The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: I Challenge You to a Duel!

Perna watched the Crown Prince's retreating figure, worried he might be upset over the earlier dance. She hesitated, wanting to follow him but feeling uncertain.

Suddenly, she remembered her task of monitoring His Highness's health. Pressing her lips together, she pushed past the scornful glares of the noble ladies and hurried after Joseph.

Joseph tightened his mask and yanked off the troublesome shawl. He slipped out of the crowd and emerged into the open.

He exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his brow. Seizing the opportunity before the flock of women could corner him again, he crouched and slipped out through the door of the Hall of Mirrors.

The cool, fresh air of the Palace of Versailles' plaza at night greeted him. Stretching his arms, he strolled casually, feeling much lighter. He silently vowed never to attend another ball again, no matter what.

In the dim light of the courtyard's oil lamps, Eymond, dressed as a maid, caught sight of the Crown Prince’s figure and rushed toward him. “Your Highness, why did you come out so quickly?”

From another side, a slender figure in a white gown arrived almost simultaneously. “Your Highness…”

Eymond turned, surprised. “Miss Perna, you too…”

His gaze shifted between the two and, realizing something, he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ahem, Your Highness, I have some matters to attend to over there.”

“Don’t go!” Perna’s face turned red in her urgency. “I just wanted to check if His Highness was feeling unwell!”

Joseph quickly replied, “I’m fine. I just needed some fresh air. Dancing is truly exhausting.”

Eymond, realizing he might have misunderstood, nodded awkwardly. “Ah, yes, those ladies were quite… enthusiastic.”

As the three of them engaged in this strained exchange, they noticed two figures approaching. Among them came the faint sound of a girl’s sobs.

“No, André, you don’t understand! If I could, I would trade everything for the time we spent together…”

A man’s voice followed. “Oh, Emilie, then marry me! Since fate has brought us together again, I will never let you go!”

“But you know that’s impossible…” The girl struggled to hold back her tears, her voice trembling. “My heart urges me to entrust all my love to you, but my reason reminds me that the entire Villars family weighs on my shoulders. I must set aside my love for you and turn to a man who will lock away my feelings forever.”

“My dearest Emilie, I wish I could pierce my ears to spare myself these cruel words and blind my eyes so I wouldn’t see the sorrowful tears on your face! Don’t you know you appear in my dreams every night? I love you, and you love me—what more do we need? Must another innocent soul be placed between us, carrying the pain of our ill-fated love?”

The girl began sobbing softly again.

Seeing the couple in such a crucial moment, Joseph hesitated to disturb them. He considered retreating but realized there was a neatly trimmed hedge of topiary behind him and the couple blocked the path ahead.

He glanced helplessly at Eymond, who scanned the area before pulling Joseph behind a maple tree.

Perna hastily followed.

The tree, however, was not thick enough. Eymond pressed his back firmly against the trunk while Joseph and Perna squeezed together, barely managing to stay out of sight.

Fortunately, the faint moonlight made it difficult for anyone to notice their hiding spot.

The girl’s sobbing drew closer. “André, not all love can be exposed to the light of day.

“You know how much my mother values appearances and the Duke’s title. She…”

The man held her tightly. “Emilie, I’ve just earned a promotion on the battlefield and become a lieutenant! Trust me, in a few years, I’ll have a status worthy of you!”

The girl wrapped her arms around his waist, shaking her head in despair. “But my uncle keeps pressing me to marry his son. I can’t hold on much longer!”

“No! You can’t marry him!” the man exclaimed urgently. “Your mother wouldn’t agree, would she?”

The girl sighed. “Do you know? It was actually my mother who suggested my uncle transfer you to Soissons in the first place, hoping I’d forget about you…”

“Soissons? André?!” Joseph frowned slightly, suddenly recognizing the man’s voice. “Is that André Davout?”

Eymond peeked out, his face lit by the dim gas lamp, scrutinizing the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl dressed in a Crusader costume. “She seems to be the Duchess of Villars.”

“A duchess?” Perna whispered in surprise. “That girl is a duchess?”

Eymond nodded, lowering his voice. “You know of Marshal Villars, don’t you? The one who twice defeated the British at Steenkirk and Neerwinden, later crushing Prince Eugene and capturing Freiburg, Austria’s former capital?”

Perna nodded. She’d certainly heard of the famous marshal from both Louis XIV and Louis XV’s reigns.

Eymond continued, “This Marie Emilie is Marshal Villars’s great-granddaughter and the current Duchess of Villars. However, her father was severely punished during the Seven Years’ War for delaying military action, which greatly weakened their family. Still, the Villars family retains significant influence in the military, especially in the Moulins region.”

At that moment, a tall, thin man dressed as a flower vendor approached swiftly. Spotting Emilie, he called out loudly, “My dear Emilie, what are you doing here? Come back; the ball isn’t over yet.”

Emilie immediately replied coldly, “Where I go is none of your concern. Leave me alone.”

The “flower vendor” reached out to grab her. “I’m your fiancé. Of course, it concerns me.”

“No! You’re not my fiancé. I’ve never agreed to that!”

The “flower vendor” chuckled. “That’s only a matter of time. Your mother will surely consent to our marriage. Without the 30,000 livres my father gave her, your family wouldn’t even be able to maintain the dignity of the Villars duchy.”

Behind the maple tree, Perna muttered in confusion, “Thirty thousand livres is a lot, but would the Duchess of Villars’s mother marry off her daughter for money?”

Eymond whispered, “I heard that the Villars duchy’s estates and influence are controlled by General Villars—Emilie’s uncle.

“It seems he has marginalized Emilie and her mother, keeping everything firmly in his grasp.”

Joseph sneered. “A clever scheme. By forcing his son to marry Emilie, the duchess’s inheritance would belong entirely to their family.”

Perna gritted her teeth. “Shameless! Absolutely shameless!”

The “flower vendor” glanced mockingly at André. “Oh, you’re that little officer from Soissons? How did you even get invited to a Versailles ball? Still clinging to my Emilie?”

André had been invited to the ball for his military achievements. He glared fiercely at the man. “I love Emilie, and she loves me! I won’t let her marry you!”

“Haha,” the “flower vendor” laughed. “A small man like you aiming for the Duchess of Villars?

“Do you even know the expenses of the Villars duchy? Your pitiful salary wouldn’t last two days.”

“I…” André began but was at a loss for words.

The “flower vendor” smirked. “Listen, even if Emilie recklessly married you, it would only make the Villars family a laughingstock. Her mother would be disgraced before all the nobility. Why?

“Oh, Madame Villars, I hear your daughter married a poor, titleless little lieutenant? How pitiable!”

“You!” André’s eyes burned with anger. Suddenly, he removed his glove, flung it to the ground, and drew his sword. “I, Louis André Davout, challenge you to a duel!”

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