The sun had long set and even from within the smoking room it was nearly impossible to see any further than the garden below the large windows.
Benedikt stood by the window, gazing outside while absent-mindedly twirling his whiskey glass in his hand.
The other men were sitting around the table, playing poker and smoking.
Benedikt could already sense that the pungent smell of the cigars were seeping deep into the fabric of his clothes and his hair. He grinned knowing that Yumiko would complain about that the moment he would just enter through the door.
In the reflection of the window he looked behind him at Gottwald who had a winning smirk on his face. It was almost impressive that they went through the day without him making another outrageous comment about his wife again. Although he kept on stealing curious glances at Yumiko during the dinner. Benedikt wasn't so sure what to think about that but he kept his eyes on Gottwald. The Bedan couple weren't sympathetic towards them and made no secret of hiding it too. Luckily it wasn't necessary for both him and Yumiko to be close to them. Bedan was a decently sized barony in the south-west of Allemania, bordering the Republic of Franci.
Bedan was as far away from Hohengoldlinden as it could be within the allemanian borders that it justified a distant relationship. Even from an economic point of view it was unnecessary to maintain any kind of association and Benedikt was more than relieved that they were departing in the morning.
He tried his best to not let this waste of time of a social event dampen his mood. In his mind it was a completely pointless gathering, however it was necessary for Yumiko and it was the only option to respond to the invitation.
"Prince Benedikt! Are you giving up already? Isn't luck always on your side?" Marquis Lorenz called out to him from the table waving with his hand full of cards.
"You won a few rounds already, you should give us a chance to get back at you." Duke Erhard laughed and drank from his glass with the honey-golden liquid.
"Come join us for at least one last round," Prince Hermann agreed with the others and Benedikt gave in.
"Okay, okay, for one last win," Benedikt grinned at them, emptying his glass and sat down. His chips from the previous rounds were still in the same place on the taböe and he stacked them up properly.
Gottwald smirked with his cigar at hand. "Let's see if you can return to your precious wife with a final victory."
Benedikt glanced at the brunette Baron who proceeded to take a deep drag from his cigar.
Maximilian shuffled the deck of cards and continued to deal out the cards.
"You must be excited to return to the cold north, Your Royal Highness?" Erhard briefly looked at him.
Benedikt took a quick glance at his cards before putting them down without changing his expression. "Certainly, although I also enjoy a journey like this once in a while too."
"Aren't you packed with the preparations ordered by His Majesty?" Hermann carefully looked up from his cards, unsure about the validity of his question. It wasn't considered a secret what the allemanian Emperor had planned in the north within the higher ranking circles, since especially the bordering regions had a certain responsibility to carry out the armament.
However, it was still a precarious topic. The looming threat of war was all too present.
"I was surprised when I heard that you would attend this gathering. I assumed that you were busy with more urgent matters." Gottwald commented without looking up from his cards.
Benedikt grinned. "Wouldn't that apply to all of us?"
Hohengoldlinden wasn't the only province present that had received direct orders from His Majesty and his Ministry of Defense. It was solely a matter of how much the other men knew about the current situation at hand on the western continent. Benedikt was supposed to be the one with the most intel from both within His Majesty's Ministries and outside the allemanian borders. However, he couldn't allow himself to assume that the others weren't also as equally interested in collecting crucial information for their own gains as he and his family were.
Despite their pledges on loyalty and allegiance to the allemanian Emperor and the concept of an united belonging under the same flag, it still remained an undeniable fact that every head of province wanted to ensure their best chances of survival for their own territory.
Lorenz played first. "That might be about right."
The others joined in, placing their chips.
"It might come in handy to have just married outside the western continent, wouldn't it?" Gottwald placed his chips, expressionless. According to his play one would assume that he had favourable cards.
"I'm not too sure how my marriage to a yashimian family would change anything here. I hope you are not assuming an ulterior, political motivation?" It could have been the whiskey that made Benedikt play along with the unnecessary tease.
Gottwald finally locked eyes with him.
"Oh, I would never assume such arrogance. I just wanted to point out that the timing seemed quite interesting."
"Certainly, anything could be interesting if one wants to interpret things in a specific way." Benedikt joined in and placed a stack of chips onto the middle of the table.
"I agree, Your Royal Highness. There must be some particular advantages of having married outside our society, wouldn't that be without question?" Gottwald took another drag from his cigar, exhaling right out, puffing the biting stench in front of him.
