As for Franz's actions, Ludwig had no objections—or rather, in his eyes, everything was God's will.
Though Maximilian was unhappy about Franz arranging things for him, he had nothing to say when it meant escaping this predicament. As for Sophie, it was enough that the arrangement benefited the family. Besides, she didn't like being used.
In truth, Sophie doted on Maximilian. But she wasn't a good mother in the usual sense. For the sake of her eaglet's future, she wouldn't hesitate to kick him off a cliff.
The regent Queen Christina was clearly dissatisfied with the outcome. The person she truly wanted to marry into her family was Franz.
But she couldn't afford to provoke Russia, and if she had to settle for second best, Maximilian wasn't out of the question.
Maximilian was actually quite well known among the nobility. After all, there were plenty of royals with scholarly reputations, but few who were scholars in fact.
On that score, Maximilian was unquestionably an oddity. And almost everyone knew that Sophie was seeking a throne for him.
Christina thought that neither Maximilian, nor Sophie, nor the House of Habsburg could possibly refuse the temptation of the Spanish throne.
The result, however, left her utterly dumbfounded. The House of Habsburg put forward only an underage Archduke. And the intended bride wasn't her eldest daughter, Isabella II, but her youngest.
That dashed Christina's hopes. This marriage would bring no immediate benefits. Even after Luisa Fernanda and Ludwig married, they would, by all accounts, settle in Austria.
In the regent Queen's original plan, she could use the Austrian Empire's name to cow the opposition at home. Ideally, Austria would even send troops to help her put down domestic rebellions. At the very least, she could borrow money from the banks in the name