Chapter 422: Fate and the Future
Upon hearing this, Joseph II immediately made anxious sounds, "Ugh, ugh."
Leopold II quickly leaned over to listen and then relayed the question to Thugut, "His Majesty asks if the French mentioned anything about the sovereignty of the Walloon region?"
"Archbishop Talleyrand stated that sovereignty would still belong to the King of the Southern Netherlands."
"And what about Ghent Province?" Leopold II asked next.
Ghent, located to the south of the Atlantic, held a strategically important position as it could control the mouth of the Rhine River.
"Ghent is not included in the special trade zone," Thugut added. "Nor is Bruges."
Bruges was another coastal province, adjacent to Ghent.
Hearing this, Leopold II breathed a sigh of relief. In that case, the so-called "special trade zone" would be entirely inland, encompassing only the provinces of Mons and Namur, as well as part of southern Liège. The area was only slightly larger than Luxembourg.
As long as the coastal provinces remained under control, along with Antwerp, the most significant interests of the Southern Netherlands would be secure.
He looked at Joseph II and nodded, "Your Majesty, I believe these terms are acceptable."
In reality, the control of the Rhine River's mouth, which Leopold II valued so highly, was nothing more than a burden for Joseph.
The Rhine was the commercial lifeline of the German region. If France controlled the mouth of the Rhine, it would gain a significant trade advantage in the German territories, potentially pushing the British out. If that were to happen, Britain would likely resort to war to drive France out.
Historically, one of the core reasons behind Britain's vigorous promotion of anti-French coalitions was France's occupation of the entire Southern Netherlands.
Moreover, if Britain harbored any ill intentions towards the Walloon region, they would first have to cross the coastal provinces controlled by Austria, effectively making these provinces a shield for France.
Therefore, it was most suitable to leave the coastal provinces to Austria.
What Joseph truly cared about were the coal resources in the Walloon region and the large French-speaking population. Additionally, by establishing the Walloon Special Trade Zone, it could be linked with Luxembourg. Once the railways were completed, the combined coal and iron resources of the two regions would serve as another powerful engine for France's industrial revolution.
As for the matter of sovereignty, that was merely a formality.
Thanks to previous efforts, the Walloon Chamber of Commerce was now primarily composed of individuals promoted by Joseph, with the president even being a Frenchman. Moreover, the military supplies committee, which had been established earlier, already controlled various commercial activities.
If the chamber managed the administration—a common practice in France—then Joseph essentially controlled the region.
At the same time, with no Austrian troops stationed in the Walloon region, the Walloon police would be the only armed force there.
It might seem like an "undefended" trade zone, but the combat capabilities of the police could vary greatly.
Have you heard of the Paris Police Academy? Send the Walloon police there for training, and they might end up being more formidable than your regular army.
Joseph II remained silent for a long time, but eventually, he recognized that this was a profitable deal. With great effort, he nodded and squeezed out a word from his throat: "Agreed."
...
While Joseph was busy signing the Vienna Special Agreement with Leopold II, Madame Delvaux's funeral had completed a series of ceremonies, culminating in the burial service.
By the time Joseph rushed from Schönbrunn Palace to the cemetery, the guests had already left. Only a newly erected grave stood alone, with Madame Delvaux's name etched into the tombstone, along with a line of small text: "She was remembered by the most beautiful queen in the world."
Camellia still stood motionless before the tombstone, her head bowed, unwilling to leave.
Joseph walked over, gently patting her back, and softly said, "The deceased has passed, and you will have a new home. Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you at Versailles."
The girl slowly turned her head, then slowly curtsied, choking back tears, "Thank you very much, Your Highness, and Her Majesty. May God bless you both."
Joseph nodded and continued, "I will be returning to Paris the day after tomorrow. Would you like to accompany me, as Madame Delvaux wished?"
Camellia glanced at her grandmother's tombstone, tears welling up as she nodded, "Yes, Your Highness... Paris is the only place I can go now..."
Just then, a court official from Schönbrunn Palace arrived, led by Aimant. The official bowed to Joseph and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor invites you to tonight's ball."
With such an important treaty signed, it was natural to celebrate.
Joseph could only offer a few more comforting words to the girl, leaving two servants to care for her before hurrying back to Schönbrunn Palace to participate in the political and social activities.
The next afternoon, Camellia finally ate her first meal in nearly two days. After wiping away her tears, she prepared to go out and say goodbye to her only friend.
The servants Joseph had sent to care for her quickly prepared the carriage—since all the Delvaux family servants had been dismissed, leaving only Camellia's maid, these tasks fell to them.
At a modest house on Laerlston Street, Mr. Bazel warmly offered Camellia a cup of hot cocoa, "Have some. It's very sweet; it will soothe your soul."
Seeing the girl silently take the cup, he hesitated before carefully asking, "So, what are your plans? If..."
He mustered the courage to say, "If you want, I can take you away from Vienna. We can go anywhere, and I will take care of you for the rest of your life."
Though he was Camellia's music teacher, he was deeply in love with her. Even when others avoided her out of fear of Baron Walter, he remained by her side, protecting her.
Now that Madame Delvaux was gone, he was the only person left in the world to protect this poor girl. He couldn't confront Walter, but he could take her away. For her, he was willing to give up his comfortable life and spend the rest of his days in hiding.
But before he could speak further, the girl softly said, "Grandmother wrote to Her Majesty the Queen of France, and the Prince of France will take me to Paris."
She looked up at Bazel, "I'm scared. It's such a distant and unfamiliar place. I don't know what fate awaits me there. Do you think I should go?"
Bazel's heart tightened, and he immediately wanted to say, "No, don't go," but he quickly froze.
The Prince of France?
He slowly lowered his head. If Camellia could go to Versailles, it would be a thousand times better than fleeing with him from Baron Walter.
That was the life she deserved.
It only took him two seconds to make up his mind. For her, this was a great opportunity.
He remembered Camellia mentioning her grandmother's connection to the French Queen, which meant she would have many chances to interact with the future King of France!
Though her background meant she could never become the Prince's wife, even the slightest connection with the Prince could dramatically change her fate.
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10