With the end of the surrender ceremony, the series of battles surrounding Mesolongion also came to an end, and Aigron finally won the victory he had longed for.
This victory meant that he achieved his strategic goal before the start of the campaign. He eliminated the Turks' most important strategic stronghold in western Greece, and therefore became the temporary master of this area.
After occupying the fortress, he and all his men cheered for the hard-won victory. Under his order, fine wine and delicacies collected from everywhere were supplied to the entire army in unlimited quantities. This is to reward them for their previous bloody battles.
Behind him, in Methoni, another invisible battle started almost at the same time.
The leader of this "war" is Aiglon's fiancée, Princess Theresa.
At this time, she was in the hotel commandeered by Aigron, waiting for the arrival of an important guest.
She was a little flustered as she sat in her seat, because she knew how important the matter she needed to deal with next was, and it was almost related to the fate of her beloved fiancé, and there was no room for her to make any mistakes.
She was afraid that she would mess up and let Aigron down, but she also knew that as Aigron's only and most reasonable agent, she was the only one who could handle the situation.
Teresa, this is your obligation and the role you should play in the future. You must prove that you can do it... She said this to herself more than once.
Unknowingly, she settled down. After all, she was the daughter of a great commander. She had been able to infect the calmness and prudence she deserved from her father through words and deeds since she was a child.
What is supposed to come will come. While she was sitting upright, a carriage quietly came to the door of the hotel, and then a passenger in casual clothes passed through the cordon of guards under the guidance of a special person, and then came Arrived at the hotel.
Soon, Theresa's maid opened the door of the reception room, and then introduced him to Theresa.
The moment he entered, both men immediately looked at each other, then politely looked away.
At a sudden glance, Teresa found that the other person was a tall and thin young man. His face was serious and his brows were furrowed, giving off the aura of a cautious diplomat.
"Nice to meet you, Her Royal Highness!" The young man walked up to Theresa and saluted her respectfully. "My name is Alfred von Mayrhofen, and I am von Genz. The ambassador’s secretary, who has been specially sent by him, has come from Istanbul to see you——”
"Being given such a task by the Ambassador is enough to show how highly you are valued by the Summit, and it also shows how outstanding you are." Teresa answered the other party gently, and then stretched out her hand to him, "Von Meyer Mr. Hoven, I wish you a bright future."
Being praised so highly by Teresa, even though he knew it was a polite statement, the young man could not help but feel a little proud in his heart - indeed, as the other party said, he was entrusted with an important task by Mr. Genz and was regarded as a leader within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Star of tomorrow.
If I can successfully complete the task this time, it is foreseeable that I will be able to receive heavy rewards in the future.
Of course he was proud of himself, but on the surface he still maintained his due composure.
"You're flattering me. I'm just an attaché who was ordered to do something, and I'm not worth mentioning. All I can do is to use all my talents to serve Your Majesty and the Empire." He replied humbly, "Your Highness, Princess, you are more deserving. Admiration, I have no right to judge whether what you did is right or wrong, but it is indeed amazing enough that you dared to take risks and come here alone."
After meeting Theresa, he was very polite, which is easy to understand - after all, the princess is the daughter of Archduke Karl. Even if she has left the country now and has fallen out with the imperial government, that is not what he can do. An affordable existence.
"Sir, I have the same enthusiasm for Your Majesty and the Empire as you do. I have never thought of being an enemy of the Empire for a moment. After all, Austria is the country where I was born and raised, and I am lucky enough to be a member of the royal family and enjoy I have received the most superior courtesy that the empire can provide..." Teresa looked at the other party with deep emotion, "After enjoying all this, how could I not be grateful? In fact, I pray to God all the time, please ask our Lord May my country prosper."
After a pause, Teresa changed the topic, "Also, although I am in danger, I am not alone. My fiancé and I will always stand together, and we will never walk alone."
