Follower of Christ

"Your Majesty?" Veszter's voice broke Laszlo's reverie. He came back to his senses, raised a hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then continued to ponder which option to choose.

Regardless of how Hungary was annexed, it seemed to yield good returns, but he always felt compelled to choose the second option.

What would be the ultimate fate of Austria and the Habsburg Dynasty?

Would it become a "multi-ethnic universal empire" torn into ten pieces, as in history?

Or would it be more decisive, embracing the Holy Roman Empire's younger brothers as the elder brother of the German people, establishing an empire of the German people that had truly completed centralized reform—a Holy Roman Empire that was both holy, Roman, and even more of an empire?

The idea of "non-my-kind, their hearts must be different" was deeply rooted in Laszlo's heart.

Although at the beginning of his transmigration he received the so-called "Hungarian" correction, learned Hungarian, and gained the affection of the Hungarians, he was ultimately destined to build an empire of the German people. The German people must be the main ethnic group and must hold an absolute advantage. Only in this way could the empire be spared the fate of disintegration.

Moreover, a hasty merger with Hungary would likely lead to internal strife, and it was possible that the period of weakness after this Crusade would be prolonged for several years, which Laszlo was unwilling to see.

Laszlo firmly decided and chose Option Two, and the panel disappeared accordingly.

"Veszter, you will serve as the new Regent of Hungary. I authorize you to form a new cabinet government, but I will take the King's Seal back to Vienna. Besides Janos, no one else deserves this trust."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Veszter was still very happy at heart; Laszlo's trust in him made him satisfied.

As a minister who had long managed the finances of the Hungarian Royal family, Veszter's talent in nation-building was superior to Janos. Now that the war was over and everything was waiting to be rebuilt, employing him could accelerate Hungary's development.

After handling Hungarian affairs, Laszlo did not wish to stay longer. He ordered Adolf to organize the army for the return journey, while he, with his personal cavalry, departed ahead of them, rushing back to Vienna as quickly as possible.

One day in early July, near dusk, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Laszlo rode his swift horse, rushing into the palace in a hurry, startling the palace guards at the gate. They almost stopped the Emperor with their halberds, but fortunately, they managed to move aside at the last moment.

Laszlo left his horse in the open space in front of the palace gate and eagerly walked into the palace, where he met a gaunt young man.

Laszlo looked closely and saw that it was Matthias.

Matthias stared blankly at Laszlo, not reacting for a moment.

"Matthias, you…" Half of Laszlo's joy of returning home was diluted. Matthias's sorrow reminded him of the grief he felt witnessing Janos's departure.

"Your Majesty, welcome back." Matthias politely bowed to Laszlo, truly looking like a subject.

Yet Laszlo felt as if a tragic, thick barrier had come between them. Perhaps Matthias was secretly resenting him in his heart?

He sighed deeply, patted Matthias's shoulder lightly, and comforted him: "Regarding your father, I am truly sorry. His loyalty and bravery were unparalleled. I hope you can pull yourself together. Janos had extremely high expectations for you, and so do I."

"Your Majesty…" Matthias's eyes were slightly red, and the sorrow and melancholy accumulated in his heart all burst forth in front of Laszlo. This usually calm and steady young man was now crying like a child—he was, after all, just a child.

Laszlo gently stroked his back, speaking comforting words. After a long while, Matthias finally composed himself.

He blushed slightly as he apologized to Laszlo: "Your Majesty, I am very sorry for delaying you for so long. Empress Leonor has already returned to her room to rest. Crown Prince Christopher is in another room, being cared for by several maids. Please go and reunite with them quickly."

"Matthias, you must adjust your mood well. Don't let sorrow drown you."

"I will, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Matthias bowed to Laszlo again, this time expressing his gratitude with genuine sincerity.

Their conversation ended, and Laszlo quickly walked towards the bedroom.

The passing of life and the birth of new life bring both sorrow and joy.

Now it was time to move past the sorrow and embrace the joy.

He pushed open the door, and the room was brightly lit.

