Make France Great Again-Chapter 824 - 815: End of the First Half

"Qianqian, be honest with me! When you were in Bavaria, you didn’t fish often, did you!"

Jerome Bonaparte asked Empress Elizabeth with a serious expression, recalling some mystical rumors in the fishing world.

"No, I often went fishing with my father in Bavaria," Empress Elizabeth shook her head, a slight trace of confusion in her eyes. She didn’t understand what Jerome Bonaparte was trying to say.

"That’s not right!" Jerome Bonaparte muttered under his breath, once again doubting himself.

"What’s wrong, Your Majesty!!" Empress Augusta, standing nearby, asked as she gently tugged her fishing rod.

A carp weighing roughly one and a half pounds was reeled in by Empress Augusta.

"It’s toxic, isn’t it?" Jerome Bonaparte stared wide-eyed at the carp glistening in the sunlight, instinctively making a quip.

"Your Majesty, I’ve already caught two!" Empress Augusta held up two fingers, a joyful smile spread across her face.

"I..." Jerome Bonaparte felt a lump in his throat as he glanced at his own empty rod, beginning to suspect someone was deliberately placing fish in the water for the two of them.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense why the same water area would yield fish for them but not even a shadow for him.

Could it be that fish are selective about their anglers?

Jerome Bonaparte jokingly thought to himself.

"Your Majesty, you haven’t caught a single one yet!" Empress Elizabeth, standing nearby, also revealed a joyful smile and "reminded" Jerome Bonaparte.

"Hmph!" Jerome Bonaparte pretended to be indifferent, confidently responding, "Just wait, the fish I catch will surely outnumber both of yours combined!"

Then, Jerome Bonaparte decisively chose to reel in his line and head elsewhere, feeling no advantage where he stood next to them.

The two of them are probably still in the "beginner’s protection period." Staying together with them would only lead to defeat by their mystical luck.

Under the stares of Empress Augusta and Empress Elizabeth, Jerome Bonaparte moved about 100 meters away from them.

"This should keep me from being affected by them!" Jerome Bonaparte said to himself while starting to bait his hook and cast his line.

After a while, indeed a clueless fish decided to take the bait.

"Got one!" Jerome Bonaparte exclaimed excitedly.

In the distance, Elizabeth and Augusta heard the commotion from Jerome Bonaparte and rushed over to witness his catch.

"See, I told you..." Just as Jerome Bonaparte turned his head to proudly announce that he could also catch big fish, the fish on the hook surfaced.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Standing beside Jerome Bonaparte, Augusta and Elizabeth laughed out loud, while Jerome Bonaparte also felt something was amiss.

Why did his fishing rod feel like there was no change in weight!

Jerome Bonaparte looked at the hook and saw the big fish had been exposed to the sun, becoming a small fish weighing less than half a pound.

"Your Majesty, the fish you caught is really big!" Empress Augusta teased Jerome Bonaparte with a smirk.

"Indeed! Your Majesty!" Empress Elizabeth continued to laugh heartily in response to Jerome Bonaparte.

She hadn’t felt this happy in quite a while.

"It was just a mistake!" Jerome Bonaparte defended himself somewhat awkwardly, "Next time! Next time I’ll definitely show you a big fish!"

Jerome Bonaparte unhooked the fish hanging from its mouth, jokingly scolding, "Glutton! Go back to your pond!"

Then Jerome Bonaparte forcefully threw the small fish, and it traced a graceful arc in the air before splashing into the water.

Next, Jerome Bonaparte baited his hook again and cast his line into the water.

He sat cross-legged, unperturbed by appearance, resembling a meditating monk as he waited for the fish to appear under the watchful eyes of Augusta and Elizabeth.

Seeing this, Empress Elizabeth and Empress Augusta also returned to their positions to continue fishing.

Two hours quickly passed, and Count Gneer finally led a troop of cavalry to locate Jerome Bonaparte.

"Your Majesty!" Count Gneer breathlessly approached Jerome Bonaparte and said respectfully.

"Hmm!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded lightly, then stood up and reeled in his line, "You’ve had a hard time!"

"This is what I should do!" Count Gneer replied humbly, then asked Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, I suppose you had a bountiful catch today!"

Jerome Bonaparte forced a smile, as in the past two hours, he had only caught one fish.

