Three years have passed since the events of the Imperial Coup in Rheinland and the proclamation of the Empire of Rheinland. Peace has come to the citizen of Planet Stuttgart and their home is heavily secured by the Battleships Westfalen and the KKS-Kaiserstolz, the flagship of Großadmiral Karl-Heinz von Thielau, Stuttgart's governor.
It is one of these days, Karl-Heinz can relax. The civil war has ended and his family must not fear a putsch of the Federalists right now.
Karl-Heinz walks down the garden of his Estate. Everything is quiet and the Grandadmiral can forget his duties for some minutes. He begins to smile.
As he keeps on walking, he hears men with heavy boots approaching him. Karl-Heinz sighs. *One Day. One day without this f****** daily business. Is that too much?* he asked himself. He turned around. "Die Herren. What can I do for you?" The Soldiers saluted to their leader. Großadmiral, your granddaughter asks for you, Sir."Which one?"Miss Kara, the Police Inspekteurin "Ah, Kara. Alright I will go and listen what she has to say. Danke, Leutnant."
Karl-Heinz leaves the Garden and heads to the Estate. Walking down the long hall with the marble floor, he can hear his boots through the whole house.
He stops in front of his granddaughter's rooms and knocks. "Kara, are you there? Kara! The Leutnant said you asked for me!" She opens the door and looks at her Grandfather tiredly. "Ja, yesterday, Opa! It is just 7am! We're all sleeping! Why aren't you sleeping anyway?" He grumbled. " Watch your mouth young lady I am your Grandfather! I can be up all night and youldn't have to tell any of you why I am! Does not matter now. Now, as you are up, what can I do for you?"
"Argh. Nevermind. Alright, Karlchen, you probably remember the Prince... Prince Christian... The one who came with us to our Estate three years ago to secure him here against Federal Agents, right?"
The Großadmiral nods. "Ja, I indeed recall him, since he still lives here on my Land. What is with him?"
Kara looked down to the floor and her face blushed. "N.n.nothing... I think I just like him. I have seen him more often since the proclamation of the Empire. Would you... arrange something? Something that... is more binding than a romanc... oh Opi you know what I mean!" She uses a high tone in her voice and her big eyes. She knows Karl-Heinz can't resist these.
The old man looks a long time at her artificial smile without saying a word. "Ja nun gut Kara. I will go visit him later. Now get yourself dressed, otherwise the Prince could see you with your "just-woke-up"-hair." He laughs and turns away to head down the hall again.
Karl-Heinz leaves the Estate and heads towards Christian von Albrecht's house.
Once upon a time the world was simper, the stars wheeled overhead each night and the days lasted forever. Time seemed almost inconseqentual in it's passing and his days were filled with books, music and song. The chattering of the local public house, the familiar ring of the trams as they carried students away to school or some other place. Now all of it was replaced by speeches and the attending servants. Someone somewhere always vied for attention, prepared though his brother may have been, Christian was not. The life of a Royal prince was not all it was gearing up to be, public duties required a stone face, security teams needed assurance that he wasn't going to do anything unexpected or wholly unusual, diplomats needed softer tones while military men needed stronger ones. All of it was a dance he was no unprepared for he often longed for the comforts of home.
While Hans may reside in the Palace along with Alexander, Christian was more than content to stay on Stuttgart, he never much cared for snow hence why he was often found the gardens of the Von Thielau estate, the great tower dominating the landscape for miles around took all attention away from his little cabin hidden amongst the ash trees and Elms. Christian sat in the garden of his small home, the roses giving off a sweet scent as the music of Wagner played softly in the background while he read a book on the fall of the Knights Templar. He was perfectly happy to remain alone for the time being but alas, he could hear footsteps. This did not impress him at all as he distinctly remembered ordering the servants home for the day. He closed his book and placed it on the table next to him while he fixed his unhappy and unamused gaze on the door, waiting for whomever it was to come through.
