Borromesi's Castle, municipality of Rocca Bassa (province of Sasseri), Sarregna, IstaliaThe activity was frenetic in the rooms of the Noble Villa and also on the external terraces the workers were installing various Christmas lights and decorations.
The sun was setting and the Belvedere loggia shone on top of the headland as the light displays were tested and staff rehearsed for Christmas dinner. Although there were still two weeks before Christmas, the guests would have been numerous and everything had to be perfect, even the alignment of the cutlery and glasses on the table.
In the private apartments on the upper floors of the Villa, however, the attention of the Emperor and his wife were all directed to Prince Adriano, who was urgently summoned and sent back from Davostan. With them in the Selucian canrillaise-style drawing room stood two men, both in their fifties, one skinny and brown-haired, the Emperor's Private Secretary, and one short and plump with gray hair, the National Security Advisor of the Emperor.
The eyes were tense, the faces of the two officials rather heavy, and everyone was looking at Prince Adriano who was nervously pacing up and down in front of the fireplace muttering.
"I should have expected an interrogation when you summoned me urgently" snapped the Prince to his brother sitting in a bulky armchair next to the sofa where the Empress was sitting instead.
"What did you expect Adri? For eight months now you have definitely settled in Davostan, from where you have practically no longer given your news and now we find news about a wedding in all the newspapers!"
"The newspapers say lots of things"
"I don't need newspapers luckily"
"sure, our diligent secret services" he exclaimed sarcastically "how many have you put on my heels? Maybe you also have informers within my staff..."
"You know who you are and privacy is a luxury for you, you know! And I tell you right away that what I learned made many people'hair in Romula stand on end! Tomorrow I will come back to see the Prime Minister"
Prince Adriano said nothing, he turned to the fire, leaning against the marble frame of the fireplace.
"at first I thought it was just an adventure, the thrill to do it with that one there, and ok; then I swallowed this relations between you two, and I also defended you then, protecting your privacy first of all, and the Household did everything to calm the waters, we had assured that it was just
'a few lines and two good photos for the newspapers', but now this... Adri! A wedding?"
"yes, a wedding!" he turned and snapped "we want to get married! Like any man and woman who love each other!"
"I'm not questioning your feelings, but I'm also sure you knew very well what that woman and her surname mean, and not just for Davostan!"
Again Prince Adriano did not answer, swallowed the frustration and frowned down.
"Adri, Adri... we risk being overwhelmed by a hurricane! And I'm not worried about the present, but about the future: we're talking about Davostan! Her brother had already practically become almost a new dictator, and was also killed for this, and she is continuing his work! They questioned the whole process of democratization, de-stratocratization, and de-kivonization of the country. Now she is Head of State for life, what will happen in the future? We know from who she descent, we know what she and her family represent. Davostan's hopes of leaving behind centuries, not a few decades, but centuries of Kivonian fanaticism, of Kivonian militarism, were already hanging by a thread now? What will happen? What will she do? "
"she will do the best for her country!" Adriano answered looking up "she wants to help consolidate the new state, to ensure prosperity and well-being for all the citizens of Davostan-Kivonia and I assure you that the people of Davostan-Kivonia also want it"
"yes, now she has many supporters, but will it always be like this? And what if one day they won't be so happy anymore?"
"we are discussing hypotheses, about eventualities that we cannot say they will happen for sure, and we will never know if we do not even give her a chance"
"The premises are not encouraging, her family and those from which she descends have produced a series of characters worthy of the most tragic Trigunian novels, as hungry for power as ready to do anything to have it! And she and her brother have already shown not to be so different! "
"She and her brother fought against Kivonian fanatics to defend the Union and the Constitution! And then you are indicting her and I would add you are discriminating her first of all on the basis of the sins of her fathers, it seems you are the first to fail at the highest principles on which our Empire stands!"
"The risk is enormous Adri! If something goes wrong, we, the Crown, will become the traitors of those principles, condemned by the whole nation, and not only: in the eyes of the world she is yet another Kivonian dictator! The dishonor would fall on the whole Family!"
"Can I suggest you to consider it instead as a possibility? Imagine a more stable Davostan, something more similar to our nation, a stable, growing, peaceful Davostan, with a Duchess devoted to her people and to the constitution"
"it would be a good movie Adri"
"But Viktoria it is not against it! Do you think I'm just a little dog at her feet?"
The Emperor frowned, stood silently looking at his brother.
