Note: I just recently watched the movie Frantz, again, so I'm posting something about this tragedy between Sissi, Frantz & his mother, Empress Dowager Sophie or Sophia in English.

When Prince Frantz first saw Princess Elizabeth in Bavaria, he knew he would never want any other woman in his life. He knew she was his only one. He had to have her. But how? He was supposed to get married to Princess Hélène of Bavaria. At the time, he didn't know Sissi was Helene's sister. He thought she was her cousin or something. He never knew he'd cause these two so much harm & hurt their sisters' bond nor did he care.

So he thought he needed to get rid of Helene or persuade his Mother, Empress Dowager Sophia, that Sissi was a good match for him too. This alone gave him a headache. Why? Because Dowager Sophia saw Sissi as nothing less than a country girl, a "savage, wild, loose girl, without much use to the Empire". Now Empress Sophia was a cold, austere woman, in her late 30rties. She had Frantz & Karl when she was 16 & 18 years old, respectively.

Frantz thought of a plan : to dupe his mother by telling her he is going to marry Helene, but in the carriage, Sissi would be in there, instead of Helene. When at the wedding, his mother would see Sissi in the carriage, she'd have no choice but to accept her. An ingenious plan of his. He thought to hire someone for the job.

He looked in the mirror, the diabolical plan in mind & pitied himself: "Why must I marry someone I don't love & I cannot love? Why can't she love me back too"? No answer came from the mirror.

Sissi was in love with Prince Karl, in fact smitten with his younger brother. Frantz resented, no hated his little brother for that. How dare he offer HIS Sissi a red rose at HIS ball? He was going to get back at his brother for it. He wanted to kill him, but decided against it. He decided he was going to frame him for Helen's murder, saying he killed Helen out of pure jealousy & malice and that he himself was so heartbroken & distraught about it. Yes, a good plan, & without loopholes in it. He was so proud of himself. He let out an evil, wild laugh, that evening & smashed the mirror out of pure rage inside. How can Karl snatch HIS woman away from him?

He never once thought about how the young Sissi would feel after her sister's death & her lover's paying for the real criminal's deed. He was satisfied with himself & went to bed, less troubled.

Next morning, he called a killer on contract & spoke about it with him in his secret basement, when everybody was still sound asleep.

"Hey, I need someone killed, you interested?" Barely in a whisper. Just in case someone heard him.

"Sure, who?" The killer never asked too many questions, not good for business, you see.

"Princess Helene of Bavaria." Came Frantz's short answer.

"For how much?" Came the cold reply. A killer was never interested in the victim or the one being killed, always in the pay or "salary".

"I'm ready to pay you whatever it takes for you to frame my brother Prince Karl & absolutely no link to me, understand?"

"Yes, got it & I'll do it."

Unfortunately for these two, a loyal servant of Karl's was at the door, listening carefully. Short of breath, he waited before climbing the stairs. Said servant would wait till dawn to alert his master, Prince Karl. He was in his service for years & was loyal to him, like a dog. Prince Karl treated him well, very well, paid him well & fed him well. Unlike his older brother, the 2nd Prince was overly generous & kind to his servants, such as this man.

Karl's servant waited till morning to report the phone call to Karl. Karl, didn't, however, believe his own brother & friend would do such a thing to him. So he dismissed the good, faithful servant, giving him a crazy amount of cash.

"Go, and never come back again with your treacherous tongue & poisonous lies, my Brother loves me, & would never do anything to hurt me. Since my childhood, he always stood up for me at the court when I bullied, mocked by others. Nobody else would speak for me."

"But, my kind Master, please hear me out…He really said so yesterday night!"

"No more, begone, now!" Prince Karl showed him the door.

Just before Frantz's wedding, he went to see Sissi & told her of his plan, not the whole of it, just the bit where he wanted HER in his wedding carriage, rather than Helen. Sissi flat out refused to deceive his Mother or to replace her sister Helene was Empress of Austria. Frantz didn't think Sissi would say no to him. Oh, how much he loved Sissi!

"Sissi, listen to me, please, it's the only way we can be together! Have you no feelings for me? Have you ever loved me the way I love you?"

"No, I refuse, I will not follow you down your evil path! You're the Devil & Satan himself, Frantz! I would never be with a cold-blooded Monster like you!"

Shaken and demoralized by the venom in her voice, Frantz didn't know how to answer her. He always thought he had a chance with Sissi, his one true love. He resolved to commit suicide after his rendez-vous with her & having Karl killed.

" All right, since you stubbornly & resolutely refuse me, I'll have to kill Karl, your beloved." He threatened. This, however, didn't seem to bother Sissi much.

"Whatever, you're all talk, nothing else. You won't have the guts to do it". She challenged & defied him, disdain in her voice now. She left the place, thinking Frantz was out of his mind, mad & believed he would never such a thing in reality.

Frantz, his ego & self-esteem shaken, called the killer & told him to change the plans. "Kill Karl, not Helen now, I can't & won't explain my sudden change of mind." The assassin didn't mind, as long as there was a job to be done, no matter what & no matter who to kill.

"Pay's the same?" He just asked on the line.

"Yes, everything's the same, except your target". The killer understood his orders.

At Frantz's wedding, Karl was dutifully shot while on horseback. The authorities said it was an accident. Nobody suspected Frantz nor the killer. Sissi & the dowager all rushed to Karl's side, to try & revive him. The Empress Dowager Sophie was too shocked to do anything & had to be brought to the infirmary's emergency. Sissi stood there with Frantz, not knowing what to do.

The night after Karl's accident, Frantz committed suicide, as he explained in a letter to Sissi :

" Dear Sissi, my beloved,

Since I cannot have you as my wife, I had to kill your lover. And I'd rather die than get caught & rot in prison for it, hoping you can move on without any of us. I love you as no man has ever loved you."

"And I'd rather live alone than with you besides me. Don't worry, Frantz, you'll soon be forgotten in my life & my memories. Good riddance. R.I.P Karl, I'll never love any man like I loved you."

That evening & long in the night, Sissi suffered & cried herself to sleep in her lonely room, allowing no servants in, not even her childhood friend. The Empress Dowager Sophia was of course, uncontrollable at the loss of her sons & blamed everything on the innocent and pure Sissi. She never once thought that she may be the cause of Frantz's irrational craziness or Sissi's sad, tragic fate or destiny, that she might have caused the problem in the first place.

The End!