Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

The young nobles who had come with Kalalis and Marisa had already started whispering among themselves, casting mocking glances at them from time to time.

You see, they had been boasting about their participation in the exhibition for over a month, and everyone's ears were numb from hearing about it.

Yet today, they had come with great fanfare, only to see nothing.

"No, there must have been some mistake!" Kalalis argued loudly, "My painting really was in the exhibition..."

"I must go ask the person in charge of the exhibition!"

Marisa quickly found a steward of Charlibourg, who, after hearing her question, led her towards the third floor. Kalalis quickly followed behind.

The steward opened a storeroom on the floor, lit a candelabra, and apologetically gestured towards a table in the corner, "I am very sorry, esteemed miss, due to a severe termite infestation in room 229, the paintings there have been affected, and it is no longer suitable to display them. Charlibourg will compensate you double for the loss incurred."

Kalalis hurried over and found her painting among the pile of disheveled scrolls, quickly unrolling it only to freeze on the spot.

Under the candlelight, her painting bore several marks created by the reaction between formic acid and the pigments, and there was even a termite corpse stuck to it...

Presenting such a painting at an exhibition would undoubtedly turn it into a laughingstock.

Philip Beto's assistant was very meticulous in his work; when the boss said there was a "termite disaster," then he surely arranged everything to look as if there really had been one.

Kalalis immediately let out a piercing scream and ran down the stairs crying...

In the main exhibition hall on the first floor of Charlibourg, Alexandra, dressed in the latest Parisian fashion—a light green gown—was blissfully unaware of the tragic scene unfolding upstairs.

She was duly following etiquette, posing in the most standard way a lady should, slowly walking past rows of exquisite paintings accompanied by Alexei and Count Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov, the Russian ambassador to France.

"This is one of Mr. Loran's masterpieces!" Count Stroganov exclaimed in a low voice, gazing at the painting "Ursula Embarks on Her Voyage" on the wall.

He was a true connoisseur of art, and had it not been for an important task assigned by the Emperor today, he would have spent half the day admiring this painting.

After the "Russian appreciation group" lingered in the exhibition hall for nearly an hour, suddenly the sound of trumpets came from outside Charlibourg, followed by a band starting to play.

The crowd instantly became agitated and began to flock towards the outside of the exhibition hall.

Count Stroganov turned to look at Alexei and whispered, "Count Popblinsky, they must have arrived."

The latter nodded; he knew that when the ambassador said "they," he was referring to the King and Queen of France.

He quickly gestured for Alexandra to also head towards the entrance.

Soon, Louis XVI and Queen Mary appeared at the entrance of the exhibition hall. With a reminder from their attendants, they immediately took note of the splendidly dressed Russian Grand Duchess and her entourage.

Seeing the French King approaching, Alexandra and her companions hurried to meet him, greeting him with great formality, "To encounter you here is a tremendous honor and surprise."

Queen Mary looked at the girl in front of her with surprise, her thick, plaited braids framing a very sweet face, and greeted her with a kind smile, "I am also delighted to meet you. Welcome to the art capital—Paris."

Subsequently, Alexandra and her group naturally joined Queen Mary in touring the art exhibition.

The young girl quickly stepped aside at her uncle's gesture, and Count Stroganov, the ambassador to France, stepped forward, coming to the side of the Queen of France, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has instructed me to convey his sincere greetings to you and His Majesty the King."

"Please convey my thanks for his concern," Queen Mary nodded politely in acknowledgment.

Count Stroganov was well acquainted with the Queen and began discussing art. By the time they had viewed almost half of the exhibits on the first floor, he had steered the conversation to the purpose of his visit, "The Emperor holds you in very high regard. He has often praised you to his ministers, saying that the financial, military, and judicial reforms you have guided in recent years have been extremely successful, and that you have achieved accomplishments in foreign affairs that have captured the attention of all Europe."

Queen Mary blinked, feeling that something was amiss, but she still nodded slightly. Indeed, France had developed well in the past two years, even establishing a province in Tunisia.

Stroganov continued, "The Emperor especially admires your North African strategy for its astonishing strategic planning, which has yielded rich rewards with minimal impact on the international situation.

"At the same time, His Majesty also expresses high appreciation for your support of our country regarding the Black Sea and for maintaining a consistent stance with us in our attitude towards the Ottoman Empire."

He discretely observed Queen Mary, seeing that she seemed unfazed, he marveled internally; indeed, as the Emperor had said, the Queen of France was the only woman in Europe who could be compared with him.

She was as ambitious as he was and possessed extraordinary skills, leading their respective countries step by step out of difficulties toward vibrant development.

In reality, Queen Mary wasn't "unfazed"; she was somewhat bewildered—what was there to admire about her North African strategy? Wasn't it just that their Bey, unable to endure Ottoman rule and admiring France, had come to request annexation by France?

What support had she provided to Russia in the Black Sea?

And how had her position been aligned with the Ottomans?

What was he talking about??

Stroganov took a breath and added, "Furthermore, regarding the 'Sweden Plan' mentioned by Archbishop Talleyrand, your Foreign Minister, during his mission to Saint Petersburg two months ago, the Emperor agrees profoundly. His Majesty believes…"

"Please, wait a moment," Queen Mary's brain was overloaded. What "Sweden Plan"? Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"What exactly did Archbishop Talleyrand say?"

Stroganov nodded inwardly, admiring the cautious and precise ruler who wanted to make sure her Foreign Minister had accurately described the policy and so asked him to recount it in person.

He coughed lightly and said, "Archbishop Talleyrand mentioned that you support Russia's claims over Eastern Sweden, that the Gulf of Finland should become an inland sea of Russia…"

Queen Mary became even more confused. She had no idea that this was a "pie in the sky" that Joseph had promised Russia.

At this time, the Russo-Swedish War was in full swing, and Russia's powerful army had achieved a significant advantage. Catherine II was certainly plotting how to tear off a larger piece of territory from Sweden without arousing the interference of the European powers.

So Joseph played to their desires, indicating that France agreed to Russia occupying Eastern Sweden. As long as Russia's sights were set on Sweden, then Poland would be safe.

In history, it was because Sweden had defeated Russia in the naval battle of Svensksund in 1790, quashing the latter's aspirations for Swedish territory, that Catherine II shifted her hunting sights towards Poland.