She changed Europe

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"You're kidding, that's a ghost marriage!" Gisela was so shocked by these words that her expression completely changed. (23333)

"Don't be nervous, it's just a scene where you and that little girl Nina are pretending to be Leopold."

"Clam?"

"I'm sorry, little Gisela. I know Leo's death has been a great blow to you, but as royalty, we sometimes have to make sacrifices and compromises for the sake of national interests." Mrs. Elizabeth looked at her daughter with some guilt, because she had mentioned that poor young man again.

"No, no, no! Mother, you must have misunderstood something!" Gisela did feel remorse and anger over Leo's death, but she always felt that the kind of blow she was thinking of was completely opposite to the blow her mother was talking about.

“As you know, I am from a collateral branch of the Wittelsbach family of the Bavarian royal family, so you also have the same blood flowing through your veins as they do,” Queen Elizabeth continued to explain, as if she hadn’t heard Gisela’s words.

PS1: My territorial reorganization policy is as above, referencing the population distribution within the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1910 (2 million), as well as the population distribution during the earlier Austrian Empire period.

The population figures I found were from 1910.

German-Italian-Sulphur-Qi 8th Bar: 24%

Magyars: 20%

Czech Republic: 13%

Poland: 10%

Ukraine: 8%

Romania: 6%

Croatia: 5%; Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Italy: 4%, 4%, 3%, and 3% respectively.

Of course, this is for reference only, as it is only around 1874 now, and there are still several decades until 1910. Moreover, because Austria did not lose northern Italy in this worldview, the proportion of Italians is definitely much larger than this, and the distribution of Romanians in Transylvania is not as exaggerated as shown on the map.

My overall approach draws some inspiration from how a certain country handles ethnic issues in modern times. The main idea is to ensure that each large region has at least two ethnic groups with roughly equal total populations, so that they can check and balance each other and prevent them from easily forming a united force.

After this division, at least for the time being, apart from the Germans who still held a dominant position in the First Region, other ethnic groups no longer had such a superior status.

PS2: Secondly, don't underestimate the fact that Germans only make up 24% of the population now. You should know that the Empire is still the chairman state of the German Confederation. Its influence and voice over the entire German region are unprecedented. In particular, a large number of Germans in southern Germany may become hidden populations in the future. Austria is also the cultural mother country of the German region.

PS1: Just slacking off, back to work tomorrow.

Chapter 384 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 3 Political Marriage (Vote Requested)

“As you know, I am from a collateral branch of the Wittelsbach family of the Bavarian royal family, so you also have the same blood flowing through your veins as they do,” Queen Elizabeth continued, as if she hadn’t heard Gisela’s words.

“If our Habsburg dynasty wants to consolidate its absolute dominance in southern Germany, then it is essential to win over Bavaria, the strongest country in southern Germany. But now Prince Regent of Bavaria, Prince Luitpold, is getting old, and his eldest son, Ludwig, will certainly become the new King of Bavaria.”

"To show our support for Ludwig, we will reduce the number of his brothers and sisters who might threaten his rule over Bavaria, and of course, we will do so in a more peaceful and friendly manner."

"What methods?" Gisela looked at her mother with a serious expression, though she had a premonition in her heart.

"His younger brother, Leo, who was originally engaged to you, will marry you as an adopted son-in-law and live in Vienna, far from Munich, under our surveillance. Of course, in reality, he can do anything except return to Bavaria."

“His sister Nina, as a magic user, is also a great threat to the throne, and Prince Lutpod has agreed to marry her to your brother Rudolf.”

"Rudolph..." Gisela was at a loss for words when her adopted brother Gisela was mentioned. At the same time, the mother and daughter sat facing each other in an astonishing silence.

“Mother! Do you know an old saying in the East?” Gisela finally spoke again after a moment.

"To have children." Gisela picked up a pen from the table, wrote these words on a piece of paper, and then pushed it in front of her mother.

“Actually, I don’t really care about having another sister.” Gisela looked at Sisi with a smile.

"But now, Rudolf's existence cannot be made public." It's common knowledge that Rudolf is "dead." The public also knows that His Majesty the Emperor only has two daughters; the appearance of a third inevitably raises suspicions.

“Little Gisela, you have no idea how complicated this is. Joseph’s devotion and love for me are obvious to all. The entire aristocratic circle will only believe that Joseph would not do such a thing.” Queen Elizabeth sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation when she mentioned this.

"Does that mean they'll think you're unfaithful?" Even so, Gisela still wanted to complain inwardly. Mom, don't think I don't know you have an ambiguous relationship with that old lady from the next college! In a sense, this matter has already been brought to the forefront, but unfortunately, they're both women, so it's simply not allowed.

