I Reincarnated as Louis XVI to Stop the Revolution and Be Happy with Antoinette

Dawn of a New Era

(53)

"Christmas Carol"

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This is my first post because it's almost Christmas.

Please note that this will be a serious story for the next few chapters.

★　☆　★

December 21, 1770

Jingle bells... Jingle bell... Ah, Christmas is coming soon, isn't it?

Yeah... I'm feeling really low today.

It seems that the condition of His Majesty, King Louis XV, is almost critical. The royal physician told me that the end is near and he will be taken soon.

"Unfortunately... His Majesty's health won't last much longer... I'd say about three more days at most."

Since being stabbed by Adélaïde, the wound on the King's abdomen has been healing poorly, rendering him bedridden. Over the past few days, his condition has deteriorated rapidly. His immune system has weakened, and above all, the temperature has dropped significantly recently. It seems that catching a cold triggered it, and his immune system has become quite weak. He won't last much longer.

Today, I am scheduled to have an audience with the King alongside Antoinette. Most likely, this will be the final audience. As a precaution against the epidemic, which would be disastrous if infected, we will converse with a curtain separating us.

I'm not sure if it's because he doesn't want to show his ugly appearance or if it's the King's consideration... I don't know. However, it's clear that the King has made up his mind since not only the guards but even the royal physician is not allowed inside the bedroom, except for the chosen witness. While listening to updates on the King's condition from the royal physician together with Antoinette, it's almost time for him to depart for heaven.

"Grandfather... Your body has reached that point..."

"...Is he in a condition to speak?"

"Barely... Will you engage in conversation?"

"If possible, I would like that..."

"Understood. As soon as I relay this to His Majesty, I will come right away."

As the physician hurriedly sought the king's permission and ran off, I pondered about His Majesty.

At first, right after being reincarnated into this world, I didn't have a favorable impression of him. However, by chance, when Adélaïde plotted the assassination, I was able to extract some of the King's knowledge.

He must have taught me the responsibilities of being a king in his own way. I accepted the parts that were helpful to me, and above all, it was a stroke of luck that I was able to transfer the talented individuals from the Secret du Roi directly to the Department of Land Administration.

And right after the transfer, I successfully crushed the conspiracy of the Orléans family centered around Philippe II.

Although I did carry out some operations myself, the storage of illegal goods was far more troublesome... The incident known as the Duke's Gold, where gold bars stamped by the Bank of England were found, caused a great uproar in the country's politics.

As a result, it was revealed that the Orléans family had been colluding with the British and using funds to conduct a negative campaign against the reform, mainly by anti-reformist aristocrats, public opinion quickly expressed support for the reformers.