It was not surprising that Grand Duke Nikolayevich would personally attend to the matter, but appointing this promising young man before him to coordinate the inquiry was somewhat unforeseen and lamentable for the baron.
"As long as the Duchy and His Majesty the Tsar needs me, I can go anywhere."
The reply was extremely serious and formal. Alexander Vasilyevich Gorchak, Naval Lieutenant - the rank borrowed from the Albion Navy that annoyed many in Ross - noticed the Baron's appreciative smile. The young man immediately became a little bashful and then returned to his steely expression.
"Relax, young man."
The Baron advised amicably:
"We're just going to talk business, not go into battle."
"Yes, sir ... Sir."
Looking at the Lieutenant, who changed his address but maintained a vigilant expression, Nasimov, the slightly bitter-smiling Baron, shifted to a lighter topic:
"Alexander Vasilyevich, is this your first time in a human city?"
