Make France Great Again-Chapter 831 - 822: Departure for Warsaw
"Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will complete it as soon as possible!"
De Luy hurriedly assured Jerome Bonaparte.
"Very well!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded with satisfaction and praised De Luy, "My decision to appoint you as the ambassador to Austria was indeed not a mistake. You are someone worthy of entrusting important matters!"
"Your Majesty, you flatter me!" De Luy maintained a humble attitude and said to Jerome Bonaparte, "By the way, Your Majesty, there’s another matter I wish to report to you!"
"What is it?" Jerome Bonaparte responded indifferently to De Luy.
"It’s about your decision for me to also serve as the representative of Luxembourg to Frankfurt!" De Luy replied to Jerome Bonaparte.
"What’s the issue?" Jerome Bonaparte asked again.
De Luy tactfully informed Jerome Bonaparte that ever since he took on the role of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s representative to Frankfurt, he had to travel to Frankfurt nearly every few days. This dual role made it difficult to manage both sides effectively, so he hoped Jerome Bonaparte could separate the position of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s representative to the Frankfurt Parliament from his role as ambassador to Austria.
After pondering for a moment, Jerome Bonaparte asked De Luy, "Then who do you believe should assume the role of Luxembourg’s ambassador to Frankfurt, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg or the French Empire?"
"Your Majesty, I believe the position should be concurrently held by a Frenchman!" De Luy answered Jerome Bonaparte.
Although he understood that Jerome Bonaparte had private reasons for maintaining Luxembourg and the French Empire as separate entities, as a Frenchman, he still wished for the annexation of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
"Let’s proceed as you suggested!" Jerome Bonaparte responded to De Luy with a calm expression.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" De Luy breathed a sigh of relief internally, knowing that the greatest obstacle to deciding who would serve as the representative to Frankfurt was His Majesty the Emperor. As long as the Emperor agreed, everything could proceed smoothly.
"Alright! That’s all I have to say! Do you have any other questions?" Jerome Bonaparte decided to end the conversation and asked De Luy again.
"No, Your Majesty!" De Luy shook his head and replied to Jerome Bonaparte.
Jerome Bonaparte and De Luy left the room and found Empress Augusta sitting on the sofa.
"Augusta, shall we go?" Jerome Bonaparte said to Augusta with a faint smile.
"Alright!" Augusta rose and came to Jerome Bonaparte, taking his arm.
Under the escort of De Luy, Willie Hunter, and a group of embassy secretaries and soldiers, the two left the embassy and got into the carriage.
"Your Majesty, where are you heading next?" The Austrian cavalry approached Jerome Bonaparte’s carriage once again and asked respectfully.
"Back to Hofburg!" Jerome Bonaparte inside the carriage replied with a blank expression.
"As you command, Your Majesty!" The Austrian cavalry moved away from Jerome Bonaparte’s carriage and ordered his subordinates to return to Hofburg.
The carriage carrying Jerome Bonaparte headed west and soon reached Hofburg a quarter of an hour before noon.
Upon entering Hofburg, they were greeted by Empress Elizabeth and Countess Raphaelt, who warmly took Empress Augusta’s hand and asked her why she came at this time, as she had been waiting at Hofburg all morning.
"We first went to Bishop Angelo Becciu’s church and then to the French embassy in Austria, which delayed us!" Jerome Bonaparte responded to Elizabeth with a smile.
"What did Bishop Becciu want with you early in the morning?" Elizabeth curiously asked.
"What else could it be? Bishop Becciu’s purpose was none other than to get us to make a donation to their church by building closer ties!" Jerome Bonaparte said nonchalantly.
"Did you agree?" Elizabeth asked again. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"We agreed!" Jerome Bonaparte shrugged and joked, "Since Bishop Becciu went to such great lengths for us, how could we possibly leave without being generous?"
"Hmph!" Elizabeth expressed with a slight hint of anger to Jerome Bonaparte, "Bishop Becciu is such a miser; I must report this to His Majesty!"
"Let it be!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and stopped, "The Austrian Empire abolished the tithe not long ago, so I understand Bishop Becciu’s situation! Consider the money a small contribution to God from me!"
"Didn’t your France abolish the tithe early on as well?" Elizabeth countered with France as an example.
"That’s why our church now relies on support from Rome to survive!" Jerome Bonaparte immediately expressed the difficulties faced by the Gaul Church.
The church lands annexed during the Great Revolution were never returned after the revolution, and those clergy of the First Level not only lost their rights but also the funds needed to maintain influence.
So much so that the church needs to rely on aid from Rome to survive, which paradoxically strengthens Rome’s influence in France.
However, for Jerome Bonaparte, the strengthening of Rome’s influence in France is not necessarily a bad thing.
