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Journal Entry 78
26.09.2026 Jonas sat next to me, staring at the notes in front of him. 13 §175 Cob 13 “What am I supposed to make of this, Ian?” “I should ask you the same,” I replied. “13? What—a baker’s dozen? Cob? Corn on the cob? How were you able to decipher the first two lines?” “Jonas, it took time. You need to think of these lines as riddles or clues. Whoever wrote that letter is playing a game, and someone is watching the both of us. How else do you explain the hourglass with blood-red sand that was brought to our table in Lithuania?” I looked down at the notes. “Think,…
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Journal Entry 77
23.09.2026 I did it again. I broke royal protocol, and I would not change a thing. Perhaps my choice of setting—right in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo—was not one of the best decisions of my life. But damn, it felt good for Jonas and me to act as we had in our youth, even if only for a few brief moments. Yes, my dearest journal, letting my antics get the best of me in front of the press during a photo shoot may have been a little extreme, but we only live once, right? To be fair, I blame Jonas. I mean, he started it by straightening my…
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Journal Entry 76
20.09.2026 We agreed: it will be just the two of us. I do not believe I am paranoid. But after what Jonas and I have been through, I cannot trust anyone with this except myself and the King. Perhaps I have pressed my demands on Jonas too forcefully. Still, my gut tells me something is wrong. I cannot say what. Until we decipher the third and fourth lines—and understand the message as a whole—I have to consider who might be involved. “Everyone” is too broad a word. I do not suspect our families, Jonas’s security team, our intelligence agencies, or Fräulein Heng. What concerns me is who might be close…
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Journal Entry 75
19.09.2026 His Majesty was upset. No, I should probably use the American term: pissed off. He had every right to be. I had kept Jonas in the dark long enough. As soon as we departed Vilnius, the King brought in DG9 and DBND to protect his children and mine, both in Dorstenland and abroad. I doubt Princess Tatiana was pleased to have DBND officers standing nearby during her first solo violin performance in Madrid. She deserved to have the audience’s attention on her music. Instead, two men stood beneath the chandelier, watching the room. Oh, my dearest journal, I believe—no, I know—I miscalculated terribly when I burned that cryptic letter…
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Journal Entry 74
11.09.2026 Our last day in Vilnius called for a celebratory lunch before we departed for Oslo, Norway. Jonas and I planned to discuss what we had accomplished during the visit and what lay ahead. I was especially eager to tell him that I had leased a building in Naujoji Vilnia, in eastern Vilnius, for Kronensport’s first store outside Dorstenland. We had just begun our meal when a server stopped beside our table. She held a silver tray bearing an hourglass and a small note. The sand in the hourglass was red. I picked up the note. One word was written on it. Ticktack. The sand. The word. I turned to…
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Journal Entry 73
09.09.2026 My dearest journal, I cannot truly express in words how proud I was as I watched Jonas address Lithuania’s Seimas. The members of Parliament appeared entranced by the King’s speech. The standing ovation Jonas received at its conclusion brought tears of happiness to my eyes. While watching him, my thoughts returned to when we were children. Back then, I never thought deeply about the responsibilities of a king, much less those carried by the King of Dorstenland. Although we were required to follow royal protocol as children, that never stopped Jonas and me from playing practical jokes on staff and family members. To be honest, there were plenty of…
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Journal Entry 72
07.09.2026 Deciphering lines three and four will need to wait. Duty calls in the form of my responsibilities as Private Secretary. Jonas and I flew to Vilnius this morning for his first state visit to Lithuania. The King will focus on developing trade and cultural ties with the Baltic nation, while I tour properties for the establishment of the first Kronensport store outside Dorstenland. My senses have been on high alert all day, beginning the moment we arrived at the royal hangar at Eberbach International Airport. I found myself repeatedly glancing at anything—or anyone—that appeared out of place. I do not know why this sense of dread consumes my every…
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Journal Entry 71
05.09.2026 Line Two. To be honest with you, my obsession with decoding the cryptic line consumed every minute of my day. 995 – Елизавета – 50912040 – Fragmente I cannot recall whether I ate a meal today. I do not feel hungry. Instead, I feel nauseous and dizzy—something I have not experienced since Karina and the children were taken from me. The second line: two numbers and two words. One word in Russian. The other in German. 995—The article of the Imperial Russian Penal Code that criminalised sexual acts between men. Елизавета—Elizaveta, the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich Romanov. 50912040—These numbers took me the longest to decipher. Read backwards,…
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Journal Entry 70
04.09.2026 Although I asked Fräulein Heng to help me decipher the next line, she declined each time I asked. No—at Die Verborgene Tasse. No—when we arrived home. No—during yesterday’s breakfast. I felt like a child begging his mother. In hindsight, I should not have told her that the letter was written in blood. Then again, I have always been honest with her. Last evening, I tried my hardest to make sense of the second line. My concentration lasted almost an hour before I gave up, retired to my quarters, and turned on the Glotze. Honestly, I do not remember whether I even chose a show to watch on Prime Video,…
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Journal Entry 69
02.09.2026 Fräulein Heng—not only is she our family’s nanny, but I also consider her my therapist, my advisor, and, above all, my friend. When I asked Fräulein Heng this morning if she would consider joining me for afternoon tea at Die Verborgene Tasse Tea Room in Eberbach, she took a deep breath and asked, “What have you done now?” I smiled, wrapped my arms around her, and replied, “Nothing. I swear. But I may.” Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Fräulein Heng responded, “Ian, I am getting too old for your shenanigans.” After kissing her cheek, I told her I would return at 1:00 p.m. for our tea date.…
