MY TREASURED DESIRE

Chapter THIRTY–ONE: Broken Greta?

40 Days After Alexa’s Rescue.

7:00 am Local Time (11:00 pm, UTC).

Sir Reinhard Merkel’s Mansion, Achaia.

Greta Merkel’s Emotions!

Two of my maids came around me, trying to stop me from weeping for so long. I angrily ordered them to go ahead with their own duties and leave me alone to put my life together. They had never seen me being shattered as a pack of cards like this. One of the girls ran away and returned with a piping hot coffee in a giant teacup. The other one saw this and went ahead to bring freshly baked cookies – the way I used to love it whenever I felt emotional. I smiled, appreciated their good hearts, and excused myself to take a shower for the fifth time today. I locked myself in.

I did not hear the bell. But Colonel Michelle Guan entered the house! Because she was so friendly with my maids, they had told her that Raymond’s love for me had made him crazy that she could not succeed in convincing him to accept the good person she was presenting to him… I felt so bad that I felt like sacking those graduates who have no gumption of discretion! After successfully convincing me on why I should not lay off my very loyal staff for performing lawful caring duties, Michelle came back to the matter for which I wept for about an hour…

“Fräulein Deutschland,” she called me with so much affection. “Why would you stab yourself with many daggers because of me?”

“I love you, Colonel Beautiful… And I am so sorry to be a disappointment. That man Raymond is…” Michelle wisely cut my speech prematurely with an act that made me forcefully sit without feeling any pain… I was standing.

Then she said, “I have always known my stubborn boss. He truly loves you. And he could not stop thinking that I am his subordinate as if that meant anything… And can I throw you a bombshell, Greta?”

I nodded: I was ready for the worst!

“I am not going to pamper you with the truism of how devoted you are to your friends: especially, Chu Celerina and me. We love you too, and we have your back… Despite allegations that were proven against you during our A.S.S.S. investigations, My Boss would find reasons to say we should protect you… He even brought up an alibi that you were helping Achaia to solve our cases! To the extent that the Crown Prince sees you as being on our side because you love his brother…”

I genuinely protested: “To the concluding sentences you just made… That is not the exact fact, and you know it.”

Michelle Guan retorted, “You wanted to say, ‘I knew it!’ That was true. So, I pushed my emotions while you helped me so much to get the one I love. But later, Chu Celerina called me and asked me to help you! She also saw through your strength… You wanted the crown prince, who you never loved, but you shunned your own feelings for his brother that you are burning in your heart for!”

I was having a fit of growing anger as the matter was growing more and more daunting. I knew that I could still handle this… I will work on my emotions and help my parents not to become losers due to my weakness. So, I said: “What does that mean… Both of you are ganging up against my need to fulfil my family’s simple mission.”

Michelle calmly explained, “Your family’s mission is not more important than your life’s mission. We all know that you wanted something else at a point in time. But now, I can confirm that… You are truly in love with General Raymond Chang, not his cousin!”

“Please, let me solve this puzzle… I have become so much of an antagonist to this nation, and I cannot go back. Stay with Raymond to make me happy that my love is safe. I cannot betray my motherland!”

Colonel Michelle further gave more hope: “Middleville? That’s my motherland too, and you know it… It is not worth the struggle… I can find a way to beguile your uncle to fall in love with me, and I will solve this problem: The two nations shall never go on a collision course again, and your uncle’s head shall be saved!”

I sobbed a bit, wiped my tears and started an epistle: “I already sneaked into Raymond’s office this morning and informed him that our love is now in the past. But he used the emotional card: He presented further evidence to prove that the X-Rated video evidence was orchestrated by me and my partner in crime. He wanted to expose the video and confess that we did it together – which was not right. So, I left him, protesting.

“Returning to my residence, I also realised that I am in love with Raymond, a feeling that seems stronger than my greed for political position. I also felt so bad to have hurt the only man I had ever loved so richly, and I wanted him to get someone better than me. That will be ‘You…’ That was the frustration that made me break down in bitter tears!”

Michelle consoled me and offered a hand of emotional assistance: “Please, you are the one General Raymond C. Chang needs to be stabilised in life. Our job needs emotional stability so that you do not allow him to die in a split moment of lack of concentration! I know this… Let me work on General Liu Cheng Yu… He would be a good suitor for me… And you would not be seen as a traitor, but a peacemaker!”

Office of the G.O.C, A.S.S.S.

General Raymond Chang’s POV.

The crown prince noted that for a few days, his cousin had been highly emotional over the loss of Greta. I also kept myself away from Michelle Guan as much as I could. Neither did I get any closer to Miss Greta.

The fact that I had promised Greta that I would make an open confession that it was true that I – not the crown prince – had an amorous relationship with Miss Greta may absolve the crown prince from accusations. But I weep over my cover that would be blown before my marriage. That was our grandfather’s only request from me, a decision which was – to date – upheld by the crown prince. He opened his heart to his look-alike best friend. The crown prince promised to use my most recent video encounter record with Greta to get the latter to forget the idea of marrying him by force. That should be a masterstroke to convince Greta to stay with me.

