Given the history of the posters on this timeline you are lucky that we are not already making a Shidduch for Manfred von Mischner and Suse Rosa von Knipsel.
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
There are a few reasons why I don't think Kiki would ask Ben to go. First, it would break the rules Kat laid down when she moved in, that Kiki had to be incognito. Kat doesn't want the press camped out on her lawn again. And the one thing that would make sure that happened is for Kiki to show up with an "unknown boy" who is obviously not a royal or even from an aristocratic family. They would find out who he is very quickly and connect the dots. I'm sure its probably an open secret among some of the press about the whole arrangement, just so far no one is willing to cross the Tigress over it. But the Princess dating a commoner would blow all that out of the water and the paparazzi would soon show up. Kiki should understand all this and if not Kat will be sure to tell her.
More than the consequences to Kat and Kiki thought it would be grossly unfair to Ben and his family. So if Kiki really cares about him she won't do it. If she really wants to be serious with Ben Kat could sneak them in to the palace for a family dinner, but a Royal Wedding is not the place to show up in public with your prospective boyfriend. Even if it would give all the stodgy monarchists a heart attack!
More than the consequences to Kat and Kiki thought it would be grossly unfair to Ben and his family. So if Kiki really cares about him she won't do it. If she really wants to be serious with Ben Kat could sneak them in to the palace for a family dinner, but a Royal Wedding is not the place to show up in public with your prospective boyfriend. Even if it would give all the stodgy monarchists a heart attack!
Why? It means she can finally plant those landmines out there. Or at least engage in some target practice without leaving her house.
More seriously, I can understand why she doesn't, but at the same time...
That young whippersnapper? With the princess? What a repulsive thought! Why, it goes against the very rules of nature! Why he's...he's... a commoner
Which is likely as not precisely why Kiki WOULD consider him as a serious possibility if it got put to her like that...
Sounds like the Hungarians still own Transylvania? The Romanians are trying to hold onto Moldova while claiming Transylvania at the same time.
I'm surprised that Moldova would be revolting against Romania when it's Romanian-speaking as well. Transnistria (the Russian-speaking part) was only artificially added to Moldova's borders in OTL after the Soviets annexed Bessarabia from Romania in 1940. If Romania did annex territory beyond the river Dniester ITTL, then it should be Transnistria that's being mentioned as being in revolt and not Moldova.
If Trieste (or Triest in German) still belongs to Austria, that means that the Austrian Littoral (present-day eastern Friuli and Istria) belongs to Austria as well. If Slovenia is independent, its borders would be restricted to only Carniola and it is doubtful that it would have the ability to project power beyond its borders, being surrounded by Austria, Hungary, and Croatia/Yugoslavia. Unless it's the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (or its TTL equivalent) making the claim against Trieste?
Part 83, Chapter 1276
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Seventy-Six
21st April 1958
Berlin
Douglas had predicted that she would not last three days. In the end Kat made it a week and she wasn’t the one who brought it to a head. Though Kat suspected that it was because she had only gone to see Charlotte three times and only for a few hours.
“If you don’t want to be here, you ought to leave” Charlotte said.
“Excuse me?” Kat asked.
“I’m not stupid Katherine” Charlotte replied, “Some of the girls I worked with in Vienna are acting just like you are when someone tells them to do something they don’t want to do, and they don’t feel they can say no.”
“I don’t understand the reference” Kat said.
“Your file in juvenile records made for fascinating reading” Charlotte said, “If you are what they will be like in twenty years, I don’t know if I should feel encouraged or despair.”
Kat wondered where the copy of her records that Charlotte had read had come from. She was certain that she had found and burnt every copy several years earlier. Evidently, she had missed one. The last thing she wanted was some future historian trying to piece together her motivations, giving too much weight to certain things and getting the wrong impression about what drove her.
“You are right” Kat said, “I don’t want to be here. The relationship I had with Kira wasn’t healthy and I don’t want to go through that again.”
“That wasn’t how Louis described how things were between you and her” Charlotte said. Kat noticed that she didn’t say Kira’s name. Whoever said that ghosts didn’t haunt the living didn’t know what they were talking about. The specter of the Empress seemed to hang over everything that they did.
“Our relationship wasn’t one of equals” Kat replied, “I owed almost everything to Kira and while she didn’t leverage that against me, it was always there. She was also extremely good at maneuvering people into doing exactly what she wanted.”
“You are worried that I will do that to you?” Charlotte asked.
“While I doubt you will want to do things like that, I think your position mandates that you must be completely ruthless at times” Kat said, wondering if she was saying entirely too much. “My experience is that Kings and Queens always give with one hand, take with the other.”
