Both sides made a show of eagerly imagining a beautiful future together. Just then, a servant hurried in and whispered a few words in Franz's ear.
After listening, Franz couldn't help frowning, but a moment later his expression relaxed.
"Just in time!"
Franz didn't want to waste any more time with the dead man in front of him. He stood and said,
"Sorry, a relative has come to visit. I'll have to excuse myself."
Franz didn't mind letting old Ali in on some important information. In fact, he hoped this "secret" would get out—the more people who knew, the better.
Although this was good news for Austria, Franz's cousin Otto I was simply too impatient. He was the head of a state, after all. Even if he had to travel, he shouldn't have set out in such a rush.
Hofburg Palace, Grand Ballroom.
"Oh, dear cousin, what brings you here?"
"Shh! Franz, how can you say that? You'll give away my identity."
Otto I whispered from beneath his black cloak, but in the empty ballroom, his voice still carried loudly. Even an echo lingered through the vast hall.
"Cousin, you brought only six people and used a false identity. Aren't you afraid someone will drag you off to an underground slaughterhouse before you even make it into Vienna?"
Otto I's expression stiffened, then he began lecturing Franz earnestly.
"Franz, what are you up to now? Haven't you had enough of playing make-believe? Do you know how many people want you dead?
Someone on the black market has offered a million florins to have you killed. Did you know that?"
"Only a million? How stingy."
Franz still looked completely unconcerned.
"Enough. Tell me why you're here, cousin."
"You're so clever. Surely you can guess?"
"I assumed you were here to visit