11. The Path to Nowhere
"Your Majesty… I must say… your beauty is legendary," Mary could not help but uttered the words with admiration. The woman only smiled in return, hoping the look in her eyes has at least suggested she was not used to receiving compliments as often as she actually had been back in the human world. While once hearing heartfelt words praising her looks had been an everyday thing, years later she understood that very often the words had some additional purpose. However, this did not seem to be the case with the girl – Rudolf's mistress, was she? It seemed impossible. If Rudolf had indeed fallen for this young girl, his situation must have been miserable. Yet, Sisi was ready to befriend her, believing to have managed to push away the unnecessary thoughts.
While Mary's discomfort was easy to see, Elisabeth knew asking the young girl to address her by name was and felt more than improper. After all, now the age difference between the two women, although visible, could equally have made the dazzling once-monarch mistaken for Mary's older sister.
"What was it you wanted to talk to me about- Mary?" The earthly Empress felt she should not speak more than was necessary, understanding her words might take away all of the remaining self-assurance from the poor girl, whose uneasiness had apparently been doubled by the fact Elisabeth was accompanied by Death himself.
"I have only wanted to meet you, your Majesty… You are the only woman the crown-prince keeps mentioning every so often, and-
The blond, having followed the meeting mutely up to that moment, whispered something to Elisabeth, having noticed she had paled after the words uttered by the young lady. The whisper seemed to have made Sisi regain her senses at once. "Notice the present tense," he whispered. "She has not yet gone through the tragedy completely." Almost fifteen years have passed, and neither have you. "Remember, love, we are not supposed to show anyone our feelings as of yet," he reminded kindly, keeping his eyes away from the woman on purpose.
The one still clinging to her companion - no matter what emotions have been boiling within her - has equally turned away from him, as much as it was possible without having to liberate herself from the man completely. Not realising where the necessity to have Death by her side has come from, the earthly royal icon clenched her teeth, trying to keep herself in control.
"Don't you dare touch me again… whenever… the moment this circus is over," Elisabeth spat, careful to keep her words below Mary's hearing. Her voice was cool and apparently emotionless. For a moment, Death was not sure if she actually meant it – instead of letting go of his hand, Elisabeth has only clung to it harder.
The "nobody must know" play had been working even before it has actually began, and at least Mary seemed to believe the tension between the two was real. As it should have been – Death was not someone to ever have been caring about any human any more than was needed of the cold-blooded Dark Prince performing his unavoidable tasks.
The daunting man was playing the role well. Perhaps too well… Or well enough to keep the Vetsera girl at a distance. The hatred the self-assured lord of the dead could feel pulsating alongside him did not feel real. Fear and uneasiness seemed to have been the winning emotions within the admirable one.
"Talk to her," he encouraged. No matter how powerful Death has been, he did not wish to induce anything more on Elisabeth that he already had, intentionally or not. The bland smile on his face was unreadable.
Sure, why not. Having remembered the words uttered by the newly met woman, Sisi composed herself, addressing Mary openly; it was obvious she has taken the advice given to her. "Does he? What does my son say about me?"
The use of the present tense when talking about her son felt wrong. Was wrong, Elisabeth knew it. While it was hurting her, she held to the suggested path. There was always time, all the time in the world to continue reminding Death how much he was risking when the steps he had been suggesting have continuously kept bringing her nothing but additional sorrow.
"He loves you… Rudolf only blames himself for everything," Mary whispered, pain visible in her dark eyes.
"If you ever see him again," Sisi forced herself to speak firmly, "tell Rudolf I miss him and love him no less." The woman breathed out and gave Mary a smile which, however, neither was nor seemed sincere. She felt she could not take any more. Not today.
Death sent the unwelcome girl a meaningful look, without saying anything out loud. All the same, she understood it perfectly.
"I hope I did not burden you or wasted your precious time," the distracted glances the two met were self-explicatory. Mary wanted to leave them. "I think I'd better be going now…"
Elisabeth shrugged, her voice a mixture of relief, interest and indifference. "If you think so." She knew at that moment she preferred not to meet this woman for at least a month. It was as if the meeting has drained some force out of her. But what else could I have expected? She had been close to him, must have been dear to his heart. Something I could never have achieved, even if I have tried…
Sisi was following the girl disappearing in the distance.
As soon as Mary was gone, Elisabeth took some steps away from him assuredly.
"How does it feel?"
She looked at him misunderstandingly. "What? The fact I had to listen to a woman who, for some reason, speaks of Rudolf, talking about him as if he was still alive somewhere?" Death was following her closely, saying nothing. There were things she needed to work out herself.
"It hurts." Elisabeth admitted, turning her eyes away.
"I know," he gave her an encouraging look, and for a long moment the Empress-no-longer was looking right into his eyes, uncertain if his eyes spoke of the well-known human emotion only, or…
"I know that you know it. Must have known all of its possible outcomes, but still you haven't stopped me from this meeting. Why?"
Death could almost feel a storm approaching. The sooner, the better. "Because that has been how you wanted it. I am sorry to inform you, my angel… I cannot protect you from yourself. Not when this story of ours seems to be going nowhere."
Elisabeth froze, believing to have finally understood just what he meant.
Nowhere…
