THE EMPRESS WHO NEVER WAS

[Toffee 2843]

THE EMPRESS WHO NEVER WAS: THE LEGACY OF PRINCESS

 

 

PUBLISHED BY

 

ERIKA KORTREVICH

 

558 E.S. 

 

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THE LADY PALATINE SET HER WARDS A TASK: research a woman with ties to the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska who was a leader in her own right. I chose the Baroness of Richtenburg, Lady Sorina Lorelei Luceafăru. She is my ancestor, linked to me through her daughter Lady Viorica, the Countess of Jerovitz. To understand the Baroness of Richtenburg, I also had to understand her mother, a woman known in her later life as the Witch of Dobrov, and her grandmother, the Imperial Princess Charlotte Augusta Novellen. 

 

This led me down a path of research so deep, I realised I would need to separate my work into multiple publications. Much of my research revolves around the diaries written by this so-called witch, Lady Anna Elizaveta ‘Moliana’ Tuvyic, the Baroness of Woldzmir. I was able to retrieve these diaries from the Jerovitz archives, preserved by my great-great grandmother Countess Viorica.

 

I: THE EMPRESS WHO NEVER WAS | PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AUGUSTA OF ALDERSBERG

INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS COUNTESS OF DOBROV ⟐ RETURN TO IMPERIAL LIFE ⟐ AS DUCHESS OF ADRIA ⟐ AS THE ‘GRANDMOTHER OF OREN’ ⟐ THE ASTER REVOLUTION ⟐ WOLDZMIR IN EXILE ⟐ AS EMPRESS-CLAIMANT ⟐ CONCLUSION

 

II: THE WITCH OF DOBROV | BARONESS MOLIANA OF WOLDZMIR [Link]

INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ ENTERING THE IMPERIAL COURT ⟐ BRUSHES WITH THE ARCANE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF WOLDZMIR ⟐ WOLDZMIR UPROOTED ⟐ AS A PEER OF HAENSE  ⟐ CONCLUSION

 

III: INTO THE LIGHT  | BARONESS SORINA OF RICHTENBERG [Link]

INTRODUCTION ⟐ EARLY LIFE ⟐ AS BARONESS OF RICHTENBURG ⟐ AS ROYAL INQUISITOR ⟐ DEATH AND LEGACY ⟐ A NEW GENERATION: COUNTESS VIORICA OF VIDAUS ⟐ CONCLUSION

 

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I

 

The personal heraldry of Princess Charlotte Augusta.

 

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AUGUSTA OF ALDERSBERG was an Imperial Princess of the Holy Orenian Empire, though not of the main line. She was Countess of Dobrov through her marriage to Lord Sigismund, Count of Dobrov, becoming Countess-Dowager upon his death in 381 E.S., and remained widowed until marrying the heir to the Empire, Prince Philip Aurelian, at the command of his father Philip II. Upon this union, she became the Duchess of Adria and Countess of Renzfeld. 

 

Although Princess Charlotte was a central figure of Imperial society for over sixty years, little is remembered of her accomplishments. She has largely been washed from the annals of history for her perceived plots against Philip III and Anastasia I, culminating in a reach for the Imperial Throne in 408 E.S.

 

To understand Lady Sorina’s impact on Haense as the Baroness of Richtenburg, it is important to understand her background. This work will uncover and analyse the impact Princess Charlotte had on the Holy Orenian Empire alongside many other unsung Imperial women. Much of her role was public, but the inner workings of the Augustine Palace are frequently overlooked in historical chronicles in favour of the Sinners’ War, occurring over much of the same period. 

 

Most sources are derived from Imperial archives preserved in the Apostolic Kingdom of Aaun, the Kingdom of Balian, and the Commonwealth of the Petra, all of which are Empire-descended states. However, details of Princess Charlotte’s later life when she retired to her daughter’s court in Woldzmir rely on the diary entries of Lady Moliana.

 

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II

 

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE WAS THE FIRSTBORN DAUGHTER of Prince Joseph Leopold, Count of Aldersberg, and Princess Henrietta of Österland. At the time of her birth, the Holy Orenian Empire recognised male primogeniture, meaning that her younger brother Prince George Alexander would inherit the County of Aldersberg rather than one of his four elder sisters. Despite this, Prince Joseph considered naming his eldest daughter the heir to Aldersberg, but because of her betrothal to the Count of Dobrov, this did not eventuate.¹

 

In 361 E.S., Prince Joseph purchased a manor in the city for Princess Charlotte: Montfort House. With her newfound independence, Princess Charlotte hosted many parties and balls, particularly during the Social Season of 363 E.S., and also hosted a number of charitable fundraisers and academic groups.² She had to leave all this behind upon her marriage to Lord Sigismund, moving with him to the County of Dobrov. Her new husband did not frequent the Imperial court nor travel to Providence often.

