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80.54% Commonwealth Crimson Age / Chapter 174: 170 Behind the Scenes

Chapter 174: 170 Behind the Scenes

(Cardinal Armand Jean Richelieu / Rochefort POV)

"Your Excellency, our man in London reports that after several private meetings with King Charles, Prince Jazłowiecki went to The Hague." (Rochefort)

"What are these damned people up to, or rather what their King is up to? The Hague... The Hague... Ha... Charles's sister, Elisabeth live in The Hague!!! Inform our people in Netherlands and let them find out what this Pole is doing." (Cardinal Richelieu)

"Yes, Your Excellency. The arrest was successful too..." (Rochefort)

"So fast? How did you do it?" (Cardinal Richelieu)

"As you know, the King of Spain, Philip, offered the brother of the Polish King, Jan Kazimierz, the honorary position of admiral of the fleet and vice-king of Portugal..." (Rochefort)

"I know, you're not telling me anything new. After the Polish king married the Emperor's daughter, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is now closer to the Habsburgs. The Spaniards wanted to strengthen this bond through Jan Kazimierz and the title of vice king of Portugal..." (Cardinal Richelieu)

"Exactly, Your Excellency. In order to get to Spain, Jan Kazimierz had to travel through the Kingdom of France... and we watched him." (Rochefort)

"Say it finally... we're not in the theater, and you're a spy, not an actor." (Cardinal Richelieu)

"The king's brother was unlucky, during one of the breaks he stopped near our fort, which he went to see... and our people arrested him on charges of espionage for the Kingdom of Spain." (Rochefort)

"This is going to be a big scandal... was he really spying?" (Cardinal Richelieu)

"Does it matter?" (Rochefort)

"No... if we say that he spied, it means that he was. Thanks to this, we can force the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to make concessions... Well done, but now take care of Jazłowiecki. One more thing... we need to know what Charles I talked to him about, let our people in London spare no gold. We cannot allow these damned Englishmen and Poles to enter into an alliance." (Cardinal Richelieu)

(End POV)

Over the next few days I visited the residences of the Queen and her family... although my relations with her son did not improve, it was the other way around with Elisabeth. It wasn't love or anything like that... she was just curious about the world. Outside of The Hague and a few places in the Empire, she knew the world only from stories and books and I was a treasure trove of knowledge... At least compared to other people alive these days.

I have been to the Kingdom of Denmark, Moscow, Vienna, Rome, Crimea or the Ottoman Imerium... what she read about, I saw, and having additional historical knowledge, I knew a lot of interesting facts.

"What place do you consider the most beautiful? Rome, Vienna?" (Princess Elisabeth)

"Podolia, there are no big cities there, the largest one has no more than 15,000 people, it is not a rich province and it is also not big... but I would not change it for any other place on earth." (MC)

Suddenly, from one of the garden alleys, a local Ayrton Senna came on us and, without using the brake, hit me in the leg... It was Sophie on a four-wheeled bicycle that I had given her... I hate children.

"Sophie, be careful how you ride or I'll tell mom and she'll take your bike." (Princess Elisabeth)

"Nothing happened... but if you ride so fast, you can fall off the bike and hurt yourself..." (MC)

"I was supposed to ask before, is this your invention?" (Princess Elisabeth)

"Yes, but it's nothing complicated, the real challenge will be building a balloon, but I'm going to leave it to someone else to do." (MC)

"Balloon?" (Princess Elisabeth)

"It is such a device which with the help of warm air will help to lift a man into the air, it's an old idea from a few years ago... a more scientific solution to Daedalus' idea." (MC)

"I have never heard about this." (Princess Elisabeth)

"My newspaper does not appear in The Hague, but in Warsaw, and there are no more than 300 copies... to explain it better, or even better to show it, I can try to make a paper lantern." (MC)

Building a simple lantern that will rise a few or several meters should not be difficult, but if it falls and it is lit, somewhere in the city it can be a problem... On the other hand, who cares about The Hague.

After returning to the inn, I managed to make a light lantern, heated with a small candle... the effect was not stunning, but the lantern flew up and only stopped at the ceiling, which prevented it from rising further.

(Elisabeth Stuart / Princess Elisabeth POV)

"And what do you think my daughter?" (Elisabeth Stuart)

"I don't know. I can't really judge the Prince... He has as much evil in his heart as he has good. When he talks about Podolia, he describes it as a paradise on earth, but..." (Princess Elisabeth)

"But?" (Elisabeth Stuart)

"When I asked him about literature or science, he seemed bored... strange for an author and inventor. When I asked about the war, I felt like he was enjoying it." (Princess Elisabeth)

"I said I would not force you, it is your decision. I was lucky to have married someone as noble as your father, I was happy and thanked God for it, and I still thank him." (Elisabeth Stuart)

"I know, I'm not against marrying the Prince, it's just an important decision and I hesitate... but compared to others who wanted to marry me, Prince Jazłowiecki has the most open mind. He talks to me as equals, although sometimes he considers my ideas to be child." (Princess Elisabeth)

