Make France Great Again

The stubbornness of the Count of Chambord left the Duke Broi and Belie feeling an indescribable helplessness. Despite their efforts to elevate the monarch before them into the French Royal Palace, the Count of Chambord was entirely ungrateful.

Like his grandfather, he always lived in the fantasy world of his own making.

At this moment, the Duke Broi wholeheartedly agreed with what Prince Polignac had once told him, that their monarch, Henry V, was an inflexible ruler.

Oh God! Why did you place him into this unfortunate family? Have you ceased to watch over it?

For the first time, Duke Broi felt as if God no longer watched over the Bourbons, or else, how would they encounter such a monarch?

Even His Majesty Louis XVI was better than this obstinate king!

Just as the Duke Broi's heart was sinking into confusion and depression, the next words of the Count of Chambord pushed him completely into the abyss.

"Duke Broi, I want to issue a decree to France!" Count of Chambord solemnly said to Count Broi: "I will never cooperate with the descendants of a regicide... Any French parliamentarians willing to support me are not allowed to cooperate with the descendants of regicide..."

Shock was evident on the faces of Duke Broi and Belie. The last time the Count of Chambord refused cooperation, the order spread only in a small scope, allowing them to muddle through; this time, the Count of Chambord intended to proclaim it to all of France!

Duke Broi had reason to believe that once the Count of Chambord's order was disseminated through newspapers in France, many Orthodox Faction aristocratic parliamentarians, whose hopes might be shattered, could turn to the Bonapartists. Those Orléans Faction parliamentarians would also sever ties with the Orthodox Faction, unable to bear the "insult" from the Count of Chambord.

"Your Majesty, you must not!" Duke Broi's face changed dramatically as he hastily cried out.

"Why!" Count of Chambord's face showed a trace of annoyance; at this moment, he was somewhat disliking this "meddlesome" Duke Broi.

Facing the disdain of the Count of Chambord, Duke Broi's heart felt as if it had fallen into an unfathomably deep ice cave.

Despite the Count of Chambord's attitude, Duke Broi, committed to repaying the kindness of the Bourbon Dynasty for hundreds of years, patiently explained the stakes to the Count of Chambord: "Once your decree is issued, the alliance we form with the descendants of regicide will inevitably take a severe blow. The hidden Bonaparte might become the biggest winner."

However, Duke Broi's earnest admonitions did not make the Count of Chambord realize the gravity of the situation; instead, it sparked his "rebellious" mentality as a monarch.

Fine! If you all are unwilling, then I'll do it myself!

Feeling "humiliated" inside, the Count of Chambord decided to let Duke Broi and Belie off while sending a message to France, though he needed to deceive them before his decree reached Paris.

Thinking of this, the Count of Chambord concealed his dissatisfaction, his face once again showing a cordial expression, seemingly understanding Duke Broi's sincere intentions.

"I understand!" The Count of Chambord, still retaining his arrogance, waved his hand to order them away: "Duke Broi, Mr. Belie, I will take a walk now!"

The Count of Chambord's facade successfully fooled Duke Broi and Belie, who exchanged glances and saw a hint of relief in each other's eyes.

As Duke Broi and Belie bid farewell to the Count of Chambord, the two committed Orthodox Faction parliamentarians left. The Count of Chambord's expression turned from calm to grim, muttering words like "rebels, traitors."

After venting alone in the empty living room, the Duke Richelieu was summoned once more by the Count of Chambord.

"Your Majesty!" Duke Richelieu humbly bowed in response to the Count of Chambord.

"Duke!" The Count of Chambord, with a friendly and respectful tone, explained the "presumptuousness" of Duke Broi and Belie to Duke Richelieu.

"They are truly audacious!" Duke Richelieu, inwardly elated, righteously criticized Duke Broi.

"Indeed! So, I want you to convey the immediate order to France!" The Count of Chambord repeated what he had just said before Duke Broi, this time to Duke Richelieu.

"Rest assured! I will surely accomplish the task you entrusted!" Duke Richelieu promised the Count of Chambord.

"My friend!" The Count of Chambord sighed as he looked at the elderly Duke, who had a few wrinkles forming, saying, "Only you truly understand me!"

Duke Richelieu also showed a moved expression, once more assuring the Count of Chambord that he would faithfully convey the order to France.

At this moment, neither the Count of Chambord nor Duke Richelieu realized what kind of situation their orders would create in France.