"As you said..." Queen Elizabeth shook her head helplessly, wondering if Liu Dao had touched a nerve with her mother.

"Forget it, Mother, why don't you just keep her with me for now? That way you won't feel so down every time you see her." Objectively speaking, this was a good solution for Elizabeth. Surely there was no way Rudolf could be mishandled by her own sister?

"Let's leave it at that for now." Queen Elizabeth didn't say anything more and quickly sat back down in her seat.

“I’ll go to my old manor to pick her up in a few days.” Although the male version of Rudolf had been declared dead, her brother was still alive, and as such, he could be used by the Jesuits who hadn’t been completely purged in Rome. After all, this was a card with uncertainties, a sword hanging over her own hands, beyond her control. Keeping her by her side and able to control her at any time was the best approach. Of course, Gisela could also use this “boy’s” feelings for her to cultivate her loyalty.

“By the way! Let’s continue talking about the marriage. I don’t care about this marriage; if it serves my political interests, then I can accept it. But I still have a question,” Gisela said, crossing her legs, propping her head up with her hand, and looking at her mother.

“If I remember correctly, when Leo was assassinated three years ago, the Bavarian side sent a report to Vienna questioning our security measures. At that time, theoretically, many officials in the diplomatic service already knew about it, as did Bavaria. Moreover, Leo had appeared in public more than once. How could they have a girl impersonate him?” After all, Gisela had witnessed Leo’s sister Nina’s terrible cross-dressing skills three years ago.

“Little Gisela is becoming more and more like a true monarch, whether it’s her serious and cautious manner in doing things, or…” Queen Elizabeth looked at her precious daughter with a slightly mischievous smile.

“We in Vienna are very easy to deal with. Not many people know about it, and the diplomatic department has not publicized it. Apart from the communications officer who received the intelligence at the time, a few officials, and your father and I, it just so happens that those officials are Hungarian.”

Although Empress Elizabeth didn't explicitly state it, the very fact that they were Hungarian nobles was enough to completely destroy them. Three years earlier, after the rebellion launched by the Hungarian nobility was thoroughly suppressed, the Austrian Empire not only virtually expelled the Hungarian nobility from the core areas of imperial rule but also confiscated all their real estate and property, distributing it entirely to the Hungarian bourgeoisie and commoners. After this, the so-called Magyar noble class virtually ceased to exist within the empire. The Hungarian people, who benefited from the reforms, did not excessively resist this policy.

"The Bavarian side has also made the necessary preparations. I can assure you that at least on the wedding day, apart from your father, Nina's father and brothers, no one will know that you are both women, and no one will recognize that it is the fake Leo." Although Queen Elizabeth made such a guarantee, Gisela did not believe that it was truly as secret as her mother said. After all, almost everyone around her knew that Leo was Nina, and it was not surprising that the intelligence agencies of major powers such as Britain, France, Prussia, and Russia had obtained this secret.

They simply lacked the standing to point this out, and Gisela's agreement to marry was merely a ploy to deceive the general public; in that respect, the purpose was rather appropriate.

“Yes, Mom, I have no objections to the wedding arrangements.” Gisela nodded in confirmation.

Let's rewind to three days later —

Gisela gently picked up the ring and put her own ring on Nina's right ring finger first. Observing the black-haired girl in front of her, Gisela saw a trace of sadness and loneliness in her bright eyes, rather than the joy and anticipation that should be present at the wedding.

PS1: Sorry, I forgot to upload the chapter.

Chapter 385 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter 4 You're Not Allowed to Go to Your Highness Tonight (Seeking Votes)

Seeing this object evokes memories of the person she longs for. Nina still remembers the ring on her hand, the very one her brother, who lay dying in a pool of blood that day, cherished like a priceless treasure, something he couldn't give away before his passing. Ironically, now she, as her beloved brother, must place this ring on the hand of her former rival.

"Stop being willful! Nina, you need to grow up. Your future is in your own hands. No one can take it away from you, and no one can control it." Her brother's words still echoed in her ears, but she decided to live in his shadow. Whether it was tragic or regrettable, it was the path she had chosen.

Noticing the girl's hesitation, Gisela tiptoed and reached her hand, which was raised to await the ring, into the ring Nina was holding. Then, she wrapped her arms around Nina's waist and hugged her. Feeling the warmth from the person in front of her, Nina's gaze refocused on Gisela. Her hands were raised in mid-air, hesitating whether to hug her back.

