The fiery sun slowly rose from the hills in the East, casting its light and heat on every inch of the city of Rome. This was the hottest time of the year in Rome, and even in the early morning, the streets were scarcely populated. The city’s less affluent residents flung open all their doors and windows, hoping for a bit of coolness, while the slightly wealthier residents shut their windows and brought out ice blocks stored in their cellars since the previous winter.
At 8 in the morning, in the shade at the entrance of an inn near the Ancient Roman Colosseum, Jerome Bonaparte, dressed in simple casual clothes, was lingering in place, waiting for the arrival of a carriage.
The glaring sunlight penetrated through the shade, striking Jerome Bonaparte’s back and arms, and sweat drenched his back and sleeves.
The originally white shirt gradually became wrinkled and clung tightly to Jerome Bonaparte’s back, with the damp and sticky feeling from his sleeves and back forcing him to shake his shirt from time to time, each shake causing droplets of sweat to fall.
About 10 minutes later, two brown convertible carriages appeared before Jerome Bonaparte, with Percy and Letty seated on one carriage each.
The carriage with Percy stopped less than five steps from the shaded area where Jerome Bonaparte stood, while Letty’s carriage stopped at the foot of the inn’s steps. Percy and Letty simultaneously got down from their respective carriages, with Percy approaching Jerome Bonaparte, while Letty went into the inn along the steps.
"Your Majesty, please get in the carriage!" Percy bowed to Jerome Bonaparte and invited him to board the carriage.
Jerome Bonaparte nodded, sat in Percy’s carriage, and Percy followed suit, taking a seat.
Letty from the other carriage also hurriedly carried bags and ran from the inn to her carriage before sitting down.
Everything was ready, and Jerome Bonaparte ordered the driver seated in the driver’s seat in standard Tuscan, "Let’s go!"
Upon hearing the order, the driver gently patted the rump of the chestnut red tall horse, which in response lifted its hooves, and the carriage slowly started moving.
The carriage moved at a constant speed from the Ancient Roman Colosseum to the outskirts of the city of Rome.
When the carriage had completely left the city of Rome, it gradually picked up speed.
As the carriage speed increased, waves of heat hit Jerome Bonaparte’s body, and he finally felt a bit of refreshment.
Thanks to the scorching heat of August, there were no other carriages or pedestrians on the road from Rome to Civitavecchia, allowing Jerome Bonaparte’s carriage to gallop freely.
The straight distance of 70 kilometers was covered in less than three hours.
After paying the fare, Percy led Jerome Bonaparte and Letty to a cargo ship.
Through Percy’s introduction, Jerome Bonaparte learned that the owner of the ship was a retired officer with a lame leg who was also a follower of Bonapartism.
As soon as Jerome Bonaparte got on the ship, he was engulfed by enthusiasm. Under the captain’s lead, everyone on the ship lined up in two rows, cheerfully shouting, "Long live Bonaparte! Long live the Empire!"
Jerome Bonaparte also echoed with a shout of, "Long live the Empire!"
Under the captain’s lead, Jerome Bonaparte was taken to the captain’s own cabin.
The entire cabin was extremely tidy, and from its layout, Jerome Bonaparte could confirm that the ship’s owner must have had people clean it up beforehand. On the room’s wooden wall hung a portrait of the Emperor crossing the Alps, and next to it were a crossed command saber.
"Thoughtful!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded at the captain.
"Your Majesty, this is what we should do!" The captain showed an expression of being flattered and cautiously inquired, "If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, you can come to me anytime!"
"I’m very satisfied!" Jerome Bonaparte glanced at the captain, his gaze pausing on the captain’s lame right foot for a moment before asking, "Could you tell me your story?"
"It’s an honor! Your Majesty!"
The captain recounted his story to Jerome Bonaparte. He was born in the Provençal Region during the Empire’s reign. During those times, while living in the Empire and listening to wounded veterans recount tales of the Emperor’s conquests, he developed an infinite admiration for the Emperor. [Note: In some ways, those veterans who were forced to return to their hometowns because of the war became the best propagandists of Bonapartism. They used the Emperor’s majestic image to reflect their own bravery.] When he was 9, the Empire collapsed, and the Restoration Dynasty established an émigré community in Provence. They liquidated veterans and officers from the Napoleonic era, and his neighbor, uncle became targets of the purge; even he almost became a target.
At this point, the captain spoke with a hoarse voice, "I hate that damned dynasty. It made our lives a mess."
From that moment on, the captain resolved to give that damned dynasty a good showing. To fulfill his revenge, he joined the Bourbon Army at the age of 20, gradually becoming an officer in the Bourbon army.
However, before he could start his military revenge, the Restoration of Bourbon was overthrown, and Charles X was forced to flee.
In a state of bewilderment, he could only drift with the tide and follow the army into Algeria. During a counterattack in Algeria, he was injured and forced to leave the army, and upon returning home, he used the treasures plundered in Algeria to establish a modest shipping company in Marseille, successfully becoming a captain.
"I’m perpetually looking forward to the coming of the Empire!" the captain told Jerome Bonaparte.
"Rest assured! The Empire will return soon!" Jerome Bonaparte reassured the captain.
Then, Jerome Bonaparte asked the captain about the voting situation at Marseille Port.
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the situation in Val Province is not optimistic! Most of the rural nobility tend to favor that Cafenak fellow," the captain told Jerome Bonaparte candidly at first, then encouraged, "However, I believe the majority of France is willing to support you!"
Upon hearing the bad news from the Rhône River Province, Jerome Bonaparte wasn’t surprised; in his mind, most of the votes supporting Cafenak came from the Provence Region.
The Provence Region was a stronghold for votes from the Orthodox Faction, and it was only natural for those diehard members of the Orthodox Faction to be hostile to a Bonapartist like him.
However, if Cafenak thought he could defeat him solely with Provence’s votes, it would indeed be quite difficult.