"Please, go ahead."
The Earl of Derby spoke with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"The alliance between the Austrian Empire and Russia is only unbreakable on the surface. In truth, the two countries have never reached a consensus on the question of who should possess the lands of the Balkans.
"This time, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire not because the Ottoman side had truly made any move."
"Of course it could not possibly be because of the Ottomans. Right now, they cannot avoid war fast enough."
Viscount Stratford sneered.
"But still less could it be to support an ally!"
Palmerston stressed his words. He disliked being interrupted, but he was also well aware that he was at odds with the prime minister, that the errands he had handled had returned empty-handed one after another, and that he had now become a marginal figure, unable to order people about as he had in the past.
"Because the Austrian Empire knew nothing at all about the Russians' actions. They were just as shocked as we were. In response to Russia's unilateral move, quite a few people in the upper ranks of the Austrian Empire displayed fear and distrust.
"And the Russian side was suspicious of the Austrian Empire maintaining a large bandit-suppression force in Transylvania. After all, generally speaking, suppressing bandits did not require so many men, much less such a long time.
"Perhaps the Austrians simply wanted to find an excuse to station troops in the Balkans. Moreover, the Austrian Empire had close relations with Greece, while Russia and Greece were competitors in the Balkans.
"All three sides wanted to fight over the Ottoman Empire's inheritance. This was their conflict of interests.
"Besides that, in Wallachia, the Russians had never given up infiltrating it, even when