"We don't spend our time just... having fun! We talk a lot, and I would see a bright future for her, I always tell her. She could absolve her family's errors, I always tell her"
The Emperor continued to look at him for a few more seconds before speaking:
"Adri, she has a strong personality, really... I find it hard to believe that he is listening to you, or that he hangs so much on your words"
"But she didn't disagree with me when I told her that what her ancestors did eventually backfired on them, and she couldn't deny the fact that none of the regimes her ancestors established lasted long enough before succumbing to intrigues and violence! I try to make her understand that there are other paths and other possibilities, I try to make her look at us and our family"
"What? What do we have to share with those Kivonians?"
"We have been on the throne for over two hundred years, with a few decades it will be three hundred years; a long-lived, stable and prosperous family"
"I wonder if she is interested in all this, because we all know well that we have not achieved all this with violence, intrigue or the iron fist"
"I'm sure she will understand it, and when she will have children she will understand even better, but... they will certainly not be just her children"
The Emperor stood silently still watching his brother.
"They will be children of Kivonia, Davostan but... even a little bit of Istalia, they will be my children and I am determined to pass on my values and principles to them"
"you are ambitious"
"the name Appiano Borromei could reign over another realm! Istalia could have a new strong ally in the north, to be protected, to be taken by the hand and amicably guided on the right path"
"We should wear reinforced gloves, Kivonians have claws like bears!" exclaimed the Emperor with a chuckle before becoming serious "I don't know Adri, it would be... yes... a possibility, but... does this ambition of yours run the risk of clashing with her or her staff and her government?"
"She will do it!"
"are you sure?"
"I would never stay close to... a tyrant! Never! I love her, it's true, and I also fell in love with her integrity!"
"well... it was really very democratic to appoint herself as head of state for life Adri!" the Emperor said sarcastically.
"I know that she will continue to defend the Union Constitution and the rights of her citizens! I know Tommi!"
The Emperor continued to look at his brother for a few seconds, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded in front of his mouth, then glanced at the two officials standing at the other end of the drawing room's carpet.
"Adri..." he stood up and approached his brother placing a hand on his shoulder "you should give us at least some time to talk about it, and we'll talk a lot about it..."
"okay... how much? Months I guess"
"I don't know Adri, I can't assure you nothing"
"Tommi... in your opinion, what would dad say?"
"Daddy? Dad was an irrecoverable romantic..." the Emperor chuckled before falling silent, as if to reflect how an idea had suddenly caught him, then exclaimed:
"why don't you bring her here?"
The two officials' face jumped back and the Empress also showed a rather surprised expression.
"yes, I'll talk to the Prime Minister, I'll propose him to consider it as... a way to relax relations with Davostan, we'll leverage on the fact that she and her brother fought fanatical extremists of the old stratocratic order, and meanwhile you and her will show to be two lovebirds, with the dignity due to your positions, but ... let's try to paint it as pink as possible. In the meantime, let's ingratiate ourselves with the hearts of public opinion"
"donc c'est fait!" exclaimed the Empress "will they be able to organize a state wedding in Davostan? It will be better to send some help from the Household! And it will be better that I call my brother, we will have to prepare him for the surprise"
Prince Adriano was simply left speechless, much like the two officials behind them, who surely couldn't wait to unload all their avalanche of objections to the Emperor.
"Shall I light a candle in the church to ingratiate myself with some saint?" the Emperor exclaimed ironically "but let's wait a little longer before any announcement, okay Adri?"
"yes, yes... okay"
"but the Kivonians will have to accept a
'larger staff' for your entourage" added the Emperor calmly "I know you will not like it but we cannot be caught unprepared under any circumstances. And your beloved Viktoria I am sure will fully understand our concerns"
"and when would you like her to come here?"
"certainly before any official announcement, we could... we could do it at the end of February or... beginning of March, now let's try to have a quiet Christmas. Rather... will you be one of us?"
"I don't think Tommi, I promised Viktoria I'd be with her"
"Will you come and say hello to mom before leaving?"
"yes sure, another lecture will be waiting for me also from her..."
"It would break her heart to see you excluded from the family Adri, she does everything to make things go for the best. I don't want to see you come back here destroyed by grief and much less I would like to have to sever any relationship with you, because if Davostan and Kivonia will not find peace everybody
'will ask me for your head', and for the Family first of all comes the Crown Adri, and it will always be so!
"I know" the Prince replied seriously, looking his brother in the eye.
"well, now... come on, let's go to dinner. Gentlemen" the Emperor turned to the two officials "you heard what you needed to hear, I'll see you after dinner, at 11 o'clock, if you don't mind"
The two did not object and after making a bow they walked towards a side door while the Emperor with his wife and brother exited the main door towards the dining room.