Chapter 424: Compensation
It was clear that Walter had, through some means, entangled the Delvaux family's assets in a lawsuit, which would instantly leave Camelia penniless. And she had no relatives or friends – even if she did, no one would dare take her in under Walter's threats.
Ultimately, she would have no choice but to compromise with that scoundrel.
A cold sneer touched Joseph's lips. He had disdained to even acknowledge Walter before, but he hadn't expected the fellow to actively provoke him.
Well then, he might as well teach him a lesson while he was at it.
He walked over to Camelia and gently reassured her:
"Rest assured, I will never allow Madame Delvaux's reputation to be tarnished. And the villain who falsely accused her will receive his deserved punishment."
As for how to manage it, he didn't need to get personally involved in such a messy business. He would simply let Kaunitz handle it.
The next morning, a court official from Schönbrunn Palace arrived at Joseph's room, respectfully inviting him to attend a farewell banquet hosted by His Imperial Majesty that noon.
Joseph merely gave a cold chuckle and said indifferently:
The puzzled court official departed. A short while later, Austrian Minister of State Kaunitz, along with Baron Ferrari, Foreign Minister Thugut, and other ministers, hurried over.
After they exchanged greetings, Kaunitz anxiously asked:
"Your Highness, you were scheduled to return to Paris tonight. Why the change in plans?"
He couldn't help but be anxious. Austria had just decided to launch a major campaign in Silesia, and the front lines were waiting anxiously for French reinforcements. The French Crown Prince wouldn't take the "Vienna Special Agreement" back to France, and without it, the French army couldn't depart.
Joseph's face was grim as he said:
"As you know, Madame Delvaux has just passed away, and now someone is slandering her, claiming she was involved in a fraud case. I must wait until the truth of this matter is ascertained before I can return with peace of mind."
"Madame Delvaux?" Kaunitz looked at Foreign Minister Thugut in surprise, who quickly whispered a few words in his ear.
'Queen Mary's wet nurse?' Kaunitz frowned immediately. While wet nurses usually weren't of high birth, they sometimes formed deep bonds with the children they cared for, which could be problematic.
He quickly gestured to Joseph:
"Your Highness, please return to Paris first. I guarantee you a satisfactory resolution."
"No, I will wait here for the outcome," Joseph said calmly.
Seeing his firm attitude, Kaunitz reluctantly departed. He immediately sent for the guard officer in charge of the matter – he had already learned the general situation from the Crown Prince's servants.
He cursed inwardly, wondering which idiot would jeopardize the war in Silesia for some fraud case.
After inquiring about the details of the case, Kaunitz immediately went to Marquis Hartmann, the head of the Secret Police, asking him to assist in the investigation.
With the Secret Police's involvement, the officer quickly implicated Marquis Willhona, the captain of the Imperial Guard. The Secret Police then traced the case to Judge Meyer, who was presiding over the fraud case.
The alleged fraud case was sloppily concocted, with conflicting evidence. The Secret Police interrogated them for only a day, and everyone from the "fraud victims" to the judge confessed the truth.
Of course, this was because the Minister of State had intervened; otherwise, such a shoddy false accusation would have been enough to seize all of Camelia's assets.
The accusers were thrown into prison, and the judge quickly dropped the case. Kaunitz excitedly went to tell Joseph the good news, but the latter still showed no intention of returning to Paris.
Kaunitz, in a terrible fix, reported the matter to Emperor Leopold II. The Emperor, feeling a great annoyance, ordered Marquis Hartmann to re-examine the case.
The Secret Police immediately came down hard on all those involved in the case.
When the captain of the Imperial Guard and the judge learned that Emperor Leopold II had personally inquired about the matter, they were momentarily bewildered – 'That girl is merely a low-ranking minor noble, how did she even alarm the Crown Prince?!'
They dared not conceal any longer – it wasn't worth jeopardizing their futures for a few thousand florins – and immediately implicated Baron Walter.
Walter was busy flirting with women at a noble's ball when the Emperor's personal guard burst in and arrested him – due to the suddenness of the event and the communication levels of the era, he still hadn't received news of the case being overturned.
After learning the whole story, Emperor Leopold II severely reprimanded his brother-in-law, then asked Kaunitz to invite the French Crown Prince.
When Joseph entered Leopold II's reception room, he saw a shifty-looking nobleman in his twenties standing fearfully with his head bowed to the side.
After he and Leopold II exchanged greetings, the latter immediately struck Walter's back with his cane and bellowed:
"Apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince at once, you scoundrel!"
Joseph raised a hand to stop him:
"Your Majesty, I am not involved in this case, so there is no need to apologize to me. I believe Austria must have corresponding laws for false accusations, fabricating evidence, and bribery. Oh, and by the way, the target of his false accusation was a respectable noblewoman, and she had already passed away."
Leopold II looked at his legal advisor, who quickly stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, if the charges brought by His Highness the Crown Prince are upheld, then Baron Walter will be sentenced to 20 years in prison and double the amount of the falsely accused sum in compensation."
Joseph nodded in satisfaction:
"I commend Austria's judicial fairness. I think this is a very good way to handle it."
Walter's face turned ashen with fright. He spun around and knelt before Leopold II, pleading:
"Your Majesty, I was wrong, I am willing to pay compensation, please don't lock me in a cell, I beg you..."
The more arrogant and domineering a person was in everyday life, the more they cowered when faced with an adverse situation.
Leopold II glanced at Joseph, who was studying the frescoes on the ceiling, and helplessly gritted his teeth. For the sake of the situation in Silesia, he could only sacrifice this useless brother-in-law.
"Guards, take Baron Walter..."
He was halfway through his sentence when his wife, Ludovika, hurried in through a side door. She quickly curtsied to him and Joseph, then publicly began wiping away tears:
"Walter made a foolish mistake. I beg Your Highness to give him a chance. I am willing to compensate the Delvaux family with 80,000 florins for this."
Madame Delvaux's inheritance amounted to over 60,000 livres, which was about 25,000 florins. Her immediate offer of three times the compensation certainly seemed to show "full" sincerity.
Seeing Joseph unmoved, she gritted her teeth again and said:
"100,000 florins should be enough to compensate Madame Delvaux's reputation... Your Highness, please be merciful..." <var>ÄøSS[</var>
Joseph sighed. He knew that even if Walter were thrown into prison, given his status, he would most likely be secretly released once Joseph left Vienna. It would be better to secure some practical benefits for Camelia.
"150,000 florins, plus an apology to Madame Delvaux published in the newspaper."
Before Ludovika could say anything, Leopold II immediately nodded and said:
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness the Crown Prince. It shall be as you say."
Joseph was momentarily stunned. 'Did I ask for too little?'
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