Scenario:Maria Theresa - Dear Mother...
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Dear Mother...
When Maria Theresa was empress of the Loman Empire, the imperial council had locked her away in the underground prison for her refusal of all suggested suitors. They replace her with a woman who is her spitting image to wed the one man Theresa has strong feelings for. As she falls into despair, a maid who shares the same cell reaches out.
At the Loman Empire...
My name is Maria Theresa von Osterreich.
I am empress of the almighty Loma... Or rather I was.
Traditionally a male heir takes the reins, but things changed when my father, then emperor, passed away three years ago.
Without a male successor, it became my duty at the age of fourteen to lead the many nations under the empire's rule.
My mother had already passed away by the time I reached the age of discretion. And my father was too focused on teaching me the ways of a ruler to shower me with love.
I came into contact with arts and crafts, books, theater, and much more at a young age, fostering my keen eye as an appraiser.
"Always know the truth, and never become a fake," that's what my father would always say.
Unrest spreads across every nation in the empire at word of Loma's first empress.
But by employing the techniques instilled into Theresa by her father, she very quickly earns the trust of the people and solidifies her rule.
And thus Empress Maria Theresa comes to be known by all.
But whether she will truly live up to that role becomes a constant concern for the masses.
Theresa fails to see how precarious her position is—of the damage that a single costly mistake may do to her.
Count Eugene: You'll soon come of age, Lady Theresa. Should you not start thinking of a suitable partner soon?
Envoy: What a wonderful suggestion.
Maria Theresa: Partner?
Count Eugene: It has become clear in our discussion earlier with potential suitors that their reigning prince has fallen to sickness.
Count Eugene: But their second prince is very much—
Maria Theresa: No, Count Eugene.
Maria Theresa: I will choose my own partner in life. I wish to marry for love rather than politics. Just as Mother did...
It was love at first sight for Theresa's parents.
The image I have of my mother is one of perpetual happiness, perhaps from being wedded to such a wonderful, loving husband.
I've always admired my mother for seeking true love. And I wish the same for myself.
Little did I know that such a mindset would set in motion a catastrophic turn of events...
Marrying for love was nearly unheard of among the ruling class. The previous emperor's case was a very special one.
Aristocrat Youth: Out to play again? You can be such a tomboyish princess.
Young M. Theresa: You're pretty gutsy yourself. Do you have any idea what the guards would do if they spotted you?
Aristocrat Youth: So you say... But there's someone I absolutely must meet.
Young M. Theresa: Hm?
Aristocrat Youth: That look on your face... Did you think I meant you?
Young M. Theresa: I-I didn't even say anything...
Aristocrat Youth: Haha... Oh, you're so cute when you're embarrassed... I must say I'm really glad I got to see you again today.
Young M. Theresa: Ah...
Theresa comes to have feelings for the young man after a few chance meetings at the secret garden.
She would dream of him in her sleep and talk to the handmaidens all about him.
Though Theresa never learns the boy's name, the time they spend together provides solace for the often overworked empress.
But those days do not last.
Worried that outside nations may look down upon an empire ruled by a mere girl, a few confidants take action.
Although impressed with Theresa's command of political matters, they grow restless with her incessant refusal to engage in marriage talks.
The confidants prepare a girl who is the spitting image of Theresa to take her place as empress. Theresa is confined in the underground prison.
Maria Theresa: ...
They trampled my pride and dignity as empress... Deprived me of my life up until that point... And stole away my love from me...
Trapped in that cell, I was consumed with hate.
I vowed to take revenge on those traitors someday. It became my sole purpose in life.
And then the fated day arrives. The girl who had taken over Theresa's place as empress is to be wed.
From the cracks in the stone wall, Theresa catches glimpses of the extravagant wedding ceremony—glimpses of a shocking reality.
Aristocrat Youth: ...
Maria Theresa: Huh...
The distant silhouette seems all too familiar.
False Empress: ...
Aristocrat Youth: ...
The young man she had kept in her thoughts each and every day—in every waking moment and even in her dreams—now stands beside the impostor.
Maria Theresa: No...
The partner for this political marriage happens to be the very youth that Theresa had such a strong affection for.
Maria Theresa: No... No...
Alas... It is already too late.
Maria Theresa: Noooo!
This should be the happiest moment in her life. But her sweetheart, the support of her people, her country, and her status... are no more.
Theresa is struck with the reality that her very self—everything she had ever been—was essentially taken from right under her.
Maria Theresa: Aaaagh!
The rigid stone walls that isolate her from the rest of the world close off the future that should be hers.
Revenge is but an impossible dream... Is it her destiny to live out the rest of her days and die within these cold, harsh chambers?
Amid the utter rage and anguish that consume Theresa in her hopeless despair...
A hand reaches out.
Servant: Lady Theresa...
A maid, locked up in the same cell, gently embraces Theresa as if to console her.