《Revolutionary Against The Revolution》


 New Life

    ¡®¡¯My prince it¡¯s time to wake up.¡¯¡¯


    I heard a gentle voice and I immediately opened my eyes.


    I looked around and Immediately saw that this was not my room; I was laying in King sized bed with white sheets around me, even the room itself looked fancy with white walls and countless paintings hanging on the walls it even had chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, to the left side there were three big windows starting from the floor and ending with a small arc near the sealing.


    I panicked, was I kidnapped? But what kidnaper would put his hostage in such fancy rooms? Or maybe I was dreaming? Yeah¡­I probably was¡­it¡¯s a dream.


    Then I turned to my right and saw a thin old man in a black suit standing near me, he had brown eyes and his grey hair was slicked back, a perfect image of an elderly gentleman.


    ¡°Who ar-AHHHHH!¡¯¡¯


    I gripped my head in the unbearable pain, then in my mind like a quick film flashed, places, names and people, but I didn¡¯t know any of them, the further the images flashed through my mind I started to realize that those ware memories of mine, no they were the memories of this body.


    Just as the last memory the pain has stopped and I breaded a sigh of relief, but still felt a slight pang going in my head.


    ¡®¡¯My prince!¡¯¡¯


    I heard and then two men wearing red coats, black pants and black boots barged into my room with their muskets aimed, they were the famous Swiss Guard that was in charge of defending the Royal Family.


    ¡®¡¯Quick call the Court physician!¡¯¡¯


    The old man shouted to them in a panic.


    ¡®¡¯That won¡¯t be necessary, I¡¯m fine now.¡¯¡¯


    I said calmly.


    ¡®¡¯A-Are you sure, my Prince?¡¯¡¯


    The old man asked me with fear in his eyes; I imagine that if something happens to me his fate would be sealed as well.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, I feel good now.¡¯¡¯


    I said to him and then turned to face the two soldiers.


    ¡®¡¯You may leave, everything is alright.¡¯¡¯


    I said to them, and then they bowed and left closing the door.


    ¡®¡¯Are you sure you are alright, my Prince?¡¯¡¯


    The elderly gentleman asked me.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t I was freaking out inside after seeing those memories I think I¡¯m not dreaming anymore, was I was reincarnated? I admit I was old; well my other body was real, but Gods really like to joke to send me to a body of 15year old, oh and did I forget to mention that this body belongs, well belonged, too Louis-Auguste de France or better known as Louis XVI of France.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, I¡¯m alright, Aldric, I assure you that.¡¯¡¯


    I said to Aldric, from the memories that were forced to me he was my personal servant that took care of me since the day I was born and he is really good at his job apparently.


    He led out a sight, probably happy that his life is secured for another day.


    I then stood up from my bed and started to undress from my pajamas, note to self to burn this ugly thing.


    I wanted to dress but immediately stopped, firstly I didn¡¯t know where my clothes were and secondly, it was a servant¡¯s job, so instead I waited for Aldric.


    He quickly went to work, dressing me in black pants, a white shirt with a blue jacket on top and lastly finished by black shoes.


    Then he brought a large mirror and for the first time, I looked at myself.


    I was quite good looking, tall, healthy, fit, with short silver head and silvery eyes, talk about the combination.


    After I was satisfied looking at myself I gave him a nod and he quickly put the mirror at the corner of the room.


    Then he opened the door and bowed to me, with one of his hands extended outside.


    After I walked out I was greeted by a beautiful and long corridor.


    The red carpet was stretched across it, with chandeliers hanging on the sealing and countless paintings on the beautiful walls.


    Aldric gently closed the door and told something to one of the maids that were nearby, probably to clean my room or something.


    ¡®¡¯What is on the agenda today?¡¯¡¯


    I said to him as he joined me, actually, he was behind me fallowing like an obedient dog.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, firstly is breakfast, after breakfast there are lessons with sirDuc de La Vauguyon, after dinner, there will be a hunt with his Majesty Louis XV after supper is free time.¡¯¡¯


    At the mention of Duc de La Vauguyon I felt a shiver down my spine, the famous "Gouverneur des Enfants de France" (governor of the Children of France), what I got from the memories that he was really strict, but I believe he is not that bad, how strict he can be? I later regretted my words¡­


    ¡®¡¯Wrong, wrong, wrong! You have to wait for me to release you from further attendance!¡¯¡¯


    A tall man said to me, he was dressed in all red, with only his boots being white; his brown eyes peered down on me as he shook his black-haired head.


    ¡®¡¯Now once again.¡¯¡¯


    He said and I started again. We were practicing Ball manners especially the dances, currently, I have to ask Duc de La Vauguyon, who was acting like a woman, for a dance. It wasn¡¯t going so well as I hoped too.


    ¡®¡¯Miss Maria, can I ask a bit of your time for a dance?¡¯¡¯


    I said to him with the gentlest voice I could muster, even though deep in my mind I want to curse out loud.


    A lady usually never asks a gentleman to dance; instead, she waits for an invitation from him. A man must first ask permission of the lady herself, or her chaperone, to dance and if granted he must keep his appointment.


    ¡®¡¯I would be happy your Highness¡¯¡¯


    He replied and now we moved on the next step.


    In round dances the man supports the woman with his right arm around the waist, taking care not to hold her too closely. Her right hand is extended, held by his left hand, and her left hand is on his arm or shoulder, her head erect.


    It was weird to say at least with him being taller than me; I ended up staring at his chest instead of his face.


    We then spun around the room for a view times imitating a dance, now for the last part.


    At the end of each dance, the lady''s partner will offer his arm, and conduct her to her seat; then bow and she releases him from further attendance, as he may be engaged for the next dance.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I offer him my hand and he took it then we moved to the only table with a chair in the room, I gently guided him to his seat as Duc de La Vauguyon sat down I bowed to him.


    ¡®¡¯If you would excuse me.¡¯¡¯


    I said and waited for his approval as soon as I got one I spun around and started walking away.


    ¡®¡¯Good.¡¯¡¯


    He said calmly as he stood up once again, even if I started to hate him I had to respect this man, He entered the public service aged 12 and fought in the last campaigns of theSeven Years'' War, even if he was strict he taught me well.


    ¡®¡¯Now let¡¯s move on to the table manners.¡¯¡¯


    Why this nightmare has to continue?


    I feel like I¡¯m at school again with Duc de La Vauguyon as a teacher, a really strict teacher, I had to pay attention to even smallest details and if I did something wrong I had to start over and over again until it was like second nature to me, I crammed so much information that it made me dizzy.


    Dinner was a nightmare for me, but at least with the memories and Duc de La Vauguyon teachings I somehow pulled through.


    There was a large number of dishes, which were brought to the table in ¡°services¡± at staggered intervals. The soup and starters were followed by roasts and salads, then puddings and finally fruit. With each service, a different procession of officers from the Services for the King¡¯s Mouth brought in dishes in gold, silver or silver-gilt. The best goldsmiths worked to produce new forms that would keep the food warm for longer, this was a really interesting piece of info I managed to get from the memories of the previous host of this body. Glasses, which were ordinary items, were only provided upon request. The meal lasted less than an hour.


    And it was the first time that I saw my grandfather and the current King Louis XV, he was well¡­ Old, with wrinkles on his face and a grey wig on his head, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised really as he is now 60 years old, he wore a red dress with a French Royal Blue colored piece of cloths wrapped around his chest, a sign of monarch.


    I was seated on his right on this long rectangular table, while the King was seated at the end to show his higher standing, on his left, were seated four children, two boys, and two girls.


    One boy was like me had silver hair, brown eyes and he was a bit chunky, his face still had baby fat or he was just fat judging by his belly, he wore a simple white costume and white shirt. He was my younger brother, Louis Stanislas Xavier


    Next to him was a taller boy with black hair and brown eyes, he had a really angry face and as far as I can remember, or this body remembers, he always was like this. He was Charles Philippe another brother.


    My sisters, the two girls, were really beautiful, one had light brown hair and gentle green eyes, she was MarieClotilde. The other one had auburn hair and brown eyes, her name was Elisabeth and she was the youngest of us just 6 years old, both of them wore white dresses.


    Dinner was a quiet affair; everyone ate silently with silent whispers going around siblings. I made a note that I should talk to them later.


    After dinner it was time to go on a hunt, I redressed myself into brown pants and brown shirt and walked towards the stables, I only have the memories of this body and the hunt, but for me, it was the first time I¡¯m going hunting and I¡¯m really nervous.


    Only when I saw the horses did I remember that I have no riding experience what¡¯s so ever, so I was green as a leaf in the summer, wonderful¡­


    The stableman brought me towards my horse it was a white mare, she was quite calm I even managed to touch her snout and gently pet her while the guys from the stables finished putting on the saddle.


    An interesting thing happened as I got myself comfortable, thinking that I will fail miserably and embarrass myself, I instead calmly trotted out of the stables, my body going on instinct as I guided my horse to where Louis XV and a couple of more men were waiting for me.


    ¡®¡¯Today I¡¯m hoping for a big catch so let¡¯s move!¡¯¡¯


    The King ordered everyone and we trekked forwards the forest, only for me to forget that I have no weapons¡­As if reading my mind one of the Swiss Guards got closer to me on his brow horse and presented me with a crossbow.


    I nodded at him, thankful for the weapon.


    I inspected the crossbow and it was really smooth to the touch, masterfully crafted now even a splinter or any kind of inaccuracy can be seen on this fine piece of equipment.


    We walked around the forest for about an hour and could see the King getting more and more impatient, he scowled and started cursing for the bad luck.


    Then we heard branches on the ground being broken and the King immediately stopped us with his hand and shushing us to silence.


    We carefully listened; I reckon it¡¯s coming from the left of us judging by the sound.


    ¡®¡¯Deer and a big one!¡¯¡¯


    The King said with a wicked grin as a soldier handed him a spear and he silently urged his horse to go to the direction of the sound.


    We closely followed and soon I saw a tint of brown at the distance, I could see the antlers moving up and down, it was my first time seeing a wild deer.


    ¡®¡¯Stay here and don¡¯t get in a way of my kill¡¯¡¯


    The King said with a threatening aura, I gulped and kept myself silent as a grave, for the first time that I came here was I feeling afraid, so valuing my life I stayed silent.


    The King was too eager for a trophy and made a lot of sounds making the deer snap his head at our direction, he immediately saw the king and started running away.


    ¡®¡¯After him!¡¯¡¯


    King shouted and spurred his horse into a run quickly chasing the running deer.


    I opted to leave behind with two guards than following that hunt crazy grandpa.


    I will catch my own gain.


    So we walked around the forest and I found a nice clearing, it was small, but should be enough to attract some wild animals and land a decent shot.


    ¡®¡¯Do any of you have some bread or anything eatable?¡¯¡¯


    I asked my guards and they gave me a confused look at first until one of them gave me a loaf of bread out from his bag.


    Satisfied I dismounted my horse and left it with the guards, then I walked to the middle of the clearing and crushed the bread, then I spread it around and calmly walked back, hopefully, this will work.


    ¡­


    You know hunting is no different from wishing in my opinion; you just sit here and watch at one dot for hours upon hours, wishing even for a little movement of any kind. I don¡¯t know who finds it relaxing to concentrate and watch one dot for a whole day.


    I¡¯m getting really bored¡­I don¡¯t know how much time has passed, judging by the sun at least a couple of hours and nothing, not even a twitch, it¡¯s starting to get on my nerves.


    I wonder whether the king had any luck with his deer.


    ¡­


    God if you hear me please send something, anything!


    Then I saw a brown ball of fur moving towards the bread, then it stood on two legs and my heart melted at the sight of a cute rabbit looking around and carefully walking towards the bread, guilt shot through my soul as I aimed the crossbow, I don¡¯t want to do it!


    Then I released the arrow, it soared through the air towards the unsuspecting rabbit and missed.


    Thank God I missed- I mean curses I missed!!


    Yes, I definitely didn¡¯t miss purposely, definitely not, yes!


    And so after I accidentally missed we started waiting again for the next target which was a boar and a big one for sure.


    I once again aimed my crossbow and released the arrow and it hit its mark I saw the boar fall on its side and I started feeling guilty, Louis XVI had killed animals on previous hunts, but for me, it was still a new experience.


    Nonetheless the guards tied the boar and one of them put it on its horse and we went back, hopefully, the king will be back as well.


    To my surprise, yes he was back and managed to catch the deer and it was really big twice my size.


    ¡®¡¯What took you so long?! Let¡¯s get back I want deer for supper!¡¯¡¯


    The King said to me.


    ¡®¡¯I apologize, I was hunting on my own.¡¯¡¯


    I said as I gestured to my catch on the guard¡¯s horse, the king saw it and nodded.


    ¡®¡¯Good, means that you¡¯re not entirely useless after all.¡¯¡¯


    I felt the silence, I didn¡¯t expect that and started wracking my brain as to why did I deserve those mean words.


    Ah, I see, my father has died early, my brother as well; both of them were bright and promising rulers while I was practically nobody. I was overlooked because Louis''s parents favorited the older brother and their first son than me, who was regarded as bright and handsome, but died at the age of nine in 1761. While I was an overly shy person, who excelled only in studies, additionally the teachers before Duc de La Vauguyon were really, and I mean, really bad.


    They shaped me into an indecisive person. One of the teachers,Abb¨¦ Berthier, practically brainwashed me into believing that timidity was a value in strong monarchs, andAbb¨¦ Soldini, my confessor, instructed me not to let people read my mind, the last one is good when sitting on the negotiations table, but in life it was just bad, nobody wants to talk to a person who is always sitting calm and acts like robot. Humans are social creatures by nature, they want to see, they want to touch, they want to communicate with each other and if you act like a robot who push others away, you will become a social outcast.


    It was a good thing that Louis XV noticed that and fired those two, but sadly the damage is done, or was done at least because if I¡¯m here I can shape myself differently, yes, I have decided, I will become the best king!


    Then came supper, we had the promised deer and a little bit of boar, accompanied by salad and fruits as ever.


    Now I was free so I strolled around the palace, looking at the beautiful paintings and sculptures. I even managed to walk around the beautiful garden, when the sun was getting down I had Aldric guide me back to my room, I entered my chambers and looked around, nothing changed except, my bed was tidy, probably the work of the maids.


    Then I saw in the corner of the room a table, a simple brown table with a chair that had red cushions on it.


    I walked forwards it and saw an outline of a book, it had a brown almost black cover and was quite thick.


    ¡®¡¯Sworn Book Of Honorius¡¯¡¯


    It was written in Latin, but I understood it perfectly, thanks to this body being well versed in this particular language.


    I then noticed a red cloth sticking out so carefully I opened the badge that it was in.


    ¡®¡¯Soul transfer¡¯¡¯


    The page title read and my breath stopped, no way, no way that¡¯s possible, I started freaking out my heart started breading my pupils were wide, my head went into overload.


    No way, that¡¯s impossible!


    I managed to relax, even if it was just a bit; I quickly hid the book under my pillows and went to sleep, thinking that this was all just a weird dream and tomorrow morning I will go back to work.


    A/N: This is the first story that I ever have written, I have no experience doing this what''s so ever, so any tips or pointers are much appreciated, though a fair warning that my first language isn''t English so if you see any mistakes pointed them out I will fix them as quickly as possible. If you have questions will free to ask!

 Realization

    ¡®¡¯Its morning, your Highness¡¯¡¯


    An all too familiar voice that I dreaded to hear this morning waked me up. I feared that this can happen and I¡¯m still in disbelieve, that this is apparently real.


    ¡®¡¯Are you feeling okay, your Highness?¡¯¡¯


    Aldric asked me, probably noticing my downcast expression.


    ¡®¡¯Can I have my breakfast here, please?¡¯¡¯


    I replied to him in a sad voice and without a word he left.


    When I heard that the door was closed I sat up.


    Then I started punching the bed furiously, I wanted to shout, I wanted to scream, but I knew that this would bring unwanted attention so instead, I opted to release my anger and sadness on the innocent bed. I wanted someone to wake me up, someone to tell me that this is just a weird dream, that all of this is just an illusion.


    Then I started crying and whimpering as quiet as I can to not alert the guards behind the doors or the passing servants.


    All those pent up emotions now were running wild and I didn¡¯t even try to stop them.


    After some time I managed to calm down my raging emotional hurricane and just in time, as I cleaned the last trails of tears out of my face, my door opened and Aldric came in pulling a cart with some food.


    I ate in complete silence.


    I saw that Aldric looked a bit concerned as he watched me, but I was glad that he didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    ¡®¡¯Hey, Aldric, can you answer my question?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Whatever you want, my Prince¡¯¡¯


    He said with a slight bow.


    I took a deep breath.


    ¡®¡¯What do you know about a book titled ¡¯Sworn Book Of Honorius¡¯ ?¡°


    I saw him visibly tense up; this gave me bad signs about the book under my pillow.


    ¡®¡¯Y-Your Highness, where did you hear about that book?¡¯¡¯


    He asked almost in a whisper and immediately red flags began rising in my head that I shouldn¡¯t tell him that I have it in my possession.


    ¡®¡¯I just heard about it, is it that bad to even make you only whisper about it?¡¯¡¯


    I asked him, I was curious about this book.


    ¡®¡¯With all due respect, your Highness, I don¡¯t know where you have heard of it, but forget about it, this book has been forbidden by the Church! Anyone who is in possession of it is committing heresy against the God and humanity and should be executed!¡¯¡¯


    He told me in sotto voce and now I sat in disbelief.


    How did the previous host of this body didn¡¯t know that?


    I wracked my brain through countless memories and couldn¡¯t find the answer. Apparently, he had no idea that this book is forbidden¡­ Just wonderful.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you for breakfast Aldric¡¯¡¯


    I thanked the man as he put the empty plates on the cart.


    I threw the blanket off and got out of bed. I really want to read that book now, maybe there¡¯s a way back for me to return to my home.


    ¡®¡¯What do I have on the agenda today?¡¯¡¯


    I asked him if nothing too much important I really want to be left alone and just read the book, the longer I have it in possession the likelihood of it being found out rises and I don¡¯t want to be here when that happens because I know how fanatical religious folks can be. Witch hunt is a great example of this and I don¡¯t feel like being burned at the stake, hanged, drowned, quartered, having my head chopped off or being condemned to other executions that are possible.


    ¡®¡¯Well as always after breakfast you have lessons with Sir Duc de La Vauguyon, after dinner, you are free as you don¡¯t have any appointments, then once again after supper, you are free until bedtime, your Highness¡¯¡¯


    The elderly gentleman informed me.


    This is good, maybe I could move the lessons with Duc de La Vauguyon after dinner and in the meantime, I could read that damned book and maybe figure out a way to return.


    ¡®¡¯Inform Sir Duc de La Vauguyon that I want to move my lectures after dinner.¡¯¡¯


    I asked Aldric, this would give me enough time to read about the ¡®Soul Transfer¡¯ and figure everything out.


    ¡®¡¯Of course my prince, what will you do in the meantime?¡¯¡¯


    He replied to me, well I would be cautious too when suddenly someone who followed their day to the letter now is altering it.


    ¡®¡¯I will stay in my room and read a book that I found.¡¯¡¯


    I replied and I can see him eyeing me carefully he probably suspects that I have the ¡®Sworn Book of Honorius¡¯ and he would be right.


    ¡®¡¯What book if I may ask, your Highness?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯The Song of Ronald that is in desk¡¯s drawer¡¯¡¯


    The French poem that was later recognized as France¡¯s national epic, that should clear him all off his doubts.


    ¡®¡¯Then I¡¯ll inform Sir Duc de La Vauguyon.¡¯¡¯


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    He said as he left with the cart and closed the door.


    I gently stood up and walked towards the door and opened it.


    ¡®¡¯Hey you two, don¡¯t let anyone in my room even if the King asks you, do you understand?¡¯¡¯


    I ordered the two Swiss Guards that stood beside my door.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, your Highness!¡¯¡¯


    They saluted to me, good now I can go read, hopefully without any distractions.


    ¡®¡¯Excellent.¡¯¡¯


    I said to them and Closed the door then walked towards my bed and pulled the book out that was under my pillow.


    Then I opened the page with the red cloth in it and began reading the Latin magic book or grimoire.


    I read everything from the start, which ingredients I need, what are the conditions, how to make the seal, what words to tell, I tried to memorize it all.


    But then I came to the end of the spell.


    ¡®The transfer of souls is only one way, the transferred soul nor the caster can¡¯t go back to their original body, use this spell with caution¡¯


    ¡®¡¯HAHAHA!¡¯¡¯


    I started laughing maniacally; of course, it will be one way! Of course, I will have no way to return home! There¡¯s nothing easy in life.


    I hold the tears that tried to escape my eyes as I clenched my fist.


    To think my all life would be taken from me, all of my hard work, everything that I created with my own hands and means¡­ You are probably laughing right now aren¡¯t you Louis-Auguste? Thinking that you can leave all the responsibilities behind and enjoy an easy life, that I CREATED?! Do you think that I will end just like you with my head separated from my body in the eyes of a cheering crowd? No, you spineless coward, my end won¡¯t be like yours! I will change it even if I have to get my hands dirty that I swear. I will become the greatest of greatest Kings and then we will see who is laughing then!


    First things first I need to heed Aldric¡¯s words and destroy this book; I will not have it in my sight any longer or it can trample my plans, but for now, I will hide it.


    I stood up wanting to dress myself up, but instead, I figured that I don¡¯t know where my clothes are¡­


    ¡®¡¯Sir you can¡¯t!¡¯¡¯


    I heard shouting behind the door and then someone hitting someone.


    The door opened and in came Duc de La Vauguyon with his red costume, his head held high as he stared at me.


    ¡®¡¯Sit.¡¯¡¯


    He simply told me and sat down on my bed immediately. He sounded really pissed.


    I watched as he went around me towards my table and picked up the chair, in the meantime I hid the book under the sheets as stealthy as I can, hopefully, he didn¡¯t see it.


    He then came and placed the chair and sat down with his legs slightly crossed as he stared into my eyes as if searching for something.


    ¡®¡¯Speak.¡¯¡¯


    He simply said and I stared at him confused as to what he means.


    ¡­


    ¡®¡¯I thought I beat that thing out of you¡­ Boy, you can¡¯t hide anything from me, now speak what is troubling you.¡¯¡¯


    Still silence.


    ¡®¡¯I stared death in the eyes, even a soldier that is about to die lies better than you, my Prince and I already know because Aldric told me that you are acting strange today so get on with it.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯I don¡¯t know¡­¡¯¡¯


    I replied to him and by the looks of it, he didn¡¯t believe me instead he just hold his gaze and stared at me.


    ¡®¡¯You don¡¯t know what?¡¯¡¯


    He asked simply.


    ¡®¡¯I feel like...I don¡¯t belong here, I just don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡¯¡¯


    I said to him and I feel my emotions rising up, but I held them down, I will not be weak again, I need to accept how is given to me, even how bizarre it sounds.


    ¡®¡¯You don¡¯t know what to do? I stepped into the politics by the age of twelve, I even fought in a war that you now call Seven Years War and I too didn¡¯t know what to do and nobody dared to tell me what am I doing wrong, Instead I was surrounded by pretty words and pretty faces that told me I was doing everything alright, that was until I stepped into war and everything that I thought I was doing right was instead wrong, since then I started not to listen to lies and made my own decisions, nobody was born a genius, only by trial and error can you achieve greatness, people will use you, people will lie to you, but you are the next King and you must be above that, that is your duty, just like I was to follow my father¡¯s steps so is yours is to take over your grandfather. I will not sugarcoat anything and I will say this upfront: Life is hard, it will especially be for you, everyone will want to control you like a puppet, everyone will lie just to get your favor, such are the rules of ruling, you either win or you lose, there¡¯s no middle ground.¡¯¡¯


    He said to me and I have to agree to him, life is like a ball, one day you are at the highest and the second at the lowest, I need to change myself and only then can I change my fate.


    ¡®¡¯But if you said is true aren¡¯t you trying to use me?¡¯¡¯


    I said to him in a joking tone and he just scoffed.


    ¡®¡¯If I wanted to control you I wouldn¡¯t try to undo what those ¡®teachers¡¯ of yours have done. And let me tell you this, there are always signs that a reign is ending, and they are usually spotted not in the king himself, but in his court. In the inner circle, latent jealousies between advisers spill into open conflict, as they angrily debate who is to blame for the calamity, chewing over each other''s past errors and pointing the finger at old or nascent enemies. And now that¡¯s is happening in France, our once proud nation is just but a shadow of its former glory, when you become the next King you will have a lot of problems on your hand and It will be up to you to resolve them or you can find your reign ending quickly. I suggest for you in the upcoming ball to look for future allies from a simple merchant to a famed general as a wise man once said ¡®The enemies cannot destroy the king who has at his service the respect and friendship of the wise men who can find fault, disagree, and correct him.¡¯¡¯


    His words have a lot of wisdom in them and I just found all-new respect for that man, he is truly a great teacher I¡¯m happy that I got to know a man like him and I will take his words to the heart.


    ¡®¡¯What¡¯s that about the ball?¡¯¡¯


    I asked him because I knew no such info about a ball.


    ¡®¡¯Huh? You don¡¯t know?¡¯¡¯


    He asked me and I shake my head, he sighs.


    ¡®¡¯The ball will be held in four days, that¡¯s why the King asked me to teach you ball etiquette and manners, there will be a lot of people, dear, and I heard that a group of royals will be present, so don¡¯t miss out on this chance to get allies.¡¯¡¯


    He said and I nodded my head in agreement, looks I have all the weak planned out for me.


    ¡®¡¯Now then, I heard from Aldric that today you don¡¯t have anything to do apart from my lessons, so as a good sign of fate you will spend your entire day with me.¡¯¡¯


    He said with a sadistic smirk and I felt as a shiver ran down my spine.


    ¡®¡¯I will call Aldric so get dressed up and I will be waiting for you in my office.¡¯¡¯


    He said as he stood up and walked out, just as he grabbed the door he turned around.


    ¡®¡¯Oh and before I forget, try changing the guards, because those two I wouldn¡¯t trust to guard my chamber pot let alone a Prince and the next King.¡¯¡¯


    He then opened the door and walked out and I quickly ran to the door seeing my two guards on the floor knocked out cold. Damn, I should have him teach me how to fight.


    Then, as Duc de La Vauguyon said, Aldric came in and started to dress me up.


    Aldric, I know that he is loyal as he nursed me from my childhood; I wonder if he knows anything about politics or economics¡­Probably not, but maybe I could employ Duc de La Vauguyon to teach him.


    But on a second thought, I don¡¯t want to push Aldric into jaws of a beast, plus a loyal servant is always welcome because I will know for sure that I won¡¯t get killed at my own house.


    Once again Aldric brought me a mirror and I looked at myself, this is me now, this is now my life and I will make the most out of it.


    It¡¯s time to be the best I can be, but first I need to burn that damned book!


    A/N: 2nd chapter done, now we saw few emotions and thoughts about being in the body of Louis XVI, next chapter will be the ball scene and a meeting with someone special *wink* *wink*, for those who know history it will be easy guess, but don''t spoil it! As always if you see any mistakes please point them out!


    I even created a discord so we can interact more with each other and there will be info on the upcoming chapters, so feel free to join! And hopefully I can get some artist to do some art for this little novel of mine, but we will see in the future!


    DC LINK: https://discord.gg/zyvJwMM</a>


    P.S: I know that I dug my own grave with the Book of Honorius, but I just couldn''t help myself and this is one time only thing! So don''t expect anything related to magic happening

 Closer as Siblings (Brothers)

    I was sitting in the office of Duc de La Vauguyon with him in his chair and me in front of him with a board of chess on his desk.  What¡¯s interesting that unlike a modern game of chess in this period chess games emphasized more on quick, tactical maneuvers rather than long-term strategic planning.


    So here we are playing a game of chess with me being destroyed as I don¡¯t have a single clue what am I doing and with every passing minute more and more of my black pieces are being taken down by the white pieces of Duc de La Vauguyon and I¡¯m getting frustrated with every move.


    ¡®¡¯If you are getting frustrated playing against me, what would happen if you played against Andr¨¦ Danican Philidor?¡¯¡¯


    My teacher said seeing my ever-growing frustration.


    ¡®¡¯Who is this Andr¨¦ Danican Philidor, some sort of chess master?¡¯¡¯


    I asked him while moving my piece to take one of his own just to realize later that I was baited.


    I just want this to be over with¡­


    ¡®¡¯Why yes that he is, he is the best player today I¡¯m using his Philidor Defence against you.¡¯¡¯


    Duc de La Vauguyon said as he moved his piece.


    ¡®¡¯Checkmate.¡¯¡¯


    I slumped in my chair. Well at least the game is over with my loss and we can finally move on.


    I watched silently as my teacher cleaned the table soon enough I found my mind drifting a bit.


    I was already here for a couple of day after my tantrum, I¡¯m not going to lie these days were hard as I¡¯m still adapting to everything and trying to convince myself that this is my life now, even if deep down I don¡¯t want to accept it still thinking that this is just some crazy dream and soon I will wake up. But with each passing day, those thoughts emerge less and less as I find myself on stronger foot in this new life of mine.


    Still even though I¡¯m adapting in baby steps is still face a lot of problems which one of them is lack of experience, even though I know the history of what¡¯s about to happen, albeit naturally, I forgot some of the details, but the knowledge is useless if I don¡¯t know how to rule and lead people so I can bring change into this land.


    I¡¯m truly happy that I have a man like Duc de La Vauguyon nearby. I spend countless hours, from morning till the evening, in his office learning from him about ruling, politics, court culture and war. Though it was a shame that he isn¡¯t well versed in the economy which I need to learn the most if I want to get France out of debt and keep my head on my shoulders. But my teacher said that he will look for a man to teach me about economics, well it¡¯s better than nothing, hope that that man comes sooner than when I take the throne.


    ¡®¡¯Brother!¡¯¡¯


    A cheerful voice brought me out of my thoughts.


    I looked back at the door and saw a chubby boy running in fallowed by a thin one.


    ¡®¡¯Brother! Brother! Come with us!¡¯¡¯


    My chubby brother Louis Stanislas Xavier tugged my side excitedly.


    I darted my eyes from him to Duc de La Vauguyon, trying to get my brother''s attention and to remind him whose office he just ran into.


    He just looked strangely at me like I was crazy


    ¡®¡¯Ahem.¡¯¡¯


    Too late, well it was a pleasure meeting you Louis Stanislas Xavier we will never forget you.


    I can see how my brother¡¯s eyes widened as he saw my teacher staring at him.


    ¡®¡¯I-I¡¯m sorry sir Duc de La Vauguyon¡¯¡¯


    Louis said as he slightly lowered his head in an apology, this sight quite cute.


    Then Charles came and too gave and an apology for interrupting and then berated Louis that he should have waited for my lessons to be over.


    ¡®¡¯No worries, my Princes, but what appears to be a problem that would need your brother''s immediate attention?¡¯¡¯


    My teacher inquired with an amusing face.


    Wait for a minute¡­No lectures about manners, or a glare that shows you a thousand years¡¯ worth of pain?


    Apparently, my strict and unmovable teacher is weak to cute things¡­


    ¡®¡¯Oh, we wanted to show him a cat that we found in the garden and later I want to fight him because I learned a new move that will surely defeat my big brother!¡¯¡¯


    He said as he puffed out his chest in the last part feeling quite proud of himself.


    He is so cute I just want to pinch his chubby cheeks!


    ¡®¡¯So is brother free right now?¡¯¡¯


    Louis asked with a huge smile plastered on his face.


    ¡®¡¯Yes he is, we already finished her so you can grab your brother and go outside¡¯¡¯


    Did I hear that well? Did my teacher actually allow me to leave?


    Just how powerful is the cuteness of my brother?


    ¡®¡¯Yes! Come, brother!¡¯¡¯


    Louis said with obvious excitement in his voice as he started dragging me out.


    I turned around bowed and thanked my teacher with Charles doing the same while Louis urged as on to hurry up.


    We were walking down the corridors and searched in my head everything about now my brothers.


    What I got that Louis is a carefree spirit, always happy, always smiling, basically he is the comedy relief, but Charles on other hand is really serious and a voice of reason between them, always upholding his manners and his duties as a prince even though he is only third in line in the succession of the throne of France. But who am I to talk about this when this body was born it was too only 3rd in line and now look at me, an heir to the crown and a soul in different bodies.


    Lifeworks in a strange way or so I have learned these past days¡­


    ¡®¡¯Meeeaaoooowww.¡¯¡¯


    A cat was heard and I could already see Louis running ahead all excited.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    When I finally with Charles caught up with him I saw a maid bathing a brown cat or kitten to be exact.


    The little kitten was meowing wanting to escape the watery prison that it was in, but the made hold it firmly in her hands and proceeded to bath it, cleaning it from all the dirt that it probably had on his fur.


    As the maid finished bathing she dried the cat and rolled it into a towel as it was still a little wet and presented it to the jumping Louis who was as happy as a little kid near an ice-cream truck.


    Louis then proceeded to coo the cat and calling it all sort of names, later even Charles joining in as he pated and stroked the cat''s fur, the cat even started purring in delight of the attention that she was getting from the young princes.


    I opted to stay on the sidelines and watched as the young boys played with the cat.


    This scene was truly cute, it sucks that the camera isn¡¯t invented yet, because I would be snapping pictures like crazy.


    ¡®¡¯Big brother, can we keep it, please, please, please, pretty please?¡¯¡¯


    Louis begged me.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, brother, I would like to make him my loyal vassal.¡¯¡¯


    Charles said with a small smile present on his usually stern face.


    ¡®¡¯Ermm¡­I don¡¯t know about making a cat a vassal, but I have no objections to you for keeping him as a pet.¡¯¡¯


    I replied to them and their faces got even happier.


    ¡®¡¯But you have talked about it with grandfather, after all, he is the one in charge.¡¯¡¯


    And their faces have fallen once again.


    Grandfather never would allow a wild cat to become a royal pet as it goes against royal standards.


    ¡®¡¯But I have a plan on how to make grandfather agree.¡¯¡¯


    They once again grow excited.


    It just irresistible not to play with them, they are so cute!


    ¡®¡¯First, you will say that I support your decision, next to that it will teach you responsibility and it will teach you about looking after your subjects, lastly, that you both will take care of it and everything that it will do will go on your heads as you will be responsible for the cat. Understood?¡¯¡¯


    I said and both of them nodded and stood up probably going straight to grandfather.


    ¡®¡¯Oh and Charles will be the one talking because if he talks it will be more believable.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯What?!¡¯¡¯


    Louis pouted while Charles gave a slight smirk and slightly puffed his chest as he just one-upped his brother.


    ¡®¡¯Now that we got that sorted go find grandfather and ask him, while I will go to see Aldric and ask for food, you both will find me at my chambers if you will need everything else.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Okay.¡¯¡¯


    The boys said as they scurried along and went to find the King, while I was going back to my chambers and told one of the servants to call Aldric and bring some food with him.


    After I went to my room, it didn¡¯t take long for Aldric to come with plates of food, it was a simple meal asparagus soup followed by beef, potatoes, and vegetables; it was simple yet delicious meal, probably that it was all-natural and wasn¡¯t fabricated like in my times, the taste here is definitely better.


    After the meal, I thanked Aldric as he left with the dishes while I started reading.


    I never really liked reading or was against it, but after coming to this world and seeing this century¡¯s entertainments, or lack of them, I found myself clinging onto books and slowly they became my hobby.


    It sounds crazy, but did you know that such classics as Gulliver¡¯s Travels and Robinson Kruse were written in the 18th century? No? Neither did I, so you would probably guess how surprised I was when I learned that these books existed and even have even a couple of decades on them.


    As of yesterday, I picked a new play called ¡®Tartuffe¡¯ which was written by Jean-Baptise Poquelin, also known by his stage name, Moliere.


    I¡¯m really enjoying it so far, especially learning more about the characters and story through the director''s eyes and opinions. The story is about a con artist who worms his way into a family''s affections by claiming to be a religious man. The father essentially offers his daughters hand in marriage to the main character, but over time, realizes something is not right. It was a commentary on how Moliere felt about religion in the 17th century, especially how some people were using it as a way to look pious on the outside, but do whatever they wanted behind closed doors. There''s great sarcasm, wit, and humor in the play, especially if you let yourself approach it in a comedic way, rather than get caught up on understanding all the background and setting. Read it as though it weren''t necessarily about religion, focusing on the way a person can disguise their true intentions to achieving their goals.


    This book is just for me as I too know of the dark side of religion and I¡¯m actively finding out ways how to separate church from the government, which will be hard in the 18th century as people are frighteningly religious and some even believe more in what tells the Church instead of the government, then I will need to reorganize all the taxes imposed on the commoners without having a massive backlash that I surely will come when I start moving things, because nobody likes when someone starts moving their things and they will surely fight back against my new ideas.


    Duc de La Vauguyon is right I will need loyal and competent subjects to make all my plans work that I have for France or I will find myself dead even before the revolution.


    I then gently closed the book and put it on my desk, now I have to wait for my siblings to come.


    Now that I think about it my brothers and sisters will become crucial to my plans as I can marry them to find allies and even get them in the highest post if need be.


    So far I didn¡¯t saw in any of them some malicious attempt towards me nor do I remember one, they are good kids so I will definitely find them suitable husbands and wives that would be worthy of them.


    So much to do, yet so little time¡­


    KNOCK


    KNOCK


    Lost inside my own musings, I hear knocking on my door.


