Hail the Empress in Pest!
Is she possessed or something? Why do the Hungarians like me, their empress, so much? Do I even need to guess? It's obvious. They're testing if the rumors about my bad relationship with Archduchess Sophie are true.
"Let's show our fervent support for the empress. How furious would that make our enemy in Vienna, Sophie? And if this empress really is Sophie's foe, she might side with us if we give her this kind of backing. Right?"
"Precisely, Your Majesty. So even if they treat you kindly, when it comes to His Majesty the Emperor—"
"I know. Watch your mouth."
I brought my hand to my lips and made a zipping gesture.
"Your Majesty."
Oh, right. No zippers exist yet, do they?
"Honestly, haven't you been acting the part of a dignified empress in public quite well lately?"
"You're still far from perfect. We should resume etiquette training... No. At least during this procession to Buda, please relax a little."
What the—?
Who are you? Where's Countess Esterházy-Lichtenstein? Is she possessed?
This isn't like Miss Etiquette to let it slide.
"Your Majesty?"
I sat up straight without realizing, spooked.
"You can lean back against the seat."
Why the sudden change...?
I think we need to keep a proper distance between us.
While I spaced out for a moment, Franz Joseph suddenly came to mind.
"Chief lady-in-waiting."
I still needed that.
"Prepare some strong liquor for the day His Majesty arrives."
"... This isn't your first time anymore, is it?"
Esterházy knew that the imperial couple hadn't shared a bed since their first time. That's why pregnancy hadn't even crossed her mind from the start.
But.
'She still has some childlike tendencies.'
She had occasionally brought strong liquor as an aperitif before meals, but when the empress didn't drink it, she'd assumed it was no longer needed. Then, seeing the clean sheets the next day, she'd realized.
'... Do I have to tell Her Majesty?'
A secret she hadn't even shared with Archduchess Sophie.
"You seem a bit plumper lately."
Esterházy said with a slightly sullen expression.
'Does she mean to cut back on meals?'
That was absolutely out of the question.
The story of England's Princess Charlotte reducing her meals on a doctor's advice—and the tragedy that followed—had spread through every royal court.
The only direct heir to the British Empire had died pointlessly with her child due to the doctor's misguided judgment. The event plunged all of England into shock and grief, and the chief physician, tormented by guilt, had ultimately taken his own life.
'Should I tell her the truth? What if it shocks the young empress, who's not mentally prepared?'
Esterházy didn't notice a thing even as the carriage came to a stop.
"Chief lady-in-waiting. Chief lady-in-waiting?"
"Forgive me, Your Majesty."
"No matter. It's quite a distance from Vienna to Buda."
The empress brushed it off casually, but for Esterházy, the court chamberlain, it was unacceptable.
No wonder Elisabeth comes running to Hungary so often.
Back at the Hofburg Palace, eyes followed me everywhere, full of judgment. But here, everyone smiles brightly just at the sight of me.
Even if politics are mixed in, I can't help feeling good about it.
"Long live Empress Elisabeth!"
"Your Majesty, Empress Elisabeth!"
Heh heh heh.
As I stepped down in front of St. Rochus Hospital on Pest's streets, cheers rang out for me.
It felt like I was an idol or something.
Under the director's escort at the entrance, I went to his office for a brief discussion of business.
Just like everywhere else, I'd provide sponsorship. And? It was a goldmine, especially since it was a place Archduchess Sophie despised.
Time to get to the point.
"I hear there's someone here who was kicked out of Vienna General Hospital."
"Ah... that... You mean Semmelweis? His personality is a bit... eccentric, leading to, um, frequent clashes with colleagues...."
Why's he mincing words? Is the guy that prickly?
"I'm not interested in his personality. I want to hear about his skills. I heard that while working here unpaid as an honorary position, he dramatically reduced the mortality rate. Is that true?"
He seemed to realize he couldn't dodge anymore and nodded reluctantly.
"It's true. There's much controversy over his methods... but the results speak for themselves."
Frustrating guy.
"Good. I want to meet him. Where is he now?"
Following his guidance, we arrived at the hospital's remotest wing: the maternity ward.
A space mingled with the smell of medicine and faint groans.
The odor's a bit strong.
Countess Esterházy handed me a handkerchief, and she herself covered her nose and mouth with one, openly showing her displeasure.
Far down the hall's end, a man was grabbing a young doctor by the collar, berating him fiercely.
"Do you even know how many have died by your hands? I've told you a hundred times: touching corpses and then tending to mothers in labor makes you no better than a murderer!"
Ah, that's him.
"Enough."
As the director bowed to me and tried to pull him away, I spoke first.
Semmelweis turned, glaring at me with eyes full of irritation and wariness.
"Dr. Semmelweis! Show respect to Her Majesty the Empress!"
