As if he had long known Carlo would say this, Vittorio Emanuele II sighed, but still nodded helplessly. "All right, child. I can only wish you all the best. May God bless you, my child."
"Father, I'm going to Spain. Aren't you going to give me any funds?" Carlo suddenly asked, looking like he was here to collect a debt.
"Ha ha, of course, child." Carlo's interruption successfully dispelled some of Vittorio Emanuele II's melancholy. The old king smiled as well. "But let me remind you: a king's funds cannot be lumped together with the government's finances. No matter how short of money the government is, you can only provide it with funds in the form of loans. Do you understand?"
This was, in truth, a lesson paid for in blood. Under an absolute monarchy, it would be fine—if the king held great power, he could withdraw funds from the treasury at will, and only the government would suffer.
But Spain was a constitutional monarchy. If the king's private coffers were not distinguished from the government treasury, the only one who would suffer would be the king.
It would also make him easy to exploit. He could easily end up carrying the blame for embezzling government funds and incur the hatred of the people of Spain.
That was why Vittorio Emanuele II reminded Carlo that the king's private coffers and the government treasury had to be clearly separated. Even for loans, the specific interest rates and repayment deadlines had to be written down.
Carlo nodded. He understood these matters. Many of Carlo's plans required vast amounts of capital to lay the groundwork; his own private coffers could not possibly be mixed with the government treasury.
After a brief silence, Vittorio Emanuele II looked at his youngest son and said, "Italy's finances may not be abundant, but the House of Savoy still has some capital.
"I'll give you 30 million lira, along with some servants who can attend to your daily needs. Child, if you feel that being King of Spain is not the life you want, Italy will always welcome you."
Carlo was rather surprised by the extent of Vittorio Emanuele II's support.
Thirty million lira was equivalent to 1.2 million pounds. Though the figure did not seem large, in the age of the Dreadnought, it was already enough to build a Dreadnought-class capital ship.
Even in Britain, currently the strongest nation in overall power, a skilled worker's weekly wage was only 9 shillings and 6 pence—and that was the income of an adult male worker. Women and children earned even less. (1 pound = 20 shillings; 1 shilling = 12 pence)
1.2 million pounds was equivalent to the earnings of more than 50,000 workers in Britain laboring for an entire year, enough to prove just how enormous this sum was.
Even the Italian Royal Family, after all expenses were deducted, had an annual income of only 300,000 to 400,000 pounds, at most no more than 500,000 pounds.
This meant that Vittorio Emanuele II had practically handed Carlo three years of the royal family's income, ensuring that Carlo would have sufficient funds in Spain to carry out his plans.
Though he had never experienced the affection between father and son with Vittorio Emanuele II while growing up, Carlo was still moved by his father Vittorio Emanuele II's genuine feelings.
This also strengthened Carlo's resolve: he absolutely could not allow the Italian Royal Family to vanish into smoke alongside Mussolini. So long as either Vittorio Emanuele II or Crown Prince Umberto, and the House of Savoy, remained in control of Italy, Carlo's Spain would never take the initiative to become Italy's enemy.
A few days later, Carlo saw Primo again.
Although fewer than ten days had passed between their two meetings, their conversation had become far more intimate and friendly.
Primo looked at the candidate for king he had personally chosen and expressed his respect and support. "Your Highness Carlo, on behalf of the Prime Minister of Spain, I invite you to inherit the Spanish throne and become the king of all Spaniards."
"It is my honor, Marquis Primo." Carlo nodded with a smile. He did not feel the slightest embarrassment over a throne won through legitimate competition.
"I look forward to working with you, Marquis Primo," Carlo continued. "Just as I said before, I will support your reforms unconditionally. I will not become an obstacle to them."
Hearing Carlo directly express his support for reform, the mountain weighing on Primo's heart finally fell away, and he became utterly relaxed and delighted.
"It is also my honor to serve you, Your Highness." Primo gave Carlo a standard Spanish aristocratic salute, then spoke with great seriousness.
Primo did not mind serving a monarch he recognized. Although his loyalty belonged to all of Spain, so long as Carlo remained on the Spanish throne and did not reveal himself to be a foolish ruler, Primo would remain loyal to Carlo as well.
"Since the throne has been settled, I will return to Spain in the next few days. Your Highness, I hope you can arrive in Madrid within a month. We will prepare a grand coronation ceremony for you." A smile also appeared on Primo's face as he spoke to Carlo.
"That won't be necessary, Marquis Primo." Carlo shook his head, refusing Primo's proposal.
Seeing Primo's surprise, Carlo explained with a smile, "Give me a few days to prepare, and I will travel to Spain with you."
Although the Spanish throne, like the Franco-Prussian War, had come more than a year early, Carlo still worried that something unexpected might happen.
If Primo were assassinated after returning to Spain, Carlo would still face the same situation as Amadeo in Madrid: no one to rely on.
Although the subordinates Carlo had selected for himself, including Garibaldi's second son Giotto, had already developed considerable ability, it was impossible for them to begin in high positions.
Carlo had only two people he could rely on in Spain: Primo and Serrano, both of whom held power in the Spanish government and military.
Of the two, Primo was the more important. Not only was he a key figure among the Reformists, his abilities also surpassed Serrano's.
In Carlo's plans, Primo would remain Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain until his health could no longer bear the burden or Spain's reforms were complete.
Compared with Primo, Serrano was actually better suited to serve as the stabilizing pillar of the military. Serrano, who came from an officer's background, had sufficient prestige in the army. Having him lead Spain's military was the best choice.
During Carlo's first few years in power, authority would still be controlled by Primo and Serrano. This period would also give Carlo's prospective prime ministers time to gradually gain experience and build their reputations.
Only after he had determined that one of them could take over Primo and Serrano's positions would Carlo consider allowing the two stabilizing pillars, Primo and Serrano, to retire.
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