Chapter Text
AFTER, or in the end
“I lost someone who didn’t love me,” She said as she looked out the window with a neutral look on her face despite the rather tired look in her eyes.
“But you lost someone who truly loved you,” She added distantly as she looked at the men removing the purple roses from its place.
”Did he not love you?” He asked quietly. “I always had the impression that he was enamored with you,”
She scoffed derisively. “Do not mock me!” She snapped. “I am tired of being made into a laughing stock because of you,”
“I was not trying to make you into a laughing stock,” He said simply.
”You never do,” She shakes her head, “but you always end up doing so,”
BEFORE, or the beginning
It was humiliating.
It was humiliating, that’s the first thing that Elizabeth von Nuremberg realized when her betrothal to the Crown Prince now Emperor was broken.
For a mere Baron’s daughter…
How could they do this? Elizabeth tasted bile in her mouth. How could they?
Ludovica was never really her friend. The lilac haired girl was always spirited with an inability to remain still for too long.
Elizabeth had found her amusing. She, Ludovika, was pretty to look at and kept Heidi from falling fully into her shell.
Elizabeth didn’t particularly care for her younger brother’s betrothed but Heidi is meant for Albrecht and the Nurembergs.
And family stays together. Heidi is going to be a Nuremberg, she’s going to be family, because she’ll marry Elizabeth’s younger brother.
So Elizabeth looks after her brother’s too shy future wife because Albrecht is too focused on being a knight and being with his two friends.
And Ludovica, a voice treacherously whispered in the back of her mind.
Stop, she thinks as she swallowed back saliva. Albrecht wouldn’t do that, he must not have known. He must not have known at all.
It sounded pathetic just how much she was trying to delude herself into thinking that her brother knew not of the humiliations that will befall her, his older sister.
“Did you know?” Elizabeth demanded as she cornered her brother in a small room in his chambers.
“I do not know what you’re talking about, Sister,” Albrecht seemed confused and startled.
”Hah, he does not know so he says!” Elizabeth almost laughed at that. Almost. “Or so he claims,”
Elizabeth glared at her brother which caused him to look extremely nervous at being cornered.
“Did you know that the Emperor was planning on humiliating me, your older sister, by setting me aside as his future wife, handpicked by the Imperial Family themselves! For a mere baron’s daughter!”
“I…” Albrecht’s eyes were wide. His blue eyes were filled with surprise but then he looked to his side out of guilt.
Why do you look like that, Brother?
“I’m sorry,” Albrecht whispered. “I…I’m so sorry sister, I truly am. But…”
He knew, Elizabeth realized. She took a step back (away from her traitor of a younger brother) out of pure shock.
He knew! He knew! HE KNEW!! Elizabeth wanted to scram and let it all out on her turn cloak of a younger brother.
”You know no loyalty to your own blood, do you?” Elizabeth almost screamed out of anger. Her voice was shaky and she hated herself for it.
“S-Sister-“ Albrecht looked surprised at her outburst of anger.
It wasn’t very surprising after all, serious and dutiful and blunt Elizabeth who was always dignified and carried herself with the grace of an empress.
I was supposed to be Empress. Elizabeth tasted a rusty feeling in her mouth. I was promised the empire by the Imperial Family and my parents. I was promised a golden future and a crown for me if I birth princes.
”You will be the Empress, Eliza!”
But I’m not the empress, Elizabeth wanted to cry out of anger.
All those years.
All that hard work to be perfect and live up to the standards of the Imperial Family and of Kaiserreich.
All that time spent on making friends at court. All those years of hosting tea parties with the noble ladies her age.
All those years of scrutiny.
All those years of tears and sobs because she didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
All those years of learning at the Empress’ knee about politics and being the mother of the Crown Prince.
All those years spent trying to form some relationship with her future husband.
All the time spent tolerating Ludovika’s girlish fantasies.
All those years of headaches because her betrothed, her brother, and the Neuschwanstein heir were chasing after Ludovika like a bunch of stupid fools.
All those years of comforting a crying and terrified Heidi who was afraid of being set aside.
