Ambrosius

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Today, a minor archduke had arrived here. He was about to be sent to Brazil by the Austrian Army as an observer, and one of his reasons for coming was to bid farewell to the current head of the House of Habsburg.

His name was Karl Ambrosius. But as a country nobleman, poverty had limited his imagination.

And so, on his very first visit to the palace, he got lost.

But as a member of the House of Habsburg, he had his pride. He would never bow his head to anyone.

His bewildered glances soon attracted the attention of the noblewomen and maids, who began whispering among themselves.

"Oh, who's that?"

"One look tells you he's a country bumpkin."

"He may be a country boy, but he's quite handsome. Someone should keep him around and show him the world."

The women burst into laughter, but one sharp-eyed maid noticed something and pointed it out.

"Look, that's the royal crest."

The women who had been teasing him fell silent at once, then scattered in every direction.

Some had already given up, but others only grew more excited.

What they didn't know was that Karl Ambrosius's family owned just 150 acres of land. They couldn't even afford a carriage, let alone provide the kind of life the women wanted.

The Austrian Empire's greatest landowner, Archduke Charles, owned three million acres. The difference between them was twenty thousandfold.

At last, Ambrosius spotted someone he could ask for directions. A young woman was approaching, carrying a child tucked under her arm.

Anyone who could do that in this palace had to be a member of the royal family, Ambrosius thought.

"Thalia, can't you ride a horse? Being carried like this is so uncomfortable," Franz complained.

"My little archduke, I'm just an unlucky governess and babysitter. If I rode a horse through the palace today, you'd be collecting my corpse tomorrow. You wouldn't get your money back then." Thalia was so annoyed with Franz that her chest heaved.

The day before, Thalia had been informed that the emperor was to meet Archduke Franz today.

Thalia had arrived at Franz's room early that morning, but he had said he wanted to go back to sleep.

Since there was still plenty of time, Thalia had readily agreed. Then she had fallen asleep in Franz's room.

When she woke up, she found that the appointed time had already passed.

So she had no choice but to carry Franz and march at a brisk pace.

As Thalia hurried along, someone suddenly appeared around the corner. He dropped to one knee, reached out, and took her free hand.

"Hello, beautiful lady. I was hoping—"

Before he could finish, Thalia kicked him in the face.

"I'm not interested! Goodbye."

"Thalia, someone actually tried to pick you up," Franz teased.

"You little brat." Thalia tightened her grip around Franz.

...I just wanted to ask for directions. Is that so hard? Dad's way of introducing himself doesn't work at all, Ambrosius sighed.

Eventually, a passing guard told Ambrosius that the Hall of Mirrors was not in Schönbrunn Palace.

Ambrosius hurried off to the Hall of Mirrors.

In the Hall of Mirrors, an old man and a young boy sat upon the throne. The old man was Emperor Francis II, and the boy was the one Ambrosius had just seen.

Franz even waved at the unlucky man before him.

Ambrosius was so excited to meet the emperor that he began enthusiastically describing how he felt.

Francis II, however, had no interest in listening.

What did catch his attention was the résumé handed to him by the royal steward.

This unkempt country bumpkin, who looked as if he had never seen the world (his face was a little dirty because Thalia had kicked him), had received remarkably high praise from the military academy.

Even more astonishingly, the person who had praised him was none other than the legendary figure of the Austrian military, Archduke Charles—his younger brother, and one of the people he loathed most in the world.

Though Francis II and Archduke Charles were at odds, he knew his brother had a high opinion of himself and would never praise anyone lightly.

To earn Archduke Charles's praise was proof that this young man had exceptional ability.

Franz had also seen Archduke Charles's assessment. He remembered what the archduke had said about his eldest son, Albrecht: "Give him two corps, and it'll be murder."

In other words, Albrecht had the ability to command no more than one corps.

Yet historically, Albrecht had been a general who won every battle he fought. At the Battle of Custoza, he had led 80,000 Austrian troops to crush the 120,000 Italian soldiers personally commanded by King Victor Emmanuel II.

Being sent as a military observer seemed like a waste of his talent.

Military observers from Austria were usually just going on government-funded vacations.

After considering the matter, Francis II decided to follow the cabinet's recommendation after all.

He would promote Ambrosius to major general and send him abroad as an army observer.

When Archduke Ambrosius heard the decision, he couldn't help feeling dejected.

Still, it was already a good outcome for him. Without that tenuous blood connection, even a general's rank without real authority would have been beyond his reach.

Most military academy graduates had to start as captains. He had no idea how far ahead of the others he already was.

Ambrosius had another purpose for coming: he wanted the emperor to arrange a marriage for him.

His family was so poor that there was no chance he could marry a legitimate princess. His bloodline was already impure, and if he married a commoner, his descendants might not even be considered nobles.

Though his family had fallen into decline, he and his father still placed great importance on their bloodline. They could not accept the possibility that their descendants might lose their noble status.

Of course, Ambrosius had confidence in himself. His grades at the military academy were excellent, and Archduke Charles had said he would become a pillar of the Austrian Empire.

Ambrosius believed he was a general with a bright future. He had no money at the moment, but his prospects were excellent—and he was also Archduke Charles's student.

However, Ambrosius knew that the emperor and Archduke Charles were at odds, so he didn't dare bring up that connection. He simply asked the head of the family for help as a younger member of the clan.

But Francis II couldn't care less about Ambrosius's affairs.

He waved a hand to indicate that Ambrosius could leave and report for duty.

But after taking only a couple of steps, Ambrosius stopped and turned back.

"For the sake of Empress Theresa, for the sake of God, please, Your Majesty! Even a princess with a disability or an illness would do!"

Ambrosius's ancestor had been a child of Empress Theresa, which was how he had come to hold royal status.

There were indeed some princesses in other countries who had disabilities or illnesses. Even so, their families would demand a handsome dowry.

And Francis II happened to be a very stingy emperor (perhaps because he had paid too much in war reparations).

Ambrosius's behavior left Franz dumbfounded. He couldn't understand how a perfectly normal person could suddenly act like this.

In truth, Franz underestimated how deeply people of that era clung to status and rank.

Franz looked at Francis II in confusion, thinking, Does Austria have a system for granting marriages, as well as one for granting titles?

Francis II had seen this sort of thing many times and was no longer surprised.

He spoke unhurriedly.

"You're still young, and the Austrian Empire's finances are poor at the moment. Young people with real talent can often persuade the great families to provide their daughters with generous dowries. You'll have to keep working hard."

In short, he wasn't going to help. Ambrosius would have to find someone who could bring him money.

Ambrosius's disappointment was plain to see. He didn't keep pressing the matter and chose to leave.

Watching Ambrosius's retreating figure, Franz decided to help him.

Perhaps it was time to put the House of Habsburg's traditional talents to use. A brand-new colonial plan took shape in Franz's mind.

This is a transitional chapter, laying the groundwork for what comes next. Stay tuned!