1917-June-20
Entering the mansion, I found many servants working, and the place lacked no luxury at all, just as one might expect from a rich family, considering they were relatives of the Kaiser and were accustomed to absolute luxury thanks to having a large personal budget. The Tsar was one of the few monarchs who almost never had to put his budget to a vote before his weak parliament, which was barely ceremonial more than anything.
So, under the attentive gaze of those trusted servants of the Kaiser, I made my way through the mansion complex until I reached the place where the Romanov family was supposedly staying. When I opened the doors, I felt the warmth and heard the sound of a fireplace crackling with wood in the flames.
''A fire in the middle of spring?'' I said as I observed the room and looked at the Romanovs, who were all enjoying their stay in the mansion.
Nicholas was beside his wife while reading some kind of book to Aleksei, while his daughters were busy with some kind of embroidery, completely focused on it.
''Karl…'' Nicholas Romanov said, staring at me with a serious look while closing the book he had been reading.
''Oh, noble Junker… your visit was never announced'' the Tsar's wife replied, gently moving her son from her lap as she rose from the armchair where she had been sitting.
''The nights in this area can be somewhat cold, especially with the sea wind that can come from the coast, so it is necessary. I do not want my son to fall ill or anything of the sort'' Nicholas replied while placing himself in front of his daughters.
''Why so defensive? It is not as though I have come to harm you… I only came to check that you are well at your cousin's request. I must make sure that your stay in this mansion is as suitable as possible'' I said, running my fingers over some pieces of furniture, touching them lightly as I walked.
''Because it is clear that you do not like me, and who knows what things you could do to my family, knowing your reputation'' Nicholas said, acting very defensive for some reason.
''Well, you would be defensive with most of the world, because I think that, except for your cousin and a few acquaintances, people only know you because you were a terrible war leader and a terrible leader in general… and well, my reputation is my reputation. The fact that they say I am a bloodthirsty monster does not mean I am one… because people are guided by what they hear, but I could never say that you are a bad person… only incompetent, because I know you are a good father'' I said while walking around him.
''Oh, please, we cannot act like this with him. He has helped us more than anyone else has'' Nicholas's wife said, trying to calm her husband.
''Young Aleksei…'' I said, slowly walking toward the son of the deposed Tsar, while Nicholas pressed his lips together when he saw me approach his son.
''Yes?'' the young Romanov asked with bright eyes.
''Tell me, how have you been feeling? Has the doctor managed to help you in any way?'' I said, crouching down as I brought myself to his height.
''Fine'' he said, looking at his father.
''Have they prescribed aspirin again or anything of the sort?'' I asked while placing my hands on my knees, looking at his parents.
''Yes, but… we refused. We insisted that another treatment be tried, since according to what you said, that worsened Aleksei's condition'' Nicholas said, nodding.
''Good. It is better that he does not take it, or that whatever medicine they consider best does not contain anticoagulants'' I said, looking at the Romanovs. ''And you, young Aleksei, are you enjoying your stay here? Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?'' I added, looking at the youngest of the Romanovs.
''Father says the local wine tastes horrible, that he would like to have something more special, since it is barely drinkable'' Aleksei replied after thinking for a little while.
''The first thing you do is think of your family. You are certainly a good son. Do not worry, I will make sure to give your parents good wine, since everything is bought locally, but I will send someone to obtain some renowned wine… but do you not want anything for yourself?'' I said with a slight smile.
''No… I would like to be able to meet with my friends, but I know we cannot return'' Aleksei replied.
''Unfortunately, that is not something even I can do'' I said, ruffling his hair as I rose from one knee, though with some difficulty because of the tingling in my legs.
I found warm smiles from the daughters of the deposed Tsar, who had stopped embroidering to give me a shy wave before continuing with what they had been doing.
''Aside from the wine your son requested, is there anything else we can do for you? From now on, I am the Herzog of the United Baltic Duchy, and clearly the Kaiser placed me here with the intention that I safeguard you from everything'' I said, looking at Nicholas and his wife, who took her husband's arm to calm whatever was going through his head.
''A tailor, for a start. Much of the clothing we were given barely fits us, and we have been struggling to dress ourselves… and the local food is certainly not of the best quality. If possible, obtain it from the same sources my cousin gets his food from, since although the servants can work wonders with what the local farmers sell, much of it can barely be called edible'' Nicholas replied while looking at me.
''That would raise too many suspicions if trucks departed every day from Berlin toward these lands, and the local nobles are only waiting for me to make a mistake so they can try to remove me with a complaint to the Kaiser. So I fear I cannot fulfill that particular request, but I will do everything within my power to bring you better quality food'' I replied after thinking about it for a little while.
