Prince Schwarzenberg entered Franz's office. Looking at the mountain of documents piled on the desk, he once again had the illusion that he was not dedicated enough to his work.
The last time had been when he visited Baron Bruck's residence. As the Austrian Empire's Minister of Finance and Governor of the Imperial Central Bank, Baron Bruck's daily workload far exceeded what an ordinary person could bear.
Franz understood this as well. Baron Bruck was getting on in years, after all, so he had transferred John Sina and the elder Böhm-Bawerk to the Imperial Central Bank to serve as Baron Bruck's assistants.
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Council's deliberations have concluded. Please review them."
Prince Schwarzenberg handed the report and meeting minutes to Mia Aties, who served as secretary, and she in turn passed them on to Franz.
Franz quickly skimmed through the results of the meeting. To be honest, he was somewhat disappointed. In the entire Austrian Empire, there was not a single person who could understand his line of thinking.
But that was only natural. Franz came from a different era, after all. The defining trait of Austrian elites in this age was their belief that all human behavior was based on rational judgment, yet the facts proved they were wrong beyond measure.
"Inform the Russians that the Austrian Empire will continue to honor the alliance. Have Albrecht make preparations. The army is to complete its assembly and reach the front within one month."
Prince Schwarzenberg hesitated for a moment before asking, "Should we give ourselves more time to prepare?"
Franz understood Prince Schwarzenberg's meaning. On one hand, the Austrian Empire's troops had only just returned home. Sending them back and forth like this would be hard on the soldiers, and it would also be an enormous drain on