"It's fine, Director."
I raised a hand to stop the director from blocking my path.
"Dr. Semmelweis, I'd like a word in your office."
Semmelweis showed no change in expression at my offer. He simply released the young doctor's collar and gave me a very formal nod.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Had getting chased out of Vienna changed him, or was he always like this?
My impression of Semmelweis's office was... well....
"Forgive me, but there's nowhere to sit."
"I can see that."
The only chair was the one in front of his desk for experiments.
He offered it to me, then picked up papers from his desk and started reading.
I signaled to Esterházy, whose face had stiffened, that it was okay.
"Doctor, I found your paper fascinating. The hypothesis that corpse particles cause puerperal fever."
Without lifting his eyes from the papers, he replied mechanically.
"It's not a hypothesis—it's fact, Your Majesty."
He's consistent with the formal address, at least.
"Even after proving it, Vienna's medical society wouldn't acknowledge you."
"Their ignorance is not my concern, Your Majesty."
Even while talking to me, he was jotting notes on his papers, doing his work.
"My only concern is this hospital's maternal mortality rate."
He never once properly met my eyes.
Every action screamed that he had no time to spare for me.
Even if I'm rumored to be a powerless empress, this level of dismissal is...
"Doctor. Show Her Majesty the proper respect."
Esterházy would snap, of course.
He quietly set down his pen and finally looked up at me.
"Your Majesty. If it's not too rude, rounds are overdue—I must go."
He stood, gave a light bow, and without hesitation, opened the door and left.
Esterházy, I, and the trembling director were left alone in the now-abandoned office. Does that guy have two lives or what?
"Th-that insolent—!"
"Director."
I'm human too; I don't feel like defending someone who disrespects me.
The director dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Y-Yes, Y-Your Majesty...!"
"Pretend none of this happened today."
The director wailed in near-sobs.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Sponsorship money? Who cares—life's more important.
"You handled that splendidly, Your Majesty."
Why praise me? From what I knew of the original Esterházy, she'd scold me for not punishing the defiance against authority, just like Archduchess Sophie would.
Ahem.
I cleared my throat.
"What just happened wasn't mere rudeness. In an official visit by Her Majesty the Empress herself, a subordinate publicly insulted her and left before she did. This is a direct challenge to His Majesty the Emperor's authority. As the director responsible, you bear managerial culpability and are an accomplice to this grave treason. You should have charged him with lèse-majesté."
"... Are you imitating me?"
Yeah.
Honestly, who else do I interact with?
As an introvert, aside from occasional walks, I'm always stuck with Esterházy, so I've gotten used to it.
I rarely hear the other ladies-in-waiting's voices, I don't want to talk to Archduchess Sophie, and I spend more time with Esterházy than even with Franz Joseph.
"... You truly handled it splendidly, Your Majesty."
She's just gonna ignore it.
"You were publicly insulted and dismissed by a doctor at a hospital you came to sponsor, yet you perfectly controlled your emotions and fulfilled your role as empress. Punishment isn't always the answer; mercy can win subjects' loyalty."
Hmm...
"Chief lady-in-waiting."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Are you hiding something from me?"
Otherwise, why be so kind?
Did Archduchess Sophie order her to act friendly to make me dependent on her?
Oh, that seems more plausible.
Is that it?
"No, Your Majesty."
Doesn't seem like a lie.
"Or is it because you think I won't return to Vienna?"
"No, Your Majesty."
... Looks like I hit the mark?
Her eyes just flickered, didn't they?
"Don't worry. Am I going to abandon my home after a few days here?"
Esterházy smiled at me for the first time.
The carriage stopped, so we've arrived already, I guess.
As soon as negotiations with the Tsar ended, Franz Joseph headed straight for Buda Castle, where his wife was staying.
Upon entering the castle gates, he sought out Countess Esterházy-Lichtenstein.
"Is it true that Count Andrássy and Ferenc Deák are here?"
Esterházy struggled to keep her composure before the emperor spouting nonsense.
"Why would those traitors be here? Andrássy has gone into hiding in Hungary, and Deák is still in seclusion on his estate."
How could the empress, who rarely went out, meet condemned men like Andrássy or recluses in her own lands here in Buda? Esterházy couldn't fathom it.
"... The letter from the empress's household clearly said she was staying at their homes."
At the mention of a letter from the empress's household, Esterházy failed to mask her expression.
'Who would dare...'
All information from the empress's household passed through her, the court chamberlain.
This meant a breach in the control system—a serious violation of authority.
"Your Majesty, if you'll excuse me."
Worried for the empress's safety, Esterházy excused herself from the emperor and hurried to the empress's quarters. She didn't even finish telling the footman at the door to wait before opening it herself, but the room was silent and empty.
"... Where has Her Majesty the Empress gone?"