"Don't all marriages bring their own advantages and what not regardless of the regions involved?"
Another set of cards were put on the table by Maximilian.
It was Gottwald's turn to either call or fold. "Sure, that might be about right. I'm just wondering about the coincidence of events. Your marriage and the orders of His Majesty the Emperor."
He called and put another stack of chips onto the middle of the table.
Hermann folded and gave in.
As Benedikt sorted through his chips and pushed an equal amount towards the centre he replied indifferently. "Baron Gottwald, I hope that you are not implying something about the integrity of the Hohengoldlinden family?"
If words were to come forward that the Baron of Bedan accused the prestigious duchy in the north of treason against the Emperor and the allemanian Empire, it would mean the utter downfall of the Bedan's reputation.
The Hohengoldlinden's were too close to the imperial family, so much so, that such an accusation was almost as grave as insulting the Emperor himself.
"Or even worse? Baron, do you perhaps mean to imply that marrying outside of the western continent will pose any advantages in case Allemania will face difficulties?" Benedikt nonchalantly looked up from below and saw Gottwald's widened eyes of petrification.
The others were quiet, absolutely still.
"No. No, not at all, Your Royal Highness. I must have chosen the wrong words to phrase my question. Please pardon my clumsiness, the comfort of this gathering must have muddled with my manners. It was not my intention to imply such inadequate things." Gottwald broke away from Benedikt's gaze and he fumbled nervously with the cigar in his hand, finally putting it out.
It was indeed necessary to put the people back into their place before they continued to overstep their boundaries of acceptance and tolerance.
"You should hold back with the whiskey, Baron." Lorenz patted Gottwald on his back.
"Yes, you must have had one glass too many, hm?" Hermann chuckled lightly, folding his cards.
"Well, let's see if Prince Benedikt was able to keep his winning streak." Maximilian's voice came out nervously.
Everyone who was willing to partake in the gamble till the end revealed their cards.
Disappointed sighs filled the room.
Benedikt stood up, placing down his empty glass of whiskey and smiled at the others. "It was a pleasure to play with you, gentlemen. However, I shall excuse myself now with my final win."
He tipped his invisible hat and left the lounge.
As quiet as possible he opened the woodend door to his shared bedroom. Benedikt slipped inside, took off his shoes and tip-toed to the bed.
The lights were turned off, but he could make out the silhouette of Yumiko under the blanket.
"I hope that you are just taking a detour before taking a bath?" Suddenly Yumiko spoke loud and clearly, before he even reached the bed frame. He flinched a bit, feeling caught out.
"Don't you think that I can't already smell you from down the hall?" She turned around towards him. Her dark hair fell openly onto her shoulders.
"I wanted to take a look at my precious wife before rightfully heading to the bathroom," Benedikt answered sheepishly.
"Hurry and go, the stench is unbearable. You shall look at me to your heart's content afterwards," she grinned at him and even in the room dimly lit by the moon, he could see her clearly in front of him. Her white nightgown fell off from her right shoulder, exposing the pale skin underneath it, while her dark hair contrasted the alluring sight, framing her beautiful face.
Benedikt bent down and quickly kissed the top of her hair, unwilling to hold back.
Yumiko gasped briefly in surprise and looked at him with a frown.
His laughter filled the room. "Please grant me that much."
She didn't reply but her expression softened up.
"I will be back soon. Don't wait for me." Benedikt rushed to the door that connected the adjacent room. He knew that she would still wait for him, despite his countless reassurances he would always find her silently awaiting him in their bed. All the more reason to hurry up so that he could wait for her to fall asleep in his arms.
The departure from the Wettin's castle in the morning proceeded without any unforeseen delays or struggles. By dawn the horse carriages had been ready to leave for the week-long journey back to the northernmost duchy.
The farewells were kept politely short and on point. No hard feelings, just shallow pleasantries.
From Hagen's perspective it was a successful debut for Princess Yumiko to the allemanian high society. The criticisms and doubts were all to be expected and everyone seemed to have dealt with them accordingly.
Although, Benedikt might have been a little bit too harsh towards Gottwald. At the same time Hagen wished for his friend to have been even more crude. Both the Baron and Baroness of Bedan had greatly insulted the name of the Hohengoldlinden's. Though, Hagen hadn't informed Benedikt about their comments during the second evening yet. He assumed that the blonde Prince knew about their openly carried disdain towards his wife. It was to be expected when engaging in such a scandalous arrangement.
