"Mr. Cavour, the Kingdom of Britain will absolutely not assist the Sardinian Kingdom in any aggressive war!"

Prince Albert’s decisive remarks left Cavour slightly disappointed.

However, fortunately, all of this was within Cavour’s expectations.

After all, the Kingdom of Britain is now the most powerful country in all of Europe, and even the world.

Recklessly participating in a European conflict that doesn’t concern Britain would only undermine Britain’s dominance.

At this stage, no country can truly threaten the maritime supremacy, crucial to the Kingdom of Britain’s survival, not even the navy of the French Empire, which only slightly surpasses Britain in technology by taking the lead.

Regarding naval fleet quantities, the French Empire currently cannot cover all maritime areas and can only exert influence in the Mediterranean Region.

If the French Empire’s navy wishes to achieve global influence, it must invest as much as the Kingdom of Britain does.

Yet, the French Empire cannot make such a commitment; their geographic position dictates that their focus must be on the army, with naval power merely ensuring their interests in the Mediterranean Region.

Therefore, although the Kingdom of Britain is wary of the French Empire’s naval strength, it wouldn’t rashly intensify conflicts in all of Europe because of it.

The balance of power on the Apennine Peninsula is intricate; any slight misstep may lead to being mired deeply.

Maintaining a relative balance on the European Continent is the only way to truly safeguard the fundamental interests of the Kingdom of Britain.

The promising future Cavour paints, though exquisite, requires sacrifices that the Kingdom of Britain is unwilling to bear.

"Your Majesty, I understand your nation’s determination to maintain peace in Europe!" Cavour said sincerely to Prince Albert, "However, the current peace in Europe is not founded on the principles of continental balance but dictated by the Emperor of the French Empire’s moods!

Currently, the reach of the French Empire has exceeded the scope agreed upon in the Vienna Agreement.

Which country among Wurttemberg, Baden, and Bavaria does not rely on the French Empire? Belgium and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who should stand as anti-French vanguards, are also forced to cooperate with the French Empire.

His Majesty Napoleon III has already extended France’s influence to the era of Emperor Napoleon, and his methods are equally as skillful as his uncle’s.

I worry that if the French Empire is not restrained, the Kingdom of Britain might..."

At this point, Cavour suddenly fell silent, understanding some words should not come from his mouth but should be pondered upon by Prince Albert himself.

Prince Albert naturally understood what Cavour was implying in the latter half.

Since the Crimean War, the French Empire, reclaiming its position as the dominant power on the European mainland, shifted from the aggressive posture of the Napoleonic Empire to leveraging monarchical friendships, economic support, and military cooperation to enhance exchanges with countries across Europe.

This development prompted the Southern German States (primarily the Württemberg Kingdom and the covert Bavaria), the Kingdom of Spain, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands to eagerly engage in deeper cooperation with the French Empire.

During their cooperation, the French Empire indeed demonstrated with practical actions that aligning with it did offer advantages.

For instance, when Wurttemberg and the Kingdom of Bavaria wanted to issue railway bonds, the enthusiastic Pereire Brothers took over the task originally belonging to Frankfurt Bank, underwriting the securities at the Paris Stock Exchange for the two countries.

During military operations against Morocco, Jerome Bonaparte advocated allocating Morocco’s northern region to the Kingdom of Spain.

The coal and steel alliance established with the Kingdom of Belgium was unanimously praised by the country’s mine owners.

...

The French Empire, through tangible actions, showcased its sense of responsibility to the outside world.

Compared to the Kingdom of Britain, which tends to dissociate itself at the first sign of trouble, the French Empire indeed stands as a relatively qualified leader in Europe.

As long as the French Empire doesn’t, like in Napoleon’s era, engage in large-scale wars across Europe, the Kingdom of Britain finds it challenging to gain more favor from the mid-sized nations compared to the French Empire.

Prince Albert couldn’t help but feel some resentment towards Palmerston’s previous actions.

If Palmerston hadn’t insisted on completely diminishing the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Britain’s diplomatic operations would currently be more flexible.

Now, whether it’s Poland who gained independence from the Russian Empire, or Austria that acquired the Danube Duchy, or Sweden that took over Norway from Russia, none desire the resurgence of the Russian Empire. A sort of semi-military alliance has vaguely formed among them to defend against a rising Russian Empire.

If the Kingdom of Britain opts to collaborate with the Russian Empire to contain the French Empire, these three countries would invariably, under military pressure, choose to align with the French Empire.

