"Your Royal Highness the crown princess, Lady De Lamballe" said a middle aged woman while curtsying.
Li Lianying's new friend, Lady De Lamballe, curtsied while responding : "Lady Adélaïde, how great it is to see you!"
Li Lianying, who now knew the name of her interlocutor, greeted her politely.
After a few minutes of chatting, the two young women entered the Hall of Mirrors. The soft light emanating from the chandeliers gave the room a very romantic atmosphere. The aggressively bright golden walls and ceilings now looked like they were made of honey. Hundreds of courtesans were standing there, waiting to enter the king's bedchamber. Lady De Lamballe guided Li Lianying until they were in front of everyone else. All those who saw them made way and bowed or curtsied respectfully. Suddenly, a young boy who was standing next to Li Lianying turned to her and bowed while smiling cheerfully.
"Your Royal Highness, I hope you had a great day!"
"Thank you sir, I had a wonderful day."
Li Lianying had no idea who this boy was. However, he was dressed splendidly and was standing in front of everyone else. She concluded that he must be at a rank similar to hers.
Exactly when Li Lianying was wondering about his identity, the boy tugged at a handsome young man's sleeve while whispering : "Brother! Look, your wife is here."
Li Lianying was about to choke on her saliva. This boy was her brother in law! And apparently, her husband was here too?! She looked at her "husband" and noticed that he was no older than eighteen years old. Her current body was very young too, around sixteen years old. In terms of age, they were a perfect match.
He was tall, slender and athletic. His face was more manly than delicate, with a tall nose, strong eyebrows and big, intelligent-looking blue eyes.
Li Lianying gave him a tentative smile. The crown prince stared at her for a few seconds, then he looked away, completely ignoring her.
What kind of married couple was that! Young people shouldn't behave so coldly, Li Lianying thought! Couldn't her husband follow the example of his cute, lively younger brother?! Confused, Li Lianying looked at the loyalty bar above the crown prince's head. It was at +2. That was a good start, at least he didn't hate her! He was just indifferent and neutral towards her.
She inspected her surroundings, trying to determine each courtesan's status based on where they were standing. The closer they were to her, and thus, to the king's bedchamber, the higher ranked they were. She noticed that Lady Adélaïde was standing between the crown prince and the King's door, which meant that she was at least at an equal rank as the crown prince himself. She was surrounded by two other middle-aged women who were proudly staring at the crowd of courtesans, fanning themselves and haughtily judging other people's clothing, make-up or posture. They acted like they owned the palace and everyone else were mere ants.
Suddenly, someone announced the King's arrival, and everyone bowed or curtsied. He was in his late sixties, obviously tired and worn out. Yet, when he saw a beautiful young woman with powdered blond hair, his eyes lit up and a youthful aura illuminated his beaming face. He looked like an infatuated young boy. He walked to her, held her hands, and kissed her forehead. Li Lianying heard Lady Adélaïde grunt while she whispered the words "wh*re" and "Du Barry". The two other ladies were fanning aggressively while their eyes were shooting daggers at the pretty young woman.
Du Barry… this name was very familiar to her. She had definitely heard it before! She closed her eyes and thought about her wonderful weekends with Élodie. These peaceful evenings spent in front of the TV while eating their favorite take-outs and watching one of their favorite shows… What was its name? Secrets d'Histoire? Yes, definitely. She remembered the voice of the TV presenter, and his elated exclamations when he talked about the women of Versailles. The Du Barry… the countess Du Barry! She was the mistress of Louis 15th! She was born a peasant, became a prostitute in a brothel, climbed her way to the top, until she reached one of the highest ranks in the world! An official royal mistress! She was truly a self-made woman. She grew up in the dirt and spent the rest of her life among gold and diamonds, until her untimely death by guillotine.
Li Lianying stared at the beautiful mistress, then at the king. That was when she realized that she was living a truly historical moment.
The rest of the evening passed quickly and no major event happened. The King greeted her and the other princes, princesses and nobles. Then, he entered his room and only the men were allowed inside to help him change into his nightgown. Li Lianying went back to her room, said goodbye to Lady De Lamballe and went through the same "Coucher" (going to bed) ceremony as the king, albeit with fewer people assisting her.
She was exhausted, tossed and turned in her bed and wondered what the hell was happening. She had been staying in this so-called dream for more than 10 hours now. The day went by very slowly, the events were too logical and detailed. Nothing about this resembled a dream. Li Lianying was overwhelmed, confused, and did not understand how such a thing could have happened. She had never yet experienced such a slow and meticulously organized dream.
She closed her eyes, tried to relax, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Ding! System activated!
Binding the traveler's soul to the body of Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna Von Habsburg-Lorraine, alias Marie-Antoinette.
System verification successful!
You can now have access to the following statistics :
Satisfaction level of the First Estate : the church
Satisfaction level of the Second Estate : the nobility
Satisfaction level of the Third Estate : the bourgeoisie
Satisfaction level of the Third Estate : the peasantry
Loyalty level towards the monarchy
Beware!
When the Loyalty level towards the monarchy drops below 30%, the Revolution will begin
When the Loyalty level towards the monarchy drops below 20%, nobles and royals might be harmed or killed by revolutionaries
When the loyalty level towards the monarchy drops below 10%, the King or the Queen might be harmed or killed by revolutionaries
When the loyalty level towards the monarchy reaches 0%, the royal family will be exterminated!
You can now have access to Daily Internet Tickets! Daily Internet Tickets are renewed every night at 2am. They allow the user to have access to the Internet for 30 min during their sleep!
System shop unlocked! The user can exchange points earned through quests and tasks for useful items!
Quests and tasks unlocked! Please select the task you want to start!
Birthday tickets unlocked! They are renewed every year on the 2nd of November! 1 unused ticket available!