400 leagues away from the Capital—
As night encroached, an eerie siren began to blare in the city of Sirap. A warning.
“Warnung, warnung!” An announcement played over loudspeakers atop every litfasssäule1Advertising column on the streets. “Ein Ausnahmezustand2Ausnahmezustand means a state of emergency in German (Note: Although Alsace-Lotharingia now belongs to the Empire, many of its inhabitants originated from the Königreich and can speak the Königreich language to some extent.) wurde ausgerufen, um die öffentliche Sicherheit und Ordnung in Màrkìrisch, Kolmer, Sirap und Schirmeck. Bitte kehren Sie sofort nach Hause zurück. Warnung, warnung! Ein Ausnahmezustand...”
The young Fräulein3German formal address for an unmarried woman. turned away from the windows. “Things haven’t been looking too good in this city ever since the announcement of Her Highness’ visit, have they?”
Her question was met by silence.
Letting out a tired sigh, she narrowed her eyes at the solemn man relaxing in a high-backed leather armchair in the study. “You really shouldn’t stay here, Benedict. Please.”
He looked up, brows moving ever so slightly, before chuckling at the Fräulein’s suggestion. “And for what reason, may I ask?”
“Have you not witnessed the increasing unrest out there?” she shot back, gesturing at the street outside the windows angrily. “Mensch, sei vernünftig!4Please, be reasonable! At the very least, let Elfriede come with me to Hacerne. She’ll be much safer there for the time being.”
The faint hiss of the gas lamp on the table filled the tense silence.
“You should already know, Fräulein, it is not up to me to decide that.” He calmly stirred his coffee and sipped at it slowly. “If you have nothing else to discuss, you may take your leave now. The curfew has already begun.”
She muttered something rude under her breath, then turned around and walked briskly out of the study.
Unfazed, he continued stirring his coffee until he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing shut. “...Elfriede, is something the matter?”
A little girl appeared from behind the half-open study door, her white hair tied in a braid over her shoulder. “Papa, a letter addressed to you arrived a few minutes ago. Do I put it on the table?”
His teaspoon made a sharp clinking sound as it fell against his cup of coffee. Observing his daughter through the cloud of steam rising up from the cup, he paused and nodded his head slowly. “Is the sender’s name written on it?”
“Ja, it is sent by Herr Xavier.” She carefully placed the letter on his table and asked curiously, “does Papa know him?”
“Xavier...” There was an enigmatic look in his eyes as the familiar name left his lips in a whisper. “Sorry, Elfriede, can you leave Papa alone for now? I have some business to attend to in private.”
She hesitated, averting her gaze to the floor, and met his eyes again with a sweet smile. “Mach ich5I will, Papa. I won’t disturb you then.”
After the door to the study closed shut, he let out a small sigh and slit the wax seal on the envelope with a knife. Unfolding the cream paper, he began to read the letter by the thin flame of the gas lamp.
“Hmm, Baroness...Princess Anastasia...the Crown Jewels...” Benedict smiled wryly. “What the hell have you been up to, you rascal?”