The relief of finally returning back home fell over the barrage of carriages, but Hagen only felt the imminent workload that awaited him at his desk.
He sighed and looked at the moving landscape behind the window of the carriage.
The Archduke had decided to not send any messages to his youngest son considering the fact that those letters or codes could be intercepted and that his absence wasn't that long as well.
One would assume that Hagen could have spent that time without new information in a relaxing way, however he was too busy with his regular tasks as the leading head of the Hohengoldlinden household outside of their duchy. Considering that he was also diligently collecting information with whatever the numerous employees from all the guests would gossip about.
He expected a mountain of documents that needed to be reviewed and approved.
Assuming that Benedikt would return to his desk as diligently as prior to their departure to Sachson, then it might be possible to work through everything in a timely manner.
The sooner they worked through the missed out reports, the more they could focus on the more physical and demanding parts of their duty.
As the day went by the sky got clearer and so was Hagen's mind. He knew exactly what to do since he felt confident enough with whatever might await him back home.
Hagen turned his head and glanced at Takane who sat opposite of him at the other window, enjoying the view.
"Takane-san, what do you think about your first social event outside the duchy?"
She looked at him. "It was certainly an event one should witness at least once. I was pleasantly surprised by the organisation and arrangements that the Wettin family had put into it."
"You should see a proper gathering first, the scale of preparations are overwhelming," Hagen chuckled.
"Did the Archduchess ever hold a big scale event in Hohengoldlinden?"
"Certainly, for her debut in Allemania for example or every other year as a celebration of formally beginning the summer season at the beach," Hagen smiled upon remembering the past events.
"How were the summer celebrations?" Takane looked curious.
Hagen laughed softly. "The effort of all the arrangements was surely compelling. But once everything was prepared for and the celebrations actually began, it was all worth it." He smiled at her. "It is tradition for the Archduke and the Archduchess to welcome all their subjects for the formal summer season opening, so you can imagine the scale of things that had to be done. It is a five day event and most of the townspeople actually help with the preparations as well. The summer opening is a chance for everyone to be able to meet the Hohengoldlinden's. Though, due to the grand scale it is only held every two years in order to have enough time to come up with a new schedule, theme and performances. It is such a lively event and completely free of charge. Unfortunately, you didn't witness it this year, since it is a break year. But you will be an integral part of it next year, don't worry!"
Takane attentively listened to him, smiling faintly as his voice became more passionate. "That sounds lovely, I'm already looking forward to the summer opening next year."
"And I'm looking forward to your reaction to it. The people of the duchy will probably put in even more effort since it will be Prince Benedikt's first summer opening after his marriage. I can imagine them wanting to impress Princess Yumiko."
She smiled and nodded. "I believe in the goodwill of the people living in Hohengoldlinden."
Hagen only returned her smile, unable to give a reply to that.
It was obvious what she had implied and it was shameful to know that whatever was said in Sachson wasn't a singular occurrence. It must have been the first time that both she and Yumiko had to face such blatant narrow-mindedness in person.
Hagen couldn't imagine what this made them feel upon leaving the duchy and socialising in a different part of Allemania. Whatever they felt, both women were splendidly professional and graceful about the injustice they were confronted with.
However, being an Allemanian himself, with pride in his culture, language and the duchy's historic achievements it was more than humiliating to have to sit by the audacious comments that were made based on shallow and offensive prejudices.
Bedan might be a far away barony, with its own distinct culture, history and traditions, but it was still a part of the allemanian identity.
"Hagen-san, you shall not ponder on something that is out of your control."
He looked up, interrupted in his train of thoughts.
Takane gave him an encouraging smile. "Let's not waste our energy on these things and instead focus on the tasks at hand." She turned her head to the window, they had seemed to have arrived at their first stop already.
Hagen nodded in agreement. "Well said, Takane-san. Let's give our best."
The journey back to Hohengoldlinden went well, although as they got closer to the north the sky seemed more grim, covered with dark looming clouds.
For the days they had travelled through Sachson and most of Praußen the weather was fine. Luckily it cleared up by the time they reached the duchy.
