The Reluctant Duchess Ch. 03

The Reluctant Duchess 03

Part 3 of a Hallmark-style romance reimagined for Literotica. Reading the prior chapters will certainly help you understand what is going on. The story is complete, and each of the seven chapters will be posted a few days apart. Thanks for reading.

Eventually, most of the evidence that there had been two large parties at the palace was gone, and most of the guests had left. While her other New York friends had left, much of the Columbia group was staying one more night, to take advantage of a free flight on the royal jet the following morning, although a few of Sophie's former classmates had decided to travel some more in Europe before heading home to their post-college lives. They spent the evening in the palace, talking and telling stories of their college years. Sophie thought that there was a good chance that this was going to be the last time she would have a chance to just sit around with friends and shoot the shit—unless she could figure some way out. As the night went on, people started leaving, to pack and sleep, until only Mark remained, since he was staying in the Palace.

"No plans tonight with Zoe, Mark?"

He shook his head. "Sophie, she's nice, and attractive and all, but honestly, I'd rather be with you. And I know that you aren't looking for a relationship or anything, but since this is my last night in Klippenberg, and I have no idea when I'll ever see you again, I would really like to spend it with you."

Sophie looked at Mark. He really was a good guy, she thought. But things were too complicated right now. That being said, there was no reason why they couldn't enjoy each other one more time before he left.

"I appreciate that, Mark, I really do. And I'd love to spend tonight with you too."

Mark smiled, then looked a little uneasy. He took a deep breath before continuing, "Sophie, I need to say this now, and if it changes your mind, then so be it."

Sophie furrowed her brow, "Say what, Mark?"

"That I've had a crush on you since sophomore year, when we were in Twentieth Century Art together, but you always seemed out of my league, and barely around campus after classes. When we got to know each other a little this year, it only made me want you more, and I was so happy that you agreed to go out with me that night." He paused, trying to gauge Sophie's reaction. "And then, the night ended so horribly."

Sophie nodded. "I noticed you too, sophomore year, but I was way too crazy that year to consider dating anyone from school. But by senior year, I have to admit, I was kind of waiting for you to ask me out—not that I couldn't have asked you, but I wasn't sure that you were interested."

Mark shrugged. "I guess that I was afraid of being rejected."

"Well, Mark, I'm glad that we've gotten together. I really enjoy being with you. And if things weren't so complicated..."

"I understand, Sophie. But I hope that tonight isn't our last night together."

"I hope so, too. The fact that I have a jet at my disposal might help," she replied, laughing. "At least as long as I stay Grand Duchess."

"Are you really considering giving it up?"

"I'm not sure, Mark."

"I can tell you that every local person that I spoke with since I've been here really wants you to stay. They like you and have faith in you."

"I'm not sure why, I've never done anything to deserve that."

"Who knows, Sophie. Maybe they see more in you than you see in yourself. Or maybe it's just loyalty to your family. Or they see you as a breath of fresh air. I don't know, but maybe you shouldn't ignore that."

"Look, if there were no consequences, I'd walk away in a minute. But I know that there are, and maybe I can't. I don't know. But what I do know is that I don't want to think about it now. I want you to take me to bed." She took his hand, and led him toward the stairs.

*

More than a week had passed since the party, and Sophie's life had returned to the routine of work, meals with her mother, and time alone, with the occasional time hanging out with Johanna. Although she didn't learn what the cause of the Frederic/Maria fight was, Johanna told her that they were not back together, although Frederic was relentlessly trying. Every day, she took Minister Frohberg's card out of the box in her room where she had stashed it, looked at it, turned it over in her hand, and put it back, afraid to make contact.

She was in her private office, reviewing some boring documents, when her phone reminded her of a 1500 meeting with the Treasury Minister, which seemed even duller than what she was reading about, although it was possible that Frederic would attend, which would at least give her something nice to look at.

