Imperial Waltz
"With just words?"
"Stranger? Nonsense. We in Milan always welcome Your Majesty the Empress with open arms. Please don't forget that."
Bone-deep Habsburgs.
"Of course. I'll be counting the days until you greet us alongside Adriana."
So it wasn't about Bohemia at all—they were fighting over who gets to be the next partner?
'We're Hungary, the ones who ride horses side-by-side with Her Majesty the Empress in private. Even if Bohemia was chosen, we're still her favorite.'
'Nonsense. Just look at how often she visits our Lombardy-Venetia.'
I thought they were whining about being sidelined while Bohemia got all the love.
Time to get to the point.
"Duke, have you heard about the preparations for next year's exhibition in Vienna?"
"It's the Empire's first massive festival, so Milan's merchants are very interested. But as I mentioned earlier, concerns over market liberalization have them holding back."
"His Majesty the Emperor deeply understands the anxieties of Milan's capitalists. Just a few days ago, he expressed high praise for Lombardy's industrial contributions. Discussions even touched on reflecting that in the exhibition's zoning."
"If Your Majesty the Empress says so..."
A wave of profound relief and delight washed over the duke's face.
"Nothing's set in stone yet. The Empire must be fair, after all."
That should plug the Italian capitalists' money spigots and muzzle their press for a while.
I locked eyes with Count Andrássy, who had been watching the exchange with keen interest.
"I hear they're turning the Danube into one of the exhibition's main stages."
"If the Danube is the stage, then Hungary—guardian of its central flow and the Empire's eastern gateway—will play a more vital role than ever."
The Danube flows from the Black Forest to the Black Sea.
A mighty river starting in Germany's dark woods, piercing the Empire's heart, crossing Slavic lands, and rushing out to the eastern edge.
"The upstream waves from the Black Forest have grown too fierce for us to control entirely."
"With that massive dam upstream, trying to swim against the current would just capsize the boat."
I immediately caught Andrássy's drift—upstream meaning Bismarck and Prussia, who dominated the German Confederation.
"Rivers naturally flow from high to low, don't they?"
Eastern policy. Countering Russia's southward push and extending the Empire's influence into the Balkans.
Andrássy lifted the corner of his mouth in feigned nonchalance.
Diplomacy had always been German domain, but had he caught on that their views would be heard too?
"We can't have the waters backing up and breaching the levees."
Good—he got it.
'We'll tone down the Hungarian hardliners.'
They wanted revenge and alliance with France right now, but Prussian capital flowing in was too delicious to refuse.
Vienna's stock market hit new highs daily, with massive German investments pouring into the Ringstrasse, railways, and banking.
That's why Joseph reached out to Hungary.
They didn't want us allying with France to crush Prussia and reclaim German Confederation leadership just yet.
Right on cue, the strains of The Beautiful Blue Danube began to flow.
Joseph approached and gently drew me away from them.
"May I have this dance?"
"Gladly."
As we took his hand and stepped into the center of the hall, the nobles parted to either side.
"Enjoyed your chats with them?"
"Tied up your headaches quite nicely, I'd say."
Now what about this trip I can't take anymore...
"Shall we head to Moravia first?"
Moravia, repelled by Czech nationalism, had chosen to stay with Austria.
With Bohemia's pride stroked, soothing Moravia's loyalty to Vienna was essential for imperial balance.
"Very well. After your vacation at the Tiergarten, we'll go together."
"We should tour Brno's textile factories too. I need to see firsthand if they've got decent woolens for the exhibition."
As the music ended, Joseph lightly kissed the back of my hand and bowed.
"A beautiful dance, my Empress."
"A splendid ball, my Emperor."
Bohemia got its pride, Hungary and Italy secured firm concessions. And Joseph had successfully bound the Empire's internals tight.
As Joseph left to dance with Gisela, leaving me alone, Rudolf politely offered his hand.
"Mother."
