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It's no wonder Nina is overly sensitive; even Gisela had read extensively about the pollution of 19th-century London in her textbooks and was aware of its severity. Behind the glamour of the Victorian era and the British Empire's "the sun never sets," the dark side of humanity was laid bare. As the revolutionary leader said, "Every piece of capital is stained with blood."
"I will choose to stay in Westminster, away from the slums and factories, where there will be less pollution." Because it is a private visit, Gisela will not contact the Austrian Empire's diplomatic department or the British side, thus allowing her to choose her accommodation freely. The Greater Westminster area is arguably the most important region in Britain, as it is home to Buckingham Palace, the residence of Queen Victoria; 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's official residence; and Parliament, the core of British power.
"We could have gone to Switzerland or Baden for our honeymoon, or even Paris." It's worth noting that the French Civil War was nearing its end two years prior. The army had achieved two decisive victories in Lyon and Toulouse with a crushing offensive, and by the end of that year, its advance was aimed at Marseille. Fearing retaliation from the Republic, Napoleon III left Richelieu to defend Marseille and Toulon, while he himself fled to the colonies with the vast majority of the French navy.
Frenc Tird Repblic could have easily liberated the entire French territory, but suffered a crushing defeat in Provence and was forced to retreat. Richelieu's imperial army regained control of a large area in the southeastern corner of France and maintained the situation with the tacit support of Britain and Austria. Thiers also briefly ended his offensive against Napoleon III in order to stabilize the political situation, and France ushered in a brief period of peace.
"Paris? Forget about it. There's someone there I don't like." Gisela had absolutely no interest in Paris after thinking about that crazy, dark-haired, perverted woman named Franzisque.
"Wait a minute, what did you say?" Gisela, slow to react, seemed to have heard a very beautiful word.
"Honeymoon, huh? We're husband and wife now, even though you almost became my sister-in-law." Nina hugged her pillow like Rin Tohsaka, her cheeks slightly flushed as she observed Gisela's reaction with her eyes.
"So how should you address me?" Gisela's lips curled up slightly as she stood up and slowly walked towards Nina.
"Gisela... Sister?" Gisela is, after all, her cousin, so calling her that is obviously not a problem, but it is definitely not the kind of address Gisela expected.
"By the way! I heard that you have a different silver-haired state when you release your magic power. May I take a look?" The clever Nina quickly changed the subject.
PS1: The fox is now a married woman 0v0
Chapter 388 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter 7 The Drunkard (Seeking Votes)
"Oh? Do you want to see, darling?" Gisela gently lifted Nina's chin with her hand, observing that her "husband" was in an extremely pleasant mood.
In a short while, in Nina's sight, her "wife's" golden hair gradually faded into silver hair that shone with dazzling light, and her blue eyes were replaced by purple. Her gaze also became extremely aggressive, making Nina feel a strange fear.
"So, which version of me do you like best?" Gisela whispered slowly into Nina's ear.
"I...don't know..." Nina closed her eyes, her back straight, her body trembling slightly, clearly she looked very nervous.
"Don't be afraid, I won't eat you up, you are, after all, my dear 'husband'!" In this state, perhaps influenced by Su Beiming, Gisela's mischievous thoughts suddenly arose, and she calmly uttered flirtatious words that she would never dare to think of in normal times. It is worth mentioning that although the person in front of her had a title and status, they had not had any in-depth communication, and there was still some "barrier" between them.
"Give me everything you have." Gisela's snow-white fox tail swayed triumphantly. She exhaled a soft, fragrant breath, and her warm breath touched Nina's cheek, instantly turning Nina's face crimson.
Gisela had absolute home-field advantage tonight, but you might be wondering why Chloris didn't bother Gisela. Well, she's currently...
At this moment, Chloris, dressed in light clothing, was leaning back on the sofa, legs crossed, sipping a cup of coffee. The faint smell of alcohol on her and her slightly flushed cheeks suggested that this Prussian princess might be a little drunk.
On the floor opposite the sofa where she sat, Jeanne lay disheveled, her face bearing the same ahegay expression Gisela knew so well. No one knew what Jeanne had gone through, but we could still discern from the terrified looks of the two bound and gagged maids beside her what terrible things Chloris had done.
