I Reincarnated as Louis XVI to Stop the Revolution and Be Happy with Antoinette

Bath Arc

(84)

"Bath"

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This chapter contains depictions related to bathing, but I would like to clarify that I am writing in accordance with the R-15 guidelines of Syosetu. Therefore, this is my first post.

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May 1, 1771

"Is it Golden Week yet!?"

No, wait a minute, I realized I'm not in Japan.

I'm just Louis XVI, casually muttering a random thought. During Golden Week, I used to spend my time in my room playing games or tinkering with 3D modeling data. But now, such things don't exist anymore.

Sometimes, I do think about using my royal authority to increase holidays, but currently, I'm here to see the progress of the construction of the bathroom at the Palace of Versailles. Construction work is still ongoing at the site. I'm meeting with the site manager to check on the progress of the construction.

"Your Majesty, you're here! Did you come over here!?"

"Yes, how is the construction progressing?"

"About half of the construction is complete. We're just about at the halfway point."

If historians of actual history were to see this, they would probably be angry at what I'm doing. But I couldn't help but come up with the idea of incorporating the well-being of the servants working at the Palace of Versailles and promoting the bathing customs in France, so I thought it would be good to create a bathhouse at the palace.

Currently, more than half of the construction process is complete, and we're approaching the final stages where we need to install the exterior walls, roof, and facilities to supply warm water. I want to make it clear that this public bathhouse construction is not a wasteful project because it is being created with the intention of spreading bathing etiquette and customs.

Of course, it will be divided into separate sections for men and women. Some people might want to have mixed-gender bathing, but in this era, only Japan allows mixed-gender hot springs. Mixed bathing was considered so alien that when Perry came to Japan, he was astonished to see men and women bathing together in a public bathhouse.

The reason is that in Europe, matters related to sex are quite sensitive. Japan is relatively open-minded, but in Europe, there are acts considered as crimes. One representative example is that it is taboo for men and women to bathe together. In Roman Catholic countries, such as the Papal State, mixed bathing is prohibited due to the concern that it may lead to inappropriate situations between men and women.

Perverts exist in every era, don't they? They often do such things in public bathhouses, really. Engaging in such acts in private rooms is one thing, but when inappropriate acts occur in public bathhouses, it can lead to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, resulting in a serious situation where an important custom like bathing is neglected.

Furthermore, due to insufficient drainage and cleaning facilities, cholera and the plague also spread. Just imagining it gives me chills.

In Austria and other places, the custom of bathing was practiced, so Antoinette took a bath every day, but most French people, except for me as a reincarnated person, are not very inclined to bathe.

By submitting my handwritten story titled "The King's Guide to Bathing Etiquette" to the editorial section of a newspaper every week, it seems that single-person bathtubs and buckets are selling well, especially in Paris. However, in order to change the hygiene even more, it is necessary to spread the custom of bathing.