“Has America gone mad?”
“Yes, Your Highness!
You must see it for yourself!
The Western film Your Highness envisioned is setting all of America on fire!”
Tressler, having returned from America, spoke with such frantic excitement that spit was flying, his tone bordering on disrespectful in its fervor.
Karl had sent him to gauge the reaction, but this seemed a bit much.
Of course, even by Karl’s own standards, the final cut was indeed well-made, but to this extent?
“If Your Highness had seen it with your own eyes, you would never be this calm…!”
Tressler looked stifled, thumping his chest hard.
And why wouldn’t he?
How could one truly know without seeing it?
Just hearing that it was ‘on fire’—how else was one supposed to react?
“Your Highness, I can guarantee with my life that the profits will far exceed your imagination!”
“Does that even make sense?
The money earned so far is already ridiculous.”
The money Karl had made from movies was indeed more than expected.
After all, this was an era where mass entertainment was just taking off, and people’s pastimes were still very limited.
As long as a bit of effort was put into movies—viewed as ‘moving photographs’—crowds would surge like clouds.
In any European city of significant size, there were likely few who hadn’t seen a film by Karl.
Because of this, he had already amassed staggering profits.
Yet Tressler was talking about something far beyond that level?
Honestly, it felt surreal.
Karl knew the American market had immense potential.
That country across the Atlantic was swelling rapidly, with industry, capital, and population growing at a frantic pace.
But still, without the black-and-white figures on a ledger in front of him, he couldn’t quite grasp that ‘madness’.
“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress has returned to the palace.”
And then, there was Empress Elisabeth.
This troublemaking existence had finally settled into Augarten Palace.
Karl had initially thought she might harbor resentment from his previous nagging and would return to seek revenge or cause trouble, but surprisingly, she was very quiet.
Even if she did have a bit of pettiness or a desire for revenge, it likely dissipated upon seeing someone living so desperately hard.
Hailed as a genius in his studies, he was simultaneously an art patron, a movie industry mogul, and a research institute manager.
Even a woman who had abandoned her responsibilities to travel the world would be moved by such a sight.
“Great-Grandmother.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to call me Great-Grandmother?”
“If I don’t call my Great-Grandmother ‘Great-Grandmother,’ what else should I call her?”
“Call me Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Isn’t it strange for family to be so distant, Great-Grandmother?”
“You little brat…!”
It hadn’t been long, but this was how the two of them always interacted.
It didn’t look like a conversation between an elder and a child at all; it was so childish it was hard to watch.
But thinking about it now, the Empress didn’t hate this treatment.
Bickering year after year had actually fostered a certain closeness.
More surprisingly, she occasionally visited Schönbrunn Palace.
That was the Emperor’s official residence, the symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s authority and order.
Or, she would write letters to the children she had unknowingly become estranged from.
It seemed that even as people aged, they could still change.
As soon as Empress Elisabeth returned to the palace, Karl immediately went to seek an audience.
Even if she had become a bit quieter, so what?
Karl never hesitated to utilize her.
That was just how the world worked.
“Are you getting along well with your Great-Grandmother?”
Cough.
A faint blush rose to the Emperor’s face.
It wasn’t as if they were adolescent boys and girls; that two elderly people could still be like this was something.
However, this was significant progress.
In the past, they could hardly meet alone; now, they could sit together and have tea.
He had certainly put in a lot of effort.
Whenever it concerned the Emperor himself or their children, Karl would nag the Empress incessantly.
Would there be pressure?
None at all.
Empress Elisabeth’s reputation had already hit rock bottom.
In this era, her image as a willful runaway who traveled everywhere had long been a subject of gossip among the Viennese nobility and citizens.
Precisely because she had nothing left to lose, any small effort resulted in positive points.
In such a situation, he worked without any psychological burden.
Karl practically pushed her forward all the way, and later, he simply resorted to kicking her along.
—Do you know how old Great-Grandfather is?
If this continues, he might go straight to his final resting place before anything is accomplished.
—You brat!
The old man is perfectly fine, why do you make it sound like he’s about to die!
—That’s why I’m telling you not to have regrets now.
When you’re too old to walk, do you want me to carry you there on my back?
—What a child with absolutely no manners!
—I’m only like this in front of Great-Grandmother.
—I told you not to call me Great-Grandmother!
Her voice was quite full of energy for her age.
Recalling these things, Karl sat down opposite the Emperor and took out the items he had prepared.
They were photographs of the Empress taken this time.
He had invested as much into the related technology as he had earned from the movies.
To test the equipment, he had photographed the Empress many times.
After all, she was the most idle person in the family.
The ladies-in-waiting and attendants had their own duties, his father was away all year, and his mother frequently attended various social and charitable events.
Perhaps it was precisely because of the Empress’s presence that she went out even more often.
Sorry about that, Mother.
In any case, the Empress absolutely loathed her aging appearance.
But after someone’s repeated persuasion and arguments, it was done.
For the final effect, she even wore makeup and adjusted her angles to present her best possible state.
Consequently, she would later come running back, acting as if nothing had happened, to ask Karl if they could take another set.
Of course.
The technology of Karl and Otto’s imaging company was world-class for this era.
And presenting the final products to the Emperor was only natural.
Otherwise, what could he do with photographs of the Empress?
Naturally, they could only be given as gifts to the man who was nearly obsessed with her.
“It’s a wonderful photo.
This time, Great-Grandmother is actually smiling.”
The Emperor wore an expression of intoxication, much like a die-hard fan receiving a photo of their idol.
This Highness wasn’t quite normal either, to worship his own wife to this extent.
But thinking about it, she was indeed one of the symbols of this era.
Even as the years passed, her beauty and status would never truly fade.
“Cough…
Thank you again for this time.”
The Emperor coughed lightly and carefully tucked the photo away close to his person.
Karl looked at the Emperor and suddenly spoke:
“I’ve been thinking.”
“Hmm?”
“Doesn’t it seem too lonely to always only photograph Great-Grandmother by herself?”
“Is that so?”
“But in the whole world, how many people are qualified to take a photo with the Empress of the Empire?
Everything has an order.
The first one should, of course, be the great Emperor of the Empire.”
“Right!
Besides me, who else is worthy of being photographed with her?”
“I’ll arrange it for you another day.”
“Karl, you really are…”
The Emperor showed a look of heartfelt gratitude.
From his perspective, he probably wanted to grab this great-grandson and give him a few kisses.
Empress Elisabeth had said more than once that she didn’t want to die at the hands of an assassin.
That was her deepest fear.
The Emperor had also always worried whether she might one day take her own life.
But now, she remained in Vienna and would occasionally meet with the Emperor; how could he not be happy about such a change?
At this point, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Karl ranked first in the power hierarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He could even indirectly influence the Emperor through the Empress.
To put it hyperbolically, even if Karl asked for a battleship, the Emperor would likely seriously consider it.
“By the way, how is Otto doing?”
“My father?”
Hearing the Emperor’s question, Karl couldn’t help but sigh.
After all, that old man had, in the end, contracted syphilis.