In the light of the morning sun, the caravan carrying Charles and Charlotte left Schönbrunn Palace and headed north.

Autumn is the most delightful time of the year, and as the carriage drives down the main road outside the palace, Charles and his wife admire the Austrian wilderness and forget about anything else.

However, after all, they still can't cut off all the distractions in the world, on the contrary, in order to protect their own interests and the interests of the entire family, they are destined to get deeply involved.

The convoy did not go far, on the contrary, when it came to the side of a manor, they stopped one by one.

When the carriage stopped, the Trevilles' admiration could only end there.

"Charlotte, you have a good rest, I'll just solve these things alone." Charles touched his wife's forehead, then said a brief goodbye to her, "Lunch will be brought later, so eat more." ”

It was already noon, and Charlotte felt a little tired, so she just lay down on the cushion, her eyes half-open and half-closed.

"Okay, Charles, I wish you ......" Just as she was about to bless Charles, she couldn't help but laugh, "This time, I don't know if I should wish you success or failure......"

"That's wishing me success, Lolot." Charles smiled as well, leaning over and kissing Charlotte's forehead.

"By the way, where's your pocket watch?" Charlotte was still groggy, "I don't seem to notice you looked at the time along the way...... Nor did he carry it on his chest. ”

The momentary panic didn't show up, and Charles still had a smile on his face, "...... Well. Before leaving for Schönbrunn Palace, I accidentally broke my pocket watch. I've given it to the people at the embassy and told them to hurry up and fix it for me. Send it back to me from here, and maybe we'll be in Paris by the time we get to France. ”

"You're always careless!" After hearing Charles's explanation, Charlotte glared at him, "You can break anything good, pay attention in the future!" ”

But after all, she was relieved to know the beginning and the end, although this pocket watch was expensive, it was nothing in her eyes.

"Well, I'll take notice. Good bye! ”

Charles left the carriage with an unflawed smile.

As soon as he got out of the carriage, the embassy secretary who had followed him into another carriage came to his side.

"Is everything ready?" Charles retracted his smile and asked directly.

"Yes, ready, sir." The secretary replied respectfully, then held out his hand, "Please follow me." ”

The group stepped over the roadside fence and into the manor, and they didn't take a few steps. His friend, the young Richard von Metternich, greeted him with someone.

"Charles!" He waved as he walked.

"Richard!" Charles also shouted hello, and then hurried over to him.

The two young men shook hands and celebrated a little together.

And then. Richard looked at a middle-aged man in military uniform who was slowly following next to him. "Your Highness, this is Mr. Charles de Treville."

Then, he introduced Charles to him. "Charles, this is Prince Vasa. His Royal Highness Gustav von Holstein Gottep. ”

Charles followed his gesture and looked at the silent middle-aged man. This middle-aged man is quite tall. He looks like he's in his fifties, but he's old-fashioned, and he looks older than he really is.

His typical silhouette is so well-defined that he was handsome in his youth, but now there is not much left, and his brow is often furrowed, and his forehead is full of wrinkles, as if he has something to do with it. If Richard hadn't introduced himself to him, Charles would have treated him like a normal squire.

"Your Highness, it's a pleasure to meet you." He had a courtesy smile on his face, and then held out his hand to the prince.

Seeing his superficial respectfulness, but in fact his oppressive performance, the middle-aged man's face was obviously a little shaken, and then finally reached out and shook his hand.

"Monsieur de Treville, I'm glad to meet you too."

This prince was Gustav, Prince of Vaasa, a member of the Holstein-Gottp family, a branch of the famous German royal family Oldenburg, which came to Sweden in 1751 with the accession of Friedrich I.

The prince's father was King Gustav IV of Sweden, who reigned from 1792 to 1809.

He was supposed to be the king's eldest son, and if nothing else, he would inherit the throne after the king's death and reign over Sweden, however...... There are many accidents in the world, and a series of mistakes by his father, King Gustav IV, ruined his kingdom and all the future of the former crown prince.

