The House of Kronenberg was as wealthy as it was influential. The superficial appearances of wealth and influence were present, but, of course, they had more wealth and influence than they let on. The time wasn't right to make such things so apparent.
Which is why the Crown Prince, Viktor, felt the pressure of solving a particular crisis of loyalty among the family's accountants, a delicate nerve that could cripple the body of the royal family if there was sedition. He was tasked with meeting with one of the family's accountants to discuss the treasonous plot uncovered.
So much was happening at this point in time. Eric's death, a rising resistance, and now this. Viktor could practically feel his hair gray, he already was known to drink, but he took to drinking even more (ignoring the passive aggressive comments from the King that he may not have been sterile if he didn't drink so much.)
Armagnac was the only thing that warmed his body and soothed his nerves for around a month now, he hadn't even sent for an escort. Viktor was typically a promiscuous man, though he did everything he possibly could to hide it. Being sterile, he lived the hedonistic life of a bachelor, to him, there was no point in marriage, or even a relationship, if no children came from it.
He wasn't alone in his childlessness, though he was the only sterile prince, the rest of them had no children (except Eric, who went and got himself killed before his child with Adalind Schade was born.) Bachelorhood was a plague of their generation, and it infuriated Viktor. He was an infertile man who wanted nothing more than to be a father, but the other princes were fertile and didn't want to be fathers, it seemed to be a cruel twist of fate. Kenneth was still young, but he doubted the young man would have children, his proclivities leaned more towards twinks covered in welts and bruises he left on them.
He felt bogged down and unfocused, which simply wouldn't do for such a crucial meeting. He held his head in his hands before getting up from his opulent bed after only a few hours of sleep and readied himself for the day. If he wasn't so busy, he would have exercised first thing in the morning, but he would have to forgo his morning runs for the time being.
At the age of forty-eight, the hot water of his shower was a necessary respite for his aching limbs, and his stress did not improve the pain. His age was catching up with him, no matter how much he tried to ignore his own mortality. His aging bothered him even more now that he was Crown Prince, the current king's health was excellent and it made Viktor wonder if he would die before coming into the throne. It would have been typical, he felt his whole life that he consistently was being blessed with near-ideal hands, except for one card that rendered the hand dealt effectively useless.
After his shower, he dried off and dressed himself in a smart, charcoal three piece suit and a crisp white undershirt with a midnight blue tie looped around his slender throat. His suits were tailored by the world's best, and it showed with the way the fabric accentuated his shoulders and the long, lean lines of his body. His physique had not gone the way of his joints yet, nor had his full head of hair he was combing, he looked younger than forty-eight on the outside, but his armagnac-pickled insides told a different story.
With a splash of cologne that was custom made just for him by one of Europe's elite perfumeries, Viktor slipped his silk-socked feet into his leather shoes and headed to breakfast.
This morning, he traded his favored drink of Armagnac for multiple espressos, hoping the caffeine would offer him temporary clarity. His diet, while healthy, was still opulent, his lean muscle was apparent, but he was not so lean as to have an impressive amount of striation.
The espressos he had with breakfast did their job too well. He cursed himself for drinking so many, but jitters were better than a stupor, and the jitters might even subside by the time the meeting started.
The meeting was scheduled for seven o'clock, Viktor cursed the early hour, but this was a matter that needed to be settled as soon as possible. He was certain this meeting would result in him ordering that someone be killed, even if it was just out of annoyance.
Viktor was in his study twenty minutes before the meeting started, flanked by Verrat and calling the king to let him know that the meeting was taking place. The dim, warm light of the study complimented the richness of the dark wooden walls and gave the lighter wood of the hexagonal-patterned ceiling, with its intricate carvings, an almost golden look. The overhead lights made the golden patterns in the ornate blue carpet glisten. Behind Viktor's desk, a large bookshelf spanned the wall and showcased rare volumes and priceless heirlooms of the royals.
There was a knock at the door.
"Enter." Viktor permitted. His aristocratic tone was laced with annoyance. Sebastian walked into the study.
"Your highness, your seven o'clock is here." Sebastian's soft voice did not grate on Viktor's ears like other voices might so early in the morning.
"Excellent, see him in."
Where he had expected a drab, middle aged German man to walk in, he instead saw one of the sexiest women he had ever laid eyes on. Even if he had been half-conscious, he would have immediately snapped to attention. There was no ignoring the way those curves filled out that professional grey dress that would have looked drab on a lesser woman, the way her ass from its side profile jutted out almost obscenely, the way her hips swayed and her full breasts bounced with each click of her stilettos, even under her grey dress he could tell her waist was quite small. It all seemed to come so naturally to her from the sway of her hips to the graceful movement in her heels. Could a woman be naturally so alluring?