One of the maids tied up was Rita. Her eyes had lost their light, and she was muttering something like someone's name. The other maid was Aponia. Although her expression didn't show Rita's exaggerated reaction, a closer look at her furrowed brow and the cold sweat on her forehead revealed that she was also in distress.
Some might ask, where did the Turkish woman named Shahrador go? Actually, the seemingly indifferent dark-skinned young lady also couldn't escape Chloris's clutches. She's currently kneeling humiliatingly at Chloris's feet, massaging her leg muscles.
Just as Chloris had almost completely taken in all the girls who were with Gisela, the door was slowly pushed open. A blonde beauty, reeking of alcohol, walked into the room.
"It's so late, Your Highness, aren't you resting?" Even though he was drunk, the Prussian Prime Minister did not forget to care about the princess.
"No rush, I'll play with them a bit more," Chloris said after finishing her coffee.
“No, Your Highness, you should rest.” Under the watchful eyes of Rita and Aponia, Bismarck grabbed Chloris and dragged her into the bedroom.
"Let go of Bismarck! If you keep this up, I'll play with you too!" Chloris struggled, but compared to the experienced mage, her resistance seemed so weak. Just like that, Bismarck easily knocked Chloris unconscious and threw her onto the bed. This overly smooth operation left the ladies present completely dumbfounded.
"What are you all still doing here? Go and rest!" Bismarck closed the bedroom door, leaned against the wall, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a ring of gray smoke before speaking.
Shahrado quickly stood up and untied Rita and Aponia. Soon, the three of them were dragging Jeanne Alter from the floor, looking disheveled, and prepared to leave the room.
"Stop!" Bismarck called out to them at just the right moment. Bismarck's overwhelming aura startled the three of them, and they turned around with some unease.
"Cover her up with this. It's not good for a girl to walk around in the hallway wearing only her underwear." With these words, Bismarck casually tossed her suit jacket to Rita, instructing her to cover the disoriented Jeanne with it.
"Remember to close the door when you leave," Bismarck reminded them even after the four had left.
With a "click," the door quickly closed.
"This child!" The Prime Minister sighed helplessly. Although Chloris was someone who never let others understand her emotions, her indulgence and loss of control this time were clearly closely related to her mood.
Clearly, she was still somewhat dissatisfied with this...
As the first rays of morning sunlight streamed over the balcony and into the lavishly decorated room, the blonde girl rubbed her eyes and reluctantly opened them. She glanced briefly at the black-haired girl in her arms, then lifted the covers, stood up, and lazily stretched her body, which had become slightly stiff from lying down for so long.
The sunlight gently caressed her golden hair, making her fair and delicate skin appear crystal clear. Her graceful figure, revealed when she was off guard, would surely tempt countless brave warriors to risk their lives for her.
"Today is April 29, 1874, just another ordinary day for me," the blonde girl muttered to herself, picking up the calendar on the table.
"Time to get some breakfast." Gisela slowly walked to the mirror, pondering what to wear. Looking at the girl in the mirror, Gisela felt a surge of emotion. She remembered first seeing her when she was twelve; now, the person in the mirror was eighteen. Six years had passed in the blink of an eye. The more than twenty years of her previous life had become somewhat blurry, but she still remembered many things from her past, such as the fact that she was a man.
As Gisela was reminiscing, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Gisela tilted her head and looked in the direction of the room door, asking in a somewhat lazy tone.
"Your Highness! Would you like us to help you change your clothes and change your sheets?" Although it was a little strange that the maids outside the door were not Rita and Aponia, Gisela did not dwell on the matter. After all, it was impossible for such a large Schönbrunn Palace to only have Rita and Aponia as maids.
PS1: According to medieval tradition, there were actually spectators that night, and a lady-in-waiting would record the lord and his wife's performance that night 0v0!
Chapter 389 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter 8 Whose Blood Is This?
“No need, I can have Ni… my husband help me get dressed,” Gisela replied, biting her lip.
"Your Highness, then we should change the sheets as well, since last night..." The maid outside the door paused slightly, as if she was carefully choosing her words.
Changing the sheets? Weren't they brand new sheets just put on yesterday? Gisela frowned, wondering why the maid outside the door was so concerned about this.
