20 Karl Luxem

My brother and I went to the breakfast area the next morning and we got an invitation to attend a special dinner followed by dancing in the evening at the ship's grand hall.

All passengers with first class tickets wee treated like very well. We had round the clock attendants and we were given the best rooms on top floor.

When Alexei and I were strolling around, the stranger from last night tried to approach us but this time, our guards did their job and prevented him on coming near us.

The stranger insisted. He spoke to them in German..

Guard: My lady, the gentleman wishes to say hello to you and your brother. He said you met last night. Should I send him away?

Me: Okay then.. make sure to check if he has weapons on him.

After checking the stranger for metals and any potential deadly weapons, he was allowed to come near us.

Stranger: Your guards searched me for weapons. Do you have enemies or are you running away from someone?

Me: We are just being careful. How may I help you?

Stranger: Let me introduce myself to you and to this young man.. I am Karl Luxem, son of Ferdinand Luxem, a baron from the Netherlands. I stayed in Munich, Germany for some weeks to visit my ailing grandmother. Im on my way to England to oversee our family business in there. How about the two of you?

Me: Im Gisela, this is my brother Max. We were born and raised in Austria. Our family used to be landlords but the war made us lose everything. We are both orphaned now and it is my father's last wish that we go to London to find our surviving relatives.

Stranger: Im so sorry to hear about your loss. The Netherland remained neutral. I thank God that our Majesty, Queen Wilhelmina didn't get involved.

Me: You are blessed to have a wise Queen. May she live long and be preserved from all dangers. If you will excuse us, my brother needed to rest now.

Stranger: I understand. I would like to invite the two of you to the opera later tonight. I have the best view and I would be grateful if you would join me.

Me: Thankyou but I'm not sure about it. We already got an invitation for dinner and dancing.

Stranger: I see. If you change your mind, just tell one of the attendants to inform me. My room is on the left wing of the upper floor.

Me: I will keep that in mind. Thankyou again for your generosity.

We parted ways after that. I realized that I could use someone like him on the ship and in England since it was obvious that he was infatuated with me.

I will use the stranger and his connections for my plans against King George V and his family.