At the evening's welco ball, Clentine showed off her sociable nature, entertaining and joking around with the Versailles nobles. She quickly beca the center of attention. Queen Marie, watching her niece with satisfaction, nodded frequently, thinking how wonderful it would be if Clentine were her daughter-in-law.
anwhile, the noble ladies of Versailles who dared approach the Prince were all driven away by his fierce little cousin's glares, allowing Joseph to enjoy a rare, relaxed evening at the ball.
Later that night, Joseph and King Louis XVI walked out of the ballroom together.
The father and son chatted for a while about training the gunsmiths for the new flintlock pistols. Suddenly, the King gestured for their attendants to step away, then pulled his son close and whispered, "Clentine is very lively and healthy, but Princess Maria seems a bit more intelligent. Honestly, both of them are quite nice."
"Yes, they're both nice."
"So, what are your thoughts?"
Joseph turned to him, puzzled. "What thoughts?"
Louis XVI gave him a knowing smile and patted his son's shoulder. "Tell honestly, which one do you like? And don't worry about what your mother thinks—what matters most is marrying soone you love."
"Marriage?!" Joseph suddenly had a mont of realization. Wait! Are they here for marriage?
You couldn't bla him for being slow to catch on. In his mind, it was impossible to associate such young girls with sothing like marriage, so he had overlooked the obvious.
Joseph felt at a loss—Maria was okay, despite being a bit young, at least she had so womanly features... but Clentine? She was clearly still a child! It would be almost criminal! Besides, she was his first cousin. The dangers of marrying close relatives were sothing to consider. He definitely didn't want to have children with potential intellectual disabilities…
After thinking it over, Joseph lowered his voice and said, "Dear Father, what if I don't like either of them?"
"Ah?" Louis XVI frowned slightly. "Dear Joseph, as far as I know, the only woman close to you is that female doctor, and you haven't... you know... done anything with her, right?"
"Tell honestly, do you sotis feel tightness or even pain down there? If so, trust , it's sothing that a simple surgery can fix. Don't drag it out like I did…"
Joseph blinked and then realized that his father was talking about... that problem—specifically, an issue with being circumcised. His father had struggled with this for a long ti after getting married. Louis XVI was projecting his own experiences, suspecting his son might have the sa issue.
Joseph quickly waved his hand. "No, no, thank you for your concern, but everything is perfectly normal."
But Louis XVI's expression grew even more serious. "Joseph, even if you happen to like... n, you still have to fulfill your duty as the heir..."
"Please don't misunderstand!" Joseph was almost losing his mind. Wasn't it normal not to have a lover at 14? Why was his father making so many assumptions?
Oh, right. He frowned inwardly. In this era, nobles did indeed start getting involved in romantic affairs around 14... Did this an he had to find a lover just to prove that everything was fine with his body and preferences?
He seriously told the King, "Father, I truly just haven't t the right person yet. You don't need to worry. As for the two princesses... Right now, I'm focused on making France stronger. We can talk about other matters in a few years."
Louis XVI imdiately said earnestly, "Son, I know you have great ambitions and will be an excellent king in the future, but you can still manage to have a relationship with a woman at the sa ti..."
As the two talked, ti passed and the night deepened.
Joseph was getting a headache from his father's constant lecturing about the importance of continuing the bloodline. He was just pondering how to escape when suddenly, he saw a white blur dart past him, disappearing down the hallway in an instant.
"Watch out!" The Swiss Guards imdiately ford a protective circle around the King and the Prince.
Soon after, a small figure hurried over with a few others, asking in broken French, "Have you seen Mr. Whiskers?"
"Clentine?" Joseph was surprised. "Mr. Whiskers… did your cat get lost?"
"It ran away!" The little girl's face was red with worry. "It's usually very obedient, but today it just kept trying to run outside, and I couldn't stop it…"
Joseph recalled the white blur from earlier and pointed down the hallway behind him. "I think it ran that way."
"Thank you, Cousin." Clentine called out to her two maids, "Let's go quickly!"
Joseph quickly pulled her back. "You've never been to Versailles before. If you run around like this, you might get lost."
"What should I do then?" The little girl looked like she was about to cry.
Joseph signaled Croisade. "Please take so people and search for the cat."
"Yes, Your Highness."
anwhile, Louis XVI also instructed the Swiss Guards to help search for the cat. In no ti, dozens of guards set aside their guns and swords, ready to hunt down a cat.
Joseph, wanting to escape his father's endless talk about continuing the bloodline, invited Clentine to join him in the search for the cat.
Before long, Versailles Palace was in chaos.
As the guards knocked on door after door, they often found two people hurriedly throwing on clothes and looking panicked—yes, not married couples.
Of course, in France at this ti, this was quite normal. If you didn't have a few lovers, it just ant you weren't attractive.
As for Joseph and Clentine, the little girl was quite efficient, knocking on doors, apologizing sweetly, and then going inside to look for the cat. At the ball earlier, she had beco acquainted with most of the nobles. With her sweet deanor, not a single person got mad at her for interrupting their "business."
That was until she knocked on a door on the second floor of the South Wing, and a man's annoyed voice called out from inside, "Do you know what ti it is? What do you want?!"
Joseph blinked in surprise. That voice sounded familiar... Could it be... the Minister of the Interior, Monnot?
With a sweet and pleading voice, the little girl said, "I'm really sorry to bother you, but my beloved cat has run away, and I was hoping to search for it in your room. May the Lord bless you, kind sir."
"There's no cat here!"
"It's really good at hiding. The ventilation in your door is big enough for it to slip through. Please! I'll just look quickly, just one minute."
There was silence from inside.
But the little girl was patient, pleading and knocking softly on the door.
Finally, the people inside couldn't take it anymore. It sounded like there was a whispered argunt between a man and a woman. Then, the door opened, and a noblewoman with disheveled hair hurriedly walked out, keeping her head down as she quickly disappeared down the stairs.
Joseph was stunned—that was the wife of the Marquis de Saint-Priest, wasn't it?
"Thank you!" Clentine, completely unaware of the chaos she was causing, cheerfully rushed into the room and directed her maids to search for the cat.
anwhile, Joseph exchanged a knowing smile with Monnot, who was sitting on the bed.
(End of Chapter)
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