"Austria is your best destination now, I believe you can recognize this."
After finishing speaking, His Majesty the Emperor looked at the young man quietly and observed his reaction.
Of course Aigron knew that it was impossible for him to refute his grandfather's words face to face; however, it would also seem very suspicious to express gratitude immediately, so he just sat blankly without making any reply.
Seeing Aigron behave like this, Teresa felt a little nervous, fearing that His Majesty the Emperor would be angry, so she quickly opened her mouth to smooth things over.
"Your Majesty, what you are saying is a fact that is known to everyone. Your Highness has also personally said that you and Austria are kind to him." She deliberately intercepted only half of Aigron's words in order to make His Majesty the Emperor happy, "Only However, I think... if he is kept away from the outside world, anyone would feel uncomfortable, right? So I think that as His Highness grows up, it is best to let him go out and see more, so that he can The feelings for us in Austria have become even deeper..."
"Of course what you said is human nature." His Majesty the Emperor nodded, "Franz was still young and it was not suitable for him to have too much contact with the outside world. Moreover, I was worried that people who had enmity against his father would seek revenge on him, and I didn't even want to Let him move about the outside world; but now that he is approaching adulthood and the hatred of Napoleon in the outside world has subsided, your proposal can indeed be considered."
His Majesty the Emperor was not just making empty promises. After all, as Aigron approached adulthood, "how to deal with Napoleon's son" had indeed become a thorny issue.
Of course Austria needs to hold him in its hands as a tool, but at the same time, it is impossible to treat him as a prisoner. A prisoner full of hatred and anger cannot completely obey Austria's interests, and will attract extreme anger from Napoleon's supporters. Disgusted, and ultimately unable to exploit them at all.
——What's more, he is still a member of the royal family in name, and enjoys his own title and the treatment he deserves, even if he is pretentious, he must be given it.
But at the same time, if he is given a certain amount of power and influence, how to ensure his loyalty?
Judging from observations over the past ten years, my grandson is talented and has a strong personality. If he can be utilized, it will indeed benefit the country, but if he is resentful, he may be able to cause huge damage.
The dilemma troubled the emperor and his prime minister several times.
In the end, Prime Minister Metternich suggested using the traditional method of marriage to solve this problem - even if the Duke of Lechstadt himself has questionable loyalty, his children will eventually integrate into the Austrian royal family and achieve their goals.
Judging from the current situation, the progress of this plan is quite smooth. Theresa has no obvious resistance, and his grandson does not seem to be dissatisfied with it.
"Then...if I invite Your Highness to visit our manor, do you agree?" Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor relented, Teresa pretended to have a sudden thought and made a request, "There are too many people here, and they seem to be hostile to us. I'm full of curiosity about things, I just feel like I'm being stared at by a large group of people all the time, and I can't be happy at all..."
She knew that after saying those words just now, His Majesty the Emperor would not be able to change his mind and refuse even if he was unhappy. So I had an idea and took the risk to ask myself.
Under her uneasy gaze, His Majesty the Emperor thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Of course, I hope you have fun, kids."
Then, he turned to look at Aigron. "Franz, why don't you thank Theresa?"
"Thank you, Theresa." Aigron came back to his senses and quickly expressed his gratitude to her, "I am honored to visit the Archduke Carl's family."
"I think my mother will be very happy to receive you, but she may be worried about how to make the meal suit your taste." Teresa replied with a smile, "I have to say, Your Highness, you are every What every mother wants her child to look like..."
This timely compliment made the three people present laugh at the same time.
"Teresa, you are such a clever little girl. I think you will be a good wife when you grow up." His Majesty the Emperor smiled for a while and said
"Your Majesty, I don't quite understand what you are talking about..." Teresa blinked and replied with a confused look on her face. "I'm just inviting friends to visit me. Even among the royal family, this shouldn't be a taboo."
"Okay, you are right." His Majesty the Emperor spread his hands and stopped arguing with Teresa. He looked at the young man again. "Young man, you see, this is the goodwill that Theresa and I give you, and it is also the goodwill that Austria gives you... If you become an Austrian, these goodwill will make you achieve extraordinary things."
"I saw it, and I'm very grateful." Aigron had already thought about how to deal with it. He looked at the two people opposite him with respectful and touching eyes, and then made a promise sincerely, "If one day I have the opportunity I will be happy to serve Austria, Your Majesty. Time will change many things, but you will always be my grandfather, and I am willing to pray to God devoutly to wish you good health and a long life."
