Budapest's royal castle stands atop Castle Hill, overlooking the elegant scenery of the Hungarian capital, Pest-Budapest. The castle is surrounded by lush, dense forests, and the contours of the mountains gently undulate in the sunlight, as if merging with the sky.
The road leading to the castle is somewhat winding, and from afar, the castle's towers can be seen soaring into the clouds, with its walls covered in moss and vines, telling tales of centuries of change.
In the distance, the Danube River quietly meanders, with Budapest on its bank facing Pest on the opposite side.
This is Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
Laszlo stood on the battlements of the Budapest Castle, taking in the beautiful twilight scene, his heart filled with emotion.
Now, this castle, the two cities on the riverbanks, and this entire country were all his.
But many difficulties still awaited him: the menacing Ottoman, Austria torn by internal strife, Bohemia rampant with heresy, Hungary where nobles meddled in politics, and the Holy Roman Empire shattered into pieces.
Since he was fortunate enough to live another life, he was determined to leave no regrets—he would do something earth-shattering!
"One day, I will make all of Europe prostrate at my feet!" Laszlo knew he might be a bit impetuous now, but what kind of young man wasn't impetuous?
Laszlo could somewhat understand Frederick's idea now, [A.E.I.O.U.], "Austria is to rule the whole world," it did sound quite satisfying, so he would strive towards that goal from now on!
Glancing at Matthias, whose expression was peculiar, Laszlo's heroic expression instantly faltered.
"What? Matthias, are you doubting me?"
"I wouldn't dare, Your Majesty. It's just that you haven't seemed to complete the task Mr. Aeneas assigned today, and the sun is about to set."
Looking at Matthias, who had the aura of a top student at such a young age, Laszlo felt a deep aversion.
Damn it, why was this kid so smart? He learned everything instantly, and his pursuit of knowledge was exaggerated to the point of being insatiable.
Now Laszlo began to regret taking Matthias in as his page.
There is no harm without comparison; Matthias's intelligence and diligence quickly highlighted Laszlo's laziness.
Laszlo was on the verge of tears, only wanting to roar to the sky, "I've already gotten into college, how am I supposed to remember how to study!?"
"Matthias, where's your homework?"
"Your Majesty, your Latin writing is quite different from mine." Matthias kept a straight face, but his heart was bursting with joy. Laszlo's chicken-scratch handwriting really shouldn't be compared.
The King was truly something; all he knew was to boast all day long, he was simply a dilettante.
However, he didn't dislike the sense of closeness Laszlo brought him.
Matthias knew Laszlo genuinely wanted to be friends with him, but there was a strange, inexplicable feeling.
This guy wouldn't like men, would he? Matthias couldn't smile anymore.
Laszlo didn't notice Matthias's internal drama; he just walked deeper into the castle with a bitter expression. As things stood, it was better to do his homework first, as the government affairs were mostly handled by his maternal uncle Ulrich II, Archbishop Veszter, and "Grand Marshal" Janos. He had become the most leisurely one.
Bohemia was governed by Iri, and Austrian and Imperial affairs were managed by Frederick. He, the supreme ruler, was more like a mascot, but this was only temporary.
Thinking of Iri, Laszlo's steps unconsciously slowed.
The Cup faction, the heretics entrenched in Prague, the outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant Bohemia—he had his own ideas on how to deal with the Kingdom of Bohemia.
The Hussite Wars had stunned Emperor Sigismund, and even his successor Albrecht II had failed to fully tame the Bohemians.
This was no ordinary heresy; a heavy blow must be struck!
Though in Budapest, Laszlo's heart encompassed the world: Vienna's affairs, Prague's affairs, Frankfurt's affairs, Belgrade's affairs, Wallachia's affairs.
Huh? I keep feeling like I've forgotten something important?
Laszlo shook his head, thought for a while, but couldn't recall what he had forgotten. Perhaps it was just his imagination.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Dividing Line
In a small manor outside Ravenna, Italy, Leonor sat blankly by the window, gazing at the splendid sea of flowers outside.
This Portuguese princess had soft, wavy brown hair that shimmered with a natural luster. Her figure was slender and graceful, with elegant curves, and she was snugly wrapped in a luxurious light gold cotton coat.
