LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 381
“What the heck is that? You said you went to France?”
“I can’t believe it. Just like that?”
“Wait, why are we talking about the Queen of France?”
“Hold on a second, won’t this just mess up Spain?”
There was especially a lot of chatter from the Spain side.
Well, that’s because Spain was a monarchy.
In fact, with talk of a Restoration of the Monarchy coming from France recently, there were hopes that if it did happen, it would at least connect with Spain.
Since France is almost bordering Spain on the south, I thought if there was a connection, it would be through here.
And what if France were to fall under the Romanov?
They say Britain is also going for a Dual Monarchy in the future, Germany has already joined, and Turkey, while historically Roman, still has its own legitimacy and tremendous contributions from the Great War—so it’s not exactly a Dual Monarchy scenario for them.
The only one left is Spain, which has not had much connection until now.
For Spain, it was just a worrying situation.
Meanwhile, in France, it felt like only one person had been blindsided by the whole affair.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”
“Uh, um. Right.”
The mention of ‘Your Majesty’ left Anastasia feeling quite confused.
“This Province of Gaul now belongs to Your Majesty!”
But that complicated head of hers was not processing it positively.
She was just bewildered by that queenly title.
—
Uh, well. A vote was underway.
In the blink of an eye, a ‘for/against vote for the French Romanov Dynasty’ kicked off.
And for a moment, I was just dumbfounded.
“What, is this preparation really that quick?”
I was eating the so-called famous butter on a warm baguette while reading the news, and sure enough, they were already voting.
I really couldn’t understand how a vote could be this fast.
“It seems they prepared in advance.”
No, with the voting booths being set up right away—it was a bit suspicious.
What if there was some sort of vote manipulation going on?
If they were manipulating votes, that would be a bit dangerous for the French. Manipulated votes that don’t reflect the people’s opinions just wouldn’t do.
Well, I’m in a position to wait while I eat.
“Well, okay. But this butter is really delicious.”
“They say it’s the famous Bordier butter from France.”
“Oh really?”
Bordier butter? I don’t know what that is, but it seems tasty.
The warm baguette just out of the oven. It’s different from the baguettes I had in Korea when I was a kid.
Even the most expensive baguette from the Parisian bakery doesn’t compare to this baguette.
Of course, de Gaulle and La Roche probably set the table nicely for me.
“Yes. There’s probably a more diverse array of food than in Russia.”
It’s true that the food might be more diverse than in Russia.
Hmm, that’s something I can agree on.
Personally, French cuisine is really to my taste. Turkey has great desserts, though.
“That’s true, French cuisine is good. Desserts belong to Turkey, but for food, France seems better. Oh, and mint chocolate?”
It’s nice with butter, but of course, mint chocolate is the finish line.
While I’m in France, I feel like I’m eating that for every meal.
“Yes. Are you planning to spread it on a baguette like yesterday?”
“No, this time I want to eat it last. Dipping baguette in mint chocolate feels a little off.”
Mint chocolate really does go well with a lot of things.
Considering how diligently de Gaulle and La Roche are treating me, it seems they’re really determined to secure Burgundy for me.
But the question remains, will this vote go properly?
“Do you think the vote will really go properly?”
“Well, I don’t think it will.”
The French aren’t lacking in pride.
If you think about it, there’s definitely a bit of bitterness regarding how they suddenly became the Commune and went to war helping Germany.
Considering how swiftly de Gaulle’s Free French government took over French territory, the French citizens under the Commune probably weren’t particularly supportive of the regime.
But still, it was the Russian Army that ultimately conquered France.
It’s Russian bombs, after all.
“Yeah, but no way a Tsar of Russia would be wished for by the French.”
Right. That sums it up.
Normally, people wouldn’t think that way.
If you think realistically, they understand that it’s impossible.
With the Commune screwing things up, causing population displacements, the land getting stripped, and Burgundy becoming independent—there’s still hope for the French.
“Hmm, you might just surprise them.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because usually, they don’t think like that.”
Huh? You’re saying that the French don’t all like me like Louise does?
“Is it that the French usually don’t think that way about me?”
I wonder how the French perceive me.
I’m curious how they’d react if I went out and yelled, “I’m the Tsar!”
Well, Louise likes me. So I’d think that’s a rare case.
“That’s right. Surprisingly, you’re quite popular among the youth in France.”
Popular among the youth?
Hmm, I might have a look that appeals to the young people, but still, that’s unexpected for France.
Even if it’s said that no one hates me, it still feels like there’s a strange disconnect between France and Russia.
Moreover, considering that France practically fractured from Russia after the last war. Here’s the French people saying they like me.
“Really?”
“Well, you did unify Europe. You never age, which makes you a saint. Oh, and there’ve been some recent events, too.”
“Oh, um. Anti-French protests in Russia?”
I hadn’t been aware until now, but anti-French protests in Russia?
What did France do to suddenly provoke anti-French protests?
“Yes. There were protests in Russia saying that the mother Tsar cannot be taken by France. That would probably provoke some French feelings, too.”
Ah, I could understand why Russians might feel that way.
After all, Russians could be seen as the rightful heirs of the eternal Tsar.
It wouldn’t be surprising for them to feel a sense of rebellion.
Should I later create a public holiday to console them, just to underplay the tension?
But I doubt it’ll have that much of an impact.
Russians know that while they’d die for the Tsar, the unification of Rome holds great significance for them too.
“Hmm, even so, it probably won’t have that big an impact.”
I mean, would it really? That’s what I thought at first.
Not long after, La Roche came in clapping his hands.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”
I ended up staying longer than expected and ended up being crowned as the Queen of France out of the blue.
