Chapter 201: Mary Pavlovna
The venue for the welcome banquet prepared for Arthur was at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. This was the imperial palace of the Russian Empire and has been the residence of most of Russia's tsars since Catherine the Great.
Of course, as the emperor of one of the European powers, Tsar Nicholas II also had many palaces and estates. The Winter Palace is the largest palace in Russia and one of the most formal imperial residences. It was also here that the workers' petition had taken place earlier.
But according to tradition, at this time of year, Tsar Nicholas II should be vacationing at the Livadia Palace in Yalta. Yes, the same place where the Yalta Conference would later take place. The Yalta Conference was a meeting among the victorious powers of World War II to discuss the post-war distribution of power, which also helped shape the world order after the war.
Because Nicholas II had to meet with Kaiser Wilhelm II to discuss treaties, he did not go to the Livadia Palace this summer but instead stayed at the Winter Palace, making it easier for him to travel to the meeting place, which was near Bjork Island.
The climate in St. Petersburg in the summer is relatively comfortable, with temperatures consistently staying above 10°C during the day, reaching up to around 20°C at the highest. However, such good weather doesn't last long. After four months of summer, St. Petersburg will face an eight-month-long winter.
One must admire the Russians' toughness in enduring such cold winters, which not everyone can withstand. This is also why historically, even the mighty Napoleon, and later Hitler during his invasion of Russia, failed. In Russia, one not only faces transportation routes stretching over thousands of kilometers but also has to contend with the harsh Russian winters.
Though the climate of St. Petersburg is not particularly suitable for a capital, it compensates for this flaw in other ways. This is why Russia has kept it as the capital for over a hundred years. St. Petersburg has a seaport, and after being developed by Novgorod, it became a high-development city and a safe harbor in Russian mainstream culture.
If Russia wanted to continue developing toward Europe, St. Petersburg was the best choice among all Russian cities. Tsar Nicholas II held a grand welcome ceremony for Arthur, personally greeted by Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich.
Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich was the uncle of Tsar Nicholas II and one of his most influential advisors. He was also the Governor-General of Moscow and the Commander-in-Chief of the Moscow Military District, making him one of the most trusted figures in the Russian Imperial family, aside from Nicholas II. With the heir Alexei being only one year old, Grand Duke Sergey was the most powerful royal member in Russia after Nicholas II.
It's also worth noting the complicated relations between European royalty. The strongest monarchies of Europe — Britain, Germany, and Russia — were actually family relations, and not distant ones either. This is why World War I is often called "The Relatives' War."
Within the Winter Palace, Tsar Nicholas II had already instructed the guards to notify all noble members near St. Petersburg to prepare for the evening's welcome banquet.
Regardless of the motives, Russia's relationship with Australia wasn't bad news. At least in the Far East, Australia had acquired influence comparable to that of Europe's second-tier nations and could provide Russia with significant support in weapons and industrial products.
Even in food supplies, Australia could assist the Russian Far East military, greatly alleviating Russia's long-standing logistical problems.
After learning that Arthur had no engagement, Tsar Nicholas II had some thoughts. While Australia's overall influence couldn't compare to that of second-tier nations like Spain or the Netherlands, it did have one advantage: it was far in Oceania, without the risk of being involved in European disputes.
Moreover, Russia still placed greater importance on the Far East issue. In this regard, Australia might have more influence than Russia's other potential allies. If Russia could tie Australia to its cause and secure logistical aid for the Russian Far East, then Russia might have an edge in the next struggle for dominance in the region.
But Tsar Nicholas II's eldest daughter, Grand Duchess Olga, was only ten years old and thus unsuitable for the banquet. Unable to find a suitable candidate, Nicholas II called upon his beloved empress, Alexandra Feodorovna, to handle the matter and find someone for the arranged marriage.
At first, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna didn't think much of it. But when she realized the purpose was to find a marriage partner for her cousin Arthur, she began to carefully search her memory, considering candidates from among the Russian imperial family.
Yes, Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, the mother of Alexandra Feodorovna, was the second daughter of Queen Victoria. However, unfortunately, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, as a descendant of Queen Victoria, carried the gene for hemophilia. This was the reason why Kaiser Wilhelm II strongly supported the marriage of Feodorovna to Nicholas, as it would introduce hemophilia into the Russian royal family, causing trouble for everyone.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of Mary?" Empress Alexandra Feodorovna asked slowly after much consideration.
"Mary? You mean the Mary adopted by Grand Duke Sergey?" Tsar Nicholas II inquired.