“Yet you have allowed Kristina to live with you” Charlotte observed.
“I’ve seen her trying to grow as a person, far beyond what would be expected of someone of her birth” Kat replied, “That was the thing that caused her to come to blows with her mother and it is something that I think should be encouraged.”
“Thank you for your honesty” Charlotte said, “Did I tell you why I became a Social Worker?”
“I’m sorry, you didn’t”
“You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that Kristina isn’t the only one who felt that she needed to be more than was expected.”
That was an angle that Kat hadn’t considered.
“And what exactly was it that your former Mistress asked of you that was taking too much?” Charlotte asked.
Kat had to think about that. There were the times that Kira had disregarded Kat’s health, how that had almost caused her to resign from everything and move to Canada when she had been recovering from a bleeding ulcer. None of that had been the breaking point though. It had been the year long period of time between when Kiki had hit her mother after daring to stand up to her, getting slapped across the face for it and Gia going to rescue Asia. Kat had tried to reason with Kira several times, and Kira had been having none of it. In the months since then, When the Empress had threatened to dismiss Kat from her service if she said anything else in defense of Kiki and Gia it would have been the end of their relationship even if Kira hadn’t suffered a heart attack.
Then as Kira had been laying on a bed in the hospital with her heart failing, she had been unable to let her anger go. Instead of making things right she had made sure that her spite was the last thing that her daughter and cousin received from her. Watching that, all Kat felt was pity for Kira had allowed herself to become. How to explain that to Charlotte though?
“She stopped listening to me” Kat replied, “She also expected me to follow her in condemning people who I love, who were not deserving of the treatment they received from her.”
“Jehane Alexandra Thomas-Romanova?” Charlotte asked.
“Kiki as well” Kat replied, “When they did some things that she didn’t want, Kira treated it like a personal betrayal.”
“Kiki?” Charlotte asked.
“Princess Kristina” Kat said, “It is what those closest to her have called her since she was a toddler.”
“I was unaware of that” Charlotte said, “Anything else like that?”
“In Russia, everyone calls Jehane Sasha” Kat replied, “Here, among her friends and family she’s called Gia because Gianna was her assumed name for several years.”
“You really did help her fake her death?” Charlotte asked.
“It was a matter of life and death” Kat replied, “The NKVD wasn’t going to stop trying to kill her so long as they knew she was alive. I didn’t see any other way out for her.”
“That was an extraordinary step” Charlotte said, “You were what? Eighteen or nineteen when you did that?”
Kat loathed the thought of Court politics and getting pulled back into it. Kat also knew that Charlotte wasn’t exactly equipped to enter that world, Charlotte seemed like she was too nice. This was exactly why Louis had asked her to get involved.
21st April 1958
Berlin
Douglas had predicted that she would not last three days. In the end Kat made it a week and she wasn’t the one who brought it to a head. Though Kat suspected that it was because she had only gone to see Charlotte three times and only for a few hours.
“If you don’t want to be here, you ought to leave” Charlotte said.
“Excuse me?” Kat asked.
“I’m not stupid Katherine” Charlotte replied, “Some of the girls I worked with in Vienna are acting just like you are when someone tells them to do something they don’t want to do, and they don’t feel they can say no.”
“I don’t understand the reference” Kat said.
“Your file in juvenile records made for fascinating reading” Charlotte said, “If you are what they will be like in twenty years, I don’t know if I should feel encouraged or despair.”
Kat wondered where the copy of her records that Charlotte had read had come from. She was certain that she had found and burnt every copy several years earlier. Evidently, she had missed one. The last thing she wanted was some future historian trying to piece together her motivations, giving too much weight to certain things and getting the wrong impression about what drove her.
“You are right” Kat said, “I don’t want to be here. The relationship I had with Kira wasn’t healthy and I don’t want to go through that again.”
“That wasn’t how Louis described how things were between you and her” Charlotte said. Kat noticed that she didn’t say Kira’s name. Whoever said that ghosts didn’t haunt the living didn’t know what they were talking about. The specter of the Empress seemed to hang over everything that they did.
“Our relationship wasn’t one of equals” Kat replied, “I owed almost everything to Kira and while she didn’t leverage that against me, it was always there. She was also extremely good at maneuvering people into doing exactly what she wanted.”
“You are worried that I will do that to you?” Charlotte asked.
“While I doubt you will want to do things like that, I think your position mandates that you must be completely ruthless at times” Kat said, wondering if she was saying entirely too much. “My experience is that Kings and Queens always give with one hand, take with the other.”
“Yet you have allowed Kristina to live with you” Charlotte observed.
