During the reflective discussion at the heart of the maze, Father Franz advises Archduchess Marianne to trust her intuition and follow the inner logic of events. A distinct pattern of roughly ten-year leaps back in time is beginning to emerge in her investigation — a pattern that, originating from my own research, also forms the underlying structure of the narrative.
As readers already know, the inquiry began with the death of Princess Schwarzenberg in 1741, then moved to that of the Prince in 1732. Now, as Marianne becomes entangled in the mystery of the princely couple’s sudden reconciliation around 1721–1722, Father Franz poses a crucial question: what had caused their earlier estrangement and separation in 1711?
Without revealing too much, I may hint that the focus of the investigation will soon shift once again — this time to the circumstances surrounding their marriage in 1700. And who knows — perhaps there lie the roots and explanations of all that followed.
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