On September 20, as Duke Broi and Belie returned from Ames under the guise of Count of Chambord's order, an "open letter" from the Count of Chambord spread throughout Paris via the newspapers.

The entire Paris boiled over once again, Orthodox Faction members were stunned by the contents of the Count of Chambord's "open letter," feeling a wave of humiliation and betrayal.

And the one who betrayed them was none other than the monarch whom they loyally served.

"We're finished!" On Puevert Street, Thiers was left in a daze when he saw the "open letter" in the newspapers.

After a moment, Thiers, coming to his senses, revealed a bitter smile at the corner of his mouth and slumped onto the sofa, pondering what he had done these past two years.

"I never expected! A dumb pig to appear among my teammates!" Thiers couldn't help but hurl insults at the Count of Chambord.

Even though he foresaw that the merger between the Orléans Faction and the Orthodox Faction might be affected, he had never imagined the monarch of the Orthodox Faction would sever the possibility of their merger in such a manner.

Who taught him this self-destructive strategy that leaves the enemy unscathed?

Just when Thiers was contemplating how to preserve their strength as much as possible, the Orléans Faction members, led by Speaker Du Ban, hurried to Pulvati Street.

"Mr. Thiers, what should we do now?"

"Yes! Mr. Thiers, what should we do?"

"Mr. Thiers, please think of a solution!"

The Orléans Faction members spoke to Thiers one after another, treating him as if he were their backbone.

Thiers did not disappoint (their expectations). He maintained a faint smile on his face as if everything was within his expectations.

"Everyone, don't worry. This small setback cannot defeat us!" Thiers reassured the Orléans Faction members; he definitely didn't want the Orléans Faction to collapse, "Now, what I need to do is to ask Duke Broi and Mr. Belie what on earth is going on!"

Thiers found an outlet for the panicked Orléans Faction, at last giving them a target to ease their tension.

"Exactly! Let's find out!"

"Rightly said!"

...

Backed by the Orléans Faction members, Thiers and his group marched towards the Broi Mansion in a mighty procession.

At this time, the Broi Mansion was also bustling. On seeing the open letter and while still in Paris, Orthodox Faction members flocked to the Broi Mansion, wanting an explanation from Duke Broi.

"Your Grace, what is this all about? What exactly does our monarch intend to do?"

"Duke Broi, what have you done?"

...

Many Orthodox Faction noble members began to verbally attack Duke Broi, believing that all of this was a result of Duke Broi's defiance of Count of Chambord.

Duke Broi had no intention of refuting, a bitter smile touched his lips as he recalled his father once asking him to remain forever loyal to the Bourbon Dynasty.

I am but a pathetic clown!

As Duke Broi once again reflected on his actions, he realized he was like a clown in a circus.

Not only did he fail to gain the monarch's approval, but his former colleagues also verbally attacked him.

The verbal assault on Duke Broi didn't last long when a servant rushed in to report to Duke Broi, "Your Grace, Mr. Thiers has arrived!"

The Orthodox Faction members halted their verbal attacks, turning their gazes back to Duke Broi.

"Is there anyone else besides him?" Duke Broi asked the servant.

"There's a group behind him, like... as if coming to demand an explanation!" the servant replied to Duke Broi.

"Bring them all in!" Duke Broi responded to the servant.

After the servant left, it wasn't long before Thiers and the Orléans Faction members were before Broi and others.

The Orléans Faction members glared at the Orthodox Faction members, while the Orthodox Faction members retaliated with their own intense stares.

"Sir Duke, I need an explanation!" Thiers' voice wasn't loud, but the firmness in his tone made it clear he was unwavering in his quest for the truth.

"If I told you, I also don't know, would you believe me?" Duke Broi replied in a calm, yet undeniably assertive tone.

An expression of surprise appeared on Thiers' face. With his experience in dealing with countless people, he believed Duke Broi's words.

"What do we do now?" Thiers once again asked Duke Broi's opinion. As long as Duke Broi didn't refuse, they still had a chance.

This time Thiers misjudged Duke Broi. With weary eyes, Duke Broi looked at Thiers and said, "Mr. Thiers, we will obey the monarch's will! The monarch's authority cannot be questioned!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire drawing room erupted in an uproar; none of them expected such words to come from Duke Broi's mouth.

With Duke Broi's statement, the Orléans Faction and the Orthodox Faction fell into complete disarray.