"Rudolf."
Dancing with someone from a specific noble house could spark rumors of favoritism or massive privileges.
And rank is a touchy issue.
What a harsh world.
"My son’s already grown enough to escort me."
Rudolf's hand was much larger than I'd thought.
Not yet as reassuring as Joseph's, but far from the soft little boy's hand of years past.
"Nervous?"
His slightly damp palm told the tale.
"...Yes."
Rudolf carefully placed his hand on my waist.
Esterházy's death meant etiquette teachers changed often.
He might not have had enough time to master ballroom protocol.
Or maybe a teenage boy dancing with his mom in front of nobles just felt awkward.
"One, two, three..."
Counting the beat under his breath.
I pretended not to notice and followed his stiff lead.
Nothing like the fluid grace of my dance with Joseph.
It was awkward, like breaking in new shoes—nearly tripping twice on my dress hem during turns.
"Rudolf."
"Sorry, Mother."
"The footmen will fetch the gold coin. Eyes on your partner now."
At my teasing jab, Rudolf burst into a soft chuckle and met my gaze.
Looking into his eyes, I wondered when he'd grown so tall.
Those eyes staring back mirrored Joseph's perfectly.
I used to have to look way down to meet them.
I relaxed into Rudolf's steps.
"Mother?"
Without my guiding support, he panicked a bit.
"You're doing great."
A slight stumble in his clumsy lead, and I'd subtly steady us; miss a beat, and I'd laugh it off in sync.
His effort to find his own rhythm was so endearing, a smile crept onto my face unbidden.
"Father makes it look so perfect. It's not easy."
Rudolf murmured, glancing over my shoulder across the hall.
Nobles' gazes pouring in from all sides, each tagged with "Crown Prince" at the end.
"Your father's danced these halls for decades. You're just starting out. Think he was perfect from the beginning at your age?"
"Father was probably perfect from the start."
His firm conviction nearly made me laugh out loud.
Your dad, who ditched me alone in Milan to chat with General Radetzky?
I deliberately slipped off the waltz's main beat, spinning on the off-beat.
Rudolf stared in surprise, but I just grinned, unconcerned.
"Even if the beat's a little off, the music keeps flowing, and the dance goes on."
"...True. We saw the same book but drew different themes from it."
He remembered Les Misérables.
"What'd you think of Jean Valjean's personal journey?"
"Unhappy in body, but happy in spirit, I think."
"Why?"
"He spent his life hiding from Inspector Javert and the world's eyes, so physically it was grueling and miserable."
Rudolf carefully led me into a turn at the waist. No tangled steps this time.
"But in the end, he rejected the labels of prisoner 24601 or Mayor Madeleine that the world imposed. He chose to live as a man of pure conscience, loving Cosette as an ordinary person. For himself, wasn't he the happiest? Probably..."
I wanted him to feel the value of living as just Rudolf, not the Crown Prince... looks like it worked.
Amid the nobles' probing stares, they'd be desperately hunting for perfect heir qualities in the boy in my arms.
"Let's keep this from Dad."
Rudolf said, stifling a laugh.
"Yeah."
Joseph would've clutched his neck if he heard.
*
Aw, I'm beat.
As the maids gently kneaded my knotted shoulders and helped me into light nightclothes,
"About to rest?"
"Just shed the Empress garb. Come in."
Joseph naturally moved to sit beside me on the bed.
Whoa, not on the sacred bed...!
"Sit in the chair."
Not without washing up!
Joseph sat in a nearby chair as if accustomed to it.
"The premiere date's set for the musical you're sponsoring. But..."
"You want me not to go?"
I'd love to see it, but no plans to.
I know I'm the Empress of a 'Catholic' empire.
"Nationalists in the audience might riot. If you're caught in the uproar, it could be dangerous."
But Joseph didn't seem to know that.
"With just words?"
"Want something?"
"Seems too early for the British army to land yet."