I Became A Genius Of The French Royal Family [EN]: Chapter 87

The Art of War: Winning Before the Battle Begins

The Russian delegation boarded the carriage to Versailles with expressions that could only be described as haunted.

Auguste and I leisurely watched them depart.

“Whew… I thought my heart was going to drop,” Auguste said, panting and clutching his chest as if his earlier statesmanlike demeanor had been a complete fabrication.

“You did even better than during practice.”

“I only said two or three sentences; I had to do at least this well.”

“You couldn’t even manage that when we went to the Vatican. You’re definitely improving.”

“…Was that a compliment?”

“Of course.”

Auguste let out a sigh of relief.

The weeks of practice had clearly paid off, so he must have felt gratified.

“Did you see their faces earlier? Thanks to your hard work, things will be much easier.”

“Yes, they seemed quite bewildered.”

It goes without saying that a diplomatic mission coming for negotiations would have done extensive preparation before leaving their home country.

Osterman, the head of the Russian delegation, had seen me with Auguste at the Vatican, so he would have been confident in his prior preparations.

But how disconcerting would it be to arrive and realize that everything they had prepared was inconsistent with reality?

The reason I ordered Auguste to present a completely different image from when he was at the Vatican was to create this confusion.

It would have been nice if he could have used this opportunity to overcome his introverted personality, but that was still too much to ask.

It took a considerable amount of time just to get him to deliver two or three sentences with the air of a magnanimous and caring ruler.

This was only possible because the reactions the other party could show during the first meeting were extremely limited.

If we had to consider complex interactions while coding, wouldn’t errors have immediately popped up?

“They’re probably racking their brains in the carriage right now, deep in discussion. But there’s nothing they can really know until they arrive at the embassy and receive information.”

Of course, the Russian embassy only has information about the Duke of Orléans’ execution at a similar level to that of other nobles.

Auguste rarely appears in official settings, so they wouldn’t know anything about him either.

From the moment they set foot in France, they fell into my trap.

No matter how much they wrack their brains in this situation, it will be impossible to reach a meaningful solution.

“Well, let’s get going too. We’ve prepared a lot for this welcoming ceremony, so we should enjoy it.”

“Speaking of which, I heard that the person who composed the opera to be performed this time is under your patronage? I heard he’s very young, so isn’t it a bit risky to put him on such an important stage?”

“That’s what people would normally think. That’s why I deliberately gave Mozart the opportunity. Besides, this will be a good display for the Russians, who already admire French court culture.”

“Ah, so they’ll be impressed that France can produce even such young artists who can stage something of this caliber.”

There’s a reason why the term ‘cultural victory’ exists.

Russia, in particular, was actively introducing French language and culture into the royal family, so there were quite a few people who harbored admiration for France.

The delegation that came this time is no exception.

If we can gain the upper hand before entering into the main negotiations, I’m willing to use any method possible.

However, Auguste seemed a little uncomfortable with these meticulous preparations.

“Christian, isn’t Russia our ally? And if things go well this time, we could become blood brothers like Austria, so isn’t it unethical to set up so many traps?”

“Even if they are allies, they are still another country. They’re probably full of thoughts about exploiting us in the way that benefits them the most anyway. You don’t have to feel too guilty. Besides, the stronger the alliance, the more we need to establish a relationship in a way that satisfies both sides.”

“Well… I trust you have it all figured out, so I’ll rely on you this time too. Anyway, His Majesty has given you full authority, so I have no say in the matter.”

“This is about your marriage, brother. I’ll do my best to ensure it’s regarded as the best marital alliance.”

At the word ‘marriage,’ Auguste flinched for a moment.

“Hmm… That’s right. If this goes well, I’ll be getting married too.”

“Does it not feel real?”

“No, well, seeing you living happily married makes me want to live like that too… but I also worry about whether I can, and it’s scary.”

“It’s okay. The potential partner in this marriage is heavily in your favor in every aspect. In fact, if you don’t want it, we can use this as an excuse to call off the marriage at any time.”

To marry a prince of the Kingdom of France, the other side must at least match the status.

However, there is currently no woman of marriageable age in the Russian royal family with such status.

Catherine II has used all sorts of legal loopholes to solve this problem, but we can still make an issue of it if we want to.

“The core of this discussion is whether we, France, will acknowledge Russia’s attempt to cover up their actions, or whether we will reject it. In fact, considering your personality, brother, you’d probably be more comfortable with such a partner.”

“That’s true. Someone who would never even think of trying to get the better of me is the top priority.”

Auguste’s firm preference was that any partner should not be the strong-willed type.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this condition.

※※※

Russian Embassy in Versailles.

“…Haa.”

Alexander sighed, recalling the events of the day.

The welcoming ceremony was more splendid than he had imagined.

Russia was working hard to reorganize its system by emulating the Western European model, but he could clearly feel that there was still a long way to go.

They may have caught up a lot militarily, but there was still a significant gap in cultural aspects.

In particular, court cuisine and music stood out as being different.

In fact, it couldn’t be helped.

It had only been less than a hundred years since Peter the Great actively promoted the Westernization of Russia.

No matter what they did, it would not be easy to overcome the difference in accumulated experience and time.

However, what shocked Alexander was not simply these points.

“That composer was said to be turning seventeen now…”

When he first heard that, most of the delegation watched the stage with skeptical eyes.

“Music is expression. No matter how good the technical aspects are, you can’t feel the unique depth unless you have accumulated experience.”