Though, similar to what they had experienced on their outward journey, the curious gazes from the civilians they passed were always directed towards Princess Yumiko and Takane. To most of them it was the first and probably last time to see someone from the eastern continent so close.
Despite that, the overall atmosphere and mood amongst the travellers were relaxed. Baroness Isabella was more than happy to have left the Wettin castle and all its guests and hosts behind.
Therefore, she was in an especially cheery mood and continued to engage Yumiko and Linda into lively conversations.
Whereas Benedikt, although being in a general happy disposition, stayed out of the chatter, silently following along. It was unusual for him to leave so many topics uncommented and not engage at all. It couldn't have been the things that the women were talking about that made it impossible for him to voice his opinion, since that rarely stopped him before too. He seemed to be more occupied with leisurely enjoying the journey while also note letting Yumiko out of his sight either. He didn't even try to hide his stares in front of anyone.
There was nothing Hagen could have done to know what was going on inside of Benedikt's mind, but just observe him quietly.
"Isn't that quite lovely?" Baroness Isabella led Yumiko to the wooden table that was beautifully prepared for their lunch under the shade of a large oak tree. She too got used to describing her view to the Princess, trying to make it easy for her to imagine the sight.
A light meal that wouldn't compromise their well-being doing the remaining stretch until they reached the Hohengoldlinden estate. They've been back at the duchy already
Hagen stood not too far from the table and overlooked the landscape stretching almost perfectly flat in front of them.
From afar some farmers spotted the royal carriage and waved in excitement.
"Yumiko, turn around. The farmers not far from us behind you are waving to us." Benedikt calmly pointed it out to his wife and she followed his instruction with a smile.
"Oh, is that so?" She turned around in her chair and waved with her hand. Benedikt followed her movement and returned the greeting enthusiastically.
The farmers must have recognised their Prince and Princess, along with the Archduchess which made them even more excited.
"They seem very delighted," Benedikt then smiled at Yumiko. "About seeing you."
"It must be all of us," Yumiko scolded him with a playful tone. "I feel bad, it is such a warm day and they are working so hard while we are enjoying this wonderful meal here in the shade."
Hagen glanced over to her, she was thinking of something.
"Would it be possible to invite them to join us?" Yumiko looked at Benedikt with a shy, yet hopeful expression.
He looked at her with the warmest of expressions in his blue eyes. "I'm afraid that they are in the midst of their work now, it wouldn't be good to interrupt them so suddenly, forcing them to join our table so casually."
"Oh my, that is true," Yumiko was taken aback by her very empathic yet spontaneous and possibly rash suggestion. "Would it be then alright to share some of our lunch with them? So that they can easily fill their stomach for new energy to continue to work?" Again she looked at Benedikt beside him, delighted by the alternative.
"You wouldn't mind that, would you Linda?" Yumiko slightly tilted her head, indicating to look at the person who sat on the other side next to her husband.
"It would be my pleasure to share with them," Archduchess Linda smiled back at her sister-in-law, content with her suggestion.
"Nothing speaks against that indeed," Benedikt gently grabbed Yumiko's hand and gave it a kiss on the back. "That is such a lovely gesture of you."
Yumiko blushed and shyly looked down.
"Your generous heart knows no boundaries. I like that suggestion very much", Baroness Isabella nudged Yumiko with her elbow, smiling cheerfully.
"Hagen, would you please prepare some of our meals? Enough for their families to share with as well." Benedikt turned to Hagen and he nodded.
"Certainly, Your Royal Highness."
"It might be a good idea for Takane-san to join you when handing the food over, so that it is clear whose gesture it is." The blonde proceeded to look at Takane-san and she bowed down. "Would that be alright for you?" Benedikt directed his question to his wife, since he wasn't the one allowed to order Yumiko's maid around.
"Of course, would you please join Hagen-san, Takane-san?" Yumiko turned towards the middle-aged woman who again bowed down. "Of course, Your Royal Highness."
Hagen looked at the scene unfold in front of his eyes and he smiled. Pride filled his chest and gave his steps a light-hearted bounce.
Despite the difficulties that the Princess had faced recently, she still maintained her kind-hearted spirits. He was more than willing to help execute any of her wishes, fully trusting in her generosity and well intentions.
Along with the other employees they swiftly packed two large baskets filled with various delicacies and soon after that Takane and Hagen carefully walked through the fields, each carrying a basket, towards the farmers who would watch them in surprise.
