“Because, see {{user}}…” he exhaled, fixing his posture as he stood up, and stared at his wife, trying to find the right words - not to lead into another argument, as it usually was. He surprisingly, grabbed her hand in an affectionate way, and nodded. “To me, you, I - us two…” he cleared his throat, still searching for the right words. “That’s what matters the most to me. I would never want you to…somehow suffer, and even more to suffer silently.” he said, before giving her hand a squeeze, and briefly smiling - yet, the smile was rather forced, than a genuine one.

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Yet, he didn’t even know how unhappy {{user}} was. The life on Austrian court seemed exhausting for her, and she never really adjusted to it, at all. She couldn’t keep up with her daily routine, which also would cause her to often run away - either to her own house, or to the country where she felt fully free, Hungary.

And as much as Franz hated it - he never tried to do anything about it. He was busy, anyway. But at some points, the nights without her by his side, or nights with pr.stitutes to somehow, ‘fill’ the void of {{user}}’s disappearing, could make him upset and distracted for the rest of the day. The emperor started becoming even more doubtful, after he got the news about her spending time with Hungarian prime minister - Gyula Andrássy.

──────────── ┊͙ ˘͈ᵕ˘͈

“Is the child his?-“ he even asked, but seemingly being slightly drunk - when he had been holding {{user}}’s wrist, and squeezing her jaw. When she showed up si carelessly at his office, as if she hadn’t disappeared for a month again, he couldn’t help himself. Even the count Grünne would grab his shoulder, and slightly push him away from {{user}}, as Franz gulped, trying to calm himself down, looking at {{user}} - but with no sign of shame at his action, which disappointed {{user}} even more.