Holy Roman Empire

After Frederick’s betrothal, Franz finalized the marriage arrangements for his other three sons with the fastest possible speed. Since the children were still young, the betrothal was only verbal, with the ceremony to follow in the future.

In those days, royal marriages were arranged by the parents, and a suitable match was all about equal social rank. As long as both sets of parents agreed, it was basically settled, and the opinions of those involved were rarely sought.

Even if you asked, it was futile; the oldest involved was barely in their teens, and the youngest not even ten. Expecting them to ponder a lifelong commitment was truly unreasonable.

Seeing that Franz was not in high spirits, Queen Helen asked with concern, "What’s the matter, are you worried about something?"

"Yes, I am wondering whether arranging marriages for the little guys now is right or wrong. If we choose poorly, will they resent us?" Franz replied.

All he heard was Queen Helen laughing lightly, "Franz, aren’t you overthinking it? Isn’t this how all members of the royal family have done it? How bad can it possibly be?

Resent us, based on what? You should know that I personally asked for their opinions, and they agreed on their own. Do they even have the right to back out now?"

Looking at the imperious Empress, Franz couldn’t help wondering if he was seeing things, for he had never noticed Helen’s dominating side before.

As for asking for the "sons’ opinions," Franz simply ignored that. Was it difficult to persuade teens and kids?

Franz shamelessly deflected, "Alright, these are the wives they have chosen for themselves, so they must be responsible for their own choices."

Indeed, they had chosen their wives themselves. During this period, the royal families of England, Belgium, & Montenegro each had more than one princess, and forming marriage alliances was about the relationship between two families, not necessarily a specific princess.

The British Royal Family had four princesses, apart from Edward’s three daughters, Prince Alfred also had a daughter who appeared to still be breast-feeding.

Not to mention the Montenegrin Royal Family, where Nicholas I was the ’Father-in-law of Europe,’ with no less than 6 daughters; one had passed away early, leaving 5. The oldest was 13, and the youngest had just stopped breast-feeding.

The Belgian Royal Family had fewer princesses; Leopold II only had one daughter, but his brother and cousin had two more.

Considering the situation they faced, the range of choices seemed quite broad. In reality, it was the opposite. Franz’s youngest son was already in his teens, so how could he choose a breast-feeding infant?

Once those of unsuitable age were ruled out, there was instantly no choice left. To avoid being laughed at, the three little guys promptly followed Queen Helen’s suggestion.

These were trivial issues, as royal family members never really had a choice in marriage. A symbolic inquiry about their preferences already showed great respect for personal wishes.

With his sons’ lifelong matters settled, Franz prepared to reveal the truth about the "royal disease" to the whole world.

It was tough for Franz to deal such a blow right after forming marriage alliances, but to protect the royal families of Europe from the ravages of hemophilia, he firmly decided to sacrifice his own integrity.

...

Paris, after Napoleon III’s transformation, had become even more prosperous.

Following the succession of Napoleon IV, the French government busy with power struggles left them with neither the energy nor the desire to innovate, hence they continued Napoleon III’s economic policies.

While the French economy was increasingly leaning toward the financial industry, overall, it remained healthy. Even after experiencing an economic crisis, Paris was still as thriving as ever.

In this vibrant international metropolis, known for active thinking, newspapers had become a part of people’s lives. Parisians with even a modest economic capacity had developed the good habit of subscribing to newspapers.

Mark Penn was one of them. After a simple breakfast, he habitually went to the newspaper stop and picked up his subscribed paper.

As soon as he grabbed the newspaper, his face changed upon seeing the headline.

The headline was striking: "The Culprit of the Royal Disease—Victoria’s Curse." The content inside was even more astounding.

Without any added commentary, the article simply summarized all cases of the royal disease, identified a pattern, and concluded that all patients were descendants of Queen Victoria.

Below, a detailed family tree was attached to prove the relationship between "royal disease" sufferers and Queen Victoria with facts.

In the face of such evidence, Mark naturally believed it. Then he gleefully reveled in the misfortune, with no doubt that once the news spread, the British Royal Family would face great troubles.

It might even trigger political repercussions, as European royal families, long suffering from the "royal disease," were expected to thoroughly despise the British.

Without the Franco-Prussian war, the French’s prime enemy was still Britain. As for Austria, it remained an insignificant and defeated underling according to French newspapers.

