Vienna, Austria
Summer 1854
Vienna still looked like the old Europe.
That was the problem.
The imperial capital remained beautiful beneath the summer sunlight. Grand palaces lined the streets while noble carriages rolled past opera houses, government buildings, and old cathedrals that symbolized centuries of Habsburg power.
Music drifted from cafés.
Aristocrats still filled ballrooms at night.
Officers in decorated uniforms still rode through the city with polished cavalry boots and ceremonial pride.
To outsiders, Austria still appeared strong.
Stable.
Civilized.
But beneath the elegance, fear had begun spreading quietly through the empire.
Not fear of revolution.
Not fear of invasion.
Fear of being left behind.
---
Inside the Imperial Palace, the atmosphere felt far heavier than the streets outside.