    ¡®¡¯Come in!¡¯¡¯


    I said.


    ¡®¡¯Brother!¡¯¡¯


    Louis barged into my room and ran towards me with the little brown kitten in his hands.


    Judging by the huge smile on his face and the loud voice they got the King¡¯s approval.


    ¡®¡¯So how did it go?¡¯¡¯


    I asked, even if I knew that my plan worked.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, the plane worked flawlessly, brother, We found the king in his chamber, at first the King was denying us our request, but with the backing of Madame du Barry which was on his lap, saying that he should agree and let them continue something, he agreed and dismissed us.¡¯¡¯


    I didn¡¯t need to know that last part, Charles! Seriously these kids are so innocent¡­


    ¡®¡¯That¡¯s good, now, did you figure out a name for the cat?¡¯¡¯


    I asked both of them as they shook their heads.


    ¡®¡¯I wanted to call him fluffy, but the grumpy Charles denied me!¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯I¡¯m not grumpy!¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Yes you are, Mister Grumpy!¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Then you are fat!¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯No, I¡¯m mot fat I just have big bones!¡¯¡¯


    And they started their childish bickering, throwing all those childish insults at each other.


    ¡®¡¯How about calling him Brunus?¡¯¡¯


    I interjected before they continue once more.


    ¡®¡¯Brunus?¡¯¡¯


    They both asked.


    ¡®¡¯Brunus. It¡¯s Latin for brown.¡¯¡¯


    Louis then stared at the cat in his hands.


    ¡®¡¯Brunus?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Meow.¡¯¡¯


    The little cat replied to my little brother.


    ¡®¡¯Brunus! From now on you will be known as sir Brunus the best cat in all of France!¡¯¡¯


    Louis let out a cheerful laugh as he spun the cat around.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, Brunus is a good name for a vassal.¡¯¡¯


    Charles nodded.


    It was good seeing little kids being all happy, now I wish I had children in my previous life.


    Well who said that I couldn¡¯t have some in this life, it¡¯s pretty much expected from me to produce an heir to the throne.


    Then I realized. Louis XVI was married to Marie Antoinette!


    If I remember correctly she was from Austria. Wait! Does that mean that in the upcoming ball those important guests will be Marie Antoinette and her entourage? Don¡¯t tell me they are going to marry me a 15-year-old?


    I smacked myself on the head.


    Of course, they will, by the laws of this time I¡¯m already a man¡­ Oh, how I¡¯m not looking forward to this¡­


    ¡®¡¯Brother, why did you just smack yourself?¡¯¡¯


    Charles asked me with his usual straightness.


    ¡®¡¯It¡¯s nothing, I was just thinking.¡¯¡¯


    I replied.


    ¡®¡¯Hoho! You are probably thinking about how I will defeat you today!¡¯¡¯


    Said Louis with pride.


    He did say something about beating me with some new move that he apparently learned.


    ¡®¡¯Of course, I¡¯m so afraid of your new move!¡¯¡¯


    I jested him.


    ¡®¡¯You better be! Just let me take sir Brunus to one of the servants so they can look after it and let¡¯s go to the garden there I will show you my new powerful move!¡¯¡¯


    Louis replied letting his imagination run wild, let¡¯s hope that move is just as good as Louis thinks it is.


    Let me tell you it wasn¡¯t it was just double punch move, that I easily blocked.


    Of course then Louis was all sad that his move didn¡¯t work like he wanted, while Charles just called it stupid and they both went into another argument, which I broke up and the started teaching them some moves from my times, like palm strikes, elbow blocks, and strikes, some kicking moves, basically everything that I see on TV or the Internet


    After lessons we then fooled around some more, playing tag, hide and seek and even wrestling till the evening when it was time for supper.


    It was a nice day, I¡¯m kind of happy that Duc de La Vauguyon let my brothers too drag me out as I got to get closer to them and remember my own childhood.


    I deep down wished that these carefree days would never end, but I knew otherwise and soon I will have to get to work rebuilding this nation.


    A/N: Another chapter is done and even though I wanted to move onto the ball scene I figured out that we are rushing too fast and I wanted to do something with the siblings so here you have it, next chapter would be about the sisters and then we will see if we will move on onto the ball scene, we will see.


    JOIN DISCORD: https://discord.gg/zyvJwMM

 Closer as Siblings (Sisters)

    It was a nice day today.


    The sun was shining high in the sky, no clouds could be seen and it wasn¡¯t really hot if I had to guess it would be around 24<sup>O</sup>C outside.


    So I figured why don¡¯t I go and walk around the beautiful gardens of the Palace of Versailles on this beautiful day as my lessons with Duc de La Vauguyon were over a little bit early due to some kind of message from his wife. I hope that it isn¡¯t something bad¡­


    I walked out of the palace into the gardens and let me tell you the garden complex was really big it can accommodate more than 700 people at a time. The Garden of Versailles is spread across 1,976 acres and is one of the biggest gardens in the world. 210,000 flowers and 200,000 trees are planted annually in The Garden of Versailles; I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone actually got lost in these gardens.


    I walked around until I heard talking and slight girly giggling and followed the noise, until I saw my two younger sisters talking and drinking tea at the white round table with servants, well serving them and a couple of red-dressed Swiss Guards standing dutifully watching over the female members of the royal family.


    ¡®¡¯Ah! Brother!¡¯¡¯


    The older one, Marie Clotilde, said to me as she noticed me staring at them.


    ¡®¡¯Good day, Marie and Elisabeth, do you have a room for one more?¡¯¡¯


    I greeted them.


    Getting seal of approval from my two sisters I sat down at the table and immediately one of the servants poured me some tea then I looked at my sisters, Marie was wearing a light green dress that matched her green eyes, her brown hair was done in a bun. Elisabeth, on the other hand, had her auburn hair loose and was currently wearing a French royal blue dress, they looked extremely cute.


    ¡®¡¯So what were you talking about?¡¯¡¯


    I asked while sipping my black tea.


    ¡®¡¯Nothing.¡¯¡¯


    They both quickly replied and I just couldn¡¯t help it as teasing smirk started forming in my face.


    ¡®¡¯So about boys, right?¡¯¡¯


    It was really comical as both of them started coughing.


    ¡®¡¯Brother!¡¯¡¯


    Marie shouted with red cheeks while Elisabeth just stared down her cheeks red too as I found out their secret.


    ¡®¡¯So who is that guy that who cached the attention of my two beautiful sisters? Maybe I should teach him a lesson about stealing my adorable sisters?¡¯¡¯


    I said with fake anger while my two sisters got even redder then I thought was possible at my compliments.


    ¡®¡¯N-No need, brother, for you to do that.¡¯¡¯


    Elisabeth said meekly as she tried to hide her embarrassment by looking as small as possible, it was definitely a cute sight to see my sisters acting like this.


    Ha! This just fuels my drive to tease them even more!


    ¡®¡¯Haha! I¡¯m kidding! But it was worth it to see your faces!¡¯¡¯


    I laughed and then took another seep of the tea.


    ¡®¡¯Humph! Brother is a big meanie!¡¯¡¯


    Marie pouted while Elisabeth just had a tiny smile on her cute little face.


    I let myself relax in the chair as I embraced the natural sights and smells of the beautiful garden.


    ¡®¡¯So what do you want to talk about now, about boys again maybe?¡¯¡¯


    I smirked.


    ¡®¡¯No!¡¯¡¯


    Both of them said at the same time and I let out another laugh indicating to them that I was just teasing them again.


    ¡®¡¯Oh right! Brother, there will be some kind of big ball tomorrow right?¡¯¡¯


    Marie said and I frowned.


    That ball was a lot in my mind since the day I learned about it, I¡¯m almost sure that Marie Antoinette will be there, I wonder just how she looks¡­ Is she beautiful or is she isn¡¯t good looking? What about her character? Will she be a kind soul or arrogant as any other noble? So many things on my mind and plus it will be my first gathering since I got stuck in this body.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, I¡¯m attending it.¡¯¡¯


    I replied shortly.


    ¡®¡¯Y-You will be going to the ball?¡¯¡¯


    Elisabeth asked me shyly.


    ¡®¡¯Most positive.¡¯¡¯


    I replied to my little sister with a gentle smile.


    ¡®¡¯I¡¯m so jealous of you brother, I want to go to a ball too! Dancing, laughing and talking with other people sounds such fun!¡¯¡¯


    Marie replied enthusiastically.


    Elisabeth just nodded her little head in the approval of her elder sister¡¯s words.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t worry you two, when you will get older I¡¯m definitely bringing you with me to a ball.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Really?!¡¯¡¯


    Both of them looked at me with pleading eyes.


    Ugh! I just can¡¯t resist, this cuteness should be illegal I tell you!


    ¡®¡¯Of course, I will take my most beautiful sister with me!¡¯¡¯


    I teased them one again.


    ¡®¡¯By the way, did you see grandfather today?¡¯¡¯


    I inquired and both of them thought deeply.


    I didn¡¯t see the King today which was strange as usually, he spends time at his court, hunting or with his mistress Madame du Barry which I won¡¯t go into much detail what are they doing, but to think that Louis XV is 60 years old and still is capable of erection, that really surprised me.


    And no, I didn¡¯t see it, but I definitely heard when I accidentally passed his room when he was doing that and moaning with the creaking of the bed was a good indication that the old King still got it.


    ¡®¡¯Y-Yes I did. He was really happy today.¡¯¡¯


    Elisabeth said interrupting my thoughts which I¡¯m thankful for¡­


    ¡®¡¯Do you know the reason?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯I-I just heard a little. He said something about peasants liking ¡®her¡¯ and how successful it was, then he said something about a good day for hunting and how he will miss it, then he left in the carriage.¡¯¡¯


    She said as I attentively listened to her.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡®¡¯Is that all?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Y-Yes, sorry¡­¡¯¡¯


    Elisabeth had downcast expression and I pated her head in reassurance.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you, Elisabeth.¡¯¡¯


    I said to her and a slight smile returned to her face.


    ¡®¡¯Brother, do you have any idea what the grandfather was talking about?¡¯¡¯


    Marie asked me curiously and I just slumped in my chair.


    ¡®¡¯I honestly don¡¯t know¡­ There is not much information to work with, so I can only guess.¡¯¡¯


    I said to Marie, but deep down I knew that by ¡®her¡¯ the King meant my future wife¡­


    ¡®¡¯Sorry.¡¯¡¯


    Elisabeth apologized for one again.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t worry your little head, Elisabeth, it¡¯s all good,¡¯¡¯


    I reassured my sister.


    Who would have thought that being a royal could be so much stress?


    ¡®¡¯Now then would you like to hear a good story?¡¯¡¯


    I asked them both.


    ¡®¡¯What story?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Arthurian Legend¡¯¡¯


    And so I began telling them the tale about King Arthur.


    Uther Pendragon, king of Britain, falls in love with Igraine, wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. He goes to war with Gorlois. Gorlois puts his wife in the castle of Tintagel to protect her, but Uther uses the arts of Merlin the magician to change his appearance to Gorlois¡¯s. He enters Tintagel disguised in this way and sleeps with Igraine. Arthur is conceived that night. When Gorlois is killed by Uther¡¯s army, Uther then marries Igraine and reveals to her that he was the man she slept with on the night she conceived.


    As he promised Merlin in exchange for his help, Uther delivers the baby Arthur to the magician. Merlin gives the baby to Sir Ector, who raises Arthur along with his own son Kay.


    When Uther dies, rival kings war over the throne. Merlin has everyone gather in London at Christmas, and a sword, stuck through an anvil and into a stone, appears in a churchyard. Its hilt says that whoever draws it is the rightful king.


    Arthur, now a teenager, comes to London with Ector and Kay. Kay is newly knighted and has come to participate in the tournament. When he realizes that he has left Kay¡¯s sword at the inn, Arthur rushes off to search for another one. Seeing the sword in the stone, he draws it and gives it to Kay. Kay shows the sword to his father, who recognizes what it means. He reveals to Arthur that he is not his true father.


    Arthur repeatedly draws the sword from the stone when others cannot, so the people acclaim him their king. Some rival kings resist, however, and Arthur must defeat them before he is secure in his kingdom. He receives his sword Excalibur from the lake.


    Arthur then decides to marry. He chooses Guenevere, daughter of King Leodegrance. Merlin warns Arthur that Guenevere will have an affair with Lancelot, but Arthur chooses to marry her anyway. Merlin leaves the story not long afterward, as he falls prey to a young enchantress who imprisons him forever under a rock.


    Knights come from all over to join Arthur and his company of the Round Table. Many adventures for Arthur and his court follow. Arthur resists the claims of Lucius, Emperor of Rome, for tribute, and defeats the Romans in Europe before coming home; in some versions of the story, this is his final triumph, before Mordred usurps the throne. In other versions of the story, there is still a lot that happens before the final battle: knights such as Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, and Gareth, among many others, have many adventures. Lancelot begins an affair with Guenevere.


    One day a maiden appears at court and asks Lancelot to come with her. She takes him to a convent where he is introduced to a beautiful young man, whom he dubs a knight. He returns to court, and shortly the young man, Galahad, comes to court as well and sits in the ¡°Siege Perilous,¡± a special seat at the Round Table destined for him. Galahad is Lancelot''s son, conceived by Elaine through deception (she made Lancelot think he was sleeping with Guenevere). The Holy Grail (the cup of Christ) appears to the Arthurian court, and Gawain is the first to vow to undertake a quest to find it. Galahad is the destined Grail knight, however: a knight must be pure (a virgin or chaste) to find the Grail. In the quest that follows, only Galahad, Perceval, and Bors will succeed. Galahad finds the Grail, escorts it to its new home, and after a short time dies and goes to heaven. Lancelot is repeatedly told that his failures are due to his sin with Guenevere, and he repents the relationship.


    However, after the Grail quest has been completed, Lancelot resumes the affair. It is revealed through the malice of Agravaine and Mordred. Mordred is, in some versions, Arthur¡¯s illegitimate son by his half-sister. Lancelot escapes but Guenevere is condemned to burn at the stake. Lancelot rescues her, killing some of his old comrades in the process. Guenevere goes to a nunnery, and Lancelot withdraws to his own country. Mordred leads an army against Arthur. In the final battle, almost everyone is killed; Arthur kills Mordred but is mortally wounded himself. At Arthur¡¯s request, Bedivere returns Excalibur to the lake. A ship with three queens appears, to take Arthur away to Avalon. The legend grows up that he will return one day; he is rex quondam rexque futurus, the once and future king.


    Lancelot becomes a monk and dies a holy man.


    ¡®¡¯So did you like it?¡¯¡¯


    Finishing my story I asked them both.


    ¡®¡¯I-It was quite sad¡¯¡¯


    Elisabeth said I have to agree King Arthur went through a lot in his legends fighting inside himself as well as fighting others.


    ¡®¡¯But why didn¡¯t King Arthur listened to Merlin?¡¯¡¯


    Marie asked me.


    ¡®¡¯Well, my dear Marie, Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. Arthur deeply loved Guenevere, it¡¯s just he didn¡¯t say that she didn¡¯t felt the same. Love can be like a sweet poison, it either kills you or makes you stronger.¡¯¡¯


    I replied to her and both of them stared at me with wide eyes.


    ¡®¡¯What?¡¯¡¯


    I asked them.


    ¡®¡¯Brother, you¡¯re so smart!¡¯¡¯


    Marie said and I laughed at her while ruffled her hair in which she got angry at me.


    ¡®¡¯That may be true! Now then, my adorable sisters do you want to hear another story?¡¯¡¯


    I said changing the topic.


    ¡®¡¯What story will it be this time?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯This time I will tell you a story about a Hobbit¡­¡¯¡¯


    And so I retold them one of the most known fantasy stories for children of my time that even got a movie adaptation.


    How Gandalf tricks a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins into hosting a party for Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves, who sing of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain and its vast treasure from the dragon Smaug. When the music ends, Gandalf unveils Thr¨®r''s map showing a secret door into the Mountain and proposes that the dumbfounded Bilbo serves as the expedition''s "burglar". The dwarves ridicule the idea, but Bilbo, indignant, joins despite himself.


    The group travels into the wild, where Gandalf saves the company from trolls and leads them to Rivendell, where Elrond reveals more secrets from the map. When they attempt to cross the Misty Mountains they are caught by goblins and driven deep underground. Although Gandalf rescues them, Bilbo gets separated from the others as they flee the goblins. Lost in the goblin tunnels, he stumbles across a mysterious ring and then encounters Gollum, who engages him in a game of riddles. As a reward for solving all riddles, Gollum will show him the path out of the tunnels, but if Bilbo fails, his life will be forfeit. With the help of the ring, which confers invisibility, Bilbo escapes and rejoins the dwarves, improving his reputation with them. The goblins and Wargs give chase, but the company is saved by eagles before resting in the house of Beorn.


    The company enters the black forest of Mirkwood without Gandalf. In Mirkwood, Bilbo first saves the dwarves from giant spiders and then from the dungeons of the Wood-elves. Nearing the Lonely Mountain, the travelers are welcomed by the human inhabitants of Lake-town, who hope the dwarves will fulfill prophecies of Smaug''s demise. The expedition travels to the Lonely Mountain and finds the secret door; Bilbo scouts the dragon''s lair, stealing a great cup and espying a gap in Smaug''s armor. The enraged dragon, deducing that Lake-town has aided the intruder, sets out to destroy the town. A thrush had overheard Bilbo''s report of Smaug''s vulnerability and reports it to the Lake-town defender Bard. Bard''s arrow finds the hollow spot and slays the dragon.


    When the dwarves take possession of the mountain, Bilbo finds the Arkenstone, an heirloom of Thorin''s dynasty, and hides it away. The Wood-elves and Lake-men besiege the mountain and request compensation for their aid, reparations for Lake-town''s destruction, and settlement of old claims on the treasure. Thorin refuses and, having summoned his kin from the Iron Hills, reinforces his position. Bilbo tries to ransom the Arkenstone to head off a war, but Thorin is intransigent. He banishes Bilbo, and the battle seems inevitable.


    Gandalf reappears to warn all of an approaching army of goblins and Wargs. The dwarves, men, and elves band together, but only with the timely arrival of the eagles and Beorn do they win the climactic Battle of the five armies. Thorin is fatally wounded and reconciles with Bilbo before he dies.


    Bilbo accepts only a small portion of his share of the treasure, having no want or need for more, but still returns home a very wealthy hobbit roughly a year and a month after he left.


    My storytelling continued for a long time that we even had to go inside as the sun was setting on the horizon.


    Nonetheless, my sisters were captivated by the story, they listened inventively to my every word not even once did they interrupt me.


    ¡®¡¯And that how this story ends. The End.¡¯¡¯


    I said and then clapping from my sisters.


    I dramatically bowed to them saying my thanks to the imaginary crowd which got a quick giggle from my adorable sisters.


    ¡®¡¯So how you liked this story?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯It was great! I loved the adventure!¡¯¡¯


    Marie exclaimed happily well she was the most forward one.


    ¡®¡¯I-I liked it too, it was nice, b-but there was a lot of violence and it didn¡¯t have love like in King¡¯s Arthur legends, I liked the dwarves they were funny,¡¯¡¯


    Elisabeth replied to me and I smiled.


    ¡®¡¯Well this story was all about friendship and adventure and yeah dwarves are funny especially when they are drunk.¡¯¡¯


    I laughed a bit.


    ¡®¡¯Well then it¡¯s getting late so I think the princesses should get ready for bed.¡¯¡¯


    And I immediately was assaulted by pouts and demands for another story.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t worry I will tell you a story another time.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Promise?¡¯¡¯


    Ugh! Those adorable faces are going to be the death of me.


    ¡®¡¯Promise, now off you go.¡¯¡¯


    I urged them and with goodbyes we parted our ways.


    Tomorrow is going to be a big day for me¡­


    I just hope I won¡¯t end up like King Arthur and I will have good friends like Bilbo. We will just have to wait and see.


    A/N: I have some problems with stuff so I can''t update this story as fast as I would like so don''t worry if there are large gaps between the chapters, just know that I''m really busy.


    On the other note, authors are really rich, because 4 of them just completely ignored me so no art for this novel for now


    Join DC if you are not a lowly class peasant!


    DC: https://discord.gg/zyvJwMM

 The Ball of Politicking

    Today was the day¡­


    Me and Aldric were really busy since this morning.


    I tried thousands of combinations of clothes that by now they made a giant pile on my bed.


    I honestly  didn¡¯t expect that Aldric would be so set on finding me the best clothes possible


    Finally, we settled on a black coat with a white waistcoat, the coat and the waistcoat of the panoply called habit ¨¤ la francaise are fully embroidered with golden and silver threads and other multi-colored threads, sequins, and artificial gems.


    Then I wore black breeches and a pair of white stockings finished with black shoes.


    Dear God to think that I would have to wear stockings¡­ This was truly wounding my manly spirit¡­


    But I got to admit that I looked really good in the mirror, though I disliked all those extravagant decoration elements, but from I got from Aldric, that men in this century dressed in a manner that would maintain class distinctions, flaunting their privileged status and as Prince and the Dauphin of France I have to look better than all of the nobles that will gather at the ball.


    ¡®¡¯We will go with these.¡¯¡¯


    I said as I twisted and turned in front of the mirror looking for any anomalies that are visible.


    ¡®¡¯As you wish, your Royal Highness.¡¯¡¯


    Aldric said as he lifted the mirror with a sigh.


    Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m just as happy as you are that finally, we were done playing dress-up.


    Afterward, Aldric called in a couple of maids who brought makeup with them and wanted to apply it on me. I, as you expect, refused, it¡¯s already embarrassing enough that I have to wear stockings and now I have to apply makeup? No thanks, my manliness is already wounded no need to rub salt into it and damage it further.


    Next step and the most crucial one was remembering the most important people that will be at the ball like:


    Rene Nicolas de Maupeou, The Chancellor of France


    Joseph Marie Terray, Controller-General of Finance


    Duc d¡¯Aiguillon, The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs


    Those three have the most power and they are known as The Triumvirate.


    Other noticeable members of the Royal Court were:


    Madame du Barry, who was Louis XV mistress and from what I gathered had the King¡¯s ear


    Louis Francois de Monteynard, Secretary of State for War. While he wasn¡¯t influential like The Triumvirate or Madame du Barry, he was still a well respected man.


    Pierre-Etienne Bourgeois de Boynes, Secretary of State for the Navy, one of the most important office positions of France.


    These are the people that I will have to look after and then I still need to make connections with other nobles¡­


    And here I thought that the ball will be just dancing, laughing and singing. I just now started to realize that the ball is a diplomatic battlefield where most of the connections, friends and enemies are made.


    I feel like my head is about to explode from all the information trusted into me. So much to know, so much to do¡­


    I¡¯m already having double thoughts about inheriting the throne, I¡¯m not even started ruling and I¡¯m already tired.


    At least I could have been thrown into a body of Francis I, Charles the Great or during the reign of Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria or in any other relatively peaceful time, but no! Of course, it has to be pre-revolutionary France, where people hated government and the government hated the government, ohh and let¡¯s not forget popping people¡¯s heads from their bodies like they would pop the wrapping paper.


    I¡¯m really not looking forward to my accession to the throne.


    ¡®¡¯My Prince, the King is calling for you, it is time.¡¯¡¯


    Aldric informed me.


    I followed him as he escorted me to the King who was already waiting for me with Madame Du Barry.


    ¡®¡¯Your Majesty, Madame¡¯¡¯


    I greeted them with a head bow and Aldric gave a full bow.


    ¡®¡¯Your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    Madame du Barry did a small curtsy while greeting me. She was wearing light green Sack-back with some white wave patterns, her small face and brown eyes were heavy with makeup while her brown hair was done into two braids.


    The King on the other hand just like me wore a coat, waistcoat, and breeches with stockings, except his coat and breeches were red while his waistcoat was grey with white stockings, though unlike me he too wore makeup making his face white while his cheeks had some red tint on them.


    I could see how the king observed me probably looking if I look presentable as dauphin of France.


    ¡®¡¯Just don¡¯t embarrass me¡¯¡¯


    The King said in dismissive tone and I nodded, I wasn¡¯t expecting anything else from him really, then he locked his hands with Madame Du Barry while the servants opened the luxurious-looking red double doors.


    I stepped in behind the king and went in into what I suppose is the ballroom.


    What greeted me was a spacious room filled with gold.


    The ballroom had white walls and it was really big judging by the number of people gathered here. Golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, various paintings of every size covered the walls and the ceiling, while golden statues of cupids, women and other mystical figures were present on the walls too.


    I just screamed luxury, even the chairs were so perfectly made that I was worried to even sit on them otherwise I just soil them with my presence alone.


    I felt so out of place here, everything looked so surreal, it was I was in some kind of fairy tale that I even pinched myself to make sure I¡¯m not dreaming. No matter how much I look into this room I¡¯m always entranced by the beauty of the ballroom, it surpasses everything that I so far have seen.


    Just imagine how much time was spent making this room. All the details of the sculptures, every pose, the bodies and wrinkles were worked to perfection. The painting looked like the job of Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo combined, even the chairs looked like there were made with such precision and care that even they looked like a piece of art.


    I felt like I was standing inside of a masterpiece.


    If not for the people coming to do their lip service by greeting me and telling me how beautiful I look I would still be standing still with my mouth probably open.


    Pulling myself together I looked around the ball already seeing the King dancing with Du Barry to the gentle music that was playing.


    Then I saw my teacher Duc de La Vauguyon talking to some men with drinks in their hands, seeing as I don¡¯t know anyone here except him and the King I went to my teacher.


    I deliberately walked in his field of vision so he could see me walking towards him; so that I wouldn¡¯t interrupt them and that he could greet me to the gentleman he was speaking too.


    ¡®¡¯Your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    My teacher greeted me with a bow that I replicated.


    Then he turned to the three men he was just talking too.


    One was an old man, with a lean face and double chine with very dark brown eyes and a white wig on his head, he wore red robes which covered him entirely and on top, he had a bit darker but still red coat.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The second man was a slightly younger man, but still quite old, he had brown eyes and white wig, he wore a blue coat, with a white waistcoat, blue breeches and white stocking with black shoes. He had quite a lean build unlike the first man who was fat.


    The last gentleman was actually well built, he had blue eyes and grey hear as the sign of his age, he wore a black buttoned coat with black breeches and white stockings finished with black shoes that everyone wears apparently, well except women who has a lot more variation in shoe colors.


    Then I learned their names as they greeted me.


    Ren¨¦ Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou


    Joseph Marie Terray


    Emmanuel-Armand de Vignerot du Plessis-Richelieu, duc d''Aiguillon


    ¡®¡¯The Triumvirate¡¯¡¯


    I whispered and already could feel my hands getting sweaty. I seriously didn¡¯t expect the three most powerful men in the Kingdom right from the start.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, that how are we called apparently, you are rather well informed, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    With a light lough, Maupeou said and I immediately chastised myself for talking out loud.


    ¡®¡¯You aged quite well your Highness, the last time I saw you were just a little kid and I was just a lowly politician and a soldier.¡¯¡¯


    Duc d''Aiguillon said as he appraised me, though I don¡¯t remember him, maybe Louis didn¡¯t pay attention to him.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you, your grace, you look splendid yourself.¡¯¡¯


    I replied calmly with a smile on my face.


    Though my heart was beating really fast, I just don¡¯t know how to handle the conversation and another reason why I¡¯m anxious is that I don¡¯t know what a teenage prince should talk with politicians and the most influential at that. I¡¯m just afraid that I will talk about something I shouldn¡¯t talk about and then figuring out that I¡¯m not their prince.


    Luckily, Duc de La Vauguyon quickly managed to start a dialogue with the Triumvirate while I just stood there and listened, nodding from time to time expressing my agreement on the topic.


    Then they started talking about politics and here my ears were on full alert trying to get as many details as possible about the current situation.


    Form what I gathered is that the parlements are repeatedly challenging the crown for control over policy, especially regarding taxes and religion, blocking all attempts at reforms that would touch them directly, if to give you an example they are basically USSR during the reign of Leonid Brezhnev, they fought even against the King''s authority just to keep the situation as it is.


    The Parlement had the duty to record all royal edicts and laws. Some, especially the Parlement of Paris, gradually acquired the habit of refusing to register legislation with which they disagreed until the king held a lit de justice</a> or sent a lettre de jussion</a> to force them to act. Furthermore, the parlements could pass arr¨ºts de r¨¦glement, which were laws that applied within their jurisdiction.


    The situation is quite bleak if I may say so. The Parlements are preventing The Triumvirate from carrying out many simple reforms, especially in the area of taxation, even when those reforms had the support of the king.


    Not good¡­definitely not good, France needs reforms more than air, even I need those reforms to keep my head on the shoulders¡­.


    ¡®¡¯What do you think, your Highness?¡¯¡¯


    I was brought out from my musings by Maupeou.


    The members of the Triumvirate looked at me, I even saw Duc de La Vauguyon trying to say something, but with just a simple gesture from Terray, he fell silent.


    Shit! I¡¯m not ready for this yet.


    I don¡¯t even know what to do.


    I feel my heart beating against my chest, anxiousness written all over me.


    ¡®¡¯About the Parlements, right?¡¯¡¯


    I asked and with their nods, I once again started thinking.


    How to change the current situation about the Parlements? Kill them all? No, that would bring too much attention to the government and seeing all the violence the people my go for guns and maybe even kick start the revolution earlier than it¡¯s supposed to happen.


    Quiet assassinations then? No, they would take too long to complete, and honestly, I think this would just fire back as if we kill one member of the Parlement another would take his place, and with more and more occurring deaths the members of the Parlements would become cautious making assassinations even harder. Even then assassinations aren¡¯t really failure-proof and sooner or later the truth that the Government ordered those assassinations would come out thus creating more problems than needed, so this plan is also a bust, it just has too many risks and ifs to succeed.


    So what to do?


    What do you do about the thing that you don¡¯t like? Well, you obviously throw it out, if you don¡¯t like your old bed you just get a new one, don¡¯t like the taste of coffee in the morning you just go and make another one. You don¡¯t like the current T-shirt that you are wearing you just change into a new one.


    Hmm¡­change, new T-shirt¡­


    ¡­


    !


    ¡®¡¯Change!¡¯¡¯


    I exclaimed.


    We need to change everything in the Parlements starting from their power finishing with their members!


    Then I noticed everybody staring at me, probably waiting for further information as I don¡¯t say anything else.


    Quite embarrassing if I have to say myself.


    So I straighten myself up and formulated my thoughts.


    ¡®¡¯Sorry¡­ We need to change how the Parlements work, we need to diminish their power, write a new law regarding the Parlements further abolish their free will to refuse orders. Basically, we need to change how the Parlements work entirely.¡¯¡¯


    I explained to them.


    Clap Clap Clap


    I was surprised by the sudden clapping.


    ¡®¡¯Your idea is quite good, your Highness, but you forgot a couple of important factors.¡¯¡¯


    Said Moupeou with a smile on his old face.


    ¡®¡¯Which are?¡¯¡¯


    I asked him.


    I clearly understood that I like experience regarding anything politics or ruling that is, but for me, my plan was pretty solid. King is the law if I want to change something I will change something.


    ¡®¡¯The Parlements would refuse all the changes you proposed, of course, but then if you try to enforce then I¡¯m certain that they revolt and as Parlements are made out of Nobles that won¡¯t end well for you or for everyone else, your reign would be over and some other king would be put on the throne and then Nobles would demand that King to surrendered all of the power he had and give it to Parlements, turning us to dreaded England,  but with King only serving as a decoration. I agree, your Highness, with the idea of changing how the Parlements work, but we can¡¯t risk it, we are already treading on a thin line as it is.¡¯¡¯


    Terray now spoken, his voice was so calm, every word that came from his mouth was so refined, almost perfect as if I was listening to a lecture from a priest.


    To say I wasn¡¯t frustrated would be a lie, I was quite angry actually, I was asked without any warning about a topic I had no information on, at least they could cut me some slack¡­


    ¡®¡¯I have to agree with my colleagues, but what if your plan went through and you managed to subdue The Parlements, how would you change the nobles who were on those Parlements, because they won¡¯t be sitting by and letting us to further limit their power, but they are needed as they are a vital part of the government?¡¯¡¯


    Duc d''Aiguillon asked me.


    He was asking how would I handle the question of manpower.


    Hmm¡­


    Of course, you would try to remove those unloyal to you and yes that would mean we would be sort on bureaucrats if I even can call them that, but I don¡¯t think that that would cause too much of a problem, because old sooner or later is changed by the new.


    ¡®¡¯Well if we reduce the power of the Parlements then it means we need fewer people there and then we could do what Holy Roman Emperors did till Henry IV and just give the positions to people loyal to us, or dare I say sell them to a higher bitter, though I would prefer giving it to loyal subjects, especially the younger generations as there are more easily manipulated.¡¯¡¯


    I finished my little talk.


    I think it is quite solid, that¡¯s how Holy Roman Emperors managed to gather more power under their hands and as we aren¡¯t going to church, we won¡¯t be doing anything to incur the disfavor of the Pope so we should be pretty ok in that regard.


    ¡®¡¯Your quite right in that regard, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    Moupeou said definitely pleased with my answer


    Then a servant came and bowed down to us.


    ¡®¡¯I¡¯m sorry for interrupting, my Lords, but his Majesty Louis XV of France demands the presence of his Highness Louis-Auguste the Dauphin of France.¡¯¡¯


    The servant said with all the bravado it could muster.


    I then excused myself and beckoned the servant to lead the way.


    I wonder what does the King need of me¡­


    Gouverneur des Enfants de France


    I watched the Prince leave, I watched his every step as he followed the servant.


    He did good, in the face of the three most powerful people he held himself well, I couldn¡¯t be any prouder.


    ¡®¡¯You thought him well, Paul.¡¯¡¯


    I turned to the other three gentlemen and saw Moupeou speaking.


    ¡®¡¯Yes, he is quite smart his age, lacking experience yes, but has a good head on his shoulders.¡¯¡¯


    Terray seconded.


    ¡®¡¯Honestly, the changes happened a couple of weeks ago, when suddenly he just became like a different person.¡¯¡¯


    I voiced my thoughts.


    ¡®¡¯Different how so?¡¯¡¯


    Duc d¡¯Aiguillion asked me.


    ¡®¡¯Well at first he was rather scared of me, he would skip the lessons instead of going playing with his brothers or doing God knows what, but now he carries himself differently, he listens to my every word during lessons, even asks questions if he doesn¡¯t understand something. It is like¡­ he¡¯s a totally different person right now.¡¯¡¯


    I was being truthful, something changed in the prince and I like to think it¡¯s just for the better.


    ¡®¡¯Interesting. Either way with a king like him, France has a future and it¡¯s on us the old men to clear the way for the young.¡¯¡¯


    Moupeou said as he grabbed a drink.


    ¡®¡¯I only wished I had more time with him, but in a couple of days my task will be over.¡¯¡¯


    I said.


    I truly wish to teach the prince some more, but alas fate isn¡¯t always that kind, I just hope that he will not forget our lessons.


    ¡®¡¯Yes. I still don¡¯t agree with the arrangement done by ¨¦tienne-Fran?ois, but what is done is done, we can¡¯t go on our word like that. I just hope we won¡¯t see any Austrians in our court or return of ¨¦tienne-Fran?ois any time soon.¡¯¡¯


    Moupeou said.


    Yes, this arrangement cost France a lot, we went into a lot of wars and even got thrown into the Seven Years War in which we lost colonies in America.


    ¡®¡¯Let¡¯s just hope for a good wife for our future King.¡¯¡¯


    Duc d¡¯Aigullion gave small lough as everyone agreed.


    A good King needs a good Queen, let¡¯s just hope she doesn¡¯t lead him astray¡­


    A/N: Chapter done. Well, I will keep it short.


    I was super-duper busy with managing time between school, work, social life, and gacha games, so that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t update the story.


    Now sad news: 1. Exams coming up so don¡¯t expect an update anytime soon, at least until the end of June.


    <ol start="2">


    <li> I already have a plan to this story until start of Napoleonic wars(Which won¡¯t be called that in this fic and you will see why in the future), but I¡¯m struggling with thinking what to do with the gap between the arranged marriage and coronation of Louis XVI, as in that gap of 4 years nothing happens except a couple of events worth mentioning but further else nothing, so I¡¯m still doing some brainstorming on this one so if you have ideas feel free to leave them here or on the DC server: https://discord.gg/zyvJwMM</a></li>


    </ol>


    Don¡¯t be a stinky revolutionary join our DC server now: https://discord.gg/zyvJwMM</a>

 The fated meeting

    And here I was reading AUTHOR NOTES like a good reader that I am because they have a lot of information in them regarding fics. So I highly recommend for everyone to read author notes for everyone.


    The actual start of the chapter


    I followed the servant who was currently leading me to the King.


    While I was walking I wondered why would the King call me all of a sudden? The only possible solution I worked up is that he needs to introduce me to someone, but who would be this important?


    Definitely not some noble or The Triumvirate as I just met them, so who else could it be?


    Maybe a member of a cabinet like Louis Francois de Monteynard, Secretary of State for War or Pierre-Etienne Bourgeois de Boynes, Secretary of State for the Navy? While it was a possibility I had to rule them out as they weren¡¯t so important for them to demand the presence of a King and a Prince.


    In the end, we will just have to wait and see what will come from this.


