Descending On France 1780
Chapter 296 - 289 The owner of Malmaison faces rejection for the first time

Chapter 296: 289 The owner of Malmaison faces rejection for the first time

Josephine Boarne watched Pauline Bonaparte chatting happily with Andy Frost, and it took her quite an effort to control her expression.

She had never been subjected to such humiliation before; she used to be the pearl of every gathering, always the focal point of everyone’s attention.

She never anticipated that her spotlight would be stolen by a young girl.

Such grievance was foreign to her!

She scrutinized Pauline Bonaparte: she looked like nothing more than an ordinary girl, with a physique similar to a man’s, no different from a man if not for her braids.

After some thought, Josephine concluded that her defeat to Pauline was solely because she was Napoleon’s sister.

The rumors seemed to be true, apparently Napoleon was General Frost’s favorite, suggesting that the best way to get closer to General Frost was to first befriend Napoleon.

With this in mind, Josephine abruptly interjected, "Excuse me, may I ask who this is?"

In social gatherings, speaking directly to someone without an introduction was considered very impolite, but since it was now the era of the Republic, which promoted new customs, such direct approaches had become more common.

However, Josephine was a seasoned socialite of Paris, still adhering to the etiquette of the former era.

Everybody’s gaze once again turned to her.

And then, no one spoke.

Andy Frost seemed not to realize that Josephine was speaking to him and just looked at her.

**

It was only when Anning’s foot was stepped on that he realized, in a social setting like this, such a question was surely directed at him. After all, the social hierarchy of rank and status still prevailed; in the past, people of higher status wouldn’t initiate a conversation, and those of lower rank couldn’t speak up without being addressed.

He originally thought Josephine was asking Napoleon.

Anning: "You’re asking me? This is the sister of my dear friend, Pauline Bonaparte. Pauline, this lady is Madame Boarne."

Josephine: "Hello, Miss Pauline. You don’t seem to resemble Mr. Bonaparte at all, you are so beautiful..."

Anning thought to himself, where are your eyes, it’s obvious by her height she’s Napoleon’s sister.

Pauline: "Hello, Madame Boarne, I think my brother is quite handsome as well."

Lasalle didn’t care for social etiquette and looked directly at Napoleon to see his reaction, but found Napoleon unfazed. Knowing Lasalle, he didn’t need to see Napoleon blush to tease him: "Oh my, the great hero of Sedan turns red at a compliment from his sister!"

Napoleon: "I’m not blushing!"

"You’re lying, your face is clearly red!"

Suddenly, a strange switch was flipped in Anning, and he said to Napoleon, "Next time Lasalle says you’re blushing, you just reply with, ’This is me glowing with health.’"

Napoleon laughed: "Hahaha, good idea, did you hear that Lasalle, this is me glowing with health!"

Anning: "Hey, why did your face turn yellow now?"

Napoleon was completely thrown off: "Turned yellow? This... You’re not following the script!"

Anning: "I’ll teach you, just say it’s wax to protect from the cold."

Napoleon: "You... put wax on your face in winter?"

Lasalle: "He’s a leatherworker, spends all day waxing shoes, might have picked up the skill."

As Madame Boarne noticed this "best friends trio" entering their mode of bantering as if no one else was present, she quickly interjected: "What a surprise, I suddenly discovered a different side of the hero of Sedan!"

Anning: "Really? Didn’t you discover a different side of me through our recent conversation? Am I, the great hero of Italy, not honored with this distinction, Madame Josephine Boarne of Malmaison?"

Josephine: "There have already been numerous rumors about your character, and I was quite expecting your wit and humor. But as for Mr. Bonaparte, he was once quite unknown in the Parisian social circles, where everyone only spoke of ’that lackey of Frost.’"

Lasalle immediately activated his skill, starting to sabotage: "You’ve got it wrong, it should be ’that leatherworker’s lackey,’ or ’that Corsican lackey of the leatherworker.’"

These were the nicknames given to Napoleon by Frost’s enemies, and even Josephine, who had navigated social events for years, nearly lost her composure.

Then she said with an embarrassed smile, "During those times, Paris had not yet succumbed to the General’s charm, so that’s somewhat understandable."

Anning: "So what exactly have you come here for?"

He used ’you’ in a formal way to create a sense of distance. However, Europeans don’t have this custom and use ’you’ quite often among friends.

Josephine: "Of course I’ve come to congratulate the hero of France who has triumphed on the battlefield."

Anning: "That’s not right, though. My intelligence says you’ve just returned from Paul Balas’s residence. Did Mr. Balas ask you to bring a message to me?"

In reality, Anning didn’t know that Josephine had just come from Balas’s place; it was merely his inference.

Everyone in Paris knew that the hostess of Maraisson Castle was currently engaged with Balas, and considering the unusual lack of salon gatherings and tea parties at the castle in the past few days, it was likely that the hostess was not there.

But Josephine’s expression changed slightly.

"You say that as if a hero like you couldn’t simply be admired..."

Anning interrupted Josephine and, pointing at Pauline, said: "This one admires me, Mrs. Boarne, and I can tell the difference. Who in this hall is truly my supporter, and who is a speculative opportunist here to probe and gain advantage—I can distinguish them all with a single glance."

Mainly because Anning had read many historical works on France and even remembered the brief biographies of famous characters from this period; discerning the loyal from the treacherous was instantly clear.

This is the advantage of a transmigrator.

Perhaps Mrs. Boarne judged that it would be pointless to stubbornly stay in front of Anning, so she excused herself with a pretext and returned to her previous position, regaining the spotlight of the younger crowd.

Anning heard Christina sigh, "Being so blunt isn’t good, I’ll handle social matters from now on. These kinds of things require ambiguity, the art of leaving things unsaid."

Anning thought, I know, it’s about playing tai chi and muddling through, isn’t it?

But now I am General Frost, and in this Paris, I can snub whoever I wish not to acknowledge.

After a few more battles, it might even be possible for Anning to attain the rank of Marshal—there’s no such rank in the Republic, but when the time comes, there will be people proposing its reinstatement.

**

Josephine Boarne left with her tail between her legs, returning to her familiar circle where she was once the center of attention.

A young gentleman soon approached to strike up a conversation: "Josephine, what were you doing over there?"

Josephine Boarne glanced at the newcomer, immediately switched her expression, and replied with a smile, "Saint Just, you’re here too! I was just inviting General Frost to a tea party at Malmaison Castle tomorrow, but he doesn’t seem to like me very much."

Saint Just: "How could that be? You still shine brightly today."

Josephine’s eyes rolled as she sighed, "Ah, I wonder if there’s anyone who can talk to General Frost for me, to bring him my invitation. There must be some misunderstanding between the General and me."

Saint Just: "That’s easy, I’ll take your invitation to him."

"Do you... have an acquaintance with the General?"

"A bit, but..." Saint Just trailed off, not continuing.

Josephine knew what the unsaid part was: but I’m quite close with Robespierre.

Josephine asked as if it were an afterthought, "What about Mr. Robespierre? He should be a close friend of the General, so why didn’t he come to the General’s ball?"

Saint Just: "Robespierre doesn’t really like these types of events; he’s probably at home revising tomorrow’s proposal. Alright, I’ll extend your invitation to the General for you!"