The City of a Hundred Spires
The city with a hundred spires—why was he so obsessed with my hair? I turned my head and gazed at Joseph, who was fiddling with my locks.
“Joseph, what do you think of Bohemia?”
“Bohemia...”
Joseph looked lost in thought.
“I’ve never actually traveled there myself.”
I’d been to Hungary early in our marriage, and I’d covered all of Italy this time around.
“Prague is a beautiful place. You’ll like it.”
Was he really that indifferent...?
“Come to think of it, you’ve only ever worn the crown of the Austrian Empire, right?”
Joseph answered with a puzzled look.
“Of course. I am the Emperor of Austria. Hungary still has embers of rebellion smoldering, and...”
I approached the people with titles like Apostolic Queen of Hungary and others, but I hadn’t held a proper coronation yet.
“As for Bohemia, well, they’ve always been there. Why stir up trouble needlessly?”
He didn’t hate them as much as Hungary, then?
I could understand Hungary—they’d tried to take Joseph’s life, after all.
But the saying about giving extra rice cakes to the ugly child only applied if you took care of the pretty ones too.
“A good kid gone bad is the scariest of all. That’s why we should go pat their heads.”
“Sissi.”
“And above all... I hear Prague’s beer rivals Bavaria’s.”
Joseph let out an incredulous laugh.
“So that’s what it was all about?”
I pushed myself up from the bed, propping myself on my elbows.
“No? It’s obviously for the good of the empire! The beer’s just a bonus.”
“Very well. Hungary’s made us delay, but I’ll consider a visit to Bohemia.”
“Promise?”
“An emperor’s word is always true.”
I traced my fingertip over the spot where his beard used to be.
“Liar. You forgot the pinky promise from last time too.”
Joseph caught my finger and brought it to his lips.
“I won’t forget this one. I’ll show you that a husband’s vow weighs heavier than an emperor’s word.”
He pressed a kiss to the spot where my ring sat, whispering softly.
“We’ll see about that.”
We pulled each other close again amid peals of laughter.
Joseph’s head had been pounding.
I promised Sissi, but...
Going to Bohemia itself wasn’t hard.
Parade the troops, hold a banquet at Prague Castle, and done.
But patting their heads like Sissi said—donning the crown of Saint Wenceslas that they craved—that was a whole different matter.
Mother would faint if she knew.
Vienna’s German nobles treated the Bohemians like second-class subjects who merely toiled for the empire.
Still, going empty-handed felt wrong.
I don’t want to be a husband who breaks promises.
Hungary was a problem too.
The moment he entered Prague, Hungarian nobles would sharpen their knives, accusing Vienna’s tyrant of conspiring with Bohemia.
Joseph pressed his temples hard.
For now, I’ll go, talk a bit, and come back.
The season of languid afternoons, autumn. Inside the carriage to Prague, I was reading a fairy tale to the children.
“And Cinderella lived happily ever after with her prince!”
“Was it always like that?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
Joseph shook his head.
“I wasn’t raised on fairy tales myself, but it feels a bit off. Surely the sisters try to fit their feet into the slipper by—”
I hurriedly covered Sophie’s ears.
“Joseph!”
I glared at him, eyes wide.
Always picking the worst parts for child-rearing.
“This is a children’s fairy tale!”
Joseph looked utterly baffled.
“Isn’t the version with clear rewards and punishments more instructive?”
“What kind of lesson is that...”
Sophie’s eyes went round as she asked,
“Daddy, do bad people cut off their toes?”
“No, Sophie. Bad deeds get punished, but nothing like that will happen.”
If Gisela and Rudolf had joined in, it would’ve been too much.
Thank goodness they were still too young for nursemaids and rode in another carriage.
To distract Sophie, I opened the window.
“Sophie, this is Prague.”
Countless spires pierced the sky outside.
“Prague?”
The city of a hundred spires. Prague Castle across the Vltava held a charm all its own, different from the Hofburg.
“So many uncles!”
“Yes, lots of uncles.”
As we stepped down from the carriage, a man in splendid uniform approached with perfect courtesy.
Karl von Metzcher, was it?
“Welcome to Prague, Your Majesty.”
The officials lined up behind Metzcher bowed in unison.
Just as I’d expect from one of Bach’s plants.
As Joseph began his ceremonial reply, someone burst through the solemn ranks, shattering the mood.
“Joseph! Who’s that next to you!”
“Uncle?”
The former emperor and current master of Prague Castle, Ferdinand I.
