Chapter 978 - 201: Father and Son Face-Off
"Viviana, is it really you?"
"You’ve gotten so old."
Viviana lowered her eyes with a sigh, uncertain if she was reminiscing about the child who used to run after her or recalling the young and spirited William, who once yelled at her in jealousy, "You stole my glory."
"This can’t be, I must be dreaming!"
William couldn’t quite believe it; Viviana had been missing for over thirty years.
Yet, these thirty-plus years had not left a trace on her face; she still wore the hood with deer antlers, and her smooth skin seemed to reflect a phosphorescent glow.
The Candle Knight slowly approached with that familiar, faint sweet scent of marigold.
She raised her hand, gently intending to caress William’s cheek, but unexpectedly, this new Elector, usually domineering, decisive, and even somewhat arrogantly self-important, instinctively stepped back. The "Marshal’s Staff" with the Empire’s Eagle Badge in his hand knocked against the campaign bed, and he clumsily fell backward.
"What’s impossible about it? Since you used the pact, you should know where I went."
Viviana caught the Elector, who was about to fall, and tidied his collar, which was extraordinarily messy from days of curling up on the campaign bed.
They were very close, and William could see her clear blue eyes, long eyelashes, and a gentle yet majestic nose, as well as feel her warm breath.
In a daze, the Grand Elector recalled when he was young and would follow Viviana everywhere. Each time he fell, Viviana would tidy his clothes like this to save him from his father’s reprimand.
"It’s really you."
"The Tower of Babel..."
William murmured to himself, for that legendary massive ship drifting through the rivers of the old days, thirty years was merely a blink of an eye.
His eyes grew somewhat moist. Once, youthful jealousy at her receiving tutelage from renowned masters, favored by the Emperor, and becoming a celebrated Legendary Knight throughout Europe had already turned to longing in the empty seats after his coronation, the dust-covered study, and the marigold patches in the courtyard that had been flattened.
Viviana looked at his clouded eyes and sighed lightly, "How did you become such an old man?"
William smiled bitterly, "It’s been over thirty years, I’m nearly sixty. Not aging would be abnormal."
"So back then, was it that father exchanged you for the Tower of Babel for this assistance? It seems like something he’d do."
For the rise of the Hohenzollern Family, as long as the conditions were right, William had no doubt Frederick would sell him too.
At the commander’s post door, a stranger smiled and said, "It was I who approached Elector Frederick willingly, proposing this transaction."
"Allow me to introduce, this is our captain, the legendary Master of the Tower of Babel."
William couldn’t help but scrutinize this legendary figure. He was very handsome, appeared almost excessively young.
Of course, this was likely just appearance. A person like the Master of the Tower of Babel living for tens of thousands of years, older even than the Great Monarchs slumbering in the Blood Royal Court, was hardly surprising.
The man extended his right hand, "Elector William, just call me Losa. My crew and I are here to fulfill the pact."
For some reason, no matter how William looked, he found the man off-putting.
He reached out to shake hands with him, "Mr. Losa, I don’t doubt the great power of the Tower of Babel, but in legends, it doesn’t seem particularly combative. How do you intend to help me defeat three million Russian troops?"
...
In contrast to the siblings’ harmonious reunion, Rudolf and the Old Emperor’s reunion appeared somewhat tense.
In the tense and "shocked" emotions of Crown Prince Karl, Franz dismissed everyone, turning the grand hall into a battlefield for father and son.
"You still know how to come back!"
Rudolf found himself a chair, sitting calmly, "Didn’t the captain warn you not to allow Ferdinand to survey Illyria?"
The Old Emperor raised his tone, "Are you questioning me? Or do you think I’m trying to deliberately get him killed? Ferdinand may have his flaws, but he surpasses you in one thing—he never lacks courage!"
Even if relations with Ferdinand were strained, his death was undoubtedly a significant blow to the Habsburg Family. After all, despite not receiving a royal education, Ferdinand had been in politics for many years.
Unlike Crown Prince Karl, who lacked both means and a surrounding political team.
Rudolf sneered, his brows tightly knit in a cold glare, "Perhaps. But if it’s beneficial for you and the family, who else couldn’t be sacrificed?"
The Old Emperor took a deep breath and explained, "No one can ask a Crown Prince to retreat when facing unscrupulous challenges on his own territory, not even I."
Moreover, Serbia, a minuscule nation, now lay entirely in ruins.
Who would have thought they’d dare step in and challenge Debang, a world power among the top three?
Rudolf really didn’t think Franz would intentionally kill Ferdinand either. The Old Emperor wasn’t capable of such folly.
"Where is my mother?"
"You still dare mention your mother?"
Franz, like a lion in dusk, glared with enraged eyes, "After you left, your mother became a shell without a spirit. She no longer cared for herself or attended court balls, withdrawing and secluding, traveling the world searching for your traces, otherwise she wouldn’t have died at the hands of an assassin."
Rudolf’s breathing became rapid. He remained silent for a long time, slowly raising his head, tears staining his face, yet with a rage more intense than the Old Emperor’s.
"You think I killed my mother?"
"No, it’s you! The court’s oppression, the tyranny of imperial power! Mother was originally a free bird; if she hadn’t married you, she should have led a joyful life. You took all that away."
Franz shouted in anger, "How dare you! She was the Empress, revered by countless people. Fulfilling her duties is only fitting, isn’t it?"
Rudolf opened his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated for a moment.
"No, it’s you! The court’s oppression, the tyranny of imperial power! Mother was originally a free bird; if she hadn’t married you, she should have led a joyful life. You took all that away."
Franz shouted in anger, "How dare you! She was the Empress, revered by countless people. Fulfilling her duties is only fitting, isn’t it?"
Rudolf opened his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated for a moment.
"No, it’s you! The court’s oppression, the tyranny of imperial power! Mother was originally a free bird; if she hadn’t married you, she should have led a joyful life. You took all that away."
Franz shouted in anger, "How dare you! She was the Empress, revered by countless people. Fulfilling her duties is only fitting, isn’t it?"
Rudolf opened his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated for a moment.
"No, it’s you! The court’s oppression, the tyranny of imperial power! Mother was originally a free bird; if she hadn’t married you, she should have led a joyful life. You took all that away."
Franz shouted in anger, "How dare you! She was the Empress, revered by countless people. Fulfilling her duties is only fitting, isn’t it?"
Rudolf opened his mouth, wanting to say something but hesitated for a moment.