Sophie pulled the briefing documents for the meeting up on her computer, and realized that the meeting was related to milk and cheese, and a dispute with the EU. Unfortunately, whoever had written the briefing material made it dense and difficult to understand, especially in German. She knew that she was no genius, but was more than reasonably intelligent, and would have to figure out how to arrange for her briefing materials to be written more clearly and concisely. After trying to figure out exactly what she was being asked to do, and failing, she headed to the meeting room where the Treasury Minister would, undoubtedly, be early and waiting for her.

Entering the meeting room, she realized that she was correct, as both the Minister, a rotund, brown-haired man with a large nose named Nicholas Gugel, and Frederic leapt to attention when she entered. She sat down, and they did, before she acknowledged their presence and opened the waiting laptop to allow her to review any documents.

"Gentlemen, before we start, I want to request that the briefing materials that you provide me be written more clearly, so that it is easier for me to understand the issues. Is that possible?"

Minister Gugel looked over to Frederic, who responded, "Yes, Grand Duchess, we can try to make things simpler for you."

Sophie began to get angry, "Frederic, I did not say 'simpler," I said 'more clearly.' There's a difference, correct?"

"I apologize, Grand Duchess. I seem to be unable to say anything properly these days."

Sophie's anger abated. "Maria?"

He nodded. "Still not talking to me."

"I'm sorry."

Minister Gugel cleared his throat. "Can we get back to business, Grand Duchess?"

"Of course, I'm sorry. Just to be clear, I'm not looking for you to dumb down my briefings, just have them written so that they are easier for me to follow. I need to understand the issue, and don't need to know what subsections of what rules are being discussed, for example."

"Understood, Grand Duchess. I think I can clarify. The issue today is milk and cheese production. Our farmers produce high quality products, but when we entered the EEA, we negotiated the ability to impose a small tariff on cheaper, lower quality goods from the EU to protect our farmers. Now, they are pressing us to remove the tariff, and the farmers, not surprisingly, are unhappy. Of course, if the EU decides to block our farmers from their markets, or impose a tariff of its own, it will hurt our producers."

"Thank you, Minister. That was clear, and the type of information that I can process efficiently. So, your question is, what should we do?"

"Yes, Grand Duchess," Frederic replied.

"What is your advice?"

Minister Gugel responded. "We think that we have no choice but to accede to the EU, even if it hurts our own people."

Sophie nodded, then thought quietly to herself before responding. "If our producers could charge more for their products, would that help them?"

"Yes and no. Of course, that might bring in more income, but it also might depress sales, and give the cheaper products more sales."

"What if we started a campaign to give Klippenberg cheese more status—make it into a luxury brand? Sort of how people pay more for French wine, even when in many cases it isn't as good as Spanish or Italian wine?"

The two men nodded slightly, deeply in thought. "So, if we can convince Europeans to pay a premium for our products, then maybe our producers increase profits, without depressing demand," Frederic mused.

"And," Sophie replied, "If we can convince our own people that they should take more pride in the quality of Klippenberg cheese, maybe they won't be so willing to buy cheaper substitutes."

Sophie noticed some surprise in Minister Gugel's eyes. "Let me have our people look at this, and see if we can figure out something that makes sense. This may be a good way to give everyone what they want."

"Thank you," Sophie replied, feeling a little impressed with herself. She noticed Frederic looking at her differently, with more respect for her personally, and not just for the title she inherited.

"No, thank you, Grand Duchess." They waited until she stood up, before they did, and waited for her to leave the room before they followed. Sophie couldn't resist hoping that Frederic was watching her ass.

*

Mark sat on the worn couch in the living room of his apartment with Dan, watching a baseball game. Gregg was out with his girlfriend Carla, a cute Barnard freshman who he had fallen for during her orientation week, and she seemed equally smitten. Mark was happy for Gregg, but it reminded him that the woman that he had fallen for was on the other side of an ocean, and royalty to boot. After moving out of Columbia housing, the three friends were able to find a relatively cheap three bedroom apartment together in Hell's Kitchen. Mark was a couple of weeks from starting his analyst training program with a big Wall Street firm, Dan was getting ready to start at Fordham Law, just a few blocks away, and Gregg was looking for a job as a writer, but was working at a server at a large, touristy restaurant in Times Square, but was lucky to have come from a family with money.