 

1] TRH Austina, Countess of Aldersberg, The Counts and Barons of Aldersberg, 442 E.S.

2] HG Austina, Duchess of Adria and Countess of Aldersberg, The Duchesses of Adria, 455 E.S.

 

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III

AS THE

 

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE NEVER LIKED cold, dreary Dobrov, located within the dark Grenzi forests in the northern reaches of the Empire. She had grown up in the sparkle of Providence as an Imperial Princess, accustomed to luxury and the hustle and bustle of the Imperial Court. Letters to her father reveal that she found the town sombre, the spectre of the late Ostromir Carrion-Tuvyic lurking over it like a funerary shroud, and the Castle Woldzmir was draughty and ill-lit.

 

 A map of the Holy Orenian Empire by Wilford Proudfoot IV, 395 E.S..

 

She and Lord Sigismund welcomed their first daughter, Anna Elizaveta, in 373 E.S. Tragedy struck when baby Anna was snatched from her cradle by Azdrazi and presumed dead. Their second daughter was born two years later, though she was a sickly child and not expected to live past childhood. However, live she did, and they named her Josephine Aleksandra. After Lord Sigismund passed away in 381 E.S., Princess Charlotte left Josephine in the care of the new Countess of Dobrov to scour the continent for her long lost daughter Anna. Although the only surviving trueborn daughter of Lord Sigismund, Lady Josephine was not named the Countess of Dobrov due to her frailty and illness. The mantle instead passed to his great-niece Alexandra Karenina Carrion-Tuvyic.

 

After nearly six years of travel, Princess Charlotte located Anna Elizaveta, who was very much alive and well. They came across one another in the streets of Karosgrad, the capital city of Haense, and Princess Charlotte reportedly recognised Anna by her grey-blue eyes, a symbol of her Novellen heritage. Unaware of her true identity, Anna had been raised by her foster family, the Cotsofana’s, under the name Molia. 

 

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IV

RETURN TO

 

WITH MOTHER AND DAUGHTER REUNITED, Anna returned with Princess Charlotte to Providence to join Imperial society, as was her birthright. She took the name Moliana, combining her birth name and her foster name to respect both facets of her identity. Princess Charlotte also sent for Josephine in Dobrov, who had never visited Providence nor attended Imperial court. Together they took up residence in the Aldersberg apartments within the Augustine Palace, joining Princess Charlotte’s brother and his wife and children.

 

Shortly after her return to Providence, Princess Charlotte resumed many of her Imperial duties, one of the first being the Social Season of 1835 (388 E.S.). Usually, the Empress or Princess Imperial would preside over the debut and other Social Season events, but Princess Josephine Augusta was well known to be disinterested in courtly affairs and John VIII had no consort. Princess Josephine left the upkeep of the Imperial court almost exclusively to Princess Charlotte and the Governess of the Augustine Palace, Lady Mary Casimira Othaman.

 

Princess Charlotte urged Moliana to participate in the Social Season as a way to introduce her to Imperial life, but this did not come without its controversies. Some writings claim that Princess Charlotte named her own daughter as the Ruby of the Season (which is the equivalent of the Ruskan Rose of Lifstala), and that this nepotistic demeanour culminated in a general dislike of Princess Charlotte within the Imperial court.³ Another publication, written at the time of the debut, is likely more accurate. The Petite Potins, a gossip column of the time, writes that Princess Charlotte chose three contenders for Ruby: Lady Alina Basrid, Lady Laurène Ashford de Savoie, and her daughter.⁴ Lady Alina was ultimately chosen as the Ruby, not Moliana. Although the gossip column makes a snide comment, there does not appear to be any lingering ill-feeling towards Princess Charlotte as a result of her choice. Indeed, a few short years later in 390 E.S., Princess Charlotte was chosen to model for the Nové Jubilee, an exposition on Imperial fashion.⁵ 

 

Later that year, John VIII died, leaving no issue. The crown passed to his brother, Prince Philip Augustus, now styled as Philip II. At his coronation, Philip II bestowed a number of titles and offices unto his children, including naming his son and heir, Prince Philip Aurelian, the Duke of Adria. He also declared that his heir needed to take a wife to serve as his future consort. “Having been one of the few remaining prominent members of the Imperial court, and having two young daughters of her own, the well-regarded, sensible Princess Charlotte was seen as both a fitting match for the Duke of Adria and a suitable candidate for a future consort. The wedding between the two was well-attended and not inexpensive, but, given how both were now middle-aged, far from extravagant.”⁶ 

 

3] HG Austina, Duchess of Adria and Countess of Aldersberg, The Duchesses of Adria, 455 E.S.

4] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: The Opening of the Season 1835, 388 E.S.

5] Madames d’Amato, Clementina, Valentina, and Antony, The Nové Jubilee, 391 E.S.

6] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica,  THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume VIII;  The Turmoil , 445 E.S.

 

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V

AS THE

Princess Charlotte’s heraldry as the Duchess of Adria.

 

NOW THE DUCHESS OF ADRIA, Princess Charlotte’s role at court only grew. She and her daughters moved from the Aldersberg apartments to the much more sumptuous and spacious Adrian apartments, where they lived alongside Prince Philip’s children by his late wife.⁷ Although Lady Moliana and Lady Josephine would not be given the titles of Imperial Princesses, they were afforded much of the same privileges as Prince Philip’s Imperial-born children. In particular, Josephine began attending lessons with Princess Amelia before she departed the capital city for a long-term visit to her mother’s home in Pompourelia. By this time, Prince Philip’s eldest son, Prince Philip Amadeus, had left the continent with his new bride, and Princess Charlotte’s relationships with her other stepchildren were said to be cordial but at times strained. They missed their late mother terribly. 

 

Princess Amadea of Pompourelia was a well-regarded woman, and although she had passed away three years prior in 387 E.S., some found it controversial for Prince Philip to remarry. Princess Charlotte acknowledged this in an interview with the Providence Post in 391 E.S., stating that she was a close childhood friend of Princess Amadea’s, and that being chosen by the Emperor to marry his son and heir had come as a great shock.⁸ The marriage between Princess Charlotte and Prince Philip was widely seen as one of little love and fondness but with mutual respect between them. Prince Philip’s numerous affairs had not yet come to light.

 

Shortly after their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Adria departed on a tour of each of the Imperial vassals, a journey expected to take the better part of a year. At some point during their journey, Princess Charlotte instructed her handmaiden Margaret to travel to alchemists across the continent and purchase crates of frost oil. She was very passionate about fighting against the Azdrazi menace, considering they were believed to have kidnapped her daughter from her cradle, and frost oil was a known weakness of theirs. Upon returning to the capital at the conclusion of the Imperial tour, Princess Charlotte entrusted these crates of frost oil to Philip II, who in turn ordered them distributed amongst the Imperial State Army.

 

Because of the elderly Philip II’s poor and ever-declining health, it was left to the Duke and Duchess of Adria to perform many Imperial functions, including attending diplomatic meetings in foreign nations. In 392 E.S., they attended a state dinner in the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska hosted by the newly crowned Sigismund III to discuss, among other matters, the Treaty of Helena. Signed in 339 E.S. by the dual-monarchs Anne I and Joseph II and King Josef of Haense, the treaty ensured non-aggression and a defensive alliance between the Holy Orenian Empire and the newly-independent Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska.⁹ Article VI contained an expiration clause; the treaty would expire after fifty years if not renewed by both parties. Considering the Treaty of Helena had expired three years prior, the Duke and Duchess of Adria likely sought to renew it to ensure lasting peace between the two nations. This treaty would never be signed, and Haense would later join the Sinners’ War against Oren in 403 E.S.

 

Back in Providence, Princess Charlotte used her position as the Duchess of Adria to secure a meeting with Archchancellor Drasus de Nurem to discuss the fate of Dobrov. Lady Alexandra, the Countess, had been missing for some months and was presumed dead, leaving the upkeep of Castle Woldzmir and the surrounding town in the hands of her husband, Lord Konstantin Ruthern. Princess Charlotte discussed the notion of Lord Konstantin marrying one of her daughters so that he might retain the title of Count-Consort of Dobrov. These machinations would shortly prove unnecessary with the condemnation of Lord Franz Nikolai Carrion-Tuvyic, Lady Alexandra’s father, and the stripping of all Imperial titles from his branch of the family.

 

CLAIMS TO THE DUCHY OF ADRIA

 

The Duchy of Adria is traditionally an elected title, though from the reign of Joseph II it had been inherited much like any other. A collection of Grenzi lords argued that the transfer of the Duchy of Adria to Prince Philip Aurelian was illegal, and in 390 E.S. held their own election where Lord Franz was elected the Duke of Adria.¹⁰ The authors of The Decline and Fall of the Holy Orenian Empire erroneously state that Lord Franz was the Count of Dobrov, but this title was held by his daughter, Lady Alexandra, as she was specifically named in the late Lord Sigismund’s last will and testament. This election was met with strong rebuke by Prince Philip Aurelian.¹¹ When Lord Franz refused to relinquish his claim, Philip II declared his branch of House Carrion-Tuvyic to be traitors in 393 E.S. and stripped them of all titles within the Empire, including the County of Dobrov.

 

Rather than installing Lady Moliana as the Countess of Dobrov, the title was held in abeyance, leaving her to inherit the lesser title of the Barony of Woldzmir. Lady Moliana and her sister Josephine took the name ‘Tuvyic’, striking ‘Carrion’ from their name and distancing themselves from the disgraced branch of their house.