Mary's full name was Mary Pavlovna, the legitimate daughter of Tsar Nicholas II's uncle, Grand Duke Paul. However, when Mary was only one year old, her mother, Grand Duchess Alexandra, passed away, and her father, Grand Duke Paul, was so devastated by grief that he couldn't care for Mary and her newborn brother. As a result, they were placed in the care of Grand Duke Sergey, Paul's brother.
But due to Grand Duke Paul's subsequent marriage to a divorced woman, Tsar Alexander III was enraged and forbid Grand Duke Paul from returning to Russia. Thus, Grand Duke Sergey and his wife officially became the guardians of Mary and her brother.
In effect, Grand Duke Sergey raised Mary and her brother from childhood. Although they didn't have an official father-daughter relationship, it was almost as if they did.
Mary, being a direct descendant of the Russian imperial family and of the same generation as Tsar Nicholas II, was indeed a suitable candidate for the arranged marriage. However, Mary was only seventeen years old (two years older than in the original history, a small change based on this book's setting), and one might wonder if her age difference with Arthur was too significant.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna did not have this concern. In European royal marriages, the rank and prestige of the families involved were much more important than the age gap between the individuals.
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Arthur's family, was even more prosperous than the Russian Romanov family, so there was no issue of mismatched status.
After confirming the choice, Tsar Nicholas II instructed Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to remind Grand Duchess Sergey's wife to have Mary prepare for the evening's banquet.
Aside from Mary, whom Tsar Nicholas II had personally selected, dozens of Russian nobles and their daughters also attended the banquet. If Mary was the primary candidate for the marriage, the other noble girls were simply there as background.
Of course, it was also possible that one of these noble girls might catch Arthur's eye and become his lover. After all, in royal marriages today, one had to consider the attitudes of the individuals involved. For a ruler like Arthur, who already had real power, his own preferences were far more important than the interests of his family.
In the residence of Grand Duke Sergey, in one of the rooms.
Inside, a young, beautiful girl was sitting at the vanity, carefully examining herself. Standing next to her was a maid, helping her comb her long hair.
"Lolita, do I look good?" the girl asked as she gazed at her reflection, eagerly awaiting the maid's response.
"Of course, Your Highness. If you wear this pearl necklace, you'll be the most beautiful swan at the banquet!" Lolita replied with a smile while brushing Mary's shoulder-length hair.
Scenes like this were happening in several locations across St. Petersburg that afternoon. For Russian nobles, Arthur, who had independent territories and real power, was considered a great catch. Although he was from a more remote place, family interests outweighed everything else, didn't they?
Plus, with the relationship between Russia and Australia during the war, if these nobles could connect with Arthur, even as lovers, their families would at least receive powerful foreign support.
The goal of noble marriages was primarily to consider the other family's rank and lineage. Arthur, coming from one of the most distinguished families in Europe, the British royal family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was an ideal match.
The banquet finally began at around 8 PM.
As the host of the banquet, Arthur drew a lot of attention. Wearing a custom-made suit, Arthur had been carefully dressed and was now an impressive, handsome young man. Although he wasn't stunningly handsome, he still matched Western beauty standards. Coupled with his extraordinary background and wealth, it wasn't an exaggeration to say he was captivating.
Although the banquet featured a dazzling array of food, Arthur wasn't in the mood to look at any of it.
The reason was simple. As the guest of honor, every few minutes, someone came to invite Arthur to dance, and they were all teenage noble girls.
At first, Arthur didn't understand, but he quickly realized the real reason for the banquet. It wasn't just a social gathering — it was essentially a matchmaking event.
But Arthur didn't mind. He was already twenty-two years old, and the Australian Federation didn't have a legitimate heir yet. This was something that every citizen and official was eagerly anticipating. A legitimate heir would stabilize the country and its future.
Moreover, Arthur's mother, Princess Louise, kept urging him periodically, which left him in a somewhat helpless situation.
The best way to resolve this situation was, of course, to find a suitable duchess for the Australian Federation.
Before searching for a suitable duchess, one had to consider if the alliance with Russia was beneficial for Australia. From a historical perspective, the Russian monarchy would fall apart in more than a decade, so a marriage alliance with the Russian royal family wouldn't help in the long term.
But the current situation was very different. Although Russia had suffered a humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the country had yet to face the full brunt of internal and external issues. With the help and loans from Germany, the Russian Empire, though corrupt, could still hold on for a while.
Even whether Russia would eventually participate in World War I was uncertain. Could the Russian monarchy, which wasn't mobilizing its army, really be overthrown by a revolution?
No one could be certain about this matter, but the probability of being overthrown had greatly decreased.