"I also noticed it in his behavior, especially when he talks to your brother... The prince treats him like a child, not like a man. Which annoys your brother a lot and I also think that Karol is jealous of him." (Elisabeth Stuart)

"But Charles needs his help." (Princess Elisabeth)

"This is also part of the problem... When you need help, and the only person who is able to help you is someone you envy." (Elisabeth Stuart)

(End POV)


Chapter 175: 171 Freedom

It's been two weeks since I arrived in The Hague and this city was starting to bore me... visiting the Winter Queen's residence wasn't the best entertainment either. Every time I went there, I had the opportunity to meet more of her children. Besides Charles, Elisabeth, Sophia... there were also Rupert, Maurice, Louise, Edward, Henriette Marie, John Philip Frederick and Gustavus Adolphus... and two more who died... Her pussy must be wider than the German highways. I saw less movement among the immigrants... refugees in Calais wanting to get to England... I think someone should teach her to swallow.

During one of my next visits, Elisabeth invited me to the garden for a serious conversation... to be honest, I hoped she would refuse, because if she said that she needs to get to know me a little better... then fuck it and I'm leaving The Hague, even my legendary patience has its limits.

"Princess, what did you want to talk about today? You look so serious as if something important happened." (MC)

"I made a decision about our wedding and I am ready to marry you." (Princess Elisabeth)

Well fucking finally, there were cases where countries were conquered faster... for example, Denmark only lasted 6 hours, but everyone laughs at France.

"Although our wedding is mainly for a political purpose, I would like it to be happy, or at last that our marriage would be based on respect and understanding... I do not want to be a wife, locked up at home and only raising children, I have several plans that I would like to implement. Writing, opening an orphanage, build a Calvinist church..." (Princess Elisabeth)

Fuck me, she's a feminist... and I thought she was intelligent.

"Princess, if you want my assurance that you will be able to do all these things... then yes, you can open an orphanage, you can create a Calvinist church and write, I can even print your works in a newspaper." (MC)

The idea of ​​her writing to the newspaper came to my mind a few days ago, it was difficult for me to find someone trusted to help with Polish Mercury Ordinary, and this way she would be able to do it. I had one more ace up my sleeve... and it was Edict of Potsdam, although from now on it will be known as Edict of Jazłowiec or whatever historians come up with. The edict was originally issued in 1685 and Brandenburg and Prussia benefited from it... and it was a perfect solution, especially since I will gain the most.

I asked a servant to bring me a piece of paper, a pen and wax... I wrote a dozen sentences, then signed it and put my family seal with the coat of arms on the document and then handed it to Elisabeth. She read it quickly and then again, probably not sure what to make of it.

"Prince, is it true?" (Princess Elisabeth)

"Permission to settle in my lands, Podolia, Volhynia, Smolensk and Lesser Poland and giving them privileges that will allow them to establish their own churches and religious associations. They will be treated on an equal footing with other inhabitants of my lands and will be subject to the same law. My only conditions are that they must adapt to the local community, learn the language, and their children must go to my schools." (MC)

In 1685, when this edict was announced, more than 20,000 Protestants, seeking a safe life, arrived in Beandenburg, many years after the Thirty Years' War. I will give them shelter and then mold them and their children into loyal subjects... and over time, when we erase the remains of our vassal, the Principality of Moscow, from the map, someone will also have to colonize Siberia.

"Are you doing this for me?" (Princess Elisabeth)

"Of course, consider this as one of my wedding gifts for you. I know the rumors about me in the Empire and maybe this is how you will understand that the wolf is not as scary as it is painted." (MC)

Second, I must be a good and trustworthy husband so that I can kill your family... be like Caesar's wife, beyond all suspicion.

"I don't know what to say, I didn't expect something like this..." (Princess Elisabeth)

My future wife looked really touched by this gesture. It was also a good proof of her character, it rarely happened that a high-born person was interested in the fate of people.

"Does your family know what you've decided? If not, you should let them know quickly so we can arrange the wedding details. I can't stay in The Hague too long, I still have to get back to London and then back home as soon as possible." (MC)

The rest went very quickly, we fixed the wedding date in two months, enough for me to return to England, close my affairs with the King and return to The Hague. I also turned out to be generous and gave up the dowry that belonged to Elisabeth, compared to the Winter Queen I was much richer so I could afford such a gesture. Elisabeth Stuart, to save face, decided she would pay for the wedding, which was fine with me. She is not yet aware how much the hussar company can drink and eat... and if you add Ossolinski to that, the Hague will run out of alcohol. Now I just realized that it will be a partially Polish wedding... Fuck.

I sat in the cabin on the ship and analyzed all my actions and the potential gains and losses. I will get a population, better access to European courts, 20 ships, and trade deals for the country. The war for the throne of Bohemia will weaken the Habsburgs and start the slow destruction of Austria and the Empire... but in return I will lose some gold, supplies and weapons and freedom... I hope someone in the future will appreciate how I was sacrificing myself for the country.


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