"Wait a minute, could it be for that reason?!" There's a similar saying in ancient China: checking for bloodstains was an important indicator of whether a newlywed couple had successfully completed their act. But how could Nina and I possibly have produced such a thing? Yesterday, it seemed like the silver-haired Gisela was about to take advantage of Nina, but in reality, their interaction was limited to the external genitalia, and the distance between them remained exactly as described.
Gisela felt a headache coming on at the thought of all this. She couldn't very well fake the whole thing, but doing nothing would only invite gossip, especially since those idle nobles loved this kind of news. Of course, at this point, it wouldn't be Gisela who was being criticized, but rather Nina, who was playing the role of her husband.
"Please wait outside for a while." Gisela hurriedly opened the cabinet, pulled out one of the drawers, and took out an Arab dagger that had been given to him by the Ottomans.
“Of course, Your Highness.” With the maid’s reply from outside, Gisela picked up her dagger and walked toward Nina, who was still fast asleep in bed.
Just then, Nina woke up suddenly because she was turning over and her chest was tight. When she opened her eyes, she saw her cousin walking towards her with a dagger. She was so frightened that she stood up and rolled to the other side of the bed.
"Don't come any closer, I don't want to die!" Nina was probably still half asleep, and she uttered some nonsense that Gisela didn't immediately understand.
"What are you thinking, you idiot?" Gisela grabbed Nina's foot and dragged her in front of her.
"Don't make a sound! I won't use this on you." Gisela covered Nina's mouth, signaling her to be quiet.
"I'm going to cut my hand in a little while and drip a few drops of blood on the bed. For the rest of today, you have to cooperate with my act. Do you understand?" Gisela whispered to Nina, and the black-haired girl obediently nodded.
"Should I get you some bandages?" Nina asked with some concern.
“No need. Our magical abilities allow us to stop bleeding and heal wounds much faster than ordinary people.” As Gisela spoke, she picked up the dagger in her hand and made a small cut on her palm. Drops of blood slid down her palm and onto the sheets.
"Go get dressed first. The maids are still waiting outside. Don't give anything away." Gisela urged Nina to get moving while observing the bloodstains on the bed. At least that way, everyone in the palace would know that she was no longer a "young girl" last night.
breakfast time
There is an unwritten tradition in the Viennese court that all members of the royal family must attend breakfast the morning after a prince or princess's wedding and eat breakfast together.
Gisela was now sitting on pins and needles, watching Emperor Joseph and Empress Elizabeth across the long table. Interestingly, because Rudolf was unable to attend due to special circumstances, and her elder sister was still seriously ill and unable to get out of bed, the so-called royal breakfast was actually a face-to-face exchange between the Emperor and Empress and Gisela "and her husband".
"It's very important to have some yokan (sweet bean jelly) to replenish your nutrition." Queen Elizabeth smiled at her daughter, and the overflowing love from her was enough to send chills down Gisela's spine.
"You may all leave now," Emperor Joseph said to the servants around him, his face still impassive. Soon, only the four of them remained in the room.
"Hmm! I've already heard that you two completed that process last night. To outsiders, you are now a real couple. This is a satisfactory explanation to those nobles, both in Bavaria and Austria." Emperor Joseph said to Gisela "and her husband" in a serious tone.
"So now I still have..." Emperor Joseph began, but did not finish his sentence.
"Then whose blood is it?" Queen Elizabeth asked before Joseph could.
"Cough cough!"
"Ahem!" Gisela and Nina coughed in unison. To be honest, they had already thought about many topics that might be discussed during the meal before breakfast. For example, how to deal with the Kingdom of Bavaria in the future, and how to solve the problem of succession, but they had not thought about this one.
"Don't tell me yet, let me guess." Mrs. Elizabeth put down her cutlery with great interest, resting her chin on her hand as she observed Gisela and Nina in front of her.
"Sissi, this is disrespectful of you..." The Emperor wanted to admonish his wife, but Sissi's stern gaze silenced him. Did Emperor Joseph have no pride? Perhaps he truly didn't need to intimidate Sissi.
“Nina, tell your aunt, did little Gisela bully you last night?” Elizabeth knew her daughter all too well. Although little Gisela usually seemed like a well-behaved girl, three years ago this girl had used force to coerce and dissolve the Hungarian Parliament. In terms of courage and methods, neither Joseph nor Elizabeth could compare.