“Nina, I will protect you in place of your brother. Your future is in your own hands. No one can take it away or control it. You are not a substitute for someone else. You should live for yourself!” Gisela’s words, like an ancient vow, quietly knocked on the biggest barrier and estrangement in Nina’s heart. When the same words as her brother’s rang out again, Nina’s eyes were completely wet. At this moment, the images of the two men in front of Nina were almost completely overlapping.

Although Gisela is a woman, she is a man at heart. She fully understands Leo's desire to start a relationship and the responsibilities a man bears. She has every reason to believe that if that young man were here, he would say the same words to his sister.

“I have always loved you and admired you, brother.” Nina hugged Gisela tightly, and so, witnessed by the crowd, the “newlyweds” embraced each other in an incredibly loving manner. This overly sincere scene even captivated many of the young noble ladies present. After all, noble marriages were mostly devoid of love, especially for these women who were considered hopelessly aristocratic.

"Ahem! Now you may kiss each other to express your love." The still dignified Holy See coughed lightly, then carefully observed the man and woman in front of him with his blue eyes before speaking.

Gisela slightly raised her head, cautiously extending her lips towards Nina's pink lips, gently touching them and feeling the soft warmth of a young girl. Nina didn't resist, responding to Gisela with somewhat stiff movements, but in any case, the two had accepted each other in some way.

The idea of ​​a sister-in-law and sister-in-law becoming "husband" and "wife" is, upon closer examination, utterly ridiculous. (23333)

As they watched the newlyweds being blessed beneath the cross, applause erupted from the crowd, for they understood that every union under the Church of St. Augustine signified the continuation of the bloodline of a six-hundred-year-old dynasty.

Let's turn our attention back to those Gisela cares about—

At this moment, Chloris was leaning against the wall by the gate, looking at Gisela and Nina with a slight smile on her lips. For some reason, this Prussian princess, who was particularly infatuated with Gisela, did not seem to feel sad or upset. Instead, she appeared indifferent, as if everything was under her control.

"Your Highness, now that the Austrian princess is married and is a wife, you must not harass her anymore." Beside her, a meticulous blonde beauty in a black suit with her hair tied back, was reminding the gray-haired girl in a serious tone.

“Don’t worry about Bismarck, I know what I’m doing,” Chloris replied to Bismarck after checking the time with her left hand. The wristwatch had made a glamorous debut two years prior at a grand ball worn by Empress Elizabeth, and this new type of timepiece, more convenient than a pocket watch, quickly became a sensation in the Empire’s high society and soon spread throughout Europe. The custom watch industry flourished, with nobles flocking to them; essentially, it was nothing more than a luxury item—a way to display wealth or status and satisfy vanity. Of course, no one knew that the driving force behind this was the collaboration between Gisela Tohana’s foundation and Swiss watchmakers.

This thing certainly brought Gisela a lot of benefits, after all, nobles are a group that lives for face and suffers for it.

Of course, Chloris's watch was quite ordinary, a plain mechanical watch with no decorations whatsoever. After all, for her, using such a thing to display her status was such an unintentional waste; a watch is for telling time, isn't it? Perhaps all of Europe loves luxury goods, except for one country: Prussia. The current rulers of that country are a bunch of pragmatic freaks, madmen whose minds are only focused on national interests.

"And Your Highness, you are absolutely not allowed to go to Princess Gisela's room tonight." For some reason, this woman, who is usually so imposing and known as the Iron-Blooded Prime Minister, has become so long-winded today. If Gisela saw this, she would be so surprised that she would be speechless.

“Bismarck, do you think I’m the kind of person who acts recklessly regardless of time or place?” Chloris looked at Bismarck expressionlessly.

"Yes," the Prime Minister nodded succinctly. In that context, any outsider would have shaken their head in denial, but who was Bismarck? She had watched Chloris grow up since childhood; how often had this princess acted capriciously? Bismarck was always the one cleaning up her messes and covering for her. Thinking of all this, Bismarck sighed helplessly.

"Ahem!" Chloris coughed awkwardly, then put her hands in her pockets and walked towards the church door. This was the first time in all these years that Bismarck had been so disrespectful, making her lose face. However, Bismarck's words weren't entirely without merit.

Watching Chloris walk away, Bismarck took a small bottle of liquor from her pocket, leaned against the innermost wall, and began to gulp it down. While drinking was forbidden in Catholic churches, she wasn't Catholic, and indeed, the entire Prussian population was Protestant.

As Chloris left, she soon arrived at the staircase outside the church and saw an interesting scene: four ladies with short gray hair, long gray hair, long black hair, and short silver hair were sitting side by side on the staircase, lost in thought. The complex emotions in their eyes could have been the subject of a long novel for Chloris.

