Upon his arrival on 7 December, the Emperor found the military conditions to be much worse than previous reports had led him to expect.

The Emperor could find nothing wrong with being forty.

"As it happens, we do have a proposal, if the Emperor does not find it insulting."

The Emperor therefore found himself cut off from Germany.

The Emperor, watching, backing up quickly now, fumbles in the cloth purse, finds a heavy key, knows it.

"Where else would the Emperor have found a House to provide the disguising uniforms to hide his hand in this matter?"

One by one, the men who had come when they followed the Emperor found an excuse to fade away.

Sure enough, the Emperor was finding ways to put him in his place.

Why, when the Emperor found what she was up to, he was furious.

And even an Emperor found himself fighting for his life, hand to hand.