Three-Year Pact

The previous matchmaking had gone very well, and Lady Sophie decided to strike while the iron was hot and settle the marriage between the two sides.

Franz thought it was a good idea too. After all, making the relationship with the Russians official wasn't a bad thing.

On the contrary, it could deter the petty troublemakers who wanted to drive a wedge between the two countries, while also making the other great powers think twice and keeping them from threatening either Russia or Austria so readily.

In fact, if they wanted to win the Crimean War, no matter how many supplies Austria provided Russia, it would be nowhere near as useful as the Russians building a railway to Crimea themselves.

There was a joke about this war: the Russians' transportation costs on their own soil were higher than those of the Anglo-French Allied Forces crossing the ocean.

After the two countries' marriage alliance, Franz would be able to make small adjustments to his plans for the future.

The only problem was that Franz didn't want to marry too soon. The year 1848 was fast approaching, and Austria would become very unsafe, with many uncertainties ahead.

Franz didn't want to increase the chances of anything going wrong, so he thought the wedding should be put off as long as possible.

"Franz, what are you thinking? Getting engaged this year and married next year is perfectly normal. What on earth is this three-year pact?!"

Lady Sophie was furious. She had no idea what Franz was thinking, but if the Russians took this as an insult, they would have a serious problem on their hands.

"Mother, I think it's too early to get married! And there are still plenty of hidden dangers at home—"

"Too early? Other people your age already have sons!