Queen Marie: 2-4 Justice and Reform

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With the end of the conference, France will take its first step towards a new future. If I want this country to succeed, I will need to make a choice between friendship and doing what's right.

Info

• Style:
• Recommended: Day Dream Set
• Event Logs: Tax Evasion, Count of Provence
• Perfect Score: ~4,940
• Rewards: Blueprint: Gendarme Boots, 3,000 Gold, 600 Experience, 3 Reader's Coupon, 1 Gift Materials, 1 Clothing Materials

Dialogue Choices

I've already made up my mind, right? No matter the result, I should make a choice that I will not regret.

• Choose for Gabrielle's sake
  • Gabrielle's Goodwill will rise
• Choose for the sake of France
  • Louis XVI's Goodwill will rise
  • Fersen's Goodwill will rise
  • Lafayette's Goodwill will rise

Transcript

Expand for script.

• The success of the conference is simply exhilarating. This vast kingdom on the verge of ruin, has gained a fresh surge of energy, and is waiting to get back on its feet.
• The reform is merely the first step, and every step after this will be just as important... And things won't go as smoothly as we hope.
• Deniau: Your Majesty, the King has invited you to his study for a discussion.

• You: At this time? Has something happened...

• You: Understood. I'll get dressed and go right away.

• Lafayette: Your Majesty, tax submission period is over, and most of the nobles have already paid their taxes. But there are some who have yet to pay a single livre.

• You: (What? There are actually nobles who dare to do that?)

• Louis XVI: Why are they ignoring the law? Do they even care for the throne?

• Blaisdell: Well this tax reform wasn't set in place by the clergy, nor did it go through a panel of nobles, so some of them still don't regard it as law.

• Blaisdell: Of course, they also include some who are in debt, or lived lavishly, and now are unable to pay their taxes.

• You: (...I wonder how Gabrielle's family is doing?)

• Ever since that banquet, Gabrielle hasn't been to see me... just as she said.
• I can only glean some info on her situation by listening to the gossip of noble ladies.
• Fersen: Besides those nobles who are unable to pay their taxes, there are some who are secretly defying the law, and have even banded together to proclaim their intent.

• Fersen: They have started to rally the people, and are telling them that true equality will only come about when the royal family loses its power... and when everyone is on level ground.

• Fersen: As I understand it, there really are people who envy America's revolution, and are very supportive of this idea.

• Louis XVI: I may have helped to fund the revolutionary war... but we can't apply the same thing to France.

• Lafayette: Your Majesty, the royal family's move has already won the support of the people, so please don't worry too much about this.

• Louis XVI: You are right. The tax reform is the right move, and we shall persevere.

• Louis XVI: We will not change our stance on the removal of tax-free privileges.

• Louis XVI: Since they are unwilling to cooperate, they shall face the wrath of the royal throne! They shall not ruin the future of France.

• This is the first time I've seen the King look so formidable. His calm voice has so much power in it, and his eyes are gleaming...
• It makes one really appreciate the fact that you are looking at the one and only ruler of France.
• Everyone present is affected by his determination, and are unconsciously nodding their heads. Blaisdell seems particularly pleased, and his smile seems even deeper than usual.
• Blaisdell: Your Majesty is wise indeed. We do need to mete out harsh punishments to let them know that the King will not stand for their defiance.

• Blaisdell: The punishment for evading taxes is already listed in the books. Your Majesty, who shall we start with?

• Louis XVI: Who hasn't paid taxes yet?

• Blaisdell: Besides the Count of Provence, Duke Villars, and Count Mondego, there are also a few small noble families who have banded together and are planning to defy the throne...

• Louis XVI: Banded together? Who has given them that much courage?

• I don't know why, but I suddenly have a very bad feeling.
• Blaisdell: I hear that Duke Polignac is the one leading them.

• Lafayette: Duke Polignac?

• Lafayette: No wonder he had nothing to say during the conference. He never intended to support the throne.

• You: ...

• Everyone's eyes are on me, and I think about how the Polignac family should be my most trusted, and closest people, and yet they have betrayed me...
• I'm stabbed by a sense of guilt, and I finally realise why Gabrielle seemed so ashamed, and why she begged for my forgiveness.
• You: I'm sorry I didn't manage to fulfil my duty of persuading them...

• Louis XVI: Marie, this isn't your fault... They are the ones who have been ungrateful for all that you've done for them before.

• You: Your Majesty... I thank you for your understanding.

• You: Have you thought of who to start with the tax evasion punishments?

• Louis XVI: The first person we punish will be a significant thing, and we must carry it out carefully... Does anyone have any suggestions?

• Lafayette: The Count of Provence is of royal blood, but he is openly defying the throne. We should start with him.

• Blaisdell: I don't approve. The Count of Provence is his Majesty's younger brother. Doing so will ignite conflict.

• Lafayette: And so you intend to give royalty special privileges, Blaisdell?

• Blaisdell: Of course not. Even if I wanted to, his Majesty the King would not agree to it.

• Louis XVI: If you feel that we should use him as a warning to others, I will give you all the authority you need to arrest him.

• Louis XVI: As a family member of mine, not only does he refuse to support us, but he is actually actively defying us... What an insult to the bloodline.

• Louis XVI: If our people were to witness the Count of Provence getting punished, perhaps they will have even more faith in our resolve to carry out the reform.

• Blaisdell: Yes, no one is exempted under the reform. All of France knows that.

• Blaisdell: But I don't think the Count of Provence is a suitable candidate. Not because of any personal reasons nor benefit... but simply in light of the goal of weakening the voices of dissent.