"No, that's not mine." Nina shook her head, her cheeks as red as apples, looking unexpectedly cute despite being dressed as a boy.
"Oh? Could it be little Gisela's?" Queen Elizabeth's smile widened. She stood up, walked to Gisela, and embraced the girl who looked remarkably like herself in both figure and face.
"Huh?" Gisela looked somewhat surprised.
"Little Gisela is going to be a mother!" Mrs. Elizabeth teased Gisela in a half-joking tone.
Emperor Joseph gazed quietly at his wife and daughter, a satisfied smile on his face. After all, family harmony was the most gratifying thing for him.
"Enough, Mom! That's blood I cut my palm to fake!" Gisela complained to her mother, who had a peculiar sense of humor, with a hint of exasperation.
"Tch! My grandson and granddaughter are gone." Queen Elizabeth released Gisela and returned to her seat, as if she were truly angry about the matter.
PS1: Ra!
Chapter 390 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: A Problem Urgently Needing to Be Solved (Seeking Votes)
"Alright, let's get back to business. What are your plans for the future? Although you are now the Crown Princess of the Empire and my future heir, I think you should take a good rest." In the past three years, thanks to Gisela's assistance, Joseph not only resolved the Hungarian issue effectively but also eased tensions and conflicts between various ethnic groups within the Empire. The most direct result was a significant reduction in the number of assassination attempts he himself had faced.
Although the old emperor was mediocre, he was not a fool. He saw the excellence in his daughter and admitted that he had indeed had some prejudice against her before. Making Gisela the heir to the throne of the empire was the greatest recognition he could give her.
Of course, it's also possible that if Rudolf hadn't turned out that way, the emperor might not have made the decision so decisively.
"We want to go to London."
"London? I strongly advise against it if you're considering it as your honeymoon destination." Joseph and Elizabeth didn't have a honeymoon after their marriage, because he was 18 and unmarried when he ascended the throne, and even if he did get married later, he wouldn't have the chance. After all, it's not reasonable for a monarch to travel around so much, especially since he wasn't Peter the Great of the Russian Empire, who was keen on traveling incognito.
"I have some personal connections with Sarah Nelson, the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, and I would like to visit her. I also want to have some negotiations with the British to prepare for some things in the future." Gisela did not hide much from her parents, but of course she would not tell them everything.
"What about the future?" Joseph frowned and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
“Yes, it concerns an impending crisis, and our empire needs to be fully prepared for it. As for Britain, they will be our natural ally, and I need to seek common ground with them for the coming period.” Gisela frankly shared her thoughts with her father.
This also includes many things that will follow—
After finishing their conversation with their parents, Gisela and Nina left the room and walked along the ornately decorated and spacious corridors of Schönbrunn Palace.
"Is there anything else we need to do today?" Nina followed Gisela obediently behind her, like a little tail. Of course, to others, Nina looked more like a good husband who doted on his wife.
“From today onwards, you are one of my people. Whether you like it or not, I will introduce you to them. You may need to work together frequently in the future.” Gisela was referring to none other than her most trusted subordinates.
"Them?" German, like English, has distinct pronunciations for third-person pronouns, so there is no confusion between "he" and "she" as in Chinese. Therefore, Nina was able to understand what Gisela was referring to immediately.
“Yes, they are indeed my trusted companions.” To call them subordinates directly would seem too distant, so Gisela ultimately chose a more humane way of putting it. Firstly, it clearly explained their relationship, and secondly, it was to put Nina at ease and reduce her tension. Of course, if she were to delve any deeper, it would involve Gisela’s selfish motives.
Gisela was quite puzzled. Ever since her wedding yesterday, these girls had been acting strangely, as if they were deliberately avoiding her. Even Rita, who was always eager to be by her side, had disappeared. This made Gisela feel a little uncomfortable.
Just then, Gisela was greeted by a blonde beauty with a firm and steady gait. Gisela recognized her immediately because of her powerful aura.
"Good morning, Miss Bismarck." The last time I saw Bismarck was several years ago. Back then, I was much shorter than Bismarck. Now, at least I'm close to Bismarck in height. The only difference is probably the "excess fat" on my chest. Of course, when I use my magic power to transform into my silver-haired state, I can catch up with Bismarck, but using magic power for something so meaningless is just too pathetic.
