As the nobility in the Hall of Mirrors finished their curtsies, the murmurs of admiration gradually faded, Queen Mary turned to Joseph, her expression filled with indulgence and pride:
“And my excellent son, your Crown Prince! As everyone knows, the plan to strike against the Barbary pirates in North Africa was first proposed by him, and he provided many key suggestions for its concrete implementation. In the end, we have welcomed this great victory!”
Yes, indeed, bringing up her husband first was just to save King’s face; the one she really wanted to praise from the beginning was her darling son.
Remembering her son’s various excellent performances, she couldn’t help but smile—first, her son said that he would join forces with the United States to fight the pirates, thus saving France a substantial amount of money, and he also earned the gratitude of both America and Russia.
Later, her son suggested last month to deploy the newly formed Bertier’s Corps to North Africa for support. She had thought they were going there to assist the navy, only to find out that this small corps of 3000 men had directly stormed the pirates’ stronghold, and along the way helped the young king of Tunisia reclaim his throne, winning immense benefits for France in Tunisia.
Indeed, the Queen was only aware of the 3000 troops from Bertier’s Corps sent to North Africa. As for the more than 1100 police academy students, they were sent on an overseas vacation funded by the Crown Prince, and they had not reported back to her at all.
The nobility in the Hall of Mirrors immediately bowed to Joseph again, showering him with endless praise:
“The Crown Prince will bring a bright future to France!”
“Praise be to the Son of Providence!”
“France’s most outstanding Crown Prince…”
“His Highness is the embodiment of talent and wisdom…”
Joseph, though he had become somewhat immune to such flattery through almost a year of “training,” still felt chills running down his spine at this moment.
On the other hand, Louis XVI was patting his son on the shoulder with utmost pride, looking even happier than when he himself was being praised by everyone earlier.
And as for the Queen, she had only one thought repeating in her heart: with such exceptional judgment and talent, my son truly lives up to my bloodline…
The young noblewomen in the great hall looked at Joseph with eyes full of admiration and infatuation—the Crown Prince was indeed the most outstanding, the most handsome and appealing, the most perfect dream lover!
And compared to last year, His Highness had even more of something.
Indeed, he seemed to have grown a bit taller, more robust, and even his Adam’s apple stood out more prominently! Obviously… Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire
As the girls thought of this, their cheeks turned crimson, the Crown Prince was clearly “ripe.”
So, what method should they use to be the first to entice him into their beds? After all, he didn’t yet have an official mistress!
They had already automatically ignored Clementine, who was trying to look ferocious next to the Crown Prince. After observing for a few months, everyone realized that the little princess from Tuscany only seemed fierce but was actually quite amiable, and most importantly, not very cunning.
Therefore, the girls’ minds became more active again—after all, at the Palace of Versailles, the position of the Crown Princess was the Crown Princess, and that of a mistress was a mistress. Everybody could negotiate and come to a pleasant agreement…
As everyone’s praises died down, Louis XVI, joining hands with Queen Mary, came to the center of the great hall and began the opening dance to the tune of Handel’s “Water Music.”
A young nobleman in a brown coat, standing at the back of the many nobles, gazed at the grand celebration with some confusion and muttered to himself:
“Just because they caught more pirates than usual, is it necessary to hold such an extravagant ceremony? It wasn’t like this when pirates were caught in the past…”
A middle-aged nobleman nearby heard him and quickly corrected him:
“This celebration is not just for the eradication of pirates. Look, France hardly spent a franc, sent just 3000 soldiers, yet obtained enormous benefits in North Africa.”
“Indeed,” his portly companion nodded, “According to the reports sent back, we will be able to buy land in Tunisia, set up factories. Moreover, France now has most-favored-nation status in Tunisian tariffs[Note 1].”
He said with a laugh: “You could say that apart from not having official appointment authority, it’s almost like a French colony.”
The nobleman with the brown coat’s eyes widened: “I see now! That really calls for a celebration. It has been quite some time since France gained overseas benefits, due to British interference, since the Seven Years’ War!”
The fat nobleman continued: “Moreover, Tunisia is a great place, fertile land, abundant in iron and olives, quite a wealthy region indeed.”
“It seems that, in a few years, it will bring great profits to France. Our Finance Minister will certainly be very happy.”
“Ha! Truly, God blesses our King, God blesses France!”
“God bless our King!”
Unlike the majority in the great hall, a small group of nobles with a military background near the orchestra appeared less joyful.
A military officer spoke under his breath: “Does anyone know the background of this Bertier’s Corps?”
His companion also lowered his voice: “It seems that Bertier was previously under General Custine, then was recommended by Breti and took up a position in Paris. After the issue with the French Guards, he took over some of their men, forming this corps.”
“It appears he must be quite wealthy, otherwise how could he have climbed the ranks so fast…”
An officer around fifty, with deeply-lined eyes, interrupted him bitterly: “I don’t care about his background; I just want to know, how dare he lead troops to North Africa without notifying us?! I heard that even Marquis Saint Priest wasn’t aware of his deployment!”