Meanwhile, 2.7 kilometers away from the Ruthenian Embassy, the Bukavac, along with its two SUV escorts fresh from the Ruthenian Empire raced down the pavement as they headed towards the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

At the hood of the Bukavac, the small diplomatic car flags of the Ruthenian Empire and the Yamato Empire flutter in the wind. Inside the vehicle, three passengers sit silently. One was Christina who watched the scenery past from the window. Tiffania was sitting next to her, reading a novel to pass the time. Lastly, Anastasia was humming along to the tune of the music playing on the car radio.

Ahead of them, the Tokyo Imperial Palace glistened under the light of the setting sun and the lights from the Tokyo Imperial Palace inside illuminated it. The streets were empty, probably because they were cleared by the host nation to give way for their arrival.

Rolan, who was sitting in front next to the driver, was warily observing his surroundings, looking out for potential threats that may befall them at any given time.

Fortunately, they were non-existent. Three minutes later, they arrived at the gates of the Imperial Palace. The staff of the Imperial Palace approached the convoy and welcomed them pleasantly. After that, they guided them towards the dining hall where they would meet up with the members of the Imperial Family.

The Tokyo Imperial Palace interior is a fusion of Europa and Yamato aesthetics.

The support structure uses Yamato construction form, but the height of the ceiling is higher to have chandeliers suspended from there.

The flooring uses a diagonal pattern of golden floor tiles made to appear like golden tatami mats.

The entrances, portals and passages alternate between Europa classic arches to beautifully painted paper and wood sliding doors depending on the design choices.

The dining table is a solid wood banquet long table with many chairs.

Upon the arrival of the three Grand Duchesses in the hall, they were greeted with smiles and bows from the members of the Imperial Family of the Yamato Empire and in return, the three sisters, under a short lesson in Yamato etiquette from Alexander, return the gesture properly. On the table, a beautiful set of table decoration with a silver crane surrounded by orchids and beautifully arranged flowers sat, greeting the guests from Ruthenia..action

Rolan Makarov and Igor Dmitriev who followed them inside were off limits inside the hall, they could only stand by the entrance. But if threats were to arise inside or outside the Imperial Palace, they were ready to take the Grand Duchesses out to safety.

Inside the dining hall, Prince Hirohito and his wife Nagako began the luncheon with the customary exchange of gifts.

“Your Imperial Highness, Anastasia, Christina, and Tiffania. I would like to welcome you once again to the Yamato Empire. Your presence in our country is an honor that we are glad to have received. To express our gratitude, please accept these gifts that we have prepared for you,” Hirohito bowed towards the trio who sat opposite him.

On a cart that was being pushed by one of the attendants of the royal palace, sat a large assortment of Yamato ceramics, paintings, lucky charms, folding fans, furoshiki cloths, and many more. This made Christina somehow embarrassed about receiving something so ostentatious like this.

Prince Hirohito, seeing her embarrassed expression, continued. “This is all our gifts to you, please accept it,” he smiled charmingly.

“I’m deeply honored, Prince Hirohito,” Christina said smilingly and gestured to Anastasia and Tiffania to bow politely at the Imperial Family of the Yamato Empire.

“In addition,” Crown Princess Nagako added, “we would like to invite the three of you to attend the banquet we prepared for you tonight.“That would be great!” Christina exclaimed happily. She then looked to Tiffania and Anastasia, who nodded back.

Ever since they entered this hall, Christina has been in the driver’s seat, speaking with the Imperial Family formally. She has a mission after all. Her brother asked her if she can mend the broken relationship between the Ruthenia Empire and the Yamato Empire.

She promised she would do that. She won’t let him down. After all, her brother asking a favor to her was a rare occurrence. Her brother would normally do things by himself through diplomacy. But since he was a signatory of the St. Petersburg treaty that enabled Ruthenia to annex Manchuria, Alexander was hated by the Yamato populace.

“Well, Your Imperial Highness, as you have brought your gift to ours, we shall present our gifts to you as well. However, our chief of security, Rolan, who is just outside is the one carrying the gifts. May I ask for your permission to grant him access?” Christina questioned, looking at the Crown Prince and the Emperor politely.

They nodded, indicating that it was alright. With that, Christina clapped her hand gracefully, signaling Rolan to enter.