"Your highness, it is an honor to meet you." She curtseyed with perfect form, waiting for his cue. She had an American accent, rather fitting for that voluptuous body of hers , Viktor thought to himself.
"Rise." He said, his voice no longer laced with annoyance, he was intrigued by the young woman who had been sent to him on a meeting that seemed too important for her, she looked more like a coffee-running secretary only hired because she was a piece of ass. "You are not the person I expected to walk through those doors." He stole another glance at her body as she stood up, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. They thankfully were not, her charms were not a trick of the light or his lack of sleep. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties, probably a recent graduate that showed enough potential she was hired by the family.
"My boss sent me in his place, sir. I'm the one who uncovered this plot, and I am the most informed on the matter, there was too much information to fill my boss in before he could meet with you."
"Impressive, quite young to be in our employ. Might I get your name? I do appreciate that you didn't go sputtering it out in hopes I'd remember it like so many others do."
"Klara Abspoel. I've been in the royal family's employ for eight months."
"Well, Miss Abspoel, why don't you start from the beginning."
Viktor did listen to Klara very carefully, but he was also studying her features. Viktor found it easier to listen when it was those full, glossy pink lips describing how two men in their employ intended to expose their shell companies, offshore accounts, and dirty dealings and investments. Viktor found the file of evidence all the more fascinating when it was her pale, well manicured hands pointing to certain numbers and accounts and pointing back to a stapled packet of emails sent between the treasonous employees. The evidence was overwhelming, but not nearly as overwhelming as her eyes, green at the centers of her irises that leaked into surrounding blue like watercolor with a dark blue rim surrounding the iris, all made bolder by long, mascara-coated lashes. Viktor had only seen such eyes a few times before, and they were rarely on so lovely a creature as Klara. Viktor was relieved at her straightforward and clean presentation of the current threat, clean like her strawberry blonde hair kept tight in a low bun. She smelled like lavender, a rather provincial scent for a woman working in such a prestigious environment.
"I believe I have seen all that I've needed to." Viktor said with a keen smile, impressed that the lovely young woman was so well informed. "The family expects loyalty of those under its employ, but we do appreciate when that loyalty is proven in such an important matter, I mean, you stopped a treasonous plot right in its tracks, that's no small feat." Viktor chuckled to himself.
"Thank you for your kind words, your highness." Viktor felt heat between his thighs at the sight of her blushing, such a lovely gradient of peaches and cream that paired so well with her ripe figure.
"I will escort you out." Viktor stood up from his chair and offered her his hand, she took it and rose to her feet, placing that very hand on his bicep before he escorted her from the study and out of the castle.
"It was lovely to make your acquaintance, I hope to be seeing you again to discuss a more pleasant subject." Viktor didn't want to let her go, he wanted more than just her small, soft hand gripping his arm. Seeing those eyes in the morning sun made him determined to have her.
"I hope so too, your highness." She smiled and sauntered away from him to a black Mercedes waiting for her, giving him a perfect view of her ass.
He waited until the car was out of sight, looking longingly at the woman he should have just thrown over his desk and had his way with. It wasn't like she was in any position to deny him, and why wouldn't a woman want to be taken by a prince? He sighed before swiftly returning to his study, taking out his cellphone, he had the head of the Verrat on speed dial.
"Danilov, have the two accountants accused and their entire families killed. Wives, children, parents, cousins, all of it. There can't be a single trace of this, they got far too close."
"Yes, your highness." Danilov's gravely accent came from the other end of the line.
"Danilov, I have another task for you once you have taken care of the accountants. I want you to track and give me a report on Klara Abspoel, she's a woman in our employ. I want to know every detail about her, her family, her favorite perfume, her fucking bra size, I want to know everything." Viktor's voice grew harsher and more desperate as he spoke about Klara. He decided he wanted to quickly seduce her, and knowing her likes and dislikes would make that easier. The sooner he had her on her back and taking his cock, the sooner he could focus on other things.
"Of course, sir."
Viktor hung up the phone and called the king, informing him of recent developments. He sighed at the king's tone of passive disregard when he hung up. He rubbed his temples, these next few months would be crucial to the survival of the royal family, and the burden had been placed completely on his shoulders.
Viktor hoped it would be worth the trouble.