At that point, Colonel Michelle Guan brought a few files into my office. She looked like a goddess of beauty, wearing a combatant soldier’s uniform. My heart skipped a bit, and she seems to notice it.

“How are you, General, Sir?” she was trying to be informal but changed her mind to pay me a compliment.

“I am fine, Colonel,” I replied with an emotion-laden voice. “Carry on!”

“Permission to be at ease, sir!”

I paused for a while, counting the odds. Then, I reluctantly said: “Granted!”

She took her seat directly opposite where I was seated. She looked straight into my eyes, and I felt guilty. “I am sorry, it looks as if I am rejecting you!” She refused to say a word and I continued! “You are a gorgeous beauty. Pleasant in the heart, diligent in your duties, morally disciplined to the core, professional in all approaches and attitude. You are the most attractive soldier amongst the officers in our two nations, to the extent that anyone would feel blessed by the gods to have such a chaste, well-brought-up goddess… I will be proud to be your husband. It is just that I am not good enough for you.”

“I would have said you should allow me to be the judge of your qualification… But I see that the one you love is also in love with you. I must not deprive the most dependable friends I have ever had to make errors! I love you, Sir - in the last four years till now. That had been my source of joy, after God. Now that the cat came out of the bag, I am getting really hurt.”

“I am so sorry!”

“Now, Sir, do not worry about me. I love you, and I love Greta. If you do not leave one another, my heart would be safe… Go ahead. Win your girl again! I will support you with all my being,” she concluded her speech and smartly sprang up from her seat to salute: I did the same. We saluted each other at the same time. She turned to leave, but I removed her cap and mine, drew her close to myself and gave her a long French kiss that I would never forget! I loved what I felt, so much… She was panting when we broke off.

“Why are you breaking my defences all over again, Sir? You know I should not continue to carry your image in my head,” she lamented. I felt some compassion for her too. I was the first love - that first cut that is the deepest. And the first woman I fell in love with keeps breaking my heart. Our eyes were fixated on each other, and her tears were flowing. So, I went closer and used my bare hands to ensure that her tears do not fall to the ground! Her eyes widened in awe… but I raised my hands to the left side of my chest and gut my uniform and service medals wet. Then, I raised my face to meet her beautiful, deprived gaze…

“I promise you and our God, that I will never let you cry… Let me sort out this Greta trouble, and I will find you, my fair goddess!”

Colonel Michelle Guan ran to the door, sneaked out and gently locked my office door.

Sir Reinhard Merkel’s Mansion.

Greta’s POV.

Meanwhile, Greta’s parents were discussing with her in their family sitting room. The hall was so large and cosy with about 8 large and glowing chandeliers adorning the very high white ceiling. The colour of the classical royal seats was white, just as the marbled floor and the hefty sculptural pieces adorn each angle, rhythmically.

Sir Reinhard Merkel was sitting with a glass of red wine in his left hand. Standing by the side of the royal classical three-seater beside him, was a middle-aged woman. She was an older version of Greta, possessing the same structures of the bodily gaits, skin colour and statistics of her daughter. That was Princess Lucy Merkel adorned with a Chinese traditional tang suit, decked with precious stones. She carried a hand fan to match.

The father spoke to her daughter, Greta, who was standing about 2 metres away and picking on her fingers: “Trusting in your judgements does not mean that you should keep us in the dark about your deeds concerning your future marriage to the King’s Son…”

And the mother added as if she was unsure: “Daughter, is it true that our crown prince took the Marriage Proposal materials worth a fortune - even on the same day when your uncle also sent his own proposal - to marry the same African princess? Your father and I were shocked to see how our strong-willed daughter had remained an emotional wretch for about 10 days.”

“…Yet our daughter did not deem it fit for us to know a thing!” Her father completed her mother’s statement and gulped what remained in his wine glass. He touched his wife and made her sit beside him, waiting for Greta to respond.

“My adorable parents,” Greta started. “You have details, already, about the emotions going on between your daughter and another prince of the land. It is just that my confirmation is needed… Please, note that I support the family’s quest to succeed. Do not also forget that Mom’s younger brother – the prince of Middleville - would not agree to throw away the chance to get his African Princess who is in love with our crown prince…  I have, however, made another plan... Do trust me again! It is not in our stars to fail, Papa and Mom!”

“When a child goes for hunting and gets fat venison – he keeps that for himself; but the day he goes at wrong seasons for reindeer, he must bring the disaster back home to his parents… How much more, a daughter… We sent you on a gainful Mission and we deserve to get your progress report!” Sir Reinhard Merkel noted.

“Okay, Papa, your daughter is in a deep mire: On that day you invited the King’s son to come and discuss with me, the Crown Prince, who was not interested in breaking his cousin’s heart, had sent the same person that I had always seen and fallen in love with, to me: That was the King’s nephew who looks exactly like himself. Thinking that he was the real crown prince, I consummated my love with him! We both fell in love and solidified our plans to marry one another. Then I met the real crown prince! I wanted to become the empress by trickery, but I must dump my own feelings for the person I truly love, for that. Now, I had drafted my uncle into the big game that we must win by wiles and chicanery! We have spent a billion dollars to blackmail the Crown Prince already. It has been so dirty so far!”