Compensation

It's obvious that Walter has used some means to embroil the Delvaux family's assets in a lawsuit, leaving Camellia penniless immediately. And she has no relatives or friends—even if she did, probably no one would dare to take her in under Walter's threat.

So in the end, she had no choice but to compromise with that bastard.

Joseph's lips curled into a cold smile. He had previously disdained to pay any attention to Walter, but he never expected that this guy would actually jump into his face.

Let's teach him a lesson while we're at it.

He walked to Camellia's side and gently comforted her:

"Rest assured, I will never allow Madame Delvaux's reputation to be tarnished. And those who framed her will receive their due punishment."

As for how to proceed, he didn't need to handle such trivial matters personally; he could just let Kaunitz take care of it.

The next morning, Court Official from the Schönbrunn Palace came to Joseph's room and respectfully invited him to a farewell banquet held by His Majesty the Emperor at noon.

Joseph, however, gave a cold laugh and said calmly:

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid I'll have to stay in Vienna a little longer."

The Court Official left in surprise, and only a short while later, Austria State Minister Kaunitz, along with Baron Ferrari, Baron Thugut, and other ministers, rushed over.

After the men had exchanged greetings, Kaunitz asked anxiously:

"Your Highness, you were originally scheduled to return to Paris tonight. Why did you change your plans?"

He couldn't help but be anxious. Austria had just decided to launch a major operation in Silesia, and the front lines were eagerly awaiting France reinforcements. However, the French Army couldn't set out unless the Crown Prince of France brought the Vienna Special Agreement back to France.

Joseph said with a stern face:

"As you know, Madame Delvaux has just passed away, and someone has already falsely accused her of involvement in a fraud case. I must wait until the truth is revealed before I can go back in peace."

"Madame Delvaux?" Kaunitz looked at Minister of Foreign Affairs Tugut in surprise, who quickly whispered a few words in his ear.

Queen Mary's wet nurse? Kaunitz frowned immediately. Although wet nurses usually didn't come from very high social standing, they sometimes developed a deep bond with the children they cared for, which could be a bit troublesome.

He quickly gestured to Joseph:

"Your Highness, please return to Paris first, and I guarantee you a satisfactory answer."

"No, I'll wait here for the results," Joseph said calmly.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Kaunitz had no choice but to leave. He immediately ordered someone to summon the Guard officer in charge of the matter—he had just learned the general situation from the Crown Prince's Servant.

He cursed inwardly, wondering which idiot had delayed the war in Silesia because of some fraud case.

After inquiring about the case, Kaunitz immediately went to the Marquess Hartmann, the head of the Secret Police, to ask him to help investigate the matter.

With the involvement of the Secret Police, the officer quickly implicated the Marquis Vilhorna, the Court Guard. The Secret Police then traced the case back to Judge Meyer was handling the fraud case.

The so-called fraud case was fabricated rather hastily, with contradictory evidence. The Secret Police interrogated the suspects for only one day, and everyone from the "fraud victim" to the judge told the truth.

Of course, this was because the State Minister intervened; otherwise, such a low-level false accusation would have been enough to seize all of Camellia's assets.

The accuser was thrown into prison, and the judge quickly dropped the case. Kaunitz excitedly went to tell Joseph the good news, but the latter still showed no intention of returning to Paris.

Kaunitz, in a state of great distress, reported the matter to Leopold II, who was also greatly troubled and ordered Marquess Hartmann to re-examine the case.

The Secret Police immediately took drastic measures against all those involved.

When the Court Guard and the judge learned that Leopold II had personally intervened in the matter, they were somewhat bewildered—the girl was merely a low-ranking Lesser Nobility, how could even the Crown Prince have been alarmed?! [Note 1]

They dared not hide it any longer—risking their future for a few thousand Florin was not worth it—and immediately implicated Baron Walter.

Walter was flirting with women at a ball hosted by Nobility when the His Majesty the Emperor's Royal Guards stormed in and took him away. Due to the suddenness of the incident and the limited communication capabilities of the time, he had not yet received any news of his case being overturned.

After learning the whole story, Leopold II gave his brother-in-law a severe scolding and then sent Kaunitz to invite the Crown Prince of France.

When Joseph entered Leopold II's Reception Room, he saw a Nobility in his early twenties with a sleazy appearance standing tremblingly with his head bowed to one side.

After he and Leopold II exchanged greetings, the latter immediately struck Walter on the back with his cane and shouted:

"Apologize to His Crown Prince immediately, you bastard!"

Joseph raised his hand to stop him:

"Your Majesty, I was not involved in this case, and there is no need to apologize to me. I believe Austria should have laws to punish false accusations, fabrication of evidence, and bribery. Oh, by the way, the person he falsely accused was a respectable Nobility, and she has already passed away."

Leopold II looked at his Judiciary advisor, and the old man quickly stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, if the charges brought by His Crown Prince are proven, then Baron Walter will be sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay double the amount of the false accusation as damages."

Joseph nodded in satisfaction:

"I commend Austria's Judiciary fairness; I think this handling of the matter is excellent."

Walter turned pale with fright, turned around and knelt before Leopold II, pleading:

"Your Majesty, I was wrong. I'm willing to pay compensation. Please don't lock me up in jail, I beg you..."

The more arrogant and domineering a person is on a normal day, the more cowardly they become when faced with adversity.

Leopold II glanced at Joseph, who was studying the murals on the Smallpox, and gritted his teeth in resignation. For the sake of the situation in Silesia, he had no choice but to sacrifice this useless brother-in-law.

"Guards, bring Baron Walter..."

He had barely finished speaking when his wife, Ludovica, rushed in through a side door, gave him and Joseph a hasty bow, and then began to wipe away tears in front of everyone.

"Fred has made a foolish mistake. I beg Your Highness to give him a chance. I am willing to compensate the Delvaux family with 80,000 Florin."

Madame Delvaux left behind an estate of approximately 60,000 Livre, or 25,000 Florin. Her immediate offer of three times that amount seemed to demonstrate her "great" sincerity.

Seeing that Joseph remained unmoved, she gritted her teeth and said:

"100,000 Florin should be enough to restore Madame Delvaux's reputation... Your Highness, please have mercy..."

Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that even if Walter was thrown into prison, given his status, he would most likely be secretly released once he left Vienna. It would be better to try to secure some benefits for Camellia.

"150,000 Florin, plus an apology to Madame Delvaux in the newspaper."

Before Ludovica could say anything, Leopold II immediately nodded and said:

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Crown Prince. We will do as you say."

Joseph was immediately taken aback; it seemed like there was less.

[Note 1] For readers who have forgotten the previous content, here is a reminder. Leopold II is the younger brother of Joseph II. Since the latter had no children, Leopold II is the current Crown Prince of Austria and the designated successor to the Holy Roman Emperor according to the order of succession.

At the same time, Leopold II was also the Grand Duke of Tuscany, so others would address him as "Your Majesty".