    ¡®¡¯Presenting his royal Highness, The Dauphin of France Louis-Auguste.¡¯¡¯


    Speak of the devil and he will come, we are here with the servant I fallowed presenting me to the king which gave a nod and gestured me to come closer.


    He then called for the servant to get the guest and then everything clicked.


    I heard only whispers, but apparently, we will have some foreigners visiting us and obviously it wasn¡¯t good news at least for me because I had a rough idea of what will come next.


    ¡®¡¯Straighten yourself, hold your head high and don¡¯t speak anything stupid.¡¯¡¯


    The King said and I did so as was required of me.


    In times like these Duc de La Vauguyon lessons really helped, as I wasn¡¯t used to this spectacle as the former host of this body so I had everything drilled into me by my teacher, honestly it was amazing how he managed to teach me so much in so little time, maybe when I will become King I will give him a big dukedom to rule, well we will see later as now I can see the guests coming.


    My jaw dropped when I saw the servant guiding a group of people, but the one who stands out was her, a teenage girl who was wearing a light blue dress, she was delicately beautiful, with gray-blue eyes and ash-blonde hair and white skin, she already had signs of developing in the right areas, I even had to gulp down some saliva down my throat when I began to think what would she would look like when she would be an adult, she will definitely be a force to be reckon with.


    I then heard the servant started rambling something probably trying to introduce us, but I don¡¯t care for some unnamed unimportant episodic character, my attention was solely on her and her bewitching beauty.


    I will admit that I never believed in Shakespeare¡¯s Romeo¡¯s and Juliet¡¯s love at first, because you can only be attracted to the beauty of the person at first sight but, his exterior, but not his inside, his soul. But now I¡¯m willing to believe that such a thing truly exist or I was put under a spell by otherworldly beauty in front of me.


    I then saw her eyes land on me, those grey-blue orbs staring at me.


    Then she blushed and quickly turned her gaze away.


    C-Cute!


    ¡®¡¯My lady¡¯¡¯


    The servant said as he bowed to the girl and she nodded.


    I saw her take a deep breath of air before she moved a couple of steps¡­towards me?!


    ¡®¡¯My name is Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, but you may call me Marie Antoinette, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty and your Highness¡¯¡¯


    The beautiful girl introduced herself as she did a curtsy.


    Her voice was smooth like a gentle wave slowly and calmly rocking everyone caught by it.


    ¡®¡¯M-Yes, my name is Louis-Auguste the Dauphin of France, it¡¯s my pleasure to meet you, my lady.¡¯¡¯


    I quickly said and bowed in gentlemanly fashion, just like the manners demand of me.


    Then awkward silence fell on us with nobody talking that went on for a couple of seconds until the King opened his mouth.


    ¡®¡¯Now that you introduced yourselves to each other make me introduce you once again, Louis-Auguste meet Marie Antoinette, your future wife!¡¯¡¯


    The King said happily.


    I kind of understand him because by marrying me to Marie he secured an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire and Austria at the same time.


    ¡®¡¯I understand, it¡¯s truly a pleasure to meet such a beautiful lady that will become my wife.¡¯¡¯


    I said while looking her right into those mesmerizing orbs of her.


    ¡®¡¯L-Likewise, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    Even if what I said was cheesy she still replied with a blush on her while the women behind her just snickered silently, further embarrassing Marie.


    ¡®¡¯Hmm, so you are good for at least something, your wedding will be held in two days, meanwhile don¡¯t embarrass yourself.¡¯¡¯


    The king said and my mind froze.


    ¡®¡¯Excuse me your Majesty, but did you say the wedding will be held in two days?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯I don¡¯t know why are you surprised so much, you are technically already married, your wedding was held at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, with her brother Archduke Ferdinand acting as your proxy. But that was a marriage for Austrian people, but this one will be for the people of France and the world to see how France and Austria join hands.¡¯¡¯


    The King replied to me.


    Wow¡­ just WOW.


    Now I know why the original Louis XVI took so long to consume their marriage, this just so sudden even to me and I knew that this will happen.  I just met her here and then I learned she was my fianc¨¦e, wait let me correct myself, that we are already married without me even being there.


    I don¡¯t even know her and now I got to marry her in two days. That¡¯s just asking for the impossible.


    But I¡¯m not the original Louis XVI, I will see this through the end, plus he maybe hit his head or he was gay if he didn¡¯t make any moves on Marie, she was actually beautiful and not some witch with a crooked nose.


    ¡®¡¯Well, either way, I have things to do, so you two talk to each other, get to know each other because you will be spending the future days together.¡¯¡¯


    Said the King and he left us.


    I turned to her and looked to her as she looked to me and silence between us.


    I hate to admit, but I wasn¡¯t that romantic or active type, plus I maybe became rusty in this field over the time of inactivity.


    I see no other way, but to test it now to see if I still got this.


    Steeling my resolve I cleared my throat.


    ¡®¡¯Could I ask for a dance, my lady?¡¯¡¯


    I said as I extend my own arm to her.


    ¡®¡¯It would be my pleasure, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    (A/N: If the photo isn''t shown please go to my DC or follow the link https://imgur.com/gallery/swetyLc</a>)


    She said as she placed her own hand in mine.


    Her skin was really smooth; it was nice feeling holding her like this.


    Then as much as I wanted to stay like this I led deeper towards the ballroom where a couple of people were seen dancing.


    Then I nudged a servant.


    ¡®¡¯Instruct the musicians to play something precisely for a waltz.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯It will be done, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    And with that, he left while I let Marie to the dance floor.


    ¡®¡¯Do you know how to waltz, my lady?¡¯¡¯


    I asked her and she nodded.


    Then I took her left arm into my right hand, while my right hand found her lower back and her left one was on my right shoulder, then I brought her a bit closer to me. I was a bit taller than her, but if I had to say it would be around 5 centimeters.


    With the change in music, we started our dance.


    Waltz was the only dance I knew as it was the only dance you would need for your entire life. So I learned it in my old world and then I re-learned it here under the watchful eyes of Duc de La Vauguyon.


    But even my two lifetimes weren''t matched for Marie, her pose was strait, her moves were elegant and precise like a surgeon¡¯s knife. I had a hard time trying to match her; at one time I was so concentrated into matching her and not messing up that I didn¡¯t hear the music as I was immersed in the dance.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    We danced to the rhythm of the tune and end it ended I heard clapping aimed at us.


    I looked around all the people clapping.  When they even managed to make a circle around us?


    I then eyed Marie who was enjoying the attention, with a smile on her lips and a curtsy to the applause. Then I led her away from the dance floor.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you, Your Highness, it was really fun!¡¯¡¯


    She said happily with a small blush on her face.


    ¡®¡¯The opinion is mutual, my Lady.¡¯¡¯


    Never again, never ever have I danced so hard like this in my life. I even managed to sweat while I was dancing; no way am I doing it for a while. Seeing her smile helped my fatigue, but no way will I be repeating that.


    I quickly made a servant fetch me something to drink as I was thirsty after all that dancing.


    I and Marie managed to make our way through the crowd and sat at one of the corners of the ballroom.


    We stayed silent even when the servant returned; instead, we looked at the chattering and movement of the ball. Our silence was well justified and understandable, as we just met each other and now we are to be husband and wife. We don¡¯t even know what other likes, what he/she dislikes; do they have any interesting hobbies? How to start a conversation? What topic should be talked about?  How should we go about these topics?


    This was reality and some game where you can just click on one of the scripted options and think that everything will be alright and if not you can just start over again without any repercussions. Sadly, this wasn¡¯t a game and a word was like a bird, once you let it go you can¡¯t catch it and act as nothing happened. Words have power, they don¡¯t say that to handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs just for fun. By the words that you speak other people judge you.


    So both of us adopted silence as we don¡¯t want to damage our first impressions and potentially ruin our non-existing relationship, but sitting in silence and without knowing each other would do us more bad than good, we are to be wed you know, we can¡¯t just stay silent.


    So I opted to talk about the safest topic: Homeland.


    ¡®¡¯So how is Austria?¡¯¡¯


    Good going stupid, couldn¡¯t have started a conversation more diplomatically and gently?


    ¡®¡¯Oh¡­ It¡¯s quite beautiful especially our capital Vienna, the people where friendly and I had a lot of friends¡­¡¯¡¯


    She continued with a sad tone.


    ¡®¡¯It was hard, wasn¡¯t it? I mean leaving everything behind without warning going there where you didn¡¯t expect to go and doing things that you don¡¯t want to do¡­ Just because someone wished it to be so.¡¯¡¯


    I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m comforting her or am I just wending myself out. I could sympathize with her, in just a span of a day my life turned around. Here I was in the past and in a different body doing things that I never thought I would do without loved ones or friends, all alone there where I didn¡¯t want to be¡­


    I wonder what happened to my original body, was Louis XVI living in it? Or was I dead in m world? What about my friends, how are they?


    These are just fruitless musing right now, I wish it or not, now this was my reality.


    ¡®¡¯It is still hard to come to terms with everything, but I¡¯m doing what is expected of me by my beloved mother, plus she made sure that we would keep in contact with the help of letters.¡¯¡¯


    She said with a small smile on her face and now came my second question.


    ¡®¡¯How is your relationship with your family, your mother, father, brothers, and sisters if you have any.¡¯¡¯


    She thought for a bit, probably going over every family member of her and thinking about their relationship.


    ¡®¡¯I love my mother dearly and I respect her a lot, she is a good mother, trying always to be with us when possible, teaching and singing, she always concerned about our wellbeing and she is a wise ruler, she is the reason why Austria is great as it is, as for my father who is in the heavens above. He had a good sense and brilliant business capacity, but he was a bad father and husband, he had many affairs and didn¡¯t pay attention to me or my siblings.¡¯¡¯


    So basically the same as with my ¡®¡¯grandfather¡¯¡¯ Louis XV, he didn¡¯t give a shit about anything else, but at least her father did his job because I personally believe that The Triumvirate is ruling instead of The King.


    ¡®¡¯Sorry for your loss.¡¯¡¯


    I said quietly and she just shook her head.


    ¡®¡¯I wasn¡¯t that affected as my mother, she was devastated and abandoned all ornamentation, had her hair cut short, painted her rooms black and dressed in mourning. She completely withdrew from court life, public events, and theater. She spent the whole of August and the eighteenth of each month alone in her chamber; I think it negatively affects her mental health. But now she is participating in politics, not as much, but enough. Though I heard she clashes with my oldest brother Joseph frequently, he even started to avoid her.¡¯¡¯


    She then again and went sad.


    Well, I think they just think differently her mother and her brother or that Joseph wants the throne because if I remember right her brother is co-ruler with her mother.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t worry, people always fight as everyone has different opinions on matters and I don¡¯t think that your brother will stay mad for long as who could even stay mad at such a good mother.¡¯¡¯


    I said with a smile and see her smile in return.


    ¡®¡¯I hope you are right. As for my other siblings well the eldest Maria Anna is smart and caring, she even acted as a sponsor at the christening of me. Then we have the second eldest and now Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria Joseph II he is well learned in politics and as mentioned he often clashes with mother and he is a bit of a hothead that does things first and things later. Then there is Maria Christina the third child, but I didn¡¯t really interact with her and she is now married and hold the title of Duchess of Teschen. Then we have the fourth Liesel, oh sorry that is what we call her real name is Maria Elisabeth, she is really beautiful, but then she fell ill with smallpox which ruined her beauty,  but she still that cheerful and outgoing self. Maria Amalia comes next, she is another beauty and married last year to a Duke of Parma, and she wasn¡¯t happy by it and now she hates mother for making her do this, with her I have a good relationship and I enjoyed her company, she is an excellent painter and very dutiful and representative. Then another brother of mine Leopold who is now Grand Duke of Tuscany is a very sensible man if not a bit boring. His habits were simple to the verge of sordidness, though he could display splendour on occasion. I didn¡¯t really interact with him that much, but I think we are ok. Then we have another sister of mine Maria Carolina, but we call her Charlotte, she is a copy of our mother, I love Charlotte dearly, we grow up together, we were so close that even if one of us sought an illness the other did too, but because of something that we did we were separated, but we still kept in touch and now she is married to Ferdinand IV of Naples. She really reacted badly to the marriage crying, entreating and saying that Neapolitan marriages were unlucky. She even wrote to me that her husband is really ugly and that she loves him only out of duty.¡¯¡¯


    She snickered slightly at the mention of her favorite sister.


    Marie was a really social butterfly type girl I see, so many siblings and she knew all of them and even had good relations with them, I can¡¯t even say that to myself and I have like four siblings which were all younger than me.


    ¡®¡¯So what about me, do you think me as ugly?¡¯¡¯


    I asked an innocent question. I really wanted to know as I think of myself as good looking and I wouldn¡¯t get the truth out of servants as they are afraid to lose their lives if they insult me, so I really wondered how do I look from an outside perspective.


    I could see her taken back by that question and she started to observe me.


    ¡®¡¯I-I think you look good, your Highness¡¯¡¯


    She said with a blush and now my ego was stroked, but I myself started blushing like a love-struck teenage girl. It was really embarrassing asking such a cheesy question and having equally cheesy reply fro a beautiful girl.


    ¡®¡¯S-So what about the other sibling or are you the last?¡¯¡¯


    I coughed and then returned our dialogue right back on track.


    ¡®¡¯Oh no, I still have two brothers, my elder brother Ferdinand Karl, he is to marry Duchess of Massa, I can¡¯t say much about him as he is the only one sibling that I didn¡¯t interact with, but I heard that he had good management skills and had a good head. And the youngest of us is Maximillian Francis is real energy ball he is deeply interested in sword fighting and music, and he really likes when I sing for him.¡¯¡¯


    I wanted to make a joke somewhere down the line that her father works fast as he produced so many children, but then again protection wasn¡¯t really a thing in this world and with the high mortality rates of children I guess it¡¯s only natural to make a lot of them.


    ¡®¡¯What about you, your Highness, how is your relationship with your family?¡¯¡¯


    That was an unexpected question from the innocent-looking my soon wife-to-be¡­ I don¡¯t know how should I answer it, from my own thoughts or the memories of Louis XVI? I just simply don¡¯t know how to answer it as I really haven¡¯t got to know them, well my siblings at least, because the King is a lost cause.


    But really what kind of relationship I had with these people? Well, a bad one with a King and I guess ok one with my siblings.


    ¡®¡¯I don¡¯t really get along with the King, but I have a close relationship with my two younger brothers Louis Stanislas Xavier and Charles Philippe, we enjoy playing rough games, while I have a more distant, but still close relationship with my sisters Elisabeth and Clotilde who I enjoy having small gatherings at the gardens from time to time.¡¯¡¯


    I replied, with a half-lie, Louis was kind of close to his siblings, but not me.


    ¡®¡¯So you don¡¯t have a good relationship with your family.¡¯¡¯


    She said and I was a bit shocked by that, just how did you see through me?


    ¡®¡¯I guess you are right¡­¡¯¡¯


    I acknowledged, even if I tried to get closer to them, but still, they were unknown people to me, who I just met not so long ago. Louis XVI was friendly with his siblings, but I wasn¡¯t, even if I acted and did things that Louis XVI it¡¯s still not the same, no matter how good of an actor you where it¡¯s just impossible to recreate the same feeling and warmth that friendships and love makes, even if I convince myself that everything is alright, nothing really was and that was evident between my interaction with my new family, it was all an act, but maybe with time I can learn and love them.


    ¡®¡¯But how did you known about my relationship with my family?¡¯¡¯


    I asked her and she giggled a bit.


    ¡®¡¯Well, first that unlike like me you talked really short and you didn¡¯t hold that much warmth in your words.¡¯¡¯


    Well, she did me good and all I can do is a nod to her words.


    Latter we talked some more apparently she was a really good musician. She learned to play the harp, the harpsichord, and the flute. She even sang during the family''s evening gatherings, as she had a beautiful voice which was true, even when she talked with me her voice was really gentle almost mesmerizing. She also excelled at dancing, had "exquisite" poise, which I learned firsthand when she and I danced and apparently she loved dolls, well I already know what to get her for her birthday, maybe even I should make a giant plushy for her.


    She then asked about me and I just replied simply that I loved books and riding. I just couldn¡¯t say that I enjoyed PC games or watching TV as these things didn¡¯t exist here, so only source of entertainment was books or opera, which for whatever reason I still didn¡¯t go to and riding was more of my new life interests as I in my original life hadn¡¯t an opportunity to ride a horse, so I¡¯m taking full advantage of having my own horse, it wasn¡¯t as comfortable as driving a car, because your buttocks can start to hurt after some time of riding, but it was a really interesting and unique experience nonetheless and I started to enjoy it.


    And so the ball went on, I talked with Marie and then she hinted me that I should invite her for another dance, as it¡¯s against the manners for a woman to invade a man for a dance, the man instead should invite a woman for a dance. Never again. And so I acted like a dumb and dense person who couldn¡¯t even understand hints that were so obvious that you could see them from space.


    Well, she pouted cutely at that and excused herself to find her servants, while I started to walk around and do what I wanted to at first that is meeting nobles and making connections.


    It didn¡¯t go as well as I expected, because most of them just were bootlickers who tried to get into my good graces or others who just tried to manipulate me in broad daylight. Jesus, what is wrong with these people?


    After that failure, I went to find some other members of the cabinets like Louis Francois de Monteynard, Secretary of State for War or Pierre-Etienne Bourgeois de Boynes, Secretary of State for the Navy, but for my rotten luck, the Secretary of State for War was sick and couldn¡¯t attend while Secretary of State for the Navy was in the Northern parts of France on some business regarding the Royal Fleet. Well, I could just meet them later I suppose.


    So with my spirits low because of the failed objectives I went to find Marie and asked for a dance¡­ which she happily accepted then after a couple of dreaded dances, I even managed to step on her foot, for which I apologized for a lot and her giggling and smiles just further embarrassment me. Then we talked some more


    A/N: Well in one all-nighter I managed to write this. It probably will be boring for most of you, but for me, it was really interesting to write. Now all I can say is that exams are coming and part-time work with my other activities just takes a lot of my time so none is left for writing, but in Summer when all exams will be over I will write more.


    Second, I thought about making a Patreon and before you go banana¡¯s thinking that I will money lock this fic like 90% of writers, well you are wrong, this will be so I can get more art into this fic because my meager budget can¡¯t hold it. Ofc Patreons will get some benefits like writing ahead or something, but don¡¯t worry it won¡¯t affect the uploads of this fic. Patreon and maybe PayPal(For one time donations) will be solely used for the betterment of this fic.


    Well, that¡¯s all for me. As always leave comments or PM me if you have any question and join Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/zyvJwMM</a>

 Wedding Day

    I thought in my times that marriage was a hassle. Picking a date, then talking with the local priest if he is free that day, then finding a place to feast and party after the marriage, finding who will be your ushers (Groomsmen) and bridesmaids, then inviting guest, then for some guest organizing pickups, then you have to take of yourself, well for men it¡¯s simple just get a good suit and a nice haircut and that¡¯s it, but for women, it¡¯s a lot, and I mean A LOT, complicated.


    And now imagine a royal wedding, not that kind of constitutional monarchy where the royalty holds none or only ceremonial powers, but the wedding where the King is the law, where King is treated as a voice from God after the pope. The sheer political magnitude that the marriages carry is unfathomable. Just one little mishap and that¡¯s it, you are ruined and screwed.


    In my times'' gatherings and marriages were just that, celebrations and gatherings, but Aldric told me that here balls, weddings, or even tea parties were a political battleground where most of the connections were made and deals approved or disapproved.


    So you can imagine what is happening in my and Marie¡¯s marriage, heck after a ball I haven¡¯t seen her that much, because both of us were just pushed left and right in the preparations for the upcoming wedding.


    I was wearing a black suit though it was supposed to be gold, but on my request, it was changed to black. On my chest, countless medals stood proudly with the biggest of them all being the diamond-covered habit of the Order of Holy Spirit, on my back, there was a Royal French cape with Bourbon dynasties symbols on it.


    Currently, it was 1 pm May 16th, 1770, I was currently waiting for my soon-wife-to-be Marie Antoinette in the Council Room, the chamber is decorated with fine woodwork crafted by Antoine Rousseau and the walls were based on drawings by Ange-Jacques Gabriel. The elaborate motifs illustrate subjects addressed by the king during council meetings, such as war and justice. The d¨¦cor also includes a Rococo-style clock on the right side of the wall, a bust of Alexander the Great in porphyry(a hard igneous rock) on the left side of the entrance, and two vases of Mars and Minerva in Sevres porcelain and chased bronze by Pierre-Philippe Thomire. The room was also used for official presentations, which were a necessary rite for admission to the Court.


    And I wasn¡¯t alone with me where The King of France Louis XV wearing a red suit, with a bunch of medals of all kind plastered on the left side of his chest; he was taping his foot slowly and with a certain rhythm. Next to him, on his right stood a really fat man, with a grey wig on his head, he wore more darker red clothes than the King and he had red cheeks and a double chin, this man was, as I later learned, Louis Philippe d¡¯Orleans, my cousin to make it clearer and he was the head of a cadet branch of the House Bourbon, and he was called The First Prince of the Blood, but that nickname wasn¡¯t just there to look cool it actually symbolized that if every member of House Bourbon would¡­let¡¯s say disappear, then his family would take the throne for themselves as he can trace his roots to Philippe I, the younger son of Luis XIII and younger brother of Louis XIV, or better known as the Sun King.


    To say that I wasn¡¯t suspicious of him at all would be a lie. Maybe it¡¯s my paranoia talking, but I just can¡¯t trust him knowing that if my family would die he would take the throne, but maybe he doesn¡¯t want the throne as a hot chair as it is right now and will be even hotter, not in the good kind, in the future.  I even searched the memories of this body about Louis Phillipe, but all I got that he spent a lot of time in Paris and had a knack for business as he greatly augmented the already huge wealth of the House Orleans. As a saying goes we just have to wait and see¡­


    Soon the door to the Council Room opened and came through them my beautiful wife wearing a silvery dress with gold ornaments on it and a silver cape trailing her behind her back, her ash-blonde hair was done in a simple braid originating at the neck and going up the back of the head and locks around the forehead, she wore some light make up on her face.


    She did a curtsy and went next to me and gave me her hand which I took immediately and then we went out of the Council Room fallowed by the King and the First Prince of the Blood.


    We crossed the crowded State Apartaments then we went outside and went towards Royal Chapel.


    The Royal Chapel was white, it had large glass windows and buttresses that were inspired by Gothic architecture. On the roof you could see countless statues of women, men both warriors and saints and some mythological creatures and the roof of the Chapel was of a light blue colour.


    But the surprise awaited me inside as a couple of servants opened the massive door to the Chapel, it was the two-floor layout and I can already see the gathered nobles, on the sealing, there was a lot of paintings on them, but the biggest one were in the middle of the sealing they were clearly dedicated to the Holy Trinity: In the center, one could clearly see a painting of God in all of his glory surrounded by people praying to him, in the apse, there was the scene of the resurrection of Jesus the son of god and him being taken to heaven, and above the Royal tribune one can see the painting of the holy spirit, with the white bird and golden aura surrounding it. Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit the Holy Trinity was certainly an eye-catcher.


    Next was the altar which was at the back as in any other Church or Chapel it was covered in gold and behind it, you can see the golden statues of angels, we went in the Chapel and walked straight to the altar ignoring the gazes of many nobles gathered here, then we knelt before the altar on which a man waited for us, a priest which I later learned was Archbishop of Reims by the name Charles Antoine de La Roche-Aymon.


    His mitre¡®s lower part was colored in gold while the rest was white, then he had a Chasuble with golden ornaments, silver Pectrola cross, and a white alb and a white pallium, while in his hand was a golden Crozier. He looked like any other priest I saw wearing white, the only difference was that he had some gold on him to make him stand out more, maybe to show that he has a higher rank than that of a regular clergyman


    With a gentle smile on his face, he started the ceremony by congratulating all present that will witness this unity in the eye of God; it wasn¡¯t that different from the marriages in the future. After a couple of prayers came and went a servant presented the wedding rings the archbishop looked at me.


    ¡®¡¯Louis-Auguste de France, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together according to God¡¯s law in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?¡¯¡¯


    He asked me.


    ¡®¡¯I will.¡¯¡¯


    Nodding to me he turned to Marie.


    ¡®¡¯Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together according to God''s law in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?¡®¡®


    ¡®¡¯I will.¡¯¡¯


    She answered and I felt like a heavy load was taken from my shoulders as I smiled at her and she responded in kind.


    Then I take her right hand and repeat after the Archbishop


    ¡®¡¯I, Louis-Auguste de France, take thee, Maria Antoina Josepha Johanna to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God''s holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.¡¯¡¯


    Then we loose hands as Marie takes me by my right hand and repeats.


    ¡®¡¯I, Maria Antoina Josepha Johanna, take thee, Louis-Auguste de France, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God¡¯s holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.¡¯¡¯


    We loose hand once again as the Archbishop proceeds to bless the ring that was on a small red pillow in servant''s hands.


    ¡®¡¯Bless, O Lord, this ring, and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it may remain faithful to each other, and abide in thy peace and favour, and live together in love until their lives'' end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.¡®¡®


    I then take the ring from the servant and turned to Marie as I gently lift her hand and place the ring on her delicate fourth finger and then once again repeat after the Archbishop.


    ¡®¡¯With this ring, I thee wed; with my body I thee honour; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.¡®¡®


    ¡®¡¯Let us pray.¡¯¡¯


    The Archbishop says and I and Marie go back to kneeling before the golden altar as congregation remains standing.


    ¡®¡¯O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind, the giver of all spiritual grace, the author of everlasting life: send thy blessing upon these thy servants, this man, and this woman, whom we bless in thy name; that, living faithfully together, they may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made, whereof this ring was given and received is a token and pledge; and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.¡®¡®


    Then we stood up and the Archbishop joins our right hands together and says.


    ¡®¡¯Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.¡¯¡¯


    Then he turns his attention to the congregation.


    ¡®¡¯Forasmuch as Louis-Auguste and Maria have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands; I pronounce that they be man and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.¡®¡®


    Later he turns to us.


    ¡®¡¯God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favour look upon you; and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.¡®¡®


    And with that, we were officially husband and wife and she received a title Dauphine of France.


    After the ceremony the signing of the registers took place. Then we attended the ambassador¡¯s reception before going to the Hall of Mirrors which was lit up for the occasion.


    The Hall of Mirrors was a very lavish room the statues even the ornaments were made from gold, giving this room a very over the top luxurious feeling, with about 30 painted compositions of Louis XIV the Sun King which depict his history during the years of his reign on the vaulted ceiling. Military and diplomatic victories and reforms with a view to reorganizing the kingdom are illustrated through allegories from Antiquity. Economic prosperity is revealed in the number and size of the 357 mirrors bedecking the 17 arches opposite the windows, demonstrating that the new French manufacture could rival the Venetian monopoly on mirror manufacturing. This room was solely made to show the political, economic, and artistic success of France.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    In the 73meters(approx. 239.5feet) long room we, the royal family and Maria, and the gathered guest played some games, danced and talked, we danced into the evening and storm came which sadly canceled the planned firework show that I was quite waiting for it as I wanted to see how the fireworks looked in the 18th century.


    Well, no matter, I think I will have plenty of time to see some fireworks, after all, I¡®m Prince and the heir to the throne.


    The wedding day ended with a sumptuous feast served in the new Royal Opera House which was inaugurated and tried today.


    The Royal Opera House design was one of perfect elegance and harmony. It had lavish ¡°permanent¡± decoration with movable features and allowed spectators to be seated in boxes on different levels, the decorum was really colourful with emerald green, blue and silver being the predominant colours and as every room in Versailles, it had a lot of statues and painting showing mythological beings, famous French people and Saints.


    At first, I was surprised, because it looks just like a big expensive looking ballroom, then I asked why it is that a building named Royal Opera House looks like a ballroom and so I was redirected to a man called Blaise-Henri Arnoult, First Theatre Technician to the King.


    When I talked to the man he was really enthusiastic saying that this is his truest masterpiece as he was responsible for installing the mechanics and everything relating to the stage, and he produced a true masterpiece. The specifications called for the space to be capable of being used for multiple purposes, including as a theatre hall, ballroom, and a hall for feasts. Using a complex system of movable floors on winches and hoists, Arnoult succeeded in creating an adjustable hall that was built to last. Although it took nearly two days of work to transform the location, it was no longer necessary to constantly build new decoration and machinery each time: everything could be reused as needed.


    I was quite amazed that he managed to pull that off as I thought that most of the technologies here were pretty primitive and things like these were just a fairy tale in these times, I was glad that I had an opportunity to open my eyes sooner than later.


    As for the man responsible for this complex machinery, I already had countless off plans in my mind just for him and what he could do for me with a good financial backing, a good team of experts behind him, and with unlimited freedom¡­


    Already all the things I could do with a man like Blaise-Henri Arnoult, it makes me tingle with the hope that he can create some of the wonders from my time that would be invaluable for me.


    ¡®¡¯You seem happy.¡¯¡¯


    My wife Marie Antoinette said as we sat down at the rectangular and white table and red chairs.


    We were on the second floor right and in the middle of the Royal Opera House, behind us hanged a giant red cloth with golden symbols of fleurs-de-lis(French monarchy symbol) around us countless of people sat below and around us, but they had white round tables and dark green chairs.


    Madame du Barry, me and Marie sat at the Kings right in that order with du barry being closest to him, while on his left sat Louis Philippe d¡¯Orleans followed by my brothers and the sisters.


    ¡®¡¯Of course, I¡¯m happy with marrying such a beautiful girl like you!¡¯¡¯


    I said with a smile to her and I could see her getting hotter as she looked down at the embarrassment.


    Well, I was glad that the wedding sort of ended, but I¡¯m more happy to know that I have a man like Blaise-Henri Arnoult around, after the wedding, I will get my hands on him, I just need to have a man like him under my command and I will need to work fast to seize him before anyone else realizes what a treasure that man is and no I¡¯m not turning gay for him even if he has that defined jawline, those broad shoulders and shining black hair with brown eyes. As the saying goes I¡¯m not gay, but engineering genius is an engineering genius


    ¡®¡¯I-I¡¯m happy too.¡¯¡¯


    Marie said silently, well she is definitely cute when she gets all flustered I kind of want to tease her even more, but we will have time for later as now its time to feast!


    Servants came and go serving various foods starting from common meats, soups, and salads and later going to a more exotic seafood and the like, then came time for the deserts and servants brought us plates of jelly, mine and Marie¡¯s was red while everyone else¡¯s at the table was yellow.


    I could see Marie looking at the jelly with curiosity in her eyes then she picked up the silver spoon and gave it a few experimental taps and the jelly started moving in the plate. Then something clicked in my wife¡¯s head as she started taping the jelly from one side, then another and then from the top, and the jelly moved in delight as she taped it.


    And it would be out of place, but completely fine by me action if not for her seriousness when she toyed with the jelly, her brows were furrowed, her red lips were set in a straight line and she herself was so concentrated on that jelly-like a mad scientist would concentrate on his newest project. It was quite an amusing sight, so I may or not have laughed in her seriousness and she may or not have heard me as she slowly stopped all of her actions and slowly turned to still serious and all.


    ¡®¡¯I-I¡­¡¯¡¯


    She stammered as our eyes met. She immediately went full red from the embarrassment of getting caught.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t worry, It¡¯s just I found your actions amusing.¡¯¡¯


    I said with a smile on my face at her embarrassment


    ¡®¡¯I¡¯m sorry for such unsightly behavior¡­but I have never seen this kind of desert¡¯¡¯


    She replied.


    ¡®¡¯Oh¡­Really? Well, it¡¯s called jelly and how it¡¯s made¡­Well, I am not so sure. It¡¯s just water mixed with some fruit juice maybe and kept in a cold place for a couple of hours, even more, to give it solid form.¡¯¡¯


    Well, it¡¯s true. I honestly don¡¯t know how the jelly is made here even if I had it here for a couple of times.


    At first, I was just surprised as Marie, well maybe less, to see something I knew from my time here and in my time we just go to the supermarket, buy some bags of jelly and then mix the jelly powder with boiling water, then we put it in a fridge, wait for a couple of hours and here is your jelly, but how it¡¯s made here I have no idea, but it would be interesting to find out.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t you have anything close to jelly at home?¡¯¡¯


    I asked out of mere curiosity.


    ¡®¡¯Hmm¡­No I have never seen anything close to this jelly in Austria.¡¯¡¯


    And then it clicked to me as I remembered one of my history class lessons¡­Globalization is almost non-existent in these times, I clearly remember my teacher saying that before industrialization and even after it an ordinary human could live all of their lives in a mare village or town and never see anything past it. The only exception to this was royalty, clergy, merchants, sailors, and the armies. Of course with better sea routes and the ongoing colonization a mare person has more luck to see the world as a colonizer, but still, the globalization here is far and I mean FAR lower than in my times where you can travel everywhere by air, ground or sea.


    To give you an example, let¡¯s take cold borscht as an example. This soup is believed that it probably originated in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and it consists of beet sour or beet juice blended with sour cream, buttermilk, soured milk, kefir, or yogurt. It is served refrigerated, typically over finely chopped beetroot, cucumbers, radishes, and green onion, together with halves of a hard-boiled egg and sprinkled with fresh dill. Chopped veal, ham, or crawfish tails may be added as well.


    Yet even though Grand Duchy of Lithuania exist here as a part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth I still haven¡®t seen Cold borscht or anything resembling that, which I find strange as my grandmother here was Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczynska who was a Polish princess and daughter of King Stanislaus I of Poland, which sadly I didn¡®t had a chance to met as she died 2 years ago in 1768, but from the memories I have from this body, she was quite generous, pious and a very likable person by family and common folk alike.


    But, yeah things went slowly here than in the future and only way other customs, foods, and other things were introduced through merchants, travelers, foreign marriage and especially via conquest and even then the most liked customs are assimilated by conquerors while others are destroyed over time.


    ¡®¡¯Well as the saying goes, there is the first time for everything, just follow my lead, I assure you that it tastes quite good.¡¯¡¯


    Then I just cut up the jelly into small pieces to make it easier for here as it was her first time eating so I wasn¡¯t sure she could take a big load of jelly into her mouth for her first time (A/N: Legends say that there is a bad sexual joke hidden somewhere here)


    Just as I ate the piece of the jelly I turned to her and saw her already chewing on it.


    ¡°Well, how is it? Is it good?¡¯¡¯


    I asked her. It¡¯s always interesting to hear about food or anything really from the people who try it for the first time.


    ¡®¡¯It¡¯s really good for a dessert, I like it how it turns to almost to liquid into my mouth.¡¯¡¯


    Well, that¡¯s jelly for you my dear Marie it¡¯s especially good in summer because at least I, myself, associate jelly with hot weather and sun.


    ¡®¡¯Oh speaking of deserts I almost forgot¡­¡¯¡¯


    She said and that intrigued me before I could ask her what¡¯s up she stood up and addressed the King.


    ¡®¡¯Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness that you showed me and for this great feast and I wanted to repay you in kind so I bring baked goods from Austria itself.¡¯¡¯


    That had me all intrigued. I wonder what kind of dessert she will introduce as too? Maybe it will be Salzburger Nockerl, maybe the oldest cake in the world the Linzer Torte? Or maybe my personal favorite Cremeschitte? Ohh¡­ the possibilities are endless.


    Marie then gestured to some servants and said something in German and soon they come with various trays.


    Then the servants put the trays in front of us and with a bow they retreated.


    ¡®¡¯This is kipferl it¡¯s made of a layered yeast-leavened dough, the Austrian Royal bakers put some chocolate in it which makes kipferl sweet.¡¯¡¯


    No, no, no this is not kipferl or whatever anybody with some eyes can recognize its identifiable shape of a crescent, well it was more round, but still, it obviously was a croissant the poster boy or food of France. Seriously when you think of France first you thing it is croissant and baguette.


    Seriously what¡¯s next? Will I learn that baguette is not even French?


    I saw the king take a bite out of croiss-kipferl.


    ¡®¡¯Hmm¡­It has quite flaky texture, the chocolate within makes it a perfect pastry.¡¯¡¯


    The King said as he continued munching on.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you for your kind words. What about you Royal Highness?¡±


    Marie asked me, well I suppose a bite won¡¯t do any harm, plus I want to taste it for myself how it tastes.


    So without any further ado, I took a bite, well I can certainly say that it is not fresh, because it¡¯s was a bit hard and the chocolate was kind of solid, well if Marie really took it from Austria so it¡¯s probably a week old, so of course it won¡¯t be fresh, it was still good old croissant, but the taste was a bit better than in my times, maybe it¡¯s because of the lack of any kind of food additives.


    Well, all food that¡¯s handmade and with natural ingredients will be tastier than processed food.


    ¡®¡¯Well if it was fresh I think this croissant would taste better, but it still very good thank you, my lady.¡¯¡¯


    Why was everyone looking at me weirdly? Did I say something weird, I think I didn¡¯t say anything out of blue¡­.


    Croissant!


    Hmm¡­Ups? It kind of slipped out, you know for my whole life it was a croissant and while I compered between this and the ones I have had and it slipped my mind that here it was called something Austrian instead of its proper name.


    ¡®¡¯What? it has this slight crescent shape¡­¡±


    I tried to justify my words.


    ¡®¡¯A croissant¡­Yes, from this day this dish will be known as croissant in France and eventually in the whole world!¡¯¡¯


    The King said with an acknowledging nod.