He bounded toward us with a childlike grin.
“You made it! I prepared so much Marillenknödel when I heard my nephew was coming! You won’t get this taste in Vienna!”
Governor Metzcher’s face twisted in dismay.
“It’s been too long, Uncle.”
I bowed to Ferdinand, stifling a laugh.
“And who are you?”
“Your nephew’s wife, the Empress.”
“Empress? Oh! The one who collapsed that time!”
He stared at me intently, then clicked his tongue.
“Vienna’s chefs are always like that. I knew it.”
He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the castle.
“Good you came. Eat plenty here.”
I glanced back at Joseph in panic.
Our eyes met; he just nodded and followed with Sophie in tow.
“Uncle, slow down. You’ll trip.”
“I won’t! I know this castle like the back of my hand.”
Ferdinand gripped my hand tight, refusing to let go.
“Hurry! Eat before it gets cold!”
“Nandi, you can’t drag guests like that.”
Ferdinand’s excited steps halted abruptly.
“Anna?”
The former empress and lady of Prague Castle, Maria Anna of Savoy, approached with maids supporting her.
She gave me an apologetic look and bowed.
“It’s been ages, Elisabeth. My husband’s just so thrilled to see his nephew’s wife that he forgot his manners.”
“Not at all, Aunt. I love Marillenknödel too.”
Anna gently pried my hand from Ferdinand’s and straightened his clothes.
“Your Majesty, the Empress must be tired from the journey. Give her a moment to breathe.”
“But the Marillenknödel... I’m the Emperor, and I want Marillenknödel...”
As Ferdinand pouted, she smiled like she was soothing a child.
“We’ll all have it at dinner.”
Only then did Ferdinand nod with a goofy hehe.
The dinner hall was nothing like the HofTafel.
No suffocating etiquette, just the clink of silverware.
“Here, say ahh.”
“Ahh— ”
Ferdinand cut his Marillenknödel and fed it to Sophie.
“Tasty, right?”
“Yeah!”
Sophie chewed happily, sugar dusting her mouth, and Anna’s eyes crinkled with joy.
Even the servants couldn’t hide their fond smiles. Except one.
“Josha.”
“Ah, Empress...”
Joseph alone couldn’t adapt, hovering awkwardly on the fringes.
“You eat too. Uncle specially boasted it’s better than Vienna’s chefs.”
“Very well.”
Seeing Joseph start, I picked up my utensils too.
I popped a Marillenknödel into my mouth.
Wow—
Delicious.
Apricot sweetness, buttery richness, sugar, and a perfect hint of cinnamon.
“Uncle was right. Vienna’s chefs need to step it up.”
Ferdinand’s shoulders shot up to the sky at my praise.
“See? What’d I tell you? This kitchen’s the best!”
He raised his beer mug triumphantly.
“Cheers! To our lovely niece-in-law!”
The Bohemian nobles raised their glasses as if they’d been waiting.
So different from Vienna.
They seemed genuinely enjoying the moment.
“Joseph, why aren’t you drinking?”
“I don’t indulge in alcohol.”
“You’re no fun. Just like your mother.”
Ferdinand pursed his lips, then turned to me with sparkling eyes.
If only the palace were full of such straightforward people.
“What about the niece-in-law? You drink, right?”
Like a champ.
True to my German blood, even beer instead of water didn’t faze me.
“Josha, drink for me.” I’d specifically said we were in public...!
“Ahem.”
Joseph took my glass and drank.
“Excellent. It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Vienna’s beer.”
“See? What’d I tell you!”
The nobles’ faces lit up at Joseph’s praise.
“It’s an honor that Your Majesty recognizes our land’s pride. We feared you might pass it by forever.”
More than just beer, then.
The Bohemians aired their grievances through it, subtly.
What to do? Joseph hadn’t decided yet.
“Countess Clam-Martinitz.”
She clinked her fork loudly on her plate on purpose.
“This banquet is for my nephew and his wife, who traveled far. Not for politics or state affairs.”
Rebuked, Countess Clam-Martinitz bowed her head.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I got carried away.”
Anna smiled softly, smoothing things over, then sliced meat for Ferdinand’s plate.
“You too, Nandi. Keep toasting in front of guests, and your nephew will be in a bind.”
“Huh? Okay. Sorry, Joseph. Anna says to stop.”
Even as a former empress stripped of power, did she wield influence here rivaling Sophie Archduchess?
As Ferdinand set down his mug with a pout, the tension dissolved into laughter.