After nearly half an hour of fun, Princess Maria finally left the carousel reluctantly, her delight as if she had truly entered the Garden of Eden.
Such fascinating machinery, making one feel as if transported into a fairytale realm—the inventor was surely a genius among geniuses! With this thought, she was already running towards the next amusement.
Sitting side by side with the Crown Prince in a “Joyful Drifting” boat, holding a small umbrella, they bobbed along the currents, enjoying the warm afternoon sun…
Aboard the pirate ship, she clung tightly to the Crown Prince’s arm, screaming with eyes closed…
It was a real ship, towed from the Seine River, powered by a steam engine driving wooden wheels to repeatedly lift it into the air. Well, it only went as high as an adult’s chest, but to Princess Maria, it felt as though she was being tossed by a giant, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest with excitement.
However, what she hadn’t expected was that something even more thrilling awaited her.
The place was called the House of Horrors.
More than ten minutes later, Princess Maria, scared by a red-faced devil with goat hooves, horns atop its head, and a steel trident, plunged straight into Joseph’s arms, hugging him tightly while crying and praying aloud, “God bless! Wuuu… Banish all evil spirits… Wuuuwuuu…”
Joseph had no choice but to have the workers who were in charge of scaring people withdraw and carried the princess, who was clinging to him, out of the House of Horrors. It took a while before she finally believed what she had seen was not the Devil and gradually stopped her sobs.
Just then, Maria’s teary eyes suddenly caught sight of a sign not far away: The Ferris wheel exists for one to cross the sky with their beloved. As the Ferris wheel rises higher, we get closer to God. When the Ferris wheel reaches its peak, if you kiss the person you like, God will bless you, and you will be together forever.
She hesitated for only half a second before she jumped up from the resting chair, pointing at the Ferris wheel, her face blushing as she whispered to Joseph, “Your Highness, would you be willing to join me on this?”
Joseph had long forgotten about the promotional gimmick he concocted for the Ferris wheel and immediately nodded without hesitation, “It would be an honor to ride with you, Princess.”
Maria’s heart skipped a beat at the Crown Prince’s acceptance to join her on the ride “to cross the sky with the one you love,” suggesting his feelings for her…
The young girl’s face turned even redder, and she dared not continue that thought.
As the piston of the steam engine driving the Ferris wheel started its reciprocating movement, the Ferris wheel slowly began to turn, making a slight “creak” sound.
Joseph knew that Freselle had done numerous tests beforehand and the safety should be assured, but the creaking noise at the wooden joints still filled him with a sense of insecurity.
In the cramped Ferris wheel cabin, Maria sat with her head down, opposite the Crown Prince, feeling themselves gradually lifting into the air.
She couldn’t help but start fantasizing.
When we approach the highest point, what should I say to the Crown Prince while looking at him passionately?
“Your eyes are really captivating”?
No, no, better still, “You are the most charming person I have ever met,” or “Thank God for letting me meet you.”
Yes! That’s what I’ll say.
Then, he might take my hand and in that case, I should close my eyes and wait quietly.
If he doesn’t make a move, then I’ll lean in close to him, very close—he surely won’t shy away… No, he definitely won’t! Then I will… I’ll muster up the courage to gently kiss his soft lips…
Thinking about this, Maria felt her entire body heating up as if with a high fever, flushed and burning hot.
Will he hold me?
Will he take the opportunity to propose to me?
Or will he kiss me back more passionately…
Ah, what should I do? What should I do?
She only felt an immense sense of happiness surging over the top of her head, making her dizzy.
Hm? Why am I so dizzy?!
Maria suddenly felt so dizzy that she was gasping for air—could it be that before leaving the Palace of Versailles, Alisa laced her corset too tightly?
Frantically lifting her head, she attempted to take a deep breath, but her eyes suddenly caught sight of the ground far below, where people were the size of apples and the treetops looked like clumps of grass… Discover more content at m,v l’e-NovelFull.net
Her pupils instantly shrank to their smallest, and a tremendous sense of terror overwhelmed her, followed by her heart racing madly as her body uncontrollably started trembling violently.
We are at the highest point of the Ferris wheel! I want to kiss him…
As the last thought flashed through Maria’s mind, her graceful neck tilted, and she fainted onto the seat.
“Eh?! Princess!”
Joseph was startled and hurriedly held her steady. The gondola of the Ferris wheel had an open top half to reduce weight, thankfully there were safety ropes tied around her, otherwise she might have already fallen off.
Maria had planned everything perfectly and was almost successful, yet she hadn’t anticipated her fear of heights…
After an indeterminate amount of time, in a room in the Tuileries Palace that had been converted into a luxury hotel, the princess from Sicily slowly came to with the noxious stench of smelling salts.
She heard a woman in a white robe say, “Your Highness, the princess must have been severely shocked and fainted. But she should be all right now, just rest and she will recover quickly.”
“Thank you for rushing over, Doctor Perna.”
Maria pieced together her memories and realized she had fainted at the critical moment of her confession. Feeling both embarrassed and aggravated, if she hadn’t been completely limp, she would have liked to slap herself hard…
As she looked up, she saw the Crown Prince at her bedside, his face full of anxious concern, and warmth filled her heart again, His Highness being so worried for me means that he must feel something for me…
Joseph also wiped off a bead of sweat—who would have thought the princess suffered from acrophobia? Thankfully, she was fine. If the young lady had been scared into any harm, that could have become a diplomatic issue…
Doctor Perna quietly packed her medical kit, feeling a twinge of sadness—she had felt a little bit of excitement when His Highness had called for her, not expecting that it would be to tend to his princess…
Meanwhile, on a road a hundred kilometers away from Paris, a convoy of carriages was racing at high speed.
In a carriage at the center, a girl just over ten years old, dressed in a pink long dress, with two colorful feathers inserted into her bun, and a pair of radiant blue eyes and baby-fat cheeks, was folding Queen Mary’s letter neatly and slipping it back into an envelope.
She looked up at the middle-aged man sitting opposite her and puffed up her cheeks, saying, “Count Farnano, my dear aunt is urging us to hurry to Paris.”
The middle-aged man nodded, “I’ve heard, the princess from Sicily seems to be quite favored by the Crown Prince.”
Yet the girl lifted her little nose with confidence and said, “Aunt is just too worrisome. Although I am not the luckiest, I possess exceptional charm, and I will definitely be the one to win His Highness’ heart in the end!”