“You’re up?”
You were awake so late last night. Aren’t you tired?
“You’re already working.”
My back hurts….
“The tour of Milan starts today, doesn’t it?”
This time, they won’t be able to ignore us like they did last time.
“It won’t be empty like last time. A great many Tuscan nobles have come.”
The unification movement is, in essence, a liberal revolution.
That is the dilemma that keeps Joseph from fully committing either to Greater Germanism or to imperial unification.
Nationalism arises from the people, and yet—how dare they challenge us? That is the feeling.
“I heard that the longing for unification among the subjects in Milan has diminished.”
Invading the Papal States means refusing to acknowledge the Pope and the Church.
“What on earth are they planning to make Italy out of?”
I am curious about that myself.
“They’ll make it out of Italian, I suppose. Like those Parisians.”
Then do Italians even exist?
Italian sounds grand when you call it Italian, but in truth, isn’t it just Tuscan?
They probably use French more than Italian.
“The Emperor in Paris seems quite pleased with himself these days.”
With France intervening in both the Second Opium War and Italian unification, everything has been going smoothly for him.
“There is not a trace of dignity to be found.”
It is hard to tell whether those are newspapers or some coalition of printed matter devoted to flattering the Emperor.
“Sisi, when are you thinking of going to Galicia?”
Since we gathered over the Polish question, does he want me to make an appearance there at least once?
Galicia….
To be honest, I am not particularly interested.
Because unlike Joseph’s anxieties, we will absolutely not lose it.
Isn’t Polish independence a product of national self-determination that only emerged after Prussia, Russia, and Austria all collapsed?
Besides, the Poles cannot abandon us anyway.
If I recall correctly, Russian and Prussian oppression only drove even more refugees across the border to us.
We allow them autonomy, recognize Polish, and even let the nobles participate in politics.
“…I’ll go there last.”
Italy and Hungary alone are enough to keep me unbearably busy.
Unless I have two bodies, it will be difficult.
“Crossing the Carpathian Mountains is hardly easy, is it?”
The distance is enormous, the terrain high and rugged, and even the roads are mud. It is not for nothing that it has remained the most underdeveloped region in the Empire.
I slowly walked up behind Joseph as he worked and embraced him.
“Do not worry. Like the Bohemians, they will have no choice but to think of you as their Emperor.”
Does it seem as if the Tsar is gently soothing the Poles and the Slavs of the Balkans by using Pan-Slavic nationalism?
It seems the Emperor himself is the only one who does not understand that ours is an empire maintained through appeasement. He seems to think others will be the same as us.
They can never do what we Austrians do.
Joseph glanced at the clock, then said to me,
“…There is still plenty of time.”
This man, honestly. We were having a serious moment!
*
Inside the carriage bound for Milan, I grumbled to Joseph.
“Look what you’ve done to me.”
My back hurts, and my knees hurt too.
“In exchange, you are wearing a comfortable dress.”
“Comfortable? This is even more uncomfortable.”
Honestly, it is far too uncomfortable.
The dress I was wearing now had no crinoline at all; instead, it used pleats and ornaments to create volume.
The corset had been simplified a little, but… is this really all right?
If anything, this one feels even more stifling.
I want to go around in a uniform like Joseph.
“It feels a little more suffocating than what I used to wear.”
When I met Joseph’s eyes, I asked him subtly,
“Didn’t you like that Hungarian riding outfit last time?”
He gave a short cough and said flatly,
“Absolutely not.”
Hmph.
“How petty. As if you weren’t the one who liked it.”
I pouted and tapped my knees with my fan.
“We will arrive soon, so straighten your attire.”
Joseph pretended not to hear my complaint and looked out the window.
The train gradually slowed, and in the distance, we arrived at Porta Nuova Station.
“Brother, Sister-in-law. Welcome.”
“It has been a long time, Max.”
As Joseph looked at his younger brother, the rigid expression on his face softened slightly.
For all that might be said, Joseph did cherish his family in the end.
“Your Majesty the Emperor, and Your Majesty the Empress. Welcome to Milan.”
Perhaps because of what had happened in London last time, Charlotte acted somewhat cautiously.
“Now then, let us proceed to the carriage. The citizens are waiting.”
The open carriage we boarded departed Milan Station and began entering the city.
“It is quiet.”
Joseph answered my words with a silent nod.
As expected, the nobles still hated us.
The windows of the noble residences lined up on both sides of the street were firmly shut. I could feel gazes peeking at us through the cracks, but they did not show themselves.
But what was different from last time was—
Unlike the haughty nobles, the common people were reacting to us.
“We still need to be careful.”
Regrettably, there is no such thing as a successful revolution carried out by the masses alone.