Takane, who was usually more shy about expressing her emotions, had a faint yet distinct smile on her lips. Her steps also seemed to be fueled by the pride that she felt for her dear Princess.
"Princess Yumiko truly has a genuine heart." Hagen smiled at her.
She looked up and nodded eagerly. "Her heart is the purest and most genuine one could ever witness since it had never seen the ugly of the world."
"All the more reason to protect her," Hagen gave Takane an expression of determination and she smiled.
"Well said, Hagen-san."
They finally reached the two farmers who still couldn't quite believe that they were the reason the two employee's of the Hohengoldlindens would approach them.
"Greetings! You must be working hard here on the field." Hagen greeted them first, with enthusiasm. Takane bowed down slightly to greet them.
The men took off their hats. "Greetings, Sir Wellem it is an honour to speak to you and…" the man who spoke first nervously glanced at Takane "…your companion. What brings you to us?"
Naturally they knew who Hagen was. It wasn't a secret who the brunette shadow of the youngest son of the Archduke was.
"We saw that you must have returned to the duchy. It is such an honour to us to have made this encounter." The second man shyly looked down at his shoes.
Both their hands were rough, burned from the sun and covered with dirt. Proving that they were diligently working.
"Princess Yumiko sent us to bring you these." Hagen indicated to Takane to hand over the baskets. Hesitatingly the men took the woven baskets, surprised by the weight. "She wanted to share the meal that they were enjoying in the shade, wishing you to draw strength from it for your hard work."
"Oh!"
"It is enough to share it with your families as well. Please enjoy it." Hagen smiled at them encouragingly as they were so taken aback by the spontaneous gesture.
"What did we do in order to deserve such generosity? Unbelievable." The taller man looked between Hagen and Takane, clearly touched by the offering.
"Your hard and diligent work is more than reason enough to be acknowledged."
"The Princess deeply appreciates your efforts," Takane added to Hagen's reassurance. Her alleman was spotless.
The men looked at her in awe until the shorter one snapped out of it. "Please send the warmest regards to Princess Yumiko. Her gesture proves her overwhelming kind-heartedness. It is an honour, greater than anything else, to receive such personal and direct appreciation."
They both bowed down clumsily with their heads.
"Please don't be disturbed any further by us and enjoy the treats." Hagen smiled at them and proceeded to head back to the tree with Takane. Even from a distance he could see that they all observed the handover attentively.
"THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS YUMIKO!"
Hagen and Takane flinched at the sudden screams.
The men behind them yelled towards the tree, waving with the baskets up in the air.
Their loud expressions of gratitude echoed through the fields of crops.
As Hagen got closer to the tree their enthusiastic screams mixed with the laughter of the nobles at the table.
It was such a blissful moment.
"We have returned." Hagen announced their arrival back under the cool shade of the tree.
"You don't need to tell us how they feel about Yumiko's gesture," Benedikt laughed, proudly patting the shoulder of Yumiko.
"My, how wonderful!" Baroness Isabella joined his laughter.
Yumiko and Archduchess Linda were also laughing wholeheartedly.
It warmed Hagen's heart.
That was the perfect conclusion to their first outward journey.
Not far from them Hagen then heard the clattering of hooves approaching them.
He scanned the landscape around them and spotted a royal messenger, who directed his horse steadfastly towards their group. He had the colours of the Hohengoldlinden insignia.
"Your Royal Highness, a royal messenger is approaching us," Hagen informed Benedikt about it, although the blonde had already noticed it.
The women fell silent, observing the scene nervously.
Hagen was unsure why a messenger was sent to them. The group would have arrived in the evening at the main estate.
What message was so important that it couldn't wait for a few more hours?
A feeling of uneasiness replaced the blissful pride he felt just a few minutes ago.
He glanced at Benedikt who had stood up to receive the message, his expression was indifferent, however a sense of anticipation surrounded his aura.
As if he had already awaited the message at any moment.
The messenger arrived at the tree, jumped off the horse and ran towards Benedikt.
"Your Royal Highness, I was sent with an urgent message for you and your party." He bowed down and handed him the small paper.
Benedikt nodded, took the paper and opened it.
He read it in silence, his expression unchanged as his eyes followed along the lines.
The blonde Prince then turned around, facing the others.
In a composed tone he declared "My father, the Archduke Richard von Hohengoldlinden, fell terribly ill."