I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 193 The Winds of Europe, Part 3

The Spanish Crown Prince was enthusiastically tinkering with one of Louis XVI's gear machines when he turned to Joseph and said, "Look at this! The angle of this blade is just brilliantly designed…"

But he noticed Joseph leaning against the workbench, not responding. Antonio walked over and shook Joseph gently, "Your Highness, have you fallen asleep?"

Joseph, with half-closed eyes, lifted his head and rubbed his temples vigorously, saying, "Oh, I shouldn't have drunk so much at the banquet… The wine from Bordeaux this year was surprisingly delicious, but now I have a bit of a headache…"

Of course, he wasn't really drunk; he was just following the "script."

Antonio nodded, "Yes, today's wine was indeed excellent. I drank quite a bit myself. Shall I take you back to rest?"

"Oh, alright, thank you so much…" Joseph replied, pretending to be more inebriated.

Aymon, noticing this, subtly signaled to the servant standing by the door, who then quickly stepped out to give the prearranged signal to the agents from the Bureau of Police, who had been waiting.

Soon, the two men that Godoy had sent to keep an eye on the Spanish Crown Prince encountered "problems." One was targeted by two "enthusiastic" noblewomen who, after a jealous scuffle, dragged him into a nearby rest room. The other accidentally bumped into a maid carrying a tea tray, resulting in the shattering of a priceless set of Oriental porcelain. The maid, furious, insisted on taking him to see the palace steward.

Meanwhile, the "drunken" Joseph, with his arm around the Spanish Crown Prince's shoulder, staggered out of the royal workshop.

He noticed Aymon nodding and then pointed towards Antonio's quarters, dragging out his words, "Oh, my dear friend, I want to keep discussing improvements to the gear machine… Let's go to your place… We can chat all night…"

Antonio, assuming Joseph was drunk, couldn't refuse and reluctantly led him towards his room.

Outside the Spanish Crown Prince's quarters, a hefty noblewoman seemingly mistook the waiting maid for someone else and, without a word, whisked her away. The maid didn't even have time to cry out before disappearing around a corner.

Moments later, Joseph and Antonio reached the room, where Antonio gestured to his servant, "Open the door, please."

The servant had just pulled out the key when Aymon, with a courteous smile, took it from him, saying, "Allow me."

Aymon gently turned the key in the lock, softly pushed open the door, and then stepped aside.

Joseph, still leaning on Antonio, stumbled into the room. The living area was dimly lit, the guardroom appeared empty, and from deeper within, the faint glow of candlelight could be seen coming from the master bedroom.

Joseph discreetly withdrew his arm from Antonio's shoulder. The Crown Prince, now curious, took a few steps towards the light, and then he heard something he shouldn't have heard—

A woman's voice, high and melodious, repeatedly calling out "Godoy" or mumbling "You're amazing." The man's voice, deeper, mostly uttered grunts and gasps.

Antonio froze in place. He knew those voices too well—they were unmistakably his wife's and her guard, Godoy!

What were they doing?!

Antonio wanted to fool himself into believing they were doing nothing, but the truth was all too clear!

Rage surged from his feet to his head. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and took a step forward.

But then, unexpectedly, he stopped.

He lowered his head, trembling as he retreated back to the doorway, paused for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and suddenly turned to leave.

Joseph was stunned.

What? You're just going to walk away? I've got the guards ready, just waiting for you to give the word to barge in and deal with them.

But at the critical moment, you back out?! I can't just storm in and help you catch them myself, can I? You're the one who's supposed to be there; what would it look like if I went in?

Joseph hesitated for a few seconds, then followed Antonio outside, quickly catching up and grabbing his arm, "Why are you leaving? Is something 'special' going on in there?"

Antonio remained silent, head down, marching forward. Joseph tried to make things clearer, "Wasn't that the Crown Princess in there just now? Aren't you going to check?"

