I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 81

“What a load of crap.”

The Duke of Orléans was momentarily stunned by Christian’s scathing reply.

“What did you say… just now?”

“Should I put it more bluntly? Stop talking nonsense.”

He had never seen Christian like this before.

At first, he thought it was an emotional reaction, but surprisingly, his voice was calm and subdued.

No, beyond calm, it was so cold that it was hard to read his emotions.

The reason for the other party’s reaction was obvious.

He must have already decided to completely eliminate the Orléans family.

“Your Highness. Of course, I fully understand that your anger towards me is immense. I will offer sufficient apologies and compensation for it. Although it may be difficult to forgive, shouldn’t you look at the situation from a broader perspective?”

“So, you’re saying that I’m so blinded by anger that I’ve lost my reason?”

“If I reveal the war plan with England, the plan you are devising will be immediately halted. It would be difficult for me to stay in France, but I can liquidate my assets and flee before a formal arrest warrant is issued.”

From England’s perspective, they would have no choice but to allow the Orléans family, who brought valuable information, to seek asylum.

Going to England would mean giving up most of what he had enjoyed so far, but he could save his life.

“If the war with England is successfully concluded, no one in France will be able to challenge Your Highness’s status. Wouldn’t looking to the future, rather than being held back by someone like me, be more in line with Your Highness’s disposition?”

“You’re judging my disposition as you please, and that’s why you’re in this state. Don’t you still understand that?”

“……”

The Duke of Orléans bit his lip tightly.

Seeing his distorted face, Christian continued coldly.

“I have two absolute principles that I uphold. I always kill those who try to kill me first. And I bury anyone who tries to harm my wife, using every means possible. Coincidentally, you have violated both taboos. There is no reason for me to spare you, who tried to kill me. If you were me, would you trust and release someone who tried to kill you?”

“Well, that’s something that can be done by putting in place several safety measures. I believe Your Highness is capable enough to do so.”

“There’s no reason for me to go that far. And where is the guarantee that what you’re saying is true? Isn’t there a high possibility that you’re just bluffing?”

“Do you think I’m simply bluffing when I have no way to retreat? The moment things go wrong here, a letter sent directly by me will be in the hands of the British ambassador.”

Of course, Prince Christian would have considered the possibility of this happening the moment Thérèse sided with him.

That’s why the Duke of Orléans had instructed Thérèse to hide in advance.

No matter how capable Christian is, he wouldn’t be able to find someone who is determined to hide right away.

“Your Highness. I will admit it frankly. You are wiser, faster, and even more politically astute than I am. Even if we negotiate here, I will lose all my foundations and be neutralized. It’s not that Your Highness is losing. I’m just asking you to allow me to step down in a way that preserves my position.”

“You still don’t understand. What I want to get rid of this time is precisely your position as the Duke of Orléans.”

“If you really do that, Your Highness will have to be prepared to shed a considerable amount of blood.”

This was not a simple bluff.

The Duke of Orléans was now prepared to do even things that a French nobleman should never do without hesitation.

But.

Christian, who could not have been unaware of the seriousness of the situation, did not even show a hint of concern.

Rather, he covered his mouth with his palm and laughed.

“Shed blood? Me?”

“What, what’s so funny……”

Christian ignored the bewildered Duke of Orléans and snickered.

It was an even more intense reaction than when he couldn’t hold back his laughter in the Hall of Mirrors [a grand hall in the Palace of Versailles, often used for important ceremonies].

The Duke of Orléans’s eyes trembled as he understood the meaning of the ridicule.

Could it be that Thérèse, who was hiding, had already been discovered?

No.

Even if she were caught, he had told her to tear up the letter the moment it happened, so no evidence would remain.

Or……

“So, is this it? The last lifeline you were clinging to so desperately.”

Christian took a piece of paper from his pocket.

“What……”

The Duke of Orléans gaped. He looked as if the world was collapsing.

The seal, stamped with a very familiar wax.

An object that should never have been in this place was fluttering in the hands of someone who should never have had it.

“The contents written inside state that even uttering them would be punishable as treason, according to His Majesty. But you’re trying to convey that to England, of all places? I wonder what kind of punishment even the Orléans family will receive.”

“How, how did you get that……”

The moment that reaches the king’s hands, the family’s future is doomed.

Not only will he lose the title of Duke of Orléans, but all of his vast territories will be confiscated.

Not only him, but the lives of his family members will not be spared.

“Thérèse was still hiding safely before I came here, so how……”

“I think it’s about time you realized it. There’s only one answer, isn’t there?”

“Are you saying Thérèse was a traitor? No, that’s impossible. If Thérèse was a traitor, there are too many things that don’t add up… That’s right. This is a trick. You anticipated that I would come out like this and prepared a plausible fake letter……”

“Fake?”

Christian smiled pleasantly, tore open the seal, and unfolded the letter in front of him.

Seeing his own seal stamped at the very end, the Duke of Orléans could no longer deny reality.

However, he couldn’t help but feel that it didn’t make sense.

No matter how he thought about it, there were one or two things that didn’t make sense if Thérèse was a traitor.

That’s why he was able to trust Thérèse and entrust her with the letter.

“If you’re wondering what I’m thinking, I’ll tell you. It wasn’t Thérèse who told me about the assassination and Madame de la Motte. He was by your side from the beginning, only for this moment.”

