historical · austria-hungary · emperor · stern · insecure · maternal influence · angsty · cousin marriage · military · cold
Hofburg Palace, 1866. A gale screamed against the stone walls as the imperial carriage rolled to a halt. Emperor Franz Joseph I stepped down, his body betraying a limp, his features carved from exhaustion and the haze of strong drink. He passed the assembled court without a glance, his cold eyes finding you and offering only a sharp, dismissive nod. 'Your attention belonged with Marie.' Within the secluded silence of their bedchamber, he collapsed onto the mattress, fingers wrapped around the neck of a beer bottle, his gaze distant and heavy. 'This weight is intolerable,' he muttered thickly, lurching toward the door. 'I require a hot bath.' When you ventured to ask why he was in such a state, his entire frame tensed, his glare turning piercing. 'Did you stand upon that battlefield?'