    Well at least one wrong has been done right and from this day forward kipferl will be known as croissant and who knows, maybe one day it will become the dish that people around the world will associate with France and it¡¯s cuisine? We will need just to live and see.


    Then Marie brought some more delicacies from her homeland like the Linzer Torte that I mentioned earlier. Linzer Torte is a shortcake with a crumbly, buttery pastry shell that is accentuated by lemon juice, cinnamon and almonds it was filled with redcurrant jam, then we had some Apfelstrudel this sweet treat consists of thin layers of dough filled with a flavorful apple filling, according to Marie it¡®s served to the highest society in Austria including the Archduke and Duchess of Austria.


    You could say it was quite a fulfilling dinner...Well, it sounded funnier in my head... Wait! I¡®m in my head!


    Just let¡¯s forget about this as it was time for some other gifts that were given to me and Marie, they included neckless, earrings, some beauty products other things like exotic flowers, vases.


    Then it was time for useless chatter as everybody moving and talking with each other, congratulating us.


    Weirdly I didn¡¯t saw my teacher Duc de La Vauguyon anywhere, I¡¯m sure as my mentor he would have come, even be demanded to come; I wonder where he is¡­


    Either way, everything went smoothly this evening until the King loudly announced.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you all that had gathered today for a historic event that will be forever known in history as the glorious France and Austria who were once enemies now are becoming most trusted allies who will walk shoulder to shoulder in this world from today onward and for years to come, it¡¯s time for this royal pair that brought our two countries together to finally have the bedding ceremony and solidify their union for now and forever¡±


    This was met with clapping from the gathered crowd and a confused face from me.


    I totally forgot about the bedding ceremony¡­


    This was not in the plan¡­


    <h2>A/N: The End. Well hello hello to you too, I missed you soo much! Well, I supposed to release this Chapter like 3weeks ago even more, but my dumb government said: Nope we will have exams because why not, it¡¯s totally safe to be in a crowded classroom for 3hours, plus you will have to wear masks, so everything will be alright. My exams will start on the 23<sup>rd</sup> of June and will end on July 9<sup>th</sup> so please be patient, once the exams will be over I will continue writing.</h2>


    <h2>Honestly, this chapter should have consisted of the wedding day and night, but as I was writing it I thought that I could split it into 2 parts one for day and one for the night so I can tease you guys like a true devil that I am.</h2>


    <h2>And I¡¯m thinking of writing a second story because I talked with a few professional writers and even some people on SH and RR and they told me that having a second story is a great idea as you can have inspiration from one of your works transferred to another and when you have writer''s block on one of your fics you can just write the other story until your muse comes back. And I have a couple of ideas for my second fic and I¡¯m thinking of doing a pool to see which of my ideas you guys and gals would like more to see transferred into a fic, so let me know if you¡¯d be interested in this pool.</h2>


    <h2>Well that¡¯s all from me as always join discord DC:https://discordapp.com/invite/zyvJwMM</a></h2>


    <h2>Thank you for reading!</h2>

 Wedding night

    I completely forgot about the bedding ceremony, it just flew out of my mind¡­


    In modern times when couples get married, they usually spend their first night as a husband and wife embracing each other, while it has just a simple symbolic gesture that two bodies are one and united, but here the bedding ceremony is just as serious as the wedding itself.


    Firstly, the bedding ceremony would start with a priest blessing the bed to ensure the fertility of the couple, exorcise the evil spirits that could prevent it, and proclaiming the honor of the bride¡¯s family by demonstrating her virginity, it was the most important factor as it shows that the bride is pure and her virginity acts like legitimization to the children that would be born from the union. Legitimacy was essential if that child was to be accepted as the rightful heir.


    Next, it acts as an ego booster to the parents who married off their children as showing the sheet or the bride¡¯s gown stained with blood to both families and to the community provided indisputable proof that her father or mother had proper control over his/her household, especially over his/her daughters. His/Her honor as their protector was at stake as he/she handed his/her daughters over to another protector. Though in some cultures the bride is checked beforehand if she has her virginity intact, how it was in France I didn¡¯t know and I didn¡¯t want to ask.


    But it all pales to the fact that most of the time the bedding ceremony is watched by others. This fact just creeps me out as I¡¯m not into exhibitionism and having a 14-year-old as a partner, even if she is treated as an adult here. It just contradicts with the morals that I have from modern times.


    The case was that I wasn¡¯t looking forward to it and I¡¯m definitely not ready, but alas we were already at the door of Marie¡¯s room. With servant quickly opening the door at our arrival I was quickly pushed into the room against my will by a mob of nobles behind me.


    The Archbishop of Reims as already present in the room, saying his last prayers before the brown king size bed with four columns and red curtains, the bed itself had white blanked, pillows and bedsheet.


    ¡®¡¯It is done, your Majesty.¡¯¡¯


    The Bishop said to the king.


    ¡®¡¯Good, then we can start right away.¡¯¡¯


    He said and mentioned for a servant to give him a white cloth while a noblewoman went towards Marie.


    He then picked up the white cloth from the servants and presented it to me, it was a white nightshirt.


    ¡®¡¯Here go change.¡¯¡¯


    He said and I nodded, sadly I was not in a position to object as this isn¡¯t the time where a man has equal rights, freedom of religion, and personal freedom. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but I had to because I¡¯m the heir of France, and Marie¡¯s and mine families honor and reputation were at stake.  I¡¯m pretty sure if I refused I would be immediately be disowned and in a couple of days I would be met with an accident that just so proved to be fatal or I would be exiled if the King would be in a good mood. That was definitely not the way I want to go.


    So with the help of some servants, I quickly undressed my clothes and put on the king''s nightshirt. It was definitely on the larger side as it ended below my knees almost at my shin and the sleeves were quite long too as I had to roll them up. I felt like I was more in a bag than in a nightshirt.


    While I was dressing the King came to me and whispered into my ear.


    ¡°Let me give you a piece of advice when you will do it use your hips it will be more pleasurable this way and it will drive her crazy.¡¯¡¯


    I recoiled a bit. Did he seriously just offer me sex advice?


    ¡®¡¯I will keep that in mind.¡¯¡¯


    Only if you knew¡­ In my time tentacle porn is real with every other fetish impossible that if I told you about them you would faint and go crazy, so I think I know a lot more about sexual intercourse than you do pal.


    ¡®¡¯Good, now go and do something useful.¡¯¡¯


    He said and shoved me towards the bed.


    As I neared the bed I saw Marie standing her hair still in a bun with a white nightgown with red cuffs at the ending of the nightgown.


    Her pale skin was showing and she looked beautiful, then she avoiding my gaze went under the blanket and I followed.


    Next, the Bishop blessed us and wished us well along other people gathered here.


    ¡®¡¯Well then, let¡¯s leave them here and go celebrate this union!¡¯¡¯


    King said and with a round of applause, everyone quickly left leaving me and Marie alone I bed. Thank god that at least they left me alone and didn¡¯t stay to see the act.


    With the doors closing and leaving us alone I had nothing better to do just looked around the room.


    Well, it was definitely the same size as mine, but Marie¡¯s room had more stuff starting with a giant brown wardrobe Infront of us with a mirror in the middle of it, next to my left were three square windows with red curtains and on the same side almost next to the bed stood a table with a mirror and a lot of makeup and small boxes on it coming in every color and size.


    On the right side, there were a lot of cabins with golden engravings and a small table near the bed with a white vase on it which had a couple of flowers two white ones and one red.


    All in all, it was a nice room as expected from royalty not lacking in good craftsmanship items and occasional gold or silver here and there, definitely a fitting room for Marie.


    ¡®¡¯I-I¡¯m ready¡­¡¯¡¯


    Marie said almost in a whisper and I turned to her.


    Her breath was uneven, her eyes were wide.


    I know that I shouldn¡¯t do this, every fiber of my being is against this. I know that we are adults now and I have nothing to say about Marie as she will definitely be a beauty when she matures more, but it¡¯s just revolting to think that my partner in carnal activities is supposed to be a 14-year-old girl.


    I couldn¡¯t help but to laugh as I feel like history is repeating itself. It was a well-known fact that Louis XVI didn¡¯t consume his marriage with Marie Antoinette for 7 years since they exchanged their vows it¡¯s only by the help of Joseph II the Holy Roman Emperor and Marie¡¯s elder brother after he traveled to France incognito that they managed to consume their marriage.


    While this event wasn¡¯t the spark needed to start of the French Revolution as it was more like a barrel full of explosives which were put in the ever-growing pile of explosives that would signal a new age for the French and it clearly showed Louis XVI weak will and indecisiveness as he with Marie was being mocked and even insulted by people, like saying that they are infertile or that Louis had phimosis, they were even some more gruesome whispers in the streets that Marie was cockblocking Louis and going out with other men.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Those whispers were putting a strain on their marriage and The French monarchy as a whole because people started to see that Louis is weak-minded and indecisive so he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring the French to their former glory as people needed a great leader to unite them under one cause and Louis XVI just wasn¡¯t that kind of man.


    This wasn¡¯t a democracy or constitutional monarchy as if one party was weak it could be replaced or in a constitutional monarchy, the parliament could reign in a weak king to prevent him from damaging a country. But France wasn¡¯t anything like that it was a symbol of absolute monarchy as the King was the state so if the King was weak the state was weak as well.


    It¡¯s a fit of irony really as here I was boosting how I will never be like the original Louis XVI that I will spit in the face of fate and change it, that I will tackle everything head-on and will come on top and now look at me being stopped to a halt at the first challenge that I have to face and it¡¯s just the beginning of my journey¡­ I¡¯m really pathetic, aren¡¯t I?


    Deep down I know that it had to be done even if it¡¯s immoral, wrong and goes against everything I knew about right and wrong until this point, but I knew that if I want to continue I had to get rid of these thoughts and drop my ideals from my old self as they won¡¯t do any good here.


    So clearing my head and pushing all thoughts away I slowly got on top of Marie, pushing back the ever surfing thoughts that were keeping me back in the first place, I know that this is wrong, but I knew that it had to be done. Her breath was even more uneven and I could hear her heartbeat loudly as I put my hands at both sides of her bed.


    I looked at her and saw her grey-blue eyes staring back at me with a whole storm of emotions in them. It was to be expected as this is her first time with a man, so she doesn¡¯t know what to expect, will it hurt or not? How will I treat her during the act?


    ¡®¡¯I will do it, okay?¡¯¡¯


    I asked her and waited for her response after her small nod I began moving down tracing her still developing curves, her smooth white skin, and finally, I made it at the end of her white nightgown.


    I slowly lifted it up, purposely making contact with her bare legs with my fingers, slowly going up, and just about I was to reach my destination I heard a voice. It was almost soundless if not for the quiet of the bathroom I definitely would have missed it.


    That sound made me stop entirely what was I doing and I looked up to see Marie facing away from me, I slowly got up again staring directly at her while she kept her eyes shut and her face away from me. Then I gently took her chin and turned her to face me.


    And I now knew what the sound was, it wasn¡¯t a sound of pleasure or anything like that it was the sound of sadness and fear. A single tear could be seen gently rolling down her cheek leaving a trail behind it.


    That single tear rolling down Marie¡¯s cheek managed to crumble my defenses that I set up prior. That single damned tear made me regret my actions and quietly I got off of Marie and returned to my previous place and blankly stared at the ceiling.


    I kind of understand her, after all, we only met somewhat two days ago for THE FIRST TIME and immediately got married, we didn¡¯t know almost anything about each other and now we were expected to have sex, well for me it was not as important as to Marie as this was her first time after all, plus her having to leave her family behind to come here to an unknown land, where she didn¡¯t know anybody apart from her servants that came with her, she probably has more questions than answers as to why or how. Sad it is, I know how it feels to leave everything behind to travel to an unknown world, you feel like you lost everything, and all it waits for you is more questions and uncertainty.


    ¡®¡¯Y-your highness?¡¯¡¯


    Marie asked confused.


    ¡®¡¯Please call me Louis just like I call you Marie.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Okay, Louis, then why?¡¯¡¯


    She asked me.


    ¡°Why I didn¡¯t do it? Well, to be honest, I can relate to you, we don¡¯t know each other that well, after all, we know each other for two days and that is too little time to get a feel of another person, plus you didn¡¯t even have had the time to adapt to France so I thought let¡¯s first get to know each other better, let¡¯s you get properly integrated to French society and who knows maybe our feelings will blossom or maybe they won¡¯t, but I promise to you that I will take care of you and respect you, I will never spite or have a grudge against you. You¡¯re beautiful Marie and I definitely would want to make this work, but first I want to learn about the Marie within not the outer shell of Marie, but the real her within that body, what she likes, dislikes, how she feels about mundane things like the rainy weather or the sun, maybe she likes cooked meat than boiled.¡¯¡¯


    I let all my thoughts out adopting to say the truth about how I feel and think about this situation that we as chess pieces on the board were put by the players regardless of our thoughts and wishes.


    It was sad truth but we now are nothing more than diplomatic tools that were used to create an alliance between two countries. Political marriages were indeed a useful thing for those that aren¡¯t getting married, but for those who were the married ones, it could turn to a living hell as you knew that you had to stay the whole life next to a person that you may not even like, just because somebody said that it is your duty and it will make the respective country better.


    ¡®¡¯But the King and my mother will be angry if we don¡¯t do it, so-¡®¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Ohh you mean the evidence of our act?¡¯¡¯


    She nodded her head and I already have a plan for it.


    ¡®¡¯Do you have anything sharp?¡±


    I asked her and she looked taken back by my weird request.


    ¡®¡¯Yes I think I have, but why do you need it?¡±


    She asked and I completely ignored her question.


    ¡°Great give it to me, it will take just a second.¡¯¡¯


    I replied and after some more persuasion from me, Marie finally gave me a weird looking tool from her desk. It was weird it had a golden handle with ornaments engraved and a red ruby on it and it looked like a knife, but it was small almost like a needle, well at least it was sharp and I took the weird tool in my hands.


    ¡®¡¯What are you going to do?¡±


    With the questions asked I did the most suicidal thing in my all life as I cut my finger, but not deep enough, just enough to draw blood.


    Damn, it stings!


    ¡®¡¯Louis!¡±


    Marie gasped and quickly jumped to my side.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t worry now I didn¡¯t cut deep, just enough to do this¡±


    I said and stained the bedsheets with my blood to look like I have taken Marie¡¯s virginity, hopefully no guards were present at the doors if not then that¡¯s great no one can¡¯t deny that we didn¡¯t do this.


    ¡®¡¯Looks good.¡¯¡¯


    I said and looked at Marie.


    ¡®¡¯Now we have evidence that we did it, so that¡¯s one load off our back and.¡¯¡¯


    I said and smiled to her while she looked at my finger and grabbed my hand pulling me out of the bed and near the desk with the mirror on it, and then she made me sit on the chair while she took a small flask with some salve on it and started rubbing it on the spot I have cut.


    ¡°It may sting¡±


    She said as she started rubbing it gently and with care.


    ¡®¡¯it¡¯s okay, but what is this?¡±


    I asked her interested.


    ¡®¡¯Oh this is something that the royal doctor made me before I left, I used to be quite clumsy and so I got hurt a lot so after some times the doctor was mad at me and thought me how to treat small wounds myself so he could focus on things that really required his attention.¡±


    She said with a smile, probably remembering her home. I know it¡¯s hard Marie for you and for me both as we both left our homes, but at least you can communicate with them and you know that they¡¯re alive unlike me.


    ¡®¡¯There it¡¯s done.¡¯¡¯


    She said as she realized my hand from her tender care, she will definitely be a good mother in the future.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you.¡¯¡¯


    I said to her and we both got up and went to bed.


    This night ended not like it was supposed to, but that was quite alright, I still wasn¡¯t the king so I wasn¡¯t that important, plus I can downplay without getting an heir for about 4years before the trouble will start brewing, I just hope that until that time comes¡­


    ¡®¡¯Louis?¡¯¡¯


    I heard Marie¡¯s voice, but I ignored it as I wanted to fake sleep and play a little trick on her, but what she said next surprised me.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you.¡¯¡¯


    She said quietly and with as many emotions as you could gather in your own voice.


    And with a small smile of my own, I now went to sleep for real, knowing that I made a good decision today and I was glad for how it turned out, now I will just focus on the future and with that, I welcomed the night.


    A/N: Here it is a short chapter and unedited(if you see mistakes be sure to point them out!), but here it is.


    Don''t know what to give as an excuse just that my life is in shambles, this year is one heck of a roller coaster ride, but now everything looks good so far. Btw the beta question is still open as my friend sadly declined as he has too much work now so if one of you wants to beta this fic contact me through PMs or DC.


    As always join DC and ask some questions if you have some.


    DC:https://discordapp.com/invite/zyvJwMM</a>

 All in One

    I was always a light sleeper, even a little sound out of place and I would wake up, that made me kinda a party pooper in parties as no one could play pranks on me because as soon they got close to me I would wake up, my mother would tell me that I even sleep with opened eyes and I joked back that this is because I could see if assassins are coming to kill me. It seems that this habit followed me even here as I woke up from the door opening and servants one after another rushed in with Aldric at the front who was dressed in his black uniform.


    ¡®¡¯Good morning, Your Royal Highnesses, His Majesty the King is waiting for you at the breakfast table.¡¯¡¯


    The one who said was the ever-vigilant butler Aldric his grey hair was neatly combed back and with a smile, he bowed greeting me.


    ¡®¡¯Good morning.¡¯¡¯


    I said to him as I stretched lightly and got out of the bed with servants immediately swarming around me helping me change into something more presentable before meeting the king.


    With all the commotion happening Marie awoken too, her once beautiful hair was now a disheveled mess, she now looked like the famous Albert Einstein.


    ¡®¡¯Good Morning, Marie¡¯¡¯


    I said to her.


    ¡®¡¯Nnn¡­Morning¡¯¡¯


    She replied with a still sleeping voice as she yawned and lazily got up and let the servants to do their thing, she didn¡¯t even bother to move and by the looks of it nearly fallen to sleep again while standing.


    Well, I can safely say that she wasn¡¯t a morning person, but that sleepy look looks really cute on her!


    Soon the servants were done dressing me up and one of them brought a mirror, satisfied with my appearance we waited for Marie as she had to have her hair combed, makeup applied, and corset with clothes put on.


    Finally, ready Aldric escorted us to the dining room.


    Soon we at the double brown wooden door with two Swiss mercenaries (Swiss Guard) standing guard on both sides of the door.


    ¡®¡¯Before we enter, your royal highnesses I would ask you to keep quiet.¡¯¡¯


    Aldric said and confused I asked him why in which he answered with a simple word.


    ¡°Hangover¡±


    Ahh, the bane of all after party days¡­ I see they went all-in on celebrating MY wedding,  it¡¯s not like I¡¯m mad, it¡¯s not like I enjoyed a drink in my time, well whatever let¡¯s just stop with the fake tsundere act and go in see what the Kings wants, eat and leave as I have an appointment with Duc de La Vauguyon later and we will have a council meeting after that around 11 pm and for the first time I¡¯m invited as I officially entered adulthood.


    So with the red coats of the Swiss mercenaries quietly and gently opening the door, we went in the room and I could already see my siblings eating and the King in his red robes sitting at the table seemingly playing with the soup he got under him.


    Let me tell you, he got it bad¡­ He is totally wasted and I could see it by the way he looks with heavy bags under his eyes, his eyes are a bit red and he slightly(really) smells(stinks) of alcohol let¡¯s not forget that he is just drawing circles with his spoon in the soup and he has one of his arms on the table as he uses it for support, which is clear disregard to the table rules and manners, my teacher Duc de La Vauguyon would be disappointed and even mad at this sight if it was me I would be already shouted it and my entire hand would be slapped off the table.


    ¡®¡¯Your Majesty¡¯¡¯


    I and Marie greeted the King and he just nodded without saying much and so we went to sit next to my 4 siblings.


    ¡®¡¯Good morning, please meet Marie, my wife. Marie these are my brothers Charles, Louis, and my sisters Marie Clotilde, and Elisabeth.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Hello, I¡¯m Louis¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Glad to make your acquaintances¡±


    Well as always Louis my younger brother was cheerful and carefree while Charles was too serious.


    ¡®¡¯Nice to meet you.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯H-Hi, are you really are our new sister?¡¯¡¯


    Marie Clotilde simply answered while Elisabeth was being her cute shy self.


    ¡®¡¯I¡¯m glad to meet you and yes from now on I will be your sister.¡¯¡¯


    My wife said with a beautiful smile of her own.


    Then the servants brought us some soup and bread and we began to eat¡­well that would be ideal, but so it happens that my siblings started questioning Marie about everything. How is Austria? Does she have brothers or sisters? What¡¯s her favored color and such, well let them enjoy while they¡¯re still children because later they will enter politics and there won¡¯t be any time enjoying childhood, there will only be bootlickers, snakes, and intrigue.


    So I and Marie changed places so she could sit closer to the siblings of mine, while the King asked, well more like demanded to keep quiet.


    ¡°By the way, did you consume your marriage?¡±


    The King asked while glancing at me still playing with his soup.


    ¡®¡¯Of course¡±


    I answered him with the same face, while I could feel Marie slightly tense up at the question, but by the looks, the king didn¡¯t see or just thought that she is a bit shy.


    The King then glanced at the servant and he nodded confirming my words.


    ¡®¡¯Good, but you now one time wouldn¡¯t be enough, so get to it and produce an heir, we could downplay it for a max 2 years by some lies and cover-ups, but after that, there will be a large scandal you understand?¡±


    The King said sternly. I could see my siblings shifting uncomfortably, probably that they already know that their fate is the same, to produce an heir.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Maybe I made a mistake by not doing the deed yesterday, I feel like I have too many attachments to my previous life and I¡¯m reluctant to throw or change them because they are what make me¡­well me, and I definitely don¡¯t feel bad about what I did because for me it was wrong and what I did was right. But now I understand that I will need to adapt and change my way of thinking because I don¡¯t know if I can return back to my times or not and I definitely don¡¯t want to end up like the original Louis XVI with his head severed from his body.


    I glanced at Marie as she just sits there with her head down, it wasn¡¯t her fault that she is here, she is here because of the ambitions of others, we are just pawns in this game of nations, but in the future, I will become a king and she a queen, so I have 2 years to fall in love with her and make her fall for me, even if nothing works out I will just be a good husband to her.


    There were a lot of theories why Louis and Marie took 7 years to produce a child. One of the theories suggests that Louis suffered from phimosis, which I can say it isn¡¯t true because I¡¯m him now and little Louis is perfectly functional, another was Louis and Marie just weren¡¯t interested in bedly (A/N: Is that even a word?) manners, as stated by Joshep II Holy Roman Emperor and Marie Antoinette¡¯s older brother in one of his letters to one of his brothers where he described the couple as ¡°complete fumblers¡±, you can say that Marie got pregnant only because Joseph intertwined between them and gave both of them some advice.


    In those 7 years that Marie and Louis failed to produce a child placed a strain on their marriage, as they fell in the eyes of the public and they were exacerbated by the publications of obscene pamphlets mocking their infertility. People have begun to question, ¡°Can the King do it? Can¡¯t the King do it?¡±


    So 2 years, 2 years, and no more, I definitely don¡¯t want to suffer from the repercussion of any sort and I need to show that I¡¯m a capable ruler in every turn I have.


    After all, the golden sun era of France ended with the life of the Sun King (Louis XIV) and France need a strong ruler who will guide her through these ever-darkening times. I need to be that King! But as the people say everything has to start somewhere and my job as a future King is to have an exemplary family life as it shows my duty to my family and my country by giving them a future in the shape of my child as he will be the next ruler after me.


    Then I talked a bit with my siblings and Marie as the King was first to get up from the table and reminding me that at 11 pm my presence is required at the King¡¯s chamber as the council will be held there.


    Then I stood up said my goodbyes and left.


    I calmly walked in the halls of Versailles Palace, paintings, sculptures, flowers; everything was neatly arranged in the corridors as servants went by, cleaning the rooms or doing their other tasks, while Swiss Guard groups monitored the halls.


    I gently then knocked on one of the doors and it was opened by my teacher Duc de La Vauguyon.


    He was currently dressed in a light blue full-skirted knee-length coat, knee breeches, and waistcoat with sleeves, while his stockings were white paired with black shoes.


    ¡®¡¯Come in¡±


    He said and went to his desk at the end of the room and I followed him in the room while closing the door behind me.


    Both of us sat down while he looked at me.


    ¡®¡¯Congratulations, Your Royal Highness on your marriage.¡±


    ¡®¡¯Thank you, your Grace¡±


    He nodded satisfied, after all, proper greetings are important in feudal society, as it can cause some grievous offense if you call for example an Emperor, your grace instead of your Imperial Majesty, or even a duke calling him sir instead of your grace.


    ¡°You will attend your first meeting today, right?¡±


    I nodded and he shifted in his chair.


    ¡®¡¯Good then let¡¯s start the lesson on how you should behave and how everything works.¡±


    Then he explained that there are councils that the king is ever-present (The king¡¯s council), those are:


    Conseil d''en haut (High Council) that discussed all the important matters of national and foreign policy and met at least three times a week.


    Conseil des d¨¦p¨ºches (Dispatch Council) this was a council of high-level administration that met every two weeks.


    Conseil de Conscience (The Council of Conscience) this council was in charge of the distribution of ecclesiastical funding. The meetings were not open to the Court, only to the king and a few trusted persons in key positions.


    Conseil royal des finances (Royal Council of Finances) it met twice a week and the main topic was finances.


    They¡¯re other councils, but King almost never was present in them as they were unnecessary or unimportant, like Privy Council. Louis XIV came occasionally at the start of this reign, but Louis XV only attended two meetings (in 1762 and 1766). The king''s empty armchair symbolized his presence. The council was presided by the chancellor seated to the right of the royal chair.


    The Council was used to be open for membership to its meetings. In 1661 Louis XIV reorganized the council and henceforth, no one, not even the crown prince (currently me the dauphin) could attend the meetings without invitation, and attendance to the council meetings was given on a per-meeting basis with members needing to be reinvited to attend any subsequent meetings. The most frequent members of the council were the secretaries of state.


    Almost every council met in the King¡¯s Apartment, in a room called The Council Room (such originality), and at the beginning of the session, the doors of the cabinet were closed and were guarded from outside, to prevent any interruptions or spies, as the meetings were secret. The meetings took place around an oval table with the king at one end, seated in an armchair; all other members were seated on folding stools, these folding chairs were symbolic of the council''s itinerant nature, as the council was held to follow the king wherever he went. The king opened sessions by raising questions or by giving the floor to one of the members. Each member added to the discussion in the ascending order of their rank. Discussions concluded with a vote of the council''s opinion, in the end, the king made the final decision.


    Apparently, Louis XIV (The Sun King) only went against the advice from his council six times. At the meeting he spoke little, listened closely, and always made the final decision, he rarely even interrupted the meetings and is a sharp contrast to the current king Louis XV who frequently interrupted discussion when it seemed to be going in a direction he disagreed with, rather than choose to go against the final opinion of the council. Usually, the meeting went on for about two hours but could be shorter or longer depending on the situation.


    I will attend the High Council meeting and will be sited at right from the king in an armchair, but smaller and not so decorated to mark my position as the future ruler and that I still don¡¯t have so much sway at the councils.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Duc de La Vauguyon advised me to be silent and don¡¯t say anything at the meeting just to observe and learn how everything goes, especially observe the Triumvirate (consisting of Rene de Maupeou, Abbot Terray, and Duc d¡¯Aiguillon) as they hold the most power in France after the King.


    ¡®¡¯Well that concludes our last lesson, just remember the proper etiquette and not anyone deceives you and be open-minded and patient, always follow good counsels.  Remember that only small minds want to always be right.¡¯¡¯


    Duc de La Vauguyon finished and I was about to thank him my mind caught up.


    ¡°Last lesson?¡¯¡¯


    I asked him if this is true then that is bad.


    I¡¯m definitely not ready yet to walk on my own, this life is different from my original one, so having a teacher like Duc de La Vauguyon is really helpful to better prepare myself for the future and now his tutelage has ended?


    Even original Louis XVI who was under the wing of Duc de La Vauguyon for ten years, when the time came was not ready to take on the throne, well as I have his memories I can tell that he didn¡¯t attend those lesson or just ignored them, while he had 10 years to learn from him even on the surface level I had only a week at most.


    ¡®¡¯Can¡¯t you stay more? I can use my title as Dauphin of France to extend your orders¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯My orders were to teach you until you enter adulthood, your Royal Highness and as the fate have it yesterday you ended up entering said adulthood, plus I doubt that you could sway the opinion of his majesty as teaching you further would be a bad image for royalty and especially you.¡±


    He said with a smile.


    Fear, doubt, and insecurity enter my head as I entered various scenarios and all of them ended badly. How frustrating it is¡­


    ¡®¡¯I don¡¯t know what changed in you so suddenly but I was glad, even if you have seriously taken up your studies late I still think that we did a good job during all those days even if you feel like you aren¡¯t ready, you are. I taught you everything I could in that short time everything now is in your own hands, you have a perfect place to learn, attend the counsels watch and learn, as your great-great-grandfather, his majesty, the King of France Louis XIV  said ¡°There is nothing impossible to him who will try¡±.¡±


    His voice was calm and full of sincerity. Yes, he was right I¡¯m not the original Louis XVI meaning I can change everything, even if I don¡¯t have any experience in leading, especially in a country I still have time to learn. After all, I¡¯m Dauphin of France I have a lot of resources to use and a whole library to read and learn, plus I have perfect teachers for me as now I¡¯m an adult meaning I will attend King¡¯s council, this is the perfect environment to learn what to do and what not to do.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you.¡¯¡¯


    I said to him.


    He did clear some of my doubts and encouraging me, but I still have some doubts and fears¡­ Guess I will just to have pushed it through, if I remember correctly the current King Louis XV will die in for years in 1774 and from then I will inherit the crown of France.


    2 years to work with Marie, 4 years till my coronation¡­


    I feel like these years will be especially busy for me. So much to do, so much to learn yet so little time¡­ Life is really unfair and it isn¡¯t even by my choice. Ah, I definitely could use a drink right about now.


    ¡°No problem, your Royal Highness, now go and prepare for the council.¡±


    He is right I need to go and prepare myself.


    ¡®¡¯Then, your Grace, if you would aloud I must go.¡¯¡¯


    With a nod, I stood up and left. I will need a lot of paper and something to write on, there is a lot of planning to do.


    ¡°Oh, if you want you can come to see me out about an hour after the High Council would end at the front of the palace.¡¯¡¯


    And with that, I left and went to my room.


    ¡­


    ¡°So you want to tell me that the parlements are constantly refusing to obey the King¡¯s intends or to accept new taxes? Some of them even rebelled view years ago?¡±


    I asked Aldric who hold a mirror in front of me as I overlooked my clothes. A coat with a collar, waistcoat, and breeches of deep blue trimmed in gold braid and white stockings with black shoes.


    I knew that the political situation in France wasn¡¯t good in these times, but I didn¡¯t think that it was that bad.


    ¡°Yes, your Royal Highness, the Parlements are unruly almost constantly refusing to render justice or approve the King¡¯s decrees, they are almost on an open rebellion.¡¯¡¯


    ¡°And what of the King? What are his actions?¡±


    I asked him as he put away the mirror.


    ¡®¡¯His Majesty is taking¡­some actions but so far they are ineffective, His Majesty is scared that by more direct approach it would plunge the entire state in confusion and anarchy.¡±


    The Parlements under Ancien Regime were provincial appeals court, they were the court of final appeal of the judicial system, and typically wielded much power over a wide range of subjects, particularly taxation. Laws and edicts issued by the Crown were not official in their respective jurisdictions until the parlements gave their assent by publishing them.


    And I can see how that can be a problem as they have a lot of power and parlements members are made of nobility which itself is bad, so if the King¡¯s new law would hurt them in any way they just don¡¯t implement them and because they have a lot of power over like taxation, judicial proceedings, and law enforcement, so you need to proceed with caution with them if you suddenly try to oppress them it can end in anarchy and most likely in noble rebellion and there¡¯s a chance that it could evolve into full-blown revolution as these are dark times for France and any political maneuver can bring the downfall of the monarchy.


    I now know that when I become the King I will need to somehow deal with the parlements quickly as they will be a thorn in my side at every turn when I will want to change anything or add taxes, especially on the upper echelons of the society who are now tax-free.


    But the problem is their power over their regions, so I need to quickly move by removing parlements and replacing them with another loyal to the crown and who has less power, maybe even divide them into a few different organizations that would be responsible for different jurisdictions. The main problem is how to do it as you need the transition from one organization to another to be smooth and without any trouble which could lead the state to political turmoil and lawlessness. This would require a lot of planning and a lot of manpower, definitely not something I could do from the get-go.


    I will have some more thought at this later as now I need to attend the High Council meeting.


    Without any further ado, I went out of my room and arrived at the Council room was adjacent to the King¡¯s Chamber and opens onto the Hall of Mirrors. Two guards already stood at the door and seeing me they opened the golden decorated door I could already see some people present.


    The room had white walls with various golden symbols raging from the sun to the royal symbol the Fleur-de-lis. To the right and left sides of the door we had two giant oval mirrors on the walls probably 2metres high (6.56ft) on the right, in the middle of the room, there was an oval table draped in a light blue sheet with golden markings starting from the sheet drops down to the floor. And closer to the wall where the heart was, on which stood golden clock and other golden ornaments, stood a wooden armchair and like the sheet of the table it too was of light blue like table albeit not the wooden part who were dark brown on to the right I could see another armchair which was smaller. That¡¯s probably my chair.


    I sat down and started observing the room. Four chandeliers hung from the walls around the table, in front of the King¡¯s armchair three big windows were with red curtains which currently were folded allowing sunlight to get into the room.


    The room was highly decorated with paintings hanging on the walls depicting subjects such as war and justice.


    ¡®¡¯Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness, congratulations on your marriage.¡¯¡¯


    The main member of The Triumvirate Rene Nicolas de Maupeou greeted me who was sitting right in front of me on the King''s left. He was dressed just like me, but with a white wig on his head and his clothes were of a dark red colour.


    After I greeted him other people present here greeted me and I gave them my thanks.


    Soon the table was full only with the King¡¯s armchair still vacant.


    I could see Rene de Maupeou who was First Minister of State, Chancellor of France and the Keeper of the Seal sitting in front next to him was Joseph Marie Terray who was Controller-General of Finances, and then Duc d''Aiguillon who was The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who formed the Triumvirate and were the most popular group in the political scene of France.


    Next to me sat Madame du Barry who was the King¡¯s mistress and next to her sat Louis Francois de Monteynard The Secretary of State for War and Pierre-Etienne Bourgeois de Boynes the Secretary of State for the Navy


    One new present person was Louis Phelypeaux who was The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi, who was basically, an office who oversaw the Household of the King, Building of the King, the General Affairs of the Clergy, and other religious groups like Huguenots and lastly the administration of the capital city of Paris and the provinces.


    Some were engaged in some small talk while we waited for the King while I took on my surroundings, after all, one day I will be here a lot in the future as the future King.


    Soon the door opened and the King went in while everybody stood up and I followed them, we only sad down once again after the King.


    And so the meeting has begun by the opening statement from Joseph Terray¡­


    ¡®¡¯¡­The state debt was reduced to 68 million livres while the revenues had been increased by 24milion livres, meaning that the tax inspector school finally bore some fruits and so I would like to build another school to train more tax inspectors.¡±


    He received a nod from the King while I almost popped from my eye sockets by the news France was 68million in debt! How!? Did Seven year¡¯s war take so much? I just couldn¡¯t believe it that such a country like France was so much in debt. France who always was one of the powerhouses of Europe was ruined, how did Napoleon managed to march to Moscow now baffles me, 68million is not a small sum to pay back, with every passing second I see myself ending under the guillotine, I don¡¯t even know what reforms should be made to get France out of debt. Honestly, if my future Controller-General of Finances will not figure it out I will kill them myself.


    You know what, I know a bit of history and I know that the most famous Controller-Generals of Finances were Anne Robert Jacques Turgot and Jacques Necker and I know that Necker tried to diminish Turgot¡¯s policies which later resulted in the dismissal of the previous one, what I will do is that I will lock them in one room while threatening them and make them work together and get France out of this mess.


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s move into more pressing matters, your Majesty, the parlements are dismaying our attempts at reforms. We must do something about them, I recommend to exile the members of the parlements.¡±


    Rene de Maupeou said and the King adopted a frown while this got my full attention, parlements a thorn in the government¡¯s side, now that I think about it there is no absolutism here as parlements are always competing against the Royal power.


    ¡°No we will not do this, this can bring some unseen circumstances instead I will write Lettre de cachet.¡±


    The King interrupted bringing his opinion on the matter, if I was he I would write the letter, and then I will be figuring out how to take a more direct approach because from Aldric I learned that this is not the first time the parlements ignored the royal decree.


    ¡®¡¯But, your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°I am the law! My decision is final!¡±


    The King quickly shot Rene down, but both of them were unhappy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move to another subject¡±


    The king said and The Secretary of State for War Louis Francois de Monteynard spoke up.


    ¡°The Russo-Turkish war is still going in favor for the Russian as they fanned out trough principality of Bucharest and the Caucasian front is stable at the moment, while according to scouts Russian Navy is seen doing some maneuvers in the Mediterranean, but no clashes were reported so far apart from some skirmishes on land.¡±


    I don¡¯t have any knowledge of that war, but at least France isn¡¯t involved in it. Still having Russia win against Turkey will mean that Russia would solidify its sphere of influence in the east which is not ideal for the future, if only I could be born sooner or woke up in the body of Louis XV instead of Louis XVI I would try to do something, but with this budget, I don¡¯t think I could do anything.


    ¡°What about the Bar Confederation?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, sadly even with the ongoing Russo-Turkish war the Polish Bar Confederation is still losing and I don¡¯t think they will be able to bounce back after defeats at battles of Dobra and Blonie after all almost 3 months have passed and no progress was made so far, I advise to recall Charles Francois Dumoureiz back to France as the defeat of Bar Confederation is certain.¡±


    The king nodded and agreed, after all, if we only sent one person and some equipment there is no need to fight and involve ourselves with a losing battle, though it¡¯s still frustrating that nothing could be done to deny Russia to solidify its position as current France is in no position to do that.


    Then the meeting continued with topics about religion, further finances, and ongoing building projects after which the meeting ended and everybody went out, while I stopped Joseph Terray to ask him about the debt.


    And he told me that went he took office in 1769 (nice) France was 100 livres in debt and now it has 68million meaning that Joseph managed to pay back 32million, after that, I thanked him for his services and went to find my teacher Duc de La Vauguyon who was sadly leaving today.


    I quickly found him as he oversaw servants who were putting his things to the wagon while a decorated brown carriage stood in front, which probably belongs to Duc de La Vauguyon.


    ¡®¡¯Your Grace.¡¯¡¯


    I greeted him.


    ¡°Ah, your Royal Highness, so the meeting has ended? How did it go?¡±


    He asked me while greeting me back.


    ¡®¡¯It went alright, though I don¡¯t like the debt we have¡±


    I had a lot of insight on how governing works and how it¡¯s essential to surround yourself with competent people and listen to them and not like Louis XV who constantly interrupts them.


    ¡°Yes, the debt, it¡¯s quite troubling indeed, that debt doesn¡¯t allow for France to meddle in Europe thus losing our influence in the region, just like we lost our influence in Poland-Lithuania.¡±


    He then mentioned me to follow him and we climbed him in his carriage which another present was present.


    He wore a white wig that ended at his upper back and was curly while he wore an olive waistcoat which was buttoned up olive briefs and grey stockings with black shoes.


    I stared at the person¡¯s blue eyes and then eyed my teacher.


    ¡°Your Highness, meet Jean-Frederic Phelypeux Maurepas, the Count of Maurepas and former Secretary of State of the Navy and The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi¡±


    ¡°Your grace.¡±


    Maurepas greeted me with his gentle voice and I greeted him back.


    ¡°So why all the secrecy?¡±


    I asked as if Duc de La Vauguyon wanted me to meet him he would just invite Maurepas to the palace instead of carriage, so this does raise some questions in my head.


    ¡°He was exiled from Versailles and Paris in 1749 by Duke of Richelieu for an epigram against Madame de Pompadour¡±


    Duc de La Vauguyon answered me and Maurepas gave me a small smile.


    ¡°Well, I guess I know why, because who would like a woman who spreads her legs for King and gains power by doing so.¡±


    I replied and Maurepas laughed while Duc de La Vauguyon frowned at me as those words are unbecoming for a Prince.


    ¡°Yes it¡¯s how you say, your Royal Highness, and I¡¯m here to meet you and be at service for you.¡±


    I guess what he wants, he wants to get back to his former power at the office, after all, once you taste power you don¡¯t want to go back, he probably thinks I will accept it as I¡¯m not so versed in politics or that I will be sold by having allies. It is a good thing that I know that politicians almost always lie, they are the master of saying many words to say nothing at all.


    ¡°Well then, your Grace, tell me what can you give me in exchange for lifting your exile and giving you an office?¡±


    I asked him back, I don¡¯t need power-hungry people in my office as because of people like that I will end on the chopping block, what I need is masters of their craft and loyal people who will help me bring prosperity to France.


    ¡°You thought him well¡­ Well, Your Royal Highness, I can give you my loyalty to you and my experiences as the former and former Secretary of State of the Navy and The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi, I don¡¯t want to boast, but I enabled our Navy to regain previously lost prestige and had France once again recognized as a maritime power, plus my intelligence agencies were most efficient in Europe, if you don¡¯t, believe me, your teacher can vouch for me¡±


    He tempting me I need people like him, he has experience and expertise plus he managed to bring back the French navy back to its shape, while it couldn¡¯t compete with Britain it surely made them wary of the French and he has the trust of Duc de La Vauguyon¡­


    ¡®¡¯I see what I could do.¡±


    I said, I will have to think this over, if no other candidate pops up I will make him The Secretary of State of the Navy or maybe even my Prime minister, being Secretary of the Navy he has economical and managing skills to be in that position.


    Duc de La Vauguyon and I then stepped out of the Carriage.


    ¡®¡¯You did well, your Royal Highness as I said you have nothing to fear you will do great, I have now seen it with my two eyes, you didn¡¯t jump on his bait and didn¡¯t give him an actual answer meaning that if a better candidate appears you can invite him instead of Maurepas¡±


    He said with a smile and patted my back, which was quite weird as he has never done that and he is strict with rules of etiquette.


    ¡®¡¯What don¡¯t believe in your own friend, your Grace?¡±


    I joked to him.


    ¡°Hardly, I don¡¯t know any man better than Maurepas his defensive strategies were second to none and his intelligence agencies were good that he had a list of what ships were coming to America and detailed memoirs of ship construction.¡±


    He smiled and then after a few quiet moments were we stared at the front watching as the servants moved around the carriage and the wagon.


    ¡°Well, then I guess this is a farewell, your Royal Highness.¡±


    ¡°Just wait till I¡¯m the King I will make an order for you to teach my children.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to that.¡±


    And with that, he boarded his carriage and slowly disappeared in the horizon.


    A/N: Merry Christmas, here is a chapter for you guys.


    I will try to write another one by New Year¡¯s Eve.


    As always join DC: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz</a>

 The Triumvirate

    ¡°By my right as the King of France, I hereby declare the Council sessions as complete, you may disperse.¡¯¡¯


    The King said as he got up from his armchair in the Council room and went out with all of those present doing the same.


    I too with gentle movements moved out of the room, while exiting I managed to see the future of France, Louis-Auguste the Dauphin of France, being dragged by his wife Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, or how she is now called Marie Antoinette the Dauphine of France.


    I was quite pleased by the sight, even if they know themselves for a week I heard they spent a lot of time together especially it was seen that the Dauphin was the driving force behind the relationship, they would frequently go riding around the palace, walk around gardens, have dinners outside if the King allowed and just talk to each other, they even slept in the same chamber, mostly Marie¡¯s. Definitely a good sign that the couple was slowly or already fell in love. It was quite rare to see a marriage based on politics to bloom into something more.


    But the political side of me was wary, while yes we managed to get an ally in the east in form of big and powerful Austria, but for me personally, I would like to have an Ally in Russia, which is expanding aggressively, as they are becoming more and more of treat evident by their victories in Seven Years¡¯ War, their victories in the ongoing war against the Ottoman Empire who is the most powerful country in the east, who once threatened the entirety of Europe, but now the Ottoman Empire is weak as now evident by their inability to successfully repel the Russians. Maybe an ally in Prussia would be worthwhile as they are currently growing and by the look of things, they will continue to grow, unless some inept ruler comes to the throne.


    Alas, what is done is done, we wouldn¡¯t even be here if now for Etienne-Francois de Choiseul who thrown France into wars and made Britain as a nemesis of France, so much so that he had almost completely ignored the rest of Europe.


    I just hope that with the new queen we won¡¯t see so much Austrian influence in French politics, but by the look of things, our young Dauphin will be alright.


    The young Dauphin truth to be told managed to surprise me, the first meeting was a small meeting with only the most important people in attendance to let Dauphin to warm up and test the waters, he was silent and listens intently just like his teacher Duc de La Vauguyon instructed him. Later we moved to the real courts as the attendance of councils skyrocketed, while I saw that the young Louis was a bit uncomfortable he quickly adapted, but still, he just listened, so far he spoke only once during one of the council were Louis Phelypeaux the Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi talked about religion and the Protestants and various religious groups and how to silence them further, that is what the young Dauphin said:


    ¡°Why would you care how the people pray to the same God, I say let them pray unless it directly threatens the sovereignty of the King.¡±


    That immediately got a reaction out of the Catholic side of the court which was the majority, who were displeased with his line of thought, but the Dauphin defended himself by saying.


    ¡°Be you catholic, orthodox, protestant the point is you pray to same God, you¡¯re all equal in his eyes as his children and yet you squabble between yourself about trivial things like how many fingers should be extended while doing the cross, what icons should be used in places of worship. It¡¯s just people¡¯s preference that is at play just like the clothes you were, you think they are good, but for some, they are maybe bland or too pompous just like in religion there are things that people don¡¯t like to do and as long the bible doesn¡¯t say anything against I say let them, or do you want another war of religion? Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained with the greatest of violence. Do you want killings of the innocent to start again, just because someone doesn¡¯t like to pray as you do? Do you want a second French religious war? Jesus gives us an example of what we are to do when others mock us for our faith. 1 Peter 2:23: When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.


    Rather than retaliate¡­ Jesus trusted his Father. He knew that NOTHING could be done to him, or said to him, without God the Father allowing it. And He trusted Him. Do we? Because right now I think not, here you are even raising your voices against your Prince. That¡®s why the schism of east and west happened, that¡®s why the Protestant Reformation happened, because instead of listening the Church acted motivated by political reasons and not the reasons of soul.¡°


    That silenced the court and even me, to think that he was capable of such thought at such young age, while his argument had some flaws in them and could be worded better, but it¡¯s still got the point across, truly remarkable for him to say things like this.


    Then he smirked.


    ¡°And now you think heh¡­ That is what happened with the church, when the things weren¡¯t flowing their way they stopped and started to think, they started more strictly punishing corrupt priests, started building schools, universities, hospitals, rebuilding its image in people. Religion is just one big market, people choose what would they like because it appeals to their ideas and beliefs, that¡¯s why even in Catholic Church we have a lot of different religious groups, even Protestant aren¡¯t united under a single banner as we have Lutheranism, Calvinism, Huguenots and etc. People are different, people have different views and that¡¯s why religion needs just like a merchant in the market to promote that their religion and way of belief is the best.¡±


    While looking at him I could safely say that France had a future and I dare to say a better future than what His Majesty Louis XIV had built.


    ¡°His Royal Highness is quite remarkable isn¡¯t he?¡±


    I was broken out from my musing by my friend Abbe Terray. I secured his appointment as Controller General in December 1769. A year later Terray helped me, Duc d¡®Aiguillion and Madame du Barry bring about the downfall of the powerful minister of foreign affairs, ¨¦tienne-Fran?ois, Duc de Choiseul, by demonstrating to Louis XV that the government was too heavily in debt to support Choiseul¡¯s plans for war with Britain, thus the Triumvirate was born.


    ¡°That he is, he gives me even more determination to bring full authority to the king, because I want to see what he will do and I know that all of his attempts will be foiled by parlements¡±


    I replied as we both led a deep sigh as the old men as we are. those self-proclaimed custodians of the traditional "liberties" of France, they are doing more harm than good, France needs reforms, but our evert move at them quickly gets shut down and the Royal authority is being questioned.


    ¡®¡¯Agreed, we need to try our best and then pass the torch to the young.¡±


    Terray said as we dispersed. He was probably the most agitated as his fiscal reforms are getting ignored, some parlements even refusing to collect the taxes.


    We talked some more and then we parted ways as we have other things to do¡­


    And such night has come as I sat in my cabinet on the wooden armchair as I overlooked countless papers that were placed on the table in stacks.


    ¡°Ah¡­wasting such a beautiful night on paperwork¡­¡±


    I leaned back in my armchair and grabbed a cup of wine from the table and took a sip.


    The night was truly one of the better ones, it was clear sky, not a wind to be felt or seen playing with the trees, with countless stars visible, and the moon shone brightly covering everything in greyish colour, truly a magnificent sight to see.


    It was a calm night; the candles around my office gently illuminated the room while the moonshine managed to even cast a shadow of myself on the table.


    Even if the calm atmosphere surrounded me, yet I couldn¡¯t help but feel contemplated¡­


    Once again those parlements are in my mind, we need to move to suppress the movement of constitutionalist opposition to an absolutist rule that had been mounting for several decades under the leadership of the increasingly recalcitrant high-court magistrates in the parlements. By taking the sovereign courts out of politics, It would definitely stabilize and rationalize our government as a whole. But the main problem is how to do it? The parlements hold too much sway in the political mechanism of France, by removing them without thought we would only invite chaos into our homes.


    Now that I think about it¡­ This situation is really comical, I who was a member of parlement of Paris and even at one point was the first president of the parlement of Paris now is planning on the best way on how to rid of those parlaments entirely.


    Fate is a strange thing. Every action you take, every word that lets your mouth has some kind of consequences that leads you to another path and we don¡¯t know how that path will end.


    Just like me now, if my father Rene-Charles de Maupeu hadn¡¯t have resigned as the keeper of seals and I wasn¡¯t appointed to his place, I probably would be in parlement shouting ¡°Liberty!¡±,¡°People¡¯s Voice!¡± ¡°Guardians of the Constitution!¡±, while trying to grab even more power to myself and further exploit the people in their times of misery, after all, I was the president of the parlement and there were only wolfs who cared about themselves, honestly speaking I would probably would act just like this as a satiated man doesn¡¯t sympathize with the starving one.


    Thus we need to move quickly before they grow another head and call for a mass revolt or even revolution and putting someone else on the throne, probably Louis Philippe d''Orl¨¦ans the current First Prince of the Blood as he was rich and most importantly a direct descendant to Louis XIII. While he was a man of loyalty and family and would definitely refuse unless he was pressed rally hard to do it, the same couldn¡¯t be said to his kids or grandchildren s they could be easily swayed by the prospect of power and being the King, which they would albeit in only the name as parlements would use him as a puppet.


    These are turbulent times¡­ That¡¯s why I need to work harder to bring the power to the King as at least the future is looking brighter by the sudden change in our Dauphin which was unexpected and surreal, who would expect that the Royal Prince who cared only about fun would suddenly start studying diligently and even have a sudden increase in smartness and wisdom, even now as his teacher left the young future King still occupied himself in his study reading countless books about history, geography, economics, well he didn¡¯t study as much as the time when Duc de La Vauguyon was present, but it was still a considerable amount, while lately, I heard that he had dabbled in occult readings, which is a sign of warning in which I will have to talk with him.


    I picked the stack of papers and quietly read it, getting Abbe Terray to be Controller-General of Finances was the right choice, he managed to stabilize the finances of the country. He was an efficient and relentless tax collector, it¡¯s good that the King allowed him to open another school to train tax inspectors as most reforms of his are being blocked by parlements¡­


    Nothing as of now could be done as they are powerful, even if the His Majesty the current King Louis XV In January 1766, while His Majesty was still mourning the death of the Dauphin Louis the father of the current Dauphin Louis-Auguste, the Parlement of Brittany issued another rejection of the King''s authority to collect taxes. When he ignored it, both the Parlement of Rennes and the Parlement of Rouen wrote him again, complaining that he was ignoring "the oath that you took to the nation when accepting the crown." When this part of the letter was read to the King, he interrupted the reading and declared that this accusation was false; he had taken an oath to God alone, not to the nation. On 3 March 1766, with only a few hours'' notice, he traveled in person from Versailles to the meeting of the Parlement of Paris at the Palais de la Cit¨¦ and appeared before the members, at the time I was just a simple member of the parlement. In his message, read to them by one of his ministers, he declared, "It is in my person alone that sovereign power resides...To me alone belongs the legislative power, without dependence and without sharing...The public order emanates entirely from me...Confusion and anarchy are taking the place of legitimate order, and the scandalous spectacle of a contradictory rivaling my sovereign power reduces me to the sad necessity to use all the power that I received from God to preserve my peoples from the sad consequences of these enterprises."<sup> </sup>The speech, immediately termed "the flagellation", was published in the official press, and circulated to all levels of government. It became his political testament. The conflict between the Parlements and King was muted for a time, but not resolved as we see now, the parlements once again are bearing their fangs and interrupting the work of the government once again.


    Even my policy of conciliating the parlement of Rennes was not a success. This parlement was angered at the royal refusal (for which the king himself was personally responsible) to reinstate certain leading members along with their colleagues that were exiled by disobeying the His Majesty, thus leading to the renewal of the quarrel between the parlement of Rennes and the Duc d''Aiguillon Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Duc D''Aiguillon reacted by demanding that, to settle the affair once and for all, his case be examined by the Parlement of Paris sitting as the Court of Peers, and the government eventually agreed. The trial, which the king attended personally at Versailles, created a great stir, but as the investigations probed more and more deeply into the workings of the government, the latter became alarmed, and at length decided to bring the proceedings to a halt. In a lit de justice the king quashed the case and declared Duc D''Aiguillon blameless.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    This flouting of judicial procedures predictably aroused a storm of protestations and remonstrances from the parlement, which suspended Duc D''Aiguillon''s peerage rights pending resumption of the case. When the king quashed this move, protests spread to the provincial parlements, which as usual were more unbridled in their language than the Parlement of Paris. Reprisals followed against several provincial magistrates, and, in another lit de justice the king confiscated all pieces relating to the d''Aiguillon affair and imposed a rule of silence regarding it. The beginning of the judicial vacation a few days later allowed time only for a formal protest.


    Ha¡­lately everything has to do with parlements, parlements this, parlements that¡­I think I will start dreaming about the parlements if this continues. I wish I just could snap my fingers and they would magically disappear, it¡¯s a shame that magic doesn¡¯t exist¡­


    I remember when I asked the Dauphin what did he thought of the parlements in the ball before his announcement of marriage to Marie Antoinette.


    ¡°We need to change how the Parlements work, we need to diminish their power, write a new law regarding the Parlements further abolish their free will to refuse orders. Basically, we need to change how the Parlements work entirely.¡¯¡¯


    He said that at the time and I clapped to him and saw a surprised face of the Dauphin.


    He answered better than I expected, that was a smart idea, but at the same time quite unthoughtful and rash.


    ¡®¡¯The Parlements would refuse all the changes you proposed, of course, but then if you try to enforce then I¡¯m certain that they revolt and as Parlements are made out of Nobles that won¡¯t end well for you or for everyone else, your reign would be over and some other king would be put on the throne and then Nobles would demand that King to surrendered all of the power he had and give it to Parlements, turning us to dreaded England, but with King only serving as a decoration. I agree, your Highness, with the idea of changing how the Parlements work, but we can¡¯t risk it, we are already treading on a thin line as it is.¡¯¡¯


    Abbe Terray answered him as if almost stealing the thoughts from my head regarding the situation.


    Yes, the change is needed, but we can¡¯t go in and declare that they are changed and their powers demised, we already exiled some members because they directly disobeyed the King and now we can¡¯t even do that without a letter of complaint or strike from the parlements.


    We need to slowly chip away their power just like we did with Abbe Terray¡¯s tax inspector school in which we now have a direct line on tax collection, thus diminishing the power of Parlements¡­on taxation¡­


    ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha!¡±


    I laughed out loud to think the answer to the everything that I¡¯m trying to achieve would be under my nose this entire time.


    Maybe the saying ¡°sometimes the answer lies under your nose, you just have to look¡± is indeed true. Just like we did with tax inspector school we should create other agencies and safely dissolving the parlements with minor repercussions or even none as they would be powerless by then, but this plan will need a lot of manpower to succeed.


    First, let try by reforming the justice system¡­Finally my education as a layer will come in handy¡­


    With this, the parlements will lose their power to go against the crown forever.


    ¡­


    ¡°Good job you may leave the papers here.¡±


    I said as the servant placed a stack of appears on my table, bowed, and promptly left.


    I think I was destined mostly to concern myself with fiscal and constitutional problems when I ascended to the office in 1769.


    When I took up the office the crown was 100million livres in debt¡­ I didn¡¯t think that was possible, but the numbers never lie.


    And to think that ¨¦tienne Fran?ois, Marquis de Stainville, Duc de Choiseul, the most powerful man in France at the time in his dual capacity as secretary of state for foreign affairs and war. He bent most of his energies throughout the end of his career toward encouraging the Spaniards to resist the British over the Falkland Island Crisis, which would give France a pretext for renewing the colonial conflict, which ended so ignominiously in 1763. By the year of 1770, and my one year as Controller- General, the crisis was ripening nicely in favor of Duc de Choiseul as the war was almost certain at this point. However, in order to renew the war Choiseul needed money and the prospect of more, and from this point of view, the crisis could hardly have been more ill-timed for him. I had spent much of the year, for my part, in operating what amounted to a partial bankruptcy, a writing down of royal debt aimed at addressing systemic problems in the monarchy¡¯s finances, by slashing the interest rates on government debts. The ordinary revenues were not adequate to cover the costs of the preparations involved even in the threat of war, and there were clashes between Duc de Choiseul and me on the council over the provision of extraordinary funds. These clashes grew more frequent and more acrimonious, and by the looks of it were visibly annoying the king. But Duc de Choiseul still was persistent on war even if His Majesty Louis XV own inclinations were against the war, and Duc de Choiseul, therefore, took care to portray his preparations as defensive, but they didn¡®t fool me and I continued my work against going to war as this war could end France as a whole and he still strongly grasped that this war could kick Brittain out f World powers pedestal and install France on it with the help of Spain.


    He was a fool, griping on the belief that France could once again stand proudly at the top of the world, and yet numbers never lie, if we went to that war we would not only lose the war but plunged the entire country into anarchy.


    Then seeing as this won¡®t end well I declared the treasury empty, the announcement could not fail to strengthen the His Majesties inclinations toward peace and soon Duc de Choisel was replaced and Rene de Maupeu, Emmanuel-Armand de Vignerot du Plessis-Richelieu, Duc d''Aiguillon rose to power and with me included we formed the Triumvirate.


    But with one problem dealt came another parlements, I knew that reforms were needed and most of them are unpopular and yet they needed to be done to bring France out of debt. I then began to stabilize the finances of France by repudiating part of the debt, suspending payments on the interest on government bonds, and levying forced loans.


    With my further reforms being protested by nobles and wealthy bourgoeis and even from the mass of the population and some parlements refusing to collect taxes I quickly by approval of His Majesty build a school for tax inspectors and started and small reforms that didn¡¯t compromise the interest of the parlements or were implemented by appeasing them, I could see my work paying off as the debts were slowly being paid and the Royal treasure slowly, but surely filling.


    Yet this wasn¡¯t enough, yes we started paying the debts and filling the treasury, but we can do so much with only taxation and small reforms as they aren¡¯t enough and if we don¡¯t change anything France will never be at the top or better say will never even look at the top as we will have no Finances to defend or wages wars, no money for new projects¡­


    Plus a couple of season of bad harvest alarmed me because, In 1763¨C64, the French government had mostly freed the trade in cereals by royal edict meaning that someone can buy a lot of grain meaning that the grain price would go up, couple it with a couple of seasons with ba harvest year and we have enormous prices for a loaf of bread leading to mass starvation. Mass starvation would lead to mass riots and those could become something uncontrollable, adding those bigots in the parlements this will surely will happen and by using the situation, covering themselves with slogans that appease the people they would take complete control of France.


    I tried to take control of the market but was met with great resistance from parlements and the people who strongly opposed the idea, even if I tried to reason it all fell on deaf ears as everybody was looking for their own interests, such as nobles and merchants wanting to sell more to fill their pockets and people who wanted to buy cheap good to fill their bellies and with government control over the market would deny them their wish as the price and the amounts of selling would be fixed, yet they don¡¯t realize that sooner or later a crisis will be at our hands, because no one controlled them and we at the top will be to blame as we didn¡¯t do anything while we tried, but they didn¡¯t even allow us to try to do something.


    So I took the second option I developed a policy of government control that put renewed emphasis on the compilation of information for government use, enhancement of the state¡¯s efforts to acquire and utilize data¡ªand not only on the grain trade itself but also in areas as dispersed as manufacturing, fiscal policy, and criminal justice.


    I used the data to stock up the Royal granary so we can have some back up of products in case things turn to worse, which I hope not.


    Even then the people got angry as this pursuit of hard knowledge on the grain trade brought the ministry of mine into tension with Frenchmen in numerous ways not specifically related to the traffic in cereals itself. It called for a more systematic application of surveillance and collection of personal information, at a time when such information was increasingly seen as constitutive of the ¡°sacred liberties¡± of Frenchmen and as always the elements were quick on the uptake and under the cloak of liberty and constitution started shouting.


    I and Maupeou quickly realized that any further attempts at fiscal or other reforms would be blocked by the parlements.


    And here we are countlessly fighting an uphill battle while dragging the whole nation of France behind us.


    It feels like we are Sisyphus who was punished by the god Zeus and we are now forced to roll a boulder up a hill for its entirety. Every time we bear the top of the hill, the boulder rolls back down. Or in our case every time we think that reform will bring prosperity and just as everything is ready we need just to implement them we are blocked by the parlements and are forced to once again start from the ground.


    ¡°Just like another day¡­ At least tonight the night is especially beautiful.¡±


    I mused as I looked up from the window behind me; I lost the track of time with all that paperwork that without of me knowing the sun was already been replaced by the moon.


    Then I heard someone knocking on the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    I said and as the door opened the person who went into my humble office was my friend Rene Nicolas de Maupeou who had a big smile on his face.


    ¡°Good evening, my friend, how are you this night?¡±


    He said with a small laugh, something probably good happened to get him into a joking mood.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine just finished with the latest reports, please take a seat.¡±


    He did as he told and took a seat in front of the table which I was behind.


    ¡°So what bring you here?¡±


    Usually, when he comes he has some questions or throws some more work to me and lastly laments about the parlements, so him coming here empty-handed and with a joyful mood was indeed strange.


    ¡°First let¡¯s have a drink! The news that I about to tell you has to be welcomed with a drink in the hands!¡±


    I looked at him weirdly still seeing the same smiling face.


    I don¡¯t even know what to think about him right now, though I¡¯m intrigued by the news he has got.


    Then I called a servant who brought us two glasses and pour the wine into them.


    ¡°So what is the good news, which put you in a such merry mood?¡±


    ¡°Haha, well you see I may figure out what to do about the parlements¡±


    Did I hear that right? He has a way to do with the parlements or am I hearing things? The same parlements that are blocking our every move?


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    I demanded him, this matter is not to be taken lightly as this could be our turning point, no it¡¯s better to say a turning point in history, where we finally can take some actions against the parlements, they hold power if they didn¡¯t we already would have ousted them and be done with it, we wouldn¡¯t be sitting around as we did in the past because perlements would protest everything that we do, even the king doesn¡¯t help as His Majesty Louis XV adopted an obdurate stance, while still wanting to be obeyed, while he did took some actions in the past as going personally to the parlements, mainly the Parlement of Paris, this only was enough to silence the parlements for a time, but recently they starting to question the Royal authority more and more and we are here at the point that even our reforms are being blocked and the King is almost powerless.


    While the King wants to exile them, he and we know that we can¡¯t exile all of them as this would lead to a power vacuum and complete chaos as we don¡¯t have enough qualified men to replace them.


    ¡°I had a great idea, we just divide their powers by creating other bodies who would have less power and would be more loyal¡±


    This would surely weaken them, but to create other organizations we need a lot of manpower and money which we don¡¯t have much of both.


    ¡°This will take time.¡±


    I said gravely, maybe in 4-5 years we could do this, but not now.


    ¡°I think we could manage it in a year, I already figured out the new justice system, albeit I have only a basic idea in my head about how we can go about this, but in a year of time I think I will have everything thought out.¡±


    ¡°But the parlements aren¡¯t only responsible for law and justice.¡±


    After all the parlements act as governing bodies, law enforcers, tax collectors, they can even create their own laws and their own taxes if they need.


    ¡°I know that you and I were both members of the parlement of Paris if you forgot and I know that even in the parlement different people are accountable for different things, just like we are ministers to the king, so they are members of the parlement that are under the president. Plus we have your tax inspector school and another one is being built right now, so who says we can¡¯t teach them something even more? We have time to think things out and how to do them. We just need to think about this more and that¡¯s it, we can engrave our name in the history.¡±


    Maybe he was right; maybe this was the way to go about this, I definitely could add some classes to my schools to make them to something more than just tax inspectors.


    ¡°How did you get an idea like this?¡±


    I asked him.


    ¡°I got inspired by Dauphin¡±


    ¡°The Dauphin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you remember when in the ball I asked him about the parlements and he told me that we need to somehow change it?¡±


    I nodded my head I indeed remember the young Dauphin and his words.


    ¡°Heh! Truly a marvel he is isn¡¯t he not?¡±


    Rene happily laughed and I can feel my mood improving too as this is what we need to turn things over and finally stop fighting the uphill battle that we were fighting.


    ¡°And it took you over a week to figure it out?¡±


    I asked with a smirk adorning my face.


    ¡°I was busy!¡±


    He promptly replied and we both laughed while raising our cups to a toast.


    ¡°To the future!¡±


    Certainly, the night is beautiful today¡­


    A/N: Happy new year guys, may it be better than the last. Honestly, I wanted to future all the members of the TRIUMVIRATE, but I couldn¡¯t find any info on Duc d''Aiguillon apart from that he was Madame du Barry¡®s favorite and minor things that he did he isn¡®t an interesting person even to historians lul


    Now I will be preparing for my exams so I will see you maybe at the end of the next month.


    As always if you see any mistakes please point them out! Because I literally edited this chap for only 5 minutes before going to shoot some fireworks


    Bye Bye!


    Join DC: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz</a>

 Test Battle

    A/N: This is a test chapter to see how can I write steel and gunpowder battles, it has no real impact on the story so read it if you want or just skip it, though I would really appreciate it if you would read this and give me some feedback. Now here read some context.


    The major Russo-Turkish war of 1768-1774 started when Catherine II the Great of Russia started meddling in internal affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian throne when she appointed her favorite and by some accounts lover Stanislaus II Augustus to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth throne, but to her expectations, Stanislaus II Augustus instead of weakening or tying the already weak Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to Russia opted to reform it and strengthen it, that was met by fierce opposition from Austria, Prussia, and Russia who wanted to keep the Commonwealth weak. Soon Catherine II send troops and Nicholas Repnin as an ambassador of the Russian Empire to Warsaw which she gave him the task of deepening the Polish-Lithuanian reliability on Russia, he had to make of any tool to destroy the republic. He achieved it by bribing and coercing the Sejm(A/N: It¡¯s basically a parliament of nobles) deputies in order to push legislation favorable to Russia, he made the Szlachta(nobility) suspicious of all reform he pitted the Catholic dominant Sejm against other religious minorities as Protestants and Orthodox and made it look that the reforms of Stanislaus would even hurt the mighty magnates and he crippled every attempt of reforming the Liberum Veto which was one of the main laws that made Poland-Lithuania weak. Soon enough he became the driving force behind the Polish-Lithuanian throne and Stanislaus further lost his influence and power. With Russian troops sent to "protect" the various pro-Russian factions and this carte blanche in his pocket, Repnin proceeded to treat the deputies of the Sejm as if they were already servants of the Russian empress.


    Poland¡¯s Roman Catholic leaderships viewed the laws that granted some privileges to Protestants with distant and further Russia meddling in internal affairs of Polish-Lithuanian combined by frequent arrestment of high influence people who were against Russian influence in the Commonwealth culminated in the War of Bar Confederation who wanted to defend the internal and external independence of the Polish¨CLithuanian Commonwealth against Russian influence and against King Stanislaus II Augustus with Polish reformers, who were attempting to limit the power of the Commonwealth''s wealthy magnates. Soon fighting begun and Russia found herself quelling a large-scale revolt.


    Ottoman¡¯s immediately aided the Bar Confederation by sending food, equipment, and gold, they didn¡¯t want Russia to solidify their influence near their borders. Ottomans were contended with just helping as the Bar confederation was at first successful winning a couple of engagements against the Russians and even having their headquarters stationed in Austria territory which Russia couldn¡¯t attack unless they want to have war with Austria and France as well as Ottomans, but soon everything changed when a couple of Bar Confederacy members after they lost a battle started fleeing to Ottoman territory not content to let the Polish enemy flee over the border, Cossacks followed them into the Ottoman Empire which reportedly they engaged with Ottoman border guards stationed at Polish-Turkish border. In the summer of 1768, Mustafa III received reports that the town of Balta had been massacred by Russian-paid Zaporozhian Cossacks. Russia denied the accusations, but it was reported that the Cossacks "certainly razed Balta and killed whomever they found". With the confederates of Poland and the French embassy pushing the sultan along, with many pro-war advisors, the sultan on October 6 imprisoned Aleksei Mikhailovich Obreskov and the entire Russian embassy''s staff, marking the Ottoman''s declaration of war on Russia.


    Start


    Pyotr Rumyantsev one of the most prominent Russian generals was quiet as he rode his white horse his mood was sour as he looked over the horizon and the marching Russian Imperial army.


    The Russian offensive is going well as nearly all of Wallachia and Bessarabia is now in Russian hands and he was on the initiative against the joined Ottoman and Crimean Tatar forces, the quick offensive actions stunned the allies who inturn gave Russians the initiative.


    The joint Ottoman-Tatar forces suffered a great defeat at Larga only two weeks prior and Rumyanstev was awarded the Order of Saint George of the 1<sup>st</sup> Degree, yet he was not happy¡­His force of 40000 soldiers were undersupplied and were nearing the end of their campaign capability, with the army¡¯s food supplies and ammunition stocks nearing depletion, while the food shortage could be temporarily solved through scavenging and raiding villages the same couldn¡¯t be said about ammunition that¡¯s not forgetting that the joint forces of his adversaries outnumber him 3 to 1 and yet his superior Catherine II the Great ordered him to press further.


    He was glad that after Larga most of Tatar and Ottoman forces retreated in two opposite directions, but then he heard the news that Ottomans under Ottoman Grand Vizier Ivazzade Halil Pasha have begun building up and the reformed Tatar forces under Qaplan II Giray are marching as well.


    Pyotr Rumyantsev knew that if he wants to bring victory to her majesty Catherine II the Great he will have to move swiftly and crush Grand Vizier Ivazzade Halil Pasha¡¯s forces before his Crimean Tatar allies could fully join them.


    He heard from the scouts that the Ottoman forces made camp on the right side of the Kagul river so he camped on the left side of the river bank around 11km(+-7miles) away from the Ottomans.


    Finally, he entered his white tent placed in the middle of the camp.


    He calmly walked in and the officers immediately greeted him which he, in turn, greeted them.


    ¡®¡¯What¡¯s the situation?¡¯¡¯


    He calmly asked as he sat down on a wooden chair while his officers stood in front of him.


    ¡°We already scouted out the enemy positions, though we managed to find their scouting parties by your orders we didn¡¯t engage so no skirmishes were fought.¡±


    He nodded at his officer¡¯s words, he precisely said not to engage the enemy as they need to preserve ammunition and lives because the enemy has more of anything than he does so every bullet and soldier was at the same value as gold.


    ¡®¡¯So they already know where we are¡­¡¯¡¯


    He knew that he had a slight advantage in technology and tactics over Ottoman-Tatar forces and yet this Ottoman build up worried him as he is numerically outgunned, while Tatars were undisciplined their horseback fighting mastery possesses a major threat to him who¡¯s army consisted mainly of rank and file Infantrymen and let¡¯s not forget the Ottomans, their discipline and training, combined with native daring, Islam, and the use of opium, might render them invincible the Ottoman army remains a formidable threat on the battlefield.


    ¡°What about the terrain?¡±


    He asked as the terrain will formulate his strategy, he would like to play defensive, but he knew that if the already large Ottoman force would get further reinforcements he will surely lose so his only option is to attack and it would be lucky if the battlefield would be advantageous or at least balanced.


    ¡°Grave news sir, although the battlefield is marked by the river to the west and numerous small lakes and marshes to the east it would limit our mobility, it also contained two valleys which would allow for the enemy cavalry to strike our rear.¡±


    As soon as everybody heard the report their faces turned grim, while they did take victory after victory all of the men present knew that their supplies were at the end and they are outnumbered and being at a disadvantageous position, while they fought the numerically superior enemy it was done at favorable terms and their supplies weren¡¯t grave as now.


    ¡°Any ideas, gentlemen?¡±


    Pyotr calmly asked while he had a plan already brewing in his mind, but it was always wise to listen to other people as they can give you insight into the situation from different angles.


    The officers stood still as they have begun to think as they juggled different thoughts on their minds, retreating is not an option as that would allow the Ottoman-Tatar forces to unite and organize and they couldn¡¯t just wait out as even their technological superiority wouldn¡¯t help them against the more numerous force.


    ¡°The only option is to attack first, sir! We should try to make a surprise attack on the enemy.¡¯¡¯


    One of the officers said and Pyotr remained silent overlooking his officers.


    Pyotr after some silence decided that he had to march rapidly towards the main Ottoman army to prevent them from uniting with the Crimean Tatar force nearby and force a battle with the former immediately lest the situation for him and the Russian army worsens, so surprise attack would be perfect.


