Chapter 436: Chapter 9, Daily Life
 

Following the Cuban crisis, the Francisco Government sent reinforcements to suppress the rebellion and invited European nations to intervene.

The treaty signed by the four countries of England, France, Austria, and Spain had only been established for a few years, defining clear spheres of influence for each nation.

This was not international law, nor was it recognized by all the countries in the world, but backed by England, France, and Austria, the treaty was more persuasive than international law.

Typically, in colonial matters, the powers resorted to force, and only when force could not solve the issues did they turn to the law.

Undoubtedly, now with internal issues within the Kingdom of Spain and lacking the ability to engage in conflict with the United States in the American region, reasoning became the only option.

As the world’s leaders, England, France, and Austria naturally could not tolerate any challenge to their dignity, and since it was agreed upon in the treaty of the four nations, the Americans were obliged to respect it.

Whether the Federal government recognized it or not was irrelevant; it was assumed that they had acquiesced.

The order in America was painstakingly established by the four countries including the UK, France, Austria, and Spain, and even with Spain’s decline, England, France, and Austria could not allow the Americans to run amok.

The official stance may be thus, but the real reason is “apprehension.” Indeed, England, France, and Austria were wary of the United States, and while this may seem unbelievable, it was the truth.

Politicians viewed the situation differently from ordinary people; despite public disdain for the United States, the higher echelons of government recognized the potential of the United States.

The present strength of the United States had already reached that of a middle-power nation. Its land area surpasses the combined territories of England, France, Austria, and Spain, and had it not been for the South’s secession, their comprehensive national power might have surpassed Spain’s.

The current order in America was essentially a shackle placed on the United States. Otherwise, the British would not have easily allowed France and Austria’s influence to expand into North America, nor would England, France, and Austria have tolerated Spain’s continued occupation of Cuba.

It was well understood that one nation alone could not suppress the United States; a united effort was required to subdue this potential threat.

In the original timeline, everyone’s tactics collapsed, which led to France withdrawing from Mexico, Spain losing Cuba, and the British struggling to support the remnants.

In reality, at that time, the British could no longer suppress the United States. The reason for no direct confrontation was the Americans’ wisdom in recognizing the British weakness, avoiding military risks, and waiting until Britain’s decline to take over hegemony directly.

Now the situation has changed, and potential is just potential. Without converting it into actual power, the United States remained heavily suppressed.

Until now, the actions of the United States had been limited to testing. Whether it was supporting the Mexican rebel army, liaising with Indian tribes, or backing the Cuban rebellion, all were attempts to test the tolerance threshold of the nations.

In Belvedere Palace, Franz was feeding the fish, just ordinary fish, the kind that could be served on the dining table at any time.

Ever since he became the master of this palace, the fish in the artificial lake had been fortunate; the diligent Franz often came to feed them, and they no longer had to worry about hunger.

Of course, it would be even more perfect if they were not ending up on the dining table.

However, due to the rapid reproduction of the fish in the artificial lake, a culling was necessary to prevent ecological imbalance.

Thus, every three years, a fishing event was organized to keep the population in check.

Watching the lively little ones, Franz instructed his eldest son, “Frederick, look after your brothers and make sure they don’t fall in again.”

Clearly, these spirited youngsters had fallen into the water more than once. With the fearlessness of youth, now was their age of recklessness.

Influenced by Western culture, the children’s practical skills were developed from an early age, yet the results were not very promising.

According to Franz’s judgment, his sons did not have the potential to become scientists.

The eldest son liked to build houses, having personally constructed his own little cabin, which Franz had visited; its interior space was about two or three square meters.

It was fine for play, but unsuitable for living. The layout was squarely regular, and if one had to describe it, it looked somewhat like a large coffin.

Clearly, Frederick did not have much artistic talent and knew nothing about architectural aesthetics.

The second son, Peter, was even more ambitious, with a talent for shipbuilding. To date, all the small boats he had personally crafted had sunk during their maiden voyages on the artificial lake.

As a price for his trial, the little captain had fallen into the water several times. If it weren’t for the lifeguard’s efficiency, he would have said goodbye to the world long ago.

It wasn’t without its benefits, though. Through constant falling, Peter learned to swim and even showed a trend toward becoming a swimming champion.

It was still unclear with the other two little ones, they were too young to tell. But according to Franz’s experience, they wouldn’t be the stay-at-home type either.

None of this mattered anyway, since they were all recreational hobbies. Career planning was superfluous for them; there was no need to worry about employment and future development.

Even if they possessed not a single skill, they would still be blissful idlers, at the very least a Grand Duke, once again proving the importance of being born to the right parents.

“I made it!”

Following the direction of the voice, Franz spotted a guy in the middle of the man-made lake, dancing gleefully on something that vaguely resembled a boat.

Franz’s face darkened—could you please not be so ridiculous? It was embarrassing, and word would get out. Franz commanded the photographer, “Capture this moment for me.”

This was one of Franz’s guilty pleasures—to photograph the little ones’ foolhardy moments to mock them mercilessly in the future.

Cameras of this era were a pain to use, and one wrong move could leave you covered in soot, so he didn’t bother doing this risky job himself.

Being an Emperor, naturally, he kept a retinue of people. This was also a contribution to society, creating job opportunities.

After this little episode, Franz no longer felt inclined to continue teasing the fish. It was like a diet, just skipping a meal; after all, the fish wouldn’t starve to death.

“Bang, bang, bang,” a few sounds later, Franz knew the photographer had completed the task. He called out to the jubilant little captain, “Peter, get back here now!”

Upon hearing Franz’s summons, the excited Little Peter sobered up. He steered his dark and shabby little boat toward the shore.

“Father, see? This is the warship I built myself. How about calling it the Franz?”

Looking at the proud brat, Franz smacked him on the head and said, “You’re telling me this is a warship? It looks more to me like you stole the iron pot from the kitchen.”

What Peter referred to as a ship did indeed resemble a large iron pot, merely a chunk of iron beaten into shape with a couple of wooden sticks slapped on as an afterthought for oars.

Being named the Franz, the name was already disregarded by Franz; don’t get hung up on such issues.

It’s akin to how Europeans name their dogs using the names of older family members. It’s not an insult but rather a tradition borne from their culture.

Those not of the utmost importance don’t even get this treatment. It’s typically used to commemorate the most important elders in life, granting their pets the same names.

Whether Franz could accept the reality of sharing his name with cats and dogs or not, there were many such named pets across Austria, with plenty of other animals doing the same.

After hearing Franz’s words, Peter’s little face turned beet red, as if he had guessed close to the truth.

Franz didn’t linger on the topic; a warning was sufficient. No need to make a big deal out of it.

He patted Peter’s little head and said, “Our little captain, shipbuilding isn’t so simple. You’ve seen warships; they cannot be built with just a hammer by one person, right?

You should focus on your studies for now. Once you’ve amassed enough knowledge, you can continue your great shipbuilding enterprise. If you complete your studies with honors, I can give you a shipyard as a gift.”

Perhaps lured by the prospect of owning a shipyard, Little Peter vigorously nodded his head and sought confirmation from Franz, “You said it; no backing out!”

It seemed that he was set on continuing the shipbuilding endeavor. Franz didn’t express either support or opposition. A son who loved shipbuilding wasn’t an issue.

As long as they weren’t idealists, Franz didn’t interfere with his sons’ hobbies and interests. If they liked shipbuilding, they could spend their time on that; it was a minor issue.

Franz smiled gently, looking fondly at the little guy, “Are you doubting my credibility? Is my word less reliable to you, Little Peter, than a shipyard?”

“Of course not, you…”