Descending On France 1780-Chapter 13 - 010 The Convergence of History

Anning followed Kroetz, entering a typical Rococo-style foyer.

This style developed during the reign of Louis XV and is currently the most popular.

Considering the completion time of the Royal Palace, the owner of the palace must have put a lot of effort into renovating the palace to keep it fashionable.

As soon as they entered the palace, a short and plump noble descended from the second floor, talking to someone beside him as he walked, "That Austrian woman, even the news of a terrible defeat at the front can't stop him from throwing a royal banquet. I must harshly criticize her extravagance in the latest pamphlet!"

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Anning raised an eyebrow, guessing that "that Austrian woman" probably referred to Louis XVI's Queen Marie Antoinette.

Kroetz stepped forward and extended his hands toward the short and plump noble descending the stairs: "Mirabeau Earl, hello! Long time no see!"

Anning couldn't help but take a close look at this short and plump noble—this was none other than the later famous politician, the leader of the Monarchist Constitutionalists after Lafayette's fall, Mirabeau!

Mirabeau was momentarily stunned, staring at Kroetz for several seconds before he suddenly realized, "Oh, it's you, Miss... ah no, Mister Tolleson, Marquis. I heard you went to the front?"

"Yes, I've just come back from the front."

"Was it terrible?"

"It was dreadful; I owe my life to Mr. Andy Frost here." Kroetz turned and smiled slightly at Anning.

Mirabeau glanced at Anning, seemingly tilting his head trying to recall something, probably wondering which family of nobles Anning belonged to.

Anning stepped forward and introduced himself, "I am Andy Frost, the son of a leatherworker."

Mirabeau exclaimed, "The son of a leatherworker!"

He looked down at Anning's breeches and stockings—only nobles would wear breeches and stockings; a leatherworker's son obviously would not dress like that.

Before Anning could explain, Kroetz added: "Andy speaks German; thanks to him, we managed to escape from the battlefield."

Mirabeau raised his eyebrows: "German? A leatherworker's son speaks German?"

Anning: "Uh, we have many German speakers in our area, so I also learned a bit in Sunday school."

At that moment, the person behind Mirabeau stepped forward, "Perhaps his hometown is close to Alsace and Lorraine, there are many German speakers there. Hello, I am Antoine Lavoisier, a friend of the Duke."

Anning shuddered, suddenly feeling a real sense of intruding into history, having just met two historically prominent figures!

Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry!

Anning remembered that later Lavoisier was executed during the Revolution; he wondered if he could slightly interfere with his fate!

Anning shook the hand extended by Lavoisier: "Hello, Mr. Lavoisier, I've heard about you, you discovered oxygen!"

Lavoisier looked surprised: "Is that so? I thought my scientific discoveries were only popular as topics in Parisian salons."

Anning: "How come you are here..."

"Because Duke Orleans is also my patron, both Earl Mirabeau and I received considerable sponsorships from him. But I don't come here as often as Mirabeau."

Kroetz: "Mr. Lavoisier occasionally gives us lectures and conducts some interesting experiments."

"Just occasionally."

While they were talking, a middle-aged noble in elaborate attire appeared at the top of the stairs: "Let me see who has returned?"

Kroetz looked up and immediately spread his arms and ran up the stairs, "Dad! I'm back!"

Anning looked up at the heartwarming scene of the father and daughter embracing on the staircase, carefully observing the Duke of Orleans.

The Duke of Orleans, Tolleson, had a sturdy build, wearing a red long coat with a glimpse of a green riding jacket underneath.

Kroetz next to the Duke, appeared entirely smaller by comparison, and when the Duke embraced him, it looked like he was hugging a homing pigeon.

"My dear Christina, you're finally back!" the Duke probably didn't even notice the outsider Anning was there, and directly called Kroetz by his real name.

Kroetz—Christina immediately frowned, "Dad! My comrades are still here!"

Anning stepped forward, "Uh, I've actually known about your identity for a while. After all, you never need to shave."

Christina turned back and glared at Anning, her face flushing red: "You actually knew all along! And here I was, trying so hard to guard this secret!"

The Duke guffawed loudly: "Hahaha! Didn't you hear what this gentleman said? If you want to guard this secret, you need to grow a beard."

Christina pouted, then seriously said, "Dad! I earned honors on the battlefield, and General Carnegie said he would apply for a Honorary Legion Medal for me! Can I now go study at Briena military school?"

Anning thought to himself, just as expected, this fellow dressed as a man to go to the battlefield, just to get her father's approval to attend military school.

Wait a minute, Briena military school... that school sounds familiar. Isn't that where Napoleon studied?

Now it's 1780, Napoleon is only 11 years old, theoretically he should just be about to enter Briena military school...

Of course, there are some changes in this timeline, like the Seven Years' War only happening now, and Frederick the Great still being able to lead his troops.

Perhaps even Napoleon's age might be different.

The Duke looked troubled: "Uh... Christina, military school is troublesome, you'll be mingling with daughters of impoverished nobles, all of whom are there because their families couldn't provide a dowry..."

Christina interrupted her father, "So what! I don't care about that, I want to become a female general, I don't want to get married!"

The Marquis sighed: "Alright, alright! If I don't agree, you might just go off disguising as a man to enlist again. Okay, I agree. Once Briena military school starts enrolling this year, I will send you there."

Anning was somewhat surprised that the nobles in this timeline were so easily agreeing to their daughters enlisting.

Even considering the historical presence of Joan of Arc... It seems that at least in France, the status of women in this timeline is quite higher than that of the original.

At this time, the Duke turned to Anning: "You're Andy Frost, right? A leatherworker's son?"

Anning nodded, "Yes, that's me, Your Grace."

The Duke, in a very official tone, said: "Thank you very much for rescuing my daughter from danger. If you'd like to open a leather shop in Paris, I can provide you with a free storefront and house."

As the Duke spoke, the mission objective that had been consistently illuminating on the right side of Anning's field of vision suddenly changed.

[Mission: Escort Tolleson's progeny completed. Duke of Orleans Louis de Philippe Tolleson's favorability towards you has risen to Friendly. You have received a total reward of 550 Crowns! Available for withdrawal from any bank!]

Anning was overjoyed, 550 Crowns! This was a substantial amount of money! Plus, the Duke was even promising him a house for his shop!

Coming from the 21st century, Anning almost couldn't keep his composure when he heard about getting a house for free, since he had always longed for one in his previous life. But at that moment, a new idea took shape in Anning's mind...

At that time, Christina suddenly said, "Dad, can I hire Andy as my Attendant?"

The Duke of Orleans shook his head at her, "No no, our family has a professionally trained team of attendants..."

Just then, Anning spoke out loudly: "Your Grace, through this war, I've discovered I have some talent in this area, so I would like to continue my studies at Briena military school."

Yes, I want to go to military school and then cozy up to Napoleon!