To take control of one's destiny, one must constantly climb higher, become a ruler of the nation, and be someone the people trust and obey.
And in a country like Italy, there is only one way to achieve this: to become the King of Italy.
But it was clear that for Carlo, who had two older brothers, becoming the King of Italy was practically impossible.
However, this didn't mean there was no chance. Looking at the course of history, a revolution was about to break out in Spain, and Italy's House of Savoy was about to acquire the Spanish crown.
Although this crown only rested on the head of the House of Savoy for three years, it was Carlo's closest opportunity to the throne.
By simply competing with his older brother, Prince Amadeus, Carlo had a chance to obtain the Spanish crown and become the King of the Kingdom of Spain.
But this was ultimately just a plan, and achieving it would be fraught with difficulties.
Nevertheless, it was still very necessary to prepare for the plan in advance by accumulating a certain amount of talent and wealth.
After all, without initial capital, any plan is just empty talk.
As for assets, the land and castles under Carlo's name were worth at least two to three million lire (1 pound sterling was approximately 25 lire, roughly equivalent to 7.33 grams of gold), which was quite valuable in an era when the currency had not depreciated.
Unfortunately, most of this land and these castles could not be sold because these assets came from the royal family.
The only assets Carlo could freely control were the annual annuities he received as a member of the royal family, which amounted to approximately 260,000 lire per year on average.
However, because Carlo was not yet an adult, this sum had been kept by his father, Victor Emmanuel II, and was estimated to be at least close to three million lire.
Carlo's target was precisely this annuity of 2.6 million lire. If he could gain the right to freely dispose of his property, this sum would be enough for him to accomplish many things.
The good news was that judging by the level of concern his father, Victor Emmanuel II, showed for him, it should be quite easy for Carlo to obtain the right to dispose of his property.
After all, Carlo's mother, Grand Duchess Adelaide, had passed away more than ten years ago, and there were no longer any obstacles preventing Carlo from obtaining the right to dispose of his property.
Although Carlo was not yet an adult, this coincidentally allowed Carlo to obtain a relatively reliable subordinate from Victor Emmanuel II.
After all, Carlo's property ultimately belonged to Carlo personally. Victor Emmanuel II might be able to keep it for Carlo until he came of age, but it was impossible for him to keep it for Carlo's entire life.
And for Carlo to properly handle and manage his property now, he would need more capable assistants, such as a court steward.
In European courts, royal stewards were quite important. A steward was not only a nobleman's most capable and loyal assistant but also someone who would stand or fall with the entire noble family.
Furthermore, in most cases, positions like steward would often become a form of hereditary system. For example, Victor Emmanuel II's steward, Bellis Byrne, whose father was the steward to King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, and whose son was also likely to become the steward to Crown Prince Umberto. The Italian royal family trusted him greatly, making him a truly trustworthy subordinate.
If there was a sufficiently loyal and capable steward to help Carlo manage his property, Victor Emmanuel II would surely feel at ease letting Carlo have the right to dispose of his own assets.
And where would this sufficiently loyal and capable steward come from? Naturally, Victor Emmanuel II would select one from among his trusted subordinates.
A few days later, in the Italian King's office, Victor Emmanuel II looked at his son, Carlo, with a surprised expression and asked curiously, "Little Carlo, may I know the purpose of you exercising the right to dispose of your property?"
It wasn't that Victor Emmanuel II was reluctant to part with the over two million lire in assets; it was just that this was a considerable fortune, and Victor Emmanuel II did not want to see his child become corrupt because of money.
"To invest in some businesses," Carlo replied truthfully and in detail, "so that when my brothers Umberto and Amadeus get married, I'll have money to give them gifts."
Hearing Carlo's reply, Victor Emmanuel II affectionately stroked Carlo's head and said with a wry smile, "You already have enough money to give them gifts, Carlo.
Over two million lire can build a warship. You can't possibly be thinking of giving them a fleet, my child."
Carlo shook his head, appearing quite serious. "That's not my money, Father. I want to give them gifts using the money I've truly earned. Only then can I feel happy."
"Alright, my child, you've convinced me," Victor Emmanuel II nodded with a smile and said helplessly, "What reason do I have to refuse? This must be the best reason in the world."
"However, Carlo, I still need to remind you. Before you come of age, you will need a capable and loyal steward to help you manage your property.
Of course, how you spend it is up to you, but you at least need someone who can figure out what this over two million lira in assets actually is, right?" Victor Emmanuel II continued to remind him.
The value of the Italian lira was not much different from the French franc. Over two million francs was certainly not a small sum in this era.
Even when converted to the most valuable precious metal, gold, it amounted to over 700 kilograms, nearly a ton in weight.
This was also why Victor Emmanuel II mentioned that Carlo must have a sufficiently loyal and capable steward to help manage his property because this amount of money was simply too large.
Carlo was naturally pleased with this, as the Italian royal family's talent pool was relatively abundant.
Although the Kingdom of Italy had only been established recently, its predecessor was the Kingdom of Sardinia. While the Kingdom of Sardinia didn't have much presence in Europe, there were quite a few talented individuals loyal to the royal family and possessing certain abilities.
Seeing that Carlo was not resistant to sending a loyal person to help him manage his property, Victor Emmanuel II also breathed a sigh of relief.
To show his paternal side, He immediately added, "To show my support for you, Carlo, I'll round it up for you to a full three million lire. You can come to me to collect it anytime."