Barbara Blomberg — Volume 09

Barbara makes her home in a modest Brussels quarter, sharing a cozy house with her husband and their two sons. The city unfolds around her in two halves: bustling canals and markets below, and the grand hill crowned by the imperial palace, noble mansions, and the towering cathedral. Though she once imagined a life among the aristocracy, reality places her among the industrious citizens, yet the allure of the upper city never truly fades.

A quiet summer house in the palace park draws her back to the hill, where she is allowed brief, secret meetings with a remarkable child she believes to be her own. These encounters are tightly controlled—only once a month and never with gifts—reflecting the Emperor’s stern decree. As her husband serves as a mustering officer, often away, Barbara finds herself torn between the comforts of domestic routine and the yearning for a hidden, almost otherworldly connection that promises both joy and danger.