Rise of Empires: Spain

Chapter Two: A Father's Love as Immense as a Mountain

If you want to take control of your own destiny, you can only keep climbing up the ladder, becoming the person in power in the country, and becoming someone the people trust and obey.

In a country like Italy, there is only one way: to become the King of Italy.

But it's clear that for Carlo, who has two older brothers, becoming King of Italy is virtually impossible.

However, this doesn't mean there's absolutely no chance. Historically, a revolution was imminent in Spain, and the House of Savoy of Italy was poised to seize the Spanish crown.

Although the crown was worn by the Savoy dynasty for only three years, it was Carlo's closest chance to ever be crowned.

If Carlos can defeat his brother, Prince Amadeo, he will have a chance to win the Spanish crown and become the King of Spain.

But this is ultimately just a plan, and there are many difficulties in realizing it.

However, in order to prepare for the plan in advance, it is still very necessary to reserve a certain number of talents and wealth.

After all, without start-up capital, all plans are just empty talk.

In terms of property, Carlo's land and castles are worth at least two to three million lira (about 25 lira to 1 pound, roughly 7.33 grams of gold), which is quite valuable in an era when the currency had not depreciated.

Unfortunately, most of the land and castles are not for sale because these properties belong to the royal family.

The only assets that Carlo can truly control are his annual royal annuity, which averages around 260,000 lira per year.

However, because Carlo was still a minor, the funds were kept by his father, Vittorio Emanuele II, and it is estimated that they amounted to at least three million lire.

Carlo's goal is precisely this 2.6 million lire annuity. If he could gain the right to freely dispose of his own property, this sum would be enough for Carlo to accomplish many things.

The good news is that, given how much his father, Vittorio Emanuele II, cares for him, Carlo should easily gain control over his own estate.

After all, Carlo's mother, Grand Duchess Adlerhead, had passed away more than a decade ago, and there were no obstacles for Carlo to gain the right to dispose of his property.

Although Carlo was still a minor, this also allowed him to obtain a reasonably reliable subordinate from Vittorio Emanuele II.

After all, Carlo's property ultimately belongs to Carlo personally. Vittorio Emanuele II may be able to safeguard it for Carlo until he comes of age, but he cannot safeguard it for Carlo for a lifetime.

Now, if Carlo wants to properly manage and operate his property, he needs more capable assistants, such as a court steward.

In European courts, royal stewards held considerable importance. They were not only a nobleman's most capable and loyal assistants, but also bound to the fate of the entire noble family.

Moreover, in most cases, the position of butler often becomes a form of hereditary succession. For example, Belis Bern, the butler of Vittorio Emanuele II, was the butler of King Carlo Emanuele III of Sardinia, and his son was very likely to become the butler of Crown Prince Umberto. The Italian royal family trusted him greatly, making him a truly trustworthy subordinate.

If Carlo had a sufficiently loyal and capable steward to help him manage his property, Vittorio Emanuele II would surely feel comfortable entrusting Carlo with the right to dispose of his own assets.

Where did this loyal and capable steward come from? Of course, Vittorio Emanuele II chose him from among his trusted subordinates.

A few days later, in the Italian King's office, Vittorio Emanuele II looked at his son Carlo with surprise and asked curiously, "Little Carlo, may I know the purpose of your exercise of your right to dispose of your property?"

It wasn't that Vittorio Emanuele II was unwilling to part with his two million lire fortune; it was simply a huge sum of money, and he didn't want to see his children corrupted by wealth.

“Invest in some businesses,” Carlo replied in detail, as if speaking frankly. “That way, I’ll have money to give my brothers Umberto and Amadeo gifts when they get married.”

Upon hearing Carlo's reply, Vittorio Emanuele II affectionately patted Carlo's head and said with a wry smile, "You have enough money to give them gifts, Carlo."

Two million lira could build a warship; you can't exactly be thinking of giving them a fleet, can you, son?"

Carlo shook his head, looking quite serious: "That's not my money, Father. I want to give them gifts with money I actually earn, that's what makes me happy."

“Alright, son, you’ve convinced me.” Vittorio Emanuele II nodded with a smile, and said helplessly, “What reason do I have to refuse? This must be the best reason in the world.”

"However, Carlo, I must remind you. Before you come of age, you will need a capable and loyal steward to help you manage your property."

"Of course, it's up to you how to spend it, but you at least need to have someone who can figure out exactly what those two million lira are," Vittorio Emanuele II added.

The Italian lira and the French franc were not much different in value, and more than two million francs was definitely not a small amount in this era.

Even if converted to gold, currently the most valuable precious metal, it would weigh over 700 kilograms, close to a ton.

This is also why Vittorio Emanuele II mentioned that Carlo needed a sufficiently loyal and capable steward to help manage the estate, because the money was simply too much.

Carlo was naturally pleased with this, as the Italian royal family had a relatively large pool of talent.

Although the Kingdom of Italy was established relatively recently, its predecessor was the Kingdom of Sardinia. While the Kingdom of Sardinia had little presence in Europe, it possessed a considerable number of loyal and capable individuals.

Seeing that Carlo did not object to him sending a loyal person to help him manage his property, Vittorio Emanuele II breathed a sigh of relief.

To demonstrate his paternal love, Vittorio Emanuele II then added, "To show my support for you, Carlo, I'll round it up to three million lire. You can come to me anytime to collect it."