To seize control of his own fate, he could only keep climbing upward, become one of the nation's rulers, and become someone the people trusted and obeyed.
And in a country like Italy, there was only one way to do that: become the King of Italy.
But clearly, for Carlo, who still had two older brothers above him, becoming the King of Italy was basically impossible.
Still, that did not mean there was no chance at all. According to the course of history, a revolution was about to erupt in Spain, and Italy's House of Savoy was about to obtain the Spanish crown.
Although that crown would rest upon the House of Savoy's head for only three years, this was Carlo's closest chance to the throne.
As long as he could surpass his older brother Prince Amadeo in the competition, Carlo would have a chance to obtain the Spanish crown and become King of the Kingdom of Spain.
But this was ultimately only a plan, and turning it into reality would be fraught with difficulties.
No matter what, to prepare for the plan in advance, it was necessary to amass a certain amount of talent and wealth.
After all, without startup capital, every plan was nothing but empty talk.
As for property, the land and castles under Carlo's name were worth at least two to three million Lira. One pound was approximately twenty-five Lira, or about 7.33 grams of gold, and in this era before currency depreciation, that was quite valuable.
Unfortunately, most of those lands and castles could not be sold, because they had come from the Royal Family.
The only property Carlo could truly dispose of himself was the Royal Family annuity he received each year, which averaged around 260,000 Lira annually.
However, because Carlo was still a minor, that money had always been held by his father, Vittorio Emanuele II. By estimation, it had accumulated to nearly three million Lira.
Carlo's target was precisely that 2.6 million Lira annuity. If he could obtain the right to freely dispose of his own property, that money alone would be enough for him to accomplish many things.
The good news was that, judging by how much his father Vittorio Emanuele II cared for him, it should be easy for Carlo to gain control over his own property.
After all, Carlo's mother, Archduchess Adelaide, had died more than a decade ago. There was no longer any obstacle between Carlo and the right to dispose of his own property.
Although Carlo was still a minor, this was precisely what would allow him to obtain a fairly reliable subordinate from Vittorio Emanuele II.
After all, Carlo's property belonged to Carlo himself. Vittorio Emanuele II might keep it for him until he came of age, but he could not keep it for him forever.
And if Carlo wished to properly manage and operate his assets now, he needed more capable assistants, someone like a court steward.
In European courts, a royal steward was an extremely important figure. A steward was not only a noble's most capable and loyal assistant, but also someone whose fate was tied to the entire noble family.
Moreover, in most cases, a position like steward would often become a different kind of hereditary system. Take Vittorio Emanuele II's steward, Bellis Bourne. His father had been the steward of King Carlo Emanuele III of Sardinia, and his son would very likely become the steward of Crown Prince Umberto. The Italian Royal Family trusted them deeply; those were the subordinates truly worth trusting.
If a sufficiently loyal and capable steward helped Carlo manage his property, Vittorio Emanuele II would surely feel at ease letting Carlo gain the right to dispose of it himself.
And where would such a loyal and capable steward come from? Naturally, Vittorio Emanuele II would select one from among the subordinates he trusted.
Several days later, in the Office of the King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II looked at his son Carlo with surprise and asked curiously, "Little Carlo, may I know why you wish to exercise the right to dispose of your own property?"
It was not that Vittorio Emanuele II begrudged him the more than two million Lira in assets. It was simply that this was an enormous fortune, and Vittorio Emanuele II did not wish to see his child fall into depravity because of money.
"To invest in some businesses." Carlo looked as though he were speaking the plain truth as he answered in detail, "That way, when Brother Umberto and Brother Amadeo get married, I'll have money to give them gifts."
Hearing Carlo's answer, Vittorio Emanuele II lovingly stroked Carlo's head and said with a laugh caught between tears and amusement, "You already have enough money to give them gifts, Carlo.
More than two million Lira is enough to build a warship. Surely you aren't planning to give them a fleet as a gift, are you, child?"
Carlo shook his head, seeming quite serious. "That isn't my money, Father. I want to use money I truly earned to give them gifts. Only then will it make me happy."
"All right, child, you've convinced me." Vittorio Emanuele II smiled and nodded, saying helplessly, "What reason could I possibly have to refuse? This should be the best reason in the world, shouldn't it?"
"However, Carlo, I still need to remind you. Before you come of age, you need a capable and loyal steward to help you manage your property.
"Of course, you will still have the final say on how it is spent, but at the very least, you need someone who can figure out exactly what these more than two million Lira in assets actually consist of, don't you?" Vittorio Emanuele II continued.
Italy's Lira was worth roughly the same as France's franc, and more than two million francs was absolutely no small sum in this era.
Even converted into gold, the most valuable precious metal at present, it amounted to more than seven hundred kilograms, nearly a full ton.
That was also why Vittorio Emanuele II had said Carlo needed a sufficiently loyal and capable steward to help manage his assets: there was simply too much money involved.
Carlo was naturally delighted by this, since the Italian Royal Family had quite an ample reserve of talented people.
Although the Kingdom of Italy had only been established recently, its predecessor had been the Kingdom of Sardinia. While the Kingdom of Sardinia had little presence in all of Europe, there were still quite a few capable people loyal to the Royal Family.
Seeing that Carlo did not reject his sending a loyal subordinate to help manage his property, Vittorio Emanuele II also breathed a sigh of relief.
To show his fatherly love, Vittorio Emanuele II immediately added, "To show my support, Carlo, I'll round it up for you. A full three million Lira. You can come to me and collect it whenever you wish."
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