallpox had been developed in France, and a Briton had played a key role in it.

He also heard that the Prince of France said that England could have enjoyed this glory first, but thanks to God’s help, he had achieved the results first.

He thought it was insane.

It was obvious that this was just using England as a scapegoat to boost his own position.

However, the ignorant masses did not consider such deep intentions.

They simply rose up and complained, saying, “What were our politicians doing?”

“Prince Christian is said to be coming to the Papal States this time.”

The aide carefully watched the Duke of Grafton’s expression and subtly hinted.

“I know. The Crown Prince is coming too, right? I heard that the Crown Prince of France is timid, but he’s more surprising than I thought. Anyway, Christian… I wanted to see what kind of shameless face he has, and this is a good opportunity.”

“So you still harbor ill feelings about it?”

“Well… I did at first, but frankly, even if that hadn’t happened, I would have had to hand over the position to those Tory bastards.”

Even if the vaccine issue hadn’t exploded, the Duke of Grafton, with his weak foundation, would have had no way to withstand the situation once he failed to prevent the annexation of Corsica.

Frankly speaking, the Duke of Grafton had essentially suffered a kind of honorable defeat.

Perhaps that’s why he was more curious than hateful about Christian.

“It’s not just Prince Christian. It has been confirmed that envoys will be sent from Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Russia, Prussia, and even the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, their ranks are no joke.”

“Confirmed in addition to France? Who are they?”

“First, Prussia’s envoy is Friedrich Heinrich himself.”

“What? Friedrich II’s brother is coming in person?”

The Duke of Grafton’s mouth dropped open.

He had been focused on Christian of France, but an even bigger figure had suddenly emerged.

The most trusted brother of Prussia’s great King Friedrich II, and a renowned general who had achieved great feats in the Seven Years’ War.

The fact that such a person was coming in person was a matter that the Duke of Grafton could not easily dismiss.

“This is… to have such a name pop up from the beginning, I’m afraid to hear the names that follow.”

“The others are also figures to be reckoned with. The Holy Roman Empire will be represented by Kaunitz, the chief of foreign affairs, Spain by José Monino, who is considered to be a rising star of the next generation, and Russia will also be attended by Ivan Osterman, who is said to be responsible for the future Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And the Ottoman Empire will be sending Crown Prince Selim Mustafa himself. He’s only about ten years old, so the Janissaries [elite Ottoman infantry] under his command will be taking the lead.”

“…This seems to be getting more serious than I expected.”

At first, he simply intended to show off England’s recent power to gain popularity among his own citizens.

It was fine that Louis Christian and the Crown Prince of France were attending, but it was a different story when such prominent figures from major powers were attending.

No matter how much England was the rising sun, it was difficult to cause a ruckus in a place where all the major European powers were gathered.

It wasn’t impossible if he wanted to, but the risk was high.

He could picture what this meeting would be like, even without seeing it, unless it was a place where a friendly atmosphere would be created.

England and France, for example, were like oil and water and could not mix, and they had recently fought a major war.

Spain had once yielded to England when annexing the Falkland Islands, so they must still harbor resentment.

In addition, Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire were clearly bound to wage another major war in the future.

Moreover, Prussia was not on good terms with England because England had subtly withdrawn at the end of the Seven Years’ War.

Russia and the Ottoman Empire were at war whenever they had the chance, so it would be strange if the atmosphere was good.

If anything went wrong, it could become the fuse that would reignite a war on the scale of the Seven Years’ War.

“I accepted this position with a light heart… I need to approach it a little more seriously.”

The side that was most anxious now was probably the Papal States, which had suddenly become a playground for major powers, but the Duke of Grafton didn’t care about their position.

The important thing was to adjust this unexpected variable to benefit England.

How the Crown Prince of France and the renowned general of Prussia would react was likely to be a watershed moment for the choices he would make.

“Is there any more intelligence coming in through other channels?”

“Nothing special yet. Except for France, everyone else is quite far away physically…”

“I see. Then, as soon as we arrive in the Papal States, we’ll gather information first. We’ll set the policy after that.”

The aide’s eyes widened.

He dipped his quill in ink and asked.

“Does that mean the original plan is scrapped?”

“No. We have to stick to that. However, it seems necessary to lower the intensity a bit. I think we can just drop hints to gauge their reaction.”

“That’s a wise decision. We’re not really in that much of a hurry anyway.”