 

7] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, The Adrian Household, 391 E.S.

8] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, Providence Post - 1838, 391 E.S.

9] The Treaty of Helena, 1786, 339 E.S.

10] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica,  THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume VIII;  The Turmoil , 445 E.S.

11] HIH Philip Aurelian, Duke of Adria, On the Mission of Adria, 390 E.S.

 

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VI

AS THE

 

PRINCE PHILIP AMADEUS, THE DUKE OF FURNESTOCK, returned to Providence in a casket in 397 E.S. His body, along with five of his young children, were returned to the capital on the ship Amadeus and a state funeral was held.¹² Philip II also issued an official proclamation of the Duke of Furnestock’s death.¹³ Princess Charlotte doted on these step-grandchildren of hers. She was frequently seen carrying the infant Prince James and Princess Victoria in her arms and playing with the slightly older Princess Catherine, Prince Peter, and Princess Julia. She even secured wardships for the children with preeminent peers of the Empire, including sending Princess Julia to ward beneath her daughter Moliana, the Baroness of Woldzmir. This earned her the fond moniker of the ‘Grandmother of Oren’ for a time, though later her reputation would be sullied.

 

By this time, Lady Moliana had left the capital to tend to her new home in Woldzmir, leaving Princess Charlotte and Lady Josephine in the capital. Although Josephine had been old enough to debut with her sister in the previous season, her illness often kept her bedridden for days at a time. When she did debut in 397 E.S., she remained in a delicate condition, but well enough to attend the debut and various events throughout the Social Season, even if the Petite Potins did remark that she looked rather pale at her debut.¹⁴ Princess Charlotte, now the head of the Imperial court in all but name, did what she could not do when Moliana debuted and named her daughter the Ruby of the Season. The Providence Post wrote at the time: “The Social Season was opened with a debut of those young women within the season, in which the Duchess Adria announced that her own daughter would be declared Ruby of the Season, Lady Josephine Aleksandra of Dobrov, a dedicated mother’s choice.”¹⁵ On a much less positive note, the Petite Potins reported on the choice of Ruby with some surprise and begrudging congratulations.¹⁶ By far the most scathing criticism of Princess Charlotte’s choice came from the famed jeweller Lady Vespira de Selm, who in her 398 E.S. catalogue presented a ruby necklace called ‘Adria’s Favoured’ with the description “A necklace inspired by the Duchess of Adria’s choice for the Season’s Ruby, nicknamed as ‘Nepotism’”.¹⁷  This was noted with some shock and scandal in the Petite Potins column of 398 E.S.¹⁸ This was a notable rebuke, for Lady Vespira was single-handedly responsible for swaying the trends of jewellery in Orenian high society at the time. She had previously produced and sold a hairpin with an ivory likeness of Princess Charlotte’s face as a way to celebrate her wedding to Prince Philip Aurelian, popularising gold and pearl hairpins for that season.¹⁹

 

If the criticism impacted Princess Charlotte in any way, she did not show it. She spent the latter months of the Social Season attempting to arrange a marriage for Lady Josephine, considering Prince Marus of Hanseti-Ruska and Prince James Francis of Oren as suitors. Neither eventuated, with Prince Marus going on to marry Lady Henrietta of Cathalon, who is the subject of a future independent study. Instead, Lady Josephine allegedly took an interest in Lord Konstantin Ruthern, the Lord Mayor of Dobrov who Princess Charlotte originally wanted to arrange a marriage with to strengthen her daughters’ claim to Dobrov. They were observed speaking in the library of Susa during a party towards the end of the Social Season.

 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

 

At a meeting of the Charlottean Court in 399 E.S., Princess Charlotte dismissed Lady Mary as the Governess of the Augustine, offering her an empty title as the Superintendent of the Adrian Household and a conciliatory damehood. Lady Mary saw this offer for what it was—a forced retirement—and departed the capital in an outrage. In a letter addressed to the courtiers of the Augustine, she wrote, “With my leaving of the Augustine I’ll retire to my recently inherited estate in Redenford, my final resting place. I do encourage callers, however, for I find the country far too boring for my own taste.”²⁰ In Lady Mary’s place, Princess Charlotte attempted to raise Lady Laurène Ashford de Savoie as the Governess, but Lady Laurène was reluctant to take the position despite having served as Majordomo for several years. She and her two sisters had looked to Lady Mary—who they called Madame Marie—as a mother figure when they first arrived in the Holy Orenian Empire from their home in the Principality of Savoy. In Lady Laurène’s stead, Princess Charlotte raised her close friend, Lady Anna Mariya.²¹ As an interesting aside; through deeper research this author discovered that Lady Anna Mariya was in fact Queen Mariya of Aurveldt, who had faked her own death in 368 E.S. to flee her marriage to King Heinrik II.