To make a long story short, just from the time of Gustav IV's reign, it is clear that he lived in a time of rapid change and turmoil, and when he succeeded to the throne in 1792, the French Revolution was in full swing, and as a king, he was naturally full of hatred and fear for the mob in France, and was very afraid of the Jacobin virus spreading to his kingdom.

In 1805, he was not intimidated by Napoleon's genius, and joined the Third Anti-French Coalition with other European countries to march against France, but his army was not as strong as he had imagined, and the Swedish army was disadvantaged by the strong French army, and Swiss Pomerania was soon occupied by the French.

At that time, Russia, which was also part of the anti-French alliance, was originally an ally of Sweden, but the Russian Emperor Alexander made peace with Napoleon in Tilsit in 1807, leaving only Sweden and Portugal to fight side by side with Britain. On February 21, 1808, Russia invaded Finland under the pretext of coercing Sweden into submission to Napoleon's policy of continental blockade, and captured most of Finland in just one month. On September 17, 1809, Sweden declared defeat and signed the Treaty of Port Frederick. Ceded one-third of eastern Sweden to Russia and established the Grand Duchy of Finland under the Russian Empire. Sweden lost its territory and Gustav IV became the last Swedish king to still possess Finland.

Such a series of defeats naturally dealt a great blow to the prestige of this king. The loss of Pomerania and Finland was something that the poor kingdom of Sweden could not afford. As a result, the Swedish officers and ministers banded together to carry out a coup d'état, and on March 13, 1809, the conspirators stormed the kingdom, arrested the king's family, and then deposed Gustav from the throne.

Gustav IV wanted to end the coup d'état by passing on the throne to his son, but the putschists refused to agree to his approach. Instead, he forcibly stripped his entire family of the right to inherit the throne, and then proclaimed his younger brother Archduke Karl as king, thus becoming Karl XIII.

And the poor Gustav family had to be driven out of Sweden, receiving only the title of Prince Vasa.

In addition, later, Karl XIII, who usurped the throne, was in very poor health, and his only son Karl died suddenly in 1810 due to a stroke.

The former darling of the Great Revolution and the vanguard of the republican faction accepted the title of ****. He then took his family to Sweden, where he succeeded to the throne after the death of Karl XIII in 1818 and became King Karl XIV, and Sweden bid farewell to the rule of the Holstein-Gottp dynasty. Entered the Bernadotte dynasty.

In 1844, the giant of his time died and was succeeded by his only son, Oscar. He became King Oscar I of Sweden, and he remains on the throne today.

Thus. Now the royal line of the King of Sweden has little to do with the royal line of this prince, and his title of prince is only yesterday in the end. It only represents the blood of a royal family.

The prince had followed his father to the European continent at an early age, and eventually wandered to Austria, where he became an officer under the Austrian royal family as an adult.

In 1830 he married his cousin, Princess Louisa-Emily of the Baden royal family, but his son died at birth, leaving only a daughter, Carona, and even more tragic in 1843, because of emotional discord, the princess divorced him, leaving him alone with his daughter.

All in all, the former crown prince has not had much luck since 1809, and everything bad has happened.

People who are often tricked by fate will either be trained to be extremely strong, not afraid of heaven and earth, just like Beethoven; Or they will become cautious and reticent, and adopt a silent attitude of acceptance of everything - as this prince did.

He had the title of prince and the "honorable status" of the crown prince, but his life stumbled, and he almost never received the benefits of these titles, money, honor and status did not run to his side, only his daughter was left to accompany him, and his character became docile and calm, as if he could accept anything.

Of course, after meeting Charles, his luck may be able to change.

Because Charles will give him a great opportunity to get his family out of the embarrassing situation.

"Please follow me." The middle-aged man was a little uncomfortable by Charles's gaze, so he turned around and led the way, and walked towards his mansion with Charles and Richard.

"Sir...... You...... What about your wife? Seeing that Charles was the only one who was following him, he was a little curious, "Lunch is ready, why don't you call your wife over and share lunch with you, it's a simple place, but you and your wife can at least enjoy the countryside for a while." ”

"I don't think so, sir. Charlotte is pregnant, so it's best not to move easily. Besides...... I don't want her to be involved in this kind of thing, to work hard. Charles shook his head slightly, and then directly opened the topic, "I think you know my intentions very well, so I don't want to let unnecessary polite words waste each other's time, don't you say?" ”

Such direct words made the prince feel even more uncomfortable, and he looked at the two young men with a nervous look, Charles was determined, and Richard shrugged his shoulders, signaling that it was all his own decision.

