The Deposed Duke

Outer Austria, Freiburg.

A beautifully decorated carriage slowly drove out of the University of Freiburg, bid farewell by a crowd of teachers and students.

Today marked the fifth anniversary of the University of Freiburg, the second university established by the Habsburg Family.

As the main patron of the university, Sigismund von Habsburg was invited to attend the anniversary celebration with his wife, Princess Eleanor of Scotland.

At this moment, the celebration had ended, and Sigismund and Eleanor were sitting in the carriage on their way back to the Archducal Palace.

Although Sigismund had been stripped of his title of Archduke of Austria and Count of Tyrol for some reasons, he was still able to rule Freiburg as one of the Austrian princes, guarding Outer Austria.

In the eyes of the people of Austria, this was an act of immense mercy from Albrecht II, who had given his rebellious cousin a fresh start and even a territory to sustain himself.

Especially later, when Albert VI's rebellion was brutally suppressed by the young Emperor Laszlo, even the Emperor's cousin could not escape death on the battlefield.

From this perspective, Albrecht II truly seemed to be a benevolent monarch.

However, if anyone dared to say such words in front of Sigismund, this tragically deposed Duke would likely fight them to the death.

If Albrecht II had thrown him in Lower Austria, or other imperial territories of Austria, that would indeed have been merciful.

But what kind of place was Freiburg?

The capital of Outer Austria, the first line of defense against the Swiss.

It was very close to Zurich and Bern, the two strongest cantons of Switzerland.

After the fall of the Thurgau region, the Swiss Confederation's army had attacked Freiburg from the direction of Schaffhausen.

Fortunately, the city's walls were strong and its supplies abundant, thanks to Sigismund's years of management.

Therefore, until the Italian War ended, the Swiss were unable to advance beyond Freiburg, deep into Outer Austria.

In such a dangerous place, Sigismund barely had a good night's sleep for the first few years after arriving there.

He was afraid of being woken up from his sleep one day by the news that "the Swiss are attacking."

Sigismund often thought back to his grandfather, Leopold III.

He expanded his territory throughout his life, seizing territories such as Freiburg, Trieste, and Feldkirch, greatly strengthening the Habsburg Family's power.

However, when he led an army of six thousand—including over four hundred fully armed knights—into Switzerland, a Swiss peasant army of sixteen hundred heavily defeated the Austrian army and hacked Leopold III to death.

And there was the Zurich War, which broke out more than a decade ago, where his cousin Albert VI led an army to attack the Swiss, but suffered a great defeat and nearly died in the mountains.

Later, Albert VI was executed by Laszlo's army for instigating a rebellion, which further deepened Sigismund's fear.

On one hand, he worried about the wolf-like Swiss returning, and on the other hand, he worried whether his good nephew would settle accounts with him for having launched a rebellion.

Despite living in such constant fear, Sigismund never forgot his duties; he diligently managed Outer Austria.

The establishment of the University of Freiburg was one of his proudest political achievements.

He had intended to build Freiburg into the "Vienna of the Western Territories," but economic constraints meant this plan remained only a concept.

The houses on both sides of the street were orderly, and people were busy with their respective tasks, bowing to Sigismund's carriage as it passed.

As the birthplace of the Habsburg Family, the people of Outer Austria held a simple sense of belonging to the Habsburg Family.

The couple sitting in the carriage did not speak, like two strangers sharing a ride.

Eleanor's marriage to Sigismund was a purely political alliance, entangled with a political conspiracy.

This marriage was achieved despite Albrecht II's strong opposition, directly leading to the rupture between Sigismund and Albrecht II.

Shortly after Sigismund married Eleanor, he launched a rebellion, and after his defeat, he was immediately stripped of his power and exiled to Outer Austria.

Thus, this political alliance ultimately yielded no results, only causing misfortune for both Sigismund and Eleanor.

Eleanor's lack of love for Sigismund also stemmed from a more important reason: this Habsburg prince of Austria was infertile.

Such a scandal would only invite ridicule from outsiders, and Eleanor felt nothing but endless sorrow.

The thought of living with this impotent man for decades more made the distant Scottish princess unable to stop her tears.

She often reminisced about her wonderful life in the French court, which was her happiest time.

When she was twelve, her father, King James I of Scotland, sent her to the French king's court.

She then received her education in the French royal court as a lady-in-waiting to the then Queen of France, now Dowager Queen Marie d'Anjou.

She loved books, was highly educated, and could write in Latin, French, German, and Scots.

She had also translated some chivalric romances from French into German, which were widely popular among noblewomen within the Empire.

When she turned sixteen, the King of Scotland and the King of France jointly decided to marry her to Sigismund, Duke of Outer Austria and Count of Tyrol.

The purpose of this alliance was to sow discord between Austria and Burgundy and to strike at England's good ally, Burgundy.

However, Albrecht II subsequently married his daughter to Charles the Bold, son of the Duke of Burgundy, which directly led to the failure of the French King's and Scottish King's plan, rendering this alliance meaningless.

The carriage slowly drove into the Archducal Palace, and Sigismund and Eleanor dismounted. The steward immediately came forward to greet them.

"Lord Anthony has arrived and is currently waiting for you in the reception room."

Upon hearing this, Sigismund nodded slightly. Anthony's long journey was finally over, and he wondered what news he would bring back from the Low Countries.

"I'll go see him immediately. Is there anything else?"

"An envoy from the Emperor has also arrived, seemingly bringing an imperial decree from the Emperor…."

"Laszlo's envoy?" Sigismund frowned, asking nervously, "Why would he think of me? How did the envoy look, what was his demeanor?"

The steward pondered for a moment and replied, "He looked very respectful, and his expression was very gentle."

"So it's not bad news?"

Sigismund's brows relaxed, and his worries lessened considerably.

Eleanor merely watched her husband coldly from the side. Full of resentment, she found everything about Sigismund displeasing.

Frightened by an unknown decree from his nephew—was there a more pathetic uncle than this?

The thought of Princess Leonor of Portugal, her contemporary, now being the esteemed Empress, enjoying a noble status and a happy family, filled Eleanor with envy.

Meanwhile, she had been married to the Emperor's cousin, an older, impotent man much older than her, living a miserable married life.

However, hearing that Mr. Anthony had returned made Eleanor somewhat happy.

Compared to the uninteresting Sigismund, the handsome, dashing, and charming Anthony had brought her much joy.

However, Anthony often traveled between Burgundy and Austria, spending much of the year working to maintain the alliance between the two countries.

This also left Eleanor to endure loneliness for most of the time.

Of course, Sigismund was unaware of his wife's excessive concern for Anthony.

He was now eager to meet his two guests and learn about the current situation.