Jerome Bonaparte and Victor Emmanuel II conversed energetically, as if they were old friends who hadn’t met in years.

After a brief exchange, Victor Emmanuel II pointed to Lamamor beside him and said to Jerome Bonaparte, "Jerome, this is Lamamor!"

Lamamor quickly stood upright and answered solemnly, "Your Majesty!"

Jerome Bonaparte glanced at Lamamor with a friendly smile and said warmly, "Marshal Lamamor, it’s been almost 4 or 5 years since we last met!"

"Indeed!" Lamamor replied respectfully to Jerome Bonaparte, "Ever since the Crimean battle ended thoroughly, I haven’t had the chance to meet Your Majesty again!"

"The battle in Crimea, the Sardinian army you led truly left a deep impression on me!" In front of Victor Emmanuel II, Jerome Bonaparte offered a small compliment to Lamamor, "Victor, you weren’t there, you don’t know how critical the situation was back then!"

If it wasn’t for the first wave of stubborn resistance by the Sardinian troops led by Lamamor against the Russian Army, our subsequent forces could very well have been completely overwhelmed by the continuous Russian Imperial Army.

It was precisely Lamamor’s persistence that enabled our successive victories!"

Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s praise in front of him, Lamamor’s face turned slightly red.

In fact, Sardinia’s battle on the Crimean Peninsula wasn’t as resilient as Jerome Bonaparte described.

Especially in the battle at Inkman Mountain, the Sardinian army faced a sweeping multitude of Russian troops, nearly leading to an epic defeat.

If not for the timely rescue by the French Army at the time, Lamamor’s troops would have been doomed.

Though Lamamor later exaggerated his army’s role in the report submitted to Victor Emmanuel II, he didn’t boast as much as Jerome Bonaparte.

And Victor Emmanuel II, with a shocked look in his eyes, seemed to be asking, what was going on with your previous report.

"Your Majesty, you are exaggerating!" Lamamor modestly said, "Throughout the Crimean War, the French Army you led was always the mainstay!

We were merely following behind the French Army, playing a supporting role."

"Lamamor, not everyone can play a supporting role!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head and said to Lamamor, then shifted the conversation and asked, "By the way, I heard recently that you’ve become the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and I’m truly happy for you!

In my opinion, only generals like you who are loyal, or scholars as knowledgeable as Cavour, can bring real peace to the Kingdom of Sardinia!

Excessively indulging liberalism and extreme nationalism will only lead the country into an irretrievable quagmire!"

Victor Emmanuel II’s face showed a touch of embarrassment, and upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s words, Lamamor’s face revealed an excited expression.

"Jerome, you’re right!" After the awkward moment, Victor Emmanuel II nodded and responded to Jerome Bonaparte, "Recently, the Kingdom of Sardinia’s relationship with the French Empire fell into a deadlock precisely because of the excessive indulgence of extreme nationalists!

Here, I must apologize on behalf of the Kingdom of Sardinia to you!"

After speaking, Victor Emmanuel II made a gesture to bow and apologize to Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte quickly supported Victor Emmanuel II with his hand, kindly saying to him, "Victor, everyone in this world makes mistakes! As long as we can promptly correct errors before they cause major problems!"

"But now, our past mistakes have already caused dissatisfaction from the Austrian Empire!" Victor Emmanuel smoothly guided the conversation to the conflict between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia, "Currently, the Austrian Empire has deployed tens of thousands of military forces at the border!"

"The purpose of my visit this time is precisely for this matter!" Jerome Bonaparte paused for a moment, then continued with a calm tone, "However, I think discussing these topics here might not be appropriate!"

Victor Emmanuel II immediately realized that they were not in the Turin Royal Palace, but at the Turin Railway Station.

Where does one discuss serious matters at a train station!

Victor Emmanuel II had to temporarily abandon this topic and invited Jerome Bonaparte to join him in a carriage to the Turin Royal Palace, where his son and daughter had already prepared a welcoming ceremony for Jerome Bonaparte.

When Victor Emmanuel II mentioned this, his face grew slightly embarrassed.

Once, he followed Cavour’s advice and introduced his daughter to Valerovsky, hoping to form a matrimonial alliance with Jerome Bonaparte.

