How could Franz ask the Prussians for help when his aunt's husband was in trouble? As a matter of fact, William IV understood this perfectly well. In this life, he hadn't dared accept Augustus II's invitation to send troops into Dresden.
Austria was in turmoil at the time, but in this life it was far stronger than it had been historically. William IV couldn't afford to ignore it, and certainly didn't dare.
And so the Austrian Empire's army marched into Dresden in a grand procession. Its first order of business was naturally to rescue Franz's aunt; only after that would it put down the rebellion.
Sophie's twin sister was a formidable woman in her own right. The moment she appeared in public, Augustus II was forced to take ill.
To be fair, Augustus II's way of thinking was downright bizarre. Prussia had everything to do with Saxony's fall from being the undisputed strongest state in North Germany to its present state.
At the Congress of Vienna, Prussia had driven Saxony to the brink. Yet, at its most perilous moment, Augustus II had chosen to seek help from this old enemy.
Franz found it hard to understand the logic behind his choice. Historically, it made sense that Saxony had turned to Prussia for help because Vienna was in such chaos.
But this life should have been different. Yet Augustus II had still made the same choice as in history.
In truth, Augustus II feared that the Austrian Empire's influence over Saxony would grow too strong, so he hoped to use Prussia to keep it in check.
That was perhaps the plight of being the second-strongest power wedged between two great ones.
On top of that, Augustus II had placed Franz's aunt under house arrest. Although this was an internal Saxon power