Father and Son Dialogue

Carlo finally met Primo.

The leader of the Spanish Revolutionary Army, born into a military family and having experienced numerous wars, now appeared every bit the gentleman, friendly and approachable.

At the welcoming banquet hosted by his father, Vittorio Emanuele II, for Primo, Carlo not only met Primo but also had a very brief yet engaging conversation with him.

"Your Highness Carlo, is the Italy Sun your property?" Primo asked Carlo with great interest upon their first meeting.

"Yes, Marquis Primo," Carlo nodded, not surprised by Primo's question.

The Italy Sun and the content published in the Sun Newspaper were important tools for Carlo to create more advantages for himself.

It would be strange if he hadn't attracted Primo's attention.

"I've read the content reported by the Sun Newspaper; the chief editor of the newspaper is definitely a person with great ideas. I heard you've also reached a cooperation with General Garibaldi?" Primo asked with a smile, appearing curious.

"Yes, Marquis Primo. General Garibaldi is an important contributor to Italian unification, and it is our honor that the Sun Newspaper can cooperate with him," Carlo also nodded with a smile, as basic etiquette was necessary.

Garibaldi was Primo's first test for Carlo. After all, Garibaldi had once supported republicanism. If Carlo supported absolute monarchy, he certainly wouldn't have much affection for such a republican.

The conversation ended so briefly that even Carlo found it a bit unexpected.

If he hadn't been sure that his answers were flawless, Carlo would have suspected that a slip-up in his response had led Primo to decide against supporting him.

As for Primo, after brief contact with the two princes of Italy, he decided to take his next step, which was to personally investigate and understand the two princes.

Both Amadeo and Carlo had lived in Italy for ten or even twenty years.

Their experiences growing up and their attitudes towards certain matters could be investigated, especially concerning their stance on Garibaldi and their ideas on reform.

Primo's primary concern was the two princes' desire for power and their support for reform.

Frankly, Primo did not want a king who would engage in power struggles. Military and political power was a necessary condition for Primo to implement reforms, and he would not allow a new king to contend for this power with him immediately upon taking the throne.

As for reforms, there was no need to discuss them further. If the new king did not support reforms, Primo would not support the new king.

Regarding whether Spain could achieve a revival at a future time node, Primo would not allow any emotional factors beyond reason to influence his choice of the King of Spain.

Even if he had a better impression of Carlo, he absolutely would not decide on the candidate for the King of Spain before completing his assessment of the two princes.

Watching Primo converse with his two sons successively, yet barely speaking a few words to his Crown Prince Umberto, Vittorio Emanuele II instantly understood Primo's true intention.

It turned out Primo's visit to Spain was not to assess any single prince, but to assess his two sons and choose one of them to become the King of Spain.

Theoretically, this was a good thing for the House of Savoy, which was confined to Italy.

If they could establish the House of Savoy in Spain, the family's status among European royalty would further improve, which would also be a good thing for Vittorio Emanuele II himself.

However, as a father, Vittorio Emanuele II did not really want to see any of his children go to Spain.

The current Spain was too chaotic, and without the ability to manage it, it would not be easy to stabilize.

More importantly, although Spain was only separated from Italy by the Mediterranean Sea, with the extremely inconvenient transportation conditions of the time, it felt like an insurmountable barrier.

Although Madrid was only a little over 1000 kilometers from Rome, a round trip would take at least a week.

Whether traveling from Rome to Madrid or from Madrid to Rome, a single journey would take at least half a month.

And for Vittorio Emanuele II and whichever of his children was to become the King of Spain, they might not be able to find several half-month free periods in a year.

Finally understanding everything, Vittorio Emanuele II decided to talk to his two children.

The first person Vittorio Emanuele II found was his youngest son, Carlo, who had just graduated from the Turin Military Academy and was awarded the rank of Captain in the Royal Italian Army.

Carlo had also anticipated Vittorio Emanuele II's arrival and appeared quite calm.

Looking at his growing son, Vittorio Emanuele II seemed to see his own ambitious self from the past.

"Carlo, you were already prepared, weren't you?" Vittorio Emanuele II didn't know how to start and after a moment of silence, he finally said.

"When I founded the Sun Newspaper, I thought of using it as a form of propaganda and waiting for opportunities like Spain.

I am not content to be merely a Duke of the kingdom, but you know, I cannot become the King of Italy, can I?" Carlo didn't know how to explain, so he tried to express his ambition in a roundabout way.

Vittorio Emanuele II nodded. Although Carlo was currently third in line to the Italian throne, this was only because the descendants of Crown Prince Umberto and Prince Amadeo had not yet been born.

Once their descendants were born, Carlo's line of succession would drop further. This also meant that the third in line might be the closest Carlo would ever get to the Italian throne, making it basically impossible for Carlo to become the King of Italy.

Vittorio Emanuele II naturally understood this. In fact, he did not object to Carlo and Amadeo becoming the King of Spain.

It was just that Vittorio Emanuele II was old, and the old king was inevitably reluctant to see his son possibly go to a distant land.

But despite his reluctance, Vittorio Emanuele II knew he should not stand in his son's way.

"I understand, Carlo," Vittorio Emanuele II finally nodded after a long silence. Looking at his son, who was now taller than him, he patted Carlo's head and said with a hint of reluctance, "I will not interfere with your and Amadeo's competition. Regardless of who becomes the King of Spain, I will express my support.

Even if you become the King of Spain and find that being a qualified king is not easy and you want to give up, Italy will welcome you back at any time.

My child, I am your father, and I will never oppose you. I also hope you understand that whether you are the King of Spain or the Duke of Italy, our blood relationship with you, Umberto, and Amadeo will never change, and the glory of Savoy will always accompany us!"

Second update, seeking support!