* 𝙉𝙊 / 𝗆𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗒. ✧

“ no, i wouldn’t. everything has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, it pays off. being able to make a change, i mean, as difficult as it might be. ” any other job would have been less stressful, but she doubted she’d be as pleased with her life as she was now. “ do people really drink alcohol for its taste? ” probably not. for her, it was not the taste that made her want to drink it, but the effect it had after a few glasses. “ i suppose you also know a nice place where they serve pineapple juice? ”

“ yes, but what good would it do? be serious, alina. you getting married to a foreign noble won’t stop russia from harassing us. it could’ve been helpful if we had, i don’t know, seven other siblings we could marry off and back the russians into a corner. but it’s just the two of us and in case i haven’t been clear enough, i do not allow this. i will not allow it. end of story. ” she might’ve been a little too harsh, but it was the reality her sister needed to hear. “ trust me, i’d be the first one getting worried. if you ever hear me talking about dating sites, consider giving me a reality check. ” she nodded once and sighed. “ not that i’d mind having you around all the time, but i mean this: marry someone you love. it won’t work the other way. loving someone after you marry them, i mean. ”

kristina rose to her feet as soon as the daughter of the english prime-minister was welcomed inside. she greeted her with a polite smile and extended her hand for her to shake. “ the pleasure is all mine. please, have a seat. ” as soon as they were both seated, the queen nodded her head. “ of course i understand. how is your mother doing? everything is fine, i hope? ” as if anything would ever be fine. however, this seemed more like a personal question when it was in fact nothing but common courtesy.

“ i’m fairly well, thank you. and you? ” fairly.  what a subtle way to say she wasn’t exactly doing well, but she didn’t want to talk about it either. she has had enough of political talks for a while, a nice chat with nylane should feel refreshing. “ i did notice the slits but there’s nothing to worry about. they weren’t too much. a statement, indeed, but no lines were crossed. ” finding the right attire for an event was quite stressful. people seemed to look into their outfits of choice way too much. everything had to be perfect, otherwise it could result in ending up on the front page of a magazine with an unflattering review. “ i saw you passing by, but you seemed to be in a hurry so i didn’t want to stand in your way. thank you, i appreciate it. ”

“ eh, most of the time it’s nice but then days like these come and remind you that a whole country is depending on you. but i can’t really complain, i’m actually grateful. ” after hearing his suggestion, kristina chuckled. it was rare of her to show signs of happiness these days. “ alright, then i’ll take your word for it and order pineapple and mint. it sounds really exotic. ”

“ look, i know this is not what you wanted to hear but a marriage is not going to solve all of our problems, let alone a meaningless engagement. do you see me searching for husbands on online dating sites for royals? no. ” she knew that once her sister puts her mind to something, it’s hard, if not even impossible, to make her reconsider her idea. “ oh, have you? i’m happy to hear you’re meeting new people, but let me know when you actually fall in love with someone, will you? ”

she had to admit that she didn’t know how to adress the young woman anymore. she had lost her title,but that didn’t mean she deserved less respect than before. if anything, kristina was impressed by how she held her head so high. “ good afternoon, ” she greeted her and took a seat next to her at the bar. “ i didn’t get to talk to you at the coronation, but you looked beautiful. gold looks stunning on you, you should wear it more often. ” ( @nylvne​ )

if his intention was to make her feel cornered, then he surely succeeded. but acting out on fear would lead to a mistake, she had to wait for things to cool down a little bit so she could get a clearer view. she wasn’t going to give up crimea, that was for sure, but she had to come up with a good strategy to fight back. “ i don’t think there’s much to consider, but i’ll think about it. you shouldn’t expect a positive answer, though. ”

“ ah, yes. being queen is not a part-time job, sadly. although i have to admit that sometimes, even i wish it were. ” she could use a break, but it wasn’t like she could let somebody else sit on her throne while she was vacationing. “ then i’ll take your word for that. how about drinking some mango juice now? ”

a friendship required effort from both parts. a strategic friendship required not only effort, but also sacrifices. she knew she couldn’t win this fight alone and if helping roman with his troubles would mean having him on her side against the russian, she would do it without a second thought. “ that’s good to hear, but i’ll make sure there won’t be anything that needs to be left in the past from now on. not between us. ” she had been wary of him at first, but he was one of her only allies. she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. “ they seem to care about their family, yes. but you see, once their family expands outside of russian borders, it becomes a problem for all of us. i wouldn’t want to see one of them ruling over crimea. ”

“ alina, are you trying to force someone into marrying you and not telling me? ” it was hard to believe her sister was actually serious about this. and if she was, then that was too bad, because kristina would never want her to sacrifice her happiness for this. ‘ oh, really? and what were the results of your networking? ”

“ i see. i have to admit that i wish i could give some love to my winter attire, but i doubt i’ll be able to go anywhere cold anytime soon. i can’t return to kyiv for now. ” and a vacation was out of discussion, but that wasn’t even worth mentioning. “ if i am to be honest, i don’t think i would poison anyone. or attempt murder. i believe there are many other ways to make a person suffer, death is the easy way. ” the corners of her lips tugged up into a coy smile. “ you seem to know me well enough, your grace. our friendship is making progress. ”

“ well, at least one of us thinks that. ” it was hard to face the russians alone and it was no use in trying to hide that she felt overwhelmed for now. “ maybe there is. they want to take crimea, but i’m not willing to give it away just like that and i’m surely not accepting their money. ” there wasn’t any need to tell him that this information was confidential, she could spoke freely around him. “ i wouldn’t want to trouble you, though. you have your own problems that need to be taken care of. ”

it would’ve been considered rude to walk by the russian prince and not say a word. although, she was quite convinced that what russia did was way more impolite than pretending not to see him, but she didn’t make the rules. “ good evening, your highness. ” damned common courtesy. “ the ceremony was quite impressive, wouldn’t you agree? ” ( @kcstyv )

“ you really miss belarus, don’t you? ” she couldn’t blame him. although she was starting to get used to the weather, she was still dreaming about the cold days in kyiv. “ i don’t even know which part should be more offending: the assumption that i am responsible for poisoning the czar or the part where i have failed to kill him. do people really think i’d leave it unfinished? how disappointing. last time i checked, women were famous for succeeding to poison men they didn’t like. ” she was well aware that her words could easily put her in a dangerous position, she was already walking on thin ice, but she didn’t feel like she had to worry that much about having this conversation with roman. “ but thank you, i appreciate it. i think you’re one of the very few people that believe i had nothing to do with that. ”

“ interesting change of scenery, wouldn’t you agree? ” kristina said as she approached the duke, offering him something to drink. “ good afternoon, your grace. oh, don’t worry about the drink, i can assure you that it’s not poisoned, in case you had your doubts. ” ( @yvrivic )

𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗞𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗝𝗨𝗟𝗜𝗝𝗔 𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗦𝗞𝗔𝗬𝗔 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗬𝗢 𝗭𝗨𝗟𝗨 𝗶𝗻 𝘈𝘗𝘙𝘐𝘓, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟢 .