Strawberries, Spies, and a Shocking Pregnancy
"Pregnancy? What the hell does that mean?"
"Maid. It sounds a bit noisy outside."
"I'll make it quiet, Your Majesty."
The youngest one, right?
"No, it's fine. Sounds like a guest has arrived."
"Then, would you like some strawberries this time?"
Yes, please. I parted my lips slightly, and the youngest maid gently slipped a strawberry into my mouth.
This is paradise. Soaking in moderately warm water, the day's fatigue melting away. It was late at night for a bath, so I didn't want to trouble the maids—I'd asked the youngest one, Lady Eden, who had been attending me for bedtime.
I should thank the guard who helped before clocking out tomorrow morning, too.
"You don't know anything about this late-night visitor?"
"The Lord Chamberlain might. Shall I ask?"
"The chief lady-in-waiting must be tired, too."
She seemed out of it today, unlike her usual self.
"By the way, who's Count Esterházy? His name wasn't even on the list."
"He was ambassador to Britain until the Hungarian Revolution."
"Why'd he disappear from the court list?"
The emperor wouldn't appoint just anyone as ambassador. And with Countess Esterházy as Lord Chamberlain, he must still be a trusted noble.
"Count Esterházy is currently retired on a provisional basis."
The maid continued explaining while feeding me another strawberry.
"When the revolution broke out in Hungary, he briefly joined the Hungarian cabinet as foreign minister. But when it turned radical, he resigned all public offices to prove his loyalty to Your Majesty."
Huh? Hungarian cabinet?
"Can an Austrian join the Hungarian cabinet?"
"The Esterházy family is one of Hungary's great nobles, Your Majesty."
Ah... back home for a bit... Wait, no, it's the countess. No guarantee she's Hungarian, right? Sure, I'm German too, but Bavarian... right? Yeah, foreign queen. Even with strong nationalism, they didn't see me as one of their own Germans?
"The Dowager Empress and Archduchess Sophie are from the same family as me. Why do the court nobles treat me like a foreigner?"
Half-aunt and aunt. Same great-grandfather.
"In time, they will recognize Your Majesty's true heart."
These strawberries are delicious. Poor Countess Esterházy must have a lot on her mind. A husband torn between loyalty to the Austrian Empire and his identity as a great Hungarian noble.
No wonder she's been warmer to me since I arrived. Maybe I should visit nearby on a tour so she can spend time with him? Great nobles are always worth meeting anyway.
Bang! The door flew open, and the attending maid cried out urgently.
"Her Majesty the Empress is bathing—who opens the door without permission... Your Majesty!"
"Carry on with your duties."
The voice sounded familiar. Like the guy who ditched me a month ago. So similar it felt like he'd run off because I was sulking over him not helping.
Honestly, I was exhausted too... Flipping through who's who all day, studying with a tutor for foreign languages during dressing, then etiquette lessons. Dead tired, out like a light the second my head hit the pillow—what could I do?
I turned my head and saw the emperor peeking in.
Yep, it was him.
"Your Majesty."
"Empress."
His voice oddly excited. Pervert?
"Please close the door. I'll be out soon."
"Ahem, sorry."
Joseph calmed his anxious heart as he waited for Sisi.
The moment he saw his wife—whom he'd feared kidnapped—bathing so peacefully, relief and joy washed over him.
He hurried into the corridor and shut the door. Behind him came the splash of water and Sisi's languid voice. His heart still pounded fiercely.
That strawberry-feeding pose was adorable. And the silhouette through her wet chemise...
Joseph shook his head vigorously.
Ah, first I need to tell the guards we've found the Empress.
He stepped out and informed the waiting soldier.
"We've found Her Majesty the Empress. She's safe—halt all searches in the palace. But double the guards on all external gates."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Watching the captain dash off, Joseph returned to the bathroom door. Pacing there, he looked less like the Emperor of the Empire and more like an ordinary husband fidgeting outside his wife's room.
Moments later, the door opened cautiously. Sisi emerged in a neatly tied bathrobe, her wet hair wrapped in a towel, the youngest maid close by.
"Lady Eden, His Majesty is here—go rest."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Once the maids had withdrawn, Sisi turned to Joseph.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"As if. You didn't come to peep on the Empress bathing, did you?"
