Catherine and the Black Emperor

038. Betskoy's Loyalty

"Madam, Mr. Betskoy has arrived."

Upon hearing the knock, Johanna quickly hid the letter she had written in the drawer of her dressing table and locked it.

Betskoy came in and gave Johanna a bouquet of flowers.

The two kissed passionately.

Lying on the soft, familiar bed, Betskoy showed Johanna a city architectural blueprint.

"Bridges and castles will be built here, all made of stone. The pillars will be made of marble, as will the ceilings and walls. Bridges with huge arches and flowers will be scattered throughout the city!"

Betskoy pinned Johanna down on the bed.

"I will build you a castle, and we will live there together."

Betskoy unbuttoned Johanna's clothes and pulled the blanket over them, concealing them in the darkness.

As soon as it was light, Betskoy quietly got up and dressed.

After making sure Johanna was still asleep, he tiptoed to the dressing table, found Johanna's key, opened the drawer, searched through it, found the secret letter, and then put it in his sleeve.

He went to the outer room, read the contents of the letter, hesitated briefly, and then lit a candle.

But when the letter was half-burned, he quickly blew the fire out.

The door to the servants' room was ajar, and Gemma peeked through the crack. Once Betskoy left the room, she quickly ran to the Royal Theatre and told her father the news.

Sergei learned of the news.

He arrived outside Elizabeth's office and soon saw guards bring Betskoy out. Two guards carried him and threw him to the ground. He sat there in a daze and it took him a long time to get up and return to his residence.

"Duke Saltykov? Did Her Majesty the Empress send you?"

Betskoy, who was packing his things, saw Sergei appear at the door.

"If I don't mind, we can have a drink before we set off."

Sergei walked into the room, holding a bottle of wine, and showed it to him.

Betskoy hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"I'd like to have a drink."

Half an hour later.

"I told His Majesty about my granite embankment project and how to build a stone bridge across the Neva River, but His Majesty told me that Russia has many forests and timber floats on the Neva River all day long, and that Russia has no granite!"

"There's granite, right?" Sergei looked at him.

"Yes, there is one in Karelia! His Majesty said there was no road, so I advised His Majesty to build one! Not just for construction, but also to ensure smooth trade between Russian cities!"

Sergei clinked glasses with him: "Besdudev is in charge of this matter."

Betskoy was very dissatisfied: "That prime minister is meddling too much; he can't possibly manage everything, he's only thinking about foreign affairs! This is seriously delaying Russia's development!"

Sergei nodded sincerely.

He acknowledged Betskoy's talent for construction and that Betskoy's viewpoint was quite correct: if Russia wanted to develop, it must first build roads, and then proceed with construction and trade.

An hour later.

"The Princess Consort had been writing to Frederick, and I stole the secret letter and gave it to His Majesty. His Majesty began to doubt me, so I am about to be expelled from St. Petersburg and from Russia."

After a brief silence, Sergei said, "I roughly guessed the contents of the letter: the sudden disappearance of the counselor Lestoker from the court, the French ambassador being expelled from Russia, the arrival of the new Turkish ambassador, and... the imprisoned former emperor, Ivan VI!"

Betskoy was shocked by these words, and even his drunkenness subsided considerably.

"Who told you this?"

"I told you I was just guessing. These are all major events that have recently occurred in the palace. Don't forget, I am His Majesty's courtier."

Betskoy nodded: "Yes, just as you guessed, but none of that matters anymore. His Majesty suspects that I colluded with the Princess's wife and that I told her many secrets."

Two hours later.

"His Majesty is very confident. She said that Johanna is a sophisticated and mature woman who is greedy for money and pleasure. She is jealous and foolish, so I, as a spy, took advantage of her vulnerability and gave this Russian Empress a handle to use against her."

Betskoy slammed his hand on the table.

"But she was completely wrong. She succeeded not because Johanna was stupid, but because she expressed love and trust in me, and I chose to betray her, betray the pure love between us!"

Sergei put down his glass: "Your love is pure."

Betskoy looked up in surprise: "Prince Saltykov? You believe in our love?"

Sergei nodded.

Betskoy seemed to chuckle. "Don't try to comfort me. You know nothing, how could you possibly believe me?"

"Of course I believe you, because you originally intended to burn that secret letter."

Sergei's words instantly sobered Betskoy, who was already drunk.

He looked at Sergei in disbelief.

"How...how did you know? You were there? No, it's impossible, you couldn't have been there!"

Sergei stood up: "None of that matters. What matters is that because of that half-written secret letter, the Princess is about to face utter destruction, and you did not manage to protect yourself by handing over that letter."

Betskoy was hit where it hurt.

He loved Johanna, which is why he wanted to burn the secret letter. But if he did that, having already been warned by Elizabeth, his best outcome would be expulsion from Russia, while the more likely outcome would be imprisonment in the secret council.

So at the crucial moment, he blew out the fire and handed over the half of the secret letter.

His smile was bitter: "You're right, but whether you believe it or not, I regretted it after handing over that letter. But I was powerless. I couldn't protect Johanna, and I couldn't even protect myself or those blueprints."

"What if I said I could?"

Betskoy turned to look at Sergei, their eyes meeting. The face was young, but he saw no naivety or pretense in those eyes.

All that remains is profundity, composure, and perseverance.

"Duke! If you can really save Johanna, I'll do anything you ask! You can take my life right now!"

Betskoy was not lying; as he said this, he held a fruit knife to his neck.

Sergei realized the other man had misunderstood, and he took the fruit knife from the man's neck.

"I said I came on my own, not on behalf of His Majesty, so it's not His Majesty who wants to use your suicide to get the Princess Consort forgiven."

The hopeful light in Betskoy's eyes vanished.

In his view, if Sergei was only representing himself, then his words just now had no weight, even though the other party was not only Elizabeth's courtier but also an advisor minister of the secret council.

Sergei was also aware of the other party's thoughts.

"I don't need you to do anything for me right now, so you won't lose anything by making a deal with me. You can set off as you see fit. I'll handle the Princess's situation; I guarantee she won't be in any danger."

Betskoy looked up in astonishment: "You really can do that?"

Sergei did not answer the other party, but continued, "Your hard work—the architectural blueprints—will not be wasted. I will keep them safe, and when the time is right, they will be labeled with your name and appear in the Academy of Sciences."

Betskoy was already captivated by Sergei's earnest and confident words. He looked at the young man standing by the window with his back to him, and the man's figure seemed like a towering mountain, standing tall in his heart.

Before Sergei left, he said one last thing to him.

"Remember this: after the Princess leaves Russia, do not see her again. You two loved each other, yet you've ended up like this, not because of anyone else, but because of yourselves. One of you betrayed love, and the other desecrated it. This is the price you must pay!"

Sergei left.

Betskoy knelt on the ground, and finally, when he came to his senses, he kowtowed towards the door.

"God is with you, and I will serve you as my future Lord, so that I may be cleansed of my sins!"