sovbooks 003. I was always romantic in St. Petersburg.
003. I was always romantic in St. Petersburg.
They finally arrived at the rest stop, where the caravan switched to faster sleds.
As the guards carried the luggage, Sergei was surprised to see that Sofia's luggage consisted of only a small box.
"Your luggage is completely different from your mother's."
Sofia joked about herself: "Right? It looks just like the little suitcase a local girl would carry when she married into a neighboring village."
After switching to sleds, the convoy sped up considerably.
As they approached Riga, the convoy stopped, and Sergei invited Sofia to witness a once-in-a-century comet spectacle.
Johanna refused without hesitation, but Sophia, disregarding her mother's objections, curiously peeked out from the side.
"comet?"
A colossal comet, burning fiercely, streaked across the dark night sky.
The caravan continued its journey, and the German princess remained in awe: "I have never seen such a magnificent sight; it looks so close to the earth!"
"What's so interesting about it?" the mother said disappointedly.
In Riga, the procession welcoming the German princess was very solemn, with high-ranking officials including the Minister of the Interior, the ambassador to London, and the deputy governor of Riga, among others.
Not wanting her daughter to steal the spotlight, Johanna ordered Sofia to stay in the carriage.
Sergei noticed Sofia's boredom; she waved to him through the glass, and he smiled and got into the car.
"Brummer has asked the vice governor to deliver a letter to the princess, which is with your mother."
Otto Brummer was the Grand Marshal of Holstein. Because Peter became the heir to the Russian throne, he also went to the Russian court to take up a high position.
It was a letter sent on behalf of Queen Elizabeth that prompted Sofia to embark on her journey to Russia.
Seeing Sofia's curiosity about the contents of the letter, Sergei guessed, "It's probably a reminder to be mindful of the hand-kissing gesture when you meet the Queen."
In addition, he also taught Sophia some other court etiquette, which she wrote down in great detail.
"Princess, I really envy your memory."
"I also wish I had your eloquence, Duke." Sophia smiled sweetly, like a budding flower.
Soon, Johanna returned, receiving greetings and compliments from the high-ranking officials, and her face was full of satisfaction.
"Duke, you said we could transfer to a more luxurious royal sleigh here?" Johanna greeted him.
"Yes." Sergei nodded.
"That's wonderful!"
After Sergei got out of the car, Sofia teased her mother, "It's rare that your hostility towards the Duke has subsided so much."
Johanna recalled that when she got off the train, Sergei had come over to tell her that she could talk to the high-ranking officials on her own without him disturbing her.
"He's a sensible person."
"Mother, what did the letter say?" Sophia was still concerned about the contents of the letter.
"How did you know about the letter? The Duke tells you everything." Johanna angrily took out the letter.
Sofia smiled smugly and proudly.
"Let us never forget to kiss the Queen's hand when we meet her. It was that damned Brummer who wrote it. You can see for yourself." Johanna threw the letter at her daughter.
She disliked Brummer, who had insisted that they travel under pseudonyms and travel light, which is why they set off in such a meager carriage, without even a chamber pot!
In reality, as Elizabeth had requested, Blumer enclosed a draft for 10,000 rubles issued by a bank in Berlin to cover their expenses for the trip.
But Johanna used them all to fill out her wardrobe.
Sophia looked at the letter, overjoyed: "The Duke guessed right!"
Johanna scoffed, "He's probably already seen the letter!"
As the convoy entered the city, gun salutes were fired in celebration of the arrival of the German princess. No longer needing to conceal her identity, Sofia transformed into the princess of Anhart-Zebst.
"Why wasn't a royal sleigh arranged?" Upon learning this, Sergei immediately went to find the deputy governor of Riga.
Clearly, this was the work of a court minister who opposed the German princess and had been recommending other candidates to Elizabeth.
"The city hall only received instructions to hold a welcoming ceremony."
"But the royal sleigh has always been included in the welcoming ceremony." Sergei did not accept this argument.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," the deputy governor of Riga shrugged.
"Who gave the order, the Prime Minister or the Counselor?"
The deputy governor of Riga remained silent.
"Your Excellency, you must understand that Her Majesty the Queen will not blame the person behind you, but you cannot avoid it," Sergei gently reminded him.
The deputy governor of Riga looked troubled: "Duke, you know I dare not offend either side. Sometimes Her Majesty the Queen's wrath is better than the endless harassment from the ministers. If you can help me out of this predicament, I will be very grateful to you."
After a moment's thought, Sergei slowly said, "If the princess does not ride the royal sleigh, Her Majesty the Queen will feel that her authority has been questioned by adults."
The deputy governor of Riga nodded.
"But if we arrange a royal sleigh for the princess, the master will be harassed by the one behind him."
The deputy governor of Riga nodded repeatedly.
"At this time, if someone could stand up for the Governor and hire the royal sleigh out of their own pocket, Her Majesty the Queen would not know the truth, and you, sir, would not be harassed. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
The deputy governor of Riga, now fully aware of Sergei's meaning, quickly pleaded, "Your Highness, you must help me! Riga and I will forever remember your kindness!"
Sergei looked troubled. "I really hope I can help you, sir, but you don't know this, I've always been a womanizer in St. Petersburg, and this purse..."
The Deputy Governor of Riga, fully aware of the situation, patted his arm and smiled, "As long as His Highness the Duke is willing to step forward, there's no need to worry about any expenses. Furthermore, on behalf of Riga, I will offer even greater thanks!"
When the convoy left Riga, they not only switched to royal sleds, but Sergei also carried a heavy bag of rubles.
A "sleigh" is a small carriage pulled by horses on a sled, while a royal sleigh is a small wooden cabin pulled by ten horses, with scarlet curtains adorned with tassels woven from gold and silver threads, and a room spacious enough for one to stretch out on a bed covered with feather mattresses and silk cushions.
The luxurious decorations left Sofia in awe.
"We should be able to reach St. Petersburg by February 3rd," Sergei estimated the journey.
Johanna rolled her eyes: "Duke, today is already February 9th. Luckily you just got the date wrong. If you had gotten the route wrong, we would have frozen to death in Russia."
Sofia shrugged: "Mother, Russia uses the Roman Julian calendar, which goes back 11 days, so today is January 29th."
Sergei smiled silently at Johanna, whose smile froze, but he had underestimated her shamelessness.
"Then my date wasn't wrong either; I'm German, not Russian!"
Sergei didn't mock her. As he left the room, he walked past Sofia, winked at her, and she gave him a sly smile of triumph.
This little trap I designed for my mother, she really likes it!