Ice and Fire, Two Extremes

With Prime Minister Felix's resignation, Austria's political scene faced another reshuffle. Franz appointed Finance Minister Karl as prime minister.

In truth, this was merely a transitional appointment. Karl Ludwig von Bruck had been born during the Anti-French War and was only seven or eight years younger than Felix.

With stability taking precedence over everything else, Franz saw no need to stir things up. He followed the government's operating rules exactly: the prime minister stepped down early, and the second-ranked finance minister took over in succession.

The cabinet would not be reorganized until the term ended—that would be in 1889. Judging by the timeline, Karl's tenure as interim prime minister would not be short.

By the end of this term, Karl would be about retirement age as well, conveniently making room for those behind him.

Austria underwent no major upheaval amid its political reshuffle, and the transfer of power proceeded very smoothly. This left many people deeply disappointed.

In Paris, Napoleon IV, who was closely watching developments in Austria, was one of those disappointed people.

Whether they liked it or not, France and Austria had become each other's greatest competitors on the European continent.

Though both governments maintained restraint on the surface, in the shadows, neither had hesitated to stab the other in the back.

Especially after the Paris Revolution, the weakened France had gradually fallen behind in international competition.

To stabilize the situation, the Paris Government had been forced into a phase of strategic defense, and Napoleon IV's resentment toward Austria only grew stronger.

Watching the spectacle was one thing, but he was still incapable of meddling in Austria's transfer of power.

"Your Majesty, good news!"

The voice arrived before the man did, carrying from dozens of meters away. Seeing the delight on the foreign minister's face, Napoleon