Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 047
Chapter Title: Marriage Reversal (2)
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He's not quite the apple of my eye... More like a sore spot and a hot potato for me, my younger brother.
After my audience with the emperor concluded, I sat there lost in thought.
His judgment had been spot-on—he hadn't mentioned it for fear it might disrupt the event.
If I'd known beforehand, my head would've been such a mess that I might've stumbled once or twice during the speech.
"Hah... marriage... marriage."
Me, the eldest son, tying the knot with the Habsburgs, and now my younger brother, the second son, getting entangled with the Hohenzollerns through marriage?
Of course, neither he nor Wilhelmina were direct heirs, so there wouldn't be any messy lineage issues, but the real problem was that this was a 100% political marriage.
Given the already tangled politics of the Holy Roman Empire, word was bound to spread, and the other electors—not to mention Britain and France—would be watching with bated breath.
That's probably why Wilhelm had gone out of his way to send that letter of cooperation to Charles VI.
It wasn't just about marrying off Lorraine's second son to his eldest daughter.
This marriage carried the potential to subtly shift the balance of power across the entire Empire.
In the original history, my brother had actually married Maria Anna, Theresia's younger sister, forging a double alliance between Lorraine and the Habsburgs.
Charles VI had vehemently opposed it, fearing the Habsburgs might fall entirely into our hands, but we'd pushed through with the marriage after his death anyway.
Even then, I'd wondered if it was going too far, but compared to the emotions surging through me now, that was nothing.
As Charles VI had said, the first thing to figure out was whether Wilhelm was truly serious about this marriage or just testing the waters... Either way, it spelled trouble.
If he was serious, it meant we had to respond in kind.
And if it was just a probe... then even if it meant developing tobacco a hundred times more harmful than now, I'd make sure to kill him for it.
As I tried to sort through my thoughts, my father-in-law summoned me again.
Was it a message saying we'd better annul this marriage after all? Please, let it be.
"Franz."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor, looking apologetic, personally brewed some coffee and slid it toward me as he spoke.
"A marriage between Lorraine and Brandenburg could become an extremely sensitive issue for the Empire. The Privy Council has voiced direct concerns as well."
"That's to be expected."
"Indeed. But if your plan to gain major advantages through Prussia pans out, this alliance isn't without merit. That said, upending the status quo like this will inevitably stir up noise."
"Do you know how my father has reacted, by any chance?"
He'd already fretted that France might invade when I announced my betrothal to Theresia. Now it was Prussia—he really needed to watch his health, or he'd end up bedridden.
"The Duke of Lorraine is probably dumbfounded. He even came to me asking for advice on how to handle this. So I've decided to meet with the parties involved and hear them out. What do you think?"
"By 'parties involved,' do you mean summoning my brother to Vienna?"
"Yes. And the Elector of Brandenburg, anticipating as much, has offered to send his daughter here as well."
"...Pardon?"
So that's what Friedrich meant when he said he'd drop by soon with good news.
Hey, you madman. How is your sister marrying my brother 'good news'?
I'd poured my soul into reassuring Louis XV, and now I'd have to do it all over again.
"Your Majesty, if I recall correctly, wasn't the Elector of Brandenburg pursuing a match with Hanover... I mean, Britain?"
"He was. His wife is from Hanover, after all."
"Then Britain might see this as us sabotaging an alliance between them and Brandenburg. Shouldn't we explain it to them, or at least give Ambassador Robinson a heads-up?"
"You're right."
Now I'd have to sweet-talk not just France, but Britain too, assuring them we weren't trying to screw them over.
Thank goodness I'd already won Robinson over; otherwise, my head would've really throbbed.
"Then I'll handle Ambassador Robinson. Please manage the Privy Council's concerns and the other nobles, Your Majesty. No matter what, I won't let anything harm Austria."
"Good. I trust you."
His unwavering faith steadied my swirling thoughts a bit.
Right. Since the deed was done, just scrambling to contain the damage was the worst option.
I needed to manage the fallout while steering things as much to our advantage as possible.
Every day felt like a storm unto itself.
Unlike my past life, it was like I was walking straight into the fire pit of my own accord. Just my imagination, right?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Charles Alexandre de Lorraine, fifth son of Duke Leopold of Lorraine and Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans, and de facto second son—entering Vienna triumphantly to follow in his brother's footsteps!"
"Triumphantly? More like you got summoned, you idiot."
"Oh, come on, I know that. But saying it like this makes me feel better."
My dear seventeen-year-old brother had a far more manly face than when I'd last seen him.
Of course, he only looked more grown-up; the way his eyes darted around at Vienna's splendor showed he was still just a kid.
"You keeping up with your administrative studies? How's it going?"
"Looks like your eye for people is spot-on, bro. Call me Charles the Administrative Genius."
"Sure thing, Charles the Administrative Genius. What's the mood like back home?"
"You actually called me that... Anyway, Dad and Mom were both shocked out of their minds. Mom especially—she's stomping around because now I'm getting hitched to a German girl too."
