The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 131

Chapter 131: A Date with the Princess

Suddenly, from the marble square in front of the main gate of the Palace of Versailles, the angry shout of a girl rang out:

"The French Guard couldn’t even stop two bandits! They must be severely punished!"

The noble young ladies in the corridor nodded in agreement upon hearing this:

"Yes! It’s because of them that His Royal Highness the Dauphin was injured!"

"I heard that it was because of a loophole in the security arrangements made by Bessonval that the bandits managed to get in."

"I wonder how serious the Prince’s injury is, and when he will recover..."

Joseph, hearing the loud condemnations from outside, suddenly had an idea. He quickly whispered to Eymond, instructing him to go and thank the noble young lady who had spoken out in defense.

Soon, Miss Andréan’s criticism of the French Guard and her subsequent gratitude from the Dauphin became the talk of the young ladies. More and more girls joined the protest.

By noon, two to three hundred girls had gathered outside the Minister of War's office, loudly demanding that the French Guard be punished. Soon, their brothers or male friends were brought in, and the group grew even larger.

At this moment, Dr. Lamarck was at the bedside of the Dauphin, along with his daughter, examining him.

"His Highness’s injury should be stable by now," Perna said as she finished her examination, looking at her father and letting out a sigh of relief.

Lamarck nodded, just about to remind Joseph about some post-injury care, when they heard the voice of a ceremonial officer: "Princess Maria is here—"

He quickly grabbed his daughter’s arm and stepped back into the crowd of nobles who had gathered to watch.

Princess Maria of the Two Sicilies entered with her eyes red from crying.

Perna, leaning against her father, shot her a cold glare, thinking to herself: If it weren’t for her insistence on going on some pointless trip, the bandits wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attack. Thankfully, the Dauphin was protected by the Lord and wasn’t gravely injured.

However, she didn’t realize that her anger stemmed not only from Maria’s reckless journey but also from having to step aside to make way for the girl when she was visiting the Dauphin.

What made her even more upset was the thought that this girl, with a chest smaller than hers, might one day become the Dauphin's wife, while Perna could only silently care for his health from the sidelines...

Joseph saw Maria’s red eyes and felt a surge of guilt and regret—his efforts to bring down Bessonval had caused her unnecessary distress.

Maria curtsied, looking frail as she softly asked, "Your Royal Highness, may I ask if you are feeling better?"

Joseph smiled and nodded, indicating for her to sit, "I am much better. Thank you for coming to visit me."

Maria lowered her head, seemingly exerting great effort before speaking, "Your Highness, it’s because you came to fetch me that... that you were..."

Joseph quickly waved his hand, "No, no, it’s not your fault. Please, do not blame yourself."

Maria’s heart warmed instantly—she had prepared herself to be scolded, but to her surprise, the Dauphin was so forgiving. Tears welled up in her eyes again: "I, Your Highness... sob..."

"Hey, hey, please don’t cry! I’m really fine!"

Comforting a crying girl was not Joseph’s strong suit. He pinched the bridge of his nose, unsure of what to say, when the noblemen around them suddenly began to turn and stand, offering their salutations. The Queen, dressed in a pale pink gown, her hair unkempt, hurried toward them, waving her hand in a slightly anxious manner:

"Oh my God! How could you be sitting up? You should be lying down! The doctor said you need to rest!"

Joseph smiled and bowed his head, "Mother, I’m feeling much better. It’s nothing."

The Queen gestured for the maidservants to place an assortment of sweet treats before her son and, after a few more concerned questions, glanced over at Princess Maria. Her expression immediately darkened.

In her heart, the Queen had always believed that her niece was the most suitable bride for her son, while this Princess Maria of the Two Sicilies was an annoying distraction. Now, her son had been attacked because of her, and her displeasure toward her only deepened.

Maria, noticing the Queen’s gaze, hurriedly wiped away her tears and stepped forward to curtsey.

But the Queen turned away deliberately and said to Countess Debonynac, "Please, have those unrelated to the royal family leave, so the Dauphin can rest."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Countess Debonynac immediately turned to dismiss the crowd. Maria bit her lip, stepped back two paces, curtseyed once more, and then left with her maidservant.

Joseph, seeing the look of grievance on Maria’s face, guessed that the Queen might be taking her anger out on her. He felt even more guilty and quickly spoke to her departing figure:

"Princess Maria, I am sorry for interrupting your trip. Once I recover, please allow me to act as your guide and show you around Paris."

Maria froze for a moment, then suddenly turned around. Her dim eyes brightened, and she thought to herself: So His Highness does like me... No, no... at least he didn’t leave me with a bad impression!

That was enough for her! She immediately turned fully towards him, lifted her skirts, curtseyed, and smiled, "Thank you for your invitation. I hope you recover soon. I will pray for you every day."

Perna, who had been standing nearby, felt a pang of bitterness: I’ve known the Dauphin for so long, and he’s never invited me to tour anything...

She shook her head quickly, walking briskly out of the chamber, scolding herself: Perna, what are you thinking? To see the Dauphin often and do his daily check-ups—that’s already very good. With your status, how could you wish for anything more?

...

Four days later, at the French Guard’s camp.

A gendarme officer with the rank of general handed a stack of documents to the Minister of Justice, Baron Bressonval, and politely asked, "Baron, do you think the review of these people is acceptable?"

Bressonval nodded, signed the papers, and stamped them with his ring.

The five officers of the French Guard listed on the documents, along with the four whose review had been completed the day before, were all on duty elsewhere when the Dauphin was attacked, so they had little to no suspicion. As a result, the review process was quick.

Another gendarme officer, slightly older and wearing a thick layer of powder on his face, took the documents and smiled, "Then I’ll request from Marquis Saint-Priest the reinstatement of their positions... and also that of Colonel Aubin and the others from the day before."

Baron Bressonval and Baron Vémorel exchanged a look and nodded, "Alright, General Astu, I’ll report the situation here to Her Majesty the Queen."

Just as General Astu was about to hand the papers to his secretary, Bressonval’s assistant, adjusting his hat, hurried over and whispered something in the Minister’s ear, handing him another stack of materials.

The Minister furrowed his brows and skimmed through the documents. After just a few pages, he pushed them toward Astu and cleared his throat, "General, it seems we can’t finish reviewing the previous group just yet."

Astu looked at the materials in confusion. The first page was a report accusing Colonel Paul Berthier d’Aubin of embezzling funds for military uniform purchases three years ago.

The next page reported another officer, who had been reviewed the day before, for injuring a soldier two years ago in a drunken altercation.

The next six or seven pages were filled with accusations against the officers they had just reviewed.

Astu’s face darkened as he turned to Bressonval, "Where did this come from?"

"I don’t know. Someone dropped them off with my assistant this morning. In any case, we can’t pretend we haven’t seen them."

In a small office in Paris, about ten miles away, the newly appointed leader of the Justice Investigation Bureau, Team Two, Mr. Demoulin, watched as Marat wrote furiously. He hesitated before speaking:

"Mr. Marat, what you’re writing... these things... there’s no evidence... just these accusations... isn’t it a bit reckless?"

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