Catherine and the Black Emperor

004. Call me Sophia

On February 3, after a long journey, the convoy finally arrived in St. Petersburg.

On the frozen banks of the Vanne River, a thunderous salute resounded from the Peter and Paul Fortress, announcing the arrival of the German princess.

Sergei bid farewell to Sofia and went ahead to the Winter Palace to report.

"Given Peter's nature, he's bound to cause some trouble."

In the square in front of the Winter Palace, a guard of honor with rifles in hand was welcoming guests, and a group of ministers were also waiting. But Sergei immediately saw the problem: this was a much larger procession than that for welcoming a foreign princess.

Sofia would certainly not enjoy such treatment until Elizabeth had finalized her choice of the Grand Duke's fiancée.

Sure enough, Sergei soon found out the reason.

"The Grand Duke has invited his friends from Holstein to his birthday banquet, and the ministers are welcoming him," the head of the guard of honor explained to him.

Thus, the ceremony to welcome the German princess was ruined by the Archduke.

Upon hearing this, Sergei had no intention of standing up for Sofia, nor did he participate in the lively "gathering." After handing the horse over to the guards, he walked into the palace alone.

He went to the window and waited silently for the convoy to arrive.

By doing this, Peter inadvertently created an opportunity for himself to win Sophia's favor, and he had no reason to miss it.

Soon, the motorcade arrived. The honor guard raised their rifles in salute, and the ministers, dressed in bright silk or velvet formal attire, greeted the motorcade with beaming smiles.

Sofia pressed her face against the glass: "Mother, look how they greet us!"

However, no sooner had she finished speaking than a colonel approached. Upon confirming that this was not the Grand Duke's motorcade, he immediately waved for the convoy to move: "Don't stop here, go to the back!"

Johanna's smile vanished instantly: "What's there to be happy about! I knew it wasn't for us!"

As Queen Elizabeth's residence, the Winter Palace is very large, and even the back is quite spacious.

"This place is so big that you can hardly see a person." Sofia got out of the car.

Johanna got out of the car even faster than her and asked the head of the convoy, "Who is this ceremony for? Is there anyone more popular in Russia than us?"

"It's to welcome Grand Duke Peter."

"I didn't say anything, you know that, sir," Johanna immediately corrected herself.

The other person smiled and nodded: "Madam, let's take the luggage down as soon as possible. We need to get back to Riga quickly; the rental fee will only last for three days."

"Rental fee? What rental fee?" Sofia couldn't help but ask.

"It was paid to us by His Highness the Duke."

Johanna found it absurd: "Aren't you the Royal Sleds?"

Sofia, standing to the side, seemed to have guessed something.

The team leader also gave an answer: "It is a royal sleigh, but we did not receive any orders to pick us up. It was the Duke of Saltikov who spoke to the deputy governor and promised to pay the fee, so we made this trip."

Both mother and daughter were stunned.

Walking through the magnificent palace, Johanna's face was filled with displeasure.

"Grand Duke Peter ruined our welcoming ceremony, and didn't even arrange a royal sleigh for us. I see nothing of what an empire should be like here!"

Sofia followed behind, her mind filled with Sergei's warm smile. She couldn't help but say, "If only he really were His Highness the Grand Duke."

Johanna, who was ahead of her, immediately stopped and turned around, giving her a stern warning: "Watch your mouth! This is Russia, not Zebst!"

Sophia completely disregarded her mother's words. Suddenly seeing something, she exclaimed joyfully, "The Duke!"

Sergei had been waiting there, and when he saw Sofia notice him, he went over to her.

"Has the steward arranged rooms for you?"

"It's arranged, we're on our way," Sofia replied happily.

Even Johanna's attitude softened considerably at this point.

Such a gentle, considerate, and sensible young duke would be a delight to behold in any other setting, should his daughter not be trying to avoid suspicion.

"I'll lead you there," Sergei said, offering to guide the way.

This time, Johanna didn't refuse, and casually mentioned that she didn't want to pay.

"Your Excellency is so generous, paying for our royal sleigh ride out of your own pocket, but we have no money for you; we are penniless."

Sergei didn't seem to care at all, and said with a smile, "I don't think the future Grand Duchess should be treated so poorly. This is just a small token of my appreciation for Princess Frederica (Sophia). Don't worry about it."

Johanna was overjoyed to hear that she didn't have to pay and that the other party even referred to her daughter as the future Grand Duchess.

Although she knew that things were not yet finalized, many ministers in the Russian court were recommending princesses from other countries to Empress Elizabeth, and Sofia had no competitive advantage in terms of family background or social standing, except for her beauty.

You can choose a fiancée for the Grand Duke; the least important thing is that she is beautiful.

Sergei noticed Johanna's unease and comforted her, "Given your relationship with the Queen, the Grand Duchess will surely be Princess Frederica."

He knew very well that Johanna might not be a smart woman, but her family background was quite impressive.

Her own brother, Charles Augustus, was Queen Elizabeth's deceased fiancé!

Even though Charles died before the wedding and was unable to marry Elizabeth, Elizabeth remains single to this day and has always regarded the Augustus family as her own.

That's why Sofia became Elizabeth's favorite choice.

"Duke, aren't we good friends?" Sophia suddenly interjected.

Sergei, puzzled, replied, "Of course."

"Then call me Sovia."

Sergei couldn't help but smile and nodded in agreement. After settling the two men in, he went to the back of the palace, where the royal sleigh was still waiting. He approached the person in charge of the caravan and gave him 10 rubles.

"Your Highness, the Deputy Governor has already paid the fees in Riga."

"This is what you personally deserve."

As the royal sleigh departed and Sergei prepared to return home, a servant trotted over from a distance.

"Duke, we've finally found you. The Grand Duke knew you were back, so he specially asked me to invite you to see his newly purchased hunting dog. Also, the Grand Duke has arranged a banquet tonight, and you're on the guest list."

"Just say I have a splitting headache and I need to go back to sleep," Sergei refused.

"this……"

"The Grand Duke won't take it to heart. With Naryshkin there, tell the Grand Duke that I will attend the party on time tonight."

"Yes."

Sergei got into his carriage and returned to the manor.

He had already inquired and learned that the Empress was in Moscow and had not yet returned. So, these past few days, the Winter Palace had become Peter's domain. He was throwing lavish parties, playing cards in the council chamber, and even walking his dog in the Empress's office.

At this time, I should try to avoid joining in on the nonsense as much as possible.

Of course, as one of the people who were closest to Peter, he couldn't completely disappear from public view after returning to St. Petersburg, so he still had to attend the evening party.