Author's note: I forgot to put this in the first chapter so I'll add this now. This story was largely inspired by the lyrics of 'Alle Fragen Sind Gestellt' and my recent visit to Vienna (an amazing city, I'd encourage everyone to visit at least once if they can).

I cannot promise that anything I've written is historically accurate, because my only source was Wikipedia and the quality of information there is always dubious. I also have to acknowledge that I borrowed the idea that Rudolf passed an STI to his wife from Dornhelm's 2006 film 'Crown Prince Rudolph'.

Last thing, a word of warning about this chapter, there is some foul language in this.

II

The end of Mass signalled the end of the night for most of the family. The lights in the palace were extinguished and the halls quietened until the sound of rat-catchers scrambling after their pray was the loudest sound to be heard. Otto, however, was wide-awake and felt the company of his older brother was preferable to Otto's cold, badly furnished bedroom, even if Franz Ferdinand was in a poor mood. He had apparently left behind his watch somewhere during the night.

When the two brothers returned to the large audience room where the family had unwrapped presents some hours before, they realised that they were not the only people in the palace who were still awake. Crown Prince Rudolf had stretched himself on a large couch closest to the windows and now stared up at the decorated ceiling. A few steps away a servant was in the middle of pouring Rudolf a glass of brandy. Otto guessed that it was far from the first; there was not much left of the bottle. When the servant handed the glass to the crown prince, Rudolf did not bother to sit himself up. He drunk the brandy so fast Otto feared that he would choke.

'Good evening, Rudolf,' said Otto after a moment and grimaced. It felt inappropriate to refer to the crown prince by his first name even in a private conversation, the difference in age and rank seemed too great. 'Franz Ferdinand thought he might have left his watch here.'

Rudolf turned his head to look at Franz Ferdinand, who still stood in the doorway. He pushed himself upright and replied with a slight slur that revealed his intoxication:

'There's nothing out of place here that I can see.'

'If I may verify?'

Franz Ferdinand did not wait for Rudolf's reply. He moved past Otto and began searching the room. Every step was sharp and precise. He had always had the stride of a soldier, even as a boy. Rudolf, in the meanwhile, straightened his clothes in a futile attempt to make himself look presentable. Otto thought it strange that although Rudolf was both older and of higher rank than Franz Ferdinand, he watched Franz Ferdinand's movements with obvious weariness.

'Care for a drink?' asked Rudolf.

'There is only one glass,' responded Franz Ferdinand.

He lifted a jacket off the card table. It was probably Rudolf's, as he wore only a shirt. After he made sure that there was nothing underneath, Franz Ferdinand flung the jacket at Rudolf, although he fell short and the jacket landed at Rudolf's feet instead.

Rudolf bit his lip as he moved the jacket from the floor to the armrest of the couch he sat on. Otto could see that Rudolf wanted nothing more than to order them to leave. Otto understood Rudolf well enough. Franz Ferdinand was a difficult man to like. Cold and uninterested in fellow man, Franz Ferdinand made no effort to make himself more amicable.

Otto wished that Franz Ferdinand would have manners enough to engage in some small talk, but Otto's older brother continued to search the room in stubborn silence. In the meanwhile, Rudolf motioned for the servant to refill his glass. He drank this one no slower than the previous.

'So you don't want a drink?' asked Rudolf.

'We can send the servant for another glass, Franz,' said Otto.

Franz Ferdinand's eyes narrowed with suspicion and he motioned for the servant to come near. The man was a brave one or maybe new, he did not look automatically guilty as many others did upon an order from a member of the royal family. He was tall too; he looked Franz Ferdinand straight in the eyes while the prince spoke:

'Did you perhaps see my watch tonight, servant?'

'He is not a servant,' responded Rudolf. 'He is a... an old friend.'

The man gave Rudolf a strange look, which made the crown prince burst into laughter. It struck Otto that he could not recount the last time he had heard Rudolf laugh so freely. Suddenly, the crown prince seemed much younger, but it suited him.

'I recognised you from the first moment! But I thought to myself, you enjoy playing games with me, I want to turn the tables,' said Rudolf to his friend and then turned to Otto. 'My friend here enjoys mystery and suspense above all else. He can be one creature in the morning and another at night. But he's been a good friend to me.'

'A pleasure to meet you, sir,' said Otto and stepped between the man and Franz Ferdinand just as his brother was about to speak. 'Might we enquire as to your name?'

'Ludwig,' replied the man.

Up close, he did not look much like a servant despite the uniform. Ludwig carried himself differently to the Habsburgs, who tended to march through life like soldiers, but his bearing suggested an aristocratic background nevertheless. His facial features were refined, although the lips were slightly too full and feminine. Ludwig's gaze, however, was sharp and unforgiving. With his eyes, he seemed to pierce through all human defences and stare right into the soul. Otto could not suffer it, his hands began to shake and he wanted to turn away.