In the past, the Papal States were the center of Europe and a spiritual home.

It may be a historical inevitability that the countries that will lead the new world order will clash in such a sacred place.

The Duke of Grafton slowly reflected on his future schedule, taking in the increasingly distant land of England.

There was no need to panic, even if unexpected variables arose.

No matter how much the world was undergoing a time of upheaval, it could not stop the flow of the times.

If there was a protagonist who would seize world hegemony in the future, there would only be one.

None other than his own country, England.

That was the destiny that the Duke of Grafton was most certain of.

※※※

Auguste and I were preparing to leave France with grand farewells.

“First, second, and third, you must take care of yourself. I honestly don’t care about any achievements as long as you come back safe.”

Marie, who had followed us to Versailles, did not forget to give me worried reminders right before I got into the carriage.

“I know. There will be absolutely no dangerous things, so don’t worry and rest.”

“…Yes.”

There’s no need to worry this much, but everyone is being too concerned.

Louis XV was the same as Marie, except he wasn’t expressing it, but he was making a fuss behind the scenes.

No other nobles knew who would be in charge of security until the day of departure.

The route to the Papal States was also entirely decided under the leadership of Louis XV.

I got on the carriage and waved to Marie, who was almost crying.

Auguste chuckled as he saw me reflexively rubbing my waist.

“You look like you’re feeling bittersweet?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not that old yet.”

“Well, looking at grandfather, our family isn’t one to get tired easily. But I don’t know why I’m like this…”

“Even if it’s 형님 [older brother], your hidden instincts may awaken once the 판 [stage/scene] is set. Don’t worry too much from now on. You can do anything if you try.”

Auguste’s body naturally leaned towards me.

As expected, men are men, so they can’t help but be interested in this topic.

Auguste continued to subtly ask questions about my married life.

I exaggerated to satisfy Auguste’s curiosity, relieving the boredom during the trip to the Papal States.

This journey is scheduled to take us by carriage from Versailles to the port of Marseille, and then by ship from there to the Papal States.

Auguste showed fatigue from the long journey, so we had a meal in Marseille and took a break.

As time passed and we arrived on the Italian peninsula by ship, the color returned to Auguste’s face, who had been dying.

“Oh! Finally! Finally, we’re landing on land!”

You’d think we crossed the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Mediterranean Sea.

As soon as the ship docked and came to a complete stop, Auguste rushed to the deck before the aide could even arrive.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, and Your Highness the Prince. We have arrived.”

I listened to the aide’s call until the end and leisurely got up.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

As I led the guards off the ship, the welcoming party from the Papal States greeted us.

“Welcome. Thank you for your hard work on the long journey.”

As soon as I saw the faces of strangers, Auguste’s expression stiffened exactly as I had coded it.

As expected, rote learning is the truth. The performance is certain.

I sent a signal to Auguste not to show any reaction and opened my mouth instead.

“Thank you for the grand welcome. I am Louis Christian de France. This is the Crown Prince of France, Louis Auguste de France. Please understand that I am speaking on his behalf as he has not fully recovered from his journey.”

“It’s alright. Rather, we apologize for not being considerate first. Ah, for your information, I am Lazaro Opizio Pallavicini, who has recently been appointed as the Secretary of State.”

The Secretary of State of the Vatican is the head of the Secretariat of State, which serves as the cabinet of the Papal States.

In fact, he is as good as the Prime Minister and it is no exaggeration to say that he has the strongest influence among the cardinals.

The fact that such a person came out in person was evidence of how seriously the Papal States regarded the visit of the French Crown Prince.

“We have prepared accommodations closest to St. Peter’s Basilica. First, relieve your fatigue there, and then slowly go to see His Holiness the Pope.”

“Yes. But I heard that diplomatic missions from other places are also coming, have they all arrived?”

“Yes. Austria arrived first, followed by Russia and the Ottoman Empire. And I remember Prussia and England were next.”

I guess we spent too much time slacking off in Marseille.

Auguste’s condition was at its worst, so it couldn’t be helped, but thinking about it, this wasn’t so bad.

Anyway, the other countries that arrived first must be wondering what France is doing and why they are late.

Since the people gathering this time are so colorful, we also needed time to prepare before meeting them.

Just looking at the face of Secretary of State Lazaro, I could easily guess how much mental burden he was under.

He awkwardly smiled as he guided Auguste and me to the carriage he had prepared in advance.