 

The lethal consequences of Lady Mary’s dismissal would not make themselves known for another few years. In the interim, Imperial life went on as usual. At a feast to celebrate Saint Robert’s Bounty in 401 E.S.,²² Philip II announced a major reconstruction of Providence, producing the schematics drafted by his daughter and now Archchancellor Josephine Augusta. He publicly asked Princess Charlotte’s opinion on the designs for the new city, who approved them with vigour. Construction began almost immediately, with Princess Charlotte and Lady Josephine assisting with the design of the Empress’ suite and Imperial gardens. This city was slated to be called Saint James, but practically all denizens of the Empire took to calling it New Providence.

 

New Providence had scarcely completed construction, the Imperial court still moving their belongings into the new Imperial palace, when a message arrived for Princess Charlotte at a convention of her private advisory council in 402 E.S. The Duke and Duchess of Furnestock, Prince Philip Amadeus and Princess Anastasia of Kositz, had returned to the mainland, the Duke having faked his own death some years prior. For now, the Duke and Duchess remained in the Principality of Savoy with close friends. That is, until cries of “rally the faithful!” echoed across the continent and the Duke and Duchess along with thousands of supporters swarmed New Providence in what would later come to be called the Aster Revolution. The Duke of Furnestock had crowned himself Philip III in the throneroom of San Luciano and issued to his Imperial grandfather The Mandate of Heaven, stating “I will return to our Empire and save it from the decay that grips it now. I will act in accordance with the Lord’s will and return our Empire to better days, days that many long for. Your throne is mine. Surrender it to me and I shall free Oren from its shackles.”²³ In addition to the support of Olivier I, Prince of Savoy, the Duke and Duchess of Furnestock had the support of many Orenian peers, including their longtime friend and confidante Lady Alina of Susa, the Baroness of Carrington.²⁴

 

12] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, Providence Post - 1845, 398 E.S.

13] HIM Philip II, Holy Orenian Emperor, Our Imperial Family, 397 E.S.

14] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: The Opening of the Season 1844, 397 E.S.

15] Imperial Ministry of Civil Affairs, Providence Post - 1845, 398 E.S.

16] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: The Opening of the Season 1844, 397 E.S.

17] HL Vespira L. de Selm, Catalogue of 1845, 398 E.S.

18] The Augustine Court, Petite Potins: A Shaky Journey, 398 E.S.

19] HL Vespira L. de Selm, Catalogue of 1840, 398 E.S.

20] HL Mary Casimira Othaman, Thoughts and Actions of the Lady Governor, 400 E.S.

21] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, The Charlottean Court Reform of 1848, 401 E.S.

22] TH Sofiya Oma d’Azor and HL Anne Josephine d’Arkent, Mistresses of Ceremonies for the Augustine Court, An Imperial Celebration of St. Robert’s Bounty, 400 E.S.

23] HIM Philip III and HIM Anastasia of Kositz, The Mandate of Heaven, 402 E.S.

24] TH Alina of Susa, Baroness of Carrington, On Progress, 402 E.S.

 

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VII

THE

 

THE ASTER REVOLUTION was a swift and somewhat bloodless coup d’état except for three key deaths: the Emperor Philip II, his daughter and archchancellor Princess Josephine Augusta, and his son and heir Prince Philip Aurelian, the Duke of Adria. The latter died first, his cause of death a point of contention that would send ripples across the entirety of Canondom and cast a pall over the reign of the new monarchs. The authors of The Decline and Fall of the Holy Orenian Empire posit that there were three central narratives surrounding Prince Philip’s demise.²⁵ Before those theories are examined, it is important to first understand the nature of Prince Philip’s personal relationships.

 

The Duke of Adria had a number of mistresses, some of whom he fathered bastards on. One such being Miss Gracia Falcone, otherwise known as Lady Valentina, the famous seamstress. They had met while preparing for the Nové Jubilee and struck up an affair while Miss Gracia was serving as Prince Philip’s Mistress of the Robes, which Lady Moliana discovered and wrote about in her diary. Another of Prince Philip’s mistresses was none other than Lady Mary, on whom he begot a bastard named William Trissingham, born 387 E.S. This means Prince Philip and Lady Mary had started their affair while Princess Amadea lay dying from a sweating sickness. Following Princess Amadea’s death, Lady Mary had her marriage to Lord Viathan Othaman annulled, no doubt with the expectation that she and Prince Philip would marry and she would be the next Empress of the Holy Orenian Empire. When Philip II selected Princess Charlotte to be Prince Philip’s bride instead, this no doubt started the slowly building ember of resentment in Lady Mary’s chest that ignited into a wildfire the day Princess Charlotte dismissed her from court.

