"Nicholas II wants a loan?" Ferdinand asked in surprise.
Queen Xenia answered firmly, "Yes!"
Ferdinand asked in puzzlement, "Why not go to the Foreign Ministry, or directly to a bank?"
Xenia looked at him with deeply aggrieved eyes. Only after a long while did she say, "If they were any use, would my proud brother come to you?"
Ferdinand smiled awkwardly. He remembered that the cabinet had reported to him about the decision not to provide loans to Russians. He had not voiced an opinion at the time, so it had been tacitly approved.
"Then what does he plan to use as collateral? Don't mention mineral resources. Those won't convince the cabinet. A hundred billion lev is no small sum—the risk in this deal is simply too great!" Ferdinand said with a shrug.
Queen Xenia nodded. "I don't know. It would be best for you to discuss that question with him in person. It wouldn't be convenient for me to stand in the middle."
Ferdinand nodded. Indeed, given Queen Xenia's position, it was inconvenient for her to interfere in this matter.
"Fine, then have Nicholas send a representative to negotiate himself. For a loan this large, getting it past the government won't be easy!"
Queen Xenia nodded. Everyone understood this. International loans in this era were always tied to politics. Without government backing, a large loan was almost impossible to secure.
Unless the royal family was willing to lend its own money to Nicholas II, in which case no one could interfere. But a bank loan involved the safety of depositors' funds, and the government would certainly regulate it.
For the royal family to lend money directly to Nicholas II? The very thought was impossible. If he defaulted, who could they go to for justice?
Ferdinand was no fool. Their