I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 55

The Power of a Silver Tongue (3)

Throughout the conversation, Grafton maintained a cautious demeanor.

He possessed the confidence that came from growing up among various politicians in England, despite his young age.

British politicians, with their advanced parliamentary culture, were on a different level from those in France.

Most British aristocrats held this belief, and Grafton was no exception.

The longer the conversation went on, the more certain he became that he had the upper hand, a conviction that was evident in his tone.

“Shouldn’t France be aiming for three things, not two? I understand that the alliance between the Ottoman Empire and France has quite a long history. Surely, you must be interested in the war between Russia and the Ottomans.”

“Of course, we are concerned. However, France has no intention of supporting the Ottomans. Rather, we are concerned about whether Britain will intervene on either side.”

Grafton’s expression shifted as he received an unexpectedly candid answer.

“But isn’t it an undeniable fact that France and the Ottoman Empire are allies? It seems unlikely that you could refuse a request for support from an allied nation.”

“What eternal alliance exists in this world? In fact, one of the biggest reasons France allied with the Ottomans was to keep the Habsburgs [Austrian Dynasty] in check. But now, they are our allies. The great power they possessed when we first formed the alliance has also greatly diminished.”

“That’s certainly true. The Ottoman Empire’s golden age is over.”

“And if we take the side of the Ottomans and intervene in the war, wouldn’t Britain be likely to intervene on the side of Russia? This is the most critical issue for us.”

He nodded involuntarily.

The issue that Britain was concerned about was the same as France’s.

What should Britain do if France, its ally, helped the Ottomans and intervened in the war?

This issue had been discussed in Parliament before he left his home country.

In all honesty, they just wanted to let them fight it out among themselves.

Even though Britain was the victor of the Seven Years’ War, the consumption was too great compared to the gains.

How many ridiculous taxes did they levy on the colonies to make up for this?

Parliament was well aware that discontent was rising in the colonies.

Starting another war here would be too much of a burden.

Christian had keenly pointed that out.

“After all, neither we nor your country have much spare capacity right now. But if Britain takes Russia’s side, we will have no choice but to take the side of the Ottomans. Then Prussia and Austria will automatically join the war as well. Another great war like the Seven Years’ War could break out. Fortunately, it seems that Britain has not yet contacted Russia or the Ottomans.”

“So, you mean we should just let things pass amicably this time.”

Grafton rejoiced inwardly.

He now knew the answer to the question he had been harboring.

Why hadn’t France contacted Russia or the Ottomans?

So, they were also anxious inside.

They didn’t have the capacity to wage war, but if Britain intervened, they would have no choice but to join in out of pride.

So, they were watching closely, scrutinizing Britain’s movements.

Britain was observing France with the same intention, so he could empathize.

As expected, Christian lowered his voice and revealed the true purpose of his secret visit.

“After all, your country and our country are like oil and water, unable to mix. We can’t suddenly promote friendship, or it will only backfire. But we can’t just keep fighting until one of us disappears, can we?”

“That’s right. Britain and France are undoubtedly the two strongest nations in Europe right now. If we fight to the bitter end, both of us will suffer tremendous damage.”

“If we keep clashing, the ones who will benefit are the newly emerging Russia and Prussia. His Majesty and I don’t think there’s any reason to weaken our national power and do them a favor.”

“Yes. I understand what you’re trying to say.”

Christian wasn’t discussing reconciliation.

It was a much more sinister and dark proposal.

“There are still many areas in this world that we can share. It’s impossible to accurately estimate how many more resources the New World is hiding, and there are still many places in the East that we haven’t touched.”

“But the East is under the influence of the powerful Qing Dynasty [The last imperial dynasty of China].”

“Didn’t Your Excellency say that it is the noble mission of white people to enlighten the inferior yellow race? If so, we will inevitably clash with the Qing Dynasty in the end. Of course, if we fight among ourselves, the day that happens will only be further away.”

Christian’s words were all reasonable.

Britain had also considered trying to take on the Qing Dynasty.

They were currently seizing India, so there was no reason why they couldn’t do the same to the Qing Dynasty.

However, attacking the Qing Dynasty while maintaining a confrontational stance with France would be suicidal.

And that’s why Christian’s words sounded so timely.

Moreover, it wasn’t just empty talk; all of France’s actions so far had been consistent.

When Britain and Spain nearly clashed over the Falkland Islands, France was the first to back down.

If France hadn’t yielded there, a war might have actually broken out.

The great event of the Seven Years’ War had changed the course of action for both countries.

British intelligence analyzed that France would not interfere with Britain’s colonial rule unless it caused significant damage to France’s national interests.

And this trend didn’t seem to have changed much even now.

“Am I to understand that France wants to maintain the current balance and expand without clashing with each other?”

