Friedrich's Busy Days

On his first visit to the countries of Europe, Friedrich had been exceptionally excited. But that good mood lasted only a few days before he grew sick of it.

Every day, there were banquets, and then more banquets. Discussing matters concerning the fate of nations with the monarchs of various countries, as he had imagined?

Sorry, that simply did not exist. The accompanying Foreign Ministry officials had already settled everything. As crown prince, all he needed to do was tag along and make up the numbers.

No matter how much Franz wanted to temper his son, he would not dare use affairs of state as an experiment. If something went wrong, the losses would be far from minor.

Politics allowed no carelessness whatsoever. One wrong move, and even the heir could be dragged down with it.

Thus, aside from becoming engaged to the House of Baden, Friedrich's mission in visiting the European countries was to visit relatives and strengthen their bonds.

Nearly every European crown prince would make a circuit around the European Continent after reaching adulthood. Officially, it was called traveling the world to broaden one's horizons; in reality, it was to raise their profile while getting a sense of each nation's development.

Franz was one of the few exceptions. The Great Revolution had put him on the throne ahead of time, costing him the chance to socialize with peers his own age.

What appeared to be an ordinary tour was actually steeped in political significance.

At first, these exchanges had chiefly been meant to strengthen the bonds between the future monarchs of different nations and reduce conflicts between their countries.

By now, however, reality had proven that idea far too idealistic. A monarch's personal feelings were utterly insignificant before national interests.

Of course, there was still a positive