Karl-Heinz grumbles on his way to the Prinz' house. Not because he dislikes his highness, just because his granddaughter can't handle her desires herself. He as highest instance of the Family, as the one in charge has to do it. *As if she has no own head, the "head" of the Polizei*, he thinks. With these words in his mind he has to smile again. Karl-Heinz is still tired and hasn't had a coffee yet. As he walks down the street he can see the green meadows and hear the waterfalls. *So quiet and peaceful...* He closes his eyes. "GUTEN MORGEN, Herr Großadmiral!", his Leutnant shouts across the street and
brings him back to reality. "Ach verdammt Leutnant! don't frighten me everytime! Aber ja, guten Morgen."
He shakes his head and started walking again. He looks up and suddenly sees the house. He can not remember how fast he walked but he doesn't care about that now.
The door stands open and the servant salutes the Grand Admiral. "To Prinz Christian.""Of course my Lord. The prince is in the Garden." Karl-Heinz nods. "Danke."
The old man approaches the prince and salutes. "Eure Hoheit, Großadmiral Karl-Heinz von Thielau."
He comes closer and sits down next to the prince. "I hope you are doing alright, Hoheit. It has been a while since you came here with us to get some rest from the royal duties. I do understand they are... exhausting sometimes."
The old Admiral feels sudden pain in his back and stretches himself. He lightens a cigar. "Nun. The major reason why I came to your place is something different.
You know my family for a longer time now. And I got to know you for that time now.
You are a attractive young man in his best age. I believe by now you can imagine where this conversation is heading, Prinz?"
Admiral Karl-Heinz, governor of Stuttgart and owner of the estate that he found himself frequenting more and more was...a straightforward individual. Perhaps more so that most Rheinlander's, while Christian was a Rheinlander by blood and by birth he was largely Bretonian in temperament. He found the bluntness of his homeland refreshing in a way, Rheinlander's say what they think, preferring point blank honesty rather than double meanings.
So when the Admiral made mention of his 'attractiveness' the comment startled him a little. Admiral.... I'm not quite sure how to respond to that.
It then occurred to him that while the aged Admiral may be honest, he was also politically shrewd. This was not a comment made to reveal some long suppressed homosexual attraction, this was likely going to be a conversation directed at the Royal family, specifically their need to marry and produce children and since he was the closest Royal within reach he had obviously decided to start with him.
His face went red, of all the difficult conversations he was going to have never did he anticipate this one. Ah. He said quietly. You think it's time I married. Marriage posed several benefits to any royal line, but one recently restored to the throne, with members young enough to produce children and with a still politically fractured house the importance was not lost on him. The first question he wondered was who the poor girl would be if he agreed, was she to be brought to him? Was there some hellish line up? Or was this going to extend to another royal family? He did not know the Bretonian line but the Gallic one was well talked about, perhaps even a Kusarian princess? Although he doubted they would agree to any marriage with Rheinland.
Perhaps he was overthinking it, which wouldn't surprise him. Whoever it was he would have a say no doubt, but ultimately the decision fell to the Kaiser, not to him or Karl-Heinz. Well...I can't say I have given this much thought Admiral. What are your thoughts on the matter?
The Großadmiral looks at the prince for some time "Your face turns into the same tone of red like the one of my granddaughter." He laughs. "Eure Hoheit, as you can probably imagine, I am not here to express my feelings for you, my wife would not be glad to hear something like that. No, I am here as one of my granddaughters feels something for you. I don't know what she feels, but her face had turned into a bright shining red when she mentioned your name. You probably remember her; Kaiserreichspolizei Inspekteurin Kara von Thielau, Kurprinzessin zur Neckar."
Now this was a development he wasn't expecting. The Admiral's granddaughter? He remembered her well enough, a sweet girl with a clever mind and a dedicated worth ethic and someone who certainly did not lack in patriotism. He already knew that should the Admiral ask his brothers, the match would automatically be approved. The Von Thielau's had already given much to the cause and continued to do so, now he supposed the time had come to collect on their loyalty. His speaking to Christian now was probably more as a courtesy, or perhaps he was protecting his family, unwilling to surrender her to someone who would treat her poorly, or was not interested in her....dooming her to a life of isolation. What good are titles if one has nothing else?
I remember her, hard to forget such a pretty face after all, although I cannot say I noticed her being attracted to me if she was. Would you....like me to see her again?