• You: (I guess he's right...)

• Fersen: I think so too. If we attack the Count of Provence, I worry that we may provoke him into gathering the other nobles to launch a public protest against us.

• Fersen: Before everything stabilises, I think it's better for us to let him be for a while. Once he lets down his guard, it'll be easier for us to deal with him.

• Lafayette: Understood.

• Lafayette: So if not the Count of Provence, then who would be more suitable?

• Blaisdell: We should target someone close to the royal family, but with bad repute. That would be easy to carry off, and still prove our resolve to the people.

• You: And you're talking about...

• Blaisdell: Your Majesty, I'm sure you're clever enough to guess that I'm referring to Duke Polignac.

• Fersen: What you say seems very logical, but the Duchess Polignac is a very close friend of the Queen's... Won't that put the Queen in a spot?

• You: (All of Versailles knows that Duke Polignac has been leeching off his wife. He's benefited so much from the bond between Gabrielle and I...)

• You: (The naive Marie probably never knew what the money was spent on...)

• You: (And now the Polignac family has lost my support, and are unable to live lavishly...)

• Blaisdell: I'm merely analysing the situation objectively. Besides, I'm sure that the Queen as she is "now", should be able to deal with this in a just manner!

• Louis XVI: What do you think, my Queen? If you have your concerns, we can change the target to Duke Villars or Count Mondego instead.

• You: Well...

• The King looks so earnest... It seems like he really would change his choice based on my preferences.
• If I choose someone else, will Gabrielle's husband escape punishment?
• That one piece of straw that might save me, seems to be hopelessly stuck in the mud.
• You: (What should I do...?)

• After gnawing over the issue for a long while, I finally recall the conversation I had with "that person" last night.
• You: (I've already made up my mind, right? No matter the result, I should make a choice that I will not regret.)

Choose for Gabrielle's sake

• You: (If I punish the Polignac family, Gabrielle will get hurt too...)

• You: (If we let them have more time to gather the cash together, I just need to go persuade them and things won't get worse.)

• If the Polignac family is the first to be forced to pay taxes, they will become the laughing stock of all the nobles, and all of France will look down on them...
• I can't bear to imagine what would happen next... I just know that if I don't help Gabrielle when she needs me, I'll surely regret.
• You: There will be no exceptions for the Polignac family. As part of France, everyone must pay taxes.

• You: But they're not refusing out of malice. They simply have no money to pay the taxes... So I think we should give them a little more time.

• Louis XVI: Extend the submission period? Indeed, the royal family does not need to mercilessly attack those who are simply unable to pay.

• Blaisdell: Your Majesty, please excuse me, but if we let them drag for too long, I'm afraid that everyone will use the same excuse to not pay their taxes.

• You: I understand that. I will go look for Gabrielle, and think of a way to help them pay up... So that they can do so as quickly as possible.

• Louis XVI: We'll do as the Queen says, Blaisdell.

• Blaisdell: Yes, your Majesty.

• Louis XVI: Not only did Duke Villars and Count Mondego publicly defy the throne during the conference, they are now rejecting the reform. We should deal with them first.

• Louis XVI: When the people see the the punishment is just, the royal court will be unshakable.

• Lafayette: What if there are people who suspect the royal court of giving certain people special treatment...

• Louis XVI: As long as they believe in the royal court, no matter what we do, they will consider it to be right.

• Louis XVI: And if they are unwilling to believe in us, everything will be as before... The people will never be satisfied with the royal family.

• Louis XVI: We should persevere and see this reform to the end.

• The King's magnanimity and sincerity have won over the people present, and they no longer harbour any doubts.
• As I meet everyone's trusting eyes, I quietly make a promise to myself...
• There is no perfect solution. No matter what, we must make a choice... and so, I shall take on the responsibility for whatever happens next.
• You: (If the Polignac family crosses the line again, I will not go easy on them.)

Choose for the sake of France

• You: (It's not like we can't start with other people, but...)

• I also know that if we want the reform to succeed, I cannot afford to keep aiding them...
• What I'm more worried about is, if someone were to spread the idea that the Queen is bending the law for personal reasons, the hard-earned trust that the royal court has gained will be lost.
• You: (Extending the submission period would let the Polignac family breath easy for a while longer, but it still won't solve their inability to pay the taxes...)

• You: (We'll let them suffer the pain of punishment for once, and then they'll try harder afterwards!)

• You: Your Majesty, we cannot allow my feelings to get in the way of the law...

• You: We should not make any exceptions for the Polignac family. As part of France, everyone must pay taxes.

• The room is so silent that you could hear the sound of breathing. To express my resolve, I daringly meet the eyes of everyone around me.
• Louis XVI: My Queen, are you sure?

• You: Yes, I am sure.

• Louis XVI: Then we shall start by forcing the Polignac family to pay their taxes. Blaisdell, I shall let you handle this.

• Blaisdell: Yes, I believe that everyone will be grateful to the Queen for her contribution to justice.

• You: For France.

• Fersen: Your Majesty, I'm sure the people will acknowledge your resolve.

• Lafayette: Your Majesty, the choice you've made will surely lead France towards a brighter future.

• Everyone is praising me, but I'm not happy at all...
• There is no perfect solution. No matter what, we must make a choice... and so, I shall take on the responsibility for whatever happens next.
• You: (Gabrielle, I'm sorry... I won't ask you to forgive me. I just hope you'll understand...)

• You: (I'm not just your friend, but also the Queen of France.)