”I…I know that Albrecht does not love me. I was aware of that. But I was so ready to try and make love blossom between us. B-But he wouldn’t allow me a chance. L-Ludovika is a p-precious friend, oh I do love her, b-but I can not help but fear what will happen if she would to reciprocate Albrecht’s feelings for her. What then? Will my betrothal with Albrecht be set aside in favor of Ludovika? What then? What will Father and Mother say?”
All those years that she gave up of her girlhood to prepare for the heavy crown that now will never be hers.
“What have you done? It was one thing to chase after Ludovika while Heidi was there. But it is another thing entirely to keep the knowledge that Maximillan will throw me away like a dog in favor of that lavender bitch!”
Albrecht’s eyes hardened. “Compose yourself sister,” His voice was harsh, like steel.
Elizabeth scoffed. “You are one to talk, dearest brother,” she sneered.
”You are behaving like a child!” Albrecht snapped. “You’re crying over spoiled milk, Elizabeth!”
Elizabeth went rigid at that. How dare he? “And who are you to speak to me like that?” She demanded.
”Your brother and the heir of House Nuremberg,” Albrecht reminded her flatly. “So stop this at once,”
”You are only angry because I insulted your precious Ludovica,” Elizabeth replied with hardened eyes. “Otherwise you would have kept quiet saying nothing to me. Just like you did when Ludovica decided to steal my crown,”
She was bitter. Anyone else would. Maybe she was behaving undignified, crying over spoiled milk as her stupid brother accused her of.
But she didn’t care.
“Ludovika did not decide to steal your crown!” Albrecht protested.
”Then what do you call usurping me as His Majesty’s future wife?” Elizabeth spat. “Come on, I’m waiting,” she sneered.
”I…It was not usurpation!” Albrecht insisted. “Betrothal’s can always be broken. Betrothal’s are always broken for lesser reasons,”
Elizabeth opened her mouth to tear her incredibly stupid younger brother a new one but they both heard a voice that they recognized.
”A-Albrecht?”
It was Heidi’s voice.
The Nuremberg siblings turned around and saw the lady with short pale blue hair and pretty soft pale blue eyes.
Heidi was wearing a dark blue dress and a shawl that was also of a dark blue color.
“H-Heidi,” Albrecht said, his dark blue eyes were wide as he stared at his fiancée who was standing at the door.
”A-A-Am…I i-interrupting s-something?” Heidi stammered out. The poor girl looked frightened as she stared at Albrecht with wide eyes.
Heidi looked like she was about to cry.
Oh goodness, Elizabeth thinks. I think she heard what Albrecht said about betrothals being broken before.
Elizabeth glanced at her younger brother who was still gawking at poor Heidi who was waiting for an answer.
The girl was fidgeting with her shawl nervously. She was rather pale and Elizabeth wondered if Heidi had taken her daily walk around the sunshine like she should.
Oh dear, Brother I know that your little bride is a pretty little young thing, Elizabeth thinks in mild annoyance at her brother’s gawking.
But there is no need to be embarrassing about Heidi’s prettiness and her eyes and how she looks in Nuremberg blue.
Elizabeth wondered if her brother liked seeing Heidi wearing the blues of their family, the Nurembergs, despite being in love with that traitor Ludovika.
”If you will say nothing then I must be the one to speak then,” Elizabeth spoke up in annoyance.
Heidi blinked and Albrecht was still stupidly looking at Heidi before he looked at Elizabeth.
”Wait what?”
Exactly what Elizabeth thought of Maximilan’s bright little idea to set her aside in favor of Ludovika while his mother, the Dowager Empress, was bed ridden and unlikely to live.
Fucking coward, wether Elizabeth was referring to her younger brother Albrecht, Johannes Neuschwanstein, or Maximilian that no good scumbag was left up to be decided.
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NOTES:
This is for fun and full of headcanons because I let my brain run free with way too many ideas.
Originally this was glanced to be a short/long one-shut BUT the more I thought about this AU, the more I wanted to expand it.
So here we are, 14 chapters (this MIGHT change) to go and a lot of drama and other things left to go. Also, things might change because I plan things out by making stuff up as I write.