Chapter 1066: Happy Times
Today was the opening day of the zoo, which happened to coincide with a public holiday known as Game Day. As a result, over ten thousand Parisians had flocked to the site.
However, tickets were limited. A third of the crowd had failed to secure one and were waiting anxiously outside. Fortunately, the zoo management had just announced that an additional batch of tickets might be released at four in the afternoon.
Dressed in civilian clothes, Joseph and Alexandra struggled to squeeze through the crowd toward the main gate. Clauzel handed a stack of tickets to the inspector, and the group stepped inside under the envious gazes of the countless citizens who had been left out.
The Russian princess, who had been raised in a world of strict protocols, allowed Joseph to pull her along through the bustling throng. She felt a sense of unprecedented freedom in this moment.
This was exactly why Joseph had chosen not to come as the Crown Prince. What would be the point if it were no different from a private viewing in the gardens of Versailles? Besides, the presence of the royal guard would have surely caused chaos among the visitors.
After walking a short distance, Joseph stopped at a roadside stall and bought two Tornado Potato Towers—the largest size available—and handed one to Alexandra.
The young girl looked at the surrounding crowd and hesitated. "Are you saying we should eat here? It seems... improper."
Joseph blew on the freshly fried potato spiral and took a large bite to set the example.
The Crown Princess offered a knowing smile and followed suit, taking a bite and nodding as she spoke through a mouthful of food. "Mm, this is delicious!"
Joseph pointed toward the rolling hills in the distance. "Over there. But they aren't kept in cages."
"Oh?" The girl was surprised. "Are the trainers leading them along the paths for display, then?"
Joseph shook his head with a mysterious grin. "There are no trainers either."
Alexandra's eyes suddenly lit up. "Fantastic! That sounds thrilling... though, perhaps I should have brought a pistol?"
Outside the gates of the Sasha Zoo.
Naseli picked up his wailing young son and turned to grumble to his wife. "We really should have gone to the ball game today. Even if the match between the Sabers and the Saint-Antoines is a foregone conclusion."
Madame Naseli, who was holding their daughter's hand, sighed as she looked at the endless queue in front of the ticket window. "It doesn't look like we'll be able to get those extra afternoon tickets either..."
Hearing this, the little boy in his father's arms began to cry even harder.
A teenage boy, about fourteen or fifteen years old, approached them. He winked at Naseli and whispered, "Sir, do you need tickets?"
If Joseph had been there, he would have found the boy familiar—it was the same youth who used to beg in the alleyway behind the Paris Angel Specialty Store.
Naseli was pleasantly surprised. "Absolutely! I need two adult tickets and two for the children."
The boy fished four tickets out of his pocket and held them out. "That will be five francs and two sous, sir."
"That's so expensive!" Madame Naseli cried out. "I asked around; adult tickets are only six sous, and children's are only two..."
"Madame, look, I've been standing in line since two in the morning to get these few tickets," the boy said, putting on a pitiful expression. "I haven't slept all night, just so I can buy some bread for my little sister. Please, have a heart."
Madame Naseli shook her head, but Naseli felt the banknotes in his pocket and gritted his teeth. "Four francs. That's my offer."
"Four francs and five sous, that's the lowest I can go."
"Fine." Naseli reluctantly pulled out the money.
He wasn't a wealthy man; he was just a simple porter at the Antoine Copperworks. Two years ago, he would never have dreamed of spending so much money just for a family outing.
However, the factory's profits had been good lately, and the workers' wages had been raised twice. He now earned thirty-two francs a month.
Combined with the money his wife earned from doing laundry, their monthly household income exceeded forty-five francs.
Furthermore, since the end of last year, the city had introduced the benefit of Preparatory Physicians who provided free medical consultations in every district. This had significantly reduced their household expenses.
Over the past few years, the couple had not only cleared their old debts but had also managed to save up over fifty francs.
The children had been waiting anxiously for half a month to visit the zoo, and he didn't want to disappoint them.
He could afford the four francs and five sous.
Madame Naseli tried to stop him, but the boy had already snatched the money and vanished into the crowd.
The two children, meanwhile, were clapping and cheering.
"Let's go, it's a rare treat," Naseli told his wife. "We'll just have to wait a few more months to buy that wardrobe."
Madame Naseli had set her heart on a small wardrobe at the Iju furniture store. It was made of composite wood, stylish and elegant, and cost only sixty-five francs.
Just last year, a similar style would have cost over a hundred francs.
Madame Naseli pursed her lips. "Fine, have it your way."
The family squeezed through the main gate, had their tickets checked, and finally entered the wondrous zoo.
The two children immediately pressed their faces against the enclosure of the quaggas, their eyes wide with wonder. "Mama, what kind of animal is that?"
"Is it a horse wearing fancy clothes?"
Before Madame Naseli could answer, the little boy was sprayed in the face with saliva by a quagga, causing him to shriek and dive into her arms.
As they walked further, Naseli heard his daughter cry out in excitement, "What a cute little horse... no, it looks like a little sheep. My God, you can even feed them!"
Naseli walked over and looked at the sign on the enclosure. "Anna, that's an alpaca. As for feeding them..."
He glanced at the zoo employee standing nearby, who was smiling and holding several handfuls of green grass. "It's three sous!" he grumbled. "Damn it, I'm helping them feed the livestock, and I still have to pay?"
But he immediately saw the pleading look in his daughter's eyes and shook his head helplessly. "Lord, you can't just throw money away like this."
He exchanged three coins for a handful of grass and handed it to Anna.
The little girl beamed instantly. She turned around and made soft bleating noises to entice the animals, offering the grass to the alpacas while happily stroking their soft wool.
Half an hour later, Naseli's two children were each holding a cup of soda ash beverage, laughing as they ran toward the kangaroo enclosure.
A moment later, Madame Naseli put on a stern face and shook her head at the little ones. "No! Absolutely not!"
"I asked. This 'adoption' doesn't mean you get to take them home. It just means you get to name them and go inside the enclosure to pet them. That is definitely not worth five francs!"
Faced with their mother's firm stance, the two children could only watch with envy as a young noble boy adopted a kangaroo and named it Hussar.
However, when the young noble tried to pet the animal, he received a sharp kick for his efforts. This made Anna and her brother secretly glad they hadn't tried to adopt such a rude creature.
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