The Spanish Crown Prince was enthusiastically fiddling with Louis XVI's gear machine, and turned to call out to Joseph:
"You see, the angle of this blade edge is designed so ingeniously..."
But he saw the latter prostrating on the workbench beside him, not responding.
Antony walked over and shook Joseph:
"Your Highness, have you fallen asleep?"
Joseph half-squinted his eyes, lifted his head, and started rubbing his temples vigorously, saying, "Oh, I shouldn't have drunk so much wine at the banquet just now... The wine from Bordeaux this year is unexpectedly delicious, but now I have a bit of a headache..."
In fact, he hadn't drunk too much, it was merely part of the "script" he had to follow.
Antony nodded, "Yes, today's wine is indeed very mellow. I also drank quite a bit. Shall I take you back to rest?"
"Oh, yes, thank you so much..."
Seeing this, Eman discreetly made a gesture to the servant standing by the door, and then quickly came over to help his master, the Crown Prince, stand up.
The servant then slipped out of the room and signaled the agents from the Police Affairs Department, who had been on standby for a while, to "take action."𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Soon, both men who had been sent by Godoy to watch the Spanish Crown Prince ran into some "trouble."
One was fancied by two "stormy" noblewomen and got into a fight over jealousy. The winner, giggling, dragged him into a nearby resting room; the other accidentally bumped into a maid carrying a tea tray, smashing a set of priceless Eastern porcelain. The insistent maid dragged him off to meet the steward of the inner court.
Meanwhile, "drunken" Joseph, with his right hand on the Spanish Crown Prince's shoulder, staggered out of the Royal Workshop.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye as Eman nodded to him, and immediately pointed toward Antony's residence, dragging out his words:
"Oh! My dear friend, I want to continue discussing the improvement plan for the gear machine with you… Let's go to your place… and talk all night..."
Antony assumed he was drunk and didn't want to refuse, so he had to let him walk towards his own room.
Outside the Spanish Crown Prince's room, a sturdy noblewoman seemed to have mistaken someone for another and unceremoniously whisked away the watching Louisa's maid. The latter didn't even have time to cry out before she disappeared around the corridor corner.
A moment later, Joseph and Antony arrived outside the room, and the latter gestured to his attendant:
"Quick, open the door."
Just as the attendant was about to take out the keys, Eman courteously took them over, saying with a smile:
"Let me do it."
Eman turned the lock gently, pushed the door open softly, and then stood aside.
Joseph led Antony into the room, and saw that the living room was dimly lit, the guard room appeared empty [Note 1], but there was a faint candlelight coming from the direction of the main bedroom.
Joseph timely withdrew his arm from Antony's shoulder, and the latter, somewhat puzzled, subconsciously walked a few steps inside, only to hear sounds he should not have heard—
A woman's voice melodious and high-pitched, continuously calling out "Godoy," or slurring "you're amazing."
The man's voice was more subdued, mostly breathy exclamations of "hey," or "ha."
Antony froze on the spot.
He was all too familiar with these two voices—they were clearly his Crown Princess and her guard Godoy!
What were they doing?!
Antony really wanted to deceive himself by saying they were doing nothing, but the answer was self-evident!
He felt a surge of rage boiling from his feet to his head, his hands clenched into fists, the veins on his forehead bulging, his teeth gritted, and he stepped forward vigorously.
However, he unexpectedly halted.
Then, he lowered his head, trembling as he retreated back to the doorway, paused for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and turned to walk out.
Joseph was completely dumbfounded.
No, come on, man, you're supposed to burst in, right? I've got the guard ready, just waiting for your signal to drag the adulterer out to be "dunked in a pig's cage" or something.
How could you slip away at the crucial moment?!
I can't rush in to catch the adulterer on your behalf, can I? How can I take action if you, the principal, are not there?
He too was taken aback for a few seconds before following Antony out of the room, quickly catching up to him and grabbing his arm:
"Why did you leave? Was there something 'special' inside the room?"
Antony just lowered his head in silence, walking determinedly forward. Joseph decided to speak more straightforwardly:
"Was that the Crown Princess in the room? Aren't you going to check?"
It wasn't until they got back to the Royal Workshop that Antony seemed to have rediscovered his soul, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at Joseph, his lips trembling:
"She… she betrayed me..."