Moreover, considering the current situation, there were still many benefits to an alliance with Russia.
First, Russia was the fourth-largest power in the world. Except for the British Empire, the German Empire, France, and the United States, other countries were not necessarily Russia's match.
Secondly, Russia had a large population, a significant portion of which had tendencies toward emigration. If an alliance could be formed with Russia, Australia could also receive some of these Russian immigrants, of course, after excluding revolutionaries and dangerous elements.
Russia still focused on its Far East policy, and to achieve that, they would need Australia's support. This meant that Australia could gain more resources and benefits from Russia and also help enhance Russia's strength in the Far East, keeping its military in the region above the strength of island nations, thus indirectly suppressing the rise and expansion of island nations.
It should be noted that the island nation, which transformed from a backward feudal country into a globally recognized power, took only a few decades to achieve this. In the future, the island nation's ambitions would expand to the entire Pacific Rim, including Australia and New Zealand.
This meant that the island nation could become one of Australia's strongest competitors, making it necessary to prepare in advance and use Russia's strength to suppress the island nation.
Though this could lead to Russia dominating the Far East and occupying more territory from the southern Qing Empire, the great powers had significant interests in these regions and would not allow Russia to expand freely there.
If Russia sought more, the European countries, led by Britain, would likely not agree, and the island nation would fiercely resist, protecting its last chance to remain a world power.
At that time, the Far East would turn into a competition between Russia and the island nation, and Australia's military-industrial sector would have new opportunities.
After considering all of this, Arthur no longer rejected the idea of a potential marriage alliance with Russia. In fact, he had already begun to actively select a candidate.
With the premise of finding someone with similar status, Arthur naturally wanted to find a suitable girl for Australia, someone who was at least smart, understanding, and wouldn't interfere with Australian politics, content to be a Duchess.
Of course, appearance was also an important criterion for Arthur. While he didn't place too much emphasis on looks, who wouldn't want to have someone beautiful by their side?
After a while, Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra also attended the banquet. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Arthur, they left.
As the host of the banquet, Arthur understood that Tsar Nicholas II's presence would attract attention, so Nicholas II graciously left.
After Nicholas II's departure, the music began again, and the banquet reached its climax. Many guests moved to the dance floor, dancing to the music, which created a lively atmosphere.
Up to this point, Arthur had been invited to dance at least ten times and had danced three or four times already. Despite being prepared, he still felt a bit tired, so he found a spot near the corner and sat down.
Beside him, Mary, who had not yet figured out how to invite Arthur to dance, suddenly widened her eyes in surprise, not expecting Arthur to approach her first.
Arthur also noticed Mary beside him and smiled, nodding in greeting.
Gulp!
Mary silently swallowed, steeling herself, and picked up a glass of red wine as she stood up, intending to engage Arthur in conversation.
However, perhaps because she was too nervous, when Mary stood up, she slipped and accidentally tripped over a chair.
The chair was heavy, and Mary lost her balance, falling onto Arthur's lap. Her head directly hit Arthur's chest.
"Ah!"
Fortunately, Arthur had already anticipated such a possibility. He quickly raised his hand to shield himself and barely managed to catch Mary's head before it made contact.
Mary's cherry-colored lips lightly brushed his chest, like a dragonfly touching water, before Arthur gently helped her up.
"Are you alright, miss?" Arthur politely inquired.
The sudden contact caught Arthur off guard, and he stumbled slightly.
"I'm fine, Your Highness." Mary's cheeks were as red as ripe apples, so flushed that they almost seemed to bleed.
Though Mary didn't fully understand the implications of what had just happened, she knew that such intimate contact was inappropriate.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I accidentally tripped," Mary quickly explained.
Though the accident led to their contact, Mary didn't want to be seen as intentional and didn't want to leave a bad impression on Arthur.
"It's alright, miss. May I know your name?" Arthur smiled and shook his head, not minding the incident.
In fact, Arthur now paid more attention to the girl's appearance. Even in a room filled with beautiful women, she stood out, her beauty like a delicate flower among a field of grass.
"Mary, Mary Pavlovna, Your Highness," Mary gently nodded and responded.
The incident in the corner caught everyone's attention, as Arthur was the center of the banquet's focus.
When everyone saw that the main characters were Arthur and Grand Duchess Mary, they tactfully waited for the outcome.
"Mary? Very well, may I invite you to dance?" Arthur nodded and asked the girl before him.
Mary nodded again, her hands, as white as jade, gently resting on Arthur's. She followed him to the center of the dance floor.
(End of Chapter)
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