Today is the grand opening of the zoo, and it's also the public holiday "Match Day," so over ten thousand Parisians have gathered here.
But tickets are limited, and a third of the people couldn't get one; they can only wait anxiously outside—fortunately, the zoo staff just announced that another batch of tickets may be released at 4 p.m.
Joseph and Alexandra, dressed in plain clothes, struggled to squeeze up to the main gate. Kesode shoved a handful of tickets to the ticket inspector, and the group entered, watched with envy by countless Parisians who couldn't buy a ticket.
The Russian Princess, always so well-behaved since childhood, was pulled along by Joseph through the bustling crowd, only to feel a freedom she'd never experienced before.
This is exactly why Joseph didn't come here in his identity as Crown Prince; how would that be any different from watching animals in the Versailles Palace Garden? And besides, the Imperial Guard would surely cause chaos among the visitors.