After hesitating for a moment, as if urged by the sun on his head, some fine sweat appeared on the middle-aged man's forehead. Finally nodded.

The French magnate looked a little arrogant, as if he had deigned to come here and would turn away without wasting time if he disagreed. This makes people of his personality feel more and more uncomfortable.

"Well, sir...... I think we can talk. After a moment's hesitation. He finally nodded. "Please follow me."

Looking at this attitude, it should be almost a drama.

Charles breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled at each other with Richard.

He had come to the prince to-day, not just for lunch, but in fact for a plea - he wanted the prince to agree to marry his daughter, Carona, to Louis Bonaparte, who was about to become emperor, and to become the future Empress of France.

After Charles and the French envoys secretly searched for an empress for the French emperor, the envoys had their own ideas. But he faithfully fulfilled his duty, scouring the royal families of Europe for genealogy and finding suitable candidates.

It has to be said that their efforts still had some effect, and soon, the envoys from all over the country provided some candidates. Among them, Princess Karona is naturally also impressive.

The princess was born in 1833 and is now exactly eighteen years old, which is the best age for marriage. And she is also from a very high background, she is a descendant of a famous German royal family, and her grandfather was even a king. Even better, their family is now out of position. It's a very depressed life, and he doesn't care so much about rank and royal blood in the end.

With these "merits" in mind, Charles quickly identified the candidate as one of the leading candidates. Then there was a private contact with the prince through the officials of the embassy in Austria - in an age when free love was not practiced, obtaining the father's consent meant that the marriage was almost final.

However. At the time of contact, everything did not go well. His Royal Highness was initially overjoyed when he heard the news, but he quickly became suspicious and did not agree easily.

First of all, Louis Bonaparte himself was not a few years younger than him, he was already very old, and he had just usurped the throne, and his reputation was not good, and no one could say for sure how long he would stay on the throne or whether he would repeat the mistakes of his uncle.

Of course, this concern is not the most significant, because at this time, such marriages abound in the upper class of Europe, and the age gap is much greater; Moreover, thanks to the efforts of Louis Bonaparte and his partymen, France had slowly restored order and seemed to be able to carry out a permanent rule.

But, secondly, he was afraid of the perception of the Austrian royal family. After all, he is now a parasitic man, sheltering from the favor of the Habsburg royal family, and he does not want to offend the royal family in any way. And the initial attitude of the imperial family was indeed ambiguous, and it is easy to understand that His Majesty Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria, did not think much of Louis Bonaparte, as did other relatives.

In the absence of support from the Austrian royal family, the prince hesitated several times but did not agree.

However, now it was different, and after Charles arrived in Austria, he vigorously stated to the Emperor the importance of friendly relations with Fao, and he repeatedly said that a pro-Austrian empress would help to maintain this relationship; As Metternich's son, Richard also strongly encouraged the emperor and others to show support for the marriage.

Under the operation of these two men, His Majesty Franz-Joseph's will, as usual, wavered, and at last he expressed his pleasure in seeing it happen - after all, the French emperor did not want to marry the woman of his family, and would not lose the face of his family.

After getting this somewhat vague attitude, Richard was not idle, he immediately contacted Prince Vasa, and this time, with the emperor's endorsement, the prince's attitude was much more positive, and he seemed very inclined to agree.

So, after leaving Schönbrunn Palace, Charles arranged a secret trip to their manor, hoping to take the opportunity to finalize the matter once and for all, so as not to waste time.

This trip was naturally kept secret from the outside world, lest the French emperor and his close comrades-in-arms become the laughing stock of Europe in case the marriage failed.

However, when Charles saw the middle-aged man for the first time, he knew that he had succeeded for the most part—the middle-aged man, like the emperor, was not the strong-willed type, and perhaps the unfortunate royal family was rich in such people.