"My body reacted first because I missed you."
Sisi let his absurd excuse slide.
"The maids left because you came, so dry my hair."
Joseph approached the vanity where she sat, standing behind her to gently stroke her wet locks.
"Your hair's gotten a bit long."
"I like it. Means we can talk longer."
Sisi shivered with goosebumps at his words.
"Your Majesty, did you read French novels on the battlefield?"
"As if. What did you do today, Empress?"
Got the maternity mortality report from the hospital director, but...
"Had tea with the chief lady-in-waiting and strolled the gardens."
"Any places in Hungary you visited without Countess Esterházy?"
Sisi shook her head at Joseph's question.
"Your Majesty, you knew?"
She spoke with a smile.
"She's been different since we got here. More relaxed, somehow? Being back home?"
Joseph watched her tilt her head as she spoke, then cleared up the misunderstanding.
"Countess Esterházy was born in Vienna. A Princess of Liechtenstein."
"Really? Still, now that we're in Hungary, she should see her husband."
Joseph's hands paused.
"Her husband?"
He tried to recall if Countess Esterházy had remarried—nothing came to mind.
"Count Esterházy. The one who resigned all posts to prove loyalty to the court."
"Ah. Her husband, Count Vincenz Esterházy von Galántha, died over twenty years ago. The current Count Esterházy is her brother."
Then why was she so kind in Hungary?
Sisi had assumed Hungarian nobility kindness, but Joseph explained she was a branch of the Esterházys, not the main line.
All dry now? Joseph felt a pang of regret.
"Done."
Hmm... Sisi hesitated, rang the bell, and dove into bed.
"Your Majesty, ask for some strong liquor for me."
Joseph caught her drift and nodded. He requested it from the entering valet, steeling himself—
Then Countess Esterházy entered, swallowed hard, and whispered in Sisi's ear.
"...Your Majesty, it seems you're pregnant. No relations. Shall I still prepare the liquor?"
"What, what, what?"
"You're pregnant."
"So it wasn't just me gaining weight..."
"Empress? Sisi! Sisi!"
Joseph shook the suddenly fainted Sisi, but with no response, he turned desperately to Countess Esterházy—only for her to rush to the door.
"You there—fetch the doctor. Hurry!"
The doctor, dragged from bed in his nightclothes, faced a horrific scene.
No wonder the guard said nothing.
An emergency summons from the palace at midnight was never good.
Fainted Empress, panicked Emperor, stone-faced Lord Chamberlain.
I'm just a regular doctor!
He'd always kept distance from the court, hired after the Hungarian Revolution when Hofburg shunned Buda and Pest.
Still, he had to handle this.
To survive...!
Wiping cold sweat, he approached Esterházy.
"What happened? What did you say right before Her Majesty collapsed? Her condition?"
Esterházy warned him along with the details.
"Her Majesty fainted upon hearing of her pregnancy. Only the four of us here must know."
If word spreads, we're done.
The doctor saw black. The ambiguous love marriage of Emperor and Empress was common knowledge.
Pregnant means no bloodletting.
As he reached for her pulse, Esterházy barked.
"Don't touch Her Majesty's sacred body without permission."
Only after lifting the thin silk was he allowed.
This is hell.
He checked pulse, listened with stethoscope—baffled.
"Results?"
the Emperor demanded.
"Like deep sleep. Best to observe longer..."
"..."
Overwhelming pressure.
"Doctor, are you actually treating her properly?"
Joseph's angry voice.
"If Her Majesty doesn't wake, you won't tomorrow either."
Esterházy's threat.
They're gonna kill someone at this rate.
"Chief lady-in-waiting, help me up."
"Your Majesty!"
Esterházy carefully propped me against the bed.
"Thank heavens you're alive, Your Majesty!"
"How long was I out?"
"Less than ten minutes, Your Majesty."
Wait—in under ten minutes, Joseph and Esterházy were "treating" me, threatening the doc that if I didn't wake, he wouldn't either?
...Would that work on Sophie? Nah, can't picture Joseph and Esterházy defying her.
It's late—time to sleep again. Still drowsy; falling back asleep now is pure bliss.
"I'm fine—both of you, out."
"Rest well, Your Majesty."
Joseph, you hear that? No action till next year.