News of uncertain fortune reached Sofia: Queen Xenia had sent word—Little Ferdinand's lifelong affair had to be settled.
The match, however, came somewhat as a surprise to Ferdinand. The proposed marriage alliance was actually with the Dutch royal family!
Princess Juliana, born in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1904, was the only daughter of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik.
That was precisely where the problem lay. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Princess Juliana would one day inherit the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Little Ferdinand would inherit the throne of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
This raised a serious question: how were they supposed to live as husband and wife in the future?
But Ferdinand quickly cast the matter aside. Under normal circumstances, both he and Queen Wilhelmina still had long lives ahead of them, so the issue would not erupt anytime soon.
As for the future?
To Ferdinand, in another thirty or forty years, even their children's children would be old enough to run errands. Wouldn't it be enough to simply have their children take over?
This also conformed to Europe's actual social traditions. One could ascend the throne today and pass it to one's children tomorrow—both were perfectly legal.
Aside from that, Princess Juliana met every standard Ferdinand had for selecting a daughter-in-law: their status matched, there had been no scandals concerning her private life, and her health posed no concern for childbirth.
"I have no objections. If Little Ferdinand is willing, you may formally propose marriage to the Dutch royal family," Ferdinand said after giving it some thought.
As for whether the Dutch royal family would refuse?
Ferdinand had never even considered it. The Dutch royal family had not been having easy days lately; the rebellion in Indonesia had already drained a great deal of the nation's