She changed Europe

Page 78

It is worth mentioning that, unlike Gisela's private treatment of Jeanne, in the Austrian court, because the contract had been signed and Jeanne was unwilling to return to France "subjectively," she was a noblewoman residing in Vienna as a French envoy rather than a prisoner of war. She enjoyed the treatment of a duke. The only difference was that Jeanne lived with the princess and did not use the residence arranged for her by Emperor Joseph.

At this moment, Jeanne was calmly handling the advances of the young nobles. She smiled, her tone even, her usual aloofness and haughty demeanor completely vanished. Clearly, Jeanne was a socialite in Paris, and naturally, she could handle things with ease in Vienna.

"Lady Jeanne, how are you doing in Vienna?"

"Yes, Vienna is a beautiful and romantic city, I love it here." (If it weren't for Paris.)

"Lady Banana, would you please dance with me?"

"People always complain that the cicadas' chirping is too noisy in summer, but I think the male peacock's call is actually more ear-piercing." (Don't you think you're noisy?)

"Lady Jeanne, I've heard that you and Her Highness the Princess are very close. May I ask what kind of person she is?"

"Your princess is a tolerant, kind, and pure girl. I want to be with her all the time, because being by her side makes me feel my soul being purified." (Your princess is a petty, filthy, and perverse woman. I want to stay away from her all the time, because every minute I spend with her makes me feel my soul is being corrupted.)

"Really? I also think our princess is very well-behaved and cute. Her fluffy ears and tail look just like the dolls in my house." Because it was a young girl who spoke, such a statement did not seem impolite. On the contrary, it showed their affection for Gisela.

Jeanne's keen senses quickly alerted her to Gisela's gaze. After glancing at Gisela, who seemed to be watching her, she smiled slightly and used her golden eyes to scan her surroundings before fixing them on a young man with black hair, while beside him stood a younger, blond-haired boy.

“That’s her brother and her fiancé Leopold, isn’t it?” What if I asked Leopold to dance right now and flirted with her fiancé in front of her? Jeanne was constantly thinking about getting revenge on Gisela. Of course, if she did that, it would definitely anger that vixen! Just thinking about how angry that vixen was but couldn’t do anything about it made Jeanne’s lips curl into a playful smile.

Without further ado, Jeanne quietly moved away from the crowd and walked up to the two men.

"Your name is Leopold, right?" Jeanne looked at the young man in front of her with a kind expression.

"Yes, may I ask who you are?" Leopold had only met Jeanne briefly during the later stages of the Battle of Milan, and unfortunately, half a year had passed. With only Gisela in his heart, he naturally did not remember this saintly Frenchwoman.

“I know! You must be Jeanne d'Dalque!” Rudolf said obediently, looking up at the French woman in front of him. Unlike Leopold, Gisela’s brother Rudolf knew about his sister’s unusual orientation, so he never believed that his sister was providing political asylum for Jeanne for the sake of so-called friendship between the two countries. There must be a story between them.

“Really? Hello Jeanne…” Leopold smiled and bowed politely to Jeanne. Since she was Gisela’s friend, she was also Leopold’s friend.

Before they could even exchange greetings, Jeanne grabbed Leopold by the collar and led him to the dance floor.

But Rudolf suddenly stepped in front of Leopold and said, "If Jeanne wants to find the Queen, she's over there." Although Rudolf was unwilling to admit it, since he couldn't change the fact that his sister liked girls, he would still fully support her.

“Kid, I’m not looking for you…” Jeanne hadn’t expected the obstacle to be that guy’s brother, so she raised an eyebrow and looked at Leopold again.

At that moment, Gisela saw Jeanne walk towards Leopold and immediately guessed what the woman was thinking. So she frowned and prepared to cross the dance floor to walk towards Jeanne. After all, as a young man with blond hair, she had no reason to be provoked by others.

But when Gisela made her move, a blonde girl with golden eyes, shining like a golden lion, blocked Gisela's path with a smile, and she was wearing a golden lion-decorated ring on her index finger.

PS1: I'm posting this so the kids can see it QAQ

Chapter 290 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 6 Greetings from Six Hundred Years Later (Seeking Votes)

“You are…” Gisela raised an eyebrow as she looked at the “Golden Lion King” whose hair was even more dazzling than her own. The girl in front of her was undoubtedly a beautiful young woman, but the fox had no intention of appreciating her at all, because her gaze kept glancing at Jeanne, who was still trying to reach out her claws to Leopold.

