Franz, standing in the spotlight, was busier than ever, and a succession of social engagements had exhausted him. That was the life of an aristocrat in Vienna.
Franz's younger brother, Maximilian, was also in the same situation, but he looked comfortable with it. He was enjoying it rather than being exhausted by it, something Franz envied.
Franz never enjoyed social engagements, especially with a bunch of devoted nobles dancing about, keeping him on his toes constantly.
"Your Royal Highness, it's time for you to go to Archduke Louis's party, we should start off now," his maid Jenny reminded him.
"I understand. Tell Maximilian to come with us!" Franz commanded.
"Yes, Your Royal Highness!" Jenny replied.
Franz would have liked to bring his other two younger brothers with him, if not for his mother's strong objection. At the very least, they could spare him most of the stress of dealing with aristocratic girls.
Unfortunately, his two younger brothers were much too young. Not only did Princess Sophie keep them away from such parties, but Franz also did not want to lower the age limit for the parties, either.
The truth was that they were much more attractive to the aristocratic ladies than Franz was. Being Crown Prince gave Franz a higher status and also doomed him to a marriage that could only be a political union.
In contrast, his younger brothers would have much more freedom in marriage, choosing from all the big noble families around the country--they would not encounter any objection.
...
Seeing that Maximilian was flirting with a group of aristocratic girls very cheerfully, Franz pulled him out the crowd and teased him. "How is it going? Have you found the love of your life, little brother?"
"Dear brother, if I have, then what do you think mother will..." his younger brother replied, seemingly unbothered by his brother's joking.
Franz smiled. "Is that true? Dear brother, for the sake of your lifelong happiness, I don't mind being scolded. But what about you? Can you just sit there and take the pressure from our dearest mother? Today, all the noble ladies here are much older than you; do you have a mother complex? Oh my God, Maximilian, how astonishing that you..."
"Stop it, my dear brother, if you go on talking like that, my lifelong honor and integrity will be destroyed!" Maximilian interrupted.
It was not the first time they had shared little jokes like that between them.
"Keep these annoying girls away from me for a while; they're like flies, and I need to go have a talk with Archduke Louis!" Franz said gravely.
"Well, how wonderful, to know you need me for something so unbecoming!"
Maximilian made an expression that displayed no signs of affection, while Franz rolled his eyes at him disdainfully.
How could it be a simple banquet when Franz attended? He would be too lazy to be here if he had not wanted to use this banquet to deceptively influence public opinion.
...
"Dear Archduke Louis, I need your support to take control of the Court Guard!" Franz came straight to the point.
"God! My dear Franz, how did you get that idea? You know, you're only 16 years old, not yet 17!" Louis said in amazement.
As a Crown Prince, it wasn't t tricky to laze around in the army, but it was a different story to really take charge of an army, especially when Franz was not yet 17 years old.
Therefore, he could only take control of the Court Guard as a second-best bet. Although the scale of this unit was small, and the fighting capacity of it was unknown, it was all Franz could manage.
"Uncle Louis, you know I have liked the military since I was a child, and my dream is to be a real general! However, it is not likely that I'll be in service to the army for a long time because of my status, and now I can only satisfy my dream by leading the Court Guard," Franz explained, trying to make it sincere as he can.
Archduke Louis shook his head and said: "It's not possible. You must know that the Court Guard is of great importance, and you've yet to prove yourself. If you really want to, you can attempt to do so in the City Defense Force!"
Franz was very clear on what stuff the Austrian City Defense Force was made of. The concentration camp of generals, as it was called, was the only unit in Austria where there were more officers than soldiers.
According to the tradition in the German region, nobles must be enlisted in the army as they grew into adults, or they would be condemned by the public.
As most nobles in Austria were also from the German region, this tradition went on in the Austrian Empire. However, as the Austrian Empire had decayed, the public turned a blind eye to these noble lords.
Since most nobles were enlisted simply for show, save for those who really wanted to develop in the army, there was absolutely no willingness on Louis's part to let Franz take charge of this army.
Franz frowned: "Uncle Louis, are you sure this is not a swindle? You know, like me, what the City Defense Force really is. Even the Archduke Karl himself had said nothing can be done about them. What do you think I can do about them?"
Even after his intention was laid bare, Archduke Louis, a crafty politician, stayed calm and collected.
"Franz, calm down and think of it as a test of your skills. If you can handle the City Defense Force, then what couldn't you handle?"
These words could perhaps swindle foolish youngsters, but not Franz, who was no longer one of them. He would not feel uppity just because of some flattery.
"Uncle Louis, I would be able to go if you ordered all the gilded nobles to retire from the army," Franz said with affected anger.
"Franz, it is impossible to get them out, even for the Emperor!" Grand Dude Louis said helplessly.
"Which is why the City Defense Force is not suitable for me, while the Court Guard is. Or is it because you don't want to give up the power?" Franz said, acting mad.
"Not at all! Well, Franz, you can join the Court Guard, but not as the commander in chief. Since you're too young, you'll need a few more years' experience!"
Archduke Louis is settled for second best.
"This damned age again! Well, then I'll wait a few more years!" Franz pretended to be helpless.
Until then, his purpose had already been served. The Court Guard was different from any other army because they were only faithful to the Imperial family.
For Franz, it was not necessary to be the commander of the unit to control it. Typically, this post was filled by the Emperor himself or a Imperial family member assigned to the task.
At the moment, this unit was under the charge of the Regency Council, with Archduke Louis acting as a commander in chief. After Franz joined as Crown Prince, surely someone would defect to him.
Franz had already made it clear that he, with single-minded determination, had to join the Palace Guard, and he couldn't be stopped by Archduke Louis, even if he was discontented.