Joseph nodded:
"Then you should have barged in and punished her harshly."
Antony's eyes grew even redder, his helplessness like that of a 40-year-old child, and after a long while he said softly, "I... I... I don't dare..."
Joseph instantly felt puzzled, and it took a while to communicate with him before finally understanding that his Spanish relative was incredibly "tame," to quite an extreme extent.
He was immediately frustrated, having never seen such a cowardly man.
"You can endure this as well?"
"I can't…" Antony said, looking down, "perhaps, you can help me?"
"I…" Joseph found himself at a loss for words.
Elsewhere, seeing that the two Crown Princes had not returned for quite a while, Eman reluctantly locked the door again, gently. Inside the room, the couple remained oblivious to the fact that anyone had come by.
...
The next morning, Joseph, following the predetermined schedule, welcomed Russia's Crown Prince Paul Petrovich, the future Tsar—Paul I—in the Versailles Palace Square.
Crown Prince Paul seemed incredibly pleased that the Crown Prince of France had come so far to meet him. After getting out of the carriage, he briskly walked up to Joseph and performed a bow, then spoke in fluent French:
"It is an honor to meet you, respected Crown Prince! Thank you for coming to greet me. Back in Saint Petersburg, I often hear people talking about you, describing you as a legendary 'God-favored son', devout and full of wisdom..."
His words of praise flowed endlessly, making Joseph somewhat embarassed. He quickly bowed in response and suddenly noticed a little girl about six or seven years old standing next to Paul. She wore a blue and white chiffon gown, had very fair skin, and large, expressive eyes.
Joseph quickly changed the subject, "And who might this be?"
Stepping forward, the little girl picked up her skirt, tilted her head slightly, and curtsied gracefully, speaking in a crisp voice:
"May God bless you, respected Crown Prince. My name is Alexandra Pavlovna." Her French was also impeccably standard.
Paul, with a smile, said to Joseph:
"Your Highness, this is my eldest daughter. I plan to take this opportunity of celebrating His Majesty the King's birthday to show her the center of the bustling European Continent—Paris."
"Welcome to you," Joseph smiled at the little girl and recommended, "There's an Eden Amusement Park in Paris that's a lot of fun; you must not miss it."
A hard-to-hide longing flashed in Alexandra's eyes, but she immediately curtsied again as a proper young lady would:
"Thank you for the suggestion, I am also looking forward to visiting there."
Subsequently, Joseph walked with Paul toward the Palace of Versailles. The latter, though much older than Joseph, displayed somewhat of a humble attitude:
"Your Highness, thank you for taking care of Alexei. It was you who helped him find his purpose. Please believe that from now on, you will always have two most sincere friends in Russia—Alexei and myself."
Alexandra followed behind the two men like a little adult, chest puffed out and head raised high, and every step she took adhered to the most standard court etiquette, obviously the result of very strict training.
Only the occasional curious glance around with her large eyes betrayed the childlike innocence within her soul.
After settling her luggage and freshening up a bit, she followed her father to meet the King and Queen of France, and later watched a swordsmanship competition together with the Crown Prince.
The two Crown Princes seemed to be chatting about something, while Alexandra sat properly in her chair, watching noblemen duel amidst the flash of swords and blades.
Truth be told, she had no interest in such things, but before leaving Saint Petersburg, the Empress Dowager had admonished her to always follow court etiquette, so she did not utter a single complaint.
Moreover, she had to complete another task entrusted to her by the Empress Dowager—to closely observe the Crown Prince of France.
However, as she covertly glanced at the Crown Prince, a girl about ten years old, wearing a puffy dress, bounced over.
Maria Clementina curtsied to Joseph first and then with a beaming smile, curtsied to Paul:
"You must be the Crown Prince of Russia, right? It's an honor to meet you. You seem like a very kind and amiable person. Oh, my name is Maria Clementina."
Crown Prince Paul hurriedly returned her bow, and after exchanging a few polite words, the little princess quickly joined the even younger princess.
"Your name is Alexandra, what an impressive name! Hehe, let me treat you to some candy."
The smaller princess accepted the vanilla mint candy with restraint, thanking her politely:
"Thank you very much, but I haven't brought anything to give you in return."
