Chapter Three:Holding thighs should start from a young age

In December, the city of Marseille was once again blanketed with heavy snow. As the flakes fell, the streets were covered with a thick layer of white, turning the entire city into a serene and sacred landscape.

"Roland, don't run outside! It's snowing heavily! You'll catch a cold," a woman's voice suddenly broke the rare tranquility. It was Roland's mother, Julia. Her face showed clear signs of concern—her son was quite mischievous and often worried her.

But this boy named Roland wasn't the type to listen quietly. While his mother was calling out to him, he had already darted outside, heading into the streets.

"Wow, what a lot of snow! It's beautiful!" Roland exclaimed as he stepped into the street, marveling at the thick layer of snow. It had been a long time since he had seen this much snow. Driven by a child's natural curiosity, Roland happily crouched down to play with the snow.

However, while he was enjoying himself, he didn't notice the man who had quietly crept up behind him. The man grabbed Roland by the collar and lifted him, saying, "Hey, little guy, I caught you! You've got a lot of nerve, playing in the snow after being sick. If my brother finds out, he'll give you a good spanking."

"Who? Who is it?" Roland struggled to break free from the man's grasp, but no matter how hard he tried, the man's grip was as firm as a vice, holding him by the collar.

"You're a strong little one," the man behind Roland laughed as he continued to struggle.

"That's enough, Napoleon. How old are you? Still playing pranks, and on your nephew, no less," a stern voice suddenly interrupted, addressing the man holding Roland.

It was Roland's grandfather, Napoleon's father, Carlo Bonaparte. He frowned at Napoleon's behavior, clearly disapproving of his antics. Carlo was fiercely protective of his grandson, and no one, not even his own son, was allowed to mess with him.

"Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to; I was just trying to have a bit of fun with little Roland," Napoleon quickly put Roland down when he saw his father. For some reason, Napoleon was always a bit nervous around his father, so he quickly apologized, hoping to avoid a scolding.

"Hmph! Do it again, and you'll see what happens," Carlo warned Napoleon. Despite his son's apology, Carlo wasn't going to let it slide—no one was allowed to mess with his grandson, not even his son.

"Come here, little Roland, come to Grandpa." After scolding Napoleon, Carlo's expression softened. He clapped his hands and beckoned Roland to come to him.

"Grandpa!" Now that he was safe, Roland quickly ran into Carlo's arms and made a funny face at Napoleon to protest.

"This little guy," Napoleon sighed, seeing Roland's antics. He didn't expect the kid to be so mischievous.

"Oh, Roland, my dear grandson, I haven't seen you in two months, and you've grown so much! And you're looking quite healthy. I heard you were seriously ill, but you seem to be doing fine now." Carlo said, holding Roland in his arms. He leaned in to give Roland a kiss on the cheek.

But Roland immediately sensed what his grandfather was about to do and started squirming to get away, saying, "Grandpa, your beard is prickly!"

Carlo was momentarily taken aback by Roland's comment, then burst into laughter. Even Napoleon, standing nearby, chuckled at Roland's words.

"Father, you really like Roland, but it seems Roland doesn't like you much!" Napoleon teased.

"Hmph!" Carlo just snorted in response, not wanting to continue the conversation.

...

Afterward, Carlo took Roland into the house, with Napoleon following behind. What had just happened was a small interruption; the main event was Carlo's birthday, which was the real focus of the day.

By noon, the Bonaparte family had gathered. There was Roland's grandmother, Letizia Bonaparte, along with several uncles and aunts: Maria Anna, Lucien, Louis, Maria Annunziata, Pauline, and Jérôme.

Because Carlo's house wasn't very big and there were a lot of people, the whole place felt quite crowded and noisy.

Despite the commotion, Roland kept his attention focused on his uncle Napoleon. He observed him carefully. Napoleon was of shorter stature, around 5'6" or so, which later earned him the nickname "The Little Corporal" among his enemies. But despite his height, Napoleon exuded a strong presence, especially in his military uniform, which gave him an air of confidence and authority. Although he was just a second lieutenant, his confident smile convinced Roland that he would become an extraordinary figure.

Roland wasn't the type to procrastinate. He decided to build a connection with Napoleon, knowing that aligning with this great man would be nothing but beneficial.

Roland quickly made his move, sticking close to Napoleon. He knew that Napoleon was fond of children, and indeed, Napoleon seemed pleased that his nephew was so friendly toward him. Napoleon even took an interest in this cheeky little boy who had made a funny face at him earlier.

So Napoleon gave Roland a small, beautifully crafted gift.

"Here! This is a little present for you. Do you like it?" Napoleon crouched down and patted Roland on the head.

"I like it! When I grow up, I want to be like Uncle Napoleon—join the army and fight the bad guys," Roland said, accepting the gift with a look of admiration on his face.

Roland, now transformed into a young admirer, followed Napoleon around, his voice filled with youthful innocence. This made his words even more convincing—after all, children were known for their honesty.

From his parents' conversations earlier, Roland had already learned that Napoleon was heading back to Corsica, and he knew exactly why Napoleon wanted to go there. In his youth, Napoleon often rejected the idea of being French, as Corsica had only been purchased from the Kingdom of Sardinia by France ten years before his birth. In the early years, Napoleon's goal was to liberate Corsica from what he saw as French "oppression." However, his attempts to return to Corsica and overthrow French rule had failed four times in five years. Ultimately, Napoleon decided to swear allegiance to France to achieve success.

Napoleon's choice proved to be the right one. In France's military academies, he displayed remarkable talent and quickly became a mid-ranking officer. This marked the beginning of his rise to success.