Chương 26: Fateful Encounter

The day of the coronation of Licht von Hapsburg has arrived.

The crowds from across the nation who wanted to see the event before their eyes attended the coronation event in St. Michael's Church waving the flag of the Austrean Empire and the symbol of the royal family.

The new emperor of Austrea along with his wife, the empress, marched along the red carpet accompanied by the imperial guard in their full armory regalia.

They entered the cathedral as the public cheered and clapped in support all the while the national anthem was playing.

Not long after they sat on their throne, Licht gave an address to the public.

"Your Majesties, my fellow Austreans. I, Licht von Hapsburg, have been chosen by God to lead you all into the greatness of the Austrean Empire." Licht declared.

"To unite the Empire and bring peace in the world. To make these dreams come true, I will do anything. No matter how difficult it is or how dangerous it may be, I shall do it.

"On this day, I pledge my loyalty to the empire, and to the people of Austrea, I vow to keep our kingdom free from all harm, to protect it from all outside threats, to uphold the values of our nation, and to not let disgrace and dishonor to our kingdom," Licht vowed.

The people in the church applauded after the emperor's speech. The Austrean anthem played again as the crowd in the church cheered. Among them was Alexander.

"Amazing! So this is how the coronation looks! Right brother?" Ana said excitedly.

"Indeed," Alexander replied while clapping.

One by one, each nation from Europa began presenting their gifts to the newly crowned emperor of Austrea.

Alexander was the first one to get called to present his gift.

Upon the call, the representative of the Ruthenia Empire, Alexander, and Ana marched down the red carpet in a dignified fashion. The Ruthenian flag was waving in the wind next to the Austrean flag.

As he strode all the way to the altar, Alexander can't help but notice the inquisitive gaze of the people. Murmuring there audibly such as "That's the new emperor of Ruthenia?" "He's so young."

Alexander didn't mind them talking about him at all. He's focused only on his destination, the altar, where the new king and queen sat on their throne.

Alexander presented the gift to the Emperor with his right hand, arm and chest slightly bowed.

The gift was inside in an ornate gilded box, carried by Ana, his sister.

Alexander opened the box with a key and in it, was the Fabergé egg. He then gave it to Licht and stood to the side.

Licht warmly received his gift and opened the egg. Inside, it contains a miniature Hofburg Palace.

"It's beautiful," a delighted expression swept across Licht's face.

"Thank you," he said with a smile. Alexander himself doesn't know what the egg contains so he is somewhat surprised as well. "I'm glad you like it, Your Majesty."

"Well in your coronation, I shall present you the greatest gift Austrea can offer." Licht declared.

"I shall look forward to it."

...

After a whole day of celebrations and festivities in the church, they finally head to the Hofburg Palace, where the reception is held.

This time, Alexander is inside, sharing drinks and conversing with high-class nobility, delegates, and princes and princesses from foreign countries. But he's not the one who initiated the conversation but them.

Alexander was utterly magnificent. He caused heads to turn. Men respected him absolutely. Women were infatuated with him and stared at him in a daze. He was tall and handsome, with a captivating smile. He was the center of attention among the princesses, who were vying for his affection.

Truth be told, he didn't expect that the figure of Alexander would attract such attention. Making him embarrassed but he carried on.

Of all the women he had chatted with, none of them goes by the name of Sophie. His future partner.

There's a word that she attended the coronation and is probably around. He did his best to find her but to no avail. This took him quite some time Ana is complaining about why he is not by her side. He surrendered Ana to Rolan's care while he finds Sophie.

He has to find her. He must. It is his royal duty as the new emperor. Without a queen, there will be a problem in succession as the law forbids women from inheriting the throne.

A threat to his life is present so long as the Black Hand exists. So, he must give the people and the high-ranking officials of the Ruthenia Empire insurance as a way to ease their worries.

The current symphony of the song finished, and those who were dancing in the center of the hall stepped back from their partners and bowed. Alexander was sipping wine along the edges, clapping while his eyes darted around the girls in fine dresses, hoping that one of them would be the Princess of Bavaria.

Yet for another thirty minutes, He still hasn't found her.

He went outside the palace to get some fresh air and relax after succumbing to a lot of attention he was getting from the nobilities and royalties.

He walked around in a daze, meandering through the mazes of the palace's garden as a thought struck him in the head.

"Could it be...that she didn't attend?"

If that is the case, then that would be a problem. The reason why he took an 1800-kilometer journey is to meet her. if she's not around then this trip would be considered wasted from a strategic standpoint.

