Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 212 The Socially Unskilled Prince and the Neurotic Princess
If we talk about marching and deploying troops, Archduke Karl can be said to be eloquent. If we talk about territory management, he is also no idiot. He is a talent in both military and administration.

But he was not good with women, although he was polite and a top bachelor with jewels, but when it came to marriage, he considered his brothers more.

Moreover, Solovyov rode with Grand Duke Karl all the way. When the Grand Duke talked about his brothers, he mentioned the Grand Duke Alexander Leopold who was fond of invention, and he was quite regretful.

This inventor, the Archduke, who loved tinkering with rockets, developed a new type of rocket in order to amuse his sister-in-law by setting off fireworks on her birthday. Then a serious accident occurred and the Archduke died in the explosion of the rocket.

Because Karl was talking about the death of his brother, Solovyov didn't ask too much, but what he mentioned was quite interesting. Alexander Leopold used too much gunpowder in the fireworks to increase its range and achieve a higher altitude, which eventually led to the tragedy.

However, the Grand Duke's approach is somewhat like that of a rocket pioneer. At least the principle is very clear.

"If he were here, he could at least help me clear all obstacles to the new weapons bill in the Military Committee."

After all, Franz liked this brother who loved to play tricks. He was always able to come up with new tricks and was very efficient in suppressing dangerous elements in Hungary.

Apart from being a bit conservative, there shouldn't be any other problems.

As for his other brothers, Franz's arrangements were also outrageous. Leopold II had so many sons, none of whom were particularly incompetent, but they were always assigned to inappropriate positions.

"But this kind of accident is inevitable. I almost burned myself when I was making a Molotov cocktail."

"But I can tell that you are very careful. I can tell from the way you protect your body when you are riding a horse."

"Yes, I was in a traffic accident before and broke my arm. I just fully recovered recently."

Carl himself was a cautious man. He smiled, did not continue talking, and continued riding forward.

The Archduke's epilepsy has been occurring frequently lately, and he himself is feeling frightened. He is also under a lot of pressure at work. There is enormous resistance to Austria's military reforms, and there is a group of generals trying to sabotage them, especially Mark.

Solovyov was not sure about the experience package that McDonald could easily pick up. He was by Suvorov's side at the time, and he knew very well the level of both friendly forces and opponents on the Italian battlefield.

"Major, when you heard General Mark, you didn't seem to agree."

"Your Highness in Naples, I am not being arrogant, but that General Mark is simply a mediocre person who only knows how to talk about war on paper. It would be a waste of time for your emperor to use such a person! He is only good at talking, but he is not good at boosting morale or commanding on the battlefield. At this time, it is better to let Archduke John come out. Although this prince is not good at fighting, he has courage!"

"You are somewhat belittling General Mark by saying that. He still has some problems, but intervening in the middle of a military reform is indeed likely to cause trouble."

"No matter what you do, you are afraid of giving up halfway. I have seen this in the Guards in St. Petersburg. The Guards used to have strict discipline, but now some officers are always looking for a more relaxed environment, which also leads to officers not necessarily adapting to their positions. And there is also..."

Solovyov then talked about a lot of ideas, and Karl nodded frequently. He felt that this Russian major was a talented person, but he was a few years younger than himself, and considering his family background and status, he would not be able to play any role.

However, he is the emperor's third brother and a royal child, so he will be restricted in everything he does.

"If a war breaks out now, it will be very bad. According to what you said, Major, the entire military system will be thrown into chaos."

But Karl himself couldn’t intervene, so he just went to his cousin’s residence.

They set out the next morning, and when they entered the estate at noon, they saw Marie-Thérèse dressed as a "peasant woman", but her clothes were very bright, and she was feeding the geese there.

This style is more like her mother, Archduke Karl's aunt, and it can be seen that even such loose clothes can hardly hide her figure. She should be the type that men like in any era.

"Good afternoon, Theresa."

"Cousin Carl, you came earlier than expected."

It can be seen that the princess is in a good mood and is very excited to see Carl.

After all, this cousin was the only "knight" among her relatives who could help her with revenge, and their correspondence also involved discussions about marriage. Even Emperor Franz tacitly agreed to the blind date, but he could not express his consent publicly.

"The road from Vienna to Dresden is unobstructed, so we can arrive earlier."

"yes."

She also saw a Russian major riding a horse behind Archduke Karl, as well as two carriages, which meant that Prince Dolgorukov and his family, who had always taken care of her, had arrived.

"You're all here, it's just right, we can have some fried eggs, and you can try my cooking skills."

She seemed to be more relaxed, like the daughter of an ordinary landowner, but Citizen Louis Capet did not have the opportunity to enjoy the fried eggs, steaks and vegetable salad made by his daughter.

When you enter her residence, you can see small portraits on the small table.

"Karl, you know how much I was looking forward to your arrival. I didn't expect you to bring an officer of the Guards who was with the Tsar. I have seen him in St. Petersburg. Behind His Majesty Paul, that Tsar was a friend of the uncles."

"Your Highness, how is your health?"

"It's fine. How's Elena? And how's that lovely 'Psyche'?"

Obviously she also cared about the friends she met in St. Petersburg, especially these sisters and Louisa, who all helped her to escape from the marriage, and finally she succeeded.

"Her Highness Elena is doing well. After she married to Mecklenburg, she became pregnant again. She is too young, so this may not be good for her health. Her Highness the Queen is in good health recently and reunited with her family in Stockholm. I was by her side as an attendant at the time."

"When I saw her in Petersburg, she was unsteady on her feet. Now that she's a little healthier, that's great. But at my age, apart from my cousin, there seems to be no one around."

