Make France Great Again-Chapter 787 - 778: Little Fan Brother Edward VII
"Indeed! This is our incapable son, Edward!"
Albert showed a helpless expression as he responded to Emperor Jerome Bonaparte, then sternly said to his son, "Edward, why don’t you quickly greet Emperor Jerome Bonaparte!"
Upon hearing Prince Albert’s order, Edward VII hurriedly walked up to Jerome Bonaparte and stumbled, saying, "Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you!"
"Edward, you don’t need to be nervous!" Jerome Bonaparte hurriedly comforted Albert Edward, "I am very good friends with your father and mother! You can also consider me a friend!"
After saying that, Jerome Bonaparte extended his hand to shake with Albert Edward as an encouragement!
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Albert Edward nodded excitedly, with a starstruck expression as if meeting a celebrity, his hand trembling continuously.
This made Jerome Bonaparte wonder about his own charm.
Could it be that I really am this charming?
Just as Jerome Bonaparte was in a daze, Albert’s voice reached his ear: "Alright! Edward, come back now!"
"Yes!" Albert Edward’s expression immediately shifted from the previous excitement to disappointment.
Seeing this, Jerome Bonaparte released Albert Edward’s hand and patted his shoulder. Albert Edward returned to stand behind Albert.
"Please excuse us!" Prince Albert chuckled bitterly as he spoke to Jerome Bonaparte.
"It’s nothing!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and said to Albert, "I quite like Edward’s character!"
Then, Prince Albert introduced the remaining daughters (Princess Victoria, Princess Alice) and son (Prince Alfred) to Jerome Bonaparte.
These individuals were far less enthusiastic toward Jerome Bonaparte compared to Albert Edward. However, Jerome Bonaparte noticed that when Prince Albert introduced his other daughters and sons, a proud expression involuntarily appeared on his face, especially when introducing his eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, as if wishing to announce to the entire world his excellent children.
This expression and gaze were something Jerome Bonaparte had not seen directed at Albert Edward from the time Prince Albert got off the train until now, almost as if Albert Edward was not his biological son.
This sparked a curiosity in Jerome Bonaparte—what exactly had Albert Edward done to anger Albert to make him so unwelcome.
Since Jerome Bonaparte’s knowledge from his previous life was focused on the Victorian era and the First World War, he was not very familiar with Edward VII, the king who was sandwiched between these two periods.
As a result, Jerome Bonaparte knew less about Albert Edward than Princess Victoria.
At the very least, Princess Victoria, thanks to her son, made a lasting impression on Jerome Bonaparte.
Thinking of this, Jerome Bonaparte couldn’t help but glance at Princess Victoria twice.
Weiwei’s smile indeed reflected her lineage, impressive!
Standing behind Prince Albert, Princess Victoria also noticed Jerome Bonaparte scrutinizing her, which involuntarily angered her, making her turn her head aside in a huff.
Seeing this, Jerome Bonaparte awkwardly turned his gaze back to Prince Albert.
At this moment, Prince Albert did not notice Jerome Bonaparte’s awkwardness. Smiling, he apologized for bringing his entire family to Paris without informing Jerome Bonaparte!
"Not at all!" Jerome Bonaparte sincerely replied to Prince Albert, "I’m delighted that you brought your children along!"
He paused, then directed his gaze towards Albert Edward and the others, adding, "Because these children will become the bridge for communication between our two countries, it brings me great joy that you can bring the hope for peace to France!
Continuing, Jerome Bonaparte introduced Friedrich, held by Empress Augusta, to Albert and Victoria.
"So adorable!" Queen Victoria smiled lovingly as she spoke.
Empress Augusta handed Friedrich to Queen Victoria, who couldn’t resist wanting to hold the newborn in front of her.
"May I, Augusta?" Queen Victoria inquired with a slightly playful tone.
"Victoria!" Prince Albert couldn’t help but remind her with a phrase.
"Of course!" Empress Augusta placed Friedrich in Queen Victoria’s arms.
Victoria gently cradled Friedrich, swaying her hands back and forth, unable to resist exclaiming once more, "So adorable!"
Meanwhile, Jerome Bonaparte also engaged Albert in introducing the generals/marshals who were there to greet them.
