Riled (The Invincibles 4)

“What I am about to tell you is a closely guarded secret, until today.” He cleared his throat. “As direct descendants of Emperor Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, the last King of Hungary, the last King of Bohemia, and the last monarch belonging to the House of Habsburg before the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, we are bound by what is known as the Habsburg Family Statute.”

His words validated my suspicion about Konstantine’s motive. I didn’t know how yet, but felt confident that by the end of his explanation, I would.

Karl von Habsburg went on to say that the edict, put in place in 1839, decreed that in order to “ensure the Habsburg dignity and serenity for now and forever,” family members were only permitted to marry members of dynasties which had, at some point in history, reigned a sovereign nation. Furthermore, direct male descendants had to marry no later than the age of thirty.

The penalty of not doing both, was disinheritance and banishment from the family.

“The list of eligible families, as you can imagine, grows smaller with each generation. Slimmer still is the list of unmarried women of age from those families. In fact, there is only one—Francesca Alexandra Kensington Whitby.”

And there it was. Every puzzle piece immediately fell into place. There were two heirs, both about to turn thirty, and only one woman to save either of them from banishment and disinheritance.

“Where is Konstantine now?” The Queen asked the very question on the tip of my tongue.

This was harder for the man; I could feel his tension and his sorrow.

“As you may have surmised, my son was, in fact, behind the attack on his cousin, believing that if Otto died, it would clear the way for him to be Miss Whitby’s only suitor.” Von Habsburg turned to me. “When you intervened in Budapest, my son believed you were kidnappers acting on behalf of his cousin.”

He sat down, gripping the arms of the chair. “My son, as you also may have surmised, has suffered a mental breakdown. He has been institutionalized.”

The Queen turned toward me and nodded.

“When was he committed?” I asked.

He took a deep

breath. “After the attack on Otto, he was taken to an institution that did not have the same level of security as where he is now.”

“You’re saying he left the first facility and that is when he attempted to gain access to Miss Whitby while she was a guest in my home?” My uncle, like the Queen had earlier, asked the same question I had been about to ask.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

King Ferdinand, again like the Queen, turned to me and nodded.

“Where is your son presently?”

“Broadmoor Hospital.”

I knew of it. It was a high-security psychiatric facility in Berkshire, England.

“In maximum security?”

He didn’t immediately respond, filling me with dread.

“The family has made that request.”

“And it has been denied?”

Von Habsburg nodded. “They disagree that it is necessary.”

I wouldn’t ask now, but the moment I was free to, I would find out exactly how to make it happen.

“How is Otto?” asked my mother when there was a lull in the conversation.

“He is quite well, actually. Thank you.”

“What will become of the House of Habsburg if neither he nor Konstantine marry?” I asked.

“My brother and I are currently writing a stipulation into the statute. We are the only people with the authority to do so.” Von Habsburg hung his head. “It is something we should’ve done years ago.”