 

Onto the theories of Prince Philip’s death. The first: Prince Philip Aurelian suffered a major health event and died in his chambers. The second: Lady Mary Casimira, consumed by grief and jealousy, lured Prince Philip to her house in New Providence and slew him, either by her own hand or that of a hired sellsword. The third and final theory: Empress Anastasia employed Lady Mary Casimira to carry out the assassination of her father-in-law. The latter was the preferred theory of Henry Penton, author of the Philippian Chronicles, who wrote: “The Duke of Furnestock, his wife, Anastasia, and the Prince of Savoy, Olivier Renault, plotted in the south to kill Philip’s father, the Duke of Adria, and then coup his grandfather. This assassination came to fruition in the early part of the year when the last bricks of New Providence were being laid. The Duke of Adria was lured into the chambers of one of his mistresses and stabbed through the heart.”²⁶

 

To Princess Charlotte, it did not matter at that moment how her husband had died, only that he was dead, followed soon thereafter by Philip II and Princess Josephine Augusta. Fearing for her safety and the safety of her daughters, Princess Charlotte took what possessions she could carry and fled with Lady Josephine to Castle Woldzmir where Lady Moliana had established her court.

 

25] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica,  THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume VIII;  The Turmoil , 445 E.S.

26] Henry Penton, The Philippian Chronicles, 434 E.S.

 

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VIII

 

IN THE ENSUING MONTHS, Lady Moliana shored up Woldzmir’s defences with the expectation that the new Emperor would march north into the Grenz, for she had not sworn fealty to him nor done him homage at the first session of Imperial court in New Providence. She need not have worried—Philip III had far more pressing issues to contend with, namely the continuation of his grandfather’s war against the Grand Kingdom of Urguan (the Sinners’ War) and the repercussions of the Michaelite Schism. 

 

THE SINNERS’ WAR

 

The initial war engaged by Philip II amounted to only a few brief skirmishes before the Aster Revolution, at the conclusion of which Grand King Ulfric Frostbeard of Urguan announced a conclusive victory against the Empire; his quarrel had been with Philip II, not his grandson.²⁷ Rather than accepting the peace, Philip III issued a series of unreasonable demands and, when these were refused by Urguan, mobilised the Imperial State Army. Instead of facing only the Dwarven army, however, the Empire was met by the combined forces of the Tripartite Accord: the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, and the Kingdom of Norland, supplemented by mercenaries from the Ferrymen company.²⁸

 

THE MICHAELITE SCHISM

 

Shortly before the Sinners’ War began in earnest, the Imperial Crown found itself embroiled in the Michaelite Schism—an attempt to depose High Pontiff Everard VI in favour of an Imperial-backed clergyman they dubbed High Pontiff Michael I. Soon recognising their folly, Prince Olivier II of Savoy, Philip III, and Empress Anastasia of Kositz underwent a walk of penance to Karosgrad to seek forgiveness from Everard IV and recognise his pontifical authority.²⁹ 

 

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE’S RESPONSE

 

Having fled to Castle Woldzmir with her daughters, Princess Charlotte watched these events from afar, growing increasingly concerned. In 403 E.S., she was observed attending a meeting with the Lord Palatine of Haense, Konstantin Baruch, though it is unknown exactly what was discussed. It can be assumed they spoke of the war and the Michaelite Schism, but it is also possible they discussed friendship between Haense and the Barony of Woldzmir, given Dobrov’s physical proximity to Haense and Lady Moliana’s personal friendship with Sigismund III. Princess Charlotte and Lady Josephine attended Tuvmas celebrations in Karosgrad later that year.

 

Princess Charlotte and her daughters observed the walk of penance along with thousands of other onlookers and, being nobility, were able to enter the basilica itself. They were present when a dark curse struck the basilica, making many of the attendees bleed from their eyes, nose, and mouth, but were towards the back of the basilica and therefore able to promptly leave and return to the safety of Dobrov.

 

A few short weeks after the walk of penance, Philip III, Empress Anastasia, and Vice-Chancellor Olivier Renault (formerly Prince Olivier I of Savoy) were again excommunicated in an Encyclical Letter.³⁰ High Pontiff Everard VI had received evidence that Empress Anastasia plotted to murder Prince Philip Aurelian and conducted an investigation, concluding that “We can now declare that We believe the contents of the letter to be the truth, that the Holy Orenian Empress attempted to conspire with an Azdrazi to murder her father-in-law, the Duke of Adria. Not only this, but We believe that Emperor Philip III and the Imperial Vice-Chancellor Olivier Renault are complicit in this plot, for soon after the death of the Duke, the Prince proclaimed Philip as Emperor.”³¹ A popular theory is that, when conspiring with the Azdrazi Antonius Vilac did not come to fruition, Empress Anastasia instead employed the help of Lady Mary Casimira.

