I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 78

The Frog in the Well (2)

Louis René Édouard de Rohan was the scion of a prestigious family that had traditionally inherited the bishopric [a high-ranking position in the Catholic Church].

He was elected to the Académie Française [French Academy, a learned society] at a young age and steadily climbed the ladder of success by joining the Duke of Aiguillon’s faction.

The Duke of Aiguillon was at the forefront of the anti-Austrian faction, so Cardinal Rohan naturally followed the same line.

“Maria Theresa is less capable than Frederick of Prussia.”

“She is not a reliable monarch and therefore not suitable as an ally.”

“The Holy Roman Empire? When was the Holy Roman Empire ever relevant? Why should Great France continue to maintain a blood alliance with such a toothless, senile lion?”

These were all statements actually made by the Duke of Aiguillon’s faction.

Before the marriage alliance was formed, public opinion in France was actually divided in half.

Figures like the Duke of Choiseul argued that an alliance was necessary, but the opposition’s voice could not be ignored.

They set aside over 200 years of animosity to form an alliance, but the result was defeat in the Seven Years’ War.

It was inevitable that skepticism would arise.

Cardinal Rohan naturally felt the same way.

Even if the marriage alliance were forced through, the citizens of France would not take kindly to an Austrian princess.

In the end, he had no doubt that public opinion would be on their side.

However, Prince Christian’s appearance changed everything.

“Damn it… If I had known, I would have sided with the Duke of Choiseul instead of the Duke of Aiguillon.”

Cardinal Rohan didn’t advocate for the anti-Austrian faction because he had any great political convictions.

In fact, most people involved in politics were like that.

A political stance was just a tool for advancement; they could change their beliefs at any time if the situation changed.

However, Cardinal Rohan had gone too far.

Theresa is an incompetent monarch who enjoys undue authority and leads the Holy Roman Empire down the path of ruin!

Austria just wants to freeload off France!

These were all things he had actually said.

And, of course, Theresa, as well as the Prince and Princess, were well aware of this fact.

Even the Princess, known for her gentle nature, openly showed her displeasure on this matter.

As a result, the Duke of Aiguillon had already been pushed out of the core of power, and Cardinal Rohan had not been able to secure any key positions.

The problem was that this was likely to continue in the future.

People around him criticized him for being so outspoken against Austria.

He was dumbfounded every time he heard such criticism.

“Because I didn’t know!”

If he had known that the Austrian princess would become so popular in France, would he have done it?

Still, there’s no accounting for luck. Although the situation seemed hopeless, a ray of light fortunately found him.

The Tuileries Palace, shrouded in deep darkness.

Cardinal Rohan came to this place to seize an opportunity that would dramatically change his situation.

The jeweler, Böhmer, who was closely following him, muttered with an anxious face.

“…I don’t know if this will work out well…”

“Haven’t I already confirmed everything several times? Don’t doubt, just believe. Don’t you know the Bible verse that says there is blessing for those who believe and follow?”

“That’s true, but if something goes wrong, the aftermath will be…”

“That’s why I’m telling you nothing will go wrong. You brought the item, right?”

Instead of answering, Böhmer pointed to the bundle he was carrying on his back.

Rohan nodded and hurried to the agreed-upon location.

Upon arriving at the forest on the outskirts of the palace, Countess de la Motte was there with a girl, as promised.

“You’ve arrived, Cardinal.”

“Of course, I had to come. So… is the person next to you the one?”

“Yes. As you know, she is not officially here, so please maintain security.”

“Of course. Your Royal Highness, I, Louis René Édouard de Rohan, have brought a gift to apologize for my past rudeness. Please accept it.”

At Rohan’s signal, Böhmer quickly took out the necklace and handed it to the Princess.

The Princess nodded silently and pushed the necklace to Countess de la Motte, who was standing next to her, as if telling her to hold it.

“Her Royal Highness is pleased with the Cardinal’s loyalty. She hopes that you will not make misguided choices in the future and will be loyal to the royal family.”

“Of course. I, Rohan, am filled with loyalty to France in my heart. I will show it through my actions in the future.”

Although he couldn’t see the Princess’s expression because it was hidden in the darkness, she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

“Then we should leave now before anyone sees us. Your Royal Highness, please remember my name, Rohan, in the future.”

“Don’t worry, Her Royal Highness is very satisfied.”

Countess de la Motte smiled and waved her hand.

Cardinal Rohan and Böhmer left the Tuileries Palace with light steps, thinking that everything had gone well.

As soon as the two men disappeared from sight, Countess de la Motte stroked her chest and let out a sigh of relief.

She wondered what would happen if she were recognized, but it was just a needless worry.

“Men are so simple.”

They didn’t doubt the other person just by looking at the platinum blonde hair and the large breasts that seemed to burst out of the dress.

Of course, the fact that she was a descendant of the Valois family also played a part.

“Well… should I go now, Countess?”

“Yes. I’ll give you the reward as promised. But keep in mind that you will be watched, and if you reveal today’s events, your life will not be spared.”

“Yes, yes.”

The girl who played the Princess’s double quickly changed her clothes and disappeared to the other side of the forest.