"Albert, let me introduce you!" Jerome Bonaparte pointed to Pellissier and said, "This is Pellissier!"
"Prince, Your Majesty!" Pellissier straightened up and saluted them, then declared firmly.
"I know, the great hero of the Crimean War!" Prince Albert praised Marshal Pellissier with a smile as he shook his hand.
"Your Highness, I am not a hero!" Marshal Pellissier replied with neither arrogance nor humility, "Everything I did was just following the established plans, doing what needed to be done!
The achievements I made in Crimea Town were wholly due to the trust of Your Majesty and the cooperation of the officers under me!"
"Being able to achieve both of those things has already surpassed the vast majority of commanders!" Prince Albert said to Pellissier with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Since Marshal Lagren’s death, Great Britain has been unable to find a competent commander.
[PS: In fact, Lagren was also an incompetent commander, but because the Crimean War progressed swiftly, Lagren passed away before showing any mediocre performances.]
"Your praise overwhelms me!" Marshal Pellissier continued to respond humbly.
After introducing Marshal Pellissier, Jerome Bonaparte went on to introduce General Vayan to Albert.
"Your Highness!" General Vayan also responded firmly.
Unfamiliar with General Vayan, Albert merely gave a slight smile and perfunctorily said to General Vayan, "General Vayan, you are quite good!"
Then, Albert turned to Jerome Bonaparte and suggested, "It’s getting late; why don’t we set out now?"
Vayan’s face showed a trace of embarrassed tenderness, and to ease Vayan’s awkward situation, Jerome Bonaparte took out a pocket watch to check the time: it was already 11:15, with only about 45 minutes left until lunch.
"Let’s go!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded and then led Prince Albert and others away from the train station, boarding a carriage.
This time, the carriage arrangement was different from the last; Empress Augusta, Queen Victoria, and her daughter shared one carriage.
While Jerome Bonaparte, Prince Albert, and his two sons shared another carriage.
As the carriage rolled along, Jerome Bonaparte casually inquired about the situation of Prince Albert’s two sons.
Prince Albert first proudly told Jerome Bonaparte that his younger son, Prince Alfred, was an excellent student and an obedient child,
then spoke with resignation about Albert Edward’s situation, saying his eldest son, Albert Edward, was not fond of studying and had many shortcomings.
Albert Edward could only listen quietly to his father Albert’s criticism of him, not daring to say a word.
"I really don’t know when he will let me have some peace of mind!" Prince Albert sighed like all parents do.
Jerome Bonaparte then consoled Albert after he finished speaking, saying, "I think Edward is quite good. Sometimes, studying isn’t something that can be achieved just by effort! Just like I am such a person!"
Sitting opposite Jerome Bonaparte, Albert Edward’s eyes lit up after hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s humble statement.
"If he truly becomes like you, then I wouldn’t have to worry about him!" Prince Albert sighed again.
"Sometimes we can’t transfer our pressures onto our children! This could overwhelm them, and we must learn to ease up!" Jerome Bonaparte continued to console Albert, "Besides, Britain’s political system is so robust that Edward won’t face major issues even if he does nothing."
"If he does nothing, the Royal Family’s presence will significantly diminish!" Prince Albert replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "And the powers of the Royal Family will be gradually eroded, until it becomes merely a mascot!"
"That is not our concern!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and said to Prince Albert, "Each generation has its responsibilities! If it truly comes to that, we can only go with the flow!"
"That’s true!" Prince Albert decided not to dwell on it, nodding in agreement with Jerome Bonaparte.
"Alright then! Enough talking about these matters, when do you plan to visit the Century Exposition? I’ll have everything ready!" Jerome Bonaparte quickly changed the subject and asked Prince Albert.
"Prepare? What is there to prepare!" Prince Albert queried Jerome Bonaparte, "Surely we’re not going to require massive efforts to seal off the entire venue for one visit, right!
That would be too troublesome!"
"Of course not!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and joked with Albert, "Even if you wanted me to seal it off, I wouldn’t; do you know how much economic loss in francs it would cause me to close it for a day?
What I meant was, you might need to dress accordingly for the Century Exposition, to prevent being recognized!"
"That’s different! Then let’s go tomorrow!"
