Blue water, blue skies, green grasslands, and Vienna blazing with a hundred flowers in bloom.
May in Vienna belonged to flowers. Their presence filled every street and alley, as though the people of Vienna had an exceptional fondness for growing them.
At Schönbrunn Palace, a hundred flowers competed in splendor, lending fresh May a distinctive charm.
Reading, admiring flowers, brewing tea, and attending concerts were all Franz's hobbies. If not for the two little girls tagging along, he would not have minded watching some dancing either—especially the kind involving long legs.
It was absolutely nothing but an appreciation of art. Franz's private life was exceedingly proper. He never fooled around with society ladies, had no bad habits whatsoever, and did not even have a mistress. He could be called a moral paragon among nobles.
If he had not been holding two little girls in his arms, that would have been even easier to prove.
Well, nobles having somewhat messy private lives was perfectly normal. Life was so exhausting, and they had to scheme against one another every day. They needed to relax from time to time.
Franz already had more principles than most. At the very least, he had not caused a single court scandal. He had merely sweet-talked two little girls; it was hardly worth mentioning.
The House of Habsburg's court rules were still extremely strict, and the two little girls receiving court education together had felt that deeply.
Though princesses were not held to standards as high as princes, they still had far too much to learn compared to ordinary people.
Princess Helen was doing better. She adapted quickly and was even able to enjoy herself. Empress Sisi, on the other hand, was miserable. Her happy childhood had bid her farewell. For a young girl yearning for freedom,