If it weren't for her younger brother stopping her, this woman's evil scheme would have succeeded!

"Hello, Your Highness, my name is Gladys von Stauffen." The girl smiled at Gisela, then bowed slightly, giving Gisela a very polite greeting. Her every move was elegant and perfect, making Gisela clearly feel that she must come from a strict, old-fashioned noble family.

"Hello Miss Staufen, I wonder if you enjoyed my birthday ball today?" Skillfully changing the subject is the most natural way to avoid awkwardness in social situations, and Gisela certainly wanted to control the conversation to better maintain control of the conversation.

While they were talking, Gisela was also trying to observe the girl's clothes and jewelry, hoping to find more information about her family or related matters.

The lion on the ring seemed somewhat familiar, and Gisela finally focused her gaze on the ring on the girl's right index finger.

“It is my honor to offer you my birthday wishes, Your Highness. Of course, compared to this wonderful ball and your brilliant performance just now, perhaps what truly pleases me is being able to stand here face to face with you.” Gladys walked step by step toward Gisela.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'An emperor is subject to no one but God and sceptice' (a natural right to be used for good)?" Gladys finally stopped in front of Gisela, then tiptoed and whispered in her ear, deliberately using English instead of their native German.

"Granting monarchical power to do good?" Gisela repeated Gladys's words softly, then frowned and pondered for a moment before looking at the blonde girl in front of her with a serious expression.

No wonder the emblem on the girl's ring looked somewhat familiar. As a seasoned player of European history who has played Crusader Kings 2, I know that the family represented by this coat of arms was far more illustrious than the Habsburg dynasty in the Middle Ages.

“Miss Gladys, Redbeard may have conquered Europe, but he couldn’t conquer a single river,” Gisela said with a slight smile, half-jokingly.

Of course she knew that this phrase came from the most famous monarch of the family—Frederick I (nicknamed: Barbarossa the Redbeard). The biggest problem now was not knowing how different this world would be from the history she originally knew. If her memory was not wrong, that family should have died out six hundred years ago.

"Does Your Highness also believe such rumors?" Gladys sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.

“Miss, whether I believe it or not is unimportant. Just as your surname is now Stauffen instead of Hohenstaph, your people no longer consider themselves worthy of the word ‘honor.’” (Hohen is a modifier in German, meaning noble.)

“That’s right, Your Highness. We are no longer the royal family of the Holy Roman Empire. Not only are we not, but neither are you Habsburgs. That empire was destroyed by that woman decades ago, and now it is nothing more than a dualistic pseudo-empire centered on Austria and Hungary. All that remains is the last vestige of arrogance beneath the ruins of that nation.” Gladys slowly took a step back, putting distance between herself and Gisela.

“If you only want to reminisce with me here, then please come back another day. I have other matters to attend to today,” Gisela replied coldly to Gladys. Although she always paid more attention to beautiful young women, she was indeed not very interested in this Miss Stauffen today.

“My ancestor did not die by drowning as you know it; her death was a conspiracy by the Church,” Gladys said calmly, uttering a statement that Gisela could not ignore.

"What do you mean?" Gisela turned around, looking at the girl in front of her with a serious expression. The mysterious Vatican and the Jesuits that Miss Aponia mentioned were the culprits behind her series of crises in Italy and the harm done to Su Beiming. She had not forgotten this grudge.

"Your Highness, you are also a Magician, so you should know that as God's favorites, Magicians, no matter how old they are, will not die from illness or physical aging. There are only two ways for them to die: one is to kill them physically, and the other is for them to be called voluntarily (this is the Catholic explanation; in short, it is a special way of death for Magicians in this world)." Most Magicians face their calling at the end of their lives, rather than relying on mysterious power and obsession to prolong their lives for hundreds of years like Su Beiming.

“First of all, my ancestor, Empress Frederick I, was a mage, yet she didn’t die at the age of sixty-seven from being called, but rather from drowning while crossing a river due to a heart attack. That’s too suspicious. After that, the Pope blamed our family for the failure of the Third Crusade, while making no mention of the defeats of King Philip II of France and King Richard the Lionheart of England, who also participated in the war,” Gladys continued, somewhat indignantly.

"Let's start with the subsequent balance of power between theocracy and monarchy. After Frederick I died, the Holy Roman Emperors never gained the upper hand in the struggle between the two powers. The Pope ultimately propelled the Papacy's power to its zenith in the Middle Ages, becoming the de facto monarch of the European monarchs."

