"Don't you want to ask me about what happened just now, dear?"
Beatrice said hesitantly to Barron during dinner.
"You mean that handsome guy I met just now? If you want to tell me, I will, baby, and I believe you."
"Thank you, dear. Pierre and I met at school. He's been pursuing me, but I..."
Beatrice looked at Barron lovingly and said,
"You're the only one in my heart, so..."
Barron knew that in the original time and space, Beatrice had fallen in love with Pierre, the Prince of Monaco, at school and later married into the Monegasque royal family.
However, Barron and Beatrice had known each other longer, so their relationship was no longer there.
Speaking of Monaco, it's quite interesting.
First of all, Monaco was originally a French principality—the Principality of Monaco.
During World War II, in June 1940, France surrendered to Nazi Germany.
That same month, Italy sent troops to occupy Monaco, a French vassal state.
Hitler was deeply displeased with Italy's invasion of Monaco and immediately sent a note to Italy, demanding the immediate withdrawal of its troops from Monaco and the restoration of Monaco's neutrality. Nazi Germany relied on trade through Switzerland and Monaco, two "neutral countries."
The Principality of Monaco was then ruled by Prince Louis II, who was captured by Italy after the Italian occupation.
Just when Prince Louis II believed the Monegasque monarchy was doomed, a change of heart arrived.
A few days later, he was politely escorted back to the Monegasque Palace by Italian troops.
King Louis II then watched helplessly as the Italian soldiers, who had been looting just days before, trotted out of Monaco.
A telescope at this point would have revealed the massing of Italian troops outside Monaco.
This was undoubtedly the fastest restoration of a nation in human history. The nearby Poles, having been annihilated once again, must have been envious of this scene...
But the situation didn't end there. In November 1942, after the Allied landings in North Africa, Italy again occupied Monaco, citing the need to protect Italian citizens.
This time, Hitler didn't demand Mussolini's withdrawal. With the ongoing Soviet-German War, Nazi Germany had suffered heavy losses, leaving Hitler no longer concerned about Monaco's safety.
Following Mussolini's overthrow in 1943, Nazi Germany assumed control of Monaco.
Thus, Monaco officially lost its neutral status and became the forefront of the Nazi defense.
In August 1944, Allied forces landed in southern France, and the overwhelmed German troops began withdrawing from Monaco.
On September 3, two American soldiers arrived in Monaco and announced in a restaurant the Allied occupation of Monaco—September 3 became Monaco's Liberation Day.
After the Allied forces liberated Monaco, Prince Louis II was restored to the throne, and Monaco returned to its original path, continuing to develop the tertiary industry.
Today, Monaco has become a world-renowned gambling destination and the country with the most developed entertainment industry. Thanks to gambling and entertainment, Monaco has become one of the countries with the highest per capita income in the world, and its residents are also among the happiest in the world.
If nothing unexpected happens, Monaco should continue to be so happy - until France raises the white chess piece again.
Back to Beatrice, the Pierre they met today, who is called the "Prince" of Monaco, is actually not the son of the current Prince Albert II of Monaco, but the son of Albert II's sister, Princess Caroline. He also has an older brother, Prince Andre, who is known as the "most handsome prince."
Their grandmother is very famous, the famous Hollywood actress Grace Kelly.
"I have to admit that the royal family of Monaco is very good at promoting themselves. This is why they can succeed in the gaming and tourism industries."
Barron and Beatrice were by the swimming pool on the top floor of the Grand Hotel de Paris, sipping fine wine and gazing at the sunset over the Mediterranean Sea in the distance. He said nonchalantly:
"Just like when Rainier III chose to marry Grace Kelly..."
"This is a very famous thing, but that Hollywood actress didn't live a happy life in the end, did she?"
Hearing Beatrice's words, Barron nodded and said with a smile:
"This itself is a deal. Rainier III needs to let the whole world know about Monaco, so as to develop the gaming and tourism industries, and Grace Kelly wants the title of 'Princess'. The two of them just hit it off."
Before marrying Rainier III, Grace Kelly was a well-known Hollywood actress, holding an Oscar statuette, and had several dates with Kennedy.
However, the Kennedy family disliked Grace Kelly, preventing her from marrying into the Kennedy family. Ultimately, she chose another path—marrying a prince and becoming a princess.
The story surrounding the Monaco royal family is indeed filled with drama—their princes are very happy to marry high-profile actresses, but they are also very philandering. This
is especially true of the current saga between Prince Albert and Princess Charlene. Prince Albert is not only philandering, but also has a very... diverse taste. Among his many illegitimate children and daughters, well, there's even a black man.
I won't post the photos, they're a bit shocking...
Princess Charlene attempted to escape the Monegasque royal family three times, but was captured each time—threatened by threats of her children. She may have finally resigned herself to her fate, and it's unclear if she'll try a fourth time.
In that sense, Beatrice was fortunate to avoid marrying into such a family.
After the previous incident, although Barron didn't care—he wasn't at all worried about what the Monegasque royal family would do to him, especially since Prince Pierre wasn't considered a core member of the royal family.
But this still somewhat dampened Beatrice's mood for the trip, so Barron took her out of Monaco and headed for their next destination—Germany.
In addition to preparing to take over the nearly completed superyacht, Devonshire Poseidon, at the A&R shipyard, Barron would also meet with some German leaders.
"Hello, Mr. Obermann, I trust this meeting will be constructive."
"I hope so, Your Highness, it's an honor to meet you."
This time, Barron met with Deutsche Telekom CEO Leni Obermann at the Deutsche Telekom headquarters in Bonn.
This wasn't Barron's first stop in Germany.
"I previously discussed this acquisition with Ms. Merkel, and I believe it will be beneficial for both of us, especially in the current market environment." The acquisition
Barron was referring to was the consortium formed by O2 Telecom and the Caesars Foundation to acquire T-Mobile USA, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.