Countess de la Motte, left alone, put the diamond necklace in her bag and got into the carriage that was waiting.

“Good, good. Goodbye forever to this miserable life.”

She had already booked a ship to England, so she would be out of France in a few days.

“Serves you right, Marie Antoinette. Suffer as much as you can from the rumors.”

She was sorry that she couldn’t see that kind face looking distressed in person, but just imagining it made her happy.

More than anything, she was unbearably happy that this impoverished life of barely living on a pension was completely over.

If she disassembled and sold this necklace, she would have about 2 million livres [French currency] in her possession.

Considering that the annual income of a fairly successful high-ranking aristocrat in France was just over 100,000 livres, this was an enormous sum.

It was truly enough to live a life of leisure.

“I am a person who inherited the blood of the royal family. What could I possibly lack compared to Marie Antoinette?”

This is by no means a scam.

It was a legitimate action taken to live the life she deserved.

“The Duke of Orléans will take care of the rest.”

Even the rattling of the carriage was pleasant.

Countess de la Motte leaned comfortably against the backrest and closed her eyes.

※※※

The Palace of Versailles was bustling with numerous nobles as usual the next day.

However, the atmosphere was slightly different from usual.

It was because of the presence of the Duke of Orléans, of all people.

“Duke, you’ve been visiting the palace quite often lately.”

“As a French nobleman, I also share the desire to be close to His Majesty.”

“Hahaha, that’s true. Still, there’s some distance between Paris and Versailles, but you’re very diligent.”

Most of the nobles accepted the Duke of Orléans’ words without much suspicion.

Since the King’s momentum had been unusual recently, it was natural for the House of Orléans to want to be close to the royal family.

The Duke had been steadily attending this event to instill this perception.

Even if he raised an issue now, there would be no reason to be suspected.

Since dragging things out would only give the other party room to respond, he shouldn’t hesitate.

At his signal, Thérèse nodded and walked towards the King.

“Your Majesty, I heard a very scandalous rumor today.”

“A scandalous rumor?”

“Yes. Didn’t Your Majesty recently cancel the purchase of the diamond that you were going to gift to Madame du Barry to ensure the royal family’s healthy finances?”

“I did. But what’s the problem with that?”

The eyes of the nobles in the Hall of Mirrors naturally focused on them.

Thérèse raised her voice as if to let them hear.

“However… there are widespread rumors in the city that Her Royal Highness secretly purchased that diamond. If true, it could be a considerable scandal, so I think we should investigate it.”

“Surely that child wouldn’t have done such a thing.”

If the Princess had ignored the King’s proclamation to reduce extravagance and secretly bought jewelry, it would inevitably cause controversy.

Especially if that person was Marie Antoinette, who boasted an unusually simple charm for a royal.

“I also believe that Her Royal Highness would not commit such a foolish act. However, since such rumors are already spreading, I think we should investigate the truth for the sake of Her Royal Highness.”

“What kind of wicked people are spreading such nonsense… Fine. Send someone to the Tuileries Palace immediately and order Christian and Marie to enter the palace. I will personally clear those children’s names.”

“Understood.”

Thérèse smiled faintly and turned to look at the Duke of Orléans.

He nodded in satisfaction.

Originally, it is easy to spread malicious rumors, but difficult to refute them.

They deliberately chose a day when the Princess had no official schedule, and the handwriting in the letter was so perfectly forged that it would be difficult for most people to distinguish.

It would probably take quite a while to come up with a proper explanation.

In the meantime, they could use the newspapers to gleefully inflate malicious rumors about the Princess.

No matter how popular she is now, she is still an Austrian woman.

If they portray her as having pretended to be kind but unable to hide her true nature, it would be effective enough.

‘Now I can finally see that proud face contorted with embarrassment.’

The Duke of Orléans laughed silently, taking care not to let his emotions show.

※※※

As soon as Christian received the report from Versailles, he prepared to enter the palace.

Marie silently put on her dress and followed him.

“…Seriously… I secretly bought a 2 million livre diamond. Surely no one believes that, right?”

Marie seemed more upset that people believed the rumors about her than the fact that the rumors were spreading.

“Anyone with a sound mind wouldn’t believe it yet.”

“Then there’s no problem. I didn’t do it, so I can just go and prove it.”

“The people who orchestrated this have prepared quite a bit, so it will be difficult to prove it with conventional methods.”

I helped Marie onto the carriage and turned to Lavoisier, who followed.

“Have you checked the newspapers that wrote the articles slandering Marie?”

“Yes. There are five in total. Should I tell my father to put pressure on those newspapers right now?”

Using the authority of the Director-General of Publications would certainly prevent those newspapers from writing any more articles.

However, taking such measures could give the impression that they have something to hide.

“No. Just leave them alone.”

“Yes? But then they’ll get excited and spread even more ridiculous nonsense.”

“Yes. Let them do as they please.”

The media outlets that are connected to the people who orchestrated this are voluntarily coming out, so why would I suppress them?

“We need to gather all the trash in one place and burn it all. The more they crawl out, the better.”

I gave Lavoisier further instructions and followed Marie onto the carriage.

Well, then, shall we go do some garbage sorting?