“I don’t doubt your judgment, but are you so sure, Miss, that it was the church that did it?” Gisela listened to the girl’s words while scrutinizing whether there were any logical problems in them.

“If that were all, I wouldn’t have told these things to Your Highness, who is a target of the Jesuits, today.” Gladys walked up to Gisela again, put her arms around her neck, and whispered in Gisela’s ear once more. At the same time, the beautiful touch and unique fragrance of the pretty girl immediately stirred the heartstrings of the lecherous fox, almost making her lose her composure.

"Your Highness, please put your left arm around my waist and hold my hand tightly with your right hand." The girl's tone was playful, and Gisela had no reason to refuse, as she also wanted to see what secrets this descendant of the Hohenstaufen family had to share with her.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 291 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter7 Aren't you her fiancé? (Seeking votes)

As Gisela's right hand touched Gladys's, a somewhat worn gold coin slipped from the girl's sleeve into Gisela's palm.

"This gold coin was found inside my ancestor's armor, close to her underwear. As a female monarch, no one but her family would easily touch her body. The pattern on this bloodstained gold coin may be the message she left for us descendants."

"Your Highness, please look into my eyes, and then gently touch and feel this symbol to see if you recognize it." Gladys's lips curled into a slight smile, as if he had everything under control.

"The Jesuits..."

"Shh! Your Highness, don't say it aloud. Not everyone here is your loyal subject," Gladys whispered, gently tugging at Gisela's lips with his index finger.

"By the way! Your Highness, such a name did not exist in the 12th century. Their history may be much longer than you know. As for the name you mentioned, it may just be a form of existence that they developed to a certain stage. They needed an image that could be recognized by ordinary people to recruit their subordinates and expand their influence."

"What do you want me to do for you after you've told me all this?" Since she had received this intelligence gift from her opponent, she naturally needed to exchange it for something of equal value. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

“Your Highness, although our Stauffen family is no longer the Duke of Swabia, the King of Sicily, or the Holy Roman Empire’s royal family, our family still holds what you have in your hands.” Gladys’s personality made her dislike direct language; she clearly preferred a vague yet wise approach.

“Revenge and wealth, is that it?” The gold coins in Gisela’s hand were themselves a symbol of wealth, and the desire for revenge against that organization within the Papacy was even more obvious. Gisela wanted the former; she had already worried that the Rothschilds alone wouldn’t be enough to achieve her goals. Now, this family, with a history even longer than the Habsburgs, could naturally contribute to her plans. Furthermore, they shared the same goal of revenge; from that perspective, it would be unreasonable for them not to cooperate.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Your Highness, your intelligence is probably the greatest treasure of Germany. I believe that the rebirth of a unified empire in your hands will not be an unbelievable thing." Gladys looked at the princess she was so fond of and laughed happily.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Hohenstaufen.” Gisele extended her right hand.

“Your Highness, may your wisdom guide your people forward, and of course, happy birthday,” Gladys said softly, grasping Gisele’s outstretched right hand.

"By the way, Your Highness, it seems you had something to do earlier?" Gladys asked in a half-joking tone, then glanced at Jeanne in the distance, and suddenly had some interesting ideas in mind.

“Miss Gladys, may I invite you to dance with me?” Gisela asked with a smile, pulling Gladys toward the dance floor.

“Of course, it’s my honor.” Now that they have become political allies and share common interests, Gladys has no reason to refuse Gisela’s invitation. After all, improving the understanding between the two families is also part of her plan.

“Then first, please put your left arm around my waist.” Gisela smiled and looked at Gladys in front of her, whispering softly in her ear.

Following Gisela's gaze, the clever Gladys also turned her eyes to the distance, towards the direction where Jeanne and Leopold were. She had done her research beforehand and knew that Her Highness had a Bavarian prince's son as her fiancé, and that Jeanne's closeness to her was naturally a way of expressing her dissatisfaction with her fiancé.

He shouldn't have any reason to get involved in the fun of unmarried young couples, but since the other party has approached him, he feels he should play his role as the "young punk" even better.

Of course, at this time, Gladys didn't know that Gisela's target wasn't Leopold at all. Of course, only the fox herself and a certain saint could see this.

"What? What is she doing...?" Jeanne's eyes widened, because they all saw Gisela dancing intimately with a mysterious girl on the dance floor. It was like a heavy punch to her face, as if telling Jeanne that she didn't care about Leopold at all.

Not only did she not care, but she also had a new lover, which made Jeanne feel a sense of unease and frustration that she had nowhere to vent her dissatisfaction...

