Chapter 74: Urging Marriage

Carlo felt quite good to be back in Italy once again.

Italy did not have so much backstabbing and intrigue, and his relationship with his brothers was very stable; it was far better than the terrible situation in Spain.

After returning to the room he had occupied before leaving for Spain, Carlo's mood also achieved a brief moment of peace.

The exhaustion of the journey made Carlo very sleepy, so he decided to enjoy a wonderful night and go to reminisce with his father and brothers the next day.

Coming to Italy this time, the two maids also followed Carlo.

After all, they were also Italian, and the purpose of this trip was to bring their families along to Spain, as it was unknown when they would return to Italy next.

Carlo had many maids, but Anna and Alice were not ordinary maids.

They were only responsible for Carlo's daily life and helped him resolve some private matters; their status was more like that of Carlo's lovers.

Although he could not give them official status, providing their families with a wealthy life was entirely possible.

If Carlo had more lovers in the future, the treatment would be the same. After all, Carlo was not the type to pull away without feeling, and money was merely something he could obtain with a wave of his hand.

After falling asleep peacefully under the service of his maids and enjoying a wonderful night, Carlo went to pay his respects to his father, Victor Emmanuel II, early the next morning.

Although it had been less than a year since he went to Spain, Carlo felt that his father, Victor Emmanuel II, had changed significantly.

It was to be expected. Emmanuel II was born in 1820 and had just turned 50 this year; in this era, he was already entering old age.

Coupled with the fact that the unification of Italy had allowed him to relax, this change in state was only natural.

If Carlo remembered correctly, it seemed that King Emmanuel in history had not lived past 60. If it was not much different from history, perhaps there were only a few years left.

"Father, why have you aged so much in just over a year?" Upon seeing his father, Emmanuel, Carlo began to show concern for his health to draw them closer.

"I am already 50, Carlo." Emmanuel II walked up, affectionately patted Carlo on the head, and said with a smile: "Thank God, my child is still doing well.

Did you suffer any grievances in Spain? If you cannot hold on, remember to have Luo Lun send me a telegram, and I will have the navy go to welcome you back."

Carlo nodded; Emmanuel II's concern for him was clearly visible.

Although Carlo was a transmigrator, he not only felt no disrespect toward this convenient father, Emmanuel II, but actually respected and approved of him quite a bit.

Regardless of what this king's reputation was in Italy, at least to Carlo, he was a qualified father, a single father who did everything in his power to give his child all his love.

"I am doing very well in Spain, Father." Carlo said with a smile: "The rebellion of the Carlists has been suppressed, and the rebellion in Cuba has also ended; Spain will usher in a period of peace.

With the help of the Duke of Primo and Grand Duke Serrano, I am very safe in Spain, so you do not need to worry about me."

Hearing Carlo's words, Emmanuel II first looked at his son seriously, then nodded heavily, a proud smile on his face as he said: "That is good, Carlo.

But I still want to say, we are always a family, and I will always be your father, Carlo.

If there is anything to discuss upon returning this time, leave it to those officials; I will have Giovanni help you as much as possible. Stay at the Wang Gong during this time; you haven't seen Rosa yet, have you?"

Rosa was Emmanuel II's second wife; before this, she had always accompanied Emmanuel II as his mistress.

From this point, one could see how normal it was for European nobles of this era to have a mistress; this was not a stain among nobles, but rather a topic of conversation.

A noble without a mistress would instead be suspected of being physically incapable; after all, even a queen like Isabella had countless lovers.

However, there was a tacit understanding among nobles. Mistresses mostly had lower status, and even if one like Rosa eventually became a queen, her offspring would not have the right of Wang Weijicheng.

Queen Rosa bore Emmanuel II a daughter, Victoria, and a son, Emmanuel, but only the son, Emmanuel, received the title of Count of Fontanafredda.

The sons born to his first wife, Adelaide, all held the title of Duke; the only one who was a Count was only because he died young and did not have time to be enfeoffed as a Duke.

This also showed Emmanuel's attitude toward legitimate sons versus illegitimate ones, and the importance European nobles placed on bloodline.

Even if Carlo and all his brothers met with accidents, the Italian throne would not fall to the Emmanuel born to Rosa.

Carlo had no objections to Emmanuel marrying Rosa. After all, whether as a mistress or as a queen, it was no loss to Carlo's interests.

Seeing Carlo nod in agreement, Emmanuel II smiled again and said: "You are nearly 20 years old; it is time to find a suitable marriage.

Carlo, I believe you understand that a suitable wife can not only keep your Wang Gong in perfect order but also bring much assistance to the development of the country.

It is a pity that Adelaide is no longer here, otherwise she would certainly have been able to pick a beautiful queen for you."

Matters of marriage like this should mostly be handled by the mother. Usually, it involved organizing a large banquet, inviting potential marriage candidates to attend, and finding a girl one favored during the banquet.

But because Carlo's mother, Queen Adelaide, passed away too early, matters regarding marriage could only be prepared by Carlo or the Spanish government.

Although Rosa was also the Queen of Italy, she was not Carlo's mother and was a queen of a morganatic marriage; the banquets she prepared might not be able to invite the royal families of those great powers.

Nobles still placed great importance on these things. Carlo's marriage candidate would ideally be a princess from one of the great powers, who could bring Carlo practical and effective help.

The next tier would be princesses from those European kingdoms; at least their noble bloodlines were recognized by other European countries, and there would be no issues with their lineage.

Speaking of his own marriage problem, Carlo also had a massive headache.

Relying on Carlo's looks and wealth, as well as his status as the King of Spain, finding a girl he liked was not a problem.

But Spain's requirements for a queen were not just that Carlo liked her; she also needed a noble bloodline, and the country behind her had to be able to provide help to Spain.

This was already a very small range, and finding a suitable queen candidate within such a small range was still very difficult.

Currently, the most suitable ones were the royal families of Britain or Germany. Britain was the most powerful naval power, and Germany was the most powerful land power; both could provide sufficient help to Spain.

However, thinking of Queen Victoria's famous hemophilia, Carlo had a headache. If he were unlucky enough to let the Spanish royal family inherit hemophilia, that would truly be a disaster.

Hemophilia was one of the main reasons for the extinction of European royal lines, and even in later generations, there was no proper cure.

The Spanish royal family already had only Carlo as the sole seedling; if they were to let the next generation inherit hemophilia due to a marriage with the British royal family, then the reign of the House of Savoy in Spain could probably start its countdown.

First update, seeking support!





(End of chapter)