Leontine von Apafi

Ava, under the false identity , is a character on The Empress. She is portrayed by Almila Bagriacik.

Biography
Ava is a commoner with a disdain for the royal family. She and Egon are determined to hurt the royal family. When the royal wedding of Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth is announced, they see it as the perfect opportunity to put their plans into action.

In the woods, Ava stops a carriage, pretending to ask for help. The actual Countess Leontine von Apafi, who is inside, is killed by Egon. Ava puts on her clothes and steals Leontine's travel documents.

Ava gets a job as a Court Mistress at Schönbrunn Palace under the false identity of Countess Leontine von Apafi. She and the other Court Mistresses are put in charge of preparing for the royal wedding.

Throughout The Empress
While working, a man told her the news about Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth's wedding and said that it is the chance they've waited for. They smiled, as they said "For the People."

In the palace, Leontine is seen in a line of handmaidens, listening to the instructions of Countess Esterházy regarding preparation for the royal wedding. Leontine tapped the floor with her shoes.

When Countess Esterházy introduced Leontine to Elisabeth, Leontine was described as being from Transylvania, able to speak excellent French and outstanding at reading aloud. Upon hearing this, Elisabeth became excited, asking Leontine if she knew Werther.

During the day, Leontine and the other Court Mistresses followed Elisabeth around. The Court Mistress discuss how there are 10 of them, but only 6 are needed, so some of them will eventually be cut off. Leontine snuck off into the bushes and met with Egon, a commoner who she had a romantic relationship with. She asked him to bring her shoes.

Esterházy brought Elisabeth to a room, where she was forced to have a chastity test by Dr. Fritsch, with the assistance of Leontine and Countess Amalia von Salm-Reifferscheidt. During the chastity test, Elisabeth was visibly uncomfortable and kicked the doctor. She refused to be tested and said that she was chaste, but Esterházy was insistent that the doctor must confirm Elisabeth's chastity. When the doctor questioned Elisbeth's chastity, Leontine spoke for Elisabeth and held her hand. Afterwards, Archbishop Rauscher gave Elisabeth his blessing.

Leontine chatted with Elisabeth and helped clean her teeth. While Elisabeth and the other Court Mistresses were enjoying Archduke Maximilian's soirée, another Court Mistress gave Leontine an object hidden in a basket and asked her to hide it. Leontine said "For the People."

At the hunting trip in Auhof, Elisabeth wanted to hunt with the men, but was not allowed to. Instead, she took a walk with the Court Mistresses, and they met Franz's father, Archduke Franz Karl. He claimed to know Leontine's family. However, when asked to speak French, like Leontine was known to be able to do, she could not. The other Court Mistresses, especially Amalia, began to suspect Leontine.

When Leontine returned to the palace, she secretly met Egon, her co-conspirator. He was angry that Leontine did not tell them about the hunt because it would have been the perfect time to infiltrate the palace. He suspected that her loyalties had changed. After spending so much time with Elisabeth, Leontine believed that the royals were not that bad. She told Egon that their plan was a mistake. Egon would not accept her words and asked Leontine to quickly decide on which side she was on.

Amalia snuck into Leontine's room and stole a letter that "Leontine" had written to her parents. Amalia also discovered some bloodied clothes in her wardrobe. Leontine returned to her room and was about to enter, when she was stopped by Baron Alexander von Bach. He had been mesmerised by Leontine and nervously asked her out on a date to look at paintings. Leontine agreed, and in the corner of her eye, saw Amalia leaving her room.

Leontine warned Elsa, one of the conspirators in the palace, to call off the plan as Amalia knew her identity. However, Elsa said they would go through with it regardless. Just as Leontine was packing her bags, ready to run off, Elisabeth went into her room, looking for company. Elisabeth and Leontine talked and Leontine told Elisabeth that she appreciated her kindness towards Hedi, the little girl at the foundry. Elisabeth said she wished Franz was not an emperor.

While Elisabeth packed her bags, she gifted the necklace that she received from Sophie to Leontine.

At night, Egon snuck into the palace and dug a knife out of the ground, ready to assassinate Franz, but Leontine had ratted him out. Police officers caught him and presumably, shot him dead. Leontine was devastated by the loss of her lover. Elsa, another conspirator in the palace learned of this betrayal and warned Leontine that she would never make it back to Vienna, and threatened that they would kill her.

Charlotte came into the room and told her that Amalia had been sharing photos of the Apafi family. Leontine chased down Amalia and after an argument, pushed Amalia down over the railings of the second floor to the ground, in an attempt to kill her. Charlotte witnessed this.

Physical appearance
Leontine has dark hair.

Appearances

 * Season One


 * One's Place in the World
 * The Arrival
 * The Wedding
 * The Hunt
 * The Shoes
 * The God Who Us Has Freedom Sent

Trivia

 * According to Countess Esterházy, Leontine speaks excellent French and is outstanding at reading aloud.

Quotes
"For the People."

- Repeated by Leontine several times

"She's scum. Like they all are."

- Leontine talks to Egon about Elisabeth

"Where I'm from, people burn those straw dolls as symbols of mortality. So God may protect them."

- Leontine talks to Elisabeth