Chapter 5: Chapter 5 – Inheritance

The problem for Franz was that it was costly to travel, and although the life of an Austrian noble was one of extravagance, he didn’t have the freedom to spend much money. Franz’s only income was the allowance given to him by his parents–specifically, by his mother–and that was limited.

He had some property in his name, but Franz had yet to receive it. The finances of the family were under his mother’s control, a fact to which his father was indifferent.

Of course, getting money could be a mere trifle, considering his status; however, Franz cherished his reputation, so something like extortion was out of the question.

It was also not a good time to invest in industries, considering the current climate in Europe. The was about to break out in France from where revolutions would spread quickly throughout the European continent with every nation except Russia suffering greatly. Historically, Vienna would spend time under the control of the rebels. If the rebels burned his factories down, to whom would he run and cry?

After rejecting all the businesses with quick, immoral profits, such as reselling arms, dealing drugs, making counterfeit money, and issuing lottery tickets, Franz decided that mining and salvaging sunken treasures might be suitable for him.

After some calculations, though, Franz reluctantly had to abandon both of these attractive options. The reason was simple: he was the heir to the Austrian Empire, not just any old capitalist. Conservatives would be disappointed to see a capitalist emperor, and Franz knew he needed their support, for the revolution in Vienna was right around the corner.

“Franz, are you studying again? Youngsters like you should be active, and yet you’re so dull. Why don’t you come hunting with me?”

It was his father, Archduke Franz Karl, a man with a very unstable mind. His favorite hobby seemed to be hunting; his second favorite was hunting with his sons. Among the members of Emperor Ferdinand I’s Regency Council, Archduke Franz Karl had the lowest sense of presence. Because of his congenital defects, his intelligence was insufficient for him to participate in political affairs. Had it not been for his high status, the Regency Council would not have admitted him at all.

“Father, why don’t you go on your own? I don’t have time for hunting today since I have to visit ,” Franz refused hastily.

That was the problem for a young man: he was always considered a child, even though he tried to appear mature in front of others.

Archduke Franz Karl was a good father and remained concerned about Franz, but this kind of concern was sometimes too much for Franz to bear.

***

“Mother, as you know, my expenses have increased somewhat…”

“So, you want your property back in your name?” Archduchess Sophie asked quickly as she was too impatient to wait for Franz to finish his sentence.

As an Archduke of Austria, how could he be without any property? As the firstborn male of the third generation, Franz had been enlisted as an Archduke by his grandfather. He had been happy to do so after Franz was confirmed to be of sound mind, since both of his sons were lacking in mental faculty.

But Franz’s title was a hollow one, and his appanage land was outside Austria’s control, with no revenue received from it.

There were many nominal dukes like Franz in the Hapsburg dynasty. In fact, the Austrian Emperors, as the successors to the Holy Roman Emperors, also possessed the title of King of Jerusalem but this title would only come in effect if Jerusalem was taken over by Austria someday.