At the very least, Jerome Bonaparte can use the banner of saving the Pope to intervene in the unification of the Italian Region, preventing Italy from unifying for a long time.
"I see!" Empress Elizabeth murmured to herself.
Standing behind Elizabeth, Countess Raphaelt glanced at her pocket watch, nearing noon. She cleared her throat and said to Jerome Bonaparte and the others, "Your Majesties, it’s almost time for lunch! We should proceed to the dining room!"
"Ah! That’s right! I almost forgot!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
Jerome Bonaparte, Augusta, Elizabeth, and Countess Raphaelt arrived at the dining room and took their seats as they did last time.
Once everyone was seated, Franz Joseph nodded to the attendant and ordered, "Begin!"
The attendant quickly sprang into action, and the exquisite dishes were swiftly brought out.
...
After an hour, Jerome Bonaparte and the others finally finished their meal.
Then Franz Joseph and Empress Dowager Sophie extended a ball invitation to Jerome Bonaparte.
"I am truly honored!" Jerome Bonaparte maintained his smile as he spoke to Empress Dowager Sophie.
The entire afternoon, Jerome Bonaparte and Augusta, under Elizabeth’s guidance, strolled around near the Hofburg Palace.
At 7 PM, after enjoying dinner, Franz Joseph, Elizabeth, Jerome Bonaparte, and Augusta headed to the palace where Empress Dowager Sophie resided.
"Welcome! Jerome, Augusta!" Empress Dowager Sophie and Grand Duke Franz Karl stepped forward to greet them.
"It’s an honor to attend your ball, madam!" Jerome Bonaparte slightly bowed to Empress Dowager Sophie.
"Good evening, Mother!" Franz Joseph said to Empress Dowager Sophie with a solemn expression.
"Hello, my child!" Empress Dowager Sophie responded to Franz Joseph with a loving smile.
When it was Elizabeth’s turn to greet Empress Dowager Sophie, her expression immediately turned cold, "Good evening, Qianqian!"
Elizabeth couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed, but she quickly adjusted and followed Empress Dowager Sophie into the ball.
Franz Joseph and the four of them sat in the most prestigious seats at the ball, quietly awaiting the guests in the ballroom below to invite them to dance.
When the music began, Jerome Bonaparte and Augusta rose simultaneously and descended the steps to dance. Many nobles made way for them, creating a large open space in the ballroom.
After an elegant melody ended, the nobles present applauded for them.
Immediately after, Franz Joseph and Elizabeth also descended from their seats to dance.
After both monarchs finished dancing, many nobles eagerly awaited the opportunity to invite the seated monarchs to dance.
...
Time quickly passed to late at night, and after the ball, when all the nobles dispersed.
Jerome Bonaparte and the others, led by Count Gneer, returned to their rooms to rest. They were scheduled to depart from Vienna the next afternoon, and after several days of long and arduous travel, they would arrive in Warsaw to attend Maximilian’s coronation ceremony.
"Your Majesty, I wish you sweet dreams!" Count Gneer respectfully said to Jerome Bonaparte.
"Hmm! You should rest early as well!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded to Baron Gneel and replied.
After Count Gneer left, the candlelight in the bedroom vanished, and the room was engulfed in darkness.
...
The next morning at 9 AM, Jerome Bonaparte and Augusta slowly got up and went to the dining room to have breakfast.
At 9:30 AM, Elizabeth also arrived at the dining room, yawning.
"Good morning!" Elizabeth warmly waved to Jerome Bonaparte and Augusta.
"Good morning!" Jerome Bonaparte responded with a smile as well.
After a simple breakfast, Jerome Bonaparte and Empress Augusta returned to their room once more.
After nearly two days of absence, Mokar reappeared before them and directed the servants of the Hofburg Palace to pack their belongings.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Jerome Bonaparte patted Mokar on the shoulder.
"Your Majesty, it’s my duty!" Mokar humbly replied.
Once everything was packed, the time had silently approached around 11:30.
Franz Joseph appeared before Jerome Bonaparte to inquire about their preparations.
"We can depart at any time!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled and said to Franz Joseph.
"I understand!" Franz Joseph also responded to Jerome Bonaparte.
...
That afternoon at 3 PM, after having lunch and resting for a while, the four monarchs departed from the Hofburg Palace, heading to their first stop at the Vienna Railway Station. At the Vienna Railway Station, they would board a train bound for Prague and then transfer to a train heading to Krakow (in actuality, this railway was not yet fully operational and was "ceded" by the Austrian Empire, so the latter part had to be traveled by carriage).
Finally, through Krakow, they would head to Warsaw, a journey expected to take about a week.