Osterman expressed his disbelief in that way.

But Alexander didn’t just see it that negatively.

That was because he heard that the person who discovered the young genius musician Mozart was none other than Prince Christian.

And as expected, Mozart’s music was so high-level that it made his eyes widen.

Osterman, who had been saying things like ‘young, this and that,’ couldn’t say a word this time and shut his mouth.

Alexander, whose trust in his senior diplomats was already wavering, completely made up his mind at this point.

“They’re like stubborn old men with closed minds… All they do is talk about age, age, but in the end, they can’t see anything properly.”

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a group that valued career and experience as much as the military.

In fact, people engaged in diplomacy generally have a strong tendency to do this.

Alexander had experienced his opinions and suggestions being rejected several times because he was young.

Of course, he had let it go until now.

After all, his seniors had more experience, so he must have been thinking wrong.

Still, he thought that the judgment coming from his seniors’ experience would grasp the phenomenon more accurately than he did.

What a load of crap. It was all nonsense.

The experience and age that his seniors boasted so much were all illusions.

He realized that it was a mirage that never existed in the first place.

“Since they have nothing to show, they probably tried to enjoy a petty sense of superiority by bringing up things like age and experience.”

The proof of that is the existence of Prince Christian.

According to information collected by the Russian Embassy, the Duke of Orléans was executed for attempting to assassinate Prince Christian and plotting a rebellion.

However, when viewed dispassionately, this was a fight that the Duke of Orléans should not have lost.

Who was the Duke of Orléans?

The most powerful aristocrat in France.

Such a great aristocrat couldn’t even handle a young prince born out of wedlock and was instead beheaded.

It was a moment that made the evaluations of the senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who said that the Duke of Orléans’ power should not be ignored, pale.

If the experience and age they talked about were really such big factors, this result would not have come out.

Of course, if it was just Prince Christian alone, he might have thought of him as an outlier.

However, the more he investigated, the more he realized that young people were currently making a name for themselves in France.

“Even that Mozart person who performed today. He’s even younger than Prince Christian, isn’t he?”

It’s not just the field of art. Most of Christian’s close aides were young people under 40.

Lavoisier, who has recently been attracting attention in the scientific community by publishing amazing papers one after another, is said to be a young man who is now turning thirty.

Perhaps this is the potential that France has.

Of course, Alexander had no way of knowing that Christian only kept geniuses by his side who were incomparable to ordinary people.

“Hoo… I envy you, France. A country can only develop if there are people with such open minds at the top.”

Alexander grumbled and only drank his tea.

Osterman had taken people out to collect more information about France, so he was the only diplomat left in the embassy.

“They’ve only been barking up the wrong tree so far, so there’s no way they’ll get any useful information. Sigh… Isn’t it time to change our approach?”

The honorifics for his respected senior were now nowhere to be found.

He was complaining for a long time like that.

“Diplomat Alexander, you have a guest.”

A voice heard from outside the room.

He replied in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Who is it that comes without making an appointment like this?”

“That’s… the Duke of Orléans has come.”

“What? What are you asking? You should have brought him here right away!”

Alexander jumped up from his seat and ran straight to the reception room.

He bowed politely to Christian, who had been guided in a similar way.

“Your Highness. It is a great honor for you to visit us like this. If you had contacted me in advance, I would have prepared a grand welcome…”

“I just dropped by on my way. In fact, it may be rude to ask for a meeting so suddenly, but I wanted to talk to Diplomat Alexander.”

“Yes? With me?”

Alexander is a promising young elite, but the chief of this delegation is Osterman.

He never imagined that the Duke of Orléans, the first aristocrat of France, would show interest in him, not just any high-ranking official.

Unlike him, who was flustered, Christian nodded calmly with a smile.

“This marriage alliance between Russia and France is a major issue that could affect the map of Europe. Of course, Russia must have put a lot of effort into forming the delegation, and the fact that a young person like you is included means that you have the ability to do so.”

“I am very grateful for your kind words. But even so, I am only included as a consideration to gain experience. Most of my opinions are not adopted.”

“The diplomatic side tends to be conservative, so that’s probably the case. I also had a lot of trouble with that kind of perspective at first.”

“So Your Highness also went through such hardships.”

Alexander’s eyes sparkled with admiration and anticipation.

Christian smiled, meeting his eyes.

“It can’t be helped. In fact, anyone gets a little stubborn as they get older. In that regard, I am consciously trying to listen to the voices of young people. After all, there are fresh ideas that only young people can come up with.”

“That’s amazing. That’s why there are so many young talents by Your Highness’s side.”

“In that respect, I am also looking forward to this meeting. If there is young blood like Alexander, I think it will be a more vibrant meeting.”

He couldn’t help but be happy to hear this from the highest aristocrat in France, not anyone else.

He could feel a tolerance that was different from the old fogeys in his home country.

“I am also looking forward to seeing how Your Highness will lead the meeting. I hope it will be a place where both countries can be satisfied.”

“Of course. Rather than calculating which country will gain a little more, I want to build a foundation where both countries can continue to strengthen their friendship in the future. I will do my best to ensure that such a constructive agreement is reached.”

With those words, Christian reached out his hand first.

Yes, this is the dignity that a great aristocrat who will be responsible for the future should show.

Alexander suppressed his heart, which was filled with emotion, and politely shook Christian’s hand.

But he couldn’t see him bowing his head.

He couldn’t see what kind of expression Christian was making as he looked down at him.