“Interesting.” Although she felt tired from lack of sleep, this conversation kept nudging her wakefulness.
“According to my uncle, the former queen liked your mother. She approved the marriage. It was her husband, Maximillian IV, who forbade the union of your parents.”
“I see.” Adelaide felt indignation for her mother. Such rejection would hurt.
“It was also Maximillian IV who pressured his son to eventually marry a different woman about eighteen years ago.”
“Is that Queen Johanna? I don’t recall her full name.”
“Queen Johanna Maria Egger Bohm Konig. She was widowed by Prime Minister Georg Bohm about twenty years ago. King Maximillian, with no heir, decided Johanna and her fifteen-year-old son were a good fit for a ready-made royal family. She was an attractive and well-respected woman, but not one particularly known for her warmth.”
“I see.”
“Queen Johanna never bore royal offspring and consequently nurtures aspirations for her own son to inherit the throne.”
Adelaide didn’t know how to respond to that, so she decided to change the subject. “Tell me more about the king. Has he been a good ruler?”
“Very good. He’s only been on the throne for sixteen years, but the country has flourished under the wise reign of King Max.”
“Is that what he goes by? King Max?”
“Yes, he encouraged the name shortly after he was crowned, and the people love it. He’s a natural leader.”
“But that has changed now that he’s grown ill?”
Anton shook his head. “Even in his illness, his country always comes first.”
“And what about Queen Johanna? I know you mentionedher son, but why wouldn’t she take over leadership when King Max is gone?”
“I’m sure she would like that, and we’ve had queens on the throne before, but according to law, the ruler should be a direct descendant of the royal family.”
“I see.”
“The king has a brother, more than ten years his junior, who would have been next in line.”
“Wouldhave?”
“Yes. Prince Farcus has been missing for about six weeks.” Sadness reflected in his eyes. “King Max is very distraught over it.”
“What happened to him?”
“Prince Farcus went to Scotland on a fishing trip and never came back.”
“Do you think it was an accident?”
His expression suggested uncertainty. “The rumor that he drowned has circulated.”
“But you don’t think so?”
Anton shrugged. “I have my doubts.”
“Does Prince Farcus have a wife? Perhaps a domestic situation he wished to escape?”
“No. He is unmarried and childless.”
Adelaide considered this. “Perhaps his disappearance is his way of saying he doesn’t wish for the responsibility of the throne. He has no interest in ruling Montovia?”
“Some believe that, but I know your uncle fairly well. He is a free spirit and sometimes questions the practicality of monarchy in the modern age. But cowardice does not fit his character. He is a good man. We’ve sent inquiries and investigators to Scotland to search for him, but with no results, no leads, nothing.”