She possessed a delicate, endearing face, fair and smooth skin, and bright, deep eyes with a hint of melancholic mystery. Days of travel had left her slightly haggard, adding a touch of delicate beauty.
At this moment, she was deeply saddened by the news she had just received.
On the very day she arrived in Ravenna, she learned that her fiancé, Laszlo, had already left Vienna to inherit the throne of Hungary.
Even though the journey from Ravenna to Vienna was less than seven days, the heartless Laszlo didn't want to wait a moment longer.
The sensitive Leonor could already envision the bitter married life that awaited her.
Her fiancé, whom she had never met, clearly valued power and dominion more.
This marriage can be traced back to 1448. Before that, let's introduce the background of this beautiful princess.
Leonor was the eldest daughter of King Duarte I of Portugal. Well, her two elder sisters had died young, so she was indeed the eldest daughter.
At the age of four, her father unfortunately passed away. Soon after, her mother lost a political struggle with powerful officials and was forced into exile in Castile, leaving Leonor and her siblings in the Portuguese court.
Soon after, her mother also died of illness in Castile.
Later, Leonor was taken by her uncle, King Alfonso V of Aragon and Naples, to Barcelona, where she grew up in the court.
In 1448, the 14-year-old Leonor had blossomed into a beautiful noble lady, renowned in the Western European kingdoms. Alfonso V began arranging a marriage for his niece.
At the time, there were two main suitable candidates: one was Louis, the Dauphin, eldest son of King Charles VII of France.
The other was Laszlo, the Crown Prince, the only son of Albrecht II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Leonor preferred Laszlo because it would allow her to become a higher-ranking Empress rather than merely a Queen.
At that time, being still young, she probably didn't understand the abstract Elector system of the Holy Roman Empire, thinking that the succession to the throne of the Holy Roman Empire was hereditary, like most countries, right?
The two sides began negotiations, and a marriage negotiation took place in Naples in 1451.
King Alfonso V of Aragon proposed holding the wedding in Rome, where he could personally preside over the ceremony, with the Pope as the witness, making it a grand wedding of the century.
Albrecht II insisted on holding the wedding in Vienna and, citing Laszlo's young age, postponed the wedding date to 1455.
Although Alfonso V expressed dissatisfaction with this proposal, he ultimately agreed to Albrecht's request out of respect for the Holy Roman Emperor.
So, at the beginning of spring in 1455, Alfonso V's envoys departed from Naples to Vienna to deliver the national letter, and the ship carrying Leonor and her dowry attendants also set sail from Barcelona, escorted by the Aragon navy, heading for Italy.
At sea, the fleet encountered an attack by Italian pirates, but fortunately, no disaster occurred, and Leonor arrived in Rome safely.
Here, the escorting party switched to carriages and crossed Italy to Ravenna on the Adriatic Sea coast, preparing to cross the Adriatic Sea by ship from there to Austria.
While they were resting in Ravenna, news came from Austria that Archduke of Austria Laszlo had left Vienna to inherit the throne of Hungary.
Leonor now faced two choices.
To continue on to Vienna, waiting for Laszlo's return as agreed; or to compromise and go to Hungary to marry Laszlo there.
As for running back to Naples in a fit of pique? Leonor never even considered it.
She was a clever woman and wouldn't make trouble for herself. Since her marriage to Laszlo was a foregone conclusion, she should try to get along with her husband's family, and she certainly couldn't offend her own family. Anyway, whether in Austria or Aragon, her life as a Portuguese princess was merely one of dependency.
The current King of Portugal was her biological brother, but her brother seemed more enthusiastic about developing barren and impoverished African lands, maintaining an indifferent attitude towards his sister's marriage.
After much thought, Leonor made a decision: she would go to Vienna. This was her last act of stubbornness; she couldn't let that arrogant little brat look down on her!
Well, Leonor was 6 years older than Laszlo, and in her eyes, Laszlo was just an immature little brat who, upon seeing a lavish crown, would abandon everything and rush towards it, causing a lady to grieve for him. That was hardly gentlemanly.