"Olga!? Our new and official heir!?" Alexandra yelled in shock "Nicholas this is unbelievable and against the Paulin succession law! I-I-I" Alexandra hesitated and abruptly sat down to her chair with her hands covering her face. Nicholas sighed and faces his wife "I'm sorry this came as an unpleasant surprise to you my dear Alix. But this is for the nation's own good... and... f-for your own good as well." Alexandra turns her attention to Nicolas with her tear stricken face. "I-I cannot afford to give you more humiliation and pain than you are already through, and I also cannot afford losing you through giving birth. You deserve a break my dear." Nicolas kisses his wife compassionately. Although, Alexandra has yet to recover from her sorrows and worries. She turned her attention to the abyss "She was ours... but now-" Alexandra struggles to finish her sentence as her small sobs breaks her voice "She belongs to the people..." She whimpered. Nicholas reaches his arms around his wife to comfort her.
The big pair's room
"April 5, 1909
The fire in which has lit within my chest for a long period of time since I was gifted with a very special burden has given me sweet dreams and ambitions through the weeks and weekends, I cannot fully described in detail how honored I am to be able to soon rule the very country my family has built through centuries of conquest, honor, and glory with the help of God. But I must admit that I still have the sense of guilt within me as this was my brother's burden and I felt it was taken away from him so abruptly but at the same time I think God has set up a plan for me in life, I hope that when I get to meet my brother again in the kingdom of Heaven he would be proud of me and embrace me for carrying the burden for him.
- Olga"
Olga closed her dairy and placed her pen at the drawer. She stood up from her seat and sat next to Tatiana on her cot bed. Olga places her hands on her sisters shoulders and gently shakes her around "Hey Tatya." Olga giggled. "Hm?" Tatiana blankly responded without facing her sister. Olga sighed, "Its hard, I know. But that doesn't mean he won't look down from above and look after us." Olga reassured, Tatiana looked Olga before facing back at the abyss. "I'll be attending to the little pair, do you want to come?" Olga asked nicely. Tatiana shook her head. Olga, with the look of disappointment, stood from the cot and leaves the room not before having one last glimpse of her sister, thinking she'd change her mind by hearing the creek of the door. But nothing.
Tsar's reception room, mid April.
"You called me to work for you again? Me, a progressive?" says Sergei Wittie, the former prime minister of the Russian empire.
"Sergei, I know we had our squabbles from those years ago, but I admit that you are the most talented in political affairs than anyone else, including myself, in government. I have thought that based on your experiences and reputation in politics I thought you would make a great candidate to be my daughter's mentor in preparing her for her future role as empress of the Russians." Nicholas answered. "Besides, I couldn't find anyone else that I believe would be capable of the job."
Wittie nods "I see. And I like to give my regards to you and Alexandra for the loss of your son." he tells the emperor compassionately.
"I appreciate that Mr. Wittie. And I know you can do well to serve your country by training its future leader."
Grand duchess's classroom
The classroom of the Grand Duchesses was decorated with an olive-colored wallpaper and a stenciled frieze of pine cones and owls. On the floor was a sewn carpet in dark navy blue carpet. The room had a large table surrounded by chairs with footstools. Fabric depicting stylized tulips covered the chairs and was used for curtains. In the corner stood a big green-tiled Russian stove. With standard text books on large bookcases, each touches on a specific subject such as geology, history, and mathematics. For scientific study a skull stood on top one of the big glass-doored bookcases that lined the room. From the center of the ceiling hung a large chandelier with hanging red and white-nabbed glass tear-drop shades. In the middle of the fixture hung an adjustable cloth-shaded light, which illuminated the work table.
"...So, study the grammar to work on your French paragraphs tonight. Class dismissed." Gillard said.
"See you Mr. Gillard." Olga and Tatiana said at the same time.
Pierre turned "Oh and Olga."
Olga listens carefully.
"Your father told me that you should stay here in the room until further notice."
Olga gives a puzzled expression, she fought the urge to ask a question. Pierre leaves the room and Tatiana followed suit. "Meet you at dinner." She told Olga as she walks off carrying her French text book.
Olga sighed and places her elbow on the table with her hand touching her face. For 10 minutes she sits alone in the room, reading, humming, walk around in paces. Her patience have payed off when she saw a man walking into the room. Olga stood still at his presence. The man, who turned out to be Sergei Wittie, introduces himself.
