Carlo eventually did meet Prim.
This leader of the Spanish revolutionary army, born into a family of military officers and having experienced numerous wars, looked the part of a gentleman right now—very friendly and approachable.
At the welcoming banquet his father Victor Emmanuel II hosted for Prim, Carlo not only met Prim but also had a very brief, yet highly pleasant, conversation with him.
“Your Highness Carlo, is the Italian Sun newspaper your property?” Upon first meeting Carlo, Prim asked with a look of great interest.
“Yes, Marquis Prim,” Carlo nodded, not surprised by Prim’s inquiry.
The Italian Sun newspaper and the content published within it were important means Carlo used to create more advantages for himself.
If it hadn’t caught Prim’s attention, Carlo would have found that strange.
“I’ve read the content reported by The Sun.
The newspaper’s editor-in-chief absolutely has vision.
I heard you’ve also reached a collaboration with General Garibaldi?” A smile spread across Prim’s face as he inquired with a look of curiosity.
“Yes, Marquis Prim.
General Garibaldi is an important contributor to Italy’s unification.
It is an honor for The Sun to be able to collaborate with him,” Carlo also smiled and nodded; basic etiquette had to be maintained.
Garibaldi was the first question Prim used to test Carlo.
After all, Garibaldi had once thrown his lot in with the republican system.
If Carlo supported an absolute monarchy, he definitely wouldn’t have much favorable impression of such a republican element.
The conversation ended as briefly as that, so briefly it even caught Carlo somewhat off guard.
If he weren’t certain there was no problem with his answers, Carlo would have even suspected there was a loophole in his response that made Prim decide to abandon supporting him.
As for Prim, after having brief contacts with the two Italian princes, he decided to proceed to his next step: personally investigating and understanding the two princes.
Both Amedeo and Carlo had lived in Italy for over ten or even twenty years.
Their life experiences from childhood and their attitudes towards certain matters could still be investigated, especially regarding their attitude towards Garibaldi and their thoughts on reform.
What Prim actually cared about the most was the two princes’ desire for power and their attitude toward supporting reform.
To be honest, Prim did not want to welcome a king who would fight for power.
Controlling military and political power was a necessary condition for Prim to push forward reforms.
He would not allow a new king to compete with him for military and political power the moment he took office.
Reforms needed no further explanation.
If the new king didn’t support reform, Prim wouldn’t support the new king.
When it concerned whether Spain could achieve a revival at future milestones, Prim would have absolutely no irrational emotional factors when choosing a Spanish king.
Even if he favored Carlo more, it was absolutely impossible for him to determine the Spanish king candidate before concluding his evaluation of the two princes.
Watching Prim converse consecutively with his two sons but pointedly exchanging barely any words with his Crown Prince Umberto, Victor Emmanuel II instantly understood Prim’s true intentions.
It turned out Prim didn’t come to Spain to investigate a specific prince, but to investigate his two sons and choose one of them to become the King of Spain.
Theoretically speaking, this was a good thing for the House of Savoy, which only held power in Italy.
If they could establish a Savoy dynasty in Spain, the Savoy family’s status among European royals would see further elevation, which was a good thing for Victor Emmanuel II personally as well.
But from the perspective of a father, Victor Emmanuel II did not really want to see either of his children go to Spain.
The current Spain was too chaotic.
Without ability, it would not be easy to stabilize it.
More importantly, although Spain and Italy were only separated by the Mediterranean Sea, in this era of extremely inconvenient transportation conditions, it was like an insurmountable chasm.
Although the distance from Madrid to Rome was just over 1,000 kilometers, a round trip required at least a week.
Whether traveling from Rome to Madrid or from Madrid to Rome, a single journey cost at least half a month.
And for Victor Emmanuel II and whichever child was about to become the King of Spain, they might not be able to spare a few half-month gaps of free time in a given year.
Finally understanding all of this, Victor Emmanuel II decided to have a chat with his two children.
The first person Victor Emmanuel II sought out was his youngest son, Carlo, who had just graduated from the Turin Military Academy and joyfully received the rank of Captain in the Italian Royal Army.
Carlo had long anticipated Victor Emmanuel II’s arrival and appeared very calm.
Looking at his gradually growing son, Victor Emmanuel II seemed to see the ambitious self he once was.
“Carlo, you’ve been prepared for this, haven’t you?” Victor Emmanuel II didn’t know how to start for a moment.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
“When I founded The Sun, I thought of using it as a method of propaganda, waiting for an opportunity like Spain.
I am not content with just being a Duke of the kingdom, but as you know, it is impossible for me to become the King of Italy, isn’t it?” Carlo didn’t know how to explain, so he could only try to use a tactful way to express his ambitions.
Victor Emmanuel II nodded.
Although Carlo was still third in line to the Italian throne right now, that was only because Crown Prince Umberto and Prince Amedeo had not yet had descendants.
Once their descendants were born, Carlo’s place in the succession line would drop further.
This also meant that being third in line was perhaps the closest Carlo would ever get to the Italian throne; becoming King of Italy was fundamentally impossible.
Victor Emmanuel II naturally understood this too.
In fact, he didn’t oppose either Carlo or Amedeo becoming the King of Spain.
It was just that Victor Emmanuel II was getting old; the old king couldn’t help but feel reluctant to let his son go to a faraway place.
But reluctance aside, Victor Emmanuel II also knew he shouldn’t stand out to oppose his son.
“I understand, Carlo.” After a long silence, Victor Emmanuel II finally nodded.
Looking at his son who was already taller than him, he patted Carlo’s head, and then said with a trace of reluctance, “I won’t interfere in the competition between you and Amedeo.
No matter which of you becomes the King of Spain, I will express my support.
Even if, after becoming the King of Spain, you find that being a qualified king is not easy, and you want to give up, Italy will always welcome you.
Child, I am your father, and I will never oppose you.
I also hope you understand that whether you are the King of Spain or a Duke of Italy, the blood relationship between you, me, Umberto, and Amedeo will never change.
The glory of Savoy will always be with us!” (END CHAPTER) Thank you for the support, friends.