"Haha..."
Makes sense; Mom was from the French royal family, so she'd probably hoped one of us would marry into French royalty.
Sorry, Mom, but in the original history, this guy still ended up with a German girl.
"Dad said he'd hear your thoughts before deciding. Your exploits lately have been insane—off to Berlin, then Versailles, snagging a Privy Council seat. He brags about you to everyone he meets."
"Really?"
In my past life, I hadn't earned that trust, so it was a relief to make up for it now.
"When you get back, tell him he won't even need to brag anymore."
"Oho, big confidence there? But seriously, bro, do I have to go back to Lorraine?"
"...What, you planning to settle here? And it's Lorraine, not 'Loren'."
"Come on, you know what I mean. Your marriage to Archduchess Theresia is a done deal, so I should help with your business more actively. Handing it all to one Wertheimer isn't cutting it anymore—the scale's too big. And that Wilhelmina would probably prefer Vienna over Lorraine anyway."
This guy's brain was ambition incarnate.
Look at him already assuming not just me and Theresia, but him and Wilhelmina were getting married.
"Hey, you aren't seriously wanting to marry Princess Wilhelmina, are you?"
"What's wrong with that? Just between us bros, I actually had a thing for Archduchess Theresia's little sister too. But she's way too young, right? Sure, you went after Theresia when she was even younger, but even I have limits with my ambition..."
"What? Want me to send you back to Lorraine tomorrow? I'll tell His Majesty right away..."
"No, no! I'm kidding, kidding. Haha! I know better than anyone you treasure the Archduchess for more than that! I'm your one and only brother, after all."
Two perfectly healthy sisters would spit blood hearing this. But he was right about being the only brother, so what could I do?
Anyone else would've been exiled on the spot, but since it was my brother, I'd let it slide this once.
"Anyway, you're not unhappy about the marriage talks with Wilhelmina?"
"I was thrown at first, but if it works out, it's a win for us, right? Not as deep as the Habsburg ties, but we're linking up with Brandenburg at least."
"That means getting sucked even deeper into the Holy Roman Empire's messy politics. You do realize you're walking into that sticky swamp of your own free will?"
"Bro, didn't we become irredeemable mud-dwellers the moment you got engaged to Archduchess Theresia?"
True, he had a point.
"Fair enough. Actually, Lorraine was born in the mud to begin with."
"Exactly. That's why I agree with you—we need to make a choice. Dad went all-out to become duke, but that's why he's so cautious about everything. Lately, I've been thinking the choice isn't ours; it's France's and Austria's."
"So since we've chosen the Holy Roman Empire, we might as well pull in Prussia? Sigh... I agree, but you think France or Britain will sit still?"
A frontrunner for Holy Roman Emperor and his brother marrying Prussia's princess? Anyone would see it as Austria cozying up to Prussia.
I'd laid it all out to Charles VI till my tongue blistered, but I wondered if my brother grasped it all.
Yet he spoke with surprising gravity, in a way that was so very him.
"I gave up on becoming a general like Prince Eugene ages ago, so I gotta climb another way, right? I'm ready. A real man steels himself for risks like this to get ahead."
"Hah... How'd you turn out with a personality like that between Dad and Mom? Fine, if you're set on it, I'll back you fully. It'll be tough, but I'll smooth things over with France by spilling the beans. Britain's already handled, so don't worry."
"Whoa... Reliable as ever. But if I'd said no, would you have shut the marriage down?"
"Obviously. Political or not, I won't force you into a marriage you hate."
He went quiet for a moment, clearly moved.
Steer you away from dead-end paths early, guide you to your talents, even pick your spouse your way.
In this era, a brother like that deserved a billion out of a hundred.
"Uh... well... there's one thing I wanna confirm, honestly."
"What? Something bothering you after all? Spill it. It's fine, really."
"Yeah. It's kinda important, so I've been holding back."
Sigh. Classic 18th-century political marriage jitters.
No matter the ambition, this involved France, Britain, Prussia, Austria, and the Empire's electors—enough to shake the world.
It'd be weirder if a kid his age wasn't crushed by the pressure.
"Like I said, we can ally with Brandenburg without you marrying. If it's even a little burdensome, tell me. I'll go to His Majesty today and find another way."
"Really? Then I gotta ask this..."
"What?"
"Uh... you said you've met that Wilhelmina before, right?"
I wondered what deep secret he was hemming and hawing over when he asked in a sly tone.
"...Is she pretty?"
I was speechless for a second.
...Right? That's the key question.
So much for ambition and success—you're just a guy after all, little bro.
All twelve contingency plans for if he balked at marriage? Scrapped instantly.
Now my mind raced with how to milk maximum gain from this union.
Still... if he marries Wilhelmina, does that make me and Friedrich in-laws of sorts?
One degree removed, but family with that potato overlord?
Living three lives, and absurd stuff like this happens. Life's full of wonders.
You never know where it'll lead.