The revolutions that changed history were, without exception, led by educated people.
The French Revolution, the American Revolution, the Risorgimento, the Russian Revolution, and even the Great Compromise of the future.
A successful revolution has always been the result of elites leading and the masses executing.
A body without a head is merely a riot; it cannot become a revolution.
The citizens on the streets now are the body, and the nobles hiding behind those firmly shut windows are the head.
What we are doing now is a battle over who will take possession of that body: the Emperor, or the Milanese nobles.
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor, protector of the Church!”
“Long live Her beautiful Majesty the Empress!”
Joseph and I waved in response as we proceeded, and before I knew it, La Scala stood before us.
So they have not fallen completely silent.
The two kinds of nobles I confirmed after stepping down from the carriage were different.
Tuscany, filled with splendid ornaments, and Milan, in dark clothing without a single jeweled adornment.
“It feels as if we have come to a funeral.”
“These bastards should have been excommunicated along with them. Tsk, tsk.”
The Tuscan nobles spoke loudly, as if for the Milanese nobles to hear.
The Pope was earnestly crying out to the Catholic nations for help, but….
Unfortunately, the leader of unification was France, the eldest daughter of Catholicism; we, protectors of the Roman Church, had no intention of waging all-out war against France; and Spain was too busy taking care of itself.
I covered my mouth with my fan and whispered to Joseph.
“Do not mind them. It seems they have put on mourning clothes in advance for our sake.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that the funeral for the Italy they dream of will be held today.”
“I look forward to seeing just how much you have prepared.”
Joseph let out a small laugh at my words and held my hand tightly.
Once we took our seats in the box of honor, the conductor looked up at us with a nervous expression.
When Joseph leisurely gave a nod, the performance began.
The first musical.
Lively music rang out through La Scala.
Do you think I am mad? That I would let them stage an opera like Nabucco or I Lombardi that stirs their patriotism?
That was why most of the actors participating this time had been recruited from Venice and Tyrol.
“Sancho! Look over there! Do you not see those enormous giants?”
“It is in Italian.”
“There is no one who does not know it anyway.”
Though it was Lombard, strictly speaking.
What I had instructed Königsegg to prepare was simple.
Not tedious art, but entertainment that could seize the eyes and ears at once.
“It does worry me. That impossible dream may be speaking of Italian unification.”
You should be looking at the other side.
“The Tuscan nobles seem to be thinking something else, though.”
That is why revolutions are difficult to succeed.
The head and body must become one.
Only then can they defeat us, whom they call oppressors.
The defender needs only to block one of the two.
Joseph’s rigid, principled image appealed to soldiers and officials who valued discipline more than to free-spirited citizens.
My beauty and charm were the strongest weapons to veil the Empire’s stiff rule.
If Joseph and I each take charge of the soldiers who will handle force and the people… then all the Milanese nobles can do is continue courting Sardinia and France.
“It is tiring to think politically even in a place like this.”
“You are the Empress, so it cannot be helped.”
If I were being honest, I would rather throw everything aside and simply laze about as Empress, but in order to maintain this life, I have to do politics.
Maybe three hundred years ago… no, then it would have been tiring in a different way. Toilets, baths, meals… the present is better.
The musical came to a successful close.
With the exception of the Milanese nobles, the audience gave a standing ovation, and the isolated nobles eventually read the atmosphere and clapped despite how displeased they looked.
“Joseph, how was this musical?”
“It was very good, and I am pleased.”
I was a fool for asking this man.
It feels refreshing to have broken the nobles’ pride.
Hmph. I still remember the humiliation I suffered when I was newly married.
Now we should change venues and move on to round three.
We immediately moved to the ballroom within the theater.
The hall was filled with the light of splendid chandeliers, and Tuscan nobles and Austrian officers mingled as they conversed. But the Milanese nobles remained gathered in a corner in their black attire, continuing their own funeral.
As if they were children of darkness.
“Governor-General.”
Joseph called Maximilian.
“Remind the Milanese nobles that this banquet is a celebration of the Empress’s return. And tell them that if they continue to behave in such a manner, it will be regarded as disrespect toward the Imperial House.”
“Brother, would that not be too coercive?”
“I intend to see how far those people will hold out.”
Is Joseph not right? Maximilian, I am telling you, you are the one being suspected here.
I have to deal with this quickly, while Joseph still does not know.
Königsegg is a lady-in-waiting from Vienna, so that is a little….
“Hunyadi, go and convey my words to those noble ladies in black.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Tell them that I wish to comfort a lady sunk in grief.”
“Understood.”
“I trust your eye.”
Bring me the most elegant-looking noblewoman.