Just as Talan was tidying up the belongings left by Prince Louis and cleaning the debris off the carpet, a crisp knocking sound echoed from the main hall to the second floor corridor.
Hearing the knock, Talan handed over the cleaning tasks to the maid and went downstairs alone, holding on to the stair railing to open the door.
The door of the mansion opened, and an elderly man with a pallid and unyielding face appeared at the entrance of the Bonaparte Mansion. He was dressed in a short pleated Flak Suit, with a black glossy cotton vest underneath, black trousers below, and a brown-gray cane in hand.
"May I ask who you are?" Talan scrutinized the figure before him, recalling that friends of Prince Louis were either young and energetic or retired soldiers, but never elderly.
Could this man be a friend of Prince Jerome?
"This is the residence of Prince Louis, correct?" the old man politely inquired, with a butler's smile on his face as he asked.
"Yes! This is the home of Prince Louis!" Talan nodded, then added sadly, "However, Prince Louis is no longer here! Now the mansion is managed on behalf of Prince Jerome!"
The old man showed a look of regret and said, "Please allow me to express my condolences on behalf of my master for the departure of Prince Louis! It is truly sorrowful when a man as courageous and upright as Prince Louis returns to the embrace of God!"
"Indeed!" Talan quickly nodded in agreement with the old man's words, and then inquired again, "May I know who your master from Britain is?"
The old man's expression shifted from regret to seriousness, choosing his words carefully: "My master is Baron Lionel Rothschild!"
"Lionel Rothschild!" Talan's face changed drastically.
He was all too familiar with this name, being the actual leader of the Rothschild Bank's branch in the United Kingdom, [The Rothschild Clan has three major branches in Europe, one in Britain, one in France, and the other in Frankfurt.] and also the primary creditor of Louis Napoleon.
After the death of his father, the former King of Holland, Old Louis, Louis Napoleon sold off the family estate and barely covered previous losses, then took out a loan of 600,000 francs from the Rothschild Bank in Britain, using Napoleonic memorabilia as collateral.
"What business does the Rothschild Clan have here? Prince Louis is already gone!" Talan asked with a tone of displeasure, thinking that perhaps the Rothschild Clan had come to collect a debt.
The old man clearly detected the displeasure in Talan's words, but as a servant of bankers, he would not choose silence because a debtor was in a poor mood. The old man continued, "My master, Baron Rothschild, has no ulterior motives. He merely wishes to invite Prince Jerome to visit the Baron's mansion! If the Prince has time!"
With that, the old man produced a large red invitation card embossed with the Rothschild mark and handed it to Talan, instructing, "Please be sure to pass this on to Prince Jerome!"
Talan, taking the invitation, did not examine its contents, but nodded in response, "I will pass the invitation to Prince Jerome!"
The old man smiled with satisfaction before departing in a carriage.
Looking at the invitation in his hand, Talan sighed and placed it on the coffee table in the main hall.
About 20 minutes later, Percy and Jerome returned to the mansion by carriage.
Talan quickly stood to greet them, informing Jerome of the visit from Lionel Rothschild's butler.
"The Rothschild Clan?" Seated on the sofa, leaning slightly forward, Jerome Bonaparte locked his gaze on the deep red invitation on the coffee table, pondering why Rothschild needed to invite him over to the mansion.
If it were merely to collect a debt, there was no need for such a "grand gesture" to invite Jerome over.
A debt of 600,000 francs was simply not significant enough for Lionel Rothschild to handle personally.
According to later stakes, the Rothschild Clan's assets during this period totaled more than 90 million francs, and this was only the resources that the Rothschild Clan could use.
The strength of a banker lies in using their own capital to rally economically comparable entities or individual investors to either increase or short a country's bonds.
A single Rothschild is not frightening; it is the alliance armies surrounding the Rothschild Clan, and the retail investors depositing in the Rothschild Bank, that are truly formidable.
Much like the financial storm Soros swept across Southeast Asia at the end of the 20th century, bankers of this time excelled in acting as the government's "white knight."
Of course, this "white knight" role required the government to offer them enough benefits.
"Why do you think Lionel Rothschild wants to see me?" Jerome Bonaparte turned to ask the Bonaparte Party Members present.
"Back then, I met this head of Rothschild with Prince Louis. He is certainly not a benign character!" Percy frowned, as Lionel Rothschild's sudden appearance was obviously unexpected by Percy as well.
"Should we decline?" Fleury suggested, "After all, it's just an invitation; whether to go or not is entirely up to us!"
"This involves more than just an invitation, Fleury, you should really use your brain for once!" Percy said, disappointed that Fleury seemed not to grasp the gravity of the situation.
"Then what do you suggest it is about?" Fleury retorted, still feeling unsettled by the death of Louis Napoleon.
Seeing that the room was about to ignite with tension, Jerome Bonaparte quickly intervened to stop the conversation, fearing that continued discussion might fracture the Bonaparte Faction.
"Enough, Percy, Fleury, no matter how much we discuss, it won't change anything! If they truly bear malice, our resistance would be futile!" Jerome Bonaparte spread his hands helplessly and said, "After all, circumstances are stronger than men, and we are unable to resist! Of course, I believe Baron Lionel Rothschild would not do such a thing! However, if he truly does..."
Jerome Bonaparte paused, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness, and said, "Then let him be prepared for an undying struggle with the House of Bonaparte! I will, in my lifetime, completely eradicate this 'European tumor!' Europe is not for the Jews; how could we allow a Jew to ride over Europe!"
The 19th century Europe was still in the throes of an anti-Semitic wave, not least in the tumultuous year of 1848.
The death of a Jewish banker or two was certainly not unheard of.