Saint Petersburg
Nicholas II had been in quite a good mood lately. The British were having bad luck, and that made him happy.
First came the Persian War and the Afghan War, and now large-scale rebellions had broken out in Southeast Asia. The British Empire had truly been busy lately—so busy that it had even eased up somewhat on its support for Russia's rebels.
Victory in Russia's War of Unification was in sight, and his sister had returned at this time as well. A family reunion was always cause for celebration.
Of course, her return itself was a minor matter. Airplanes were convenient enough now; one could leave Sofia in the morning and arrive in Saint Petersburg by evening. The crucial thing was that she had brought along Bulgaria's heir apparent, Little Ferdinand!
That carried an entirely different political meaning. In Nicholas II's eyes, this was an opportunity for the royal families of Bulgaria and Russia to intermarry once again.
Their statuses were a perfect match, and they got along exceptionally well. If a marriage alliance could further consolidate the Bulgaria-Russia alliance, it would clearly serve both nations' interests.
Nicholas II had four daughters. If the title of Europe's father-in-law in the nineteenth century had been jointly held by Nicholas I of the Kingdom of Montenegro and Christian IX of the Kingdom of Denmark, then Europe's father-in-law in the twentieth century would be Nicholas II.
Having many daughters was also an enormous political asset. His eldest daughter, Grand Duchess Olga, had married into the Danish Royal Family; his second daughter, Grand Duchess Tatiana, had married into the Norwegian Royal Family; his third daughter, Grand Duchess Maria, had married into the Bavarian Royal Family; and for his youngest, Grand Duchess Anastasia, Nicholas II had set his sights on Little Ferdinand.