“Yes. On the surface, we must continue to be in conflict as we are now. That’s how we can unite our allies and increase our respective positions. Small-scale clashes are inevitable, but let’s avoid situations that lead to catastrophe.”

“That’s a very clever approach. I don’t know how to express it, but it would be a strange symbiotic relationship.”

“You could call it hostile symbiosis.”

The Duke of Grafton clapped his knees and exclaimed.

“That’s a very appropriate name. I also think it’s a good suggestion.”

“Then can I interpret that as you understanding our intentions?”

“Since there’s no harm to each other, it’s right to go in that direction.”

After careful consideration, there were no contradictions in the words and actions of the French side.

Grafton didn’t trust Christian; he trusted the circumstances and his own analysis.

He slowly extended his hand forward.

Christian smiled amiably and shook his hand.

No official documents were exchanged, but knowing the other’s intentions was enough.

In addition, Christian gave him some information about the corruption of famous Tory [A member of the conservative party in Britain] figures as a gift.

From the Duke of Grafton’s perspective, he had certainly received a reward for his trouble in traveling a long way to the Vatican.

He couldn’t bring back any visible diplomatic achievements, but he could just blame the side that gave him completely false information.

He saw Christian off with a beaming smile, as if he had never been upset.

Without even suspecting that he was already deeply submerged in a swamp from which he could no longer escape.

※※※

Whether it was long or short, there was no more business to be done at the Vatican.

As he realized that he had successfully completed everything he had planned, the tension that had been tightly wound up was released all at once.

Now that the Duke of Grafton had completely fallen for his words, Britain would be firmly trapped in delusion for the time being.

The possibility that the American Revolutionary War would unfold differently from what he expected had now disappeared.

As long as Britain believed that France would not interfere in external colonial issues, they would approach the war in a way that was not much different from the original history.

He lay comfortably on the bed and read the letters sent from France.

The first thing that caught his eye was Lavoisier’s investment management report, sent by his son, of course.

[···Based on the information provided by His Highness the Prince, we invested in 13 companies and were able to recover enormous profits. The rate of return so far this year is around 174%, which is doing well. In addition, we have found some promising companies that seem good for making quick profits and getting out. And additionally······.]

It was a familiar pattern that was not much different from usual.

To express it in color, it was a miraculous sight where there was not a single blue chart and only red bars filled his vision.

The graph of money increasing never got old, no matter how many times he looked at it.

It would be perfect to describe it as a new feeling every time.

In his previous life, he was so bad at investing that he lost money, but now it was different.

It was thanks to having Lavoisier, an outstanding figure, by his side.

Somehow, this man was as talented at making money as he was in chemistry.

In the original history, he worked as a tax collector and earned as much as an aristocrat, so it was not strange.

Sometimes, humans are born who are specialized in making money like this.

He firmly believed that investing was a matter of talent, no matter what else.

For those who can’t do it, no matter what they do, they just can’t do it.

There were people who lost money every time they touched stocks, even while the KOSPI [Korea Composite Stock Price Index] was breaking through 3200 from 1500.

Of course, that’s not his story.

There were also people who strangely lost money even while the price of coins quadrupled.

Of course, that’s also not his story.

Anyway, it’s not.

In any case, due to the bitter experience of his previous life, he decided that he would never invest money alone here.

It is best to just ask for information and leave the direction of money management to someone with a sense for it.

And the result was returning as an enormous profit, as you can see.

The seed money earned from the vaccine patent was also increasing at an enormous rate, so he would be able to achieve his goal within a few years.

Anyway, as he was reading Lavoisier’s report with satisfaction and chuckling, Auguste, who was watching from afar, tilted his head.

“Looks like you have some good news. You seem so excited.”

“Of course. News more exciting than this is not so common.”

“Oh, did you perhaps have a child?”

“That’s not it. If that were the case, there would have been a different kind of reaction. Ah, now that I think about it, I asked you to send me some news about Marie······.”

Auguste’s words startled him, and he took out another letter that came with it.

The stationery was sandwiched between newspapers recently published in Paris, which he had specifically instructed them to do.

He was worried about leaving Marie alone in Paris at a time when he was just about to start playing the media.

He thought it would be quite effective, but things don’t always go as planned.

Unexpected side effects could occur, and people like the Duke of Orléans or the Duke of Chartres could interfere.

If something bad happened to her… As soon as he thought about that, an inexplicable annoyance washed over him.

That won’t do. He had roughly finished his business, so he had to set a return schedule as soon as possible.

While he was reading the letter, Auguste, who had read the newspaper, exclaimed in a strange voice.

“Oh, oh, this is quite amazing. I haven’t seen the citizens of Paris react like this very often.”

“Yes? Did something happen?”

“It’s an accident, but… how should I put it?”

With half anxiety and half expectation, he took the newspaper and scanned the article at lightning speed.