Marriage Alliance Considerations

At the Vienna Palace hunting grounds, Franz's marksmanship was as steady as ever.

Perhaps he loved life too much and could not bear to kill, so whenever he fired, it was always the flowers and grass nearby that suffered.

"Franz, how many times have I told you? A gun isn't used like that. Can't you aim properly?"

A familiar voice rang out, shattering the harmonious atmosphere. Without question, the newcomer was Archduke Charles. No one else dared to be so presumptuous.

Franz argued confidently, "Hunting is meant to be a game. Why take it so seriously?

"There have been far fewer animals lately. If we keep ravaging them like this, it won't be long before they go extinct."

He could not lose face. After so many years of political tempering, Franz had long since cultivated the ability to keep a straight face.

Sure enough, in the shortest time possible, he found a fitting excuse. The palace hunting grounds were not large, so naturally there were not many wild animals there.

Archduke Charles loved hunting, and many of the smarter wild animals had fled. The ones left behind were the dumber ones, so the spoils of the hunt had been dwindling.

Of course, fleeing was not necessarily a good choice either. There were no wildlife protection laws in this era; they might die even faster outside.

Archduke Charles nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder my catches have been getting smaller. So the prey has decreased. It seems we really do need to pay attention to that."

After a pause, he suddenly came to his senses. "No, Franz, stop changing the subject. You've worn that trick to the bone.

"With that terrible marksmanship of yours, if you went onto a battlefield, who knew how many comrades you'd accidentally wound. Aren't you ashamed?"

Franz retorted,