PS1: Sorry QAQ

Chapter 386 The Two-Headed Eagle's Rebirth: Capter 5 The Deeply Sinful Woman (Seeking Votes)

First up is a woman with short gray hair and purple eyes; she is clearly Gisela's new maid and current intelligence chief, Aponia, a battle nun from the Thirteen Courts.

Gisela's establishment of a new intelligence agency independent of the Imperial intelligence system was actually carried out under Chloris's guidance. It drew heavily on the experience of the Prussian intelligence agency under Chloris's command. Gisela negotiated with Bishop Otto, the head of the Thirteen Courts, to utilize the existing intelligence framework of the Thirteen Courts to establish a new intelligence and counter-espionage agency for the Empire.

In Gisela's view, it wouldn't matter if the Empire's existing intelligence agencies were simply abolished since they were already a complete mess.

As far as the archbishop was concerned, they shared a common interest in dealing with the Jesuits, which in turn allowed his organization to infiltrate the empire's intelligence sphere. Aponia, Gisela's chosen commander, was also loyal to him. For these reasons, the man had no reason to refuse Gisela's proposal.

Of course, the man didn't know that Chloris had a plan for Gisela: she noticed Aponia's somewhat subtle feelings for Gisela, and she had reason to believe that the silly fox had a chance to turn someone else's loyal dog into her own, as long as she seized the opportunity appropriately.

Turning other people's things into your own is exactly what Chloris is interested in.

Secondly, there's Rita, Gisela's personal maid. Her loyalty to Gisela is almost overflowing, which makes Chloris feel more at ease having her by Gisela's side.

Chloris didn't know much about the woman with the healthy tan skin and didn't want to comment on her, but when she saw the woman's somewhat lewd figure, she understood the fox's little scheme.

Finally, there was the silver-haired woman, a truly remarkable "big shot"—Jeanne d'Orcées, the Duke of Orléans, and a descendant of Joan of Arc. Since being captured by Gisela, Chloris hadn't had a chance to bully the duchess, and on this auspicious day, some interesting ideas began to form in her mind.

The four people sitting on the steps at this moment —

"I'm married... I'm really married..." The person who kept muttering to herself was Rita. Although she knew she wasn't really marrying a man, the thought of marrying a woman made her feel even worse.

Rita, expressionless and silent, had been sitting there like a statue for hours. In the sweltering summer heat, sitting outside was enough to make one drenched in sweat, but she maintained this posture the whole time. Even though her stockings and clothes were completely soaked with sweat, and her underwear was barely visible, she remained motionless.

Although Shahrado wasn't as extreme as Illuminati and Gizara, and she wasn't exactly infatuated with Gisela, perhaps influenced by their emotions, she also looked somewhat dejectedly at the fountain in the distant square.

"Can you please stop reading? It's so noisy! It's not like we're really getting married." Jeanne scratched her silver hair in annoyance, giving Rita a warning look with her golden eyes, her face still bearing that sour expression. She had been disciplined by Gisela countless times for this, but she remained incorrigible.

Of course, besides Gisela, whose side would Rita listen to?

“What right do you have to order me around, Lady Jeanne?” Rita retorted in kind to Jeanne.

"Don't think that just because you have Princess Rita backing you up, I won't dare to touch you. I can kill you right now and escape back to France. You can't stop me at all." Jeanne stood up and looked at Rita with a sense of injustice but also arrogance, her arrogance almost overflowing.

Just then, a pair of hands landed perfectly on Jeanne's shoulders. Jeanne seemed to sense a threat and turned around abruptly, only to see a gray-haired woman with scarlet eyes that were terrifying, as if they could rip out one's wrists.

"Miss, I heard you tried to lay a hand on my maid and even attempted to escape while my darling wasn't looking?" Chloris looked at Jeanne with a kind expression, then gently patted Jeanne's cheek. For some reason, Jeanne's body trembled instinctively.

“I’m not your maid, I’m my master…” Rita was about to correct Chloris when a pair of cruel and cold eyes swept over her. The previously arrogant maid was suddenly speechless, transforming from a man-eating tiger into a docile kitten. After all, to Chloris, Gisela’s was hers, and since she was Gisela’s maid, she was also her maid.

"Hey! You expressionless woman over there, have some water, did you hear me? You'll get dehydrated like this." Chloris took out a water bottle and handed it to Aponia, but Aponia remained motionless and did not accept it.