 

The Baroness of Woldzmir’s response to these events shall be examined in closer detail in the following chapter. For Princess Charlotte’s part, she arranged a funeral service for her late husband; something that the Imperial Crown had failed to do despite maintaining possession of his body. She made her opinion on the manner of his death quite clear, writing, “Sadly, we shall never know what the reign of Emperor Philip Aurelian would’ve been. His existence was stolen from him without any care for the person whose life was being taken out of their own hands. The greatest sin of humanity, in my eyes, is to claim the life of another in cold blood.”³² Empress Anastasia herself is said to have attended this funeral service, but rather than paying her respects or grieving her father-in-law, spent the majority of the ceremony convincing the other attendees that she had had no hand in his death.

 

Princess Charlotte then went on to meet with the Grand King of Urguan to sue for peace and most likely gain support for her later bid for the Imperial throne. Unfortunately for her, while she was meeting with the Grand King in the Dwarven capital of Kal’Darakaan, a small group of Imperial soldiers infiltrated the palace. They captured Grand King Ulfric and brought news of the meeting back to New Providence, though the tale grew larger and more lurid in the retelling. What had begun as a meeting between the Underking and Princess Charlotte soon spiralled into depraved rumours that Princess Charlotte had been caught abed with the Underking.³³ Princess Charlotte was swift to respond. She released a missive detailing her motivations for meeting with the Dwarven King—to secure a lasting peace so that the Empire could rebuild and recover from the last few tumultuous years—and denounce the sinful rumours that she was the Grand King’s lover.³⁴ The gossip subsided, but it would later be renewed with malicious fervour following Princess Charlotte’s attempt to claim the Imperial throne.

 

27] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica,  THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume IX;  The Aster Empire, 452 E.S.

28] Brotherhood of Saint Karl, The Black Banner: Haeseni Military History, 427 E.S. edition.

29] Brotherhood of Saint Karl, The Black Banner: Haeseni Military History, 427 E.S. edition.

30] HH Everard VI, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, Encyclical Letter: Poenitentia Incompleta, 404 E.S.

31] HH Everard VI, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, Encyclical Letter: Poenitentia Incompleta, 404 E.S.

32] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, Remembrance of an Heir, 403 E.S.

33] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica,  THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume IX;  The Aster Empire, 452 E.S.

34] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, A Mother’s Love, 403 E.S.

 

⌯◃⟐▹⌯

IX

AS

 

An artist’s depiction of Princess Charlotte’s coronation, had it happened.

 

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE RELEASED The Proclamation to Faith in 408 E.S., announcing her intention to claim the throne of the Holy Orenian Empire by virtue of her Novellen blood and the right of a leal Canonist to wage war against excommunicated rulers.³⁵ She made the following terms to Philip III and Anastasia I, who had been made Empress-Regnant through the Edict of Kositz in 406 E.S.³⁶ Firstly, the Emperor and Empress would abdicate their titles to Princess Charlotte and take up vows to the Church. Secondly, Prince Peter Augustus, the Prince of Providence, would remain the Imperial heir. Princess Charlotte would abdicate to him following his twenty fifth birthday, at which point she would also take monastic vows. Thirdly, Philip III and Anastasia I’s children would retain their Imperial titles and be afforded Princess Charlotte’s protection, as their step-grandmother. Fourthly and finally, the Imperial Treasury would be turned over to Princess Charlotte.

 

Her proclamation was met with widespread derision and letters of denunciation, the most famous being the public letter issued by Lord Ivan Var Ruthern, brother to Anastasia I and the heir to the Duchy of Reutov. He wrote, “The Orenian people see that you are nothing but selfish, meaningless, and power-hungry. You circled around this Empire like a vulture, waiting for a time to strike… You are nothing more than a foreign threat. You are not one of us, nor will you ever be, the most you will ever become is a traitor to our cause.”³⁷ He explicitly referred to Princess Charlotte as the “mistress of the Dwarven King”, a sentiment shared by many Imperial citizens. Her meeting with the Grand King five years previously was quickly propagandised in pamphlets and satirical cartoons, discrediting her person and her claim to the throne.³⁸ 

 

Princess Charlotte faded into relative obscurity and did not pursue her claim any further, preferring to spend her time in Castle Woldzmir with her grandchildren—Lady Moliana had since married Lord Elimar Mondblume and had two children, Viorel and Sorina. Her peace would later be shattered in 412 E.S. when her youngest daughter, Lady Josephine, was executed by Anastasia I. Lady Josephine had journeyed to New Providence, cloaked, believing that none of the citizenry would recognise her. While in the city library, she was seen by an Imperial guardsman who had served in the Augustine Palace. He arrested her and brought her to the gaol, where she was interviewed by Anastasia I and Archchancellor Joseph d’Azor. Anastasia I brought Lady Josephine to the throne room and gave her the opportunity to publicly denounce her mother and sister in front of hundreds of onlookers but Lady Josephine, who had always been frail and sickly, displayed a rare bravery, stating “I reassert the will of the Church of the Canon and turn away from you, for you are Anathema, unfit to rule for the murder of the rightful heir, Prince Philip Aurelian. May GOD judge you, Anastasia, as he will judge me, and judge us all.” Anastasia I beheaded her.

