Josephine

𝓔𝓹𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓭𝓮 54: 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓷 𝓘𝓼 𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓭

July 11, 1976

Dear Journal,

How to describe what I had just seen. I had never seen an American crowd become such... savages. Italy is in revolution, they refused to allow Vittorio back into Italy. This was before he even left American soil. His family is now fighting each other in an armed war for whoever may succeed him. Mario in Piedmont, Alessia in Sicily, Piero in Tuscany, Niccolo in Naples, and Giovanni in Milan and Sardinia, who has the greatest claim to the throne.

I've heard that the war is already savage. 

But onto the bigger issue. Vittorio was going to leave the country and go into exile in France, the only country still supporting his throne. Then it became public of his overthrow and the people clearly became aware they could do what they liked to him. On live television, several soldiers stopped the car he was traveling in and grabbed him. They pulled Vittorio out onto the streets where the violent crowd screamed and swore at him. The soldiers threw my ex-husband to the mad crowd who carried him forward while stones pelted him. They dragged a screaming Vittorio up a construction crane... where they proceeded to hang him.

I feel sick. As I said, I never knew Americans could be so... savage. I hate that man and I know I wished he was dead... but I hadn't actually expected the people to act on it. I guess they really do care for me, unlike the court. Today I am seeing the two soldiers who initiated the act. I just cannot comprehend what would provoke them to turn a blind eye to their orders!

More soon,

I closed my journal and laid to rest on the nightstand in one of the palace guestrooms. After the events of the Fourth and the subsequent trial, I couldn't bring myself to sleep in my own bed, knowing dozens of young girls had been assaulted and abused there. It just wasn't moral. I stood up, straightened my dress out, and left my temporary lodging. The edges of my dress swished around my ankles while my heels clicked against the marble floors.

"Your majesty!" Someone called out in front of me.

"Yes?"

An aide came into view, he stood atop the stairwell heading towards the main floor.

"Your majesty, the two guards have arrived,"

"Keep them away until I have reached the throne,"

"Of course your majesty,"

The aide rushed down the stairs, myself in suit.

"What are you going to do to them, your majesty?"

"That is nothing you should be concerned about,"

"Of course your majesty,"

We rounded a corner upon reaching the landing which led to another staircase which when I reached the bottom of that staircase I had arrived at the throne room.

The throne room hadn't changed much in the past eleven years. The Imperial throne was still just as bold and glimmery as before, except now it was inhabited by myself and not my wicked mother. The throne to its left was meant to be inhabited by the sovereign's spouse. Vittorio never sat there so it was always empty. Then to the left of that throne was where I was once sitting as princess and heir to the throne. Then of course was the little one, made for Johnny. I felt a pang in my heart every time I saw them. I could vividly see my baby brother's terrified face as that man jumped in the car and revealed his body, covered in dynamite. The way he latched onto me, sobbing softly. The words he muttered, barely above a whisper-

"I don't wanna die, Josey, I don't wanna die, please don't let me die,"

It pains me to think that he didn't make it out of there. Even then, if he did I'd still be in a similar situation as I am now, as his regent. He would only be thirteen after all, not nearly old enough to reign on his own. As his older sister, I would be tasked with running his regency until he was fifteen. That's how it had been with my grandmother, who had ascended following her father's death of tuberculosis at the tender age of six. But she remained in a ceremonial position until she was fifteen. I was fifteen when I ascended, so I didn't need a regent, though sometimes I wished I had had one. Maybe things would have gone smoother, maybe cooler heads would have prevailed... maybe Rome wouldn't have fallen...