1908
Empress Clotilde rested on a comfortable armchair as a steward placed logs into the fireplace. She gave the man a stern smile, and only when he left the room, she allowed herself a sigh. It had been a very emotional day for a woman who was not prone to share her feelings in public. She was always better expressing herself in writing, and so she did. She took quill and paper and went to sit behind her desk. As usual, she would write to her father, the King of Brasland.
Dear Papa,
“Today my Catherine got engaged to Juan of Mayagua, the young man that I wrote you about earlier. He is a nice boy from a good family, and he sincerely loves Catherine. His mother is Caldan, so I think he's related to Adelaide's in-laws. If only he came from a stable country. Daniel seems to like him, and I certainly prefer him to Albert. I still don’t understand how Daniel allowed our Mary to marry beneath her rank. I’ve struggled to accept Albert, but I confess that I still can’t. It’s just not right for a princess to marry a social inferior. Sadly, Catherine cannot succeed as empress, for Juan will inherit the Mayaguan throne one day. I know it's awful of me to write this, but I cannot help it. I am still very much a Braslander, and our way of doing things is quite different from the Excalbian way. At least I can say that Mary has a beautiful son. My darling Joshua is so pretty, maybe too much for a boy, but I guess there’s no harm in it. I have told Mary that she overprotects him too much, and that he will grow to be a bit spoilt, but she doesn’t listen to my advice anymore, she only cares for her husband's and her father’s opinions.
Of all my children, Catherine is the closest to me. I will miss her very much, and Mayagua is so far away! Only Becca will be left at home, and who knows for how long. She is free and rebellious, and sometimes I fear she will follow Mary’s footsteps. I should start thinking of her marriage, and there may be hope. I recently received an interesting letter from Aunt Caroline. Her son Alex seems to be eager to settle down. If everything turns well, I will arrange a meeting between him and Becca after Catherine’s wedding. I know that he’s Kartlian, and that will mean letting go of my youngest child, but I prefer to see her suitably married than running off with the postman! At this point, I’m seriously worried that Mary’s example has caused damage to her sister's expectations. So you see what I have to face, dearest Papa, to see my daughters married off to foreigners from strange lands. It’s odd how we Balkronns have spread across the region. I wonder what Old Fritz would think of us, do you think he would be proud? I think he’d laugh at us and say we are too worried about marriages and keeping the bloodlines pure, but what can families like ours do if not worry about that? We must remain together to face this modern world. Everything is changing so fast, and politicians here say that a war is approaching, and that it will change our societies in ways we can't foresee. I don't want our world to change, there have been already too many changes in my life. Mama's death, moving away from home, Daniel's ascension to the Sword. I just shiver at the thought of more changes. I thank God that Brasland is still an oasis of order and hierarchy, and that is because of you, Papa. Let’s hope that it remains as such. Now, I must stop writing because Daniel wants me to go to church with him. I abhor the Excalbian creed, of course, but my duties as a wife supersede my personal opinions. I know you understand. Until next time, Papa.
"Your adoring daughter,
"Clotilde.
"PS: I attended Holy Mass this morning. Just letting you know so you don’t worry about me joining Daniel to church."
