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Berlin has been in unrest for the last week. Whispers were everywhere in Berlin and probably even beyond it. By now, rumours have probably spread all over Prussia including Potsdam and Sanssouci. These were no ordinary rumours, as they involved the Prussian King Frederick II. People are shaken by possible Austrian assassination plot on His Majesty King Frederick II. Rumours say that the Austrians in Berlin were heard to have shouted that the King will pay for stealing Silesia from their motherland. Of course such rumours would cause uproar, as they seemed to be the truth - Austria was not happy at all to have been deceived by Prussia losing the Seven Years War and the rich lands of Silesia in the process.

* * *

The first mention of the rumours in the royal court was made by a certain Baroness von Essen during one of the Queen's salons at her summer palace Schonhausen, Berlin. At that point, Sanssouci has already increased their guard to protect the King in case of assassination attempt. Upon the mention of the rumours, the Queen seemed completely shocked, as she wasn't informed by any member of the royal family even though she lived near Berlin. The whispering couriers at the gathering guessed that the King probably forgot again that he even had a wife to begin with. Some courtiers who have recently arrived from Potsdam assured the Queen that the guards were already very cautious of the situation monitoring the grounds and reporting anything suspicious. Even Princess Amalia, one of the few friends the Queen had in Prussia, was there in Sanssouci in case there was an conspiracy against the King.

It is still very unclear on the situation as no Austrian spies were yet caught. Prussia's neighbours such as Austria has not said anything at all on the matter preferring to stay silent to avoid any kind of misinterpretation and conflict. After all, Austria needed to restore itself after losing the war. Whatever may be behind these rumours, it certainly caused uproar around Prussia and ended the salon rather quickly as the Queen could no longer act as a proper host to the guests.