'Prinze Otto Franz von Habsburg. This is my older brother, Prince Franz Ferdinand. We are cousins to the crown prince,' he said with a quivering voice.

'As he is no doubt aware,' muttered Franz Ferdinand and then continued more clearly. 'My watch is not here. We should leave Rudolf alone; he wishes to drown himself in alcohol on his own terms.'

'Did I ask for your commentary?' replied Rudolf. He motioned for Ludwig to pour him another drink and Otto found himself sighing with relief when Ludwig moved away from him.

'What is it with you? Did the emperor banish you from Vienna again? It is no wonder. Or is the prospect of sharing a bed with Stephanie so frightening you dare not face her sober?'

'And your brother is so terrified of his wife, even drinking doesn't help!' replied Rudolf.

Otto felt his cheeks begin to burn. It was blatantly untrue, but he had no suitable response to Rudolf's mocking and Franz Ferdinand offered no words in his brother's defence. In any case, Rudolf did not expect any. He pushed himself off the couch and walked over to Ludwig. Otto could not believe that Rudolf was able to converse with them as clearly as he had. He stumbled every other step and groaned with every movement, it was almost a relief to see Rudolf reach his destination. He rested one hand on Ludwig's shoulder for support and with the other pulled the bottle of brandy out of Ludwig's hand.

'It was a joke, Otto,' muttered Rudolf. 'It's not a crime to hate your wife. Don't you agree, Ludwig?'

'I am unmarried, so it is not my place to say one way or another.'

'Enough. Ludwig, take the crown prince to bed before he stumbles across some chair and cracks his head open. This is a palace, not a common tavern,' said Franz Ferdinand. 'No one wants to look at a drunkard.'

'So leave! Just leave!' Rudolf snapped.

'Gladly,' answered Franz Ferdinand. 'Come, Otto!'

Otto watched Ludwig guide Rudolf into a chair by the card table. Ludwig's long hair had fallen forward while he was helping Rudolf and now hid most of his face, Otto had no way of guessing the man's plans. For Otto there were only three certainties about the situation: Ludwig had made no attempt to wrestle the bottle away from Rudolf, the crown prince had already drunk more than enough and Otto had no reason to trust Ludwig.

'Go ahead,' said Otto to his brother.

Franz Ferdinand shook his head and said:

'Merry Christmas to you all.'

He turned his back to the rest of the people in the room and left. His steps were sharp and heavy. In the empty, darkened palace they seemed to echo for hours. Otto found himself longing to follow his brother after all; sleep would be far easier than trying to deal with his drunken cousin and his strange friend. It had been a long evening already, full of stiff pauses and forced pleasantries. Still, some nagging part of his conscience compelled Otto to stay.

'Who is your friend really?' he asked. He moved closer to Ludwig and Rudolf so that they could converse more easily, but stayed out of Ludwig's reach.

'I am an old friend, you need to know nothing more,' responded Ludwig.

Rudolf rested his elbows on the card table and took a large swig from the bottle. His every action was too large and he struggled to focus on the space before him, it was the very image of a man losing all control over himself. Otto turned to Ludwig:

'Will you do nothing?'

His question was met with silence. Otto gritted his teeth; this Ludwig was far too presumptuous.

'At least tell me what drove my cousin to this state,' he pressed.

'Your cousin is still here,' answered Rudolf. 'And you want to know what happened to him? The pathetic, whining cousin Rudolf? His little shit of a sister happened.'

Rudolf raised the bottle to his mouth once more, but Otto grabbed his arm before Rudolf could take a sip. Still holding onto Rudolf, Otto sat himself down beside Rudolf. Behind the crown prince, he saw Ludwig cock his head in surprise. Otto wondered if this was supposed to be the moment Ludwig sat down next to Rudolf and pressed the crown prince for answers. Well, he would have to content to be a bystander for the night. Otto pulled the bottle out of Rudolf's hand and set it on the table.

'What has Marie-Valerie done?' he asked. Otto knew that Rudolf had to have been referring to his younger sister, Rudolf and Gisela never quarrelled.

'She is in love,' said Rudolf. 'Some nothing of a nobody. Except, of course, she gets to marry him. Gisela and I were practically born married to the empire. The goddamned empire and the all the crud that accompanies it... But she is special. To the pits of Hell with her, with all of this...'

Otto was sure that Rudolf could have continued with this trail of thought for some time, but Otto had heard enough. He said:

'This is why we have mistresses. Besides, chances are, Marie-Valerie and her husband will come to hate each other just like the rest of us.'