Just as Jerome Bonaparte was about to respond to Count Gneer, there was another splash of water in the distance.

Jerome Bonaparte and Count Gneer looked in the direction of Augusta, only to see that Empress Augusta’s hook had caught another fish.

"Augusta, how many is that for you?" Elizabeth shouted loudly.

"The fourth one! How about you, Qianqian?" Augusta replied, then asked Elizabeth.

"Same here!" Elizabeth responded as well.

This made Jerome Bonaparte’s expression even more awkward. Pointing at Augusta and Elizabeth, he said to Count Gneer, "See? They’re the real winners!"

Count Gneer immediately comforted Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, fishing is just for fun! It doesn’t matter how many you catch!"

"I know!" Jerome Bonaparte replied to Count Gneer, and then asked, "By the way! How’s the lunch I asked you to prepare?"

"Your Majesty! I’ve got it ready for you!" Count Gneer replied immediately, "It’s in the cabin nearby!"

"You’re considerate!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded, satisfied with Count Gneer’s arrangements.

"You flatter me!" Count Gneer responded modestly once more.

Now that Count Gneer had everything arranged, Jerome Bonaparte shouted towards Elizabeth and Augusta in the distance, "Ladies, lunch is ready! Let’s enjoy it together!"

Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s call, Augusta and Elizabeth quickly reeled in their lines and walked over to him.

The three of them mounted their horses, reaching the vicinity of the cabin under the escort of Count Gneer and the Austrian Cavalry.

The table, covered with a red tablecloth, was laden with a dazzling array of delicacies.

"Didn’t I tell you there was no need for so much?" Jerome Bonaparte frowned at Count Gneer, "There’s no way we can finish all this!"

"Your Majesty Jerome, His Majesty the Emperor specifically instructed me to prepare this for you!" Count Gneer hurriedly explained.

"Alright then! Franz has thought of everything!" Jerome Bonaparte and the others sat down at the table to dine.

Count Gneer and the Austrian Cavalry stood at a distance, maintaining a security line for them.

Sitting nearby, Elizabeth whispered to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, should we ask them to join us?"

"It’s up to you! I don’t mind either way!" Jerome Bonaparte replied with a smile, "Right, Augusta?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"At that time, you almost turned the Tuileries Palace into a barracks!" Augusta teased.

"Then it’s decided!" Elizabeth stood up, intending to call Count Gneer and the soldiers over for lunch.

"Wait a minute!" Jerome Bonaparte stopped Elizabeth, "Are you planning for us to sit while they stand and eat?"

"No!" Elizabeth shook her head, responding to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Then let’s move all the chairs away and eat standing up together!" Jerome Bonaparte suggested to Elizabeth.

All three of them stood up, moving the chairs into the cabin under Count Gneer’s perplexed gaze.

"Count Gneer, come over here!" Jerome Bonaparte gestured at Count Gneer.

Count Gneer hurriedly approached Jerome Bonaparte to see what he wanted.

"Let them come eat too! The three of us can’t finish all this food!" Jerome Bonaparte pointed at the food on the table and said to Count Gneer.

"Your Majesty, this doesn’t conform to etiquette!" Count Gneer remarked to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Etiquette!" Jerome Bonaparte smirked disdainfully, "Count Gneer, this isn’t the Hofburg Palace, I make the rules here! Understand? And your country’s Empress also agrees with this!"

"That’s right! Mr. Earl, you all come over!" Elizabeth smiled at Count Gneer.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Count Gneer obeyed Jerome Bonaparte’s order and called the Austrian Cavalry to dine with them.

The Austrian Cavalry, who had never sat at the same table with the Emperor before, appeared excited, and the entire picnic lasted about an hour.

After they were full and satisfied, Jerome Bonaparte asked Count Gneer if there were any hunting spots nearby. Count Gneer informed Jerome Bonaparte that there was a place suitable for hunting four kilometers away.

"I’ve decided that this afternoon’s activity will be hunting!" Jerome Bonaparte announced to Count Gneer.

"Your Majesty, we didn’t bring any hunting rifles!" Count Gneer replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Hunting rifles! Aren’t those over their shoulders hunting rifles?" Jerome Bonaparte pointed at the Austrian Cavalry and said to Count Gneer.