Journal Entry 19

21. Juli 2020

At the insistence of the king, I spent most of the afternoon at the palace. I can feel depression setting in, so I know a change of scenery from my estate was in order. It has been 17 long days since Karina and the children were taken from me. Also, I have not seen one of my sisters in person since my family’s abduction. Because of security concerns, my sisters and I only communicate via secured lines set up by DG9.

Just two days after Karina and the children disappeared, Jonas instructed the palace’s security chief, Damien Fernsby, to establish 24-hour security for my sisters and their families. I am grateful that the king is doing everything in his power to ensure the safety of my sisters and me. I do not think that there could be a better friend in the world than Jonas. He is a selfless man. I know of no other head of a monarchy or state, past or present, who prefers to rule on the empathy they feel rather than the sterile expectations of the position they hold.

I worry about the safety of the king and that of his family. It is not only due to my role as his secretary, but also because we have been best friends our entire lives. Without any brothers as siblings, the king has filled that empty part of my life.

I feel the distraction of working at the palace has helped me realize that there is still a busy world out there, and its daily events continue even though it seems everything around me is crumbling.

I have not received additional information regarding the intelligence reports that indicate my family is on a ship in the Gulf of Finland. Each time my mobile’s ringer went off today, I answered with the hope that Karina, Otto, or Emma was on the other end. I will never give up on that hope.