Journal Entry 67

30.08.2026

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, is it not? My mind did not receive the memo.

Hohenzollern – Friedrich – Sohn – Katte

Those four words made up the first line of the letter.

Although I burned the letter in front of Jonas, I had quickly written down its contents after retreating to my bedchamber, leaving Jonas and Damien behind in the gazebo.

Hohenzollern. That was easy—Prussia.

Friedrich – Sohn. An apparent reference to Frederick the Great, son of Friedrich Wilhelm I.

Katte. This name I did not recognize—or did I? Perhaps I had merely misplaced the memory.

Sometimes, one of the advantages of being a king’s private secretary is the ability to secure special access. Yes, I know. Jonas scowls whenever I take advantage of my title. I would have thought that, by now, His Majesty would have abandoned his quest to convince me to behave according to royal protocol. Flogging a dead horse comes to mind.

Early this morning, I went to the library at Uni Eberbach. Although it is closed on Sundays, I placed a call to a former colleague who now serves as the library’s assistant administrator.

Jonas would not have approved.

With the assistant administrator’s guidance, I located a book that caught my attention—Friedrich und Katte: Der Kronprinzen-Prozeß by Rainer Ahnert.

I have no doubt that I will put this cryptic puzzle together.

And I will confront the person who wrote the letter, whether they expect me to or not.