"Very good, maybe this is the best solution." Perhaps moved by his reaction, His Majesty the Emperor nodded slightly, "I hope we will have no regrets in the end."
Then he blinked tiredly and waved. "Okay, it's already very late. I need to rest. You guys should go back and have a rest early."
"Goodbye, Your Majesty." The boy and the girl stood up at the same time and respectfully bid farewell to His Majesty the Emperor.
Then, the two of them walked out of the room together, and the attendant waiting outside the door immediately walked in.
The two people, who were temporarily unnoticed, looked at each other.
"Aiglon, Your Majesty is quite easy to talk to." Teresa laughed. "I was going to argue a few times, but I didn't expect him to agree so readily..."
"Teresa, thank you very much for helping me like this." Aigron expressed his gratitude again, "I will repay you if I have the chance."
After a pause, he spoke again, "I didn't expect you to be so good at talking. When we first met, I thought you were not good at communicating with others."
"Shyness and stupidity are two different things, Your Highness." Teresa replied softly. "I just don't want to waste time with those mediocre people. Of course, I should treat you differently."
"Then, you are worth it." Aigron replied with a smile, "To be honest, you are quite cute when you smile. If you smile more, I think no one will be dissatisfied with you anymore."
Teresa seemed speechless for a moment, until a moment later she suddenly sighed solemnly.
"However, there are not so many things in the world that are worth smiling at."
While the two people were chatting happily, a female officer hurriedly walked to the side of the two people.
"Your Highness, are you free?" She said in a low voice after saluting Aiglon, "Her Majesty the Queen would like to delay your time."
Aigron was a little surprised. After being silent for a moment, he looked at Theresa.
Teresa frowned slightly when her conversation was interrupted, but she quickly concealed her dissatisfaction.
"It's okay, it's getting late, we've had enough chatting now." Then, she waved goodbye to Aiglon, "Good night, Your Highness."
"Good night, Teresa." Aigron nodded to her, then turned around and followed the female officer out of the living room.
They walked along the stairs to the balcony on the second floor.
Her Majesty Queen Caroline was standing alone on the balcony, overlooking the rural scenery under the moonlight.
Although she is the empress of the empire, she is only 34 years old now. She is the fourth wife of His Majesty the Emperor and the biological sister of Princess Sophie.
She married to Austria from Bavaria in 1816, exactly two years after Aigron.
She usually doesn't talk much, but she has a very good temper and is quite friendly to herself. She took good care of her when she was a child.
"Good evening, Your Majesty." Aigron saluted respectfully at her back. "Excuse me, why did you summon me?"
Her Majesty the Queen turned around and looked at the young man, "Franz, how do you feel when you get along with Theresa?"
This question surprised Aigron.
"Just tell the truth." Her Majesty the Queen smiled.
"It's quite pleasant to get along." Aigron replied.
"Well, seeing how happy she is, that should be it." Her Majesty the Queen nodded.
Then, she looked back at the dark forest in the distance, and then spoke softly, "This time, we didn't bring Sophie here. And I deliberately didn't let Sophie accompany us, Franz."
Aigron didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Her Majesty the Queen continued gently, "She is my sister, of course I have to take care of her, so because of this, I can't bring her over because I'm afraid she will go crazy with anger after seeing what she just saw - —You should know why?"
This questioning made Aigron even more unable to speak.
"She likes you, and she likes you to the point where she is not afraid of other people's words. I don't know why, but since she hopes so, I won't say anything more." Her Majesty the Queen turned back and gently said to her. He blinked, "Sometimes when she wants to seek convenience for you, she will secretly ask me for help. As long as I can do it, I will help."
...Aigron seemed to suddenly understand something.
I see.
Just when he was about to say something, Her Majesty the Queen gestured for him to continue listening.
"It's a pity that His Majesty the Emperor wants to promote this marriage. His Majesty's will is not allowed to be violated. Although I have tried hard, it is all in vain. This is not Theresa's fault. It would be like this for anyone else. As a result, I can only say that God’s will has made your situation destined to prevent the dream from lasting forever. This is indeed a great regret..." Her Majesty the Queen continued, "But Sophie will not accept reality so easily. She It will be very painful, even hateful, that is her character, and I just hope that everything will eventually calm down."
She sighed softly,
"So, I think... if you want to leave any memories, it's best to do it as soon as possible... while all the good things are still here."
"Your Majesty?" Aigron's expression suddenly changed. He simply couldn't figure out what he heard. "You...you mean...?"
"Did I say anything?" Her Majesty the Queen's expression turned cold and serious again, "Okay, it's getting late, you go back. Good night."