Between innings, Dan turned to Mark and said, "You've been moping ever since you got back from Klippenberg. You gotta get over it."

Mark looked at his shoes, before turning to Dan. "I wish I could. She's all I can think about."

"Look. Mark, I know. She's hot, and great in bed. You've made that clear. But how can it ever work out for you? We need to go out, have a few drinks and meet some women. Because in a few weeks, we're both going to be slammed with work."

"I know, Dan. But I'm just not up for it. But you should go."

"And leave you here watching the Mets alone? Friends don't do that to friends."

Mark laughed. "All right. I'll come out. But what are the chances that I'm going to meet someone who's everything that Sophie is?"

Dan shook his head. "She doesn't have to be everything that Sophie is. She just has to be here."

"I'm doing this for you, buddy. You need your wingman."

"Fuck you, Mark."

Dan turned off the TV and they went out, discussing what bar to start their night at.

*

Sophie's self-satisfaction in her policy suggestion on the dairy issue soon faded, as she realized that she was lonely, and not only for male attention. She just wanted to hang out with some friends, talk about fun things, and just pretend that she was like everyone else. It seemed, though, that everyone other than Jo treated her differently, even the few old friends who were living in Klippenberg. She didn't think that it was a coincidence that they all declined an invitation to the palace for a movie night, and she missed Jo, who had taken, at Sophie's insistence, a long weekend at the mountain lodge with Albert. They were expected back that evening, and she looked forward to seeing Jo at work the next day.

Desperate for human contact, she texted with Janine, who was, Sophie was told, out dancing with some hot member of some Persian Gulf royal family. That didn't help in the least, and after letting Janine get back to her fun, Sophie tried to find something on Netflix to take her mind off her loneliness, settling on a mediocre rom com that only made her feel worse. This was no way to live, she realized, reaching for her vibrator, the only thing that always was there to make her happy.

The next morning, instead of returning Minister Frohberg's card to its box, Sophie stuck it in her purse before heading out for the day. It was time to find out if there was an option to this comfortable prison that she found herself stuck in.

She was pleased to see Jo, who looked rested and happy, and it only took a couple of seconds for Sophie to notice the new diamond ring on her left hand. Sophie was shocked, and surprised that she felt a pang of jealousy for her friend. They screamed and hugged, and Sophie, as was expected, asked for all of the details of the proposal, which was incredibly romantic.

"How do you feel about this, Jo?"

"Feel? I feel amazing. I'm in love with Albert and I can't wait to be married to him."

"Will you keep working?" Sophie asked, worried that she would be losing her trusted assistant and friend, but more importantly, the one person she knew who truly seemed to care about her.

"Don't worry, Sophie, I'm not going anywhere. Both Albert and I have worked too hard to stop now. I love this job, I love getting to work with you, and I have no plan to give it up any time soon."

"Well, I have to say, that's a relief, Jo. But this isn't about me at all. And you know that as far as I am concerned, you're a member of the family, so anything you want, just let me know. If you want to get married here in the palace, that would be great—but if you want something smaller and more intimate, I won't be offended. I just want you to have all of the options to make your day as special as possible."

Jo seemed to be tearing up, and she wiped her eyes before responding, "Thank you, Sophie, that's so generous. We don't even have a date set, and haven't discussed the wedding plans at all." She took a breath and looked at her phone before giving Sophie her morning schedule.

There was a period before lunch where she thought that she might be able to call Minister Frohberg privately, and she unconsciously looked at her purse, resting on her large antique desk, the only non-modern thing in her private office. It had originally belonged to her great-grandfather, and had been in the Grand Ducal office ever since, through two renovations. Despite her general preference for modern furniture, Sophie appreciated the history of the desk, and sometime thought about Wilhelm Josef sitting there, or her grandfather, or father. She remembered visiting her father at work as a child, and thinking how important he looked sitting behind such an impressive desk, and she knew that anyone who saw her working there would know that she was a fraud.

