Tyranny Of Steel

Chapter 428 - A Day In The Life Of Henrietta

Chapter 428: Grand Opening of the Railway

Today was a monumental occasion for the Kingdom of Austria. After months of hard work, the department of transportation had finally finished construction of the first major railway; in doing so, connecting the capital city of Kufstein to the major port city of Trieste.

This was exciting for multiple reasons. Chief among them, it allowed the rapid transit of goods and resources between the two major economic hubs of the Kingdom of Austria. The result would be a massive increase in wealth within the two regions.

Since the King was currently leading the soldiers to war in a foreign country, the position of presiding over the ceremony fell to the Chancellor of Austria, Otto von Graz was standing in front of the Rail Station in Austria. Behind him was the first of many locomotives that would soon come to dominate the Austrian Countryside..

After significant effort from the laborers of Austria, they completed a functional replica of the Union Pacific Big Boy from Berengar's past life. Behind it were several passenger cars, which would mark the maiden voyage of the first train of Austria.

Gathered by Otto's side were two of his daughter's that being Ava, and Adela, but also the rest of the Royal Family who acted as representatives of the von Kufstein Dynasty in Berengar's stead. They were all dressed in extravagant clothing, and wore flattering smiles as they stood by the side of the Chancellor who was about to make his speech.

"I want to welcome you all here today in the name of our King Berengar von Kufstein, first of his name. As you may be aware, our monarch is currently away, valiantly leading our brave men in a war against the minions of the Catholic Church.

Unfortunately, because of this, he can not be here today in Kufstein to witness the completion of the first step of his Grand Railway Initaitive. Thus, I Chancellor Otto von Graz stand here in his stead to welcome the future of transportation within our mighty Kingdom.

When Berengar told me he wanted to make a machine that could connect our great cities with rapid transport, I thought he was a madman, but like so many other things in this life, he has shown me the error of my ways, and the passion of youth.

Today, I would like to congratulate every man who has worked on this exceptional system. Without your hard work and dedication, this train and its railway would never have become a reality. I hope to see you all enjoying the transportation which this project will one day provide to the entirety of our realm."

After saying this, Adela handed a pair of oversized ceremonial scissors to her father, which he used to cut the giant ribbon that acted as a barricade between the Royal Family, and the train itself. After the Chancellor cut the ribbon in half, Otto was the first to step into the private passenger car that acted as the quarters to the Royal Family and their guests. Shortly thereafter, the other members followed him on board.

It was only after the Royal Family of Austria had fully boarded the train that the rest of the people in attendance for the ceremony who held onto tickets boarded the train. Before long, the large locomotive and its multiple passenger cars were filled completely.

After the guards of the station had cleared any obstructions that might exist, and ensured the safety of the device; the massive steam engine which powered the locomotive smoked, and before long, the train chugged away to the monumental applause of the gathered Austrian citizens.

Linde sat on a luxurious leather sofa next to her son and daughter. While she was enjoying the ride she noticed Hans held onto Veronika's hand as he gazed out the window in wonder. The train had by now sped up to well over sixty miles per hour. For the first time in the world, the people of Austria could watch the world flash by around them.

When the young Prince of Austria witnessed this monumental occasion, it was as if he had achieved a moment of epiphany, when the world passed by around him, he could genuinely understand the greatness that his father had achieved in this life, and he aspired to be to accomplish even more than his old man. With a smile on his face, he looked over toward the young Princess of Bohemia, who was several years older than him, and boldly declared his vision for the future.

"My father is a great man, is he not? But mark my words, one day I will be even greater than him! This world will forever remember the name of Hans von Kufstein!"

In response to this, Veronika merely scoffed, with a smirk on her face. This boy may be intelligent beyond his years, but he was getting ahead of himself he if believed he could accomplish more than Berengar.

Throughout the duration of her stay in Kufstein as Berengar's ward, Veronika had done much research into the history of Berengar and the von Kufstein dynasty. She was astonished at how much the young king of Austria had achieved in so few years. Rising from a lowly baron's son, to a full-fledged king, and the most powerful man in Europe was something few people in the history of mankind could achieve.

Still, she admired the confidence that Hans had, and quickly patted his head with a smile on her face before responding to his bold claims.

"I am sure you will, Hans..."

Upon seeing her reflection in the window, Veronika was stunned. This might very well be the first time she had smiled in her entire life. She immediately questioned just what had caused her to be so content with her life that she could now smile. If she had to guess, it was the liberation she had received from her family, and that was all because of Berengar's actions.

It was at this moment that she had realized that she now saw her adopted family as her own family, and continued to smile because of it. When Hans noticed this, he smiled in return and complimented the girl on her appearance.

"You look really pretty when you smile, Veronika. Do it more often!"

Upon hearing this compliment, the girl immediately flushed in embarrassment, before shaking her head and shifting her attention out the window. When Linde noticed this reaction, she smiled, it would appear that she would not need to interfere in the relationship between her son, and the Princess of Bohemia, her plans to engage her son to the girl were going smoothly even without her input.

As for the rest of the Royal Family, they sat next to each other and exchanged pleasantries as the trip to Trieste went by without a hitch. During the journey, there were attendants who came to the need of the royal family and provided them with food and beverages. Over all, it was an enjoyable experience, and would later become the preferred way of travel by the elite of Austria's society.

For horse-drawn carriages could never compare with the speed and luxury of a proper train. The success of the First Railway, and the economic benefits it would soon provide, would spark the creation of large railway companies, where noblemen and wealthy merchants would invest in the future of Austria's public transport.

Berengar in his actions of creating the first major railway, had unwittingly created a massive demand for further expansion of train travel. Within five years, railways would connect the entire Kingdom of Austria via an extensive track system, and the Royal Treasury would no longer have to foot the bill for its construction..