What's the first thing to do after coming home? Of course, it's to pay respects to Mother.
Although the real Laszlo had long since returned to God's embrace, the residual instincts of this body still existed and had a considerable impact on the current Laszlo.
Laszlo always felt especially close to Elizabeth whenever he saw her, because his father was away fighting wars for many years, and Laszlo had always lived by his mother's side.
Elizabeth was an energetic, ambitious, and strong woman, fully inheriting the character of her father Sigismund; her love for Laszlo was deep and also heavy.
Elizabeth tried to cultivate Laszlo into an even greater monarch, surpassing his father and maternal grandfather.
Unfortunately, this directly resulted in Laszlo's personality becoming timid and docile.
However, that was all in the past; the current Laszlo was essentially a talented war criminal from another world, who, despite never even having killed a chicken, was already contemplating urbanization, making it hard to say if it was due to being suppressed for too long.
Laszlo walked towards the Empress Dowager's residence, contemplating what words to use to comfort his Mother, preparing himself for a scolding, and planning to shift all the blame onto Old Uncle Ulrich, letting him bear his mother's wrath.
Hmm, if it's Old Uncle, he can definitely handle it!
Laszlo had a smug, conniving smile on his face, humming as he walked, completely oblivious to the figure approaching him.
"How vulgar," Leonor frowned, staring coldly at Laszlo.
This was her first impression of her fiancé, and it was quite bad.
As for how she recognized him, who else but Laszlo could be a half-grown boy wandering freely in the palace?
Originally, to avoid Laszlo, she had specially excused herself from the Empress Dowager earlier, planning to return to her room to rest early and be out of sight, out of mind, but she didn't expect to so coincidentally run into the person she least wanted to see on her way back.
Laszlo's appearance could be described as youthful and handsome, probably just an average level of attractiveness.
He did not have the Habsburg Family's famous large jaw and hooked nose, unlike his father Albrecht or uncle Frederick, which was all thanks to his mother Elizabeth's strong genes.
On such an unhandsome face, there was now a disgusting smile, like an ordinary man fantasizing on the street, which looked quite off-putting.
Leonor, who already harbored resentment towards Laszlo, now disliked her fiancé even more, and even began to regret choosing Laszlo for the pursuit of fame and fortune.
Actually, the French Crown Prince was quite good too.
However, there is no medicine for regret in this world; she took a deep breath, composed herself, put on a polite fake smile, and stopped by the roadside, waiting for Laszlo to pass.
It wasn't until Laszlo smelled a strong floral scent that he noticed a woman approaching him from somewhere.
Ugh! This was a great beauty, slender, with a beautiful face, and alluring.
Her graceful demeanor and the aura of a noble young lady were overwhelming; she was a standard European aristocratic lady.
It's just that her attire was too conservative; it was already late spring and early summer, so why was she still so tightly wrapped?
Although this beauty was tall and exuded mature elegance, unfortunately, her body was a bit too thin, which made Laszlo a little worried.
Leonor noticed that this frivolous fellow's gaze lingered on her chest, which made her even more disgusted; it was a blatant insult!
This rude fellow, this damned little shorty, this ill-mannered little brat.
"Good day, Emperor," Leonor barely maintained the smile on her face, but her voice carried a hint of coolness.
Laszlo immediately sensed something was off.
"Good afternoon, beautiful lady."
Laszlo responded politely, and a character panel had already appeared in his mind.
[Character: Leonor of Portugal]
[Identity: Your fiancée, Princess of Portugal]
[Attitude: Disgusted]
[Abilities: Administration 1, Diplomacy 5, Military 0]
Hiss, it's more difficult than I imagined; I need to find a way to salvage this.
Laszlo was quite satisfied that his future wife was such a great beauty; his only concern was whether her delicate body could give birth to healthy offspring.
After all, for an Emperor, heirs are always an unavoidable and important topic.
It's also very possible for feelings to grow over time in married life, but if the initial favorability is negative... things look quite tricky.
Laszlo made up his mind and began to rack his brains for pleasant words to improve their favorability.
"In my court, there has never been such a beautiful woman; I presume you are my renowned fiancée, Princess Leonor?"
Laszlo's smile was just right, neither losing the Emperor's majesty nor lacking in approachability.
Leonor's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.
The man before her had displayed two completely different states within minutes—his rudeness just now and his politeness at this moment—which left her a little dazed.
"Cough, Your Majesty flatters me," Leonor responded softly, her tone less distant.
"What I said is nothing but the truth; your beauty is moving, Princess Leonor. May I have the honor of calling you Leonor?"
Laszlo's gaze was sincere, and his words were fervent.
A faint blush spread across Leonor's face as she looked at the passionate Laszlo, a little flustered.
"As Your Majesty pleases."
[Attitude: Neutral]
YES! Mission accomplished!
Laszlo cheered inwardly, his hand somehow already holding Leonor's restless small hand, and he gently kissed the back of her hand: "Please forgive my rudeness, Leonor, I must go pay respects to Mother now; we'll find another time to have a deeper conversation later."
"Please do, Your Majesty."
Leonor withdrew her hand, covering the spot where she had just been kissed with her other hand, thinking to herself: This man doesn't seem so bad after all.
Laszlo didn't seem to be a rigid and serious man; on the contrary, he was young and full of vitality.
Leonor hoped her future life wouldn't be too boring, as she was actually a lively type.
Would Laszlo love her?
Of course, his future wife was a beauty, and Laszlo felt a bit excited just thinking about it.
He wasn't a pure warmonger or a saint; he wanted power, and he loved beautiful women—these were not contradictory at all.
If Leonor's appearance was similar to Laszlo's sister, then Laszlo would have to consider emotional life outside of marriage.
Laszlo's second sister, Elizabeth, the wife of Lithuanian Grand Duke Kazimierz, unfortunately became a victim of the Habsburg Family's defective genes.
Her unclosing mouth and crooked neck made Kazimierz once want to break off the engagement, but fearing the wrath of Emperor Albrecht II, he ultimately chose to swallow the bitter pill and marry Elizabeth.
Facts prove that fairy tales are all lies! Not all princesses are great beauties; it's more likely genetic diseases and congenital deformities caused by generations of inbreeding... The Habsburg Family was particularly severe in this regard.
This is the harm caused by a dishonest marriage broker.
Fortunately, the matchmakers for Laszlo and Leonor were Leonor's Old Uncle, Alfonso V, King of Aragon and Naples, and Leonor's aunt, Isabelle, Duchess of Burgundy (wife of Philip the Good).
Laszlo had no complaints about Leonor.
Leonor harbored a slight resentment about Laszlo running off to Hungary without a care, but she quickly adjusted her mindset.
The first meeting and conversation between these fiancés thus began unexpectedly and ended hastily.