Chapter 149: Eden Amusement Park
Northwest of the Palace of Versailles.
Inside the music room of the Petit Trianon, Queen Marie gestured for the musicians to pause, then turned to a nearby court official and asked with a frown:
"Are you sure you heard correctly?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was having a carriage prepared. By now, he and Princess Maria should have already left the Palace of Versailles."
Queen Marie grew somewhat anxious. This official was responsible for attending to the Princess of the Two Sicilies. He had just reported that the Crown Prince intended to go sightseeing in Paris with Maria.
If Clémentine didn't arrive in Paris soon, her son's heart might very well be captured by that Italian girl!
The Queen sighed, 'My poor niece, your luck is truly dreadful.' Originally, Clémentine had departed quite early, planning to sail to Marseille first, then travel on to Paris.
However, no sooner had she boarded the ship than a storm erupted in the Tyrrhenian Sea. In January each year, the Mediterranean weather is often far from calm.
For safety, her escort decided to switch to an overland route, heading north through Échternach, crossing the Alps, and then into France. Although it was a considerable detour, if all went smoothly, she would still arrive in Paris before the Princess of the Two Sicilies.
After that, poor Clémentine had no choice but to wait for the Tyrrhenian Sea storm to subside before setting off. Due to her continuous hurried travel, she was now only near Nevers, still three or four days' journey from Paris.
Queen Marie picked up a pen and wrote a letter urging her niece to hasten, entrusting it to a messenger. In her heart, she prayed that her son wouldn't fall for Princess Maria...
On the Champs-Élysées in Paris, inside the Paris Angel Specialty Store, the Crown Prince's guards stood shoulder-to-shoulder in two rows, separating the Crown Prince and the Princess from the other curious, peeking customers.
Indeed, this was the first place Maria wished to visit. Truly, no woman could resist the allure of making herself more beautiful.
With exquisite makeup and dressed in a light purple, voluminous gown, the princess was dazzlingly beautiful.
Her eyes swept over the luxuriously packaged cosmetics. As she silently recited their functions, her gaze sparkled with surprise, yet she demurely selected only a few items, which a shop assistant then handed to her maid.
Joseph, remembering that his assassination plot had caused Princess Maria undeserved suffering, had always intended to compensate her. When he saw her keen interest in the cosmetics, he immediately instructed a shop assistant to bring a gold card and presented it to Princess Maria.
The latter, clutching the golden card worth 1,000 livres, felt her heart bubble with happiness. 'The Crown Prince truly has me in his thoughts,' she mused. 'Such a precious gift on our first "date"! Thank you, God!'
Afterward, Joseph helped her select a large assortment of cosmetics, along with the youthful version of "Noble Lady's Joy"—the "Health of a Young Lady" oral liquid. It was a substantial package, which he had the shop assistant send directly to Maria's room at the Palace of Versailles.
Exiting the store, Maria gazed at Joseph with a misty smile and softly asked, "Your Royal Highness, where shall we go next?"
Joseph remembered his original intention to inspect the preparations for Fashion Week. This would be a perfect opportunity to give the princess an early experience; perhaps she might even have some good suggestions for improvements.
"Let's visit the Tuileries Palace. You may have heard that Paris Fashion Week is about to be held there. The arrangements are largely complete now."
"Yes, I'll follow your lead."
As the motorcade departed from the Paris Angel Specialty Store, Joseph was unaware that reporters were already writing articles like "Crown Prince and Princess of the Two Sicilies Grace Specialty Store, Gold Card Gift Expresses Affection".
Outside the Tuileries Palace.
Princess Maria's gaze swept over the large area of villas under construction, immediately spotting a tall, circular structure on the north side of the Tuileries Garden. She promptly pointed to it and asked curiously, "Your Highness, what is that used for?"
Joseph followed her gaze and replied, "Oh, that's called a Ferris wheel. It's an amusement ride. You can ride it up to a great height and look out over the Parisian scenery."
"By the way, there's an amusement park around the Ferris wheel with plenty of fun things. If you'd like, allow me to take you to see it."
"With the greatest pleasure, thank you, Your Highness."
Soon, the carriage came to a halt before the world's first dedicated amusement park—the "Eden Amusement Park".
Through the white fence, one could see steam-powered carousels, a Ferris wheel, pirate ships, a House of Horrors, and Coffee Cups, among other facilities. Nearby, there were also traditional playground items like slides and swings.
Naturally, due to technological limitations, most of the rides were far smaller than those in modern amusement parks. For example, the Ferris wheel was just over ten meters tall. Its main structure was adapted from a waterwheel, making it seem insignificant compared to the massive hundred-meter structures of later eras. Yet, for people in the eighteenth century, it was an incredibly novel and astonishing sight.
The moment Maria stepped through the amusement park gates, she excitedly looked around, much like little girls visiting amusement parks in later generations.
However, what first captivated her was the seemingly fairytale-like Carousel. She turned to Joseph and carefully asked, "Your Highness, can one ride this?"
"Of course, you may try it." Joseph smiled and nodded, then signaled the park manager to start the ride.
The Carousel was powered by a 12-horsepower steam engine. Naturally, the steam engine was a product of the Watt Company. France's own steam engine manufacturing plant was still under construction.
They waited for more than twenty minutes until white smoke finally billowed from the small wooden cabin beside the Carousel, where the driving steam engine was housed.
Immediately, the massive wooden base began to turn slowly. Under the action of levers, the vividly carved wooden horses, deer, and elephants on top began to rise and fall, moving with the rotating platform.
Maria, a little overwhelmed, stepped back two paces. Joseph smiled, took her hand, and helped her onto the wooden platform, gesturing around. "Which one would you like to ride?"
Maria carefully pointed to a white carved wooden swan. "Is this one alright?"
"Of course. Allow me to assist you."
Joseph gallantly helped the girl onto the seat on the swan's back. The princess sat sideways, a little tense, her hands gripping the wooden pole tightly, and began to float up and down with the accompanying music.
Although the Carousel's speed was as slow as a snail, due to the low power of the steam engine and the somewhat crude mechanical linkages, the princess, who had never experienced anything like it, still giggled with excitement, feeling as if she were soaring through the air on a swan in a fairytale world.
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