"So I will come here, Theresa. My brother has agreed to what I mentioned in the letter, but our meeting is just a blind date. If it is true... Theresa, if I can win your favor, I still need to put you in a difficult position. As for the engagement, it can only be kept secret, because once we announce the news, it will irritate the French, and Austria is not ready yet."

"Karl, I know your difficulties. Only you and Joseph care about me. Joseph's journey in St. Petersburg was not smooth, and he has not thought about this recently. And you..."

She was indeed good-looking, but she looked a little nervous, and Karl was not very good at saying things like that, but his attitude was sincere, and the two of them had some tacit understanding. And Marie Therese also knew that as the Holy Roman Emperor, Franz had a lot to consider, and his skills were not strong, so it would be difficult to rely on Austria.

If they formed an alliance, there would be no need for the countries to end the peace agreement for the French crown.

It seemed that she had no chance of revenge, but she could secretly go on a blind date and get engaged. Even if it didn't work out, she liked her cousin Karl very much, and as a relative, she welcomed him to come over often - although given the busyness of the Grand Duke, it was unlikely that he would always come to her cabin in Dresden.

But what happened at this time was very sudden.

Archduke Karl suddenly became dazed and his eyes were a little dazed. Solovyov, who was beside him, noticed that he was about to have an epileptic seizure. The adjutant that Karl brought with him also noticed it.

"Your Highness, hold on!"

His adjutant rushed to get out the first aid kit, while Solovyov appeared behind the Grand Duke to support him.

"Your Highness, don't let the Archduke bite his tongue, go get a towel!"

But there was no time for the towel, so Marie-Thérèse twisted her "peasant scarf" into a strip and stuffed it into Karl's mouth. Then she fell to the ground and, in coordination with Solovyov's movements, let Karl lie on her lap.

Speaking of which, she was also a girl who loved cleanliness, and she smelled particularly good. Plus, her body had a pair of plump "cherry cakes" where there should be fat, which made Carl feel the fragrance entering his nasal cavity in a trance.

We were originally here to discuss the possibility of getting engaged, but now it has turned into an emergency scene.

Therese obviously did it on purpose. Not only did she use her thigh as a knee pillow, she also stuffed her cousin's head into her arms. However, this also helped Carl calm down quickly.

When the crisis was resolved, Karl's adjutant and Solovyov carried the Grand Duke to the bedroom again.

Marie-Thérèse lived here, and had apparently put aside the pride that her mother had always worried about, and she and the maid took good care of Karl who was lying there.

Although she did it on purpose, she still had feelings for this cousin. After all, the two of them said a lot of true words when they wrote to each other.

When Carl woke up, he discovered this situation.

"Your Highness, you are finally awake."

"Am I sick again?"

"Yes, it would have been troublesome enough if Her Highness Theresa hadn't used her headscarf to give you emergency treatment."

When Solovyov heard what the adjutant said, he knew that he must be aware of the relationship between the Grand Duke and the French princess in exile, and he was also trying to assist them.

"No wonder, there's a delicious smell in my mouth, but eating like this doesn't taste right."

Although Archduke Karl was not a gourmet, he was still somewhat particular. The taste of "lavender milk" in his mouth made his meal feel wrong.

Marie-Thérèse also brought him some goat's milk that had been left to cool for a while, and the bowl felt very warm in her hands.

"Thank you, Theresa. I just felt in a trance and was in the arms of an angel. It was so warm and wonderful."

"That was me holding you. It was so worrying!"

This made Archduke Karl himself feel a little uncomfortable. The commander who always kept a poker face on the battlefield blushed. Except for when he was a child in the arms of his mother and wet nurse, he had not been hugged like this by any woman for a long time.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Your Excellency Marshal, this time is the shortest, only a quarter of an hour."

"Thank God, I am much better now, and thank you too."

However, Archduke Karl thought that this might be fate, and the special "treatment" allowed him to recover quickly.

The princess's bosom did have some magical effect. Solovyov had seen her before. She had never taken care of a child, but any baby or young child felt particularly safe when lying on her bosom.

In terms of effect, it is full of maternal love, but she is still to be married. As for whether she was molested by the guards while she was imprisoned in the castle, it is indeed questionable.

After all, her younger brother, Louis XVII, was indeed taken care of by a group of caretakers who had no idea how to take care of children, but these people were still very good to the children and at least they were fulfilling their responsibilities as caretakers.

So, Solovyov always thought that some people attributed the behavior of the "mobs" and hooligans on the streets of Paris to the princess, and did not examine her - he was not a doctor, which was also very impolite.

However, judging from Archduke Karl's attitude, at least there is no problem with the princess's physical appearance. If there are any concerns in this regard, he will definitely ask a nanny or a doctor to check her out.

After Carl sat up, he saw that his cousin was crying without trying to hide her tears, and her tears kept falling.

"Theresa, I know what you are thinking. But now is a time of peace. If there really is a war, I will definitely serve as your knight."

"But I don't ask you to win. I only ask you to be with me at ordinary times. Fighting is a man's job. I don't understand it, but I hope you return safely from the battlefield every time."

The effect is really good, and there is a family bond between the two people. This epilepsy looks like "Apollo's curse", which suddenly occurs at the right time and actually provides an assist.

However, the engagement can only be kept secret. At present, Austria does not have to worry about Napoleon's guest appearance as the Austrian Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Cardinal of Vienna. If they get married, it will definitely be made public.

If a war really breaks out, this marriage will become proof of Austria's tough attitude towards France.

By the way, the "heart therapy" actually took effect so quickly, and Carl would definitely never forget the taste of this "lavender milk".

(End of this chapter)