The glorious legacy of the Napoleonic Era inflated the pride of the French people to bursting. Newspaper sales dictated that they couldn’t afford to antagonize their readers.

Seeing an enemy in trouble was naturally a joyous occasion. On his way to work, Mark already decided to share this delightful news with his colleagues.

Mark Penn was not the only one who made the same decision; countless Parisians chose the same course.

"The Culprit Behind the Royal Disease—Victoria’s Curse" spread throughout Paris in the shortest time and began to diffuse around the world.

After reaching an agreement with the French government to cut off the Franco-Egyptian trade line, British Envoy Thatcher walked out of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs full of triumph.

It was then that he heard people discussing the "royal disease" and "Victoria’s Curse," instantly extinguishing all his good spirits.

British Envoy Thatcher asked his attendant, "What’s the matter, Wilhelm, what are the French up to now?"

"Your Excellency, there has been a serious incident. The French Times has published an article linking the royal disease with Her Majesty the great Queen."

Having said this, Wilhelm handed Thatcher the newspaper featuring "The Culprit Behind the Royal Disease—Victoria’s Curse."

After a brief glance at the content, Envoy Thatcher crumpled the newspaper into a ball, cursing, "Damn it, these accursed French dare to fabricate anything!"

Several murderous glances came his way, and sensing that something was amiss, Envoy Thatcher decisively chose to not pick a fight in this situation.

He swallowed the rest of his words and ordered, "Back to the embassy!"

In his heart of hearts, Envoy Thatcher had come to believe that the content of the newspaper was true. That genealogical chart was simply too persuasive.

Familiar with international relations, Thatcher could, with his professional knowledge, confirm that the relationships listed were indeed accurate.

This meant that the source of the "royal disease" truly lay with Queen Victoria. For the British, this was undoubtedly a crushing blow.

In such a religiously charged area as Europe, not being able to explain the source of the disease meant it was deemed a "curse."

The problem would become much greater; a "cursed" royal family’s prestige would inevitably be affected, and the London Government might even face a round of power struggles.

Beyond internal issues, the greater trouble lay with external pressure. If someone with ulterior motives steered the issue towards conspiracy theories, they would draw a great deal of hatred.

Of course, these were issues for the London Government to worry about. If Thatcher were not the envoy to France, he too could just be a bystander without thinking too much about it.

Unfortunately, as the envoy to France, and with the scandal originating from France, he could not escape responsibility, regardless of his excuses and justifications.

If he could not resolve this issue properly, his political career would be at stake.

Upon returning to the embassy, Envoy Thatcher immediately reported the situation back home and of course, did not forget to first send a telegram to the Queen.

Since the royal family was involved, Thatcher still possessed that bit of political savvy.

Queen Victoria, who had long been hands-off with governmental affairs, had little friction with the government and boasted considerable prestige; even amidst this scandal, she would likely weather the storm.

Plainly speaking, the "royal disease" had only harmed the European Royal Family without affecting the lives of ordinary people; it would not shake the foundation of Queen Victoria’s reign.

Raising the banner of a "curse" would at most cause the Queen some embarrassment. The British populace was unlikely to heed a few shouts from the French and go overthrow the Queen.

...

Not to mention the turmoil brewing in Queen Victoria’s mind, the London Government was already in a frenzy, with Prime Minister Benjamin flipping over his desk in anger.

Foreign Minister Edward spoke righteously, "This is all the enemy’s conspiracy; we cannot fall into disarray. The royal disease is merely a coincidence, and we absolutely cannot accept such slander!"

Denial! That was the only solution Edward could think of. Otherwise, the troubles for the London Government would mount, and if political turmoil erupted anew, they might have to step down prematurely.

The monarchy had not yet declined, and it was common in Europe for the Cabinet to take the blame and responsibility on behalf of the Monarch.

Having come to his senses, Prime Minister Benjamin declared decisively, "Exactly, this is all the enemy’s slander. We must counterattack; the government will immediately organize medical experts to explain to the public.

The Foreign Office will issue a stern protest to the French government, demanding that they forbid such irresponsible statements, lest they affect the relationship between the two countries."

Whether true or false was not important now; what the London Government needed was for it to be false. They didn’t need everyone to believe, just as long as the majority of the domestic populace did.

Other issues, Prime Minister Benjamin would have to ignore for the time being.