Leopold also looked at his fiancée with some surprise. Although this era was more open-minded than he had imagined, and relationships between women were not impossible, these things had always happened in other people's homes before. But this time, it concerned him! No, this is pure friendship! Leopold could only comfort himself with this thought.

"My sister hasn't changed at all." Unlike the subtle emotions in the other two's hearts, Rudolf was actually happy. As expected, his guess was right. His sister liked girls. This wasn't a bad thing. At least it was more suitable than his sister marrying that Leopold, wasn't it? In short, if he couldn't have her, no one else could either. He didn't care about girls.

"Miss Jeanne, what were you trying to say just now?" Perhaps due to a desire to escape, Leopold stopped looking at his fiancée on the dance floor and turned his gaze to Jeanne, who seemed to have something to say to him.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear you right now!" Jeanne frowned slightly, put her right hand to her mouth, and began biting her nails in a rather uncouth manner.

"..." At this moment, Leopold was once again severely hit. He did not know what he had done to make the lady in front of him dislike him. His personality made him only look for problems in himself, and he would not think about what the other party had done wrong.

It's worth mentioning that if Leopold's sister Nina were here, she would definitely fight Jeanne over this matter, since no one can bully their brother; it's a matter of principle for her.

Just then, Johannes, who was on stage, played the most cheerful fifth movement of his "Hungarian Dances," and with the lively rhythm, Gisela and Gladys had an even more "intimate" interaction.

"I can't stand it anymore!" Jeanne muttered to herself as she looked at Leopold and said:

"Aren't you her fiancé? She's so close to strangers, aren't you going to say anything?"

"Me???" Leopold was speechless for a moment, his face full of question marks.

PS1: Haha, if you need anything, please contact me, Yang Niu!

Chapter 292 The Fall of Saint Stephen's Crown: Capter 8 How About I Help You? (Seeking Votes)

What could he do? Tell his parents about Gisela? To be honest, given Queen Elizabeth's personality, she probably wouldn't say much even if she knew, after all, having a same-sex lover is better than nothing...

“Miss Jeanne, you know very well that as an unmarried noblewoman, even if she is engaged, no matter how many lovers she has before the marriage is finalized, it cannot be a reason for us to accuse her of infidelity. Besides, she is only close to that lady, and it hasn’t come to that yet…” Leopold’s attitude and stance were clear, unlike Jeanne’s vengeful nature. Faced with what had happened, he could choose to forgive.

"Ha! You guys are really open-minded. If I were you, I definitely wouldn't forgive that she-vix so easily." Jeanne glanced at the two people in front of her. Putting aside Rudolf for the moment, Leopold was quite a coward. However, for the sake of self-interest and the need to get revenge on the fox, Jeanne's lips suddenly curled up as she spoke:

"How about this, I'll help you get rid of that annoying butterfly? In return, you promise to do something for me next time?" Jeanne crossed her arms, her attitude appearing very arrogant. After all, the other party was asking for her help, so she had the upper hand.

“Then thank you, Miss Jeanne.” Leopold smiled, looking quite grateful.

At this moment, Rudolf seemed to have noticed something amiss, but considering the Duchess of Orléans' formidable reputation, he chose to remain silent, after all, he couldn't afford to offend her.

"I'll be right back, keep an eye on things!" Jeanne smiled slightly, adjusted her demeanor, and exuded confidence.

Unfortunately, Jeanne is just Jeanne after all; expecting a warrior who isn't good at socializing to become a master of social interaction is a bit too much to ask...

When she attended aristocratic salons in Paris, other ladies, when discussing techniques for seducing men, would only ever mention the first part, completely unaware of the second. Even so, this somewhat girlish woman still became a socialite in Paris—isn't that a bit unbelievable?

Because she always maintains a cool and aloof demeanor in her daily social interactions, ignoring all men who approach her, she gives people in this circle the impression that she is far superior to them, and that they shouldn't bother jumping around in front of her like clumsy clowns. She has no interest in them.

Therefore, Jeanne, with her haughty and discerning eye, always made people feel flattered whenever she chatted with them. Naturally, a saying circulated in Paris: "If someone can make her smile, the Paris Revolution will never happen." Although somewhat exaggerated, this reflects Jeanne's outward personality quite well.

Finally, with the crisp sound of her high heels hitting the ground, she walked between Gisela and Gladys, raised her hand and forcibly separated the two. She didn't understand fancy tricks; getting straight to the point was her habit.