Expecting the Kingdom of Prussia in Central Europe to resist the French Empire is an impossible matter.

The short-lived conflict that occurred in the German Region years ago has already allowed the Kingdom of Britain to "see clearly" the military strength of the Kingdom of Prussia.

Except for Jerome Bonaparte, no country believes the Kingdom of Prussia has equal strength to England, France, and Austria.

Considering the reality that countries in Central and Western Europe have gradually leaned towards the French Empire, Prince Albert’s stance was no longer as decisive as at the beginning.

"Mr. Cavour, I admit that there is indeed some truth in what you just said!" Prince Albert first nodded in acknowledgment to Cavour,

then suddenly shifted the conversation, spreading his hands to Cavour, saying, "But it is impossible for me to persuade the British people to confront the Austrian Empire directly for the interests of the Kingdom of Sardinia!

Moreover, we may be confronting the French Empire as well!

My attitude has not changed at all; the Kingdom of Britain is willing to guarantee the safety of the Kingdom of Sardinia as long as it does not take the initiative to invade other countries!"

At this point, Prince Albert paused, revealing a meaningful smile as he said, "That is to say, as long as the Kingdom of Sardinia does not officially take actions to disrupt the Italian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Britain is still willing to assure the safety of the Kingdom of Sardinia!"

Prince Albert’s supplementary explanation, at first glance, didn’t seem to differ much from the initial statement.

But for smart people like Cavour, Prince Albert’s hint was enough to represent a relaxation of the British Kingdom’s stance.

"Your Majesty, thank you very much for the selfless help the Kingdom of Britain has given the Kingdom of Sardinia!" Cavour excitedly stood up and bowed to Prince Albert.

"Mr. Cavour, what are you talking about!" Albert deliberately feigned confusion asking Cavour, then emphasized with a sentence, "I haven’t said anything!"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured!" Cavour once again assured Albert, "The Kingdom of Sardinia will certainly not cause trouble for the Kingdom of Britain!"

At this moment, sitting aside, Victor Umberto still couldn’t understand what conditions Prince Albert had promised Cavour that made Cavour so happy.

However, now was not the time to ask Cavour, Victor Umberto had to contain his inner doubts and wait to ask after leaving Windsor Castle.

After discussing important issues, Cavour shifted the topic.

Cavour began conversing on Prince Albert’s interests, and unconsciously, they started to discuss literature, which brought a genuine smile to Prince Albert, who already had a love for literature.

As Cavour and Albert thoroughly shifted the topic to the field of literature, Victor Umberto, who had not spoken all along, also couldn’t help but comment a few times, surprising Prince Albert.

"At your age, very few members of royalty are willing to devote their energy to literature!" Prince Albert couldn’t help but praise Victor Umberto.

Victor Umberto shyly responded, "Your Majesty, you flatter me!"

Subsequently, Albert asked Victor Umberto some literary questions, which Victor Umberto responded to one by one.

This harmonious scene suddenly reminded Cavour of a strategy, and he decided to test it with Prince Albert.

Once Albert and Victor Umberto concluded their Q&A, Cavour tactfully asked, "Your Majesty, I’ve heard your second daughter is not yet engaged, is that true?"

Upon hearing Cavour’s inquiry, Prince Albert instantly grasped the undertone of Cavour’s words and instinctively glanced at Victor Umberto.

Victor Umberto straightened his posture slightly, accepting Prince Albert’s scrutiny.

Indeed, judging from appearance, Victor Umberto certainly met Prince Albert’s standards, but royal marriages were not simply based on looks or compatibility; they must be strategic.

Especially with a country as ambitious as the Kingdom of Sardinia, once the British Royal Family allied through marriage, it would be hard not to be influenced by the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Of course, the advantage is that the Kingdom of Sardinia could quickly shift from pro-French to pro-British, thus disrupting France’s dominance in the Mediterranean.

After a brief contemplation, Prince Albert decided not to give an immediate response; this matter had to be discussed jointly with the Cabinet before making a decision.

Otherwise, the Cabinet might view the Royal Family as acting unilaterally and dragging Britain into conflict.

"Mr. Cavour, Alice (Victoria’s second daughter) indeed has not yet been engaged, and we are considering her marriage!" Prince Albert responded to Cavour.

"If you don’t mind, could you consider putting our prince on the candidate list as well!" Cavour straightforwardly asked Albert.

"Well... the Royal Family and Cabinet will consider your suggestion!"