At a fancy costume ball, Prince Rudolf pours out his woes to his mother, Empress Sissi of Austria:

“Vienna. Hofburg, Imperial Palace. October 1888.”

“It is good to see you again, my son.”

“Likewise, mother.”

“Unfortunately, I see that London has not helped your mood. In fact, it may have gotten worse since you left.”

“That's how it is. I don't think anything will ever improve it again.”

“A crown prince doesn't talk like that! We all have our unhappiness. Do you think my life has always been pleasant? And yet here I am. We are not like ordinary people. We have duties and roles to honor, and we must do so at all costs. I understood this late, but still in time. Listen to your mother, Rudolf. Take what makes you happy and hold on to it. The rest is just side dishes to put up with.”

“Nothing makes me happy.”

“Don't give me this pain. Please, it's only been two years since we lost your brother.”

“Ludwig... I should have done as he did! He lived alone in Neuschwanstein in a fairy-tale world…”

“…which drove him mad! And you, in Mayerling, are following in his footsteps! You must get out of it while there is still time! Talk to your wife.”

“As if it were that easy.”

This scene gives Sforza an opportunity to show off his skills with a crowd. Page 34 is unusual for its large panels, while page 35 is atypical for its lack of backgrounds as it focuses on the heart-to-heart between mother and son. I must say that Sissi's "carpe diem" advice may not have been what her scoundrel son most needed to hear, since his pursuit of pleasure is precisely what got him into trouble. But she herself was a depressed, anorexic drug addict by this point, so probably not the best counselor one could seek.

Sissi here calls Ludwig II "brother" to her son Rudolf. They were actually double second cousins; the European royalty were notoriously inbred. Maximilian I Joseph (1756-1825) had several children, including full sisters Ludovika and Sophie (born from Caroline) and their half-brother Ludwig I (born from Augusta). Sophie's son Franz Joseph I married his cousin Elisabeth "Sissi," daughter of Ludovika. Crown Prince Rudolf was their son and thus the great-grandson of Maximilian I Joseph on both his mother's and father's side. Ludwig I's grandson was Ludwig II "The Swan King," the double second cousin of Rudolf since his grandfather (Ludwig I) was the half-brother of both of Rudolf's grandmothers (the sisters Ludovika and Sophie). Got it?

Ludwig II was considered mad because he blew his fortune on fantasy art. He ran up huge bills with artists, couldn’t pay, and was ultimately declared unfit for the throne and deposed. He was taken to a sanitarium and soon afterward died swimming in its lake. A cautionary tale, art collectors!

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