As the prince said he remembers Kara, Karl-Heinz grinned and took back his photo. "Your highness, that is your own choice if you want to see her again. I have done everything she asked me for. Believe me when I tell you that she has feelings for you. Good ones I believe. I believe that was the reason when she proposed to bring you to our Estate as the safe place you needed during the coup, but that is something noone can ever get proof for.
You see, Prinz, I am an old man. I can tell you this girl is the most loyal person you can find around in Rheinland. Loyal to her family, the persons she loves and her Vaterland. But this girl is so bloody shy that she sends her old Grandpa to you to talk with you. So if you would like to go and see her again, her rooms are on the second floor, the Räume 201 to 220.
I will not waste more of your valuable time, your highness, may you have a nice day, Gott Schütze den Kaiser, as well as you."
Karl-Heinz pulls his Offiziersmütze and leaves.
Outside he was waiting for his driver. His driver, Günter Kunrad, recently promoted to Bootsmann, arrived after 15 Minutes waiting. "Herr Bootsmann Kunrad! You were vay too slow! I could have have already walked back to the Estate! You shall not sleep so long! Your order is to drive me to my meetings! I don't have that much time!""Verzeihung Herr Großadmiral, it won't happen again!" Karl-Heinz nodded and got into the car, grumbling all the way back to his Estate. "Kunrad, go and tell my Granddaughter that I have done what she asked me for. You may try to convince her to handly her desires herself next time. Wegtreten." ""
But Herr Großadmiral, what do i sa-. Bootsmann Kunrad stumbled as Großadmiral walked away.
He knew better than to ask him for details, especially in that mood.
He hated driving duty, and now he was to act as a mediator between a grandfather and granddaughter?
Compared to this, being a crewmember in the RNC-Ostkantone was as a vacation.
Gunter let loose a sigh, putted on his famed pokerface and walked towards the estate. He enjoyed the fresh air of nature that he missed during his service in a battleship.
The place was enormous and looked like a paradise on earth. It felt like the civil war never reached this place.
It reminded him of his place in Holstein. The water, the waterfalls... Yes... he could spend his holidays here.
He snapped back to reality when he almost bumped other officers passing him entering the estate. "E-Entschuldigung!"
The 2 officers looked at him quietly while passing by. Gunter could have sworn hearing one of them saying "another new guy" behind his back.
His face didn't show anything but inside he started to worry.
What was he supposed to say? How do you tell a Kurprinzessin that she has to deal with her own problems?
He scratched his own short brown hair while guards watched him passing by to her private quarters.
Before he realised, he stood before the bedroom of the Kurprinzessin.
He shook his head, and knocked hard on the door. He wanted to get this over with quickly.
He waited what seemed to be a while. Right before he could place his fist on the door again, a pretty looking lady with gingerish hair opened the door. "Ja?" She said with her eyebrows raised.
Gunter stood there in silent for a few seconds as he tried to find the words to say.
He opened it's mouth.. another 2 seconds passed. "Guten Tag, Kurprinzessin Kara von Thielau. I came to inform you that Herr Großadmiral Karl-Heinz von Thielau did what you asked him to do!"
He said faster and louder than he intended. "Also I had to pass the message to uhm... handle your.. how did he say it?- "desires" yourself next time."
Deciding to actually go an see Kara he mused about the strange meeting while walking toward the mansion. Strange as it was, he found it oddly comforting to be desired by someone he met only in passing. Eventually he made it through the gates, passing the saluting officers, the bowing servants and the quiet cessation of cleaning whenever he entered a room. Long corridors of Imperial splendor and portraits of those long since dead eventually led him to the wing where she supposedly was. He eventually came upon a somewhat bewildering scene. A rather unhappy Kara giving an unfortunate young officer something of a dressing down.
Highness I am just following orders I... The young man attempted to say before being bluntly cut off If your orders were to jump off a cliff would you do it?! Kara retorted, arms crossed in front of her, glaring at the man with a steel like gaze Your grandfather... Has no business sending you to do his dirty work!
The poor man really was at a loss at what to do and one does not simply walk away from a princess, no matter now they might feel. Christian understood however, family matters were seldom handled without frustration. He himself didn't know what they were arguing about exactly, but he made himself known all the same. Begging your pardon, I hope I'm not interrupting.