“Doesn’t my performance last night say it all?” Otto said with a smile.
It must be said, France truly lives up to its reputation as the city of romance. This Duchess was infinitely charming, causing Otto, who initially had no intention of a romantic escapade in Paris, to accidentally ‘fall’ for her.
Lady Maria swept her gaze across Otto with a seductive look, then her soft body settled into his embrace, her sky-blue, enchanting eyes flickering with tender affection.
Glancing at the documents Otto was looking at, Maria said, “Waking up so early to look at these things, you’re unlike any other noble youth I’ve met.”
“I can’t help it. I don’t have a ready-made throne waiting for me to inherit. If I don’t earn more money, I probably can’t afford to support a beauty like you,” Otto said with a small smile, then added, “My purpose in coming to Paris this time is actually to expand my business in France.”
“Don’t try to fool me. Who doesn’t know that the most popular product in all of Paris right now is your Venus's Secret? So many noble ladies and young women are crazy about it. A small bottle of lotion has already been resold for a whopping 35 francs.”
Otto immediately cried out in protest, “35 francs is not the price I sell these goods for. The retail price of the regular lotion at department stores is only 5 francs. Those profiteering resellers are the ones charging seven times the price!”
“Those profiteering resellers are indeed detestable, but this also shows that the lotion has become popular. So, what are your plans next?” Lady Maria asked.
“That, of course, requires your help, Madam. Meeting you at the club is my biggest opportunity,” Otto said with a smile.
French, and indeed European, high society is actually such a ‘romantic’ and extravagant place. This isn’t to say there aren’t harmonious couples, but at the same time, using connections to achieve career success is also extremely common.
It is well known that marriages in high society usually have nothing to do with love or other things; marriage is merely a transaction.
This is even more common in Europe, where they like to use marriage to unite two kingdoms or families. There are even cases where wives inherit their husbands’ status and networks, possessing enormous influence.
Because wars are frequent in Europe, and people even engage in duels for no reason, this also leads to a high mortality rate among European men, especially noble males.
Duchesses, Marchionesses, and Countesses who have lost their husbands or are distant from them often form clubs with one or more high-ranking women for entertainment, chatting about gossip and listening to music.
As the saying goes, food and sex are human nature. These wealthy, idle, and well-connected women close to power, when lonely, will also seek out ‘toy boys’ they fancy, many of whom are ambitious young talents.
It should be known that Europe does not have the imperial examination system. To advance, these young talents naturally have to curry favor with these ladies and then use their networks to gain opportunities.
By now, this kind of ‘bed politics’ has its own set of rules. Usually, high-ranking women initiate a club-based gathering, controlled by a few of the highest-ranking women, and some high-ranking men also join.
This club is a place for these women to find lovers. They usually choose ambitious and capable young men from impoverished noble families, or those with talent in literature, science, and art.
Moreover, according to the rules, these noble women are not too old and not too unattractive; otherwise, they are not qualified to enter such clubs. If they want to play, they can only keep ‘toy boys’ privately.
But in this club, if a man is chosen by a woman from the club, he usually cannot refuse, as this would be considered the greatest humiliation of her life, and one can imagine what would happen next.
The full name of the lady beside Otto was Maria Clementina Deneuve, Duchess of Segur. The Segur Family behind her held significant influence in France.
The current Louis-Philippe of France came from the Orleans Family, but as a branch of the Bourbon Dynasty, the Orleans Family originally had no right to inherit the French throne.
Such a thing might not be a big deal in China, where ‘kings, generals, and ministers are not born to rule,’ but it’s different in Europe, which places great importance on lineage.
Even with Louis-Philippe’s ascension, the vast majority of France’s royalists still supported the Bourbon Dynasty; only a small portion of the Orleans Family’s original confidantes supported Louis-Philippe.
To gain more supporters, Louis-Philippe could only rely more on the power of the bourgeoisie and Bonapartists.
The former were mainly French bankers, whose influence was primarily in financial matters, while the influence of the Bonapartists was mainly in the military. This means that most of those who control the military power of the current Orleans Dynasty were once supporters of Napoleon.
Segur Duke was actually a core supporter of the Napoleon family, possessing widespread influence in French politics.
At the same time, the Segur Family is Europe's largest wine producer, owning dozens of vineyards in France. Dute Winery is one of their best wineries.
At high-end wine receptions and banquets held in Europe, serving wine from their family’s winery is a matter of great prestige.
Even the world-renowned Chateau Lafite Rothschild, in later generations, was one of the Segur Family's wineries before the Revolution, but it was confiscated and sold by the Republican government during the Revolution and has not yet been recovered.
The Segur Family was one of the partners Otto selected for his plan to open department stores across France.
He didn't intentionally join any club to meet Maria. When doing business in aristocratic circles, it always starts with the main leaders of both parties getting to know each other.
When everyone sits together, most of the conversations are not about how to distribute profits. Basically, everyone just has an intention, and then they hand it over to their subordinates to discuss, while they themselves chat about current affairs, literature, history, and art.
Because Segur Duke himself was already quite old and his energy was declining, many of the Segur Family’s affairs were entrusted to Duchess Maria.
Their first meeting was at an aristocratic wine reception. Otto’s initial plan was also to meet the other party and reach a consensus on cooperation.
Unexpectedly, after meeting and chatting, perhaps Otto, this promising young man, was indeed unique, and Duchess Maria hinted that they could deepen their understanding.
Otto had been reborn for so many years and was well-versed in the rules of current Europe. Plus, the Duchess certainly fit his aesthetic, so he didn’t really refuse.
After all, European high society is like this. If one wants to achieve something, one must learn to adapt. Otto was not a moral gentleman; as long as it was conducive to achieving his goal, he didn’t care what means were used.