And yet... [He smiles, empathetically. If his advisors, his nobles, his wife, his mistresses, his own brother would listen, would trust that he knew what he was doing and didn't allow their pettiness and greed to get in the way, how much greater would France become?]

If I may offer some advice in return... [He doesn't actually wait for her to allow it, forgetting a moment that here he isn't the king and she isn't obliged to listen to all he has to say.] When speaking to those who doubt your ideas, do not dismiss their pretences so lightly.

A man will listen more carefully if he thinks it will help him achieve what he wishes he had, whether the words he hears are pretty or blunt.