Baron Tugut immediately said in disbelief, "Your Highness, excuse my boldness, but you aren't joking, are you?"
Joseph gripped his arms firmly—Tugut was not tall, and Joseph, at one meter seventy, was only slightly shorter— and said earnestly, "I believe Her Majesty the Queen will certainly agree with my proposal. France and Austria are the closest of friends and naturally must do everything in their power to help each other through difficult times!"
The eyes of the Austrian Foreign Minister sparked with light, and he nodded excitedly, "Yes, you are absolutely right! The Franco-Austrian alliance is forever the most steadfast of allies!"
"If that's the case, then I shall rush to the Palace of Versailles overnight and request His Majesty for military aid for Luxembourg."
Jospeh saw him preparing to rise and hurriedly stopped him, "We must block Blücher's offensive as soon as possible to prevent Luxembourg from falling. Traveling to Paris and back will take too long."