The Duchess's Happy Life [Classic Literature Crossover]

(Coming soon: After Being Reborn, I Gained the Ability to Read Minds [Apocalypse] and I Got Rich by Picking Up Princesses [Building a Nation]. Check out the author's page.)

Adele had been in this decadent, resplendent July Monarchy for several months before she learned that her surname was Jourdain and that she was a noble duke's daughter.

Before she could enjoy her wonderful life as a duke's daughter, she was informed that she had a stepsister, Marguerite, a socialite by reputation.

Holy Mother of God!

Isn't this La Dame aux Camelias?!

While she was still wondering how to treat this heroine, Adele realized something even sooner after a ball:

Holy Mother of God, I fell in love at first sight with that bastard Armand's father, Monsieur Duval!

What could be more wonderful than the taste of love?!

It would be even better if I hadn't fallen for a noble old man_(:з"∠)_

*

Everyone said that a duke's daughter was the perfect choice to be the mistress of a great household.

Her cleverness, beauty, and deft hands earned endless praise--

The banquets she arranged for the ducal household always featured all kinds of delicacies;

The afternoon teas she hosted set the standard for ladies and young women;

A single word from her could sway the fashions of all Paris.

Just as everyone wondered which lucky man would win this rose...

A renowned gentleman, the head of the tax bureau, quietly asked the duke for his daughter's hand.

That very day, the duke flew into a rage.

For the first time, he threw out Monsieur Duval, the powerful head of the tax bureau.

*

Long afterward...

The duke's daughter learned firsthand after marriage:

One certain gentleman truly meant it when he said he would spoil her rotten.

**

In that era of constitutional monarchy, France was lost and locked in struggle, but Adele Jourdain made it shine with unparalleled brilliance.

The shrewd politician Duval's proudest achievement in life was gaining the radiance of France in his later years.

The love he gave her made every woman of the era envious, and yet they were so fortunate--

They had the best pioneers and leaders.

A few notes:

*Inspired by the handsome Monsieur Duval in the ballet adaptation of La Dame aux Camelias, in the version beloved by the British royal fandom.

*There are both career and romance storylines. It may run a little long. Duke's daughter x head of the tax bureau.

*Please refrain from unwanted criticism, writing advice, and excessive nitpicking. Everything is as stated in the story, with lots of original liberties.

*A brief explanation: The prose is deliberately written to lean slightly toward a Chinese style. Translated works these days no longer have an overwhelmingly translated feel, and I personally don't like that very much either. Many translations adapt the language to suit how Chinese readers understand the context instead of translating everything literally. This doesn't affect the content, but if you can't accept this writing style, feel free to click away.

*Please check out the author's page (づ￣ 3￣)づ

*My own upcoming novel 1: I Got Rich by Picking Up Princesses [Building a Nation]

Blurb:

On the first day after crossing over, Anastasia learned that she was a tool for court intrigue, as well as a source of fresh blood for the evil stepmother of Snow White.

After looking at her stats--[Magic lv.99] [Elemental Sense lv.99] [Affinity lv.99] [Strength lv.99] [Swordsmanship lv.99]--and seeing the [Weak] effect attached, she instantly felt incredibly frail.

A counterattack right away was out of the question.

How could a weak little me defeat a powerful witch?

Better to behave and choose some fiefdom to develop.

There's no way to defeat the villain without being careful!

Even though I'm the only lv.99 in this world_(:з"∠)_

The overly cautious fake princess planned everything, never imagining she still hadn't been careful enough:

Just after setting out, she suddenly found a young Snow White hidden in the carriage.

On her way to her fief, Dorothy and her friends showed up uninvited.

While passing through a certain town, she rescued Cinderella, who had gone out to work and nearly been kidnapped.

In the wilderness next to her fief, she came across a pregnant Rapunzel in distress.

While developing the coastal fishing industry in her fief, she met a bewildered Little Mermaid.

Oh my goodness...

Anastasia counted on her fingers:

Aren't all the princes in the world going to end up at my place?

So she waved her hand grandly.

Any prince who comes here gets ten times the pay.

I'm just vetting the princesses on behalf of their families!

It's definitely not because I'm broke and greedy!

*Upcoming novel 2: After the Tragic Beauty Became My Follower [Apocalypse]

Blurb:

A meteor falls, and the Apocalypse arrives.

Outside, corpses litter the ground. In the laboratory, all is peaceful.

Realizing something was wrong, Han Yan Se secretly found the classified laboratory that was sealed off from all light.

There she saw the highest-security test subject, S0001.

She had only just started to feel sorry for him when the word [Tragic] suddenly appeared over his handsome face--

W-wait?

What the heck is that?!

*

Han Yan Se discovered that, in addition to her ice ability, she had gained a strange power to see floating commentary.

Her ability to keep a straight face rapidly evolved.

She could watch the "heroine," with [This delicate woman is as lovely as a lotus] floating above her head, walk by without changing her expression;

She could pretend not to see the cannon-fodder best friend of the heroine, accompanied by a long string of comments: [This woman, blinded by love, doesn't know that everything she has is an illusion created for her by a despicable test subject]...

*

"So, how much longer are you going to follow me?"

The test subject, who had just been glaring threateningly at Han Yan Se, immediately clutched his chest with one hand. The other hand conveniently failed to cover the blood spilling from his mouth.

"Yanyan, it hurts... I'm in so much pain."

[Fake!]

[What a hypocritical villain!]

The floating commentary's new feature, Chapter Comments, was going wild.

"I'll save you, as many times as it takes."

She sighed.

*Here's a friend's novel I recommend. It's great, don't miss it!

[Western Crossover] Tomie Can't Be This Way by Jiang Bing Xiao Chao Ren

One-line summary: Tomie's desperate struggle to survive among the superheroes

(Coming soon, fanfic with romance. Don't miss it if you like Western Crossover.)

The Number One Magician in Yokohama by Wei Mu Deng Huo

One-line summary: I am divinity itself

(Fanfic romance, anime crossover. Already started. My friend's work is reliable, updates are steady, and the quality is high!)

*That's all!

Theme: Awaken women's self-awareness, advance social progress, and find happiness in the 19th century.