“No… that’s……”

“Don’t you understand? I’ll tell you so you don’t feel wronged if you don’t know until the end. The reason I bothered to catch Madame de la Motte in England was to buy time until I could bring her to France. You seem to think that I gave her a chance to confess, but that’s not the case.”

Finance Minister Thérèse did not reveal his true colors even at the crucial moment, and remained a faithful collaborator by the side of the Duke of Orléans until the very end.

Since when had he been plotting to ensnare him?

The Duke of Orléans felt his mind go blank.

“So… from the moment he approached me, Thérèse was already on your side……”

“Yes. From the beginning, he was acting according to my orders.”

“To ruin me?”

“Didn’t I just say? I vowed to kill anyone who tried to kill me first.”

Now the whole story began to come into view.

Christian, convinced that the Duke of Orléans had tried to assassinate him, devised a plan to completely destroy him.

He didn’t know how he had figured out that Madame de la Motte was a con artist, but Christian used the Duke of Orléans’s plan to use her in reverse.

But even if he did this, he might not be able to completely destroy the Orléans family itself.

In any case, the current Duke of Orléans is the first in the line of succession among the collateral royal family.

On top of that, he is one of the great nobles who owns 5% of the Kingdom of France as his territory.

So, he amplified the incident as much as possible to drive the Duke of Orléans into a corner and strangle him.

To the point where he had no choice but to use the war plan with England that he had heard from Thérèse.

And if he constantly instilled suspicion that there were traitors around him, he would eventually have no choice but to collaborate with Thérèse in some form.

It was like stepping into the entrance to hell himself.

“So, I was already doomed a long time ago……”

“That’s right.”

“But what if I hadn’t trusted Thérèse and proceeded with the work in a different way? Did you perhaps have more plans?”

“Of course, I had insurance in case that happened. Although it might have been difficult to obtain a letter containing your confession so perfectly.”

The Duke of Orléans didn’t say anything more.

He just shook his head and sighed, giving up on everything.

“By the way, why did Thérèse cooperate with you? He must have been dissatisfied since he was forced to step down from the position of Minister of Finance.”

“He couldn’t maintain his position for long anyway due to health problems. So, instead of stepping down this time, I promised to put his son in the position of State Secretary in the future. As expected, when I promised to guarantee his child’s future, he came over as is.”

“Child……”

“In the end, you would have done this for your child’s future, but it’s an ironic situation, isn’t it?”

Was even his motive being completely figured out?

The Duke of Orléans’s shoulders, which were already drooping, became even weaker.

“My son… that child knows nothing about this. Not the assassination, not the diamond affair, not even the fact that France is going to war with England. Please, please have mercy……”

“I know that too. I’ve already probed him in other ways several times, but he hasn’t shown any reaction, so it must be true. But can he really save his life just because I want to spare him?”

The Duke of Orléans looked up at Christian with lifeless eyes.

Again, he couldn’t refute anything.

The crimes committed by the Duke of Orléans were too serious to simply pass off as not knowing.

If he used all the power of his family, he might be able to save the life of his son, who knew nothing, but there was a high possibility that he would be in a worse situation than death.

It was a nightmarish situation where the retreat was completely blocked.

At that very moment when all hope was extinguished.

Christian whispered softly.

“If you want to save even your son’s life, I’ll tell you how.”

“Yes? Are you serious?”

“Of course. Go and have your son, the Duke of Chartres, tell me everything you’ve done. Then, at least, a way to save your son’s life will open up.”

“Does that mean… perhaps?”

Christian shrugged his shoulders with a chilling smile.

“You’re quick to understand. Yes. The son who realized the heinous crimes committed by his father reported that fact to me. If it goes that way, at least the Duke of Chartres will be able to maintain his position. Although he will not be able to inherit the position of Duke of Orléans.”

He chuckled and added a word.

“I’m not such a cold-blooded person as to wipe out a family’s lineage.”

※※※

The Duke of Orléans, who had not lost his dignified aristocratic demeanor when he came, left the Tuileries Palace [the royal palace in Paris] with a soulless gait.

His back no longer felt a shred of spirit or hope.

Deon, who took his eyes off his back, which had already become an empty shell, asked with a puzzled face.

“Are you sure about this? Even if you spare the Duke of Chartres.”

“Yes.”

“Of course, completely uprooting a family’s roots is a cruel thing. But for the sake of future safety, shouldn’t you be determined this time? The Duke of Chartres is a capable man. Even if all political foundations disappear, he may become a minor threat in the future.”

“Deon, did you believe the excuse I made at the end?”

Deon’s eyes, as pretty as a woman’s, were filled with doubt.

“Was it a lie?”

“If you’ve watched the whole process and still see me as such a benevolent person, that’s surprising.”

There is a definite reason why he is sparing the Duke of Chartres.

It was much easier to realize my plan by keeping him alive and exploiting him than by killing him here.

In that respect, it was really fortunate that the Duke of Orléans distanced himself from the Duke of Chartres and did not reveal the plan.

Otherwise, I would have had to use even more brains to save the life of the Duke of Chartres.

“You may not understand even if I tell you now, but in this world, there are times when it is beneficial to leave the breath open.”

“I don’t know, but… if Your Highness says so, that must be the case. I understand.”

“Of course, in exchange for sparing his life, he will have to show me some interesting sights.”

When was that?