    ¡°Yes, we will launch a night attack on the Ottomans, they have the advantage against us so their commander will want to wait and give his soldiers rest, I would do that too so if we want to have any chance at victory we will have to move way ahead before them¡­Mhm¡­Inform the men that one hour after midnight we will attack.¡¯¡¯


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    ¡°Yes, sir!¡¯


    The Officers saluted and left the tent leaving Pyotr alone with his own thoughts¡­


    He has to make a miracle if they want to remain on the initiative against the Ottomans or else they will be the ones put on the defensive or even totally annihilated here both of those weren¡¯t ideal.


    ¡°God protect us.¡±


    Then Pyotr went to do his own preparations for the upcoming battle.


    Soon the night well the half-moon barely illuminated their surroundings as the Russians began their advancements towards the Ottoman camp just an hour after midnight.


    Pyotr Rumyantsev ordered only half of his men from the 40000 strong to advance forwards while the rest were put on the reserve if something went wrong with his plan, that, and he was really conscious of the Ottoman-Tatar forces outflanking them and striking his rear, but he knew that element of surprise is on his side and he will throw the Ottomans into disarray.


    He arranged his infantry into five squares with artillery in between them and skirmishers on the flanks.


    Due to artillery being alongside them the Russian advance was not so fast as been hoped, but they made good process marching in the night and were already close to the Ottoman camp by the early morning, but the marching squares were spotted by the Ottoman scouts who quickly brought the massage of Russian attack and Ottomans who were caught off guard and still in the early stages of their battle preparations ordered a disorganized mass cavalry charge at the advancing Russians all across the entire length of the battlefield, thinking that the halved the already small Russian army would quickly fall insight of their charge.


    The Russians were quick to stop and solidified the squares with the front men kneeling and two rows behind them aiming their guns at the Ottoman cavalry.


    The Ottomans wanted to fake their charge and make the Russians waist their fire, but what surprised them when the squares have begun opening lanes and cannons came forward.


    ¡®¡¯Fire!¡±


    *BOOM*


    A thundering sound was heard as Russian cannons opened fire on the cavalry firing grape shots.


    The grapes shots dislocated the limbs of horses and men alike, some leaving holes in the men and animal effectively making a lot of casualties.


    Yet the Ottomans didn¡¯t falter and spurred their horses onwards as they got closer to the Russian squares knowing that only a charge could break the Russian while Russian infantrymen opened fire.


    *Crackle*


    Immediately smoke risen in the air as Russians unleashed their musket fire upon the charging Ottomans.


    Many fell but the cavalry managed to hit the squares and male combat ensued along with cannon and musket fire.


    ¡°Die Infid-! Agh!¡±


    Ottoman cavalryman shouted as he swung his sword at the Russian soldier only to find a bayonet stabbed in his ribs from another soldier nearby, blood spilled from his mouth as the Russian soldier dislodged his bayonet from the Ottoman who quickly fell down from his horse and died.


    As the fighting continued it became more apparent that Ottoman cavalry had no chances against the solid squares of the Russians and coupled with their well-timed volley fire and grape shots from the artillery quickly dwindled the numbers of the Ottoman cavalry while the Russians only minor loses.


    It quickly became apparent that the Ottoman charge failed and they stood no chance fighting the Russians and with high losses Ottomans begun to sound a retreat while the Russians didn¡¯t stop firing at the retreating enemy.


    Only a handful of cavalrymen returned to report what happened, while the Russians continued their fighting march¡­


    ¡°To hell with those cursed Russians!¡±


    Grand Vizier Ivazzade Halil Pasha said as he slammed the wooden table.


    His plans were thrown out of the window he wanted to attack the smaller Russian force at 10 am and yet here they are marching towards him, while his cavalry charge failed and only and a handful of his soldiers returned to report about the massacre.


    He suffered numerous defeats at the hand of Russian general Pyotr Rumyantsev and now he almost lost one of his advantages against the Russians, cavalry.


    ¡®¡¯Sir, we still outnumber them and the prisoners said that their supplies are low, we can still beat them.¡±


    One of the officers said as it was true Grand Vizier Ivazzade Halil Pasha has¡­well had 150000 men under him gathered here but that failed charge but his numbers around 140000 give or take still enough to defeat the Russians by the sheer number of their forces.


    ¡°That¡¯s right no more retreating we will crush the Russians here, we will suffer no more defeats, we will bring glory to ourselves, to Islam and Sultan!¡±


    Shouted the Grand Vizier and his officers agreed, there would be no backing down on the effort at winning the battle no matter the cost.


    ¡°Quickly organize the men! Send the half to the front while the rest will prepare the defenses, we will lure them to the camp, our entrenchments and sheer numbers will give us the advantage to crush the Russians.¡±


    The officers quickly left to grab their men and go to greet the Russians with steel and gunpowder.


    Russians seeing the battle lines of the Ottomans still held their squares as Ottomans put all of their remaining cavalries thus not wanting to be overrun by the cavalry Russians still hold the squares and they had the advantage of the artillery while the Ottomans left their artillery at their camp to prepare their defenses.


    Soon once again the white smoke has risen on the battlefield as Ottomans and Russians traded shots with each other while the cavalry unsuccessfully attacked Russian squares, thus Ottoman officers opted to attack the Russian rear and just surround them.


    Once they have begun to move they were spotted by Pyotr Rumyantsev who was holding monocular and observing the battle, he spotted the moving Ottoman cavalry along with infantry and quickly guessed their intentions so he quickly rushed his reserves into the battlefield between his already fighting men and the flanking Ottomans with the intention to intercept the attack on his rear.


    And it was proven success as he successfully redirected the attention of the enemy flanking force as Ottoman forces opted to fight the advancing Russian reserves at their flank as they feared if they ignored them they would be surrounded and would be quickly annihilated.


    Being outnumbered Pyotr Rumyantsev himself took fighting on the battlefield cutting down a couple of his enemies and successfully repelling the attack on his rear, while the Ottomans began retreating for the second time in the day.


    Soon the Russians reached the Ottoman camp pulling most of their weight on the left flank making Ottomans and the battle was in Russian favor until the Russians finally felt the sheer weight of the massive Ottoman numbers, when Grand Vizier Ivazzade Halil Pasha ordered a counterattack on the Russians with huge throngs of Janisarries trying to inch its way to the gaps in the infantry squares thereby seriously jeopardizing Rumyantsev''s attack.


    Shouting was heard upon the battlefield as men engaged each other. Blood was flowing; shots were fired, while the cannon shots left the men in the unrecognizable mess it was a gruesome scene with bloodied bodies even the once clean uniforms of the still fighting soldiers were painted in deep red with the blood of their allies and foes alike.


    Soon a dangerous gap appeared in the Russian center and Pyotr Rumyantsev who still didn¡¯t commit his reserves fully to the fight and was holding back, now order a charge to cluck up the gap.


    Soon both forces were fully committed to the battle, but for the first time in this day, the Russian were losing against the sheer number of Ottomans.


    And when the Russian begun to lose hope the well-organized and trained artillery of the Russians finally was in position and opened fire in a massive barrage slowly turning the battle once again into Russian favor.


    Russian has once again begun pushing the Ottoman back.


    *BOOM*


    A Russian cannon shot killed a couple of Ottomans seeing their comrades falling the Ottomans in a fit of rage once again charged the Ottomans only to be met with a volley of musket fire from the Russians.


    No matter how the Ottomans tried they couldn¡¯t break the Russian as even the gab in the center was being closed with firepower and bayonet charges from the Russians and the Janissaries were repulsed.


    With the newfound success, Pyotr Rumyantsev ordered his 2000 cavalry to charge followed by a full-out assault from his five squares and the reserve infantry and Ottomans were being pushed back at both flanks while the Russian artillery has begun harassing the Ottoman rear.


    The Ottoman forces began taking even more casualties and thus were forced back while being demoralized. Soon the stacking casualties and apparent superiority of the Russians began the Ottoman retreat that Grand Vizier Ivazzade Halil Pasha could not manage to stop, even going as far as evoking the names of Prophet Muhammad and the present Sultan to implore his troops only to fail, as the retreating Ottomans complained of the devastating Russian firepower as if it was striking like lightning, seeing that all hope is lost he retreated with what remained from his office staff.


    With the disarray within the Ottoman ranks, the Russian army entered the camp, while the retreating Ottomans grabbed anything they could and fled, and as that wasn¡¯t enough The routing Ottomans went through a detachment of Anatolian Kurdish cavalrymen supposedly on its way to assist Ivazzade Pasha, but the detachment instead looted whatever belongings the soldiers on flight carried with them, therefore adding to the chaos the Ottoman army was already in.


    ¡°We have won!¡±


    One of the Russian soldiers shouted and watching the retreating Ottomans the rushed felt their spirits and all-time high as they shouted.


    ¡°UUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!¡±


    Even if they were already exhausted from several hours of non-stop battle, they couldn¡¯t help but celebrate this great and hard-won battle.


    Seeing this Pyotr Rumyantsev ordered his men to halt and take a respite on the former Ottoman camp in the now deserted tents, surely the soldiers were grateful to their superiors and begun resting, while Rumyantsev instead ordered the Russian army''s 2000 strong cavalry to chase the retreating Ottoman force, which they did as far away as 5 kilometers and killing many along the way before stopping in the afternoon the same day.


    The tragedy of the unfortunate Ottoman force did not end at the disaster at Kagul. The next day in Pyotr Rumyantsev sent 30000 men to chase the retreating Ottoman army on its way to board the 300 ships at the Danube River ready to take the army home. The Russian soldiers eventually caught up with the already broken enemy force, initiating yet another engagement in which the Russians yet again inflicted heavy losses on the Ottomans and effectively dispersed and scattered what was left of their army which was now fleeing in all directions except north with many trying to swim across the Danube to escape the Russian onslaught only to die drowning, managing to capture the entire 300-ship Ottoman convoy and 30 cannons, therefore completing the Ottoman defeat and the Russian triumph at Kagul.


    Thus for the rest of the war, the Ottomans were put on the defensive and lost all hope to turn the tables on the Russians and take the initiative from them.


    A/N: Fun Fact: Frederick II The Great of Prussia contemptuously dubbed the Russo-Turkish war of 1768-74 ¡°one-eyed men who have given blind men a thorough beating¡±


    Well and now for the confession time¡­I wrote this instead of the actual chapter because I kept rewriting and rewriting the chapter and it got on my nerves and after reading an article about Frederick The Great I found this quote above and figured I will try writing a battle and here it is. So how was it? Good? Bad? Or meh?


    P.S: The next chapter will be done when I will finish reading a book about Marie Antoinette(I have 85 pages left) so the next chapter will come out next week props at least I will try to finish it, but no promises as I¡¯m bad at keeping them.

 The Little Madame Antoine

    It was a couple of weeks since I came to France, the bastion of civilization, said to be the most beautiful country in the world, and married the heir to the throne Louis-Auguste.


    At first, I didn¡¯t want to leave Austria and my family, no it¡¯s better to say I was afraid to leave them, but deep down I knew that this was my fate as my elder brothers and sisters were married off one by one and I knew that sooner or later my time would come and there¡¯s no saying no to my mom, The Holy Empress of Austria and Holy Roman Empire Maria Theresa.


    And yet the fated day had come when my mother told me that I will marry Prince of France, she told me I was luckiest and yet I didn¡¯t feel that way¡­


    I was afraid that my fate would be like that of my dearest sister Maria Calorina who married Ferdinand I the King of Sicily and Naples. She wrote letters home and she said that her husband is ugly and that if not being duty-bound she would run away from him, both of them didn¡¯t care for each other and even slept in different rooms.


    That same fear and uncertainty filled my heart, will my husband be good, will he be bad? Would he care about me? Would we fall in love?


    I didn¡¯t want my marriage to end up like this¡­


    But I obeyed my mother, even if I loved her dearly, in fear of incurring her wrath and I knew that this was my fate as Austrian princess.


    Firstly a French teacher was invited to perfect my French, while I could speak it, albeit with a strong German accent, like my father, mother, and anyone in the court spoke French it was easy for me to understand the spoken language, but writing and reading were like hell to me.


    My teacher got to work by trying to hide my German accent and then when I was good enough we went to writing where my teacher always chastised me for my slow writing or snail pace as he said, reading was my least favorite task as I was simply bad at it and it fell like torture and I dreaded it every time, I never understood my brother¡¯s Joseph¡¯s fixation with reading he even told me that at least two hours of the day should be set aside for reading.


    And coupled with my mother taking an active role in my studies for the two years before marriage meant that I had no way to get out of this, every day I spent perfecting my French, my manners and then I was educated by my mother about martial things and obedience.


    Even my appearance was changing by the order of my mother as a French hairdresser was imported to deal with my big forehead and uneven hairline, the hairdresser by the name Sieur Larsenneur was quite funny as he told me jokes about all the French madams and their hair and he was quite skilled as well as soon his style of dressing my hair was being copied by other young ladies in the court.


    After the hairdresser then came Joseph Ducreux a French painter who was commissioned to paint my portrait to be sent to France.


    When we meet him he was baffled by the size of our family as he even asked which one of my sisters was me, we had a good laugh then from the embarrassed painter.


    It took him 8 long sittings to paint my portrait and then immediately it was sent to France while my education continued.


    After those two long years, it was finally official as a letter came from France asking for my hand. That was it, I will marry Louis-Auguste dauphin of France, the whole court was ecstatic by the news, and especially my mother saying that ¡°If one is to consider only the greatness of your position, you are the happiest of your sisters and all princesses.¡±


    Yet I didn¡¯t felt that way.


    Soon after I formally renounced my right to my family¡¯s domains I married by proxy in Augustinian Church in Vienna with my dear brother Ferdinand standing in place of my future husband.


    It was a celebratory day and even I myself found it fun and for one day I completely forgot what awaits me¡­


    After a couple of days, I stood at my carriage with most of my family behind me.


    A servant opened the door of the carriage and I was immediately greeted by crimson taffeta curtains, red velvet couch with gold decorations.


    I turned back to see my brothers, sisters, and parents standing proud.


    Immediately my older sister Maria Carolina, who came here from Naples precisely to say goodbye, went closer and hugged me as we both started to tear up.


    I and she were closer than any of the siblings, we were thought under the same tutor, we caused a lot of mischiefs together and funnily enough when one of us got sick the other caught the same disease the other day, it was heartbreaking when mother separated us and then she married.


    ¡°Write to me sister Antoine, everything down to the tiniest detail¡­I love you and I will always be concerned for your well-being, never forget that.¡±


    She said as she broke the contact and smiled at me which I responded with a small smile of my own as tears still rolled down our cheeks.


    ¡°I will, sister, no matter how much we will be apart I will always hold you close to my heart.¡±


    She nodded and retreated to my family¡¯s side as other members congratulated me and wished me happiness.


    Then came my mother¡¯s turn.


    She too had tears in her eyes as she hugged and clasped me again and again.


    ¡°Oh, my little Madame Antoinette, how much you have grown¡­Farewell, my dearest child, a great distance will separate us¡­Do so much good to the French people that they can say that I have sent them an angel.¡±


    Both of us broke down and wept.


    I wanted to stay, talk to them more I had so much to say to them, alas it was my time for me to begin my long road to France, and even when I departed I from time to time looked back through my window back to my family.


    It was a grueling journey even when we stopped overnight at the monastery of Melk where my eldest sibling Joseph received us, who wasn¡¯t present at my departing and I was thankful for that as I sobbed for quite a while and seeing my brother helped my spirits greatly and I was happy that my family will be all the way with me.


    After parting with my brother it didn¡¯t take long for us to cross the border and once again I burst into tears as she crossed the border of my mother¡¯s dominions, I was frightened that I would never see my dear mother or siblings again.


    For the rest of the journey, I was anxious about how I will be greeted in the French court at Versailles¡­


    A week later we were at the palace of Versailles the home of the French Royal family The Bourbons.


    It was the biggest palace I ever saw, definitely bigger than The Hofburg palace or Schonbrunn palace which served as our winter residence.


    It was a marvel, white marble blocks, golden statues on the roofs, and large beautiful gardens with all kinds of exotic and native plants.


    Soon we stopped at the main entrance and the door of my carriage was opened and I was greeted by a grey-haired old man with a gentle smile.


    ¡®¡¯Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness, my name is Adlar I¡¯m the head butler of the palace.¡±


    The elderly gentleman said as he bowed down and greeted me.


    He held his arm forward and I took it and stepped out of the carriage.


    ¡°Right this way.¡±


    He led me into the palace and into one of the many rooms. (A/N: Fun fact The palace of Versailles has 2300rooms)


    ¡°This will be where you will be staying, your luggage is being cared for and your retinue will be sorted out quickly, if there are any questions or needs, please ask any of the servants.¡±


    I just nodded and took the sights of my room, a single queen-size bed a big wardrobe a wooden table and a couple of mirrors, a giant painting just in front of the bed, 3 big windows with red curtains, and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.


    As servants were bringing my luggage and organizing everything I just sat on the bed and watched, knowing that this will be my new home and there¡¯s no escaping that, after all, I have to do my duty to my country and to my mother, at least I will meet the prince tomorrow in the upcoming ball, hopefully, he will not be like sisters Maria¡¯s husband¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    I hate being sad.


    ¡­


    The Ball begun with me mindlessly walking and interacting with everybody I could.


    It was not that different from the balls in Austria, the only difference is that everybody speaks mainly French and a lot of interactions are being dictated by the noble rank, you will rarely see a Baron talking to a Duke, mostly the French nobles gathered in the groups of their peers.


    ¡°May I have your attention, please?¡±


    One of the servants shouted and everybody turned to him.


    ¡°Presenting His Majesty, the King of France Louis X¡±


    Then the brown double wooden door opened and the King entered into the hall, all of them and I gave a short head bow or a curtsy, greeting the monarch, who just gave a slight smile and then with his escort who was wearing light green Sack-back with some white wave patterns, her small face and brown eyes were heavy with makeup while her brown hair was done into two braids, she was Jeanne B¨¦cu, Comtesse du Barry the official mistress of the King, who was wearing a coat, waistcoat, and breeches with stockings, his coat and breeches were red while his waistcoat was grey with white stockings, he too wore makeup making his face white while his cheeks had some red tint on them.


    ¡®¡¯Lastly, presenting his Royal Highness, The Dauphin of France Louis-Auguste.¡¯¡¯


    Hearing those words I immediately looked at the door, soon I will see the one who I will marry.


    Soon the door opened and came in the Prince he wore a black coat with a white waistcoat, the coat and the waistcoat of the panoply called habit ¨¤ la francaise are fully embroidered with golden and silver threads and other multi-colored threads, sequins, and artificial gems. Then he wore black breeches and a pair of white stockings finished with black shoes and unlike the King and a lot of noble males he didn¡¯t wear any makeup.


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    He walked with his back straight chin up, yet he didn¡¯t pay any heed to the slightly bowing nobles and just went towards the king. I didn¡¯t make anything from this as my father and even mother would do the same from time to time and even my brothers, after all, he is the next king and all of the people here are his future subjects.


    Soon enough a servant made his way towards us.


    ¡°My lady, the King ask for your presence, if you will, please follow me.¡±


    The servant told me and I nodded and soon I and my retinue followed him towards the king.


    Yet as I walked my thoughts were on a constant loop about the prince.


    How will he act? What is his temper? What will he think about me? Will he like me? How should I start the conversation?


    Soon enough we were there and the servant introduced us, yet I looked at the Prince as his silver eyes looked at me, I felt like he was piercing me, seeing me inside out.


    I even got embarrassed by his passionate gaze as he took me in.


    ¡°My lady¡±


    The servant took her attention away from the prince and he blushed some more being even more embarrassed by her misconduct.


    I steeled myself as I took in a deep breath, the first impression is important after all.


    ¡®¡¯My name is Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, but you may call me Marie Antoinette, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty and your Highness¡¯¡¯


    I introduced myself with all the finesse I could muster and did a curtsy.


    ¡®¡¯M-Yes, my name is Louis-Auguste the Dauphin of France, it¡¯s my pleasure to meet you, my lady.¡¯¡¯


    The prince bowed as he introduced himself and then silence has fallen between us.


    I didn¡¯t know what to say and he too looked like he was lost, after all, we seeing each other only today.


    It was nerve-wracking, and I just was lost.


    ¡®¡¯Now that you introduced yourselves to each other make me introduce you once again, Louis-Auguste meet Marie Antoinette, your future wife!¡¯¡¯


    The King said happily, breaking our silence.


    ¡®¡¯I understand, it¡¯s truly a pleasure to meet such a beautiful lady that will become my wife.¡¯¡¯


    The Prince said as those silver orbs stared at me and I blushed and it didn¡¯t help that the ladies behind me were silently snickering.


    ¡®¡¯L-Likewise, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    I said. At least he was a gentleman maybe he will not be bad.


    ¡®¡¯Hmm, so you are good for at least something, your wedding will be held in two days, meanwhile don¡¯t embarrass yourself.¡¯¡¯


    The king said. I looked at him and at the surprised prince as he muttered.


    ¡®¡¯Excuse me your Majesty, but did you say the wedding will be held in two days?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯I don¡¯t know why are you surprised so much, you are technically already married, your wedding was held at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, with her brother Archduke Ferdinand acting as your proxy. But that was a marriage for Austrian people, but this one will be for the people of France and the world to see how France and Austria join hands.¡¯¡¯


    That was true we had a simple ceremony in Austria, but it was just a formality this one will be the official one.


    ¡®¡¯Well, either way, I have things to do, so you two talk to each other, get to know each other because you will be spending the future days together.¡¯¡¯


    The King excused himself and I looked at the prince. I already cried out my tears and resigned for my fate, after all as royalty I don¡¯t have the luxury to choose who I will marry.  At least the first impressions are good and I won¡¯t share the same fate as my sister Maria.


    ¡®¡¯Could I ask for a dance, my lady?¡¯¡¯


    The silence was broken as he extended his hand towards me.


    ¡®¡¯It would be my pleasure, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    I replied and gave him my hand.


    His hands were a bit rugged, well I heard that he liked hunting, my brothers too had more rugged hands so I didn¡¯t pay that any heed.


    Then he led me deeper towards the ballroom where a couple of people were seen dancing.


    Then he nudged a servant.


    ¡®¡¯Instruct the musicians to play something precisely for a waltz.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯It will be done, your Highness.¡¯¡¯


    The servant quickly left and soon the music changed.


    ¡®¡¯Do you know how to waltz, my lady?¡¯¡¯


    He asked me and I nodded, after all, I loved to dance and sing those were my favorite things.


    Then he took my left arm into his right hand, while his right hand found my lower back and I put my left hand on his right shoulder.


    Then we slowly started our dance.


    Soon I lost myself in the dance, yet I looked at my partner and I saw him concentrated his browns were furrowed and he had a bit of his tongue out, just the tip, but it made me smile seeing him like that.  More and more we immersed ourselves into the dance, things like these that I forgot the weight on my shoulders that was put on me, there was nothing else but the music, the floor, and the rhythm of my moves.


    Then the music stooped and I looked around all the people clapping.


    I eyed the crowd and smiled, it made me happy that they clapped after all that means that they are recognizing me and my performance then I did a curtsy to the applause.


    Soon the Prince led me away from the floor and into a corner where he got something to drink. I could see the sweat on his forehead, he tried really hard and it made my heart race a bit seeing that he tried hard for me.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you, Your Highness, it was really fun!¡¯¡¯


    I said to him and smiled, I truly needed this.


    Now I don¡¯t think that I will be lost in France, it was not that different from Austria


    ¡®¡¯The opinion is mutual, my Lady.¡¯¡¯


    He replied with a smile and I blushed a little, it didn¡¯t help that he was my husband, I used to be complimented, but the fact that he is my husband makes it more awkward and embarrassing.


    Soon the silence once again settled between us. I just didn¡¯t know what to tell to him, we were just smashed together and left alone; I didn¡¯t want to ruin my image in his eyes by saying something out of line.


    ¡®¡¯So how is Austria?¡¯¡¯


    The Prince asked.


    ¡®¡¯Oh¡­ It¡¯s quite beautiful especially our capital Vienna, the people were friendly and I had a lot of friends¡­¡¯¡¯


    I replied a bit sadden, thinking about my family and what are they doing now, are they thinking about me? Are they praying for my success?


    ¡®¡¯It was hard, wasn¡¯t it? I mean leaving everything behind without warning going there where you didn¡¯t expect to go and doing things that you don¡¯t want to do¡­ Just because someone wished it to be so.¡¯¡¯


    Yes, it was, but I already dried my eyes and accepted it plus on the bright side my mother promised to write to me.


    ¡®¡¯It is still hard to come to terms with everything, but I¡¯m doing what is expected of me by my beloved mother, plus she made sure that we would keep in contact with the help of letters.¡¯¡¯


    I replied.


    Then he questioned about my family and I Shared both sad and fun stories, about my elder brother Joseph and mother fighting and the fun times that I had with my sister Charlotte as we caused a lot of mischiefs when we were little.


    Yet where I had a good relationship with my family his family was quite cold, at least that what I thought after the brief interactions with the king and him saying nothing much about his brothers and sisters.


    I thought that it was sad that he didn¡¯t have a warm relationship with his family, after all the family are the closest people you have.


    Then I talked more about my favorite sister Charlotte and her unlucky marriage to Ferdinand IV of Naples and how he wrote back that her husband is really ugly and that she ¡°loves¡± him only out of duty and obligation.


    The Prince asked.


    ¡®¡¯So what about me, do you think me as ugly?¡¯¡¯


    I wasn¡¯t prepared for such a question and blushed as he was quite good looking especially those silver eyes of his that really captivated me every time I stared at them.


    ¡®¡¯I-I think you look good, your Highness¡¯¡¯


    I blurted out through my embarrassment.


    He just smiled brightly.


    ¡°Call me Louis, my Lady.¡±


    ¡°T-Then call me, Marie.¡±


    Then we talked about our hobbies and I learned that he was almost like my brother Jospeh as he liked reading and riding, I was afraid of that, I will never ever understand what makes a book interesting, it was more interesting to dance and to sing, share the joy with others, rather than locking up in a room and flipping a book.


    As the ball went on we talked some more and I had a positive impression out of him, I even opened up to him more than I intended about my family and life, but somehow I knew I could trust him. That made me really happy that I lucked out unlike my sister Charlotte who had to marry Ferdinand IV of Naples, I married to Louis-Auguste the Dauphin of France.


    I was quite in the good mood then and tried dropping some hint that he should invite me to dance.


    I made them quite obvious that even a bald man could see them, yet he either dodged it or spun my words around and then left.


    I was a bit mad at him, seeing him walking around and talking with people instead of inviting me to dance but then he came back and I smiled.


    They all come back later, It was the same with my late father and it seems it will be the same with Louis.


    After the ball, the days went on quickly as everyone was preparing for the wedding ceremony between me and Louis.


    The ceremony was more tamer than in Austria as we married at Versailles and didn¡¯t travel to Paris.


    We married at The Royal Chapel which was white, it had large glass windows and buttresses that were inspired by Gothic architecture. On the roof, you could see countless statues of women, men both warriors and saints, and some mythological creatures, and the roof of the Chapel was of a light blue colour.


    But then the wedding party came, a lot of people gathered, the whole party took up 2 floors of The Royal Opera House.


    But the most interesting this was the so-called jelly.


    Every time I touched it with my spoon it wobbled around and I poked it from all different directions, even using the spoon to pressure the top of the jelly, only for it to spring up right back.


    Then I heard laughter from my side and saw Louis staring at me.


    ¡®¡¯I-I¡­¡¯¡¯


    I stammered as our eyes met. I immediately went full red from the embarrassment of getting caught, I had just never seen a desert-like this.


    ¡®¡¯Don¡¯t worry, It¡¯s just I found your actions amusing.¡¯¡¯


    He said with a smile.


    ¡®¡¯I¡¯m sorry for such unsightly behavior¡­but I have never seen this kind of desert¡¯¡¯


    I replied, trying to get rid of the embarrassment.


    ¡®¡¯Oh¡­Really? Well, it¡¯s called jelly and how it¡¯s made¡­Well, I am not so sure. It¡¯s just water mixed with some fruit juice maybe and kept in a cold place for a couple of hours, even more, to give it solid form.¡±


    He explained and then he thought me how to eat it, the jelly was quite delicious, it almost immediately turned into liquid in my mouth, it was good that I took only a small spoon of it.


    Then I introduced them to a desert from Austria called kipferl, which ended up being called a croissant by Louis and made official by the King.


    All was going well until the King stoop up.


    ¡®¡¯Thank you all that had gathered today for a historic event that will be forever known in history as the glorious France and Austria who were once enemies now are becoming most trusted allies who will walk shoulder to shoulder in this world from today onward and for years to come, it¡¯s time for this royal pair that brought our two countries together to finally have the bedding ceremony and solidify their union for now and forever¡±.


    As he said those words my eyes widened I immediately knew what awaits me.


    As I was led to my room with the bishop blessing the bed and maids helping me undress, I was really nervous my heart raced really fast, it felt like my heart would jump from my chest any minute.


    Soon we left alone and I was just fidgeting as Louis looked around my room.


    Soon I told him I was ready, but I was not.


    My thoughts were racing, will my first time hurt? What will happen to me?


    What about my family?


    I kept pushing the thought away by reminding myself that this was my duty, it was expected of me.


    I kept thinking about my family and how I miss them, about my responsibility about all of this weight, and those emotions just boiled up as I let a small whimper when Louis''s hands were gently traveling up my thigs.


    Then he stopped and I feared the worse that he hurt me.


    I asked him why he didn¡¯t continue and he replied.


    ¡°Why I didn¡¯t do it? Well, to be honest, I can relate to you, we don¡¯t know each other that well, after all, we know each other for two days and that is too little time to get a feel of another person, plus you didn¡¯t even have had the time to adapt to France so I thought let¡¯s first get to know each other better, let¡¯s you get properly integrated to French society and who knows maybe our feelings will blossom or maybe they won¡¯t, but I promise to you that I will take care of you and respect you, I will never spite or have a grudge against you. You¡¯re beautiful Marie and I definitely would want to make this work, but first I want to learn about the Marie within not the outer shell of Marie, but the real her within that body, what she likes, dislikes, how she feels about mundane things like the rainy weather or the sun, maybe she likes cooked meat than boiled.¡¯¡¯


    I knew that he tried to help me, but his words stung more, I felt weak, fragile and I felt like I failed my family and especially my mother.


    ¡®¡¯But the King and my mother will be angry if we don¡¯t do it, so-¡®¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Ohh you mean the evidence of our act?¡¯¡¯


    I nodded my head at his question.


    ¡®¡¯Do you have anything sharp?¡±


    Then he pierced his finger and I freaked out seeing blood, but he acted calm and just stained the sheets with his blood.


    ¡°There now there is proof.¡±


    He said with a smile.


    I quickly grabbed him and made him sit on the chair next to the bed as I got a small flask with some salve on it from my drawer and started rubbing it on the spot he had cut.


    I gently applied the salve.


    Then he asked me why I have it and I told him the truth.


    I used to be quite clumsy and so I got hurt a lot so after some time the doctor was mad at me and thought me how to treat small wounds myself so he could focus on things that really required his attention.


    I smiled remembering Austria.


    Then we went back to bed as we laid there I looked at his back.


    He really is kind, doing all this for me, for a girl he knows just a couple of days, not even judging me, not spiting me for not doing my duty, just understanding and helping.


    Maybe my mother was right; I truly lucked out among my sisters¡­


    ¡°Louis?¡±


    I called him, but he didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I said as I made up my mind to make this relationship work, I will do anything to make him fall for me.


    A/N: Never again. This chapter is shit, probs my worse chapter so far.


    Btw I¡¯m back and will start writing once again.


    Join DC: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz

 A Normal Day

    You know I always imagined politics as a den of vipers, everybody lying through their teethes, manipulations, schemes that would make George R. R. Martin¡¯s Song of Ice and Fire look like a fanfiction, yet the politics of ancien regime were quite civil? If being honest looked more like a scene from a local market where a person would banter for price with the seller, words would be thrown here and there, but in the end, the King(seller) would have the last say of the day. Of course, they were some plots here and there, but humans always wanted to one-up another, even then the plots were either smearing person''s name or bribing those closest to him to change sides.


    Though that may be because I¡¯m a Prince and the Heir to the throne, I skipped a lot of steps in the politics in the court and all the nobles were quite willing to talk to me, but I knew some of them didn¡¯t take me seriously and just listened to because of my status while others were down riding bootlicking my shoes, especially the younger nobles of the court were really active to get my attention, probably because in this court they will never get and important position or have enough influence to sway it so their best way to get into the big leagues is to side with the future King and so like that The Dauphin¡¯s faction was born.


    Though what surprised me was when I was approached by Phillippe de Noailles after a few days when his wife Anne d¡¯Arpajon became the first lady of honour to Marie Antionette. And I have to be honest when Marie told me that I thought that he was just a regular noble just wanted to get on my good side and advance in power. But what surprised me was that I was met by an elderly gentleman with a military uniform. I didn''t know what he wanted from me as I had zero presence in the military, plus from what Aldric told me he was already Lieutenant g¨¦n¨¦ral (NATO: Major General) and a veteran of the seven-year war.


    He was around 30-40 years old, wearing a grey wig and with a white uniform decorated with medals.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I¡¯m Philippe de Noailles, it is my utmost honor to meet you.¡±


    He did a bow.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine¡±


    I replied and then I sat down at the table that was prepared by the servants in advance, there was already wine and snacks prepared.


    I took a sip of the wine, honestly, I¡¯m not really fond of it the taste is just not from me as I prefer strong spirits rather than wine or champagne.


    I twirled the wine in the cup while waiting for the Lieutenant g¨¦n¨¦ral to start speaking and after taking a few sips himself he began talking.


    ¡°Thank you, your Royal Highness, for accepting this meeting, I will then get straight to the point. The entire de Noailles family offers full support to your Royal Highness, in exchange for looking after 5 individuals Philippe Louis de Noailles, Louis Marie Antoine de Noailles, Jean de Noailles, Emmanuel Marie Louis de Noailles and lastly Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, here is my brothers Louis de Noailles letter.¡±


    He gave me the white envelope and I tore the wax seal off and started reding.


    It was the same as what the gentleman before me said, we will help you if you look after these individuals, Of course, the letter was more extravagant and detailed than the words of Phillippe de Noailles.


    And I understand what ¡®looking after¡¯ means, well it doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that they probably want me to promote these individuals or at least streamline the process.


    ¡®¡¯I got what you have in mind, but they¡¯re few things that I don¡¯t understand¡±


    I said as I put the letter at the table.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I can answer any questions if needed.¡±


    ¡°Okay, first is why go to me, while I¡¯m the Prince my powers are limited and even my faction is but a whisper in the court. Second, while understand the four members of your family, but what about Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette?¡±


    I asked, while understand wanting to look after one''s family and get them in better places, I don¡¯t understand the mention of the last individual as he comes from a different family, maybe he is a branch member?


    ¡°To answer your first question, Your Highness, think of it as a future investment and while we don¡¯t expect something immediately at least we want, your Royal Highness to a good word for our family, after all, they are some speculations that the Dauphin has the ears of Ren¨¦ de Maupeou...¡±


    Ah, So this is his game, while yes out of everyone the current Chancellor of France currently had his eyes on me, sometimes during the High Council or Council of Messages Rene de Maupeou ask for my opinion in some manners and even sides with me from time to time, plus I certainly know while he is in the King¡¯s faction, he had a distant hand in the creation of Dauphin¡¯s (my) faction.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a gossip? Even if I had his ears there is still little chance that I could do anything to ¡°support¡± the mentioned individuals.¡±


    I replied to him.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why we are investing in the future, your Royal Highness, all we need right now is just to keep us in your Royal Highness mind.¡±


    Good reply. If he even took a second to think about it, I would be instantly shutting him down and either promising small concessions or none at all.


    ¡°Then what about Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette? While understanding the logic behind others he doesn¡¯t seem to be of your house?¡±


    This Marquis de Lafayette was the odd one out, while other were of the de Noailles family, he had a different surname and he was already a marquis so either he is a family branch member or he was married into the family.


    ¡°Ah, yes, he is my brother''s future grandson-in-law as de Lafayette will marry my brother''s granddaughter, your Royal Highness, don¡¯t need to worry he is an orphan and is currently being looked after by his uncle while he studies at the university of Paris, but after he marries, he will be under our care.¡±


    Well, I think this is a good deal, after all, it is not that hard to mention them in the meetings and if they¡¯re competent I see no point in promoting them in a position or two, while I will have the support of seven individuals and 6 of them come from one of the prominent families in France.


    ¡°I understand, then I will see what I can do.¡±


    I replied and the gentleman just thanked me. After that, we just talked about his experiences during the seven years'' war and it was really interesting to hear the history from the person who lived through it, after all, I was always more interested in hearing the stories of my grandma, grandpa than reading it from a literature piece written by a historian who has no or very little connection to the time period, as this one way you can get even more insight and details than reading through as sometimes the literature paints a different picture than what really happened, like Theophanes the Confessor who even though lived through the time he wrote about, he spun a couple of events his way, like accusing every Iconoclast emperor of being a degenerate.


    After this quite fruitful and informative morning, my afternoon went in the opposite direction as I did absolutely nothing, except attend a couple of events as per courtly protocol, the rest of the afternoon I spend reading books.


    Well, the books in this age were quite... unique let''s say, as all of them were catering to one or other physiological school of thought, like Leibnizian optimism or stoicism, trying to teach how to live morally and spiritually fulfilling life, while at the same time being copies of Robinson Crusoe (Robinson Crusoe first published on 25 April 1719) in one way or another.


