Chapter 44: Tennis Court
Chapter 44: Tennis Court
At the sudden appearance of the soldiers, I was left speechless and could only stare at them.
The Royal Guard? Why the Royal Guard all of a sudden? Don’t tell me they were going to suppress us by force?
No. That wasn’t it. He called everyone here saying he’d listen to the people’s voices, then shoots them all? The moment that happened, all of France would obviously go up in flames in a nationwide uprising.
Then was the king just trying to show how furious he was?
Wow. What a petty man.
“What do you think you’re doing right now!?”
“I am only following His Majesty’s order. If you do not leave the hall at once, we will drag you out by force.”
At one deputy’s words, the Captain of the Royal Guard replied calmly, as if he couldn’t care less.
“Hm. It seems the deputies have no intention of leaving. Men, assist the deputies so they may depart safely.”
The moment the captain finished speaking, the Royal Guard—averaging around 180 centimeters tall—began grabbing the deputies by the arms and forcibly pulling them out of the hall.
“Let go! I said let go!”
“How can you treat representatives of the people like this!?”
“Step aside. If we’re leaving anyway, I’ll walk out on my own.”
In the end, the National Assembly deputies—including me—were driven out of the hall in an instant.
After confirming the hall was empty, the Royal Guard locked the doors and strolled off, and the hundreds of deputies slumped onto the ground however they pleased, laughing in disbelief.
That hollow laughter soon turned into rage.
And naturally, that rage aimed itself at the king.
In the middle of it, one person stood, looked around, and said,
“…I have no intention of being played with by the king like this. What do the rest of you think?”
Starting from that, the deputies rose one by one and spoke.
“I will stand with you. I am Emmanuel Sieyès, former Archbishop of Chartres.”
Father Sieyès stood beside me.
“I have already sworn that the Assembly will never be dissolved by outside pressure. I cannot change my words now. I, Mirabeau, will also stand with you.”
Even the short Count Mirabeau.
The ground before the hall had become another agora, setting people’s hearts ablaze.
“My name is Guillotin. His Majesty likely believed that if we lost our meeting place, our Assembly would fizzle out—but that is a grave mistake! I have served in this palace for a long time and know the layout well. Over there is the Jeu de Paume, a ball court the royals and nobles use for amusement. Let us gather there!”
Wait—Guillotin? The man who made the guillotine?
“We swear that until a constitution is established and firmly set in place, we will never disperse, and if necessary we will assemble in any place! We will never retreat!”
“Long live the National Assembly!”
“Long live Great France!”
The tennis court turned into a cauldron of frenzy in an instant. Everyone flung their arms wide and shouted, willingly pulling out handkerchiefs and tossing them into the air, looking like pure white flowers fluttering down.
“Wow. This is kind of cool.”
“Yes. I came a long way to see a spectacle like this.”
Father Sieyès picked up one handkerchief drifting down, held it in his hand, and looked on with satisfied eyes.
“So what will you do now?”
“Hm? About what?”
“I’m asking whether you intend to keep walking this path.”
“This path… you mean holding office as a deputy?”
At my words, Sieyès shrugged.
“In one sense, you could call it being a deputy, but more precisely… yes. The path of changing the world.”
Changing the world. That felt like too heavy a burden for a petty commoner like me.
When I couldn’t answer lightly, Father Sieyès spoke again.
“I believe you are someone destined for greatness. That is why I ask.”
“I think you’re overestimating me.”
“Overestimating? A man who predicted this years ago and prepared for it, gained the people’s support and was elected as their representative, struck the Finance Minister right to his face, and even gave a speech at the same time—if such a man cannot become great, then who in this world can?”
“Well… things just happened to line up by luck.”
Father Sieyès gave a crooked smile, but his eyes looked regretful.
“Yes. That’s the kind of man you are, Guillaume. …Let me give you one piece of advice. If you have not the slightest desire to change this world, then leave Versailles Palace today, and let it be your last day here.”
“What?”
At my question, Father Sieyès stared into the distance as he spoke.
“I still do not know whether we—meaning the National Assembly—can truly change this world. If we fail, then at best it will be life imprisonment, and at worst, your head will fall.