''Thank you'' Nicholas replied.
''Well, considering you have nothing more serious to report about your situation, I will return to my duties, since I have quite a few things to do regarding the situation of the duchy'' I said, looking each member of the family in the eyes one by one before making the motion to turn around.
''Wait'' the Romanov patriarch asked.
''Yes?'' I said, turning my head and fixing my eyes on the deposed Tsar.
''What about Russia? Nobody tells us anything about the situation. What has happened to my people?'' Nicholas asked with some concern in his voice.
''Why are you interested in knowing that? You abdicated and also renounced young Aleksei's rights, so I find it strange that you care about something that no longer has anything to do with you'' I said, placing my hands on my waist while tilting my head a little.
''I abdicated because I had no other choice. The army was falling apart, the nobles were fighting each other, the people would not stop going on strike after strike and there was no way to do anything, so it was the only option. Besides, my son was too young to even take the throne on his own, so I preferred that another of my relatives take the throne'' Nicholas said, looking serious.
''Oh, well, unfortunately by your cousin's orders, I am afraid I cannot tell you anything about the current situation in Russia, since first we want to avoid exposing you to certain events, such as trying to contact your supporters. The only thing I can tell you is that they think you and your family are dead. It is already general knowledge that the Romanovs burned to death in their palace, so nobody is looking for you, or at least that was the lie Kerensky's government told. Anything else you know puts you at risk, since we do not want people to start investigating where you are, much less someone from Germany while the Kaiser himself gave you asylum in secret'' I said calmly with a slight smile.
''The only reason you would not want to give me information is because something bad is happening in Russia, is it not?'' he asked, insisting.
''We are not going to talk about that. Your cousin's orders. You will be able to ask him every question you consider necessary when he comes to visit you, whenever he finds some time, considering how the war is going'' I replied without much emotion.
''Well… why do you not stay for dinner? It must have been a long journey, and the return may be even longer'' Alexandra said, looking at me while gripping her husband's arm firmly.
''I appreciate the invitation, but my time is limited. I only came to fulfill my duty of verifying that your stay here is as tolerable as possible for you. Now that I know there are problems with the food, I will make sure to find something more suitable for your palate. Perhaps I will see if I can obtain some Hungarian wine. As I understand it, there are some regions worthy of mention, and I will consult about that'' I said while preparing to leave.
''Excuse me, Herzog Karl, we wanted to give you this as thanks. We have done it with the other men, but I understand that you and the other member of your group who helped us have not received yours… since we did not know how to contact you'' one of Nicholas's daughters said, approaching me and handing me two embroideries.
It was a kind of profile image of our appearances made with wool threads, which in a way resembled us, highlighting my cheek scar and the scar Ferdinand had near his cheekbone.
''Eh… thank you. It was not easy, but I am glad I got you out of there, since your fate seemed very dark, considering that it was a reality that you would be executed if some radical socialist branch took control of the state'' I said, taking the embroideries and placing them under my arm after looking at them.
''Truly… thank you. Only God knows what would have happened to us, and perhaps what you said is true. While we were locked in that palace, the guards were horrible and treated us very badly because of who we were'' another of Nicholas's daughters said.
I nodded.
''You have a beautiful family, Nicholas. Do not lose it by trying to recover power. I would have sacrificed many things in my life to have something like this. Fate can be cruel sometimes. Do not waste this opportunity, enjoy what you have and do not think about what you lost, since this situation is almost paradise in the eyes of some'' I said, putting on my hat.
''Well, you have to keep coming, so when you can, we invite you to eat with us'' Nicholas said after sighing heavily and seeing his daughter sit on the sofa, where they were looking at me.
''Thank you for the invitation. I will see what I can do, since because of my tight schedule and work, I have to deal with administrative duties, supervise many things and at the same time continue training. But I will try. Have a good afternoon'' I said, turning around and leaving the room.
As I left, I felt the difference in temperature, since the lit fire clearly changed the local warmth a great deal. Without wasting time, I reached my vehicle and stored the embroideries they had made for me, since they were a nice gift to keep. Although I had carried out the mission out of pure greed, I was glad to know that I had managed to save a family that, in theory, was a great family, and that it had not been destroyed as history would have done.
''Keep your guard up. I will have the mansion connected to a telegraph so we can communicate, and you will inform me of anything you consider necessary. I will be coming every two weeks or once a month to check that everything is in order. Do not let anyone come near, and if you see someone watching too much, do not hesitate to kill him'' I said seriously.
''At your orders, Karl'' the Jaeger Kommando said, opening the door to let the vehicle pass.
After finishing my inspection of the deposed Tsar's facilities, I began driving back to Riga. It would be a long and cold journey.
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