    After all for me there wasn¡¯t so much to do, though there was tennis, golf, and a rough version of football being played, many people still watched cruel sports like cockfighting and bull-baiting, which just weren¡¯t for me. Nobles and richer peasants like merchants liked hunting, which I started enjoying it too as horse riding and hunting were something novel and new coming from the future. A form of Bare-knuckle boxing was also popular among the peasantry and around the noble circle.


    That reminds me, maybe I should introduce some of the modern games? And then maybe have a giant festival-like Olympics? Heck, do Olympics even exist here? Probably not as they are a pagan festival therefore heresy or something like that. But having festivals like these and having my face at the front would boost my popularity among the masses, now I just wish for someone like Joseph Gobbles to suddenly appear before me, as I¡¯m completely green in the world of politics, the most I can do is copy others.


    While copying others isn¡¯t so bad, Afterall in infancy and during childhood humans actually learn a lot by copying others like their parents or siblings, even animals learn best from others. But even if I applied some of the political, cultural, and other various things from the future I''m afraid that it just wouldn¡¯t work as people here are superstitious and quite religious and that would lead to some unforeseen circumstances.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Let¡¯s leave it for that as I even don¡¯t have a lot of capital to do something in the first place, hopefully duc de La Vauguyon and Jean-Fr¨¦d¨¦ric Ph¨¦lypeaux will find some suitable people in 4 years, now I even wonder if Jean-Fr¨¦d¨¦ric Ph¨¦lypeaux will put Anne Robert Jacques Turgot in the position of Controller-General of Finances, well it isn''t like I changed much of history for that not to happen, I don¡¯t even know what was the cabinet of Louis XVI like or who was in there, I only know of three people who served under Louis XVI once he became the king and those were Jean-Fr¨¦d¨¦ric Ph¨¦lypeaux because of his success during 1723¨C1749 and he was appointed as the First Minister of State, Anne Robert Jacques Turgot because he tried to fix the financial situation of France and if you are an economic student then you would probably know him as early advocate for economic liberalism, lastly Jacques Necker who was another Controller-General of Finances and was best known for making the country''s budget public in 1781.


    Then the door to my room opened and came in Aldric, he looked at me and then bowed.


    ¡°Please excuse me, Your Royal Highness, the horses for the evening hunt are already prepared, though I must inform you that, her Royal Highness Marie Antoinette will be partaking as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Aldric.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure, Your Royal Highness if you''d excuse me.¡±


    So, Marie will be joining in too...The progress I made with her I think is good, she is more outgoing now and I always invite her to tea and to walks around the Versailles, the relationship between her and me is still developing and I myself learned to appreciate her openness and her rather big imagination, which I found surprising, and lastly, I even made my permanent residence in her bedroom and we always sleep together and nowadays I only use my room as an office where I go to read or relax.


    And her going hunting with me, my male siblings and the King shows that she starting to warm up to me, the royal family, and being in France, solid progress all-around


    Soon enough I made my way to the courtyard where the hunting party was assembled.


    Just looking at all of the people who had gathered there to go on a hunt is mind-boggling for me. I understood having guards and whatnot, Afterall the King is going hunting and we can¡¯t let thieves, assassins, or angry people capture him or kill him, but having ten carriages with guests, other ten loaded with weapons, ammo, food, drinks, and even camping equipment was too much, that¡¯s not even mentioning the extravagance of the d¨¦cor, everything was grandiose and puffed up to the max, just for going to a forest and killing some animals.


    The stringiest thing was the carriages these fancy carriages, called voitures de chasse (hunting cars), were sometimes embellished with a stag¡¯s head or had a stag¡¯s forequarters on the front. In addition, some of the voitures de chasse¡¯s looked like Roman chariots because they were equipped with three or more horses traveling abreast.


    Atop the fancy voitures de chasse also sat fancy coachmen. The coachmen were not necessarily expert drivers as I interviewed one during one of my hunts, their real forte was how they looked: They were decked out in gold or silver lace and had their hair highly dressed. This also meant that postilions, responsible to control the carriages, sat on the lead horse dressed in their finery that consisted of a cocked hat and jackboots.


    While I and King Louis preferred riding our won horses looking for the game, most of the other nobles and my brothers actually preferred to attend the hunt with closed carriages, and then they sat and waited (called coverting) in the forest in spots where they thought the boar might appear or asked one of the servants to put traps or bait the animals with the help of hunting hounds or falcons.


    I made my way to my white horse where the Royal family, Marrie Antoinette, and even more surprisingly Madame du Barry who had a frown on her face as she looked at the King who was talking to Marrie. (A/N: If someone could point out what horse breeds were used or most likely were used for war and for royalty in 18th century, that would be really helpful.)


    Oh if only looks could kill, little Marie would be dead a couple of thousand times, well it isn¡¯t like she was innocent. Marie in these couple weeks began being more active in the royal court and managed to get the Kings attention and the King¡¯s mistress Madame du Barry didn¡¯t like that one bit, that and the fact that Marie started showing her horns and trying to undermine Madame du Barry, both of them slowly started to see each other as enemies, but sadly for Marie she didn¡¯t have the political capital to move against the mistress as Madame du Barry had her own following amongst the high nobles and even Joseph Marie Terray the current Controller-General of Finance was one of her faction but after being given an office his loyalties shifted, plus the mistress had another big advantage over the future queen that of being the Kings bed warmer and woman''s body can be a weapon sharper than any blade a man would meet in the battlefield.


    Well, it¡¯s not like I stood still and left my fianc¨¦e on her own, while I too don¡¯t have a lot of power still being a Dauphin carried its own weight and with the creation of Dauphin''s faction and with the future backing of Noailles family I will be trying to undermine her, plus I certainly know that I have the full backing of the Triumvirate as Rene de Maupeou himself is antagonistic towards the royal mistress, while even combined we couldn¡¯t do much as she had the King''s ears and eyes, we could at least stall or make it harder for her to do what she pleases.


    ¡°I see, you are finally here.¡±


    The King said as I approached them.


    I of course bowed a bit as a sign of respect.


    ¡°Your Royal Majesty, My lady.¡±


    I said and then took Marie''s arm and kissed it briefly.


    I then looked over Marie as she wore a full red hunting uniform, with black boots, and atop of her head was a black hat with an abundance of white ostrich feathers that stuck out of her hat and she looked so regal, a perfect blend of royalty and casualty.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get a move on!¡±


    The king boisterously said as servants helped him climb the horse and after everyone was ready, we sat out.


    After 30minutes of riding, we arrived at the forest, and soon the servants were making camps, building fireplaces, and unloading food with beverages, while the nobles have begun looking for hunting spots, I and the King took a couple of guards, servants and hound handlers. Then we set out to the forest, with the king and his retinue going south, while I went north and Marie accompanied me on her own horse.


    ¡°Have you any experience hunting?¡±


    I asked her as I was interested in this topic, because from my imagination the women here were equivalent to housewives and nothing more, living a very sheltered life, with their lives mainly revolving around housekeeping and raising children, but apparently, they had more liberties than I thought at first, with them going hunting was the first thing I learned, well at least noblewomen had the liberties as I still don¡¯t know a lot about commoners in this era.


    ¡°Sadly, no, while my elder brothers had gone hunting with our father and alone, I mainly stayed inside and enjoyed singing and dancing.¡±


    That I already knew, as she prided herself on those two things, while I was like a grizzly on the dance floor and I couldn¡¯t sing or play an instrument.


    ¡°So, you wanted to try out hunting?¡±


    I asked her.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to see what¡¯s so interesting about hunts, as even Madame Etiquette talked how both his Royal Majesty and Dauphin were in love with hunting, even His Royal Majesty had ten frames of various hunted animals, so I thought it was great chance to try it.¡±


    Why I did enjoy hunting I wouldn¡¯t say I was in love with it, hunting for me was kind of a novelty as I never experienced anything like this.


    ¡°Madame Etiquette? Who is that?¡±


    I asked as I didn¡¯t even know or heard someone being called like that.


    ¡°Anne de Noailles.¡±


    Marie replied.


    Oh, she must be referring to Anne d¡¯Arpajon who through Marie arranged the meeting with Philippe de Noailles earlier.


    ¡°Why would you call her that?¡±


    ¡°Because she is so strict! You can¡¯t do that, you can¡¯t do this, it isn¡¯t proper for a French lady, the proper etiquette is this, etiquette, etiquette, and etiquette, she even prevented me from participating too much in the festivities at court. Hmph, critical stingy old woman.¡±


    I laughed a bit, which didn¡¯t help her mood as she pouted. This reminds me of duc de La Vauguyon and my hardships in learning the proper etiquette, I was probably was worse than Marie as she still Royalty and definitely had training in Austria, while I was just a commoner from the future.


    But I had to agree with Anne D¡¯Arpajon, you are now a French lady and the Future Queen of France, so acting the part came in with the title.


    *WOOF* *WOOF*


    We were interrupted by barking sounds and I knew that the hound found something so quickly I spurred my horse and with a couple of minutes of running, I found them cornering a large stag so quickly got off my horse while one of the servants gave my rifle.


    It¡¯s interesting to note that for hunting we used a fowler.


    The fowler was a smoothbore firearm generally lighter than a military musket. They were capable of firing various loads from "birdshot" like a modern shotgun, to bullets.


    The fowler was often more accurate than a military musket. This was because the bullets were cast to fit the barrel more tightly. Military muskets were built to fire 50 or more rounds in an engagement, without the black powder fouling the barrel and making further shots impossible until the gun was cleaned. Black powder is very fouling, so this required a bullet somewhat smaller than the barrel so that the gun could still be loaded and fired after numerous rounds. These gaps between bullet and barrel reduced the accuracy of the gun. Military muskets were also generally heavier and more rugged than fowlers, and could be fitted with bayonets.


    While the hunting hound barked growled and ran around the stag preventing him from escaping I quickly aimed and took the shoot.


    *BOOM*


    With a thundering sound, I saw the stag staggering and then making a mad dash, while I quickly reloaded the Fowler and mounted my horse while giving chase.


    Soon we got up and I took another shot from atop of horseback and this shot proved to be fatal.


    ¡°Hey, Marrie do you want to try shooting, after all, if you don¡¯t shoot you will not get the full hunting experience.¡±


    I said to her as the servants were preparing the stag for transport.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to shoot.¡±


    She replied and I smiled and said that I could teach her, she wouldn¡¯t need to reload as I would do it for her or the servants would do it, so all I had to teach her is how to hold the gun and how to pull the trigger.


    After that, we returned to camp with two stags and one small boar that Marie managed to hunt and quite in time as after around 20minutes the King showed up marking the start of the hunting feast as servants already prepared the tables and were in the process of preparing the hunted animals.


    Now, all it''s left is to go back to Versailles and call it a day.


    A/N: HAHA I¡¯M DONE.


    I¡¯m now officially back and active on dc https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz</a> come in, join and remind me that I¡¯m a lazy bastard.


    Fun Fact: Before meeting Marie Louis XV cross-questioned the ambassador to Austria about her bosom, and being told with a blush that the ambassador had not looked at Marie¡¯s bosom, The King replied: ¡®Oh, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s the first thing I look at.¡¯


    GIGACHAD moment

 Tea Time (Gone Briish)

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

 Happenings happen

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

 Doing it right

    ¡®¡¯My prince it¡¯s time to wake up.¡¯¡¯


    I heard a gentle voice and I immediately opened my eyes.


    I looked around and immediately saw that this was not my room; I was laying in King sized bed with white sheets around me, even the room itself looked fancy with white walls and countless paintings hanging on the walls it even had chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, to the left side there were three big windows starting from the floor and ending with a small arc near the sealing.


    I panicked, was I kidnapped? But what kidnapper would put his hostage in such fancy rooms? Or maybe I was dreaming? Yeah¡­I probably was¡­it¡¯s a dream, plus I could easily beat this old man.


    Then I turned to my right and saw a thin old man in a black suit standing near me, he had brown eyes, and his grey hair was slicked back, a perfect image of an elderly gentleman.


    ¡°Who ar-AHHHHH!¡¯¡¯


    I gripped my head in the unbearable pain, then in my mind like a quick film flashed, places, names and people, but I didn¡¯t know any of them, the further the images flashed through my mind I started to realize that those ware memories of mine, no they were the memories of this body.


    Just as the last memory played the pain stopped almost instantly and I breaded a sigh of relief, but still felt a slight pang going in my head.


    Now I see... I was transported to 18th century France in the body of Louis XVI.


    "Prince are you alright?"


    The old butler said to me.


    "System!"


    I shouted and a window appeared before me and as I expected there was an email already there.


    "Congratulations, because of a commenter you now have like millions billions of system points."


    "Haha!"


    I laughed.


    Buy everything.


    Loading....


    Everything was required


    Next I modeled my body to be that of a god, with zero inpurfections


    "Your Royal Highness, are you alright?"


    I immediately hypnotized the old man and got all the information for him.


    I then walked out to meet the king and his mistress.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Well, the mistress was quite good looking so she would be mine.


    "You will not sleep with her no more, and she will warm up my bed from now on."


    "Sure."


    The fattened King replied and I snorted.


    So a couple of days passed by and it came to my attention that Marie Antoinette is coming here for our marriage.


    Well if she is ugly I will just send her back, after all, I have the power here.


    Soon Marie came and boy was she a looker, hmm I will spend some points to make her even more beautiful, but first let''s hypnotize her to be my loyal royal slut...


    Hmm now that I think about it I got bored being a Prince and I want to be a King instead, so I got the King to kill himself.


    Next was my coronation, after meeting my council which was made of old cranky men I changed them to be hot bimbos and gave them all the necessary tools to do their job so I don''t have to, but then Controller-General or whatever came and informed me that our financial situation is bad and so I just created a lot of gold to drown earth two times over, which landed me a good night with all of my Minsterses coming to my bed that evening.


    Yes, praise your God hahaha.


    Now I was bored and basically declared war to everyone, while my ministers were going bonkers I just created space marines and led them to do the work.


    Life was good.


    Soon I declared myself as an Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind with a harem that would make Salamon seen as nothing but a stain upon my glorious self.


    Now it''s time to go and conquerer more sluts and more planets. Hahaha.


    A/N: Do that one commentator, is this more to your taste, is now the MC good? Is now the story good? you know it has everything you like idiotic MCs, systems, and a harem.


    As for my other lovely readers, this was made because I got "hate" (more like troll)comments about the story and the MC and then I looked at his/her profile and literally just saw that he read systems with harems, so I made equally trolling chapter more to his liking.

 High Council

    With the sun''s rays peeking through the curtains I woke up.


    Sitting up I stretched my arms and neck.


    Probably due to my movements Marie who was sleeping next to me woke up.


    "Morning."


    "Morning, Louis. Is it time to wake up?"


    "No, I imagine we still have some time."


    Hearing my words Marie just rolled on her other side and went to sleep.


    I smiled at that, Marie was akin to a zombie in the mornings.


    Well, I will read a book till the servants come, so with that, I pushed my pillow up and grabbed a book that was lying on the table next to our bed.


    While reading a book and waiting for servants to come I realized something important.


    Yes, I was waiting for servants to come...


    If it was a couple of weeks ago I would just get up, get dressed, and start my day, while now I''m waiting for servants.


    It is not that only, I began to act more like a noble, holding my head high, and copying some of the mannerisms of other nobles and the King.


    It was strange as I didn''t pay any attention to my posture or how I talked and walked or did other mundane things, now though I started


    subconsciously act on those details.


    I started thinking deeper, what else changed?


    My thought process was the same, morals were mostly the same.


    Then I looked to my left, Marie was sleeping her long white hair contouring her beautiful face.


    Well, this is the only thing that changed, I began accepting my fate and Marie as my wife, while bedding her was still a no for me, but I knew that after a year I will have to swallow my morals and do it, that''s why I was spending a lot of time with her, trying to get her to know better and now that I think about it I began to like her, while there was nothing too serious for now, yes we spend a lot of time together, but the most thing we did was hold our hands together.


    It was like I was hypnotizing myself just to fall for her faster.


    Marie Antoinette was a good woman, she was smart at least for this time period, I guess that came with her having a noble education, she was quite a social butterfly as she could get along with almost anyone being it a small child or an old man/woman, that made her a pleasant company as we could talk for hours about everything and nothing at the same time, and lastly, I liked that I wasn''t alone trying to get closer to her, as she was quite active too, inviting me to tea parties, balls or just for a walk, there was a couple of times where she entered my room while I was reading or studying just to ask if I needed something.


    Soon the door opened and my musings came to the end as Aldric came in with other servants.


    "Ah, Your Royal Highness, you''re awake, while I see her Royal Highness is still sleeping."


    Adlar replied as he immediately directed the servants to prepare my clothes and others to wake up Marie.


    "I woke up a couple of minutes earlier."


    I replied to him while the servants helped me get dressed.


    "You should have called for us, Your Royal Highness."


    "I was reading a book, Aldric, so it''s fine."


    "As you say, Your Royal Highness."


    Then the servants helped us get dressed so we could start our day.


    And the first order of business was breakfast with all of the royal family eating together.


    After that the Royal family split up with my siblings going to their studies, Marie was to attend a tea party with other young noblewomen, while I was to attend a council, High Council to be exact, which was the most important one of the hundreds of them, as you could only attend it if you are invited, not even a dauphin (me) or a first minister can''t enter the meeting if he is not invited by the king. I was invited to one after my marriage with Marie and I attended some others, but they like all the other councils most of the time were full of bootlicking and akin to social gatherings for nobles, then a governing apparatus.


    But this one was different, the King, me, and all of the ministers of France with all the important nobles were invited today, and then some more people, it will be the highest gathering of people since I started attending council meetings, the High Council will be held in the State Council room which was located next to King''s Chamber.


    As I entered the State council room there were already a couple of people in attendance and talking, while one of the servants guided me to my seat which was right of the king, with the King sitting at the end of the rectangle table, the table was already papered with snacks and tea. This was more like a gathering than a State meeting, where matters of great importance are discussed and acted upon.


    A couple of nobles came to greet me and I greeted them back, but before I could start making small talk or get to know the individuals present, King Louis XV entered, followed by Madame du Barry and the Ministers of France.


    Rene de Maupeou, First Minister of State, Chancellor of France, and the Keeper of the Seal.


    Joseph Marie Terray, Controller-General of Finances.


    Duc d''Aiguillon, The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.


    Louis Francois de Monteynard, The Secretary of State for War.


    Pierre-Etienne Bourgeois de Boynes, The Secretary of State for the Navy.


    Louis Phelypeaux, The Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi.


    All of the nobles bowed as soon as the King entered yet he paid them no mind, with regal steps he came to his chair which the servant quickly moved and King Louis XV sat down.


    "By my sovereign power and the blessing of God, I declare the start of the High Council!"


    The most important people who are me, Madame Du Barry, The Secretaries of France, and the most powerful nobles sat down at the table, while others had chairs further away from the table and then a couple of people were standing.


    After a couple of more ceremonial chatter, Rene de Moupeu rose from his seat.


    "Would please Godefroy de La Tour d''Auvergne, The Duke of Bouillon, present his case towards the council."


    The First Minister of State addressed the crowd sternly, his voice covering the entire room and now everyone has their attention on him.


    On the other end of the table a man gently stood up his movements were full of grace and purpose, he was Godefroy a middle age man around his forties, with a slightly balding head at the front and a big nose, with dark eyebrows like a sickle, he was dressed in blue and white.


    "Your majesty, By the Grace of God, Most Christian King of France and Navarre; Count of Provence, Forcalquier and the lands adjacent; Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois and of Diois, The Well-Beloved. I''m Godefroy de La Tour d''Auvergne, The Duke of Bouillon."


    After the words of the Duke, I observed the King as he tilted his head a tad bit upwards, puffed his chest, and with a pleased smile splattered across his face nodded to the Duke who continued.


    "I bring news that in my province of Bouillon there was a riot, due to grain prices, that was quickly put down."


    Godfrey stopped as all of the nobles straightened up, even I was surprised to hear that there were riots due to grain.


    "As we know this is not the first riot breaking out due to high grain prices as southern realm peasants were the first to start rioting, but now I''m afraid the same problem affects the northern realms as it is not only me who had riots but other dukes as well."


    It was to be noted that one of the reasons that the French Revolution happened was the price of bread but to think that even in 1771 there was such a problem... I found my respect grow for the French people as they have had the patience to wait for 18 years till 1789 with high bread prices.


    The further we go the more I feel that the throne instead of being made of hot rocks suddenly became one on top of an active volcano, such deeply rooted problems will have to be dealt quickly if I''m to survive, but how to deal with them in the first place?


    "I humbly ask the His Majesty to show leniency and lower the prices of the grain for the northern provinces and give some of the royal supplies as a relief."


    "I highly disagree, if northern dukes want relief, then the South asks for the same and some gold to compensate for the loses inflicted during the riots."


    Another duke stood up and the room quickly became one big bickering mess as everyone started bringing their own agenda and trying to insult or humiliate the other party.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    It still surprised me that they started bickering and the King didn''t say a word to stop them, instead, he was sitting still and just watching everything play out like he was watching an amusing film.


    "GENTLEMEN!"


    Rene de Maupeou, First Minister of State, raised his voice a bit to get everyone''s attention.


    "Did you forget that you are in the presence of His Majesty and His Royal Highness?"


    The voices of the dukes died down and everybody went to their seats, then Rene continued.


    "Now then, I''m pleased that The Duke of Bouillon for bringing down the riots and getting this situation under control and firming us of the situation. But I''m sat to say we can''t send any relief as The Southern Dukes make a good point that we then should send something to them too and we want to reduce money wastage to the minimum."


    "But Sir-!"


    "I understand you Sir Godefroy de La Tour d''Auvergne, I really do, but if we give you grain from the Royal storages, the other will demand that too and then the Crown will be left with nothing, and when a plague or famine comes we will be left with nothing just because we gave everything out."


    "But what about the grain prices, if they were not that high this situation could be avoided."


    One of the gathered nobles said and others nodded their heads in approval.


    "I''m afraid we can''t really do that too."


    Rene said and the nobles frowned.


    "This is not for you sir to decide! We are in the presence of His Majesty, he and he alone can only say what is good for the realm."


    One of the nobles rose up and proclaimed loudly. Rene immediately glared daggers at that man, while other nobles started rallying behind that man.


    "What is your name?"


    The King inquired the man.


    "Thibault Paquet, Representor from the Paris Parlament."


    The man did a quick bow.


    "Ah, then we will not do anything."


    The King said and Thibault frowned.


    "Your Majesty-"


    "We. Will do. Nothing. Or are you going to defy my will?"


    I could see that Paris Parlament Representor wanted to say something, but he quickly looked around and everyone was staring at him, then he simply sat down.


    "Good, we will keep the situation as it is if the situation worsens then we will take action."


    The King said and the room was silent.


    "Your Majesty, please reconsider, the grain prices are-"


    Another noble started talking.


    "I said my will, obey!"


    "Y-yes, Your Majesty!"


    "Now that is sorted let''s move on to another topic."


    The King said and then Duc d''Aiguillon, The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs rose up from his seat.


    "As you know there is a war going on in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Charles Fran?ois Dumouriez was sent as an aid for the Bar Confederation. While the Confederation found success early on, but now the situation changed, at the start of the year the Confederation saw defeats in Greater Poland, and after the battle of Dobra and B?onie, they completely stopped their activities in Lithuanian territory and now they are forced into a mostly defensive, passive stance, the Russians have full control of Eastern realms and the capital Krakow, most of the nobles are in Russian pockets. Me and Sir Louis Francois de Monteynard, The Secretary of State for War, think that there is no way for the Bar Confederation to get back, and slowly they are losing support from Austria and Prussia, as soon as one of them stops their support, defeat will be inevitable, Hereby I recommend withdrawing from the matter entirely."


    "Agreed, you can recall Charles Fran?ois Dumouriez back, we will withdraw from Poland."


    The King said, with the nobles agreeing.


    But I found it strange as Louis XV''s wife was Marie Leszczy¨½ska, the daughter of Stanis?aw I Leszczy¨½ski of the Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth, thus tying the Commonwealth and France into an alliance in form of a political marriage, yet I don''t remember France doing anything about the partitions of Poland, I guess Marie Leszczy¨½ska died and the alliance ended, plus with Poland electing their Kings there was no one tying France and the Commonwealth, and now we have an alliance with Austria and Holy Roman Empire with mine marriage to Marie Antoinette. Even then This kind of behavior I managed to see occurring over and over in meetings, the King doesn''t care that much about Europe, instead, he limits his interests to France.


    Although it should be noted that Louis XV forsake the major politics of Europe because he lost the seven-year war, War of the Austrian Succession, and War of the Polish Succession(sort of), France was left limping, it was not the same country during Louis XIV rain, were France could throw its weight all around Europe and with the giant debt left after the war, the current King Louis XV prioritized internal politics over external ones as long as they don''t pose a direct threat to France.


    The rest of the High Council nothing of note happened, just everyone talking over the general situation of France and the world, while a couple of nobles presented their own agendas for various projects wanting the financial help of the crown.


    "I degree, The High Council to be over!"


    The King said and the nobles bowed and started leaving.


    "Ah, Joseph Marie Terray, may I have a couple of minutes of your time."


    I said to the Controller-General of Finances as he stood up from his chair.


    "Your Royal Highness. Of course, how may I help you?"


    The elderly Joseph Marie Terray replied.


    "Can we take this to your office?"


    I asked him and he looked at his colleagues who nodded.


    "Of course, please follow me, Your Royal Highness."


    "Lead the way, Sir."


    I proceed to follow Joseph Marie Terray to his office.


    As we neared the office door Joseph Marie Terray opened it and invited me inside.


    The room itself was tidy, with bookshelves on the left and right, and a desk at the end with a window behind it, it was quite simple when you compare it to the other rooms which are pompous, full of extravagant embroidery, and adornment in gold.


    I took the master seat at the desk and the Controller-General sat in front of me.


    "Your Royal Highness, what do you require of me?"


    The elderly man asked me.


    "I want to ask about the grain."


    "Ah I see, I think everything was told in the meeting?"


    "Yes it was, but no concrete information was given, why the prices are high, why there is a shortage?"


    "Your Highness, have you heard of a saying: don''t put your hand there where a dog doesn''t put his nose?"


    I frowned at that, he was trying to hide.


    "Risks come from not knowing with what are you dealing with, I want to know if this will be a problem and how can we fix it, I don''t want to inherit a starving kingdom."


    I said to him and Joseph Marie Terray just looked into my eyes silently.


    "Okay, I will show you, Your Royal Highness."


    He got up and went to the right bookshelves after he quickly scrims through a couple of books he picked up one with a Burgundy color cover he then brought it to the table and quickly flipped through the pages and then he gave me it.


    "This is the yield of the grain harvest of the last year."


    I looked at the book and understood nothing there were numbers and names, but the rest were a mess.


    "Not turn 3 pages back and you will see the grain yield of 1768."


    I did as he told me and then looked at the page and nodded, yep I understand nothing, but I don''t want to ask him anything as then I would look quite ignorant.


    "As you see 1769 and 1768 grain yield is low when we compare it for example to 1765."


    "Is it really that big to make a difference?"


    I asked him and he looked at the book again.


    "If it was one year or two off then it would be nothing but as we can see the grain yield is well below average for three years straight, even grapes for wine are the same, numbers don''t lie, Your Royal Highness."


    Ah now I understand the harvest is low does the supply dwindles while the demand stays the same, thus the prices go up. But what I don''t understand is why Joseph Marie Terray instead of regulating prices that they would be affordable instead put them high up.


    "Why haven''t you told everyone this today? It would have saved a lot of questions and demands."


    I asked him, as I haven''t seen any need to keep this a secret.


    "Your Royal Highness, who do you think has the most money in France?"


    He answered my question with another question. This question was quite an easy one so I replied.


    "Nobles and merchants course."


    "Right, and now if they would know that the grain yield is low, what do you think they do?"


    I began to think, what would they do? A powerful people with a lot of money and grain supply being low...


    "They would buy a lot of it."


    I answered him and he nodded.


    "Yes and that would cause further trouble as they would buy a lot of it, leaving very little for the peasants, and then they would sell it for a huge profit. Thus as I took my office in 1770 I immediately bought a lot of grain and regulated the prices and restricting the free trade of grain."


    "But why keep the prices so high? and why did you buy them instead of leaving them in the market?"


    I asked the Controller-General.


    "Quite simply, what does a man require the most to live? Food, water and shelter, and bread is the most common food that we eat, so while this sounds like I''m exploiting our people''s suffering, I kept the prices high so I could gather extra revenue and taxes from it. For why I bought them, it is to act as a backup if we are to face starvation, if it does not come to that then I will start selling the grain supply at a low price and stabilize the prices."


    "Are you not afraid of incurring the wrath of the people and nobles?"


    I asked him because his plans had a lot of risks.


    "Your Royal Highness, have you heard the word at the court of Pacte de Famine?"


    He asked me sternly.


    "No"


    I genuinely never heard of it nor do I have a recollection of it being mentioned in any books.


    "It is a theory that foods, especially grain, were artificially made to be in high prices so that I could profit from it."


    He replied.


    "But is kinda truth no? In its own twisted way."


    I replied to him and the Joseph Terray just smiled.


    "The best lies have the grain of truth in them."


    "Are you not afraid that the King will bend to the pressure and you will be made a scapegoat?"


    "No, Your Royal Highness, I''m not, if it comes to that, then it means God made it this way."


    Joseph Marie Terray, Controller-General of Finances replied.


    "And, Your Royal Highness, please keep it a secret."


    "You have my word."


    "Thank you, Your Royal Highness."


    Then I stood up and he did too.


    "Thank you for your time, Sir."


    "It was my pleasure."


    Joseph Terray opened the door for me and bowed as I left.


    As I walked through the corridors, I mused how did Royalty fell with men like Joseph Marie Terray behind them? I hope he will be one of my future ministers as well.


    ...


    Joseph Marie Terray, Controller-General of Finances POV


    I sat at my desk, looking through the various reports as the door of my office opened, and came in a colleague of mine.


    Rene de Maupeou, First Minister of State, Chancellor of France, and the Keeper of the Seal.


    I greeted him and he quietly took a seat, yet he didn''t utter a word. I took no mind to his silence as I kept on working.


    "So how did the meeting with his Royal Highness go?"


    He asked me.


    "It was...good."


    I asked him while I made a couple of calculations in my mind and put them on the paper.


    "What did he want from you?"


    "The truth."


    "The truth."


    He said and I closed the book I was writing in as I looked up into his eyes.


    "He asked about today''s High Council, the grain issue to be exact."


    "Did you tell him?"


    I nodded


    "I did, I told him everything."


    "Was it wise?"


    My colleague asked and I understand him as well, but I saw no risk in telling the Dauphin everything as the further I observed him the further he impressed me, he was still rough around the edges but he is making good progress.


    "It will be alright, I told him to keep it a secret and he gave me his word."


    "Ha, well if you say so. Anyway, I wanted to ask you if there is a way to lower the grain prices?"


    I looked at him and then stood up, I went towards the left bookshelf and picked up a book with a brown cover.


    Let''s see, what do the numbers tell me... I quickly looked at the numbers and made some calculations.


    "I can lower it by 0.2 livres, will that be satisfactory?"


    I asked Rene and he smiled and nodded.


    "Yes it is, it will please the dukes and people alike. Well then that''s it I will leave you to your work Joseph."


    "Farewell."


    I said as he went away as quickly as he came in.


    Now then let''s finish reviewing the revenue from exports.


    A/N: Ayy I finished.


    While it may not look like it, but I have rewritten this chapter 2 times as I''m not a politician so I didn''t know how to make everything sound interesting, as I observed my own country''s parliament all I saw is them chilling, having small talk and talking or looking to their phones, while in all honesty, they worked only 15minutes max in a 2h session.


    Next, during the High Council, I wanted to use really fancy words and make it feel like a theatrical play instead of political bickering, but I found my lexicon quite limited in that regard, I probably need to read Shakespeare or something to up my fancy word game and sound all posh and proper.


    My ramblings are finished


    Now I hope you are all satisfied with this chapter as the next two will be time skips and then we will get some 007 action.


    Join DC as I will be online for two hours after this goes online: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz

 Let them eat cake! (Christmas Special)

    As usual, I got up went to the meetings, talked with nobles, and did other mundane things expected of the Dauphin of France.


    It didn''t feel like Christmas at all, me who experienced the 21st-century Christmas with its crazy rush hours, suffocating lines at the supermarket all of the craziness combined that Christmas would bring, yet here Christmas was subdued, I felt like I was witnessing Christmas in its infancy.


    Christmas in the 18th century was celebrated differently than in the 20th or even the 21st century. It was modest in comparison, even among the nobles, but it was much more spiritual as for the whole day the priests and nuns went out and performed various church services and preached to the masses about God. Even I with the whole of the Royal Family went to the church and prayed for two hours in the morning before attending our duties.


    Not that my duties were done I wandered through the Versailles and looked through the many windows that the palace had.


    It was all white and even now there was snow slowly falling, the view is really beautiful. I even had the pleasure of riding in the sleds pulled by a horse.


    "Your Royal Highness, the lunch is prepared and your gifts are prepared we can deliver them whenever you want."


    One of the servants informed me and I nodded.


    "Very well, you can bring the gifts after the meal."


    I replied to him as he bowed and left and I too went on my way.


    And that reminds me of another strange thing that I noticed that Christmas gifts were typically reserved just for children and servants if given at all. It was not mandatory like in modern times, as here nobody wrote a letter to Santa Claus and the parents didn''t say "If you are bad you will get coal instead, Santa sees and knows everything.".


    When I sat down I immediately noticed that Marie is not there, which was strange, now that I think about it...I haven''t seen Marie since morning.


    "Where is Marie?"


    I asked my family.


    "Marie said she is busy, but she said she will join us at dinner."


    One of my sisters Marie Clotilde replied to me, and her words surprised me, Marie was busy?


    "Do you know what she is "busy" with?"


    I asked my sister and she just shook her head.


    "I don''t know"


    Hmm, interesting.


    "By the way, Louis, Charles, Marie, and Elisabeth could you stay a bit after lunch?"


    I asked them.


    "Why for?"


    Louis asked and the other looked at me with questioning eyes.


    "You will see."


    I said to them with a smile.


    And after we finished our meals on my signal four servants entered.


    "Well then, here are my gifts for you, happy Christmas."


    I said as I gave my sibling their gifts, my brothers received new training swords and my sisters received new earrings.


    "Thank you, brother!"


    My siblings thanked me and hugged me and ran off.


    I just smiled and went on my way and my way was to find Marie, I was really curious about what she was busy with as this was quite of character for her as she never misses meals and gatherings.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!I was asking the servants and one maid let it slip that she was in the kitchen.


    That surprised me even more.


    And with quick steps, I went into the kitchen.


    I opened the kitchen door as quietly as I could, while some of the servants noticed me I quickly made a hand gesture to silence them, so they just bowed and went on with their tasks.


    I looked around while all of them wore white uniforms I quickly noticed Marie with her ash-blonde hair as she too wore a white uniform and was busy molding what looks like dough with her hands as he commanded the servants around her, then she straightened up and clean off the sweat from her forehead with her hand and then she noticed me and I went closer to her.


    "Louis?! W-What are you doing here?"


    She asked me.


    "Well, you didn''t attend lunch, so I was curious why were you missing. So what are you doing?"


    I asked her as she dusted her hands on her skirt and directed some servants to take the molded dough.


    "I was making a cake!"


    "A cake?"


    "Well, actually I''m making two cakes. Gugelhupf and Mohr im Hemd"


    She answered.


    Well, those names don''t ring any bells in my head so maybe they are some old traditional cakes.


    "Hmm, I never heard of them"


    "Well, they came from my home."


    Ahh, so cakes from Austria.


    "Well, the Gugelhupf is a Yeast cake, with vanilla flavor and I added some raisins in it, while Mohr Im Hemd is a chocolate cake that can be defined even as a pudding, it is served hot."


    "So why are you making them?"


    I asked her curiously as she got a bit shy.


    "W-well Gugelhupf is a present for servants, while Mohr in Hemd is for us."


    "Ah, then I''m looking forward to having a cake with you Mare, but how did you come up with this idea?"


    "Well while his Majesty Louis XV gave most of the servants a couple of coins,  I thought they could enjoy something else so then an idea came to my mind "Why won''t let them eat cake?", plus cakes can be enjoyed any part of the day and so since morning I was here making cakes, a-and then I thought about us too so before I knew I was already making another cake for us."


    She replied and I smiled at her.


    "Well then I will not disturb you, good luck Marie, the servants will surely be happy, and I will patiently await the special cake just for the two of us."


    I said and noticed as Marie slightly blushed.


    "Alright, Louis, I will make sure that it will be the most tastiest cake you ever tasted."


    "Of course, it will be, after all, it will be made by my beautiful wife."


    With that said I left the now red-like-a-tomato Marie in the kitchen.


    A/N: Happy Christmas! This was my sweeter take on the infamous "let them eat cake" line (which is a myth). Hope you liked it!


    BTW This story received five contract requests. So if you don''t join dc I will money-block this story(joke)


    Dc: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz</a>

 Current flows PT.1(NSFW)

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 Lots of Letters

    After the declaration of His Majesty Louis XV King of France and Navarre and the subsequent dissolving of the parlaments, the entire political scene of France was turned upside down.