Leonor was sitting at the desk, reading a book that felt very familiar to him—it was the one he had hidden deep in his desk drawer… Hiss, Laszlo suddenly felt like closing the door and calming down.

Hearing the movement, Leonor was startled. She quickly hid the book in her hand, turned abruptly, and met Laszlo's gaze.

"Laszlo, you're finally back!" Leonor was overjoyed. She subtly placed the book back into the drawer and stood up to greet her returning husband.

"Ahem, I missed you terribly, Leonor. But, were you just looking at that…"

Laszlo found it a bit difficult to say.

Leonor's face flushed slightly, but she quickly reacted and retorted, justifiably, "Then why would Laszlo have such a book in his desk?"

Laszlo quickly explained: "It's a misunderstanding, Leonor, I've never read that book. I only got it in the first place because I fell for some slander—someone told me it was a great work by my teacher in his youth. Out of curiosity, I had someone get it, but who knew it was that kind of…"

He was lying; there were a few more exciting ones hidden in secret corners.

Leonor was so surprised her mouth hung open, instinctively thinking Laszlo was tricking her.

"How could the respectable Mr. Aeneas possibly write something as… as vulgar as 'Lovers' Stories'?"

Laszlo indicated that he also wanted to know why his teacher had written a bunch of erotic novels when he was young, and that the main period of creation was during his time in the church and the early days of his arrival at the Vienna court.

It seemed that even Teacher Aeneas, revered as a court laureate poet and great scholar, had a wild past.

"Ahem, let's not talk about that for now. Take me to see our child."

"Ah, yes." Leonor naturally took Laszlo's arm and led him towards the room where the child was resting.

The couple soon met the fruit of their love.

In the soft swaddling clothes, a healthy and adorable baby boy lay quietly.

His small face was like a freshly peeled egg, fair and smooth, with a faint pink hue, making one want to gently touch him.

His round cheeks seemed to hide two tiny apples, rising and falling slightly with his even breaths.

Laszlo felt his heart melt. This little one was a gift from heaven to him and Leonor. Just looking at him brought immense satisfaction.

He was the hope for the dynasty's continuation. The vast empire of the Habsburg Dynasty would be inherited by him in the future, and Laszlo would provide him with the best education.

In this era, medical technology was not advanced, and for every pregnant woman, childbirth was a moment of life and death. This fact would not change regardless of one's social status.

Leonor also bore immense risk, but fortunately, both mother and child survived in the end.

Thinking of this, he embraced Leonor with a touch of heartache, whispering in her ear, "Let's go out. Let's not wake the baby."

"Mmm." Leonor and Laszlo left the baby's resting room. Three maids and a wet nurse stood guard at the door; they were responsible for taking turns caring for the esteemed Imperial Crown Prince.

"Have you thought of a name for the child?" Leonor asked expectantly.

Laszlo nodded gently: "I specifically asked Teacher Aeneas for his advice. He said that to commemorate the great victory of the Crusade, naming the child Christopher would be very suitable. I think it's a good name. What do you think?"

"Christopher, a follower of Christ? A very good name. But when I think that Mr. Aeneas came up with it, I just…"

Leonor thought again of the exciting novel in Laszlo's desk. She had discovered it by chance, and its content was truly audacious.

In fact, it wasn't the first time she had read it. Lonely nights always needed some amusement, after all.

However, now that she knew the book was actually the work of Laszlo's teacher, Aeneas, it made it difficult for her to look at the respected scholar directly.

"Ahem, everyone was young once, so let's not dwell on these small matters. It's already very late now. Tomorrow, we'll ask Empress Dowager Elizabeth's opinion. If she's also satisfied, then our child will be named Christopher."

"Okay."

Laszlo and Leonor, reunited after a long separation, indulged in intimacy that night. Nearly two months had passed since Leonor gave birth, and her body had largely recovered. Laszlo did not suppress his desires and began working towards their second child plan.

The next morning, the couple went together to visit Empress Dowager Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was also very pleased with the name Christopher, and thus the name of Laszlo's eldest son was decided.