Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Joseph II on the side let out an anxious "uh-uh" upon hearing the news.

Leopold II immediately bent down to listen, then said to Tugut, "His Majesty is asking if the French people mentioned the sovereignty of the Walloon Region?"

"Archbishop Talleyrand said the sovereignty still belongs to the King of Southern Netherlands."

"What about Ghent Province then?" Leopold II asked further.

Ghent, located to the south of the Atlantic Ocean, is of extreme strategic importance as it can control the outlet of the Rhine River to the sea.

"Ghent is not included in the special trade zone," Tugut added, "nor is Bruges."

Bruges, another coastal province, is right next to Ghent.

Upon hearing this, Leopold II sighed with relief; with this, the so-called "special trade zone" was entirely inland and included only the provinces of Mons and Namur, as well as a part of the south of Liege. The area was only slightly larger than Luxembourg.

As long as the coastal provinces were kept in hand, along with Antwerp, it would be possible to firmly control the estuary of the Rhine River. That way, the most significant interests of the Southern Netherlands would be preserved.

He looked at Joseph II and nodded, "Your Majesty, I think these terms are acceptable."

In reality, the control over the estuary of the Rhine River that Leopold valued was nothing more than a hot potato for Joseph.

The Rhine is a major commercial artery of Germany. If France controlled the mouth of the Rhine, it would gain tremendous trade advantages in Germany and could even push the British out from there. By that time, the British would surely be willing to wage a national war to drive France away from this place.

In history, one of the core reasons why Britain actively orchestrated the Anti-French Alliance was that France had occupied the entirety of the Southern Netherlands.

Moreover, if the British harbored any ulterior motives towards the Walloon Region, they would first have to cross over the coastal provinces controlled by Austria, which ironically would serve as a barrier for France.

Therefore, it was most appropriate for Austria to keep the coastal provinces.
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Joseph was only interested in the coal resources of the Walloon Region and its large French-speaking population. Furthermore, with the establishment of the Walloon special trade zone, it could be connected with Luxembourg. Once the railway was through, the combined coal and iron resources of the two places would become another powerful engine for the French Industrial Revolution.

As for the issue of sovereignty, that was merely a nominal matter.

Thanks to Joseph's previous management, the Walloon Regional Chamber of Commerce was mostly filled with his appointees, and the president was directly a Frenchman. The military supply preparation committee had long since taken control of every aspect of commerce and trade.

If the Chamber of Commerce managed the administration—a very common practice in France—then it meant Joseph controlled the area.

Also, with no more Austrian Army stationed in the Walloon Region, the Walloon police would be the only force of violence there.

Although it seemed like an "undefended" trade zone, the combat capability of the police had considerable room for variation.

Have you ever heard of the Paris Police Academy? Send the Walloon police there for training, and don't blame me when your regular troops are crying at their hands.

After a long silence, Joseph II also saw it as a no-lose deal and nodded with difficulty, squeezing out a single word:

"Agreed."

...

While Joseph was busy signing the "Vienna Special Agreement" with Leopold II, Madame Delvaux's funeral had completed a series of rituals and officially commenced the burial ceremony.

By the time Joseph arrived at the cemetery from Schonbrunn Palace, the guests attending the funeral had all departed, leaving only a newly erected grave isolated there, with Madame Delvaux's name etched on the tombstone, with a line in smaller text: She was once remembered by the most beautiful Queen of this world.

Camellia still stood in front of the tombstone, her head lowered, reluctant to leave for a long time.

Joseph approached and patted her back, whispering softly,

"Those who have passed are gone, and you too shall have a new home. Her Majesty the Queen awaits you at the Palace of Versailles."

The girl slowly turned her head and curtsied, her voice choked with emotion:

"I am most grateful for your and Her Majesty's care. May God bless you and Her Majesty."

Joseph nodded and then said:

"I shall return to Paris the day after tomorrow. Will you depart with me as Madam Delvaux wished?"

Camellia glanced at her grandmother's gravestone and, with tears streaming down, nodded:

"Yes, Your Highness... Paris is now the only place I can go to..."

While she spoke, court officials from Schonbrunn Palace, led by Eman, approached Joseph and bowed, saying:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Emperor invites you to attend the ball this evening."

A treaty of immense significance to Austria had just been signed; naturally, it merited a proper celebration.

Joseph could only offer the girl a few more words of comfort before leaving two servants to take care of her, then hurried back to Schonbrunn Palace for the political social event.

The next afternoon, Camellia finally ate her first meal in nearly two days, wiped away the tear stains from the corners of her eyes, and prepared to go say farewell to her only friend.

The servants Joseph had sent to look after her immediately got busy preparing the carriage—since all of Delvaux's servants had been dismissed except for Camellia's personal maid, these outdoor matters could only be handled by them.

In a mid-range villa on Lerston Street, Mr. Bazel warmly brought Camellia a cup of hot cocoa:

"Have some, I've added a lot of sugar; it can soothe your soul."

Seeing the girl quietly pick up the cup, he carefully asked:

"So, what are your plans for the future? If..."

He gathered his courage to say, "If you're willing, I could take you away from Vienna, anywhere you like, and then I would take care of you for life."

Though he was Camellia's music teacher, he was also deeply infatuated with her. Therefore, while others shunned her for fear of Baron Walter, he steadfastly protected her.

Now that Madam Delvaux had passed away, he was the only one left to protect this poor girl in the world. He may not be able to confront Walter, but he could take her away. For her, he was willing to give up his comfortable life and spend the rest of his days on the run.

However, before he could speak these words, he heard the girl whisper softly, "Grandmother wrote a letter to the Queen of France; the Crown Prince of France will take me to Paris."

She looked up at Bazel: "I am very afraid; it is a distant and strange place, and I do not know what fate awaits me there. Do you think I should go?"

Bazel's heart tightened; he wanted to say "No, don't go," but then he hesitated.

The Crown Prince of France?

He slowly bowed his head. If Camellia could go to the Palace of Versailles, that would be a thousand times better than running from Baron Walter with him.

That was the life she deserved.

It took just two seconds for his eyes to fill with determination, for this was an opportunity for her.

He had heard Camellia mention her grandmother's relationship with the Queen of France, meaning she might have many chances to meet the future King of France!

Although with her background, it was absolutely impossible for her to become the Crown Princess, even a slight connection with the Crown Prince could turn her destiny upside down.