They soon made their way to the reception room in the villa. The meeting room is simply furnished. But Charles didn't care, and sat down directly at a desk with his master.

"Sir. I have to say, you've got a problem for me. "After sitting down. The middle-aged man's brows tightened even more, "Every father hopes that his daughter can enter the best home...... And I, now, don't know everything......"

"I understand your feelings, Your Highness." Charles stared at him calmly, his tone direct and crisp, "But I think I have to point out to you that this is not a difficult problem, on the contrary I think it is a great opportunity - think about it." The queen of France, there is only one in the world, how honorable is that? I don't think that any woman in the world will diminish their glory, right? If this is not a great place to be, then there is not much left in the afterlife. ”

The prince silently lowered his gaze, apparently not disagreeing with his words.

After all, France is now the most powerful country on the European continent in the eyes of most people. It is also the most culturally and commercially prosperous country, and its queen is naturally one of the most honorable titles for women in all of Europe, and it will not insult his daughter anyway.

But...... He also knows. It's not that simple.

France has been in turmoil for decades, and there have been several dynasties, so who knows how long this one will last? If it doesn't take long for this dynasty to come to an end. Didn't he let his daughter suffer in vain? Besides, Bonaparte...... It's always a bad read.

"Sir. I don't think there's anything to hesitate about. Seeing that he was still hesitating, Charles couldn't help but continue urging. Please believe in my sincerity, I also have great admiration for your and your daughter's bloodline, which is why I ask you to do so, and as long as you agree, I don't even think there is any need to continue with other candidates. ”

While complimenting the prince, he secretly threatened him that they were not the only candidates on his side, and that they would not waste their time all the time.

"Thank you for your interest in us." The prince smiled slightly, "But I think this matter is about a person's happiness, and I must consider it carefully." ”

"You can think about it all the time, but think about it, what a great opportunity you have in front of you, do you really want to miss it because you hesitate?" Charles continued to inspire the prince with his steadfastness, "We admire that you have been through so many misfortunes, so you want your children to be happy, and it is the great fatherly love that keeps society together. But you can see it for yourself, right? Fate has played a trick on you, depriving your father of the throne and depriving you of the dignity of the crown prince, but ...... Now your daughter has a chance to return to the throne, and even more so to the throne! ”

The middle-aged man's face became paler and paler, he remembered his whole life and remembered too many things. It's really hard to feel like you're under a fence, especially when you still want to get a country.

"Empress of France!" , "Empress of France!" These words, like a spell, echoed in his ears.

If his daughter becomes the empress of the strongest country on the continent, then those who despise and mock him can no longer ignore him, right?

And her own daughter may become the mother of a future French emperor...... Extend your bloodline into the royal family of an empire......

This is really a temptation that is difficult for him, a down-and-out royal descendant, to refuse.

"You just say it, right? Agree, or disagree! Charr was keenly aware of his vacillation, and intensified his efforts to urge him directly, which, in his opinion, had probably succeeded. Tell me now, may God bless you! ”

Sure enough, under his urging, the middle-aged man's brows widened, and he finally made up his mind, he looked at Charles and opened his mouth.

"Daddy!" Just then, there was a hurried shout outside the door, followed by equally hurried footsteps at the door, and then the door was kicked open.

A tall, slender girl in a floral pleated dress appeared in front of Charles.

Her face was a little red because of the violent movements, her gray eyes were full of nervousness, and her chestnut curls were trembling slightly. The bridge of her nose is high and straight, and her eyes are very deep, and she looks gentle and amiable, but in her thin, tightly wrinkled eyebrows and bitten lips, you can see the stubbornness of a queen.

She swept the Charles, without any fear.

"Don't promise them!"

The middle-aged man retreated a little embarrassed, although he still maintained his due dignity on the surface, but on the inside, no one could see his vacillation.

His face was cloudy, and the honor of his daughter becoming the queen, and some other evils, kept tangled in his mind, and he opened his mouth several times, but in the end he still did not speak.

Hey, it looks like I've changed my enemy, Charles sneered in his heart. (To be continued.) )