Dialogue and Invitation

By the time Mathilde entered the small parlor, Charles was already teaching Marie the names of the chess pieces.

Seeing that Marie's eyes were a little red and swollen, but her expression had already relaxed, Mathilde felt a secret sense of relief.

"Mademoiselle de Dilièron?" Charles greeted her upon seeing her. "What brings you here as well?"

"Forlan is ill, after all, and needs her rest. It would be too draining for her to entertain us for a long time, wouldn't it?" Mathilde replied, then looked at Charles with great interest. "So you enjoy playing chess as well?"

"Yes, I do. Just a hobby."

"Oh?" Mathilde's eyebrows shot up. "Actually, I'm quite fond of it myself. Shall we play a game?"

"Of course," Charles readily agreed.

Marie gave up her seat and sat to the side to watch the game.

Charles's style of play leaned toward the solid and steady; he liked to set up his defenses before planning an attack. Mathilde, however, was surprisingly aggressive, always preferring offensive strategies. What's more, her skill was quite decent, so Charles quickly cast aside his initial underestimation of her and began to play seriously.

As they played, the two began to chat.

"You know, this game really does correspond to reality," Mathilde said after making a move, then sighed. "A country, with a clear hierarchy, where each part has its own function and acts according to a certain order, and then through their combined strength, they go to battle with another country..."

"That is an excellent summary of chess, Mademoiselle," Charles praised her, then made a move of his own.

"Still, if only governing a country were as simple as playing chess! There are too many entanglements from all sides. Sometimes, you know what the right thing to do is, but you can't do it. My grandfather often sighs over matters of state."

Charles smiled. "That may be so, but if one could always maintain the calm mind of a chess player, it would certainly help in governing, wouldn't it? At the very least, the disgrace of the March Cabinet could have been avoided."

Historical Note: In March 1840, Adolphe Thiers became the Prime Minister of France and declared his intention to pursue an aggressive foreign policy to display France's strength. As a result, he provoked a diplomatic crisis. In July, the four great powers of Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia signed a secret treaty behind France's back, forcing Muhammad Ali of Egypt, whom France supported, to submit to the Ottoman Sultan. Ali eventually yielded. The event was considered a humiliating diplomatic failure for France, causing an uproar in public opinion, and the Thiers cabinet was forced to dissolve in October of that year.

Hearing Charles's words, which contained an implicit criticism of the current regime, Mathilde was unconcerned. After all, the political stance of the Marquis de Tréville's family was no secret. She simply smiled. "So you pay attention to such things as well."

"Of course," Charles replied seriously. "My lifelong vow is to see the day France dominates Europe."

"You boys are always thinking about such things... but that would mean war, wouldn't it? And it seems destined to be a war with England," Mathilde offered a simple assessment.

"England is France's hereditary enemy, is it not? Think about it, for centuries, how many times has France fought against it? If it hadn't repeatedly formed alliances against us, Louis XIV and Napoleon would have long ago completed France's supreme great work."

"Then let's play a hypothetical game. Just playing chess is a little boring," Mathilde said after making another move, offering a sudden proposal.

"Hmm?" Charles was puzzled.

"Let's suppose you are in charge of France. What would you do to achieve your wish? Would you start a war between France and England?" Mathilde looked at Charles, then made another move.

"What an interesting parlor game," Charles replied, then advanced a pawn. "Alright, there's no harm in playing. I believe that to achieve my vow, England must be defeated. But to strangle England, France should first befriend England."

"Hmm?"

"England is too strong right now. France should not rashly challenge it before having a certain degree of confidence. Instead, we should look for an opportunity to strike at Russia first. If we can cut off the Russian bear's claws from reaching into Europe, I guarantee the whole of Europe will cheer."

Mathilde thought for a moment, then nodded. "That seems to have some merit."

She then picked up a piece and made another move.

"At the same time, I believe France's most important future task is to strive to befriend Austria," Charles said, moving out his knight.

"Hmm? Austria?" Mathilde suddenly smiled. "Is Austria that important?"

"Extremely important, Mademoiselle," Charles replied.

"But it's already in decline. It no longer strikes fear into the heart of Europe as it did centuries ago."

"It is precisely for that reason that it is worth befriending. Otherwise, we should have continued to fight it long ago," Charles said, making a move, then continuing to emphasize his point. "The Habsburg imperial family prides itself on its noble blood, but inbreeding and a closed education have turned their descendants into a pile of incompetent, unimaginative, pathetic wretches. Yes, we all know the current Austrian Emperor is a pathetic worm, not worth mentioning."

Historical Note: This refers to Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria, who reigned from 1835 to 1848. He was born with a low intellect and was completely incapable of governing the country.

"But he will have to abdicate eventually," Mathilde countered calmly.

"Yes, and I'm afraid he will abdicate soon. Even a country as frighteningly conservative as Austria can't tolerate an idiot emperor for another ten years," Charles nodded, agreeing with Mathilde. "But look at his successor. That Franz Joseph is also a pathetic wretch. His head is empty, he has no idea how to be flexible, nor how to manage his subjects. He has the talent of nothing more than a shabby innkeeper, only thinking of guarding his inherited family business, but with no idea how to guard it. Aside from being in good physical health, he is useless. I dare say that even a hundred years from now, this pathetic wretch will only be remembered as the incarnation of a prince in fictional romance novels by a gaggle of ignorant young girls."