Rolan entered, his prominent height and almost perfect body structure caused the Imperial Family to let out an audible gasp. He walked over to the table, carrying a large ornate white box wrapped in shiny gold cloth. He carefully placed it on the table and opened it, revealing a golden Fabergé egg.

“The Romanoff Family of the Ruthenian Empire has personally asked the House of Fabergé to create one that will suit the elegance and beauty of the Yamato Empire,” Christina introduced it with a proud smile on her face.

The Imperial Family gave their appreciation with a chorus of “aww”s and “thank you”. Prince Hirohito leaned over to have a closer look.

“May I touch it?” Hirohito inquired.

Tiffania quickly replied, “Of course, Your Highness! But please be careful as it is fragile.”

Hirohito reached out his hand and gently touched the golden egg. The entire crowd was silent and stared at him curiously. Then, Hirohito’s fingers curled around the edge of the egg.

“How do I open this?” Hirohito wondered.

“The Faberge egg has a mechanism which when you press a button in the middle, will allow the heart inside to open up like a pendant. And once it is open, you’ll see what surprise the Fabergé family has crafted for you.” Christina has

Prince Hirohito did as he was told, pressing the small button in the center of the egg. The lock clicked open and the inside Fabergé egg was revealed.

“This is…” Hirohito showed it to his family.

“Woah…isn’t that our Imperial Palace?”

“It’s so small and well-crafted.”

“Beautiful…it’s glimmering inside!”

Christina smiled proudly as she watched them admiring the Fabergé egg. She turned her attention to the Crown Prince.

He seemed lost in thought but immediately snapped out of it, realizing that he was being gawked at.“I’m sorry, Your Imperial Highness for being distracted…I just can’t help but admire such a beautiful piece of art,” He apologized.

“It’s fine, Your Imperial Highness, the Fabergé Egg is indeed beautiful, I must admit,” Christina replied, bowing slightly.

Prince Hirohito nodded, “Yes, it truly is lovely. It looks even more precious than it already is. Thank you for giving this to us, we will treasure it dearly.”

“I hope this small gesture will be a foundation for the continued peace our both countries are enjoying. I am aware that our relationship is sour at the moment, but I wish we can fix that. Which is why I and my sisters are here…” her gaze flickered to Rolan. “You may now leave, Rolan.”

Rolan bowed his head at her and exited the room. As soon as the door closed behind him their feast commenced and the first course began.

Just outside the dining room, Igor earpiece begun speaking something urgent in his ear and he inquired further. What he got was some extremely disturbing information.

“What…are you serious?” Igor said, slightly shocked.

“What is it?” Rolan asked, standing beside him.

“…There was a sudden incident at the main gate of the Ruthenian Embassy and also a firefight erupted in the streets. We’ve also received a report that there’s an impending attack against the Grand Duchesses.”

“What?! Verify it at once.”

***

Inside the Dining Hall.

Due to having royal Ruthenian guests over, the decision to serve a western cuisine using Yamato and imported ingredients was deemed prudent as culture shock during mealtime can sour first impressions.

The starters are a clear soup made with scallops and a properly balance mix of vegetables and herbs.

The fish dish is freshly caught salmon, filleted, and grilled with a sauce made from best sake money can buy.

The meat dish is Yamato venison cook to tender perfection with Yamato gourmet wild forage of mushrooms and chestnuts.

The game dish is Sautéed quail cutlets with glazed goose liver. The glaze used is wild honey sourced from the forests of Yamato, lending a spicy woody flavour tones of cloves, toasted oak, and hint of pine.

Cherry brandy sorbet is served, and beverages given to wash down the meal before the other half of the course is served.

A poultry dish of roasted castrated young hens with truffle slices stuffed between the skin and breast is served with a Yamato style salad. With fine strands of Yamato white radish, carrot, kelp and pickled ginger rolled into pretty vegetable string balls, it cleanses the palate of the lingering fatty umami stuck in the mouth.

The vegetable dish is asparagus spears in creamy white Béchamel sauce with artichoke hearts.

For last course is a molded scoop of green tea ice cream in crystal chalices.

It might not seem like something luxurious but getting the right amounts of matcha powder in this handmade Yamato specialty with current refrigeration methods makes it a rather expensive treat. In this time period, many rich households in Yamato still depended on iceboxes and deliveries of ice blocks to keep their food cold.

After that is desserts of reasonable choices.

“I enjoy the food, Your Imperial Highness,” Christina commented.

“I’m glad that it suits your liking,” Hirohito smiled.