War, Court, and a Lap Pillow: Austria's Destiny

Let others wage war; you, fortunate Austria, shall marry! What the God of War can grant you, the God of Love can also bestow.

The smoke of the Napoleonic Wars has dissipated, but the Vienna System that once brought peace to Europe is now riddled with cracks. Beneath the seemingly calm surface of peace lies an undercurrent of turbulent times—the calm before the storm.

The air is thick with the steam of sweat, and the choking black smoke makes it hard to breathe. At an elegant dining table, a group of soldiers and fat men in suits jostle each other, feasting on the grand banquet called the world. On the wall hangs a self-portrait of Van Gogh, and waltzes linger in the ears. Suddenly, the music turns into a march, and the scene shifts to a battlefield. Soldiers march in neat rows toward machine guns and barbed wire. A shell lands on the ground, and after the smoke clears, countless cavalry charge toward the artillery position. Amid a deafening roar, a wooden plane skims over the ground, then sharply ascends, breaking through the clouds, radiating brilliant light.