"You stay right here and don't move, understand!" Chloris warned Jeanne, then frowned and went to Aponia, uncorked the bottle, held Aponia down, and forced the bottle into her mouth, pouring water into her mouth. Under Chloris's magical manipulation, Aponia's expression began to melt like a glacier, then became surprisingly varied.

“No… I can’t drink anymore… it’s going to overflow…” Aponia twisted her body, her legs involuntarily swaying.

"Cough cough."

"If you keep doing this, I'm going to go deeper." Gisela was deliberately conjuring up a bunch of scenarios that resembled a script in her mind.

A moment later, Chloris put down the water bottle. At this moment, Aponia had collapsed to the ground, her purple eyes losing their usual light and becoming incredibly empty and dull. Water droplets slid down her slightly parted upper lip, and her clothes were soaked even more by the overflowing water.

Perhaps thinking it was a warning shot, Jeanne panicked and turned to run away. If even Miss Aponia was like this, what would become of her...?

“No, Miss Jeanne, bad children must be punished.” Chloris didn’t seem to intend to let Jeanne off the hook.

Soon, a new "tragedy" unfolded.

When Gisela finished her wedding ceremony and walked out of the church, she had never seen such well-behaved girls following her back to the palace under Chloris's leadership. Even the talkative Jeanne had become unexpectedly obedient.

Although they all knew that their marriages with their cousin were fake, their reactions were far too indifferent...

What's wrong with these guys? Are they a little sad because I'm getting married? Oh well! There's nothing I can do about it. After all, I'm incredibly charming and full of masculinity, so it's normal for girls to like me.

I can only say that I am truly guilty of many sins.

PS1: Ra!

Chapter 387 The Rebirth of the Two-Headed Eagle: Capter 6 Newlywed Bliss (Seeking Votes)

As night fell, the banquet and other events came to a perfect end. Gisela and Nina, the newlyweds, finally finished their day's work and returned to their room with their servants, turning on the lights.

Logically, we should continue our marital relationship now. Thinking of this, Gisela sat down with a smile on her face in the chair by the window, observing her somewhat shy "husband" with great interest.

"In the Middle Ages, when a noble couple made love on their wedding night, servants would watch and record the entire process. If the lord performed well, he would be praised by the servants; if he performed poorly, they would not laugh at him." This kind of behavior, which was like a live broadcast, seemed shameful, but in the Middle Ages, where the continuation and inheritance of the family were valued, the lord's fertility directly determined whether the territory and the family would prosper.

Carolingian, Capetian, Norman, and many other prominent families perished due to the extinction of their lineages. Few families in Europe have maintained such a large and prosperous lineage for six centuries as the Habsburgs. Even this family experienced the famous extinction of the Spanish royal line. The current Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, to which Gisela belongs, is at best a collateral branch of the original Habsburg family, while the main line has long since died out.

"Do you expect the servants to watch us two cuddling in bed?" Nina said with a hint of self-deprecation. After all, they were both women, and she didn't really expect to cause any trouble.

“The power has always been in our hands. Both our parents know that this wedding is nothing more than a victory of formalities, so whether or not servants put on this show is completely unimportant. They don’t even need us to give birth to a suitable heir as soon as possible.” Gisela’s overly calm demeanor made Nina feel quite incredulous.

Both husband and wife are magic users; it's hard to find another couple like them across Europe. Of course, Nina must hide her identity as a magic user for now, since there are no male magic users. But one thing is certain: they have plenty of time to resolve this issue in the future. If Gisela and Nina's nominal child is born, it means the child will be born with the right to inherit the throne of the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Austrian Empire. Of course, for the two of them at present, this is just nonsense.

“The heir…” For some reason, Nina’s eyes seemed to show a hint of emotion when she mentioned the descendants. Of course, she quickly recovered and collapsed onto the bed, rolling around on it like a kitten.

"By the way, what are your plans for the future?" After a moment, Nina tilted her head and lay on the bed, looking at Gisela, who was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper in the distance.

"I don't have any plans. I just intend to go to England." Gisela still owed Nelson a favor, and besides, she needed to discuss her upcoming matters with the British. After all, given the potential economic crisis of the future, relying on the economic strength of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the help of financial bankers like the Rothschild family might be enough to protect herself, but to further achieve her goals, she would have to rely on Britain. After all, at this time, the British Empire was still the world's leading economic power, and London was still the center of the world economy. As for the rise of the United States across the ocean, that would only be a few decades away.

"Go to England? I don't like London. That city is filled with stench and thick, terrifying fog. It's all factories." Although Nina, as a princess of Bavaria, had never actually been to London, she had learned quite a bit about the heart of the world's leading superpower across the Channel from others.