Chapter 235: Ernst Wants Trouble Without Lifting a Finger
Just as the two brothers, Franz and Ferdinand, were exchanging pleasantries and displaying brotherly affection, fate had it that yet another uninvited guest appeared for Franz that day.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, His Serene Highness Ernst is here again," reported a maid.
Ordinarily, whenever the staff and guards saw Ernst, they let him pass right through, because he came so often to Schönbrunn Palace that Franz had granted him that privilege. But since Ferdinand happened to be there today, the maid decided to announce his arrival first.
"Mm!" Franz and Ferdinand both looked at each other—today was indeed a coincidence. Strictly speaking, Ferdinand, who was Ernst's future father-in-law, had never met Ernst before. Only Princess Charlotte (Empress Carlota) had once laid eyes on him, but back then she was in a rush to reunite with Ferdinand, leaving little time to talk to Ernst.
"Shall we let him in?" Franz turned to his younger brother for an opinion.
Franz, with questionable intentions, was curious how that fellow Ernst would react upon meeting Ferdinand. The slight curve at the corners of Franz's mouth gave away his mischievous thoughts.
"Hmph! Summon that brat in. I want to see how worthy he is for my Karina." Franz waved a hand in signal, and at once the servant replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
…
"Why is it different from usual?" Ernst mused while waiting outside the palace door. Typically, he would stroll right in; now, however, he was being held up. Could Franz be busy with important matters or entertaining a VIP? No rumor had reached him about anyone special in Vienna.
The longer he pondered, the more uneasy he felt, as though he were prey under observation. Never since awakening his past life's memories had he felt this sense of crisis.
Instinct made Ernst want to back out. After all, he was only here for something that wasn't so urgent; tomorrow would be fine. He was just about to give up and leave when the maid arrived:
"Your Serene Highness Ernst, His Majesty has invited you in."
"Oh—alright," Ernst answered on impulse.
"By the way, has some special visitor come to the palace today?"
"Special visitor? I don't think so," the maid said. How could there be anything special at Schönbrunn? After all, Ferdinand was an Austrian Archduke and royal family member who used to live here, so in the maid's mind, he didn't count.
"In that case, I'll head in." Without another word, Ernst moved on inside.
…
The moment he stepped in with his left foot, he felt two pairs of eyes on him. Sure enough, next to the sofa that Franz usually occupied alone, there was another person.
Ernst scanned the stranger, while Ferdinand carefully inspected Ernst.
"Darn!" Inside, Ernst felt a chill, as if the room's temperature dropped by several degrees. "That has to be Archduke Ferdinand. Why is he here?"
He recognized his father-in-law with just one glance. In truth, Ernst had known about Ferdinand in his previous life, because images of Ferdinand in his coffin were etched deeply in his memory.
(Picture—those who are squeamish shouldn't open it.)
Anyone slightly versed in Mexican history knows that Emperor Maximilian I (Ferdinand) cannot be avoided. In modern times, among foreign monarchs who were executed, after Britain's Charles I, France's Louis XVI, and Russia's Nicholas II, Maximilian I is definitely on the list.
In this life, from the moment he got engaged to Princess Karina, Ernst had naturally paid attention to Ferdinand. He had seen his share of the man's photographs and portraits. Though Ferdinand had, for unknown reasons, shaved off his beard, Ernst still identified him. Clean-shaven, he looked hale and neat, a habit formed in East Africa: since most of the migrants there had no beards (the population being very young) and, upon arrival, Ernst had them all trimmed. In East Africa, everyone shaved monthly—lax hygiene in that land could be deadly. The Hechingen Company manufactured razors and clippers cheaply, so adopting them was easy.
After living in East Africa so long, Ferdinand followed that custom. In Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, and now Bagamoyo, temperatures often exceeded thirty degrees Celsius. Sport a full beard plus sweaty hair? Far too messy.
"You're Ernst?" Ferdinand spoke first, after sizing him up.
"Yes…Father-in-law," Ernst answered, turning meek and wary.
Franz discreetly hid a laugh behind his hand—though he was really touching his chin. It was his first time seeing Ernst in such a posture.