Her words were full of emotion and seemed to come from the heart. Of course von Mayrhofen, who had been in the social world for a long time, could hear the sincerity in them.
However, he knew better that the two demands of Her Royal Highness the Princess were not completely consistent, and might even be completely opposite - if her fiancé insisted on becoming an enemy of the empire in the future, how would she deal with it?
Judging from her current actions, it is almost self-evident what choice she will make.
Of course, von Mayrhofen is a smart man, and he will not ask such embarrassing questions. His mission is not to reprimand or blame Princess Theresa.
Moreover, now that the two parties are in a temporary cooperation position, there is no need to put on an embarrassing posture.
Like Prime Minister Metternich, he is a realist who assesses the situation. Reality is torture enough. Let the future deal with future problems.
"Her Royal Highness, your deep affection for Duke Lechstadt has really moved us onlookers deeply. And now that we have reached this point, it will not help to continue to strictly stop you, and it will make the empire and the palace unsatisfactory." So..." When he said this, von Mayrhofen's expression became more serious and solemn, "On behalf of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Prime Minister, I wish you and the Duke good luck in your future marriage, and I also wish you well. I wish you and His Highness a long life together.”
I have finally waited for this sentence... God knows how much hardship I have endured in order to get it... Teresa thought to herself.
She was originally proposed to be married by His Majesty the Emperor and could easily get the marriage; however, fate played such a huge joke on her. So much so that such a big chapter was abolished before "what was supposed to happen" actually happened!
During this period, she became a laughing stock in the social world. If she had not mustered up the courage to fight hard, how could she be where she is today?
After a series of fights, His Majesty the Emperor finally recognized the marriage again. The carpet they walked through in the marriage hall was dyed red with blood.
Thinking of this, Teresa felt happy and sad at the same time, and she didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, she was also quite good at controlling her emotions, and quickly returned to her calm and solemn expression.
"I am very grateful to His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Prime Minister for their kindness. I will follow God's teachings, fulfill the obligations of a wife, and never let down the honor of our family."
"I have no doubt that you can do it." Von Mayrhofen smiled and nodded, "Judging from your current performance, you have done your job extremely well - even I am very disappointed. I doubt whether His Highness would be able to gain His Excellency the Prime Minister's understanding so easily without you."
"So can you help me to better fulfill my obligations?" Teresa asked with a smile.
Although her attitude was reserved and polite, in this indifferent smile, which was both a little complacent and seemed to be a soft request, the girl's bright charm was still fully revealed, so that von Mayrhofen suddenly felt a little bit... My mind was in a state of flux.
But of course he wouldn't waver in his position.
"I don't know what you mean, but my obligation is to carry out the tasks assigned to me by my superiors." He replied with a straight face. "If there is anything I can do to accommodate you in my mission, of course I would be happy to do so——"
In other words, he would not do anything more for Teresa except what was his duty.
After receiving such an answer, Teresa was not disappointed. Since this person would be entrusted with an important task, he would definitely not be a mediocre person who could be easily dismissed.
After the meeting, the test of a few words ended. They both left a good impression, and Teresa also decided to get down to business.
"Sir, you must be very tired after coming all the way from Istanbul, so I don't plan to have a long talk with you now. Let's finalize the most important things first." After a moment of silence, Teresa spoke again. "Excuse me, Mr. Genz, does he have any letter for me?"
"I'm sorry, because this mission is quite special, and the two of us have not established basic trust, so Mr. Gentz does not intend to leave any written documents. All his opinions and messages will be conveyed by me myself." Von Mayrhofen replied with an apologetic but unyielding smile, "But please don't worry, my memory is good, so I can fully explain his opinions and make due judgments on his behalf."
"You are really surprisingly cautious. Even at this time, do you still have to leave room for yourself to withdraw?" Teresa smiled slightly sarcastically, "Could it be that having the surname Bonaparte means that Are you putting him in such a difficult position with you?"
