Chương 170: 167 To The Hague
A few days later I was informed by the royal messenger that the former Queen of Bohemia, Elisabeth Stuart, her son Charles Louis, and in theory my future wife Elisabeth, were awaiting my arrival in The Hague. Where only after getting to know me personally, the king's niece will decide whether such a marriage is possible.
I wasn't particularly happy about it, and I seriously wondered if I was doing right... but I saw no other option. In 1772, 1793 and 1795, three partitions of Poland by Austria, Prussia and Russia took place in the original timeline, and after the last partition my country was wiped from the map for 123 years... Although now Russia was partially defeated and lost its lands, Prussia also ceased to be a threat, from the original three countries, there was still Austria... and I did not want to see another ambitious power rise near our borders.
I also had to keep looking towards the Ottoman Empire, Sweden and Brandenburg, then there were also Cossacks and Tatars who, although they were now friendly with us, but this situation could always changenand there was also another enemy... worst enemy of all, Polish nobility... maybe thanks to this political wedding with Elisabeth, I will be able to secure border with Bohemia.
(King Charles I / John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers POV)
"Your Highness trust this Pole?" (John Savage)
"It is not a question of trust. I have two goals, to cause trouble to the Habsburgs and to make my nephew no longer a threat to my throne. If he regains the crown of Bohemia, our nobility will no longer see him as someone who could replace me." (King Charles)
"What if he fails?" (John Savage)
"That is why I chose Prince Jazłowiecki, if my nephew fails, it will be possible to blame Jazłowiecki... it will also worsen the relations between the Emperor and the Kingdom of Poland, and if my nephew succeeds, we will have a friendly country close to Vienna and close to the Ottoman Empire." (King Charles)
"So your agreement to trade with the Turks only through the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, was it only an appearance? Jazłowiecki suspects nothing?" (John Savage)
"Hahaha ... it was the easiest of the conditions that was presented by Jazłowiecki, a year, two or even three we can abide by this agreement, and then we will break it or it will not be needed. Unfortunately, twenty large ships are problematic." (King Charles)
"I have an idea how to do this, Your Majesty. It would be best to seize private merchant ships under the guise of smuggling, not paying taxes or simply intimidating or bribing. The cost will not be high, and we will even benefit from it if we weaken your opponents at the same time." (John Savage)
"Very good idea, but better to do it discreetly, I don't need any more enemies." (King Charles)
"We can always send such people to the colonies, they will not cause problems when far from the country, it will also be a warning to others." (John Savage)
(End POV)
"Let's not complicate it, I'll take a few people and go to The Hague. We don't have to make a show of it, especially since nothing is written in stone yet." (MC)
"Wilkomir, you have to make a good impression and show your best side. Charm her with your character. I had the opportunity to talk to her, she is very interested in Greece, she reads Homer..." (Jerzy Ossolinski)
I know that Jerzy advised me with a good heart and he wanted to help me, but I didn't ask him to do it... it was also irritating.
"For God's sake, you've told me this several times... You know, maybe you're not the best person to advise me. When you visited her, she refused the king." (MC)
"Because she's stubborn as a goat, she could have been a queen and she rejected it..." (Jerzy Ossolinski)
"Considering who her husband would be... she seems rather wise." (MC)
(Queen Elisabeth Stuart / Princess Elisabeth POV)
"A lot depends on it and I know you have your beliefs, I did not object when you rejected the Polish King's proposal. You are an adult and this is your future... You were no more than two years old when we had to leave Bohemia..." (Elisabeth Stuart)
"Mother, I will make decisions when I meet him and judge what a man he is." (Princess Elisabeth)
"Your uncle, the king of England appreciates him very much... as he wrote in his letter. 'I have never met someone like Prince Jazłowiecki'... in the mouth of your uncle, this is a big praise." (Elisabeth Stuart)
"I've heard a lot about him, but it's hard to judge the truth... Some say he is an unrepentant papist and Catholic, that he killed many people in Bradndenburg, Denmark and that war and cruelty amuse him, but I also heard that when the Emperor persecuted the Protestants in Bohemia, many of them found refuge in his lands." (Princess Elisabeth)
"The world is never that simple, my daughter... not every rumor is true, I know what was said about me and your father and how much of it was a lie." (Elisabeth Stuart)
"That's why I wanted to meet him in person, a man who wrote so many great novels can't be evil." (Princess Elisabeth)
"The prince will probably arrive in a few days, maybe a week. My answer must have reached London by now." (Elisabeth Stuart)
(End POV)
Everything was ready for my departure, I was only going to take ten hussars and Saddata with me... I wasn't going to do a military parade like in London, I was an ambassador there, in The Hague it was a private matter.
Before leaving, I left a list for Wroński with the names and information about a few people whom I had instructed him to recruit... several inventors, doctors and more... I wasn't sure if he would make it, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity, nor was it going to go door-to-door and recruit these people myself... I'm not a Jehovah's Witness.
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