After nearly half an hour of fun, Princess Maria finally, though reluctantly, stepped down from the carousel, as happy as if she had entered the Garden of Eden itself. This place, filled with playful machines that made her feel like she was inside a fairy tale, must have been invented by a genius! She thought this as she eagerly ran towards the next amusent ride.
On the small boat in "Happy Drift," she sat side by side with the Prince, under a little umbrella, gently drifting along the water, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun...
On the pirate ship, she clung tightly to the Prince's arm, eyes shut tight, screaming in fear...
The pirate ship was a real boat, dragged in from the Seine River, powered by a steam engine that used wooden wheels to lift the boat repeatedly into the air. Well, it only reached the height of an adult's chest, but for the Princess, it felt like a giant was tossing her up and down, making her heart race as if it would leap out of her chest.
But what she didn't expect was that an even more thrilling experience awaited her.
That place was called the Haunted House.
Ten minutes later, a red-faced demon with hooves, horns on its head, and a pitchfork in hand scared Princess Maria so much that she jumped straight into Joseph's arms, clinging to him tightly while crying and loudly praying, "God protect us! Please drive away all evil spirits... sob sob..."
Joseph had to order the workers responsible for the scares to back off, and he carried the trembling Princess out of the Haunted House. It took a long ti before she finally believed that what she had seen wasn't real and gradually stopped sobbing.
Just then, Maria's tear-filled eyes caught sight of a nearby sign: The Ferris wheel exists to cross the sky with the one you love. As the Ferris wheel goes higher, we get closer to God. If you kiss the person you love at the highest point, God will bless you, and you will be together forever.
She hesitated for only half a second before she suddenly stood up from the resting bench, pointed at the Ferris wheel, and with a blushing face, softly asked Joseph, "Your Highness, would you like to ride this with ?"
Joseph had long forgotten about the promotional gimmick he had co up with for the Ferris wheel and agreed without hesitation, "I'd be honored to ride it with you, Princess."
Maria's heart skipped a beat. The fact that the Prince didn't refuse to ride a "cross-the-sky-with-your-beloved" ride with her must an that he feels sothing for her...
The young girl's face turned even redder, and she didn't dare to think any further.
As the steam engine that powered the Ferris wheel began its pistons' back-and-forth motion, the Ferris wheel slowly started to turn, emitting a faint creaking sound.
Joseph knew that Frézel had conducted extensive safety tests, so the ride should be secure, but the creaking of the wooden joints still made him feel uneasy.
In the small, open-air Ferris wheel cabin, Maria sat with her head down, facing the Prince, feeling the two of them slowly ascending into the sky.
She couldn't help but begin to imagine.
When we reach the highest point, I'll look deeply into the Prince's eyes and say sothing, but what?
"Your eyes are truly captivating"?
No, no. Maybe "You are the most charming person I've ever t," or "Thank God I t you" would be better.
Yes! That's what I'll say.
Then, perhaps he will take my hand, and I should close my eyes and wait quietly.
If he doesn't move, then I'll lean closer, very close. He probably won't pull away... No, he won't, he definitely won't! And then, I'll... I'll gather my courage and gently kiss his soft lips...
Maria blushed even more, her whole body feeling as if it were burning up.
Will he hold ?
Will he propose to on the spot?
Or kiss back even more passionately...
Oh, what should I do? What should I do?
She felt an overwhelming sense of happiness wash over her, making her feel dizzy.
Huh? Why do I feel so dizzy?!
Maria suddenly felt she could hardly breathe. Could it be that before leaving Versailles, she had let Alisa lace her corset too tightly?
She quickly raised her head, trying to take a deep breath, but her eyes suddenly caught sight of the ground below, which now looked like tiny apples, and the tops of trees, which looked like little tufts of grass...
Her pupils shrank to their smallest size as a wave of terror seized her body, and her heart started pounding uncontrollably. Her entire body began to tremble violently.
This is the highest point of the Ferris wheel! I'm going to kiss him...
As that last thought flashed through Maria's mind, her delicate neck went limp, and she fainted onto the seat.
"Huh?! Princess Maria!" Joseph was startled and quickly reached out to support her. The Ferris wheel cabin was open at the top to reduce weight, though it was secured with safety ropes. If not for those, she might have fallen out.
Maria had planned everything perfectly and was so close to succeeding, but she hadn't accounted for one thing—she was afraid of heights...
Who knows how much ti had passed when, in a room of the Tuileries Palace that had been converted into a high-end hotel suite, the Princess of the Two Sicilies finally woke up, thanks to the pungent sll of slling salts.
She heard a woman in a white robe say, "Your Highness, the Princess likely fainted due to severe fright. She should be fine now. With so rest, she'll recover quickly."
"Thank you for coming so quickly, Dr. Perna," Joseph said.
Maria pieced together her mories and realized that she had fainted at the most critical mont of her confession. She imdiately felt a wave of sha and frustration—if she hadn't been so weak, she'd want to give herself a good slap...
She then looked up and saw the Prince, who was sitting by her bedside, looking worried. Her heart ward, thinking, The Prince is so concerned about ; this must an he has feelings for ...
Joseph, too, wiped away a bit of sweat. Who would've thought the Princess was afraid of heights? Luckily, she's alright. If sothing had happened to her, it could have turned into an international incident...
Dr. Perna quietly packed up her dical kit, feeling a bit bitter—when the Prince had summoned her earlier, she had felt a little thrill, only to find out that it was to treat his Princess...
anwhile, a hundred kiloters outside of Paris, a convoy of carriages was speeding down the road.
Inside the central carriage, a girl just over ten years old, dressed in a pink gown with two colorful feathers in her hair, her large, lively light blue eyes, and her chubby, adorable cheeks, neatly folded Queen Marie's letter and tucked it back into its envelope.
She looked at the middle-aged man sitting across from her, puffed out her cheeks, and said, "Count Farnano, my dear aunt is urging us to reach Paris as soon as possible."
The middle-aged man nodded, "I've heard that the Princess of the Two Sicilies seems to have caught the Prince's eye."
But the girl wrinkled her little nose and said confidently, "My aunt worries too much. I may not have the best luck, but I have extraordinary charm. In the end, it will be I who wins the Prince's heart!"
(End of Chapter)
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