“I’ve seen her trying to grow as a person, far beyond what would be expected of someone of her birth” Kat replied, “That was the thing that caused her to come to blows with her mother and it is something that I think should be encouraged.”
“Thank you for your honesty” Charlotte said, “Did I tell you why I became a Social Worker?”
“I’m sorry, you didn’t”
“You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that Kristina isn’t the only one who felt that she needed to be more than was expected.”
That was an angle that Kat hadn’t considered.
“And what exactly was it that your former Mistress asked of you that was taking too much?” Charlotte asked.
Kat had to think about that. There were the times that Kira had disregarded Kat’s health, how that had almost caused her to resign from everything and move to Canada when she had been recovering from a bleeding ulcer. None of that had been the breaking point though. It had been the year long period of time between when Kiki had hit her mother after daring to stand up to her, getting slapped across the face for it and Gia going to rescue Asia. Kat had tried to reason with Kira several times, and Kira had been having none of it. In the months since then, When the Empress had threatened to dismiss Kat from her service if she said anything else in defense of Kiki and Gia it would have been the end of their relationship even if Kira hadn’t suffered a heart attack.
Then as Kira had been laying on a bed in the hospital with her heart failing, she had been unable to let her anger go. Instead of making things right she had made sure that her spite was the last thing that her daughter and cousin received from her. Watching that, all Kat felt was pity for Kira had allowed herself to become. How to explain that to Charlotte though?
“She stopped listening to me” Kat replied, “She also expected me to follow her in condemning people who I love, who were not deserving of the treatment they received from her.”
“Jehane Alexandra Thomas-Romanova?” Charlotte asked.
“Kiki as well” Kat replied, “When they did some things that she didn’t want, Kira treated it like a personal betrayal.”
“Kiki?” Charlotte asked.
“Princess Kristina” Kat said, “It is what those closest to her have called her since she was a toddler.”
“I was unaware of that” Charlotte said, “Anything else like that?”
“In Russia, everyone calls Jehane Sasha” Kat replied, “Here, among her friends and family she’s called Gia because Gianna was her assumed name for several years.”
“You really did help her fake her death?” Charlotte asked.
“It was a matter of life and death” Kat replied, “The NKVD wasn’t going to stop trying to kill her so long as they knew she was alive. I didn’t see any other way out for her.”
“That was an extraordinary step” Charlotte said, “You were what? Eighteen or nineteen when you did that?”
Kat loathed the thought of Court politics and getting pulled back into it. Kat also knew that Charlotte wasn’t exactly equipped to enter that world, Charlotte seemed like she was too nice. This was exactly why Louis had asked her to get involved.
Methinks Charlotte is going to be a viper. Quite the bite and sting she will have when unleashed.
Moreover, she's someone who can see AND understand actually Kat's actions and finds them SANE.
The most ironical is that Louis Ferdinand knows that Kat's very nature will drive her to support Charlotte even more than she did with Kira, because Charlotte understands the REAL world unlike Kira, and as such, Charlotte wouldn't demand from Kat rather outrageous goals or such.
Who knows, this could mean that Kat finally finds a place in the halls of power that she is relatively at peace with. Funnily enough, it would be largely the same as the one she has already been occupying for decades just with a different mistress.
Ok, serious question, but if Charlotte and Louis end up having a child together, where does he/she sit in the line of succession?
Yep.... Remember the prophetic message from the elder Dine Women during Stefan and Nizhoni Horst's wedding ?
Below Kira's Male Children at the very least due to Sallic Laws. Even if the firstborn of Charlotte is a boy, he would be third in the succession chain.....
The relationship between Kira and Kat is one that is very complicated.
It evolved over the years from the fact that Kat was willing to lay down her life to save the Imperial Family.
Kira could also trust Kat completely because Kat was probably the only person in her circle who didn’t want anything from her.
What changed was after the attempt on Kira’s life, Kira became more fearful of things she couldn’t control and that is what made Kira bitter in the end.
It evolved over the years from the fact that Kat was willing to lay down her life to save the Imperial Family.
Kira could also trust Kat completely because Kat was probably the only person in her circle who didn’t want anything from her.
What changed was after the attempt on Kira’s life, Kira became more fearful of things she couldn’t control and that is what made Kira bitter in the end.
Charlotte seems like the nice type who knows where everybody keeps their skeletons, and how people tick. I don't think she is as innocent as she lets people believe. And I think she is very aware that if she dangles Katherine, The Dreaded in front of everyone, they'll focus on that.
Contrary to Kira, she'll not force people to do something. Instead, she'll probably mold people to do what is required.
I've known people like that. The shriveled hand of one geezpotato that seemed to control you, even after death