 

Lady Josephine’s body was returned to Woldzmir. It is unclear and undocumented when Charlotte died, but some say that receiving her daughter’s body made her go mad with grief and pass away quietly in her sleep. Another theory is that Princess Charlotte died before learning of Lady Josephine’s death, supported by a letter written to her daughters in 413 E.S. To Josephine, she wrote, “You shall always be my Ruby of Providence… a sparkling, flawless jewel without fault. I pray you will come home to me soon, before I pass from this world, so that I might sing to you once more as I did when you lay sleeping in your cradle. My handmaid says you have ventured to Providence, so I only hope you will remain cautious.”³⁹ Lady Josephine was venerated for her martyrdom in 412 E.S.⁴⁰ and beatified in 419 E.S.⁴¹

 

 A portrait of Blessed Josephine Aleksandra Tuvyic, painted shortly after her mother became the Duchess of Adria.

 

35] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, The Proclamation to Faith, 1855, 408 E.S.

36] HIM Philip III, Holy Orenian Emperor, The Edict of Kositz, 1853, 406 E.S.

37] HG Ivan var Ruthern, Duke of Reutov, A Proclamation of Faith?, 408 E.S.

38] HL Justinian Nafis and HRH Adolphus of Sutica,  THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HOLY ORENIAN EMPIRE: Volume IX;  The Aster Empire, 452 E.S.

39] HIH Charlotte Augusta, Duchess of Adria, To Moth and Sparrow Dear, 412 E.S.

40] HH Tylos II, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, The Sixth Golden Bull of Jorenus, 412 E.S.

41] HH Tylos II, High Pontiff of the Holy Church of the Canon, The Eighth Golden Bull of Jorenus, 419 E.S.

 

⌯◃⟐▹⌯

X

 

Do you girls think, someday, the people of Oren will remember me with any lingering fondness?

 

Princess Charlotte wrote this in her final recorded letter. Hers was a life of tragedy and betrayal, elation and heartbreak. She rose to the highest heights of the Imperial court only to be cast down with a stroke of Lady Mary Casimira’s blade. Her story, with all its triumphs and failures, reveals a woman far more complex than the scandals surrounding her. Her final, poignantly vulnerable question speaks to her deep desire for acceptance and understanding from the Orenian people.

 

Despite the efforts of other authors to erase her from history, Princess Charlotte's impact on the Holy Orenian Empire was far-reaching. Even her political missteps, viewed through the lens of time, can be seen as attempts to bring peace to the Empire she called home. While the people of Oren may not have remembered her with the fondness she hoped for, Princess Charlotte's legacy is not defined by the propaganda of her enemies or the fickle memory of the masses, but by the indelible mark she left on the fabric of Oren's history, and the legacy of the generations of women who came after her. 

 

⌯──────────────────────◃⟐▹──────────────────────⌯

 

 

Her Ladyship, ERIKA KORTREVICH, 

Ward of the Lady Palatine

 

 

[MunaZaldrizoti 8037]

The Lady Palatine, Milena Anastasya, had awaited one of her warding trio to present their studies to her. Their task was to bring forth biographies, on the lives of women who had held power and had history with the Haeseni people. It seemed Lady Erika was the first, to lay what would someday become a series of volumes across her palatial desk.

 

"I did say no Orenians...," The princess would tut, but it seemed she was willing to make the exception upon reading the account itself. Though she chose to hide it from the girl, the stern woman was thoroughly impressed. The Koravian child had only further cemented herself as worthy of her time and offered wisdom, and thus the Palatine sought those further compositions with much enthusiasm.

[sarahbarah 7105]

The author’s mother read the biography with much fondness, a soft smile stretching across her face as her fingetips brushed the gilded pages. How proud Emma was.

[erictafoya 3276]

A father’s eyes filled with tears of joy as his youngest daughter continued to make him proud day by day.

[amyselia 2962]

Kasandra read the biography with a feather quill at her lip, engrossed in every word. She turned to her sister-in-law across the hall, shewed her the imbedded painting of Charlotte, and so spoke: "Oren seemed like an awful environment. I cannot imagine being surrounded by constant antagonism. . . But. . . doesn't it also seem just so exciting?" Her nose scrunched in the instance of a laugh, whirling about the room with thoughts of chaos.

 

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AMAZING writing as always toffee love your work big fan <3 what a ******* mess this timeline was.

 

[SimplySeo 6999]

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