"Don't be so formal. I have plenty more," Clementine said with a laugh, "By the way, you're Russian, right? Your French is really good. How long 'fall' do you study French every day?"
Alexandra immediately corrected her: "Do you mean 'how often'?"
"Ah, yes, 'how often', haha."
"Two hours a day."
As the two of them were conversing, the swordsmanship competition took a break, and a circus troupe came to the middle of the field to start the entertainment performance.
The little girls' attention was immediately captured.
Soon, a magician in a red robe took the stage and with a wave of his hand produced more than a dozen pigeons and a small black bear.
Clementine cheered loudly, excited:
"Wow! That's amazing! How did he do that?"
Alexandra replied indifferently:
```
"The dove had been hidden in his sleeve beforehand, while the bear was under the floor, concealed by his robe. Well, generally speaking, his coat also hid rabbits, dogs, and the like."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a pair of hunting hounds appeared in the magician's hands.
Clementine immediately pouted in discontent:
"How could you reveal the magician's techniques? What's the fun in watching now?"
Alexandra replied calmly, "It was you who asked me 'how did he do that?'"
"That was just an exclamation!"
"Then you shouldn't blame me."
"I didn't..."
"You did..."
"Didn't!"
"Did!"
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
The two little ones, who had just been getting along famously, were now at odds over the matter of the magician's trick, each turning their head stubbornly to the side.
Paul watched his daughter and the Princess of Tuscany squabble with a smile, then turned to Joseph and said:
"Your Highness, I hope you can understand that there is a large Russian population in Nesvizh and Slutsk, as well as Eastern Orthodox churches."
"And they are often subjected to unfair treatment, especially now within the Polish Sejm, where anti-Russian sentiment is particularly severe."
What he referred to as the "Sejm" was similar to the Polish House of Representatives. At present, the Sejm, dominated by members advocating for resistance against Russia and self-strengthening, was conducting a series of reforms to eliminate national maladies.
Paul continued, "Based on this, we can only take some diplomatic measures against Poland."
Joseph thought to himself: Russian groups stirring trouble in Poland, swaggering about, and now here they are being portrayed as ostracized.
But that's how international politics works. No one has many honest words to say, and in the end, it all comes down to fists and brains. Well, it could also come down to the lower half of the body, but that would only be considered a "wicked path."
He immediately put on a sincere smile, leaned in close to Paul's ear, and said:
"Please believe that I fully understand Russia's actions in Poland, just as you understand our actions in North Africa. Moreover, I think the best way to protect the Russians in Poland from harm is to place them directly under the 'protection' of His Majesty the Tsar."
After all, the annexation of Poland was a settled national policy of Catherine II, who had invested a great deal in preparations. Even if France were to oppose it, it was unlikely to make her back down. So, in the presence of the Russian Crown Prince, it was better to go with the flow and give her a favor, then ask for some in return.
Paul looked at Joseph with some surprise: "Is this a personal stance, or...?"
"The King of France shares this view as well."
Paul was delighted, "I have always believed that France and Russia are the maintainers of the European order! Our friendship has always been indestructible!"
Joseph sighed inwardly. Napoleon had probably been just as amiable with your son, and look how that turned out.
Yet, he nodded very earnestly:
"You are absolutely right!"
Then he tried to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted:
"Your Highness, but rather than Poland, it is the Ottoman Empire that we should really be wary of at the moment! I hope that Russia can act as 'God's spear' to thoroughly pierce through the Ottomans. And our nation will also provide full support in the Mediterranean."
If Russia and the Ottoman Empire could be induced to exhaust each other for a few more years, Poland might accumulate enough strength to withstand a Russian invasion.
Paul was also slightly amused in his heart. Didn't France have a treaty with the Ottoman Empire? Why was the Crown Prince talking as if they were archenemies?
[Note 1] In the large suites of the Palace of Versailles, there is generally a small room similar to a porch after the entrance, where the guards are stationed, called the guardroom. It is only after passing through here that one can enter the living quarters.
[Note 2] In the 16th century, after his defeat in the war against the Habsburg Emperor Charles V, King Francis I of France concluded an alliance with the Ottomans, who were the archenemy of the Habsburgs, which was known as the "Sacrilegious Alliance." But these events were already two centuries old. The current relationship between France and the Ottoman Empire was no longer one of an alliance.