"Sophie—" Jo's voice brought her back into the present. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, Jo. I'm fine. I still get caught up thinking about all of the great men who have been Grand Duke, and I know that I can't live up to their legacy.

"Stop that, Sophie. You can do this. I know it, the country knows it, and, with all respect, deep down, I think you know you can do it."

"I don't really know, Jo. " She looked at her watch. "I guess I should prepare for my meeting with the dairy farmers." Jo nodded. "And then my meeting with the Justice Minister." Jo nodded again.

"Sophie, I'll be in my office if you need me. Or if you just need to talk."

"Thanks, Jo. I appreciate that."

Once Jo had left the office, Sophie closed her door, sat down at the desk and stared at the phone. She removed the card from her pocket and held it in her hand, thinking about the ramifications of what she was considering. But, ultimately, she decided that there would be no harm in finding out what Frohberg had to say. At least she would know what one option was, and whether it was something that would be interesting. Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, she picked up the phone and carefully dialed the number. While the phone rang, Sophie thought about how she never expected to ever be calling a cabinet minister from another country. Her reverie was interrupted by the sharp sound of a woman's voice, "Frohberg."

"Um, Minister Frohberg, this is Sophie, Sophie Klippenberg," she replied in standard German

There was a pause. "Hello, Grand Duchess. I'm glad that you called."

"Please, call me Sophie."

"Yes, thank you, Sophie, and please call me Greta."

"Thank you, Greta. So, I, um, I wanted to follow up on our talk at the party."

"I appreciate that. I know that must have been a difficult time for you; your life has changed in so many horrible and unpleasant ways."

Sophie nodded, although she knew that no one could see it. "Yes. It has been hard."

"Look, Sophie, let me get right to the point. In the modern world, the idea of microstates like yours makes little sense. Other than the Brits, we have been moving toward more unity in Europe, and there would be strong benefits for the people of Klippenberg if they joined the Federal Republic. We are one of the most powerful countries in the world, we have progressive policies, and our states have a great deal of autonomy to run their own internal affairs."

"How would that work?"

"Your country would have to agree to the idea, we would negotiate a treaty, and then it would happen. Or, my understanding is that if you were to abdicate, it would trigger a referendum which would choose between remaining independent, but without a monarch, or petitioning to join Germany or Switzerland."

"That is my understanding, too."

"And if you chose to abdicate, we would hope that you would use your influence to convince the citizens of the country to choose union with us."

Sophie thought for a few seconds before responding. "But what would be the terms—how would it work."

Frohberg laughed. "We don't have to decide that now. If it is something that you want to explore, we would negotiate. We have no interest in harming the Klippenburghers, but there certainly are details that would have to be worked out, on both sides."

"Thank you Greta. I appreciate your time. You've given me something to think about."

"Thank you for calling, Sophie. My only advice would be to decide quickly, because the longer you stay in your role, the harder it will be to extricate yourself. And please, call me at any time if you have any questions, or just want to talk."

"I understand, Greta. Have a good day."

"You, too."

Sophie hung up the phone and sat back in her chair, looking at the ceiling and thinking.

*

At lunch, Charlotte Marie asked Sophie, "You seem happier today. Can I ask you what has happened?"

Knowing that her mother would be furious if she knew the real reason, she just answered, "I had some good meetings today. Nothing special."

Charlotte Marie looked carefully at her daughter. She didn't believe that 'some good meetings" would be enough to break Sophie's sullen and generally negative attitude toward her position, although she wished that were the case. She resolved to make some discreet inquiries. They continued their meal, making the same sort of meaningless small talk that characterized most of their interactions, before Sophie finished, and headed up to her room.

When she was safely behind closed doors, she decided to see if Mark was available to Facetime. When he answered, he was partially dressed, and she realized that he was probably getting ready to go to work.

"Mark, how are you?"

"I'm good, Sophie. Working my ass off, they've thrown so much at me right out of the gate, but it's interesting. How are you?"

"OK, I guess. Got some interesting information today, but I can't really discuss it. Other than that, pretty boring. And lonely."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I guess running a country isn't all that exciting?"