It wasn't until they were back at the royal workshop that Antonio seemed to regain his senses. His eyes, now bloodshot, turned to Joseph, his lips trembling as he whispered, "She… she betrayed me…"

Joseph nodded, "Then you should have gone in there and taught her a lesson."

Antonio's eyes grew redder, and like a helpless child, he muttered after a long pause, "I… I… I was too scared…"

Joseph was baffled, finally understanding after much coaxing that his Spanish relative was utterly henpecked—a real pushover.

He was exasperated; he'd never seen such a spineless man.

"How can you just endure this?"

"I can't…" Antonio mumbled, "Maybe… you could help me?"

"I…" Joseph was at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Aymon, seeing that the two princes had not returned, awkwardly re-locked the door. Inside, the two lovers remained blissfully unaware that anyone had ever been there.

…

The next morning, Joseph followed his schedule and went outside the Versailles Palace to welcome the Russian Crown Prince, Paul Petrovich, the future Tsar Paul I.

Crown Prince Paul seemed delighted that the French Crown Prince had come so far to greet him. After stepping out of his carriage, he quickly approached Joseph, bowed, and then spoke in flawless French:

"It's an honor to meet you, esteemed Crown Prince! Thank you for coming to receive me. Even in Saint Petersburg, people often speak of you, saying you are a legendary 'child blessed by God,' devout and full of wisdom…"

His compliments flowed so freely that Joseph felt a bit embarrassed and quickly returned the bow, noticing a little girl about six or seven years old standing beside Paul, dressed in a blue and white dress, with fair skin and large, expressive eyes.

Joseph quickly changed the subject, "And who might this be?"

The little girl stepped forward, lifted the hem of her dress, tilted her head slightly, and curtsied with a clear voice, "May God bless you, esteemed Crown Prince. My name is Alexandra Pavlovna." Her French was also impeccable.

Paul smiled at Joseph, "Your Highness, this is my eldest daughter. I thought it would be a great opportunity to bring her to see the most magnificent city in Europe—Paris—while we celebrate the King's birthday."

"Welcome to you both," Joseph smiled at the little girl, "Paris has a wonderful place called Eden Garden Amusement Park. You mustn't miss it."

Alexandra's eyes lit up with excitement, but she quickly composed herself, curtsying again with perfect manners, "Thank you for the recommendation. I'm looking forward to visiting."

Soon, Joseph and Paul made their way to the palace. Although Paul was twice Joseph's age, his attitude was rather humble:

"Your Highness, thank you for taking care of Alexei. You helped him find his purpose. Please believe that you will always have two true friends in Russia—Alexei and me."

Alexandra followed behind like a little adult, walking with the utmost grace, adhering strictly to the court etiquette she had been rigorously trained in. Only her curious glances around revealed the child within.

After settling in and freshening up, she accompanied her father to meet the King and Queen of France, followed by an outing with the Crown Prince to watch a fencing competition.

As the two heirs chatted, Alexandra sat primly, watching the young noblemen clash in the arena. Truthfully, she had little interest in such things, but her grandmother, the Empress, had instructed her before leaving Saint Petersburg to always maintain proper decorum, so she made no complaints. Moreover, she had another task from her grandmother—carefully observe the French Crown Prince.

However, just as she was discreetly glancing at the Crown Prince, a young girl, around ten years old, in a puffed dress, came bouncing over.

Clementine curtsied to Joseph first, then smiled sweetly at Paul, "You must be the Russian Crown Prince! It's an honor to meet you. You look like such a kind and friendly person. Oh, my name is Maria Clementine."

Crown Prince Paul quickly returned the gesture, and after some pleasantries, the older girl soon struck up a conversation with the younger one.

"Your name is Alexandra? That's such a strong name! Hehe, let me give you some candy."

The younger girl politely accepted the peppermint candy, thanking her properly, "Thank you very much. I'm afraid I didn't bring any gifts to return the favor."

