Catherine and the Black Emperor

032. The Princess Who Cheered Up

Sergei and Naryshkin sat below the stage, while two "soldiers" were engaged in a fencing duel on the stage.

One was Peter, and the other was Sophia.

In Naryshkin's words: Heaven knows how unromantic the Grand Duke was, actually forcing the sick princess to go on stage and duel with him.

"Take this!"

Peter launched a surprise attack and defeated Sophia.

"Noble knight, have mercy!" Sophia pleaded.

"Show no mercy!" Peter shouted.

Naryshkin couldn't help but remind him, "Your Highness, the princess is a lady!"

"Don't interrupt!" Peter retorted.

Before Naryshkin could say anything more, Sergei stopped him with a gesture and whispered, "The princess is a better fencer than the Grand Duke. She's just putting on an act for the Grand Duke."

He had already seen through Sophia's true nature.

"Do you know anything about fencing?" Naryshkin asked.

Sergei did not answer and continued to look at the stage.

Peter and Sophia began their second duel. This time, Sophia lost to the Grand Duke again, but the Grand Duke seemed to be immersed in his role, treating Sophia as an enemy and thrusting his sword tip toward Sophia's eye.

"Be careful!"

Sergei rushed onto the stage, picked up Sophia's sword from the ground, and with a beautiful upward flick, knocked Peter's sword away.

Naryshkin was greatly surprised: "He really knows how to fencing!"

"Saltikov, what are you doing? We're dueling!" Peter shouted.

"Your Grace, I'm responsible for your safety, and the Princess's as well. You two continue." Sergei handed the sword back to Sophia and whispered to her, "You should show your true charm."

Sofia nodded.

The third round of the duel began. Sofia turned and precisely dodged Peter's thrust, then stabbed Peter's hand with her sword. Startled, Peter immediately released his sword, and Sofia took the opportunity to deflect his sword with her own.

This terrified Peter, who covered his head with his hands and hid to the side, fearing that the flying sword would hit him on the head.

"Are you insane! What if you hurt me? Or are you a spy, and you and your mother are both spies? You seduced me, and she went to the Prussian ambassador to steal secrets together!" Peter roared.

Sophia sheathed her sword: "Your Highness, scars are a man's badge of honor, and they will forever remember his enemies!"

Sergei sat there, a smile creeping onto his face.

Sophia was smart; she knew that she needed to regain control of the conversation instead of being led by the nose by Peter.

Sure enough, Peter walked off the stage in frustration, muttering, "I'm a commander, not a soldier. I don't fight, and I don't need to have scars."

Sofia blocked his way, her blue eyes fixed on him.

"Your Excellency, will you marry me? I'm asking for your consent, not His Majesty's!"

Peter looked at her, then picked up a soldier from the sand table beside him.

"This is Field Marshal von Sterling, Frederick the Great's most valiant military leader!"

Sergei got up and tried to go forward, but Peter noticed and loudly ordered him to leave.

"Saltikov, stand there, don't move! Don't speak!"

Peter then turned back to look at Sophia.

"What did you just ask me?"

Sofia's smile was bitter, her blue eyes glistening with tears. Her voice trembled as she replied, "I think I have my answer. Thank you for your honesty, Your Highness! Thank you for giving me such a vivid lesson!"

Sofia turned and left.

Peter then left as well.

Naryshkin approached Sergei anxiously, asking, "What should we do now? Her Majesty the Empress will be furious if she finds out, and we'll all suffer the consequences!"

Sergei glanced at him: "The Grand Duke ordered me to stand here."

Naryshkin's eyes widened: "What is this? Sergei, you can't abandon me! We're brothers!"

"I'll go and persuade the princess, you go and persuade the grand duke."

"My good brother! I love you so much!"

When Sergei arrived at Sofia's room, she was lying on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sergei didn't try to persuade her; he simply sat down at the table.

Not long after, Sofia stopped crying. She looked at Sergei, her eyes red, and said, "You didn't have to come. I'm so sorry, Your Highness. You can yell at me all you want, just please don't stay silent."

"Don't overthink it, Princess. I just want to tell you that there's something the Grand Duke said that you absolutely must take seriously," Sergei gently reminded her.

Sophia only thought for a moment before realizing the key point: "You mean the Grand Duke said that my mother and I are spies?"

"Perhaps not the princess, but the princess's wife has recently been getting too close to the Prussian ambassador. This relationship cannot be explained by the saying 'we are both from Germany,'" Sergei said slowly.

Sofia knew that Sergei was an advisor minister to the secret council, and that his statement clearly indicated that Shuvalov had already taken notice.

Sofia was unaware that Sergei had reached this conclusion because Betskoy had seemed troubled lately. Elizabeth had asked him to seduce Johanna, who was now caught up in her charms and was struggling with whether or not to reveal the secret.

"Your Highness, what should I do?"

Sofia wiped away the tears on her cheeks. In such an important matter, she was very rational and composed, and she completely suppressed her sadness.

"There is no evidence for anything, so the princess only needs to remind the princess's wife."

"I will!" Sofia replied solemnly.

Sergei nodded and left.

Sophia remained silent for a moment, then went to the mirror.

"Even if the Grand Duke doesn't like you, he still wants to marry you. The Grand Duke cannot disobey the Empress's orders."

"Once you're married, you'll be able to be completely honest with the Grand Duke, and you'll definitely be able to win his favor."

"Love at first sight shouldn't lead to feelings developing over time!"

Soon, Sofia calmed herself down, her confidence returned, and she went to the outer room with a serious expression, then went into her mother's bedroom across the hall.

A short while later, Johanna returned from outside and saw her daughter on the sofa.

What are you doing here?

"Who did you go to see? The Prussian ambassador?"

"How dare you speak to your mother like that? Isn't it perfectly normal for me to meet Baron Madfield? We're both from Germany."

"That won't be the case anymore! You are first and foremost the mother of the Grand Duke of Russia's fiancée, and only secondly a German!"

Johanna's face turned cold: "Don't think I can't discipline you here. I'm your mother, and I can discipline you for the rest of your life, even if you become the Grand Duchess of Russia!"

Sofia said coldly, "Fine, I'll be prepared to be arrested by the secret police with you!"

"What did you say?" Johanna suddenly turned around.

"I said you're being watched by the secret police!" Sofia shouted.

Startled, Johanna quickly closed the door: "Keep it down! Keep it down! What's going on? What's happening?"

"How would I know what you did? Don't blame me for not reminding you, Mother, I sincerely advise you to read the story of the sesame seed and the watermelon!"

Sofia left her mother's room, leaving Johanna standing there dumbfounded.

She had just met with Madfield, who asked her to write another letter to King Frederick, not only detailing the secrets of the court but also investigating the reasons for Count Lestoker's disappearance.

"It should be fine, no one will know what I did, so... I'll just write one last letter." Johanna took out her purse from under her skirt and looked at Taylor, who was sitting in a full bag, and said this.