No wonder they reacted that way.
In this era, women could only ride with both legs draped over the left side of their mounts, and they also had to wear extremely cumbersome skirts. Yet here the Crown Princess Consort was wearing trousers and straddling her horse in a "man's posture"!
Still, her handsome, dashing figure filled the young noblewomen with envy and jealousy.
A young lady in a pale yellow gown gave in to the arrogance inherent in French nobility. Covering her mouth with a fan, she said, "The Crown Princess Consort seems to have gotten a little too carried away..."
Before she had even finished speaking, the people beside her nervously took half a step back, keeping their distance from her.
This Russian Princess was no soft persimmon.
It was said that last week, because Duke of Chartres had died of illness, Count of Provence had gone to ask Queen Mary to waive the unpaid portion of the latter's fine. The Crown Princess Consort had happened to be at Petit Trianon then, and upon hearing this, she had driven Count of Provence away in disgrace with a string of biting sarcastic remarks.
None of them believed they held more power than the King's own brother.
Realizing she had misspoken, the girl in yellow hurriedly tried to patch things up awkwardly. "I... only wanted to remind her about court etiquette."
Miss Eliana casually remarked from the side, "I recall that Crown Prince signed a decree not long ago allowing us to enter the Medical Academy and Art Academy to study. Looking at it that way, riding astride doesn't seem like much either."
Someone beside her immediately nodded in agreement.
Joseph had actually intended to open universities to women, but the ideas of this era remained rather stubborn. Women's foremost duty