Ludwig laughed, but Rudolf found no mirth in this. He reached out for the bottle and Otto had to pull it away from him. Rudolf's eyes narrowed as he demanded Otto give back the brandy, except Otto did not find a drunken, half-lucid Rudolf especially intimidating.

'You have had enough,' said Otto.

'Hand it back,' responded Rudolf. He pulled himself out of his chair and leaned over the table in a hopeless attempt to reach Otto's hand. 'Don't you dare, you goddamned – '

'Just hand it back to him,' said Ludwig.

Otto looked at the man and clenched his teeth. His instinct told him that Rudolf needed to stay away from alcohol, preferably forever, but Ludwig sounded very authoritative. But then, he had said that he was an old friend, so he had probably found himself in such situations before and knew the best way to handle Rudolf. Against his better instincts, Otto placed the bottle back on the table. Rudolf grabbed the bottle and poured the rest of the brandy down his throat as if it was water.

'That is the way to do it, isn't it? Wonderful,' groaned Otto. 'You need to get yourself to bed, Rudolf. When you sober up tomorrow, you should go and have some fun. It will make you feel better.'

In reply, Rudolf just laughed, but it was not like earlier. This was a shrill and high-pitched laugh of a manic aware of the questionable state of his mind. Ludwig leaned over Rudolf and lifted he now empty bottle out of the crown prince's hands.

'You are frightening your cousin,' said Ludwig.

'Don't talk to me as if I am a child,' Rudolf replied and then turned to look directly at Otto. 'Now, sweet little Otto Franz...how did the rest of your name go? No matter. You think you have grown up, Otto. A man with a wife, a child a moustache and a mistress. You know nothing.'

'What am I supposed to know?'

'Will you tell anyone?' asked Rudolf.

'No, not if you wish you keep it private,' answered Otto, frowning. Earlier in the evening, he had been hesitant to address the crown prince directly, now he was about to become his confidant. Otto was not sure how he found himself in this position. 'What is it? You can tell me.'

Rudolf said nothing for a long while; instead, he clumsily drummed his fingers against the card table. It seemed like half an eternity until Rudolf sighed and spoke:

'I've had my fun. Too much fun, that is clear now. One night I received a little gift from one of my mistresses, which I then shared with my wife. It's a fun, little infection that can make a woman barren. It has made my wife barren.'

Otto stared at Rudolf for a long moment, trying to take in what he had just heard. Rudolf had only one child and that was his daughter, Erzsi. She was a sweet enough child, but the Habsburg succession law demanded a son from Rudolf and Rudolf had no means of escaping his marriage to Stephanie while they both lived. The Catholic Church would not permit a divorce. It was an unfortunate situation for Rudolf's family, but it also spelled disaster for the Habsburg dynasty and its empire.

'I am sorry,' Otto said reflexively, but Rudolf did not seem to hear anyway.

'What am I supposed to tell my father? And what am I to do with a barren wife?' Rudolf continued. 'Had a married someone I could actually tolerate, I wouldn't have needed a mistress. There would have been a son. Franz... Ludwig.'

'That is a nice name,' said Otto, but he wondered about the inspiration. Had it been their recently drowned Bavarian cousin or the mysterious friend who refused to answer any questions? Otto did not know which explanation he found more troubling.

'I need a drink,' said Rudolf. 'There's a bottle in my study, I think. Yes.'

He pushed himself up by gripping onto the edge of the table and headed towards the door. Otto rose too, he intended to grab onto Rudolf before he moved far, but found himself being pulled backwards instead. He felt Ludwig's arm tight around his throat; the man's skin felt cold even through the fabric of his sleeve. At that moment Otto felt like a child, Ludwig was taller and stronger, and Otto could do little against the man's strength. His attempts to struggle out of Ludwig's grasp were futile. He simply had to watch Rudolf stumble out of the room and into the darkness of the corridor.

'You cannot help him,' said Ludwig as he loosened his grip on Otto. 'He needs to be alone tonight.'

'He is inebriated, he needs someone to make sure that he does not hurt himself. I should go after him.'

Ludwig released Otto entirely, but placed himself in front of Otto so that he now stood between Otto and the doorway. Otto wanted simply to push past the man, except he found himself hesitating. In fact, his whole body shook slightly. Otto felt goose bumps creep up his back to the base of his neck and his hands trembled.

'Are you not well?' asked Ludwig with any real concern. 'You look very white all of a sudden.'

'Let me through!' said Otto.

His vision was turning to pure white light and his feet were weak, as if hollow. In desperation, he pushed past Ludwig and rushed out of the room. His knees felt like soft wool and hands were growing numb, but he did not pay attention to that. He needed to get away from this Ludwig, or whoever he was. And he needed to find Rudolf.