"Good morning, Your Highness, and congratulations on your marriage." Bismarck removed his cap, glanced at Nina beside Gisela with a smile, and offered his blessings to Gisela. The union of Bavaria and Austria added further obstacles to the unification of Germany, but these were still within Bismarck's control.
“Thank you, Miss Bismarck.” Bismarck was one of Gisela’s favorite historical figures. Their last meeting had been quite awkward, but she had so much to say to this leading European politician.
“Leo, I’d like to speak with the Prime Minister. Could you wait here for me for a moment?” Gisela turned to Nina and said.
“Of course.” Nina gracefully bent down slightly, gesturing for him to proceed. Her elegant movements were enough to make many self-proclaimed gentlemen pale in comparison.
Gisela then pushed open the door to the room next door and led Bismarck onto the balcony.
"Your Highness, is there anything you wish to discuss with me?" Bismarck looked at the girl in front of her with a smug expression. If someone did not know her well, they might mistake her for a well-educated heiress.
"Failure is the final test of perseverance, and truth lies only within the range of cannons. For the indomitable, there is no such thing as failure. What Germany cares about is not Prussian liberalism, but power. Prussia must gather its strength and wait for the opportune moment, which we have already missed several times. The great questions of our time cannot be solved by speeches and majority decisions, but by iron and blood." Gisela took a deep breath and repeated a line from a speech by Bismarck in his previous life with great emotion.
When Bismarck heard his speech mentioned by the prince, all the feigned goodwill and smiles he had shown were replaced by a gradually serious and earnest expression on his face.
"Several years ago, on that night, I was sitting on pins and needles, carefully answering your questions. You mentioned Queen Mary to me, so today I would like to ask you a question as well."
"Where will your iron-and-blooded path ultimately lead Prussia, no! Germany?" Prussia was Austria's enemy, at least for this moment.
Bismarck clenched her hands, looking at Gisela with a solemn expression. She knew better than anyone what the ultimate price of choosing this path would be. Even though she was as intelligent as she was, she had not actually changed the direction of Prussia's progress, because this path had been determined hundreds of years ago. The only difference was that Bismarck greatly facilitated this process.
PS1: Ra!
Chapter 391 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 10 On the Unification of Germany
"Let me tell you, Miss Bismarck, you may be able to defeat Austria and drive us out of the German region, and then you will establish the Germany that our ancestors have hoped to establish for thousands of years. You will try your best to maintain good relations with Britain, and then look for an opportunity to go to war with France. You know better than I do that there is absolutely no room for two absolute land powers in Europe. Of course, France, which has experienced civil war, will certainly not be a match for your unified Germany. From the moment France is defeated by you, Britain will no longer be your ally. Britain will use all its resources to curb the formation of land hegemony, just as it did with Napoleon."
"Your friendship will not last. Even if you can remain restrained, your successors will not. Germany will face a bottleneck in its development due to a lack of markets and raw material sources. At that time, Germany will inevitably demand its territory under the sun from the traditional powers, and the army that upholds iron and blood will eventually become an enemy of the world." Gisela recounted in detail what had happened in another timeline. Looking at the blonde woman in front of her, she wondered why she wanted to tell her all this.
The curse of Prussian militarism, combined with the millennia-old German national ambition for a strong homeland, gave birth to a super monster that instigated two world wars.
“Power can sometimes be as sweet and alluring as the poppy (flower name), but once its dangers are recognized, no one can ignore it. If a country chooses to unify through war, then that country will ultimately be destroyed by war.” Gisela leaned on the balcony railing, gazing into the distance.
Her gaze was deep and her tone somewhat ethereal, as if a wise and transcendent deity was trying to warn humanity that greed would inevitably lead to destruction, and that only restraint could offer a glimmer of hope.
"Giselle Louise Marie, what exactly did you see..." For the first time, Bismarck looked at the princess with a sense of awe. If she could only be considered a young girl with insight and ideas before, her vision and perspective in those words had already surpassed that era. What was even more frightening was that her reasoning was extremely self-consistent, as if she had truly seen that future.
These were precisely the things Bismarck was most worried about. Prussia was able to control its weapons because of her, but could her successors do the same?
"Me? I'm just as ordinary as you see me." As Gisela spoke, her hair turned silver once more, and her purple eyes scrutinized the woman before her as if sizing up prey.
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