What will happen to me later? This is pretty funny.
Will I be registered on some wiki like this?
“The Tsar went to France and ascended as the Queen of France.”
Hmm, looking at it that way, it feels quite odd.
But in terms of the significance of unifying Rome, nothing could be bad about this.
“Then, let’s have the coronation appropriately. Honestly, I feel like I was suddenly kidnapped and became the Queen of France.”
I mentioned that part because it was important.
I feel like I’ve been deceived and kidnapped in some way.
Of course, it’s not true kidnapping, but still.
“Still, it’s better to hold a grand ceremony, don’t you think?”
“Well, I can’t really expect much from a throne that was decided suddenly. The French will surely be taken aback too if we suddenly hold a coronation for the queen, right?”
The vote was progressed far too quickly, anyway.
Honestly, I had some suspicion of manipulation in that regard.
From what I can see, kids like Louise seem to be involved with the Order of the Cross of Fire a lot, right?
If they were using them to forcefully push this through, then that would make sense.
“Don’t worry about that.”
La Roche lightly shook his head.
“You’re saying not to worry? Well, in any case, we can’t waste the French people’s time over something like this.”
Immediately after this vote, the French people’s lives would be turned upside down.
If we suddenly hold a coronation, it’ll just make it worse.
“Seriously, you don’t need to worry at all.”
La Roche seems to really want me to stick around.
After all, they’re giving me Burgundy.
“But seriously, it feels suspicious. Is it just me, or do you seem to want to use my authority for something?”
“Those thoughts are absolutely not in my mind.”
I mean, seriously, they’ve effectively brainwashed me to be the Queen of France. So what’s with the ‘don’t worry’ line? Sounds fishy.
But think about it. Every time I mention a doubt, they shove mint chocolate at me.
That’s a bit strange if they’re trying to indoctrinate me with mint chocolate.
And even now, when they keep saying ‘don’t worry,’ it’s peculiar.
Thinking along those lines, could there be vote manipulation after all?
“Are you really saying there absolutely won’t be vote manipulation?”
La Roche responded with a firm look in his eyes, confidently.
“I can assure you, there absolutely will not be, Your Majesty.”
La Roche strongly denied there would be any.
Strong denials usually mean an affirmation, don’t they?
Isn’t it easy to manipulate votes these days? Just quietly switch the ballot boxes at night or something.
I mean, if I were to go out now and declare myself their mother, would they go, “Ah, okay. Is that so?”
“It smells fishy to me. Really, not even a bit?”
“I can stake my life on it, it’s not true.”
What’s La Roche’s life worth anyway?
Well, there’s a bit of credibility, I guess. That’s why he says it so confidently.
It was amusing checking out the results of nationwide voting in France.
It seemed that there was some opposition, particularly from the northern areas that had suffered a bit from the nuclear bomb strikes.
“Right. Well, if they say that, what can I do?”
If they say there’s no manipulation, then I can’t really argue against that.
But still, it’s necessary to see how public opinion really is.
So, having been elected queen, I went outside to gauge public sentiment.
It was immediately visible as soon as I stepped out of the Prime Minister’s residence.
“Please look over here, Your Majesty!”
“Our future mother of France!”
“We Gallic people wish for Tsar Your Majesty to become our mother!”
Wow, they were calling me ‘mother’ now with the mouths that once shouted for the Commune!
Seriously, the French must have iron plates welded into their faces by now.
“Amazing! AI Anastasia!”
I decided to completely ignore the last one. Why do there always have to be one or two weirdos in every country?
It’s kind of strange, don’t you think? Why are the French elevating me to ‘mother’ status?
There’s a strong, suspicious smell in the air. Could it be that the Order of the Cross of Fire is pointing their guns at each of these people? Ah, that’d be bad.
Feeling embarrassed, I quickly ducked back into the residence.
“Phew, well, fine. Prime Minister de Gaulle. I could be the Queen of France, sure. But first, I must ask for Russia’s understanding.”
What would my Russian citizens think if they got mad?
That outcome would absolutely not stand.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
“Isn’t it enough to lay the groundwork by saying it’s all for the unification of Rome?”
Russia is the head of Rome.
France is now part of that Rome.
If I lay it out clearly, what’s the problem?
“I’ll prepare the radio broadcast right away.”
Phew, I never thought I’d become the Queen of France.
I keep doubting if this is real. It feels like I’m dreaming.
“Dear Russian citizens, it is your mother, Anastasia.”
Your mother, Anastasia.
If this statement reaches across Russia, I bet people will feel something.
I’m saying I’m speaking as your mother.
“During my trip to France, I received a proposal from Prime Minister de Gaulle and La Roche, leader of the Order of the Cross of Fire.”
To be honest, I’m still seriously wondering if this is some kind of kidnapping.
Why? Because it seems like that right now.
It feels like they’re pressuring me with a ‘be the Queen of France’ threat while pretending to be nice.
Of course, I don’t really think they’d actually do that.
“Yes, as you know, it was a proposal to become the Queen of France. However, I initially refused. Why? Because they didn’t consult the opinions of the French people, and I also have my rightful citizens in Russia.”
But.
I took a slow breath.
How should I word this? This was something I needed to think carefully about.
For me, it feels a bit off.
“Today, France finds itself in a very chaotic situation. They voted and pleaded for me to become the mother of France. How could one who claims to be the Emperor of Rome ignore such cries?”
As the Emperor of Rome, I can’t just overlook this.
Because I’m the Emperor of Rome, I must accept this. France is a province of Gaul.
Of course, separately, the French people had their earnest cries as well. If I phrase it like this, that’ll be sufficient.