Evening Banquet

Franz was at a loss for words and didn't want to continue with this meaningless business. Sophie also found it dull.

"Mother, I heard something unpleasant happened to you in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg?"

Sophie's expression turned cold.

"It was nothing but a bunch of petty cowards who liked digging up old grudges."

During the Napoleonic Wars, the Kingdom of Württemberg had fought the French as a western outpost of Germany, but the Austrian Empire had offered it no support. Later, Württemberg had turned around and joined Napoleon in attacking Austria, so the two sides had long been at odds.

Now Sophie was about to ruin the Kingdom of Württemberg's plans again, yet even so, it had no choice but to accept. At the time, the Austrian Empire held an absolute advantage, both in the German Confederation and in the Zollverein.

Thinking of those old grievances, Sophie's expression suddenly changed.

"And it's all because of you! Next month, Empress Alexandra will come to Vienna with Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna. You'd better behave yourself! Don't go causing trouble!"

"Mm."

Franz's attitude was quite sincere. After all, in theory, marriage into the Russian royal family was the best option at the moment, and this was also Sophie's heartfelt wish.

But Sophie thought he wasn't enthusiastic enough, and the veins in her forehead began to bulge. Still, she couldn't win an argument with him, and she couldn't beat him either, so she could only leave in a huff.

The family dinner that evening was incredibly lavish, but the copious spices robbed the dishes of their original flavors.

Professional chefs actually knew more about this than Franz did, but it was a tradition. In the past, using spices had been a privilege of the nobility, and the royal family naturally