Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Joseph walked through the impeccably maintained courtyard and saw the villa’s doors being pushed open from the inside, as a girl accompanied by her fluttering white dress hurried out. Her golden, wavy hair moved slightly in waves behind her due to her hurry.

The girl kept her head down nervously, almost bumping into Kesode.

"Please forgive me, I truly didn’t do it on purpose."

She hurried to kneel and apologize to the captain of the guard and, after receiving his forgiveness, she cautiously glanced at the crowd, suddenly remembering something. She straightened her back and approached the handsome young man in a gemstone-blue coat with very measured steps, kneeling before him with the utmost standard of courtly etiquette:

"It is a great honor to have you here, most esteemed Crown Prince of France." Her French was not very fluent, and it carried a Germanic accent. After a pause, as if realizing something, she added, "Ah, I am Camellia Ermin Delvaux. It’s a great honor to have you…"

That was when Joseph finally saw the girl’s face. She seemed to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a soft facial curve and skin delicate and fair like that of a baby. Her large violet eyes were filled with nervousness and unease, and her slightly trembling lips looked as though she wanted to say more, which instinctively made one feel the urge to protect her.

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Joseph, who was used to seeing all types of beauties at the Palace of Versailles, was still surprised by Camellia’s appearance, and he couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

"Ahem," he quickly coughed to cover his embarrassment and nodded back to the girl, then asked, "I am here to visit Madame Delvaux. How is she feeling?"

"Grandmother, she... is not doing very well. Oh, please do come in."

Inside the sun-drenched bedroom on the second floor of the villa, an old woman with silver hair lay on the bed with her eyes tightly shut and her breathing so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

As Joseph entered the room, a maid of the Delvaux family hurried to the bedside and whispered a few words into the old lady’s ear.

The wrinkled eyelids slowly opened, and the old woman made an effort to turn her head, her voice a hoarse murmur:

"Is it... the Crown Prince... Your Highness?"

"Yes, Madame."

The old lady immediately forced her eyes open and grasped the maid’s arm, struggling to sit up, as tears welled up in her eyes:

"Queen Mary... she... is still thinking of... me..."

Joseph quickly stepped forward to support her, "Please lie down. Mother really wanted to visit you but she simply cannot leave Paris. She sent me in her stead to convey her most heartfelt blessings to you."

"Oh..." Madame Delvaux suddenly burst into tears, "I, I also… miss… Queen Mary... very much..."

After crying for a while, she looked at Joseph and struggled to pay her respects:

"You see... I am... really... old... and confused. Your esteemed... Crown Prince... Your Highness..."

"You needn’t stand on ceremony; please take care of your health." Joseph assisted her to lean against the pillow, but found that due to the exertion, she no longer had the strength to open her eyes.

He turned his head to look at Camellia:

"May I ask what the doctor has said?"

The girl spoke softly: "Doctor Richter bled Grandmother this morning. He said that if there’s no improvement, he may have to perform an emetic treatment in the afternoon."

Joseph’s face was suddenly streaked with black lines, the old lady was already like this, yet the quack doctor still wanted to bleed her...

Forget it, even the great Washington couldn’t escape the "blood loss debuff," let alone an ordinary noble grandmother from Vienna.

Madam Delvaux rested for a while and then began to speak with a smile about some things from Queen Mary’s childhood. Joseph couldn’t bear to interrupt the old woman’s fond memories, so he just sat by the bed and listened quietly.

By noon, that Doctor Richter arrived and, after examining the old lady, looked nervously at the obviously distinguished young man beside her before whispering to Camellia:

"Ah... Madam Delvaux’s condition... there’s no need for emetic treatment, what she needs is a priest. May God have mercy on her."

As the doctor left, Camellia could not hold back her tears any longer, but Madam Delvaux was smiling as she comforted her:

"Grandmother... it’s all right. Oh, there’s no need for that... damned... emetic... how wonderful. Go and call... Father Koch... over."

She seemed to suddenly remember something, looking at the Crown Prince of France as she tried to get up again.

Joseph had no choice but to help her lie back down on the bed:

"Do you have something you wish to tell me?"

The old lady nodded weakly:

"Your Highness... there is a... Devil named... Walter. He..."

As Madam Delvaux recounted the events in a halting narrative, Joseph finally came to understand what had happened. This Baron Walter had detained and raped numerous women in Spain, resulting in the deaths of two, angering the powerful Campos. With no choice, he fled to Tuscany seven years ago to seek refuge with his cousin Ludovica, and later came with her to Austria.

Walter was still a womanizer in Vienna, until he saw Camellia at a dance and instantly set his sights on her beauty, declaring his intent to marry her.

After learning of this man’s vile character, Madam Delvaux decisively rejected the marriage proposal, only to be subjected to his incessant harassment ever since.

Camellia had been terrified to even leave the house this past year. Fortunately, Madam Delvaux still had some prestige, and Walter did not dare to abduct her outright.

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"When I... go to meet... the Lord," Madam Delvaux continued with difficulty, "that... bastard... will have... no scruples."

Joseph frowned. He had already inquired about the Delvaux family’s situation; they had no close relatives in Vienna. After the old lady’s death, Camellia, a young maiden, would likely be unable to escape Walter’s clutches.

Madam Delvaux motioned for her granddaughter to come closer, held her hand, and then very carefully grasped Joseph’s sleeve, slipping her granddaughter’s hand into his, and pleaded:

"Crown Prince... Your Highness... I beg you... for Queen’s sake, you must take... Camellia away from Vienna, keep her far from... that Devil!"

Joseph looked at the old lady’s pale face, and at once gripped Camellia’s slender and cold hand, nodding as he said:

"Please be assured, I guarantee no one will dare to harm your granddaughter. She will live well in Paris."

"I am truly... very grateful to you, Your Highness. May God... bless you." Madam Delvaux said, crying again, yet her expression seemed relieved of a heavy burden.

Soon, the old lady fell into a tired sleep.

After consoling Camellia for a while, Joseph agreed to visit the old lady again the next day and then left the estate.

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