“Didn’t you say you hated having children?”
That was only because it happened suddenly, without any planning.
And I only complained a little because it hurt.
“Children are nice because the subjects love them, and heirs are good because the more there are, the more stable things become.”
Judging by the reaction when I gave birth to Ferdinand in Bohemia, nothing worked better on the subjects than this.
“Sissi. Wait a moment.”
Why?
“Surely you don’t mean you intend to give birth in each region?”
“Of course I do. You saw how much the subjects in Prague liked it, didn’t you?”
No, there was no way this man had cared about the subjects.
I climbed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over myself.
“You’ll see tomorrow. One action is better than a hundred words.”
The moment I finished speaking, my eyelids grew impossibly heavy.
I’m tired.
Whether it was because of the beer I had just drunk or the aftereffects of childbirth, I no longer even had the strength to open my mouth.
“Joscha, good night.”
The moment I buried my head in the pillow, I fell into a deep sleep.
*
He’s not here….
I stretched, got out of bed, and put on my slippers.
It’s nice that I no longer have to act completely like a doll in a birdcage, the way I did before.
Elisabeth hadn’t used that expression for nothing.
“I hate this life, like a bird in a cage.
I hate this life, this doll-like version of me—”
Slap!
I smacked both my cheeks, shaking off the sentimental mood creeping up on me.
“Last time it was because I was pregnant, and this time it’s postpartum?”
Elisabeth has good numbers, but the problem is that the story is depressing.
I rang the bell and called the maids.
As if accustomed to it, they immediately came in carrying the tools for beauty care.
I had to take care of my skin, which I hadn’t been able to do during pregnancy, and there was so much to do.
“Begin.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Haa, I’d rather grill it and eat it.
I endured it.
Thinking about it, there was no need to make such a fuss.
Hadn’t I gone out of my way to grill and eat tough pig skin for collagen, gnawed on chicken feet, and even put snail mucus on my face?
In a world where people injected refined poison called Botox into their faces, freshly slaughtered veal?
This was luxury. Pure luxury.
This was simply a top-grade organic protein mask.
Hypnotizing myself with that thought, I closed my eyes.
“Apply it thoroughly.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Organic….
Ah!
When I rose from my seat, the maids immediately took a step back.
“Your Majesty?”
Just because something was nature-friendly did not mean it was human-friendly.
“Use something full of moisture, like cucumbers or strawberries.”
“Then the beef….”
“Have the cook put it on the servants’ table.”
It would be a waste to throw away perfectly good meat. It was supplied to the imperial household, after all.
“From now on, do the same with the meat left over after making the beef juice.”
The maids were from great noble families, so they would have plenty, but for the servants, it would be precious food.
While preparations were being made for my bath, I began taking care of my skin with a cucumber mask.
In any case, I would have no official activities for forty days.
The downside was not being able to get sunlight, but Josef also deliberately avoided visiting much during this period. There was no better time than now for skin care.
“Your Majesty, the bath is ready.”
When I moved to the bathroom, white liquid was rippling inside the tub.
“We mixed goat’s milk and olive oil, Your Majesty.”
Good enough.
I took off my gown and, wearing only a thin chemise, stepped into the tub.
Ahh, how refreshing.
Now that I was relaxed, sleepiness came pouring over me again.
“Your Majesty, the strawberry mousse.”
Hunyadi brought over a mask made by mashing strawberries and honey together.
The maids began spreading the chilled strawberry mousse over my face and neck.
After that, they spread the coffee I had used on Josef last time through my hair.
The sensation of warm milk, the strawberry scent tickling the tip of my nose, and even the subtle aroma of coffee.
So this is healing.
“Your Majesty, it smells truly wonderful.”
“Doesn’t it?”
I murmured languidly, making sure the strawberry mousse did not run down my cheeks.
Whew.
This was the only time I could fully enjoy for myself.
Normally, I had to handle the empress’s duties, play with the children, participate in official events….
My body couldn’t survive it.
Come to think of it, Eugénie asked about this last time, so I told her in a letter. I wonder if she’s doing well?
***
“…How does she do this?”
“She does it almost every day.”
Eugénie had tea with the Duchess of Metternich.
In her hand was the letter containing the beauty secrets Sissi had sent her.
She could nod along as far as the strawberry mask and milk bath. Those were methods the French imperial household could easily adopt as well.
But the problem came after that.
“There is a horizontal bar in her bedroom?”
Eugénie’s eyebrows shot up.
“Isn’t this written incorrectly? She is not a circus performer, so why would there be a horizontal bar in an empress’s bedroom?”
“It is true, Your Majesty. I heard it myself while I was in Vienna.”
Pauline set down her teacup and clicked her tongue in disbelief.
“As soon as she wakes in the morning, she takes a simple bath in cold water, and before the maids arrive, she hangs from the horizontal bar.”
“Good heavens….”
“And that is not all. After her meal, she goes for a walk in the nearby woods… but that is no walk.”
“If it is not a walk, then?”
Pauline shuddered.
“A march. She does not rest, and she walks almost as if she is running. For three or four hours at a time.”
She remembered how, after trying to follow her once before, she had returned by carriage along with the maids who had fallen behind.
