Alexandra took the Revolver from her Florence calfskin handbag and pressed it, along with a silver Percussion Cap case, into Joseph's hand. Then she asked with a hint of anticipation, "What are you going to...?"
Joseph winked at her. "Want to watch a fireworks show?"
Through a gap in the curtains, the Crown Princess Consort glanced at the multicolored fireworks bursting across the square, then nodded vigorously. "Mm, I do!"
Joseph poured the bullets out of the Pistol, leaving only the propellant. He then yanked open the curtains, pushed open the window, and pulled the trigger at a linden tree more than ten meters away.
Flame and a thunderous bang tore through the night sky. The nobles who were "hanging" from the tree, fiddling with their Telescopes, jolted in fright and nearly fell.
Joseph swiftly fitted another Percussion Cap and casually fired again.
The people sprawled along the second-floor outer wall had just been fighting for a "front-row seat," but now they clearly saw the Crown Prince standing dominantly at the window with a gun in hand. They immediately scrambled back inside on all fours.
Joseph fired five shots in a row, and the people in the tree opposite vanished without a trace. Only one unlucky fellow, who had sprained his ankle jumping down, was struggling to inch toward the nearby bushes.
Joseph smiled, loaded a live round, and took aim.
With a bang, a branch fell to the ground.
The fellow who had been limping just moments ago instantly "recovered," darting away in a flash.
Outside the bedroom, Kexer knocked urgently on the door. "Your Highness, are you all right?"
Joseph called loudly, "Relax. I'm only setting off fireworks."
As he blew the gun smoke from the muzzle, Alexandra's heart raced. The scene from moments ago, so brimming with