Chapter 74: Urged Into Marriage
Carlo felt quite good returning to Italy again.
Italy didn’t have so much scheming and infighting, and his relationships with his several brothers were also very stable, much better than the terrible situation in Spain.
After returning to the room where he lived before going to Spain, Carlo’s mood also gained a brief calm.
The fatigue from the journey made Carlo very sleepy, so Carlo decided to enjoy a good night and catch up with his father and brothers the next day.
This time coming to Italy, the two maids also came with Carlo.
After all, they were Italians too, and the purpose of this trip was to bring their families to Spain together, since who knows when the next return to Italy would be.
Carlo had many maids, but Anna and Alice were not ordinary maids.
They were only responsible for Carlo’s daily life, and incidentally helped Carlo deal with some private matters, their status more like Carlo’s lovers.
Although he couldn’t give them official status, providing their families with affluent lives was completely possible.
In the future, if Carlo had more lovers, the treatment would be the same. After all, Carlo wasn’t the type to abandon someone heartlessly; money was just something he could easily obtain.
After falling asleep peacefully under the maids’ service and enjoying a good night, Carlo paid respects to his father Vittorio Emanuele II early the next morning.
Although it had been less than a year since going to Spain, Carlo felt that his father Vittorio Emanuele II had changed a lot.
That made sense. Emanuele II was born in 1820, turning exactly 50 this year, which in this era meant entering old age.
Plus, the unification of Italy had let him relax completely, so changes in his condition were only natural.
If Carlo remembered correctly, the historical King Emanuele didn’t live past If it wasn’t much different from history, it might only be a few years.
“Father, how come after just over a year apart, you’ve aged so much?” Seeing his father Emanuele, Carlo began to express concern for his health, drawing closer their relationship.
“I’m already 50, Carlo.” Emanuele II stepped forward, affectionately touched Carlo’s head, and said with a smile: “Thank God, my child is still doing well.
You weren’t wronged in Spain, right? If you can’t hold on, remember to telegram Loren, and I’ll send the navy to pick you up and bring you back.”
Carlo nodded; Emanuele II’s concern for him was clearly visible.
Although Carlo was a transmigrator, he had no lack of respect for this nominal father Emanuele II; on the contrary, he quite respected and acknowledged him.
No matter what this king’s reputation was in Italy, at least to Carlo, he was a qualified father—a single parent who did his utmost to give his child all his love.
“I’m doing well in Spain, Father.” Carlo said with a smile: “The Carlist faction’s rebellion has been quelled, the rebellion in Cuba has ended, and Spain will usher in a period of peace.
With the help of Duke Primó and Grand Duke Serrano, I’m very safe in Spain. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Hearing Carlo’s words, Emanuele II first seriously looked at his son, then nodded heavily with a proud smile on his face, saying: “That’s good, Carlo.
But I still want to say, we are always family, and I will always be your father, Carlo.
Whatever business brought you back this time, leave it to those officials to discuss. I’ll have Giovanni help you as much as possible. Stay in the royal palace for this period; you haven’t met Rosa yet, have you?”
Rosa was Emanuele II’s second wife; before that, she had always been by Emanuele II’s side as a mistress.
This showed how normal it was for European nobles of this era to have a mistress—it wasn’t a stain among nobles; it even became a topic of conversation among them.
Nobles without mistresses would instead be suspected of having some physical issue, especially since even a queen like Isabella had who knows how many lovers.
But nobles had a tacit understanding. Mistresses usually had lower status; even someone like Rosa who eventually became queen, her offspring wouldn’t have throne inheritance rights.
Queen Rosa bore Emanuele II a daughter, Vitoria, and a son Emanuele, but only the son Emanuele received the title of Count of Fontanafredda.
The sons born to the first wife Adelaide all had ducal titles; the only count was because he died young before being elevated to duke.
This also showed Emanuele’s attitude toward legitimate and illegitimate sons, and how much European nobles valued bloodline.
Even if Carlo and all his brothers met with accidents, Italy’s throne wouldn’t fall to Emanuele born of Rosa.
Carlo had no opinion at all about Emanuele marrying Rosa. After all, whether as mistress or queen, it brought no loss to Carlo’s interests.
Seeing Carlo nod in agreement, Emanuele II smiled again and said: “You’re almost 20 years old too; it’s time to find a suitable marriage.
Carlo, I believe you understand that a suitable wife can not only manage your royal palace impeccably but also bring much assistance to the country’s development.
It’s a pity Adelaide is no longer here; otherwise, she definitely could have picked a beautiful and lovely queen for you.”
Matters like such marriage alliances were usually handled by mothers. Generally, they organized a large banquet, inviting potential marriage candidates to attend, and selected the girl they fancied at the banquet.
But because Carlo’s mother Queen Adelaide passed away too early, marriage alliance matters could only be prepared by Carlo or the Spanish government.
Although Rosa was also Italy’s queen, she wasn’t Carlo’s mother and was a queen from a marriage transcending class differences; the banquet she prepared might not invite royals from those great powers.
Nobles attached great importance to such things. Carlo’s marriage partner should ideally be princesses from those great power countries, able to bring Carlo practical and effective help.
Second best were princesses from European kingdoms; at least their noble bloodlines were recognized by other European countries, with no issues of bloodline.
Speaking of his own marriage issue, Carlo found it very troublesome.
With Carlo’s looks, wealth, and status as King of Spain, finding a girl he liked was no problem.
But Spain’s requirements for a queen weren’t just that Carlo liked her; she also needed noble bloodline, and the country behind her needed to help Spain.
This was already a very narrow range; finding a suitable queen candidate within such a small scope was still very difficult.
Currently, the most suitable were the British or German royals. The United Kingdom was the most powerful naval power, Germany the most powerful army power; both could provide sufficient help to Spain.
But thinking of Queen Victoria’s famous hemophilia, Carlo felt a headache. If unlucky and the Spanish royal family inherited hemophilia, that would really be disastrous.
Hemophilia was one of the main reasons for succession crises in European royals; even in posterity, there was no proper cure.
The Spanish royal family originally had only Carlo as the sole heir; if the next generation inherited hemophilia due to marriage alliance with the British royal family, then the House of Savoy’s rule in Spain could probably enter the countdown.
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