Unfortunately, the alliance did not succeed; if it had, the position of the Kingdom of Sardinia would have been considerably improved.

Victor Emmanuel II casually let his thoughts wander.

Standing beside him, Jerome Bonaparte, upon hearing Victor Emmanuel II’s words, likewise thought of Victor Emmanuel II’s eldest daughter.

In history, she became "his" wife, and the Sardinian Kingdom leveraged this marriage to successfully unify the entire Kingdom of Italy.

Unfortunately, due to a tiny, minuscule change, Jerome Bonaparte’s life experienced significant shifts.

Jerome Bonaparte, who sat on the Emperor of the Empire’s throne, and Victor Emmanuel’s daughter’s paths have now become unrelated parallel lines.

Thinking of this, Jerome Bonaparte sighed lightly and said, "Let’s go!"

Victor Emmanuel II did not understand why Jerome Bonaparte suddenly sighed, but he did not dwell on it.

Under Victor Emmanuel II’s lead, Jerome Bonaparte departed the railway station and then boarded the same carriage as Victor Emmanuel II.

Meanwhile, Lamamor, Nie’er, and others climbed onto several other carriages to proceed.

After Jerome Bonaparte and Victor Emmanuel II were seated, the carriage accelerated along the gas-lit road.

Sitting in the carriage, Jerome Bonaparte gazed dreamily at the scenery that continued to recede.

Soon, Jerome Bonaparte and Victor Emmanuel II arrived at the vicinity of the Turin Royal Palace.

Once the carriage entered through the outer gates, it began to decelerate slowly, ultimately coming to a complete stop upon reaching the Turin Royal Palace.

"Let’s go!" said Victor Emmanuel II, seated near the main door, as he pushed open the carriage door and stepped down. Jerome Bonaparte also promptly followed suit, disembarking.

At the same time, inside the hall of the Turin Royal Palace, Princess Maria Clotilde, presiding over the meeting, upon hearing the butler report the arrival of Victor Emmanuel II and Jerome Bonaparte, spoke gracefully to the surrounding guests, "Ladies and gentlemen, both Majesties have arrived!

Please follow me to welcome them!"

The guests present followed the Queen in departure, and upon stepping out of the hall, they immediately saw Jerome Bonaparte and Victor Emmanuel II at the foot of the stairs.

"Command the band to play!" Princess Maria Clotilde softly said to the butler beside her. Upon hearing Clotilde’s command, the butler swiftly began to act.

The elegant melody emanated from behind Princess Clotilde, and songs from the First Empire era, crossing decades, resonated once more throughout the Turin Royal Palace.

At the foot of the stairs, upon hearing the song from the First Empire, Jerome Bonaparte raised his head to glance at the people atop the staircase, quickly focusing on the foremost lady and curling his lips into a slight smile.

Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte and Victor Emmanuel II ascended the stairs and stood before Maria Clotilde.

"Your Majesty!" Princess Maria Clotilde formally curtsied to Jerome Bonaparte.

Jerome Bonaparte carefully examined his "wife" before him—the full and gentle cheeks, slightly prominent nose, coupled with the pinned-up hair, lent Princess Maria Clotilde a touch less of juvenility and more of maturity.

Unfortunately, this maturity looked strikingly incongruous on Maria Clotilde’s 15-year-old physique.

"Um!" Jerome Bonaparte spoke lightly, "You must be Maria Clotilde!"

"Your Majesty, I am Maria Clotilde! Daughter of King Victor Emmanuel!" Maria Clotilde replied gracefully to Jerome Bonaparte.

"I know!" Jerome Bonaparte nodded, then praised Victor Emmanuel II, "Victor, you are truly blessed to have such an understanding daughter!"

Victor Emmanuel II smiled with pursed lips, a hint of pride revealing between his brows.

Afterward, under Maria Clotilde’s lead, Jerome Bonaparte entered the hall,

Victor Emmanuel II once again introduced him to other members of his family, which included the future "King of Italy" Umberto I, the future "King of Spain" Amadeo Ferdinand Maria, and the future Queen of Portugal Maria Pia, among others.

Once the family introduction was completed, Victor Emmanuel II proceeded to mingle with Jerome Bonaparte amongst the crowd, introducing him to the attendees of the banquet.