"Hahahaha..." Mathilde was amused by Charles's joke, then lifted a piece and made a move. "You seem to despise the Austrians."

"No," Charles made a move in return, then answered lightly. "Who would despise an incompetent wretch? I think an Austria like this is a good Austria. It should be preserved as a natural ally of France."

"Hmm?" Mathilde didn't understand. She made another move, then looked at Charles with a questioning gaze.

"France and Austria are both great Catholic powers. For the glory of God, to resist the invasion of heathens and the rebellion of heretics, are they not naturally meant to stand together and fight side-by-side?" Charles replied.

"You must be joking..." Mathilde laughed. "Who considers religion in matters of state? I remember our ancestors allied with the Turks just to weaken the Habsburgs."

"Alright, that reason was, of course, a joke," Charles laughed as well. "But it's also a very good pretext for propaganda. There will always be people who need to believe it..."

"And the real reason?"

"It's obvious," Charles said, taking one of her pawns with his bishop. "Austria is both strong and not strong enough. It is not strong, in that while it has a large territory and population, and a long-standing and reasonably effective administrative system—on these merits alone, it is a friend worth making. And yet, it is strong, in that it is also unimaginably weak and powerless! Its rulers are incompetent and lack ambition. And if you peel away the outer veil, you will find it is merely a collection of parts forcibly stuck together. The various components of its body cannot merge at all. Its internal problems alone are enough to keep it in a state of lethargy."

"So you mean to say that Austria is both strong enough to be an ally, but due to its internal reasons, it won't become too strong and thus won't be able to affect France's position?" Mathilde replied as she made a move.

"You are truly very perceptive," Charles said, giving Mathilde an appreciative glance, then making another move. "We must see that the true pillar of the Austrian Empire is its 8 million Germans. They are the main source of the empire's officials and military officers. In addition, the 8 million Hungarians within the empire are also relatively obedient. But the 16 million Slavs and 10 million Italians are not necessarily so... Just to maintain this empire where the ruling ethnicity is in the minority, how much energy must Austria expend? Thus, because its strength is the lowest, Austria's demands are also the lowest. It is the easiest to satisfy and the most likely to become dependent on us."

"That makes sense."

"So if France wants to dominate Europe, it must simultaneously eliminate the influence of Britain and Russia on the continent. For France to do it alone would be too difficult. Austria will be a potential helper in this great undertaking for France—if utilized properly. Of course, befriending Austria does not mean we should actively promote its strength..."

"Then what should be done?"

"Encourage it to maintain its rule over Italy, encourage it to strike at Turkey and infiltrate the Balkans, but we must absolutely not allow Austria to continue expanding within Germany. If such a thing were to happen, it must be stopped, even if it means war!" Charles said, picking up his rook.

Check.

"Absolutely not allow Austria to expand its territory and population within Germany?"

"Yes. In general, we should absolutely not allow anyone, any country, to unite Germany into a single nation. If anyone attempts to do so, then they should be..." Charles picked up his queen, "...ground into dust!"

Mathilde looked at the chessboard.

"Oh dear, it seems I've been checkmated," she smiled, seemingly unaffected by her defeat.

Charles returned her smile. "You played quite well, actually."

"Regarding your point of view, from your explanation, it seems to have some merit, at least that's how it sounds to me..." Mathilde continued to smile.

"It was just idle chat while playing chess, not worth mentioning," Charles shook his head lightly. "Just a bit of mental recreation after a meal."

"To be able to treat such matters as mental recreation after a meal is already quite remarkable. How many young men like that are left in France today?" Mathilde, however, continued to praise Charles. "Among our peers now, especially among the nobility, how many have considered France in this way? Whether you are right or wrong, at least you have done something more meaningful than gambling, horse racing, amusement, and banquets, have you not?"

"You are too kind," Charles replied, still with a smile.

Mathilde slowly put her pieces back in their original positions. "Monsieur de Tréville, it's really been quite interesting chatting with you."

"I feel the same way, Mademoiselle de Dilièron," Charles said, also slowly putting his own pieces back.

After arranging the pieces, Mathilde looked up at Charles, the gaze behind her glasses somewhat unfocused.

"Monsieur de Tréville, I forgot to mention something. It's one of the reasons I came today."

"What is it?"

"My older sister, Julie, will be hosting her twentieth birthday ball at our home in a few days. I have come to invite you. Would you and your sister do us the honor of attending? If you would be so kind, I will have a servant send over an invitation card when I return home."

Hmm? Charles was a little surprised.

"You don't need to consider things like political stances. This is a ball for us young people. It has nothing to do with any emperor or political position," Mathilde smiled brightly. "I think I am still able to select one or two attendees for my sister's ball. So, I sincerely invite you and your sister to attend..."

Then she turned to look at Marie, who had been silent all this time.

"Marie, you should also be free to attend then, correct?"

"Eh? Me?" Marie snapped back to reality after a moment. "Of course, I can!"

Mathilde looked back at Charles.

She's put it this way. There's really no reason to refuse, is there?

Charles only considered it for a few seconds before replying, "Since you have graced us with such kindness, of course Forlan and I will attend."

"Excellent," Mathilde nodded politely. "Thank you."