"Her Royal Highness, rather, as an Austrian, it is rare for you to be so indifferent to this surname." Von Mayrhofen replied in a moderate tone, "You were not born when that man invaded Vienna twice, but I can still remember those painful days."
"Although I have not personally experienced those disastrous days, like you, I feel heartbroken by these scars left in the history of our country." Teresa shook her head gently, saying that she was not Unmoved, "But the history that has happened is history after all. We can't be troubled by the past and forget the present, right? Don't forget, it was His Majesty the Emperor who took the initiative to propose marriage to His Highness and me, that is, he wanted it first Do you have any objections to making me a Bonaparte—if anyone wishes to heal the wound, it must be His Majesty the Emperor first of all?"
Seeing Theresa carrying His Majesty the Emperor, von Mayrhofen naturally couldn't sit still.
He could only cover up his embarrassment at the moment by laughing. "Your Highness, you...you are indeed the daughter of Archduke Karl..."
"I am His Highness's fiancée." Teresa emphasized again.
Then, she slowed down her tone and said, "Well, since Mr. Genz is not going to give me a written certificate now, it doesn't matter. I will ask you verbally - what does Austria need from me and His Highness now?" ?”
Von Mayrhofen's expression became more serious. He knew that every word he said now was extremely important, so he concentrated all his attention.
"The Prime Minister hopes that you and the Duke, if possible, will make Greece independent as soon as possible so that the Russians lose the excuse to send troops; and he hopes that the Duke can find a way to eliminate the influence of pro-Russian forces in Greece so that the next time Russia The war with Turkey should be postponed as long as possible.”
After hearing what the other party said, Theresa was not surprised. In fact, this was exactly the result that she and Agron had expected and expected.
As expected, after weighing the situation, Metternich would rather pinch his nose and let Aiglon continue to cause trouble than let the Russians reach out to the Balkans.
For this he was willing to give in to them.
"Russia is a big country. Although it is far away from Your Highness, it is still an unshakable giant. It is not easy for Your Highness to fight against them..." Although she knew it in her heart, Teresa seemed quite calm on the surface. Difficult, "Excuse me, what can Metternich give His Highness?"
"It depends on what you want." Von Mayrhofen replied with a smile. "He has a lot to offer."
"So, can Your Highness and I be allowed to ascend the throne of Greece?" Teresa asked directly.
This question made von Mayrhofen's smile disappear instantly.
"This... I'm afraid it won't work." He shook his head in embarrassment, "The Prime Minister has assessed the situation and believes that the current European powers are not mentally prepared to accept the emergence of a Bonaparte Kingdom... I think, You need to do something..."
"What? I can't be the queen?" The smile on Theresa's face suddenly disappeared in an instant, her eyebrows were raised, and she stared at the other party in disbelief, "I...why can't I be the queen? Your Highness and I, After all the hard work, is it just in vain?”
She glared at him angrily, like a child who is furious when her parents can't get the toy they want.
Sigh...this is difficult to handle. Von Mayrhofen sighed inwardly.
In order to better complete the tasks assigned by his superiors, before coming to Istanbul, he had already inquired about Princess Theresa's reputation among acquaintances in Vienna's upper class society.
It was a pity that Princess Teresa had always been reclusive and did not like to appear in public. He could only get some piecemeal information, and among these information, they all commented that the princess was gentle, humble, friendly, and a very reasonable person.
However, when he saw it today, he couldn't help but be disappointed.
It seems that rumors are just rumors after all, and there are always exaggerations.
Her Royal Highness is a Princess after all. She is inevitably willful and arrogant in her heart. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
However, Theresa was not even angry at all.
This was the result that she and Aiglon had expected.
However, since she has a special status, she can be willful, and she should be willful - anyway, it is still early enough for Aigron to make a decision.
"Okay... you have been tired from traveling today, I hope you can go and rest first..." Teresa made a gesture with a cold face, "I will arrange a room for you, and we will talk tomorrow."
