Journal Entry Four

10. März 2020

During the past week, I was mostly bedridden. My physician said that I had succumbed to exhaustion due to my extensive workload. Thankfully, I awoke today feeling more like myself.

This afternoon, Jonas and Queen Claudia requested my assistance with helping to look for a handmade clock that was a family heirloom. We were in a room on the third floor of the palace that resembled a regular household attic. The room is unfinished and cluttered with furniture, collectibles, and clothing inherited from both sides of the royal family. It was in this room that I found something intriguing.

I had pulled open a drawer from a dilapidated end table, and to my amazement, I found old letters neatly tied in wool string. It took every bit of the energy I had to keep my curiosity in check in order not to untie the binding and read the letters. I proceeded to walk across the room and then handed the letters to Jonas and Queen Claudia. As his eyes widened with interest, King Jonas looked at me and smiled.

Jonas asked me, “Do you know what you just found?” Of course, I had not a clue. I’m sure my facial reaction expressed what I was thinking. He turned to Queen Claudia and said, “We have always heard of the existence of these letters.” My curiosity spiked higher. The anticipation of knowing what the content of the letters held was overwhelming me.

Jonas continued, “These are the letters sent to my family from Kaiser Wilhelm I and Kaiser Wilhelm II. Our family had a unique connection to the House of Hohenzollern of Prussia. Both of our families wrote back and forth to one another over the years.”

I thought to myself, “What subjects were corresponded about by the Hohenzollern and Dietrich royal families? Did they often see each other? Did their children play with one another on holiday?”

On 17. March 2020, our nation will vote. I am concerned about how the election will play out due to the virus. Both Italy and Spain are currently reporting a considerable increase in infections and deaths from COVID-19. I privately question if it would be in the best interest of the kingdom to delay the elections. However, a delay could cause even more friction on the streets of Dorstenland.