Miguel I's youth had been spent wandering between Paris and Vienna, steeped in the court politics of both countries. He deeply admired Francis II and Metternich; after all, Louis XVIII was an utterly charmless and mean-spirited man.
Miguel I should have married his own niece and become king of Portugal, but because he and his eldest brother had clashed severely over the Magna Carta, he was ultimately defeated and exiled.
Francis II might not have achieved much, but as an elder, he was still decent enough. He took in Miguel I, who was like a dog that had lost its home.
In the days that followed, Miguel I remained in exile in Vienna, where he successively earned three degrees from the University of Vienna.
But Miguel I's days were not easy. While Francis II was alive, he could still receive some assistance from time to time, but after the latter passed away, he could only apply for political-exile subsidies.
After all, no one believed Miguel I still had any chance of restoring his kingdom, and any investment in him was meaningless.
Yet Vienna was already the best place Miguel I could choose. In other countries, his treatment was even worse than in Vienna. At least the Austrian Empire had not taken back the private residence Francis II had provided for Miguel I.
From 1834 until now, fifteen years had passed. Miguel I had tasted all the warmth and coldness of the world. He often woke with a start from his dreams. If he could do it all over again, he would absolutely never give up the throne so easily.
When Miguel I saw the news in the newspaper, he was so excited that tears filled his eyes. He knew his opportunity had come.
In Vienna, Miguel I had once had