novelSusiti Chapter 90 A Broken Nation? How Can I Marry?
Chapter 90 A Broken Nation? How Can I Marry?
Early spring of 1886.
The sea breeze blowing through the port of Piraeus carries a salty warmth, and the brand-new blue and white cross flag flutters in the wind.
Constantine, dressed in a silver-white crown prince's uniform, wore the German Black Eagle medal on his chest, which gleamed brightly in the Southern European sunlight.
He stood there straight at the end of the red carpet at the dock.
Behind him stood the carefully selected Evzoni Guard (simply put, a ceremonial guard), soldiers dressed in traditional heroic attire, standing like silent statues.
After the downfall of the oligarch Zaimis, Athens spent the entire winter in an unseen purge and reconstruction. The enormous "atonement" payments made by those oligarchs filled the Greek royal treasury to an unprecedented level.
Today marks his first meeting with his fiancée, Princess Sofia of Prussia, since their separation in Berlin.
This is not just a reunion of engaged couples, but a meticulously planned political show.
He wanted to present a new and hopeful Greece to all of Europe, especially to the German Empire.
"Waaah—"
A long, drawn-out whistle pierced the sky.
In the distance, a pristine white German Imperial Navy cruiser, flying a striking Iron Cross eagle flag, slowly pierced the azure sea and approached.
On the dock, the crowd, who had been organized in advance, erupted in a thunderous cheer.
Constantine's expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept past the frenzied crowd waving flags and landed precisely on the high gunwales of the cruiser.
There stood a girl wearing a dark blue travel suit.
Her long, golden hair swayed gently in the sea breeze, and her face was as exquisite as a marble statue from ancient Greece. However, her azure eyes and tightly pursed lips revealed an innate seriousness and reserve.
It was her, Sofia.
The warship slowly docked, and the gangway was lowered.
Sophia descended the gangway, surrounded by her brother, Prince Henry, and a large retinue of servants.
Constantine stepped forward, and following the most standard royal protocol, took her hand and placed a light kiss on the back of her gloved hand.
"Welcome to Athens, my princess."
Sofia nodded slightly, her face displaying an impeccable, polite smile.
"Thank you for your welcome, Your Highness."
Their eyes met briefly, and Constantine read a hint of scrutiny and a well-hidden distance in the depths of her calm eyes.
The official welcoming ceremony was held in the old Athens Royal Palace.
The carriage moved through the crowded but relatively clean streets, amidst cheers from the crowd. Sofia simply smiled, occasionally waving in response, behaving with poise and elegance.
But the moment she stepped through the palace gates, Constantine keenly noticed that her perfect smile froze for a fleeting instant.
On the walls of the palace hung faded mythological tapestries, their threads long since unraveling in the corners. The corridor was dimly lit, and a strange smell permeated the air—a mixture of olive oil, stale dust, and some cheap spices.
The Greek officials who came to pay their respects were all dressed extravagantly and wore various medals of dubious origin. When they bowed, their faces were plastered with enthusiastic smiles, but they could not hide the laziness and slickness in their eyes.
A pot-bellied cabinet minister tried to praise the princess's beauty in French, but his poor pronunciation sounded like he was hawking some kind of cheese, which drew snickers from his colleagues behind him.
Sofia handled it all with grace, shaking hands with everyone and exchanging a few polite words.
But her bright blue eyes, like the most precise instruments, silently scanned every detail.
She noticed the minister's greasy collar, the worn holes in the carpet, and the rather large cobweb in the corner of the ceiling.
The light in her eyes was gradually dimming.
Constantine saw it all but said nothing.
He knew that any verbal explanation was futile in the face of these undeniable "reality" facts.
That evening, the palace hosted a welcome dinner for Sofia's arrival.
Sofia stayed in the VIP suite assigned to her, citing "travel fatigue and the need for rest".
Everyone thought this was perfectly reasonable.
With the help of a lady-in-waiting, Sophia changed out of her heavy suit and into a silk robe.
She walked to the window, pushed open the creaking window, and looked down at the ancient city.
The silhouette of the Acropolis in the distance is majestic and magnificent in the setting sun, but closer by, there are large areas of low-rise houses in a chaotic manner.
Is this my future country?
Is this the capital of the rising industrial power that man described in Berlin?
The palace was as dilapidated as a forgotten museum, the ministers as frivolous as a group of theatrical actors, and the air was filled with an atmosphere of decay.
At this moment, the worries of her mother, Princess Victoria, seemed to have become a reality.
She was right; the Prussian snow rose should not be planted in the barren and rough land of the Balkans.
The flame of "expectation" that had been ignited in her heart in Berlin was being extinguished little by little by the cold reality of Athens.
"Knock knock".
A knock came at the door.
Her personal maid, Countess Wolf, also from Prussia and with a serious expression, went to open the door.
Standing outside the door was Crown Prince Constantine.
"Your Highness," the lady-in-waiting bowed, her tone resolute, "Her Highness the Princess is unwell and is preparing to rest. She will be unable to attend the banquet."
This is the clearest way to politely decline.
Constantine didn't look at her; his gaze went straight through the half-open door to the figure standing by the window deep inside the room.
He ignored the female official's attempts to stop him; his voice was not loud, but it carried clearly.
"Your Highness, rather than that boring banquet, I would like to show you something else."
Inside the room, Sophia paused slightly.
Just as the lady-in-waiting was about to speak again, Constantine's voice rang out once more, carrying an unquestionable tone.
"Something unique to Athens."
Countess Wolf's expression changed. She hadn't expected the Greek crown prince to be so "rude," ignoring court etiquette and extending an invitation directly to the princess.
There was a moment of silence in the room.
Then, Sofia turned around and slowly walked over.
She opened the door herself, her azure eyes holding a hint of wariness, a touch of annoyance at being disturbed, but more than anything, an irrepressible curiosity that had been piqued.
"Your Highness, I thought that Prussian court etiquette was universal throughout Europe." Her voice was cold and reproachful.
Constantine smiled.
He knew that her curiosity had overwhelmed her anger.
He turned to the side and made an elegant invitation gesture towards the empty corridor outside the door.
His smile carried a hint of mystery, and a certainty stemming from absolute self-confidence.
"Trust me, Your Highness."
"It is more dazzling than any jewel in the crown."
He turned to the side and made an elegant invitation gesture towards the empty corridor outside the door.
His smile carried a hint of mystery, and a certainty stemming from absolute self-confidence.
"Trust me, Your Highness."
"It is more dazzling than any jewel in the crown."