"Get lost!"
That witch who brought a country to ruin, Lola Montez. Only our Prince Metternich had a worse reputation across the German lands.
Ludwig I had indeed been a poor king, but Lola Montez was no good either. Her extravagance had been one of the hands that pushed Bavaria's finances to the brink of collapse.
What could one woman buy that would leave an entire country unable to support itself? Some might think Franz's impression of her was too harsh.
But what if the woman in question loved building wonders? She had Imperial Avenue built, renovated Munich Palace, collected ancient Roman and Greek artifacts from across Europe, and constructed a lavish villa modeled after Versailles in Paris.
Ludwig I had already been a womanizer and a king who loved to show off. Lola Montez and a pack of corrupt Bavarian officials had drained the already impoverished country dry.
But Lola Montez was clearly a little cleverer than her partners. At least she hadn't been burned alive by the furious people of Bavaria or hanged from some tree.
In 1848, Bavaria's Minister of the Interior, Berks, its chief steward, Hunterberg, and a host of other officials were brought to account. The people stormed their estates, seized their valuables, then set fire to the officials and their homes.
Though Lola Montez had escaped that fate, she had lost her fortune. Now she was simply looking for a new meal ticket powerful enough to protect her.
And Franz, Crown Prince of Austria, saint in the eyes of the Church, and benefactor in the hearts of refugees, had naturally caught her attention.
First, there had been plenty of rumors about Franz's former aide. Apparently, she had once been a dancer, a French noblewoman in exile.
That was remarkably similar to Lola Montez's own