"You're quite forward, calling me father-in-law. Karina hasn't married you yet," Ferdinand remarked.
"Ah… Father-in-law, we're all family, so why fuss? In three years, we'll truly become one family." Despite having two lifetimes, this was Ernst's first meeting with the father-in-law, so he was rather inexperienced at handling such a situation.
The two men began exchanging questions, while Franz occasionally spoiled the mood.
…
"Oh, about those little gunboats you bought. I visited the shipyard to check them out—they're decent. But I think you ought to build a shipyard in East Africa. No need to fuss over money; first you can produce small fishing boats. After all, the Zanzibar Sultanate next door has one you can imitate. Sure, it's no match for modern European yards, but it suffices for coastal fishing and training able seafarers. Helps with future naval expansion." Ferdinand offered suggestions.
His good intentions stemmed not only from concern for manpower but also from feasibility. They didn't even need money. They could reassign some colonists to learn those shipbuilding skills in Zanzibar. The islanders wouldn't dare protest.
"I'll take care of it. But why not mention this to my father while in East Africa?"
"It just came to me recently. But anyway, what are you doing at Schönbrunn?" Ferdinand asked.
"Of course, I have something important."
Franz spoke up: "Don't say you need more help?"
"No, not at all. This time, I've come to deliver intelligence."
"What intelligence?" asked a curious Franz.
"It might not be serious intel, or rather, my personal forecast," said Ernst. "Prussia and France are about to fight."
"That's a risky claim," both men said excitedly. Franz demanded, "Did Wilhelm I tell you that?"
Ernst shook his head. "I guessed it."
"You guessed?" Both men were incredulous—was he joking?
"But not randomly. My companies in Germany show me Prussia is preparing for war. And who else does Prussia have tension with but France? They surely won't fight Austria again."
In reality, Ernst was faking. So far, Prussia hadn't mobilized or placed large orders from his factories. "Business signals" was just a made-up excuse.
"If true, it's plausible. If Prussia is moving to unify southern Germany, a clash with France is likely," Ferdinand commented.
"Exactly. The French won't let Prussia succeed so easily," Ernst added to himself that the French would basically be a "gift" in raising Prussia to major-power status.
"You're here to warn us to guard against Prussia swallowing southern Germany? Austria can't do anything," Franz sighed.
At that, his tone turned dejected: indeed, Austria could do nothing. If it moved, Prussia could label it a collaborator with France and rally all German hearts to itself. Meanwhile, Hungary's government would sabotage from within, since southern Germany going to Prussia pleased them—they disliked strengthening Austria or the Germans.
Truly nothing could be done? Actually, Ernst had a plan for Austria.
"Sire, whatever happens in Germany doesn't concern the current Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its real foe isn't Prussia. Your genuine enemy…" Ernst paused.
"France? Russia? Did Wilhelm I put you up to this?" asked Franz suspiciously. Given the Hohenzollern name, Franz assumed Wilhelm had incited Ernst to keep Austria quiet.
"You overestimate me. Wilhelm I wouldn't send me as an envoy. Besides, you know my personality. And you, Sire, are being too extreme." Tired of putting on an act, Ernst returned to his usual Mirabell style. "Prussia, as you say, is unstoppable. I'm no mediator. The real threat to the Empire is Prussia's ally or soon-to-be ally—the soon-unified Kingdom of Italy."
"Italy?" Both men were stunned by the direction of Ernst's argument.
"Isn't it obvious? Italy has finally broken free of the old Austrian-French shadow. If Italy exploits a Franco-Prussian war to annex the Papal States, Austria's position in the Mediterranean must yield to them. And once Italy has the Papal States, I've seen their wish list—Austria's southern lands, heavily Italian. They want that next."
Ernst finally bared his intentions. He aimed to upset Italy, the two-faced ally. Whether the Empire can stop Italy from annexing the Papal States depends on Austria. Meanwhile, East Africa invests no manpower—just stirs the pot.
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 30th, get 30% off your subscription and the purchase of the novel.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10