xymnovel Chapter 295 The Most Deadly Form of Coquetry
Chapter 295 The Most Deadly Form of Coquetry
Chapter 295 The Most Deadly Form of Coquetry
Constantine's letter, like a carrier pigeon exhausted of all its strength, crossed mountains and rivers to reach Athens.
In the royal palace’s private greenhouse, Sofia is pruning a rare rose variety that was brought from Sicily.
The afternoon sun shone warmly through the huge glass dome, bathing her golden hair in a sweet fragrance of citrus and jasmine.
When the maid presented the letter, she had just cut off a flower bud that was about to bloom.
On the envelope was her husband's strong, familiar handwriting, which she knew all too well.
She put down the silver flower shears in her hand and opened the envelope.
On the letter, the husband's slightly messy handwriting and the suppressed weariness between the lines were like a sudden dark cloud, instantly blocking out all the sunlight in the greenhouse.
Her heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand.
A sharp, piercing pain spread from my chest.
She gently placed her husband's letter on the small round table beside her.
On the other side of the table were several local Athenian newspapers. The front pages of the newspapers, in the largest font, exaggeratedly praised her "mercy and courage" in Ioannina, calling her "the goddess of peace who quelled the rebellion."
Constantine also mentioned this in his letter.
He wrote: "Your wisdom and courage are like the presence of Athena herself. You are the pride of me and of all Greece."
A slight blush rose to Sofia's cheeks. But she quickly understood her husband's true intention.
He wasn't simply praising her.
He was reminding her in this way: we are partners fighting side by side. Your victories at the rear gave me the confidence to go all out at the front. Now, it's your turn to strike again.
Sofia stood up.
She walked out of the warm and bright greenhouse, through the long corridor, and straight back to her study.
The light in the study was much dimmer.
She did not have a maid write it for her.
She walked to a row of bookshelves and took out a locked heart-shaped wooden box from an inconspicuous corner.
Open the box with a small silver key, and inside lies a stack of letters.
At the top of the letter was an exquisite and majestic emblem—a black eagle of the Prussian Hohenzollern family, poised for flight.
This is her dowry that she brought from Berlin.
This is the most direct proof of her bloodline and origin.
She sat at her desk, spread out a sheet of paper, and picked up a fountain pen with a sapphire inlaid on its handle.
She did not write immediately.
She just sat quietly, the face of her brother Wilhelm II appearing in her mind.
That face, always confident, even somewhat flamboyant, yet fiercely protective of his family, especially his younger sister.
After a long while, she dipped her brush in ink and began to write.
"My dearest William—"
At the beginning of the letter, she did not talk about any dry topics about the country or politics.
She complained about how gloomy and damp the weather in London was in a tone that belonged only to her sister.
She wrote that Connie had worked tirelessly day and night for his country, and had lost a lot of weight. His eyes, which were once as bright as the Aegean Sea, were now always bloodshot.
The focus of the letter began to shift subtly.
With delicate strokes, she depicted the Greek people she saw in the newly liberated areas, people who had just escaped centuries of enslavement. She wrote about the light in their eyes, that humble yet fervent hope for the future.
Between the lines, there is a uniquely feminine compassion and empathy.
Then, she changed the subject.
The feeling of pity disappeared, replaced by a tone that was almost coquettish, yet with just the right amount of grievance.
She wrote the most crucial part.
"—I heard that at the negotiating table in London, it was our British cousins who led the way in making things difficult for Connie."
"Have they all forgotten that I am also Victoria's maternal grandmother's granddaughter?"
"William, my dearest brother, do you really want to see your sister, a Prussian princess, end up as the wife of a defeated monarch?"
"If that's the case, what will my relatives think of me at family gatherings in Berlin and Potsdam? They'll point at my back and say, 'Look, that's Sofia, who married a beggar king.'"
"And her brother, the German Emperor, the most powerful monarch in Europe, stood idly by."
She stopped writing after finishing the last word.
She carefully folded the letter and put it into the envelope that bore the same black eagle emblem.
She didn't cry.
In her eyes, there was only a hunter's resolute determination to succeed.
She picked up the bell on the table and shook it gently.
A clear bell rang, and a maid pushed open the door and entered.
"Send this letter to Berlin immediately, as quickly as possible."