    Countless of philosophers, writers, and political experts both French and foreign looked upon with keen interest as the King further spread his already enormous influence and now the crown can do almost everything without anything opposing them.


    The parlaments were effectively cut off they now can only oversee judicial matters and they have slight governing entitlements.


    But the most important thing is that I abolished their right to register royal edicts and removed their authority to question royal decrees and oppose them, and the last thing was that from here on out the tax collections are solely under Controller-General of Finances Abbot Terray and royal magistrates.


    The reforms were met with widespread opposition from the legal community and segments of French society who saw them as an attack on judicial independence.


    But for me, I knew that the only recognition I need is the recognition of the King no matter how fickle that recognition is I need to have it, but hopefully now the King will hold me in high graces.


    And with his almost guaranteed support, I can push reforms more faster and without opposition.


    And this was crucial for my future plans as I have to admit that the dissolving of the parlements was quite hasty as there is no way that you can change an entire governing apparatus quickly that lasted for ages and thus has a lot of influence.


    The new courts lacked legitimacy, the only support they found was from some members of the nobility and high-ranking officials who saw the Parlements as obstructing necessary reforms and impeding royal power. And who believed that a more centralized and efficient judicial system was needed to support the monarchy''s initiatives.


    So my work is far from done as the parlaments forced my hand and I had to dissolve the parlaments and install temporary ones, now I have an arduous task ahead of me by creating a stable governing and judicial structure of France.


    I even had to call and give a lot of favors from the current or ex-members of parlements that they would take up the mantle and work for the new parlements to bring more stability to the parlements while filling the ranks with more subservient and loyal people.


    The only saving grace is that Aboot Terray already saw the monthly tax revenue from the centralized tax collection is giving fruit and increasing steadily.


    Hence, now my new task is in the next 8 years to fully reform the parlements and if Terray''s calculations are right in 12 years to be out of debt.


    The only one who can now destabilize or even ruin our plan is the King himself, thus I''m fighting tooth and nail with other nobles and even Madame Du Barry for the favor of the King.


    As long as I''m in his favour I will surely leave a note in the history.


    But now I have consolidated everything the last week was me just sitting down and writing countless letters with orders and other relevant information to the parlements of France it got to the point where I don''t even close the door to my office as the sheer number of servants going in and out was aking to a hoard of sheep and that constant knocking got on my nerves.


    "Excuse me, your Grace, The First Secretary of State, Ren¨¦ Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, the representatives of various newspapers have arrived."


    A servant called out and I put down my quill.


    "Good, invite them here into my office and bring some chairs for them."


    The servant bowed and left while I stood up and straightened my appearance and then came in a group of men some were confident, some were fearful, while some were neutral.


    They bowed and I nodded my head at them.


    "Please sirs take a seat."


    I gestured with my hand and they took their seat.


    69 representatives were gathered here, there could have been more, but these are the most important newsletters, plus a couple of royal newsletters already have everything they need so I didn''t have to invite them.


    "Sirs today I invited you, because of the recent events surrounding the crown. Today I will tell you the truth..."


    It was time for another grand performance.


    Jean-Fr¨¦d¨¦ric Ph¨¦lypeaux, Count of Maurepas POV


    Today was quite troubling day as I read the newspaper.


    "I embarked on the path of reform with the utmost conviction and dedication to the principles of effective governance and the stability of the monarchy. The Parlements, with their powers of obstruction and resistance, were impeding the His Majesties, King of France, and Navvare Louis XV''s ability to exercise his authority and implement necessary policies for the welfare of the realm. My reforms were an attempt to restore order and centralize power, ensuring a more efficient and responsive judiciary.


    I believe that by dissolving the existing Parlements and replacing them with the new Parlements, we were able to establish courts that were more aligned with the monarchy''s objectives and that of the people. The new magistrates were chosen for their loyalty and commitment to the crown, ensuring that the judiciary would support and implement royal policies that will help the realm rather than obstruct them.


    Furthermore, by curtailing the Parlements'' control over the sale and inheritance of offices, I sought to diminish the influence of the nobility within the judiciary. This was necessary to establish a more impartial and merit-based system, where judges and magistrates were appointed based on their qualifications rather than their social status or connections.


    While I understand that my reforms faced opposition and were met with criticism, it is important to note that they were undertaken with the best interests of the kingdom in mind. The challenges we faced were not unexpected, as any significant reform is bound to encounter resistance. Nonetheless, I firmly believe that the changes we implemented laid the groundwork for a more efficient and centralized judicial system, enabling the royalty to exercise its authority effectively.


    History will be the ultimate judge of the impact and legacy of my reforms. It is my hope that future generations will recognize the necessity of these measures and the role they played in navigating the complex challenges of the time."


    Troubling indeed... while I myself support Moupeous overthrow of the parlements, his speech that was written in the newspapers was good, too good in fact.


    Now I feel threatened that my future in court was in danger, as Moupeu can gather the support of the King and Dauphin quite easily now that he defeated the number one enemy of the crown.


    Still, nothing is set in stone yet, the new parlaments are weak it will take time for them to be strong and efficient, the more it takes for them to do that the more the crown will become agitated with Moupeu and add that with protest maybe some revolts and Moupeu will be in hot waters.


    That and that crown debt is another problem, while I don''t know how deep the crow is in debt I can make a quest that a lot judging that they even borrowed from a couple of my acquaintances.


    Looks like the Dauphin will inherit quite troubling thrown, he will definitely need a staff that can support him a perfect blend of old guards that have expertise and connections and new eager faces that can move the realm in a new direction.


    Hmm...


    I think I can still make it.


    I have extensive experience in government and administration, particularly my previous roles as The Secretary of State of the Navy, and my familiarity with the workings of the court makes me knowledgeable about state affairs, and the challenges that the kingdom is facing, and I''m proud of my ability to navigate complex political and administrative landscapes, even if I was couped out of my position but that happens when your enemies are childhood friend of the King and his mistress.


    Even after my exile, while I was bitter I had never had any ill feelings for His Majesty, so my loyalty is in the right place. Given the challenges and uncertainties of the time, I would emphasize the importance of stability and continuity in government. I would argue that my experience, knowledge, and understanding of the political landscape make me the ideal candidate to ensure a smooth transition and maintain a sense of stability in the administration.


    How vaxing that a single speech made me think like this.


    Either way, it is a good shake-up, it''s time to get to work and write some letters and try to secure the support of influential individuals or factions within the court who could advocate for my appointment. By demonstrating that respected figures in the court endorse me, I would enhance my credibility and increase the chances of Dauphin considering my candidacy, next, I have to get exchanging letters with Dauphin himself as what is all that use of political power if it takes but the word of the King to put everything to stop, so I need to know Dauphin''s vision for the country and his future objectives as a monarch. Then I would outline how my skills and expertise directly support his goals, such as promoting economic prosperity, maintaining social order, or strengthening the military. If everything goes right, then the position of First Secretary of State will surely be secured.


    If everything fails, there is always a coup option, I will coup Moupeu just like I was once couped.


    Austria, Hofburg Palace, Vienna.


    The whole Austrian royal family that was in Vienna has gathered in the private chambers of Empress Maria Theresa.


    With the Empress herself sitting down at the table with her children while holding a piece of paper as she read it out loud


    "My Dearest Mother,


    I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I cannot express the mixture of emotions that have overwhelmed me since my arrival in France and my marriage to Louis. At first, I found myself feeling incredibly lonely and afraid in this foreign land, far from the comforting embrace of our beloved Austria and far away from my family. But fate has a peculiar way of transforming our lives, and I must confess that everything changed when I met Louis.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Though initially reserved and shy, Louis possesses a genuine kindness and gentle nature that has captured my heart. Mother, I believe I am falling in love with him. His presence brings warmth to my days and eases the pangs of homesickness that once plagued me. I find solace in his company and am filled with hope for our future together.


    However, as I embark on this new chapter of my life as a wife, I seek your wisdom and guidance. You have always been a paragon of grace and strength, and I long to follow in your footsteps. How can I be a good wife to Louis? What qualities should I embody to win his love and admiration? How can I navigate the complexities of court life and fulfill my responsibilities as a future queen?


    Please, dear Mother, share your invaluable advice with me. Your wisdom and experience are my guiding light in this unfamiliar realm. I am eager to learn from you and become the woman Louis deserves by his side.


    With all my love and gratitude your,


    Marie Antoinette."


    The whole family was glad to finally hear from their Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna or how now everybody calls her Marie Antoinette Jos¨¨phe Jeanne.


    "I''m greatly relieved that Marie is in good health."


    Said the eldest son and the co-ruler of Austria Joseph II and everyone agreed with her words those who were present at the departure of their Marie knew how heartfelt her departure was even Empress Maria Theresa herself shed tears as her daughter went to a foreign land.


    "But to think that our little Marie fell in love with the Dauphin of France."


    With a teasing laugh said the fourth eldest child Maria Elisabeth and everybody smiled.


    While everyone was relieved that everything was fine with Marie and that she was fine and judging by the letter was doing really well, yet the most relieved were Joseph II and Maria Theresa as that meant that the Austrain-French alliance will stand firm in the future and if Marie delivers a child soon it will be even greater bond further strengthening the alliance of the two countries.


    "I pray that their marriage will be one of love, it is rare as it is amongst us royals."


    Said the oldest daughter Maria Anna and those married could agree, It would be best for them if both of them loved each other, otherwise, they will just do their duty and go different ways, just like Francis I or Louis XV who had hundreds of mistresses, even though they both were loved by their wives, especially Maria Theresa who really loved her husband Francis I even now almost 6 years after his death she still wears all black and keeps her hair short.


    "Maybe I could pay a visit to her in the future?"


    Questioned the youngest child a boy of 14 Maximilian Francis.


    "Running from your won marriage, huh, Francis?"


    Teased Maria Elisabeth her youngest sibling.


    "I''m not! I merely wanted to see for myself how she is myself! What if she is lying just to not make us worry?"


    Exclaimed the youngest boy.


    "Are you sure about that?"


    Countered the ever-mischievous 4th child.


    "I-!"


    "Francis, Maria, enough. Maria don''t tease him and Francis your marriage is yet set in stone, yet I expect for you to do your duty as did your brothers and sister, I know it''s hard, but it is our duty as royals."


    Said, Empress Maria Theresa silencing the two.


    "It warms my heart that Marie is good and that she still thinks of us. It is really fortunate that things came to be this way and I will pray for Marie''s happiness. Now someone fetch me paper and quill."


    Maximilian Francis being the youngest was the one to bring his mother the quill and paper as she began writing her reply with her family standing behind her all wanting to take a look at the contents.


    "My Dearest Marie Antoinette,


    I was overjoyed to receive your letter and learn of your experiences since your arrival in France and your marriage to the Dauphin of France. Your words both warm my heart and fill me with pride. It is a testament to your strength and resilience that you have adapted to this new life with such grace and have allowed yourself to open up to the possibility of love.


    Marie, my dear daughter, let me assure you that you possess all the qualities necessary to be an exceptional wife to the Dauphin. The foundation of any successful marriage lies in trust, understanding, and unwavering support. Remember to communicate openly and honestly with your husband, sharing your thoughts, dreams, and concerns. Be his confidante and lend him your ear and counsel whenever he seeks it.


    To win his love, continue to show him the warmth and kindness that drew you to him. Be attentive to his needs, both as a husband and as a future king. Engage in his interests and hobbies, and share your own passions with him. Encourage his growth and be his biggest champion. A marriage built on mutual respect and encouragement will flourish.


    As for navigating the complexities of court life, Marie, it is vital to maintain your dignity and grace while remaining true to yourself. Embrace the French culture and traditions while keeping a connection to your Austrian roots. Forge alliances, both within the royal family and among the nobility, by demonstrating your compassion and genuine interest in the welfare of others. Remember that your actions carry weight and influence, and use them wisely for the betterment of your people.


    Marie, my beloved daughter, never forget the importance of humility and empathy. Show compassion to those less fortunate and use your position to alleviate their suffering. Remember that true strength lies not in opulence and extravagance but in the kindness and compassion we extend to others.


    Know that I am always here for you, my dear Marie. Feel free to write to me whenever you seek counsel, support, or simply a listening ear. I am confident that you will thrive as a queen and bring joy and happiness to both Louis XVI and the French people.


    With all my love and blessings,


    Your Mother Maria Theresa."


    And with that, the letter was shipped to France.


    MC POV


    After a lot of questioning, reading, and reviewing I can safely assume that I know the current situation in France.


    Politically, France operated under an absolute monarchy. King Louis XV reigned over the country, and his court exerted significant influence, but now after Moupeus''s overthrow of Parlaments the government become more centralized


    As we know from history France was divided into three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The clergy, comprised of bishops and other religious figures, constituted the First Estate. The nobility, encompassing both high-ranking nobles and lower nobles, formed the Second Estate. The rest of the population, including merchants, professionals, peasants, and urban workers, made up the Third Estate. This social structure created a stark imbalance of power and privilege, with the lower classes often subjected to heavy taxation and economic burdens and it was one of the main causes for the French Revolution happening.


    Economically, France faced a mix of challenges. Agriculture was the backbone of the French economy during this period, employing the majority of the population. However, the agricultural sector faced several challenges. Outdated farming techniques such as the three-field system and inefficient land use, limited productivity, which I was surprised by, but one of the Intendants of commerce told me that we are behind Britain and even Austria. And I know from my history classes that the feudal obligations imposed on the peasantry, including labor services and rent payments, further hindered agricultural development. The fragmented nature of landownership, with small plots divided among different landholders, made it difficult to implement modern farming methods.


    Additionally, I found out that France had a diverse range of agricultural products. The country was known for its wine production, especially in regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy. Other significant crops included wheat, barley, rye, oats, and vegetables. Livestock farming, particularly sheep and cattle, also played a vital role in the agricultural economy. However, despite the abundance of agricultural resources, overall productivity was relatively low compared to some neighboring countries.


    Industrialization in France lagged behind other European nations, such as Britain. The industrial sector was primarily centered around textiles, with regions like Lyon specializing in silk production.


    However, industrial production as a whole remained relatively limited, and traditional handicrafts still dominated many sectors.


    The French economy relied on trade, both within Europe and its colonial territories. French merchants engaged in international commerce, trading goods such as textiles, and luxury items, and colonial products like sugar, tobacco, and coffee. The major ports of Marseille, Bordeaux, and Nantes were crucial centers of trade, facilitating connections with other European nations and overseas colonies.


    However, the French economy faced significant challenges, particularly in its financial stability. Years of war, including the costly Seven Years'' War, had left the country burdened with massive debts. The royal treasury was strained, and the government resorted to borrowing to sustain its spending. To generate revenue, the monarchy relied heavily on taxation, but the tax burden fell disproportionately on the Third Estate, exacerbating social and economic inequalities, that''s why Abbot Terray is so focused on tax reforms.


    The taxation system was highly regressive, with the nobility and clergy enjoying numerous exemptions and privileges. The Third Estate, comprising the commoners, bore the brunt of the tax burden, often facing heavy direct and indirect taxes. This unfair distribution of taxation deepened resentment and contributed to the growing discontent among the common people.


    The combination of economic strains, social disparities, and financial instability laid the groundwork for the French financial crisis, which would ultimately play a significant role in the lead-up to the French Revolution. The crisis worsened due to poor harvests and rising food prices, intensifying the economic hardships faced by the population and further stoking discontent, because the big landowners raised the land fees and raised the prices for food, thus we already had small revolts that were put down.


    In summary, if you skipped the whole text, the French economy in 1770 relied heavily on agriculture, with the majority of the population engaged in farming. However, agricultural productivity was hampered by outdated techniques, feudal obligations, and fragmented land ownership. Industrialization was limited, centered primarily around textiles, and traditional handicrafts persisted. The economy depended on trade, both within Europe and the colonies, while financial challenges, including heavy debt, taxation disparities, and court extravagance, exacerbated social and economic tensions. These factors contributed to the fragile state of the French economy and laid the foundation for the ensuing financial crisis and revolutionary upheaval that saw Louis XVI beheaded, hopefully, somehow I will manage to weather the storm and survive with my head attached to my shoulders.


    The first thing I need is to find a future Controller-General of Finances because while Terray managed to reduce our debt drastically I don''t think that his reforms will be the ones to do it as he is mainly reworking the tax system, which is while outdated it''s not the crucial points that need to be addressed.


    So with those thoughts in mind, I find myself writing a letter.


    It was a pain with all those etiquettes and I wanted to write it in the most elaborate and exquisite way possible, it took me a good 3 hours to write


    "Your Grace, Jean-Fr¨¦d¨¦ric Ph¨¦lypeaux, Count of Maurepas,


    I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I am writing to seek your esteemed guidance and assistance in a matter of utmost importance for the future prosperity of France. It is crucial that we find an individual capable of serving as the Controller-General of Finances, someone, who possesses the vision and expertise to lay the foundation for a brighter future for our beloved country.


    The challenges we face in managing the finances of France are significant, and the need for a capable and dedicated individual to lead this crucial position cannot be overstated. I am acutely aware of your wisdom and discerning judgment as a former Secretary of State for the Navy, and I trust that you possess the insight to identify the right candidate who can breathe new life into our economic affairs.


    It is my fervent desire to usher in an era of reform and progress, to ensure the welfare and prosperity of our people. They must have a steadfast commitment to the principles of fairness, accountability, and transparency, traits that are indispensable in a position of such great responsibility.


    Furthermore, I am convinced that the chosen individual should be a visionary, capable of crafting innovative policies and implementing prudent measures to bolster our economy. They must be willing to embrace change and challenge outdated practices, for it is only through adaptability and forward-thinking that we can overcome the economic hardships faced by our nation.


    Your Grace, Jean-Fr¨¦d¨¦ric, I implore you to exercise your esteemed wisdom and connections to seek out candidates who possess these qualities. Our selection should not be swayed by social status or lineage but solely by their merit, dedication, and their unwavering commitment to the welfare of France and its people.


    May the future Controller-General of Finances become the cornerstone of our nation''s revival, leading us towards a prosperous and equitable future. I have faith in your judgment, Jean-Fr¨¦d¨¦ric, and trust that you will guide us wisely in this important matter.


    With the utmost respect and anticipation,


    Louis-Auguste, Duke of Berry, Dauphin of France"


    I''m not even unashamed to admit that I used a dictionary to write this letter. Hopefully, I didn''t show that I''m desperate or that I lowered myself in this letter and that I showed him if he finds a good future Controller-General that there is a place for him and I mean it Maurepas was a veteran and a good one at that, maybe I give him his old job of Secretary of State for the Navy and make him try and contain with the British or even make him First Minister of the State, because I learned that the Secretary of State for the Navy is not only responsible for the ship, but they are also managing the colonies of France, so he has both experiences in the politics, navy, economy, and management, so I think he would be a good choice for The first secretary of France, but for now I will put these thoughts back as Moupeu the current First Secretary is doing an excellent job with him just subduing the parlements and centralizing the government further.


    A/N: Finally done. It was supposed to be done 2 months ago, but ya know life happens and the last 1.5k words were written over a week when I was and still am sick.


    Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter, next chapter we will have a little bit of James Bond action so look forward to it.


    DC: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz</a>

 Meeting Gustav

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 Secred du Roi

    It was a snowy March day in Sweden''s capital of Stockholm


    *Ding ding*


    A wooden door opened and a bell was heard.


    A lanky man looked up from his counter and eyed the new person that just entered his small pub.


    A coat, furs, and a tricorne. Definitely not a noble and neither a peasant, a merchant probably.


    The man shook off the snow that was glued to his boots and took off his leather tricorne and went towards the barkeeper.


    "Good afternoon. Can I get Beer?"


    The new customer said and the barkeep nodded his head and quickly gave the man a pint of beer.


    "Of course sir., here you go"


    The customer looked at the beer and slowly drank from it enjoying the taste of the alcoholic brew.


    And then he suddenly put a white envelope on the table.


    The barkeep looked around, there were some people in the small of his, but nobody was paying attention to him, so he quickly took the envelope open and hid it behind the counter, he quickly read through it and then looked at the man and soundlessly opened a drawer next to him and took out another envelope.


    "La couronne du roi brille." (The King''s crown gleams)


    Said the barkeeper.


    "Dans l''ombre, le royaume r¨ºve." (In shadows, the kingdom dreams)


    The man replied and the barkeeper gave the man the envelope.


    The man quickly finished a beer and gave a couple of pennings to the barkeep.


    "Thank you for the beer. Do you know where I could find a place to rest for tonight?"


    "Certainly, just walk to block to the right and you should see a building with a dark green door, that would be the inn where you could stay."


    The customer lightly bowed, thanked the innkeeper, and left the pub.


    As he left the pub he put on his tricorne and went to the inn to get a room.


    After having supper he went to his room which had just a bed and a drawer, he sat down in his bed and put the candle on the drawer as he opened the envelope.


    He read through the contents which weren''t that many just his orders to bribe some people and then the names of the said people.


    After reading it then burned the paper and quickly went to sleep.


    The next morning our man got a carriage filled with some goods and rode the stone streets of the Swedish capital.


    He wrote to his first target Swedish barracks where his first target was located, a man named Farman Eriksson a noble so low down the perigee of Swedish nobility that you could call him a commoner, yet he was still a noble, so the man in the carriage had to prepare, first, he should scout around.


    He rode through the barrack and he saw the Swedish soldiers doing some drills their blue and gold uniforms contrasting with the white snow of a cold March.


    He looked at the courtyard and he didn''t see his target so he stopped nearby and as a patrol of soldiers came his way he stopped them.


    "Excuse me, dear gentleman, I''m Renaud Charron a merchant from France, and I wonder if you know any good inns nearby?"


    The leader of the group looked at the merchant and nodded.


    "It''s that building."


    He pointed at a house just about 100 meters away.


    "Thank you, sir. By the way, may I intrigue you with some of my items? I have French wine from Burgundy, Italian clothes, Spanish jewelry, and a German flintlock pistol that I managed to buy from a German officer, though I have no ammo for it nor gunpowder."


    The group of soldiers looked at each other and the leader just sighted


    "5minutes max"


    And so Renaud sold alcohol to the soldiers, one of them bought cheap jewelry for his loved one, while the leader got a box of collisions.


    After that Renaud traveled some more and sold more of his weres until came the evening and Renaud made his way to the inn that the soldier during the day pointed at, as he entered he saw that it was quite packed already, the most of the clients being soldiers.


    He went to the counter ordered some ale and just started drinking as he looked around, he saw the leader of the soldier group sitting with other soldiers which conveniently included his targeted man Farman Eriksson. So he positioned himself that way that the soldier who bought from him would notice him.


    And when he did Renaud with a friendly smile lifted his ale in a greeting.


    Soon he saw him talking with his fellows and Renaud just observed them.


    More minutes passed as Renaud eyed his target while making some small talk with other customers and even flirted with some of the women and staff.


    Soon enough Farman stood up and went to him.


    "So I heard you were a merchant."


    "And a good one at that."


    Renaud smiled.


    "Funny too."


    Farman replied.


    "Either way one of my friends says you have something interesting to sell."


    Renaud begins to think.


    "I have some rare things, a mirror from Venice, Italian clothes, French wine that I bought from one of the counts from Burgundy."


    The merchant listed his wares to the soldier.


    "What about something German?"


    Renaud smiled at the Farman''s words, his smile was one of the hunters that finally found easy prey.


    "I have one of Prussian stock actually, if you are interested we can go check it out, my cart is nearby."


    Farman frowned.


    "What would be the price?"


    "I don''t know yet, sir. We can figure out the price once you look at it, maybe it will not be up to your taste."


    The soldier agreed and after a couple of minutes, the two of them went out of the inn and walked down the evening roads, while Renaud spun his tales of how he traveled, what he saw, what he bought, and what he sold, each word of his was carefully crafted to make him appear as good as the best merchants come.


    Soon they reached a cart and Renaud had a wooden box in his arms and as he opened there it laid a Prussian cavalry officer flintlock pistol.


    It was of dark wood fishing with golden ornaments and even a golden trigger guard, the gun was in pristine condition, not used even once.


    "I bought it from a Prussian officer for a hefty sum, here you can even take it out."


    Farman did just that he took the pistol in his hands and began inspecting it he couldn''t find any scratches or spots of wear and tear on the gun and the wood finish was really smooth.


    "Though I have no ammo or gunpowder for it, I think for an officer like yourself getting these things, wouldn''t be a problem."


    The soldier just nodded.


    "It is an excellent gun, so how much do you want for it?"


    "Hmm, I think I would like to do an exchange with you instead?"


    "What kind of?"


    "How about I give you this pistol...and wait a bit."


    Renaud then quickly rummaged around his cart and brought out a very small box as he opened it was full of silver riksdalers.


    "This and I will throw in some French golden jewelry for about 30 guns from you."


    Farman instantly narrowed his eyes at the merchant and Renaud spoke quickly.


    "Don''t worry my next stop is Finland and I want to sell these guns around the border with Russia because there are talks about some underground resistance movements near the border on the Russian side, so I think it''s a win-win, you will get a pistol befitting of a newly appointed Fanrik and you will get more gold than you will receive in 3 years, plus I will be selling these guns to people who are fighting against the Russians and I will make sure that no traces will be tracked back to Sweden."


    Well Renaud knew that Farman would accept as he was already corrupt this was more of a game to see how much Renaud was willing to give him, plus nobles liked to brag about gold and unique items and this gun would definitely make him stand out.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The Fanrik stood silently looking at the ground, then at the gun, seemingly deliberating something in his mind.


    "I can see why you grandly talk about yourself now. Fine, meet me tomorrow evening."


    Renaud smiled and then gave a small bag of coins to Farman.


    "Here this is a small bonus from me, for our future collaboration, it should definitely pay for drinks and more tonight."


    Then our humblest of French merchants bid farewell to the Swedish officer and went his way.


    Renaud was happy with himself, it was an easy job, as his target was already known for taking bribes, but he took bribes from smugglers and his own soldiers, it was the first time Farman received such a dangerous offer, so there was always a chance that he would not agree as letting one or two smugglers was not the same as stealing guns and selling them to a foreigner.


    Now all Renaud has to do is take the guns, write a letter to one of his superiors, and then give the weapons to another servant of the French crown.


    TIME SKIP


    "Presenting the French ambassador Sir Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes!"


    The French ambassador then bowed before the seated man on his throne.


    "I''m Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes, here to represent His Majesty Louis XV of France and Navarre as his ambassador to the Swedish court. It is my utmost pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty Gustav III of Swedes and the Grand Prince of Finland."


    The King of Swedes eyed the French ambassador who was dressed in a navy blue tailored coat. Beneath, he had a crisp shirt with delicate lace accents at the cuffs that complemented his refined attire. Tailored trousers and polished leather shoes were adorned on his legs, while subtle jewelry, such as a golden signet ring adored his pinky finger.


    Gustav liked the new French ambassador who came here 5 months ago during March.


    Gustav had written a couple of letters to Louis XV urging him to replace the French ambassador with a more competent one, while the previous ambassador was decent he was not cut out for the plans that Gustav had in mind, and it showed while the previous ambassador managed to buy a couple of nobles to support the King, while Charles Gravier in 5 months managed not only to gather a group of nobles to his side and even more he was working together with the leaders of the ''''hats'''' Fredrik Axel von Fersen and Carl Gustaf Pechlin to undermine the plebian based "Caps" faction.


    Versailles gave 1 million livres for that and "Hats" had to promise to strengthen the King''s power in the constitution.


    With the help of the French, they won against the "Caps" but after the victory, they did not fulfill their previous commitments. Fredrik Axel von Fersen and other leaders of the party had done nothing for the crown unless Carl Gustaf Pechlin, with a group of his supporters, joined the opposition and declared his accession to the ¡°Caps¡±. Pechlin¡¯s group caused a break in the party of the ¡°Hats¡± and made it impossible to introduce any changes to the constitution. Moreover, the representatives of Russia, Denmark and England protested in Stockholm against attempts to strengthen the royal power in Sweden.


    Focusing on the French ambassador once again, the King of Swedes stood up and gently stepped down from his throne


    "It''s good to see you, ambassador. Please follow me."


    Charles Gravier bowed as both of them went behind the throne through a wooden door.


    Once they entered they already saw around 20 men present, some were nobles loyal to Gustav III, but most were courtiers and officers of Gustav III''s personal guard, that''s where he found most of the support for his cause.


    "Gentlemen, thanks for gathering here."


    Gustav said as he took a seat and then the most senior members of his circle took a seat along Charles Gravier, while others left standing.


    "While I''m glad that all of you managed to come, sadly we have to talk about some bad news. We received once again a letter of protest from English, Russian, and Denmark ambassadors, and the "hats" had revived the old disputes between the nobility and three lower estates. Quarrels between the representatives of the nobility and three lower estates completely dominate the court now. While the "Caps" are making a resurgence. It is probably an open secret that Ivan Ostermann the Russian ambassador is helping them."


    Gustav concluded. And it was true because he knew that the Russians even were the ones who urged Denmark to go to war with Sweden, only being stopped by the threat of war from France and Spain.


    "Yes, your Majesty. But even the English started to invest in the "Caps" while the "Hats" were paralyzed with their internal bickering and fighting with the "Caps"."


    One of the Courtiers said and everybody who was engaged in the politics of Sweden nodded.


    "There are even whispers that the caps want to enable for all non-nobles the right to hold all state offices, including the so far restricted for the nobility right to sit in the State Council."


    Another beckoned while the King furrowed his brows, he led countless attempts to make both parties reconcile, but he was betrayed by either "Caps" or "Hats" that wouldn''t hold their end of the agreement and to be honest, he was afraid of the Russian ambassador to because the same ambassador came to him and proposed an alliance with Russia, while he declined because he wanted to make an alliance with France, he knew that then the same idea was passed down to the "Caps" and if they will take power than Gustav knew that the Russian ambassador will have his way.


    So obviously, Gustav III was not going to tolerate the governments of the ¡°Caps¡± and the highly influential Russian Ambassador to Stockholm.


    When he realized the impossibility of reconciling the interests of the nobility with the aspirations of unprivileged classes, he decided to hold a coup d¡¯¨¦tat that he planned in France.


    "What about our alliance with France?"


    One of the military officers said and all eyes were now on the French ambassador among them.


    "I''m sorry to say we will not enter an official alliance till His Majesty Will not be fully in power. For that reason, His Majesty Louis XV is willing to send 3 million livres if you are willing to speed up the coup d¡¯¨¦tat. As our King put it: It would be most beneficial for France if there was the monarchy in Sweden. If instead of wasting money and encouraging venality, money would be given to the king who would use it in the way appropriate to him¡±


    The gathered men fell into silence, 3 million livres was a big sum of money and they could do a lot with it.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    "Excuse me, your Majesty, my lords, there is a man claiming to be from France and he has urgent news for Sir Charles Gravier."


    A soldier said as he bowed.


    Charles Gravier''s eyes widened as nobody should have known that he was here in a meeting with the King and his supporters.


    "Excuse me, your Majesty, sirs. I only told the most trustworthy of my location in case of emergencies."


    He said as he quickly went out and went out.


    He saw the man claiming to be from the embassy.


    "La couronne du roi brille." (The King''s crown gleams)"


    And now Charles Gravier knew how the man knew where he was, he was a member of Secret du Roi.


    "Dans l''ombre, le royaume r¨ºve." (In shadows, the kingdom dreams)


    Charles replied.


    "Excuse me for disturbing the meeting, my lord, I''m Renaud Charron, I have a piece of good news for the King of Swedes."


    He said as he gave the letter and as he bowed he left.


    So Charles went back and once he was inside all eyes were on him once again.


    "Gentlemen, Your Majesty. I have great news in this letter."


    He then gave the letter to the King and the King read through it.


    "Magnus!"


    The King called out and a man named Jacob Magnus Sprengtporten stood up.


    "Your Majesty?"


    "We will go with your plan, we managed to secure the alliance of Borga and Sveaborg garrisons along with Helsinki, make your preparations and depart to Finland immediately"


    The man bowed to the King.


    "I will leave after this meeting."


    "Good good, now we have to wait and keep the Hats afloat or our plans will go to waste."


    "Now then Since Finland is secured, we need to strengthen our position in Sweden, especially around Stockholm. Any ideas?"


    "Your Majesty, while the "hats" are bickering and ruling ineffectively, we still should keep them afloat and give them our full support as then there is less chance that our coup will be detected and the present chaos of our politics will make the reactionary forces slow to react to our movements, we could effectively take power in but a few days."


    "Good thinking. Though I need some eyes to watch over the Russian and English movements, report to me anything suspicious."


    The men nodded at the King''s words and they would send some spies or even bribe the ambassadors'' staff to give them information.


    "Your Majesty, I think you should not forget public support, I have made some plans to bring the public support to your side, thus after we take power we will not have to worry about a mob forming and falling to anarchy."


    The Gustav III nodded at the words of one of his advisors.


    Then not to be outdone other men gave their own ideas


    "What about employing mercenaries?"


    "I strongly advise against it, it would be better that we would take power with our own hands, that way we will be seen as having the support of the Swedish people."


    "Your majesty, what about..."


    And so the plotting began and in a year''s time the coup began.


    It started with revolts in Finland with Jakob Magnus Sprengtporten leading the charge, securing Finland in a matter of weeks and sailing with 900 men to Helsinki, while loyal regiments rose up in Kristianstadt. When the Secret Commission led by "Caps" received a message about Kristianstadt being blocked by government troops, it decided to strengthen the Stockholm garrison with the Uppland regiment and ordered Prince Charles to return immediately to the capital. The king was secretly informed that the leaders of the ¡°Caps¡± intended to imprison him as soon as the Uppland regiment invaded Stockholm. Yet the young King was not afraid and on the evening of August 18, 1772, he threw a lavish party in his castle. Then, he invited all guests to the theatre palace to listen to the Swedish opera ¡°Peleus and Thetis¡±. The same night he started preparations for the coup in the capital. He sent all important documents to the embassy of Spain, signed an order to arrest members of the State Council, and then came out to accompany the bourgeois guard in its night patrol around the city. On the morning of August 19, 1772, he gave in the castle lodge a rousing speech to the officers of the guard who, together with two companies of soldiers, went over to the side of the conspirators. The Royal Guard started to occupy the arsenal, arrested members of the State Council, and took control of all important buildings in the city. The Admirality assured the king of its support and fidelity. Conspirators met with no resistance at all. The bloodless coup was joyfully welcomed by the residents of the capital. For two days (August 19 and 20) Gustav III, accompanied by a mounted unit of the Guard, was visiting different places around the city, giving speeches to the citizens of Stockholm and taking an oath of allegiance from the army and various magistracies and in August 22nd Jakob Magnus Sprengtporten arrived with 800 men from Finland further desensitize any reactionary forces from making any moves and so the public order was upheld for the entire month while Gustav and his advisors rewrote the constitution and giving all the powers to the King thus the age of Liberty that lasted from 1719 to 1772 ended and Gustav III took full control, while Russia was powerless as it was embroiled in a war with the Polish Bar Confederation and a war with the Ottoman Empire.


    Then the king summoned a plenary session of the Riksdag in the Stockholm castle. The estates¡¯ meeting place was surrounded by the army so that members could not show the slightest resistance. While speaking in the Riksdag the king gave a speech. He outlined the causes that made him violently overthrow the existing system.


    ¡°It is a sad but well-known truth that the state had been torn apart by hatred and discord¡­ You know how that division had contributed to the anger, the anger to the revenge, the revenge to the persecution, and the persecution to new revolutions which, finally, had turned into a chronic disease consuming and degrading the entire society. Those revolutions had been tormenting the country because of the ambitions of a few people, streams of blood had been shed by different parties while people had been, out of necessity, victims of those disagreements of which they had cared little but which consequences they had been suffering most. Thus, freedom, the most noble of human rights, had been changed into an aristocratic, unbearable despotism of the ruling party¡±.


    Later in his speech Gustav III drew attention to dangers that were threatening Sweden on the part of its neighbours.


    ¡°If internal affairs of the country are so endangered, how terrible are its foreign affairs¡­ I hoped that my efforts to make peace between parties would free you out of those shackles which foreign gold and native hatred had put on you and that scary examples of other countries would be a dangerous warning to you, all in vain, though¡±.


    The king expressed his future intentions with words


    ¡°You are very wrong if you suppose that I am looking here for something other than freedom and rights. I promised to lead-free people; this promise is even more sacred for me as I made it myself. I am far from violating freedom and I just want to restrain parties¡¯ despotism and replace the lawlessness that had been ruling the kingdom with a wise and just government like the one that had been provided by Sweden¡¯s ancient laws and had worked in the days of my famous ancestors the Gustavs and Charleses, the Vasas and Wittelsbachs as well as the reigns of Gustav I, Gustav II Adolf and Charles XII¡±.


    A/N: Guess who is back baby.


    Well I managed to get a new chapter out after ages *insert "it has been 84 years here"*


    Hopefully, people liked this chapter and I''m finally happy to present to you Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes, I really think he was one of the best diplomats and foreign ministers that Louis XVI and France had and I will heavily rely on him in the future and now I think I will have just another chapter of nothing (as there is no interesting event going on apart from the first partition of Poland-Lithuania in 1772) and then we will jump to the Death of Louis XV and the coronation of Louis XVI.


    Btw I will be on our discord at around 1 am CET so about in an hour you can join vc and talk to me directly


    DC: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz</a>

 The Beloved King dies

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    Now as always join DC: https://discord.gg/SUeu6Ddejz</a>

 New King

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