When you’ve only stepped partway into a swamp, you can still climb out with a bit of effort. But the longer you remain in it, the harder it becomes—twofold, threefold—to escape.
You are still young. Even if we fail, you may survive by calling it the reckless mistake of youth.”
“But if you go deeper than this, you won’t be able to leave until you’ve dug the swamp out entirely,” Father Sieyès added.
Mm. I couldn’t say Father’s words made no sense.
No—if anything, they were an entirely reasonable fear.
In a storm-tossed world like this, isn’t a person dying an everyday thing?
Even good Bishop Serge was living in a world that talked about war and dying in battle.
But I knew the French Revolution.
The word “revolution” is what you call it when it succeeds. If it fails, it isn’t a revolution—it’s a rebellion.
If you know an item that’s guaranteed to be a massive hit and you don’t grab it, you lose your face as a businessman.
As for being a deputy… as long as I don’t step up and start rabble-rousing, and just keep it steady, I won’t die.
“…Well. I don’t know if I can change the world, but I don’t think we’re going to lose.”
“Haha. A prophet has appeared. Good—then I’ll trust your innate insight once again. I look forward to working with you, Deputy Guillaume.”
At my relaxed attitude, Father Sieyès laughed loudly and patted my back.
At that moment, someone kicked open the doors of the tennis court.
“…Didn’t I already put it gently once, deputies?”
The Captain of the Royal Guard—his usual calm face gone—spoke in a voice full of anger, his mustache trembling.
The tennis court, which had been boiling with excitement, instantly went silent at his appearance, as if ice water had been poured over it.
“Disperse at once! If you do not disperse, then immediately—!”
“Immediately do what, Captain of the Royal Guard?”
The captain’s furious words were cut off by someone.
“Who dares interrupt the honored Royal Guard appointed by His Majesty!?”
“I did.”
With that, someone emerged from the crowd with one hand raised and stepped in front of the Captain of the Royal Guard.
A handsome man who had just passed his early thirties.
The captain knew that face all too well.
France’s hero—the famed commander who had driven back Britain’s proud Redcoats.
“…G-General Lafayette?”
“Why are you so surprised, Captain.”
“…Why are you here, General?”
Lafayette swept his eyes over the surroundings once and replied,
“Because the will of the French people is here.”
“…”
The captain’s mustache wasn’t just trembling now—it was vibrating without pause.
“If what you failed to say earlier was that you intended to suppress these people, then you won’t be able to do it unless you first drive the Captain of the Royal Guard’s sword into my chest.”
“…My apologies.”
At Lafayette’s words, the captain had no choice but to bow his head, close the tennis court doors, and leave.
Lafayette turned back and spoke to the deputies watching him in silence.
“Well. With the troublemaker gone, shall we begin again?”
“Lafayette! Lafayette!”
The tennis court heated up again, chanting Lafayette’s name.
After waving once to the people, Lafayette stepped back into the crowd.
But why are you walking toward me?
Lafayette stopped in front of me, offered his hand, and said,
“Are you Deputy Guillaume? I am the Marquis de Lafayette.”
I bent at the waist and took his hand.
“Ah—yes, I am…”
Why are you doing this to someone as shabby as me? You’re setting off my ‘subordinate’ sensor.
“Haha. Don’t lower yourself so much. I heard Deputy Guillaume’s speech. It moved me.”
“Ah… haha… r-really?”
“I hope we can build a good relationship, Deputy Guillaume.”
“Oh, yes, of course…”
Everything’s great, but I want to live quietly.
Behind Lafayette’s hearty laugh, I screamed silently.
“…I have nothing to say, Your Majesty.”
“Enough. What could you do against a hero like Lafayette.”
Louis XVI let out yet another sigh—one of the many that had been growing day by day—and waved the Captain of the Royal Guard away.
“…Only if Your Majesty personally attends will their anger subside.”
“Finance Minister Necker. I do not recall granting you permission to speak.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty. However, they will feel they have been thoroughly ignored. If Your Majesty personally attends and sets an example—”
“…”
Even at Necker’s words, Louis XVI merely closed his eyes and remained still.
How much time passed?
At last, the king spoke in a low voice.
“…Very well. Tell them that if they hold a session on the 23rd, I will personally attend.”
“As you command.”
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