Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World-Novel

Remember our promise under the old oak tree?

It was said by Princess Penelope Ascart in the Danish language. It was a phrase that Poul was very familiar with as she spoke it in the same elocution and tone. Could it be perhaps…

"I'm sorry but what did you just say right now, Lady Ascart?" Prince Alexander asked, his brows furrowing at the sudden words that Penelope just spoke right now.

"Nothing, I just read it in books and I spoke it accidentally. Please, don't mind me and continue your business," Penelope said, letting out a forced chuckle as she waved her hand dismissively.

Meanwhile, Poul and Jonathan were still stunned to speak.

"Uhm…Mr. Nielsen, Mr. Axelsen. We can proceed with the dealings now. The point being, the British Empire wants to acquire the AN-M1 rifles, similar to the ones you are selling to the Russians."

Poul and Jonathan snapped out of their stupor.

Of course, Your Highness. We have several AN-M1 rifles in our inventory that we can offer to the British Empire," Poul said, regaining his composure.

Jonathan nodded in agreement.

Prince Alexander nodded in satisfaction. "That sounds good. We will need to review the details of the deal before finalizing it, but I believe we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement."

Penelope remained silent throughout the rest of the meeting, lost in her thoughts. She couldn't shake off the feeling that the phrase she had spoken earlier was somehow connected to Poul and her past. But she didn't want to bring it up in front of the prince or the others, especially not without concrete evidence.

As the meeting came to a close, Poul and Penelope's eyes were still trained on one another, as if scrutinizing each other for any hints or clues. They both knew that something was amiss, but neither of them knew exactly what it was.

Prince Alexander noticed them staring at each other, that fact is making him somewhat uneasy. He cleared his throat to break the tension.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Axelsen. Mr. President, thank you for facilitating this meeting and giving me the opportunity to meet the founders of the Axelsen & Nielsen Arms Manufacturing Company."

"Don't mind it, Your Highness," President Garfield replied with a smile. "It is our pleasure to host you here in the United States. If there's anything that we can do to further strengthen the relationship between our two countries, please do not hesitate to let us know."

Prince Alexander nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Mr. President. I will certainly keep that in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have some matters to attend to. Lady Ascart?"

With that, he offered a hand to Penelope. She hesitated for a moment, but then took Prince Alexander's hand and rose from her seat.

Just before they can leave the stateroom, Poul rose to his feet and spoke.

"Uhm…If I may, Your Highness can speak privately with Lady Ascart for a minute."

Prince Alexander scoffed inwardly. He is starting to get irritated at the presence of Poul Nielsen, the person that forced him to come to the United States because Penelope wanted to see him and his partner, the person whose eyes fixed on her during the discussion.

He tightened his grasp on Penelope's hand and spoke. "I'm sorry but you can't just speak to her without my presence, Mr. Nielsen. Lady Ascart is under my protection and I cannot allow any unwarranted conversation or behavior towards her."

Pou was quite surprised at how defensive the prince's reaction was, but he remained composed. "My apologies, Your Highness. I didn't mean to cause any offense. I simply wanted to ask Lady Ascart why she was here in the meeting. I mean she is a doctor, so she shouldn't be in the meeting right? There must be something else about why she is here. Was it perhaps to talk to us?"

Penelope felt her heart skip a beat. She was about to speak up when Prince Alexander stepped in front of her, blocking her from Poul's view.

"Lady Ascart's presence in this meeting is none of your concern, Mr. Nielsen. We were here to discuss business, and that's exactly what we did. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to leave," the prince said sternly.

"Actually, we can talk," Penelope finally spoke. "Prince Alexander, while I appreciate you being protective of me, Mr. Nielsen is right. There is something else that I wanted to discuss with him and Mr. Axelsen. It's about a personal matter, and I believe it would be best if we could talk in private."

Prince Alexander frowned, but then he released his grip on Penelope's hand. "Fine, but I'll be waiting outside. If anything happens, just call for me."

With that, he left the stateroom, leaving Penelope alone with Poul, Jonathan, and President Garfield.

"Uhm. Mr. President, can we have the room for a moment?" Jonathan asked.

President Garfield nodded and gave them a reassuring smile. "Of course, take all the time you need. I'll be just outside if you need anything."

Once they were alone, Penelope took a deep breath before speaking.

"Poul Nielsen, Jonathan Axelsen, is that your true name?"

"We have told you earlier, milady, that was our real name," Poul reiterated and continued. "The phrase that you spoke earlier was Danish, and to be honest, it reminded me of something in the past. So, who are you?" Poul asked softly, to the point that only the person inside the stateroom can hear it.

"You better answer it, milady," Jonathan spoke. "You are not from here aren't you?"

"...I have been looking for both of you…" Penelope muttered, her voice breaking.

Poul and Jonathan noticed her tears trickling down her face. "I know that this is hard to believe but…I'm…I'm…I'm Sara," she revealed.

Upon the mention of the name, Poul's mind went blank.

"Wait…how is that possible…" Jonathan stammered, can't formulate a sentence. "Sara…Sara Olsen?"

She nodded her head vigorously. "That's me!" and then she suddenly rushed to them and embraced Poul and Jonathan in a tight hug.

"But…how?" Poul spoke, still processing the sudden turn of events. "How can you be here?"

She released them from her embrace and took a step back, wiping away her tears. "It's a long story," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Still…we died in our real world…got reincarnated in this world…how did you get here? Don't tell me…"

"Unfortunately, I died as well, Poul, Jonathan."