Chapter 3: An Unreliable Family

In 1834, Franz was still just a little baby (4 years old), and he could only spend his days bored in the royal nursery.

The night was the most difficult time, because an unreliable mother would come to lull him to sleep. Archduchess Sophie felt that putting a child to sleep was fulfilling a mother's duty, and as a result, Franz couldn't fall asleep.

The big rabbit is sick, the second rabbit looks, the third rabbit buys medicine, the fourth rabbit boils it, the fifth rabbit dies, the sixth rabbit carries it, the seventh rabbit digs a hole, the eighth rabbit buries it, the ninth rabbit sits on the ground and cries, the tenth rabbit asks why it is crying? The ninth rabbit says, the fifth rabbit went away and never came back!

The eerie lyrics were enough to make one shudder upon reflection. However, this mother didn't seem to notice the child's reaction at all, continuing to sing to herself, occasionally yawning, while inwardly complaining: Why won't this child go to sleep yet?

It wasn't that Franz didn't want to sleep, but the bizarre lyrics were stuck in his brain, and he was too scared to drift off. One had to realize that this was one of the top ten horror nursery rhymes passed down to later generations; how did Archduchess Sophie manage to pick this one?

In the end, Franz came up with a plan: he would tell a story to lull Archduchess Sophie to sleep, and then call the maid to take her away.

Just as Franz let out a sigh of relief, a man reeking of alcohol walked in. This smell of alcohol was quite unique; it wasn't just the scent of one type of liquor, but a mixture of many different kinds.

The person who arrived was none other than Franz's unreliable father. He knew himself that he wasn't quite like normal people, so he always avoided others when he came around.

The heart of a parent caring for their child is the same everywhere, whether they are royalty or an ordinary person.

And so, Franz's father arrived with a pot of wine.

Franz's father had only two hobbies: drinking and hunting. He believed that alcohol was the best thing in the world because once you were drunk, you wouldn't feel tired, and you wouldn't think about those unhappy things.

Franz hadn't cried once since he was born, so his father felt that Franz must be very repressed and must need a release. He also remembered what his own father had once said: "Good things should be shared with family."

So today, he had mixed his ten favorite types of wine together and come to the nursery. He thought he would share his favorite drink with his eldest son, which would also help him grow up fast—after all, drinking alone was no fun.

He poured a glass for Franz, poured one for himself, and then sat there grinning foolishly.

Franz was speechless, his head covered in black lines, unable to help but wonder how the original owner of this body had managed to live to such an old age. He walked to the door, opened it, called the maid over, and whispered a few words. Shortly after, the maid, Mrs. Morcia, let out a scream, and a large group of royal guards and doctors quickly rushed in and packed up Franz's unreliable father to take him away.

Hofburg Palace, Hall of Mirrors.

Francis II was taking a nap on the throne. He liked this room; it was as if he could relive the glory of the Habsburg family here.

The conversation yesterday at St. Stephen's Cathedral, along with any "revelations" and those unreliable plans, had already been cast to the back of his mind. Compared to those adventurous moves, he preferred to enjoy the comfort brought by the afternoon sun.

Francis II had never been a brave man. Once, his younger brother had carried out sweeping military reforms, revitalizing the Austrian army, but in doing so, he had offended some vested interests.

He hadn't been able to withstand the pressure and dismissed Archduke Charles, whom Napoleon had called his "strongest opponent." The result was that even today, those military problems from the previous century continued to plague the Austrian Empire.

Francis II knew very well that Austria's influence both at home and abroad was declining, but the heavy debt and the tangled web of interests made every reform feel like trying to fix one problem only to have another pop up elsewhere.

And so, he remembered again that he should have listened to his other brother, Archduke John, back then and carried out economic reforms, abolishing domestic tariffs to suppress the powerful. At that time, it was during the Napoleonic invasion, and the local power brokers had been severely weakened; it had been a perfect time for reform, but he hadn't adopted it.

Then there was the German Customs Union (Zollverein) established not long ago, which Austria should have joined.

"This is a Prussian conspiracy!"

"We must do something; there can only be one giant within the German Confederation!"

"Once Prussia controls the Customs Union, their development will be unstoppable."

At the time, the entire hall had been in an uproar, with ministers rolling up their sleeves as if they were ready to start a brawl.

Whether it was Finance Minister Kolowrat, Prime Minister Metternich, or that overreaching Baron Bruck, they had all approached Francis II to state the pros and cons of joining the German Customs Union and had strongly advised the Empire to join.

Being excluded from the German Customs Union would greatly weaken Austria's influence. But the domestic nobles opposed it—men like Prince Windisch-Graetz and Prince Esterházy, among others. Francis II felt he couldn't ignore these voices; he had no choice but to...

"No choice." Francis II couldn't help but laugh at himself, a hint of bitterness in his tone. He felt less like a supreme monarch and more like an old widower being led around by the nose by trivial household matters.

Today was the day the Prussian-led German Customs Union was officially established. A tariff agreement lasting eight years would become the foundation for the future disintegration of Austria's influence.

In front of the palace gate, Prime Minister Metternich, Finance Minister Kolowrat, and Baron Bruck—three men with conflicting political views who almost never spoke to one another—had rarely reached a consensus on one thing.

"Austria must join the German Customs Union." The always-straightforward Baron Bruck spoke first. He never liked to beat around the bush and firmly believed that everything he did was for the country.

Finance Minister Kolowrat detested the man before him because Baron Bruck always liked to talk about "for the country" and "for the people."

Kolowrat was completely different; he never hid his greed for money and power.

He believed that those who refused to talk about interests were all hypocrites putting on an act, or vested interests in a certain field throwing up a smokescreen to protect their own gains. These hypocrites were often more terrifying and dirtier than those who were greedy for money and power.

"Austria isn't going to join the German Customs Union; it is going to lead it. Prussia is not fit to lead the German Customs Union! Germany is our dumping ground for goods, our source of raw materials. Austria doesn't have a single colony of its own yet, and this is unacceptable! Germany is our first colony."

After Kolowrat finished speaking, he looked at Baron Bruck provocatively.

"I said what you were thinking. I heard from the doctor that holding things in is bad for your health. You don't have to thank me."

Kolowrat laughed toward the sky and walked toward the palace gate.

Baron Bruck sneered at Kolowrat's behavior and said with disdain

"Madman."

Then he, too, strode into the palace gate.

(End of chapter)