“If you have any inconveniences, please feel free to tell me at any time.”

“Thank you once again for your repeated consideration.”

Looking at Cardinal Lazaro’s haggard complexion, I honestly felt a little sorry for him.

He must have become Secretary of State just a few days ago, and the first official event he is in charge of is this.

Even if he offers a prayer mixed with complaints to God, he should honestly be given a break for this much.

Perhaps he is only thinking of getting through this without any major accidents.

But coincidentally, problems always arise when you have such thoughts.

The incident started with Auguste.

He brought up that since we were going near St. Peter’s Basilica, he wanted to see the famous St. Peter’s Square.

I also readily agreed because I had never seen St. Peter’s Square, which can hold as many as 300,000 people.

At this time, St. Peter’s Square was a brand new product that had only been completed about 100 years ago.

Just as we were looking around the square with eyes full of admiration and respect, we ran into two groups approaching with different flags from the right and left, as if by a lie.

Auguste’s eyes were filled with surprise, and Cardinal Lazaro’s eyes were filled with despair.

Their reaction, as if shouting with their whole bodies, ‘Why are you here?’, made me smile bitterly.

The flag that those approaching from the right were carrying had a clear image of a black eagle wearing a crown.

“Prussia…”

The one walking at the very front of the line was Friedrich Heinrich, the famous brother of Friedrich II.

The pressure emanating from him, befitting his reputation for playing a major role in the Seven Years’ War, was no joke.

I wanted to slip aside and pretend not to know, but I couldn’t because there was another group of people coming from that side.

Even if we put Prussia aside, the reaction of the French people who saw the flag they were carrying was also dramatic.

Even the gentle Auguste had open hostility in his eyes.

A form that only removed the red X mark from the appearance of the Union Jack commonly known in modern times.

The Kingdom of Great Britain.

In other words, a diplomatic mission from England.

The Duke of Grafton, the representative of the British side who discovered us, turned the direction he was heading with a strange smile.

Now that it has come to this, we couldn’t avoid it either.

In the end, an unprecedented situation occurred in the center of St. Peter’s Square, where the diplomatic missions of England, France, and Prussia met all at once.

“This, this is a tremendous coincidence. Hello, I didn’t expect to see the General here.”

The Duke of Grafton greeted Heinrich with a good-natured attitude.

Heinrich received the Duke of Grafton’s words with a curt attitude, showing only the minimum courtesy.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here, but it’s a coincidence. Nice to meet you. Duke of Grafton.”

England and Prussia had fought as allies in the Seven Years’ War, but the ending could not be said to be good even as a formality.

This was because England, facing financial difficulties at the end of the war, cut subsidies and withdrew its troops stationed in Germany.

Prussia, which was suddenly isolated when the trusted England pulled out on its own, was almost in serious trouble.

Friedrich II, who was almost on the verge of suicide, harbored considerable animosity towards England at this time.

Naturally, Heinrich, the king’s brother and the commander of the war, did not look favorably on England.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect Prussia to suddenly send someone to the Papal States. Honestly, I would say it was a bit out of the blue? Is there any serious matter that warrants it?”

“Isn’t it your country’s specialty to do unexpected things? Ah, excuse me. It wasn’t unexpected, it was good at pulling out.”

“Hahaha, don’t mention it.”

As I observed the representatives of the two countries engaged in a subtle war of nerves, I felt suffocated.

After exchanging a few more words with each other, the two naturally turned their eyes towards us.

Their eyes first scanned me, then the Crown Prince next to me in turn.

“I didn’t expect to be able to see the Crown Prince and Prince of France, who I had only heard rumors about, all at once. Today is a lucky day. I am Augustine Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton. I look forward to working with you for a short time.”

The Duke of Grafton greeted us politely, but did not take his eyes off us.

Auguste was staring at the other person’s chest with his eyes tightly focused, as I had told him to do.

Seeing that there was no reaction even after he greeted him, the Duke of Grafton moved his head with a strange expression.

It is no longer acceptable to ignore him any longer.

The other person’s name value is too great, but since we decided to go out with a rude and aloof attitude anyway, it’s a win-win situation here.

I secretly showed Auguste one finger, waiting for instructions.

And Auguste showed the exact reaction that I had programmed him to do very faithfully.

The three words, endlessly bland, stiff, and in a low voice, echoed in the center of St. Peter’s Square.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

“……”

“……?”