Chapter 439: The Chief's Wedding
On the day of the wedding, Prince Karl of Sigmaringen took over from Archduke Ferdinand, who had to return to his daughter Karina's side.
November 3, 1873.
The wedding was scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Church of the Augustinian Friars—where many Habsburg family members had been baptized and married. Historically, even Empress Maria Theresa married here.
Due to the relocation of the Hechingen royal family to East Africa, the wedding couldn't fully follow European customs. It wasn't that East Africa lacked the capacity to host guests—it's just that the word "Africa" alone was enough to scare away many invitees.
The wedding carriage earned a bit of mockery from Ernst. It looked like something out of the Grimms' fairy tales—a pumpkin coach. While Ernst knew this style was perfectly normal in the West, his own aesthetic still leaned toward what he was used to in his previous life.
"Karina," Ernst said as he offered his hand gallantly to help her into the carriage, which then started to move slowly.
Though still quite young, Karina had some opinions of her own. Overall, she was satisfied with Ernst. That aligned with reality—political marriages weren't about feelings. Familiarity with the spouse was just a bonus. And Ernst wasn't bad-looking either. Average, yes, but nothing unappealing.
The honor guard was formed by troops from both East Africa and Austria. Due to tradition, the East African soldiers were dressed unusually flamboyantly—their bright red uniforms completely failed to convey the true demeanor of East African troops.
However, they would have another chance to shine in the afternoon. Then, they'd switch into East African dress uniforms and deliver a "head-of-state" level shock to the Viennese public. You could criticize the "head of state" all you like—but when it came to military aesthetics, his sense of style matched the public's image of disciplined soldiers better than anyone else's.
As the wedding carriage rolled through downtown, crowds gathered on both sides, cheering enthusiastically. This wedding had truly stirred up public excitement.
When the carriage reached the Church of the Augustinian Friars, and the guests had all taken their places, the classical and elegant music began. The ceremony officially started. Under the gaze of all attendees, the bride and groom began the elaborate rites. Despite multiple rehearsals, Ernst was still visibly nervous—standing stiffly and letting the Catholic bishop guide him.
Technically, Ernst was Catholic—but only in theory. In truth, he was a staunch atheist.
But it was his wedding day, so he gave "the old man upstairs" some face. Following Austrian noble wedding customs, Ernst made the full set of prayer gestures (crossing himself).
Princess Charlotte then handed her daughter's hand to Ernst. The 23-year-old groom and 16-year-old bride stood side by side—a fairly fitting match, at least appearance-wise.
Ernst wasn't the only one nervous—Karina was too. The two stumbled a bit through their vows:
"Sincerely I beg God not to let me part from you, or to let me follow behind you—for wherever you go, I will go. Because you remain, I remain. The one you love will be the one I love. Your Lord shall be my Lord. Where you die, I will be buried with you. Maybe the Lord will ask more of me, but no matter what happens, you will be by my side..."
"Now, His Highness Ernst, please place the ring on Princess Karina's finger," the cardinal said.
As a chief (or "non-chiefly" noble, in irony), Ernst had no shortage of diamonds—considered low-grade gemstones in East Africa. When he pulled out a blue diamond ring, every woman in the room had her eyes glued to it. So basic—aristocratic weddings always came down to showing off wealth and power.
As early as the 15th century, Archduke Maximilian of Austria had declared his undying love for Mary with a diamond ring. It was his advisor's suggestion, which he accepted. That's how the tradition began and it's been passed down for centuries.
Ernst's ring was crafted from a single natural blue diamond, simply polished to retain its natural shape—an uncut masterpiece. It weighed 21 carats and gleamed with an intense blue glow under the lights.
The gem was discovered in a diamond mine southeast of the Great Lakes. The designer named it "Heart of Blue."
Princess Charlotte whispered to Archduke Ferdinand: "Darling, when we return to East Africa, ask Ernst if he has another one of those blue diamonds. It's absolutely stunning—especially that dazzling blue halo. I want one too!"
Archduke Ferdinand: "..."
...
That afternoon, after the banquet, the steel-hearted Ernst finally got what he was waiting for—the military parade. He turned to Karina, eyes gleaming: "Karina, trust me—East Africa's army will give you a completely different viewing experience."
Karina: "..."
"Brother Ernst! You really like the military, don't you?" Karina was starting to suspect her husband was a bit of a war maniac.
"No, Karina, I just think it looks cool."
"..."
Of course Ernst liked the military. That had been decided when he was just a child in his previous life. He was irresistibly drawn to disciplined armies—it was a passion, like a merchant's love for money.
Soon, after the flower parade ended, the East African honor guard took the stage.
Their uniforms were primarily black, accented with gold and red. All-black alone would have looked too harsh (think Soviet or German military).
Three thousand soldiers were divided into ten formations. The first three were cavalry, with horses borrowed from the Austrian Army.
Clop... clop... clop! The horses trotted lightly across Vienna's slightly narrow streets. The infantry formations followed closely, their boots striking the ground in a perfectly rhythmic pattern.
The moment East Africa's military formation appeared, all eyes were drawn to them. Not just the Viennese citizens, but the European nobles too. Among them, Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia was especially intrigued.
"The uniforms look completely different from those of European armies. I saw the uniforms of the Hechingen Military Academy during the Franco-Prussian War—they were somewhat different from Prussia's, but East Africa's army uniforms are clearly distinct," he remarked.
Everyone in Prussia knew the Hechingen royal family had set up a military academy in Hechingen to train talent for colonizing Africa. Friedrich had assumed the East African military would be dressed similarly.
Alexander III chimed in: "But the design is quite eye-catching. Look at how their uniforms are tailored at the waist—it really makes the soldiers look upright and imposing."
Rudolf said nothing, but seeing how impressive the East African army looked gave him a sense of shared pride.
The older Franz, however, commented to Carol I: "Such unconventional styles—those outfits can't be comfortable, and the colors aren't bright enough."
Carol I replied with a chuckle: "They're definitely unique, but I'm more interested in their marching style—so uniform it looks like it was measured with a ruler. And that proud head tilt—could that be a special African trait?"
From the Viennese public's perspective, the soldiers gave off an intense sense of pressure. First, black uniforms naturally project that vibe. Second, every step they took on the cobblestone streets rang out with a heavy thud—very impactful. Where crowds had cheered earlier, the East African army's appearance brought sudden silence. The atmosphere grew heavy.
But the best was yet to come. As the formation passed by the grandstand where Ernst and Karina were seated...
The East African soldiers, rifles shouldered, performed a sharp gun flourish. Gleaming bayonets pointed squarely at their chests.
"One, two, three, four!"
"Long live the Crown Prince and Princess!"
"The saber-style move! This is the feeling I was talking about!" Ernst said to Karina with a smile.
Karina: "...," desperately wishing for a hole in the ground to crawl into.
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