"Don't worry about it. I've got plenty," Clementine laughed. "By the way, you're Russian, right? Your French is really good. How long did you study French every 'autumn'?"

Alexandra immediately corrected, "You mean 'how long,' right?"

"Oh, yes, 'how long,' haha."

"Two hours every day."

As they spoke, the fencing competition entered a break, and a circus troupe came onto the field to entertain the audience.

The little girls' attention was quickly drawn to the performance.

Before long, a magician in a red robe took the stage, producing over a dozen doves and a small black bear.

Clementine cheered loudly, "Wow! That's amazing! How does he do that?"

Alexandra calmly replied, "The doves were hidden in his sleeves, and the bear was underneath the floor, hidden by his robe. He probably has rabbits and dogs hidden in his coat too."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the magician revealed two foxhounds from his coat.

Clementine pouted, "How could you explain the magician's tricks? That ruins the fun!"

Alexandra coolly responded, "But you asked, 'How does he do that?'"

"I was just expressing surprise!"

"Then you shouldn't blame me."

"I'm not…"

"You are…"

"Not!"

"Are!"

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

The two little girls, who had been getting along so well just moments ago, now turned their heads away from each other, upset over the magic trick.

Paul smiled at his daughter's and the young princess's bickering, then turned to Joseph and said, "Your Highness, I hope you understand. In Nesvizh and Slutsk, there are many Russian people and Orthodox churches, but they often face unjust treatment, especially now that the Polish Sejm is dominated by anti-Russian sentiment."

He was referring to the Polish Sejm, similar to a parliamentary body. Currently, the Sejm was dominated by members who advocated resistance against Russia and were enacting reforms to strengthen the nation.

Paul continued, "Given this situation, we have no choice but to take certain diplomatic measures against Poland."

Joseph thought to himself: Russian groups in Poland often cause trouble and behave arrogantly, but here you make it sound like they're the victims. But that's international politics—no one ever tells the whole truth, and it always comes down to power and strategy. Or, occasionally, it's about leveraging other means, like marriage, which is a different kind of strategy.

Joseph smiled sincerely, leaning closer to Paul and whispering, "Please believe me, I completely understand Russia's actions in Poland, just as you understand our actions in North Africa. And I believe the best way to protect the Russians in Poland is to bring them directly under the Tsar's 'protection.'"

Since annexing Poland was already a key policy for Catherine the Great, and considerable resources had been invested in it, even French opposition wouldn't likely make her stop. So, it was better to play along with the Russian Crown Prince and get some benefits in return.

Paul looked at Joseph in surprise, "Is this your personal stance, or…?"

"The King shares this view as well."

Paul was overjoyed, "I've always believed that France and Russia are the true guardians of European order! The friendship between our two nations is unbreakable!"

Joseph sighed inwardly, thinking: Napoleon might have been just as friendly with your son, and look how that turned out. But he still nodded earnestly, "You are absolutely right!"

He then tried to steer the conversation in his favor, "Your Highness, but more than Poland, the Ottoman Empire is the enemy we must focus on! I hope Russia can act as the 'spear of God' and completely pierce through the Ottomans. And rest assured, our nation will fully support you in the Mediterranean."

If Russia and the Ottomans could remain locked in conflict for a few more years, perhaps Poland could gather enough strength to resist a Russian invasion.

Paul found this amusing—France and the Ottomans were supposed to have some sort of alliance, right? Yet here was the Crown Prince talking as if they were mortal enemies.

[Note 1] In large suites within Versailles, there is usually a small room like a vestibule right after the entrance, where guards would stand watch, known as the guardroom. One must pass through this area to enter the living quarters.

[Note 2] In the 16th century, French King Francis I, after being defeated in his wars against Habsburg Emperor Charles V, allied with the Ottoman Empire, known historically as the "Franco-Ottoman Alliance." But that was over two centuries ago. By now, France and the Ottomans no longer have an active alliance.

(End of Chapter)

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