Eugénie, conscious of the corset wrapped around her waist, asked,
“She walks in the woods for three or four hours wearing something this tight?”
Pauline had only stated the truth, but Eugénie found it hard to believe.
“Does her chief lady-in-waiting keep up with her?”
“Countess Esterházy is cherished by Her Majesty, so she is given rest during that time.”
“And what she gained from that… is that slender waist.”
“There are even rumors that when His Majesty the Emperor encircles it with both hands, there is room left over.”
Could that be interpreted merely as an effort to become beautiful?
Eugénie had sent the letter because, after giving birth, she had gained a little weight and was concerned.
After all, rumors were widespread that Sissi remained beautiful even after childbirth.
“But does Empress Elisabeth not enjoy riding? Why did she start walking instead of riding?”
Pauline could not answer that part.
‘I cannot say she chose walking after fighting Her Highness Archduchess Sophie over etiquette.’
Besides.
‘How am I supposed to say that fleeing at a speed the old ladies-in-waiting could not keep up with became a habit?’
Pauline covered her mouth with her fan and looked troubled.
Realizing her discomfort, Eugénie changed the subject.
“Is there, perhaps, some special secret?”
***
When I came out after finishing my bath, Hunyadi held out a tray as if she had been waiting.
At first, she had asked why I used a spoon meant for meals. Now she prepared it without my saying anything.
“It’s cold. Perfect.”
I sat in the chair, ready to receive the massage.
The maid in charge of beauty pressed the rounded side of the spoon firmly from my chin and swept it up to beneath my ear.
Ugh, it hurts.
Once the collarbone line and trapezius were done as well, only the true final step remained.
“The drink?”
“Here it is, Your Majesty.”
When I opened the lid, a green liquid greeted me.
Made by mixing cabbage, apple, honey, and lemon….
“The imperial cook called it the vitality of the Vienna Woods.”
Yes, I’m sure he wanted to give it some sort of meaning.
Poor cook….
And beside it was egg yolk.
Whew.
Let’s do this.
Holding my breath, I first drank the egg yolk and beef juice.
Ugh… fishy. So fishy.
“You said last time that it was too fishy, so I added a little more salt.”
Esterházy said that as she handed me the vitality of the Vienna Woods.
Maybe I should leave out the beef and yolk next time.
Elisabeth’s cause of death was assassination, so I think it should be fine, but it really doesn’t taste good.
There was no need to bother with makeup.
“Now call the hairdresser.”
The chief hairdresser of the Vienna Court Theater.
And behind her stood an unfamiliar face.
“Madame.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Who is the girl who came with you?”
“She is my assistant, Franziska Fanny Angerer.”
Oh, is that so?
I nodded halfheartedly.
The assistant who usually came with her must be ill.
It did not matter who came. If she was able to enter the imperial palace, her skills must have been verified.
“Begin.”
I leaned deeply back in the chair and closed my eyes.
My abundant hair, which reached down to my ankles, was something Josef liked and I was satisfied with, but….
When she loosened my hair and tugged slightly, my neck grew stiff.
Ugh, my neck.
It was terribly heavy.
Last time, hadn’t the weight of my hair come close to one kilogram?
During hairdressing time, I received news from abroad or lessons in my native-language studies.
Today was the day Ida taught me Hungarian.
“Ah!”
“I-I apologize, Your Majesty!”
What is wrong with her today?
“It’s all right. Continue.”
Unlike usual, Madame kept making small mistakes.
…Ah, because of the coffee. I hadn’t shampooed.
“Teacher, what if you wipe it first with a warm towel?”
“This concerns the Empress’s safety.”
Madame warned her assistant, then took hold of my hair again.
“I will loosen the tangle for a moment.”
Snap.
Along with an ominous sound, I felt pain.
“Stop!”
It hurts.
I clutched my throbbing head.
“You.”
Swallowing my irritation, I pointed at the assistant.
“Yes? M-me, Your Majesty?”
“Yes. You try it.”
“Your Majesty, this child is still an apprentice.”
Esterházy immediately stepped between Madame and me and spoke firmly.
“This concerns Your Majesty’s safety. Madame, we shall stop here for today.”
At Esterházy’s warning, Madame withdrew, and Fanny began carefully tending to my hair with trembling, anxious hands.
“Ida, continue.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Hungarian was exceptionally difficult.
It was on a completely different level from the empire’s other languages.
That meant I had to put in that much more effort to learn it.
As I was absorbed in studying Hungarian, Fanny’s hands stopped.
“Your Majesty, it is finished.”
In the mirror, my hair flowed down smoothly.
She’s the best designer I’ve had so far, isn’t she?
“Good work.”
I should ask Josef separately about her later.
Now that only people from inside the palace remained, it was time to work.
“Your Majesty, Prince Consort Albert of Britain has sent a letter.”
Since when did he become prince consort?
Ida smoothly cut it open and read the letter.
“—I earnestly look forward to the Austrian works of art selected by Your Majesty’s discerning eye gracing London. Your cousin and friend, Albert.”
The London Expo of ’62.
If I ask Josef to go with me, will he?