He walked and walked until he reached the inner courtyard of the palace.

He sat down on a bench and stared at the blanket of stars in the night sky.

He sighed in frustration.

Strangely, from his position, he heard a rustling sound not far from him.

He turned his head and saw a silhouette in a black dress sitting on the ground.

"Who could that be..." He said to himself as he stood up to investigate.

As he walked closer, he could see the figure. It was a girl, sitting on the grass drawing on a canvas. Her back is turned towards him so Alexander couldn't see her face.

"What is a girl doing here alone in the courtyard?" He asked himself inwardly.

One step forward, a twig snapped under his feet. The girl jolted, stopping her hand from making any movements as her head slowly turned toward him.

Alexander stared at her in the moonlight, mesmerized by her beauty. Her golden hair hung in waves down to her waist and to the ground. Her skin was pale and flawless, veined marble. Her eyes were deep blue like sapphires. Her face was oval, with a tiny soft nose and rosy lips. She was beautiful beyond words.

Alexander was stunned as he looked at her. His heart beating faster than normal, confounding him. He placed his hand on his chest and felt his heart throbbing faster, beating relentlessly against his chest. The girl was surely making him feel so strange.

Could it be...that the original Alexander is influencing him again?

His voice was stuck in his throat, standing in front of her like a petrified statue. Alexander...no. Thomas is fighting the influence over his emotion trying to break free from the chains affecting him.

His mind was victorious, snapping him back to his senses and regaining control over his body.

The girl sat on the ground, dressed in a dark evening gown.

Could it be that she's one of the guests?

As if to break the silence, the girl dropped her paintbrush and looked him in the eyes, her face partly covered by the canvas.

"Wh-who are you?!" she asked startlingly in Deutsch as her body shivered nervously.

But instead of giving her an appropriate answer, he returned the question.

"Who are you? What are you doing out here all alone?" Alexander asked as he studied her surroundings. There are painting materials and paper canvas around her.

"I'm just someone who came here to draw the night sky," she answered. She then dropped the brush and stood up, not knowing what to do in this situation.

"I...I must go before someone catches me here or worse. Please don't tell anyone what you saw, they'll punish me greatly," she pleaded with him.

"Wait! Wait, I won't tell anyone," Alexander said as he went in front of her to stop her from leaving.

But...to his shock, she ran.

The girl ran and ran, her dress flying behind her. Alexander is running after her, trying to catch up to her, but to no means harming her.

"Wait! Please wait!" Alexander yelled as he chased her.

She ran until she reached the main entrance of the palace. Where a group of imperial guards was standing and posted. She stopped in her tracks when she saw them.

Not only were the guards seen, but also a servant and a woman dressed. Their heads turned left and right, seemingly looking for someone.

And when the girl dressed in a white dress saw the black-dressed girl, which was the girl Alexander was chasing. She called for her.

"Sister?! There you are! We're looking for you," She called as the servant and the guards were attracted by the unfolding scene and went alongside her.

Alexander finally caught up, panting lightly. He noticed a slow congregation of imperial guards around them.

"Sophie, we've been looking for you. Where have you been?" The girl who called her sister asked worriedly, checking her from head to toe. She noticed her hand stained with colors. "Are you drawing again?"

Sophie looked down, her silence gave them an answer.

Abruptly, Rolan also comes to the scene and saw his boss around the forming crowd.

"Sire, are you all right?" He asked upon his arrival.

Alexander smiled genuinely. "I'm fine, Rolan. I'm fine." He turned his head towards the girl he was chasing and watched as another girl, who seemed to be her sister, chides her.

"I told you to stay inside and don't go out. What if something happens to you..." she trailed off, finally noticing Alexander's presence. "Wait... are you with him?"

Sophie glanced at Alexander, then turned back to her sister. She shook her head.

"Geez...we're going inside Sophie. Father is waiting for us,"

Alexander's brows raised. "Wait, did you just call her Sophie?"

The girl's sister nodded her head confusedly.

"Sophie? A princess from the Bavaria Kingdom?" Alexander followed up with another question.

"Uhm...yes...who might you be..." the girl's sister paused at the realization. "Wait...are you the imperial prince of Ruthenia Empire?"

"Imperial prince?!" Sophie jolted at that revelation as her head turned to face him.

"Isn't she the one you're looking for, sire?" Rolan added.

Alexander nodded in affirmation as his gaze flickered to Sophie. The odd girl she saw in the courtyard painting on a canvas. The girl he chased all the way here. Is she the one Alexander's father arranged for him to marry? If that's the case, he found her.