"Fox, give me a reasonable explanation." Jeanne's tone was icy. Her shimmering silver hair was even more dazzling under the light. However, while she was speaking, she was also secretly observing the fox's hair color. Only after confirming that it was completely golden did she muster the courage to question her.

If she can't beat Su Beiming, can't she at least deal with Gisela?

As Jeanne questioned her, Gisela, who was already attracting attention because of her beauty and her outstanding performance, once again received the attention of many guests present. Of course, their focus was also on the equally charming Duchess of France.

"This distinguished French guest seems somewhat angry?"

"It seems a bit like an emotional entanglement, but shouldn't Your Highness's fiancé be Leopold, the son of the Bavarian Regent? Where is he?"

"Oh! I see." It turns out that humans are never lacking in imagination. After all, in modern Europe, due to the different status of women, some "friendships" are actually tolerated by the world. Or rather, the mutual affection between two magic users is seen as a symbol of a powerful alliance and national prosperity. After all, the friendship between Queen Elizabeth and Dean Selena is the best proof. This has truly brought a new magic user to the empire.

"Youth is truly wonderful." Conversations like these filled the hall, and even Emperor Joseph and Empress Elizabeth were captivated by their daughter's gossip.

"Black Jeanne, what's wrong with you today?" Gisela turned to look at Jeanne, her face full of innocence and purity. Although the sly fox did it on purpose, as long as she didn't admit it, who would know?

"First of all, I'm not Jeanne Alter! Secondly, I just can't stand it, so what?" Jeanne held her head high, looking as proud as a peacock.

"Excuse me, Miss Gladys, please excuse me for a moment." Perhaps to provoke Jeanne and to see the woman's reaction, Gisela turned to Gladys with a smile to express her apology, and very gentlemanly kissed the back of the other's hand before walking up to Jeanne, with an expression that was more of a sense of pride than shame.

At first, Jeanne may have genuinely intended to embarrass the fox and, incidentally, stand up for Leopold. However, now completely consumed by Gisela's provocation and her own anger, Jeanne has forgotten her original intention. With a sense of resignation, she glanced around and grabbed Gisela's wrist.

"Elbow! Come with me!" Jeanne led Gisela through the crowd, then headed towards the door and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

In an instant, the tense atmosphere vanished without a trace, and everyone present treated it as a trivial incident. Only Leopold and Rudolf remained, staring at each other with wide eyes, unsure of what to do.

"Where did my beloved elder sister go?"

"Didn't you say you'd help me get rid of those philandering butterflies? How come you ran off with someone else's fiancée?" Is this the French way of keeping their word? Of course, Leopold never said this aloud.

As for the Emperor and Empress in the distance, Sisi seemed to realize that her daughter's hobby might be similar to her own. After all, although she had fox ears, she was definitely her own daughter. In short, as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered. The Empress thought to herself that it would be a blessing for her to have someone else share the burden of the crown in the future.

It would be even better if she had a group of people to help her. After all, the doctrine only stipulates monogamy, but does not limit the number of lovers. To be honest, compared to the era of Louis XIV and Empress Catherine, the politics of lovers between men and women would indeed give her daughter more choices in the future, which is not necessarily a bad thing for the empire.

As for Leo, if Gisela doesn't like it, she will try to persuade Joseph. However, before that, she doesn't want to break the relationship between the Empire and Bavaria, after all, Bavaria is also her homeland.

PS1: Beep beep beep!

Chapter 293 The Fall of St. Stephen's Crown: Capter 9 The Real Intention Is Not in the Wine (Seeking Votes)

At this moment, Jeanne, holding Gisela's hand, walked to the corner of the stairs. Although they were both wearing high heels, their steps were faster than usual.

Just then, an elderly woman, surrounded by servants, walked up the stairs toward her. Her sickly face and dark eyes, set deep in their sockets, were filled with ambition and coldness, sending chills down one's spine.

The woman glanced at Jeanne and Gisela out of the corner of her eye, then continued walking with her head held high toward the hall where Gisela was holding her birthday ball.

Even though she was the star of the ball, the old woman didn't say a single word of blessing to her.

“It’s her…” This woman was none other than Gisela’s mother, Sissi’s greatest enemy in the court, her own grandmother, and Emperor Joseph’s mother. Apart from her figure in the family photo, if Jeanne’s memory was not wrong, this was the first time she had seen this elusive Empress Dowager in reality.

She was also a mage, and the oldest mage in the empire. In her old age, she had long since retired from the battlefield, but as the emperor's mother, she enjoyed a high status in the vast Schönbrunn Palace.