"Zdravstvuyte your Imperial majesty, I am Sergei Wittie; your appointed mentor." He bows.
"Oh." Olga replied in satisfaction. "Its nice to meet you Mr. Wittie." Olga reaches to shake his hand. Sergei obliges.
Sergei and Olga takes a walk outside of the palace where they enjoy the sounds of the swans and ducks swimming at the lake nearby, the noon sun shines over the blue sky, the clouds puffy and white as snow.
"So, how do you feel about being the new appoint heir to the throne? Must be heavy for a young child such as yourself." Sergei asks.
"I don't know... Mr. Wittie, I-"
"You may call me Sergei." He tells her.
"I prefer to call you Mr. Wittie, as a sign of respect."
Sergei nods.
Olga sighed "I don't know... Its.. it feels so.. sudden. Like a bolt of lighting casted down upon me a fire I must keep warm and bright." Olga looked at Sergei. Sergei looks back. "I-I see it as a chore that I actually find important."
"What chore is never important?"
Olga hesitates "I-I don't mean the chores mama and papa make us do are unimportant, I mean that its a responsibility that I take more seriously."
"So do you really find it as the only important chore or do you see as more important than the basic chores."
"The latter, which I tried to imply."
"mmhmm."
"What do you mean mmhmm?" Olga angerly replied.
Mr. Wittie gives the young Grand duchess the look. Olga's emotion shifted and her face turned red.
"Sorry, sir. I tend to do that sometimes."
Wittie exhales to release his negativity. "Young woman, ruling over a country is equivalent into ruling over your house and to rule over your house you must master the basic chores. Look at it this way; When you see dust on the floor what do you do?"
"I sweep it?"
"Precisely, the dust is your country's main problems, the sweeper is the decision you have set to solve said problem, house rules are the laws, and washing the dishes is similar to wiping off conspirators and master criminals of the plate which the plate is the state."
Olga chuckled, "Never thought of it in that perspective."
Sergei smiled "You have a gifted mind your imperial majesty, it is crucial that I assist it in the field of academics and for you to set that mind for the responsibility that awaits you."
Olga agreed, slightly nodding whilst she moved her eyes down. Olga then proceeds to make eye contact with Sergei before she speaks "Mr. Sergei, I was wondering; what made you so interested in politics, as I too am interested in that field."
Sergei thought of an answer to her imperial majesty's question. "Because I see it as an occupation where I can use my wits to the best of my ability and it helps me improve my coping mechanism and my mindset on overcoming adversities present in my life and my work."
"Ahh."
"What about you your imperial majesty?" Asked Sergei.
Olga quickly thought of her answer. "Well there's something about it that I see as where I can express my quick thought and I've had ambitions lately, whenever I see one politician in the papers sometimes with his failure in the article I thought to myself I could've done better and think of better ways that would've solve whatever issue he failed to tackle."
Sergei nodded, highly interested by her majesty's answer. This gave Sergei even more insight on Olga's character and made him see more potential in the Grandduchess.
"Although, mama wanted to raise me as a future wife of some handsome wealthy prince, Belaugh!" Olga mocked.
Sergei laughed. "Now with me to teach you, you can full fill what you truly wanted to do, or at least what you think you want to do."
Olga chuckled. "I am glad and blessed sir, and It is what I truly wanted to do."
The two continues their stroll around the backyard field of the palace getting to know each other better as the sun continues to settle.
Little pair's room
In the little pair's room, Anastasia steps down from the stack of boxes she used to reach for the top surface of the door. A bucket of cold water is placed on the top of the door and Maria carried a bucket of confetti.
"Nastaya, should we really do this?"
"What!? You're not bailing out are you?" Anastasia reacted with suspicion and annoyance.
Maria hesitated "N-no?"
"Good" Anastasia replied, satisfeid.
The little pair hears an echo of steps, Anastasia gestured Maria to get ready and Maria feels uneasy about the prank but she doesn't want to disappoint her little sister. When a figure moved the door the bucket of cold water fell on the figure.
"AHHH!" the figure yelled, when the figure threw the bucket off it turned out to be Tatiana and before she can even react Maria threw confetti at her as instructed by Anastasia. Anastasia burst out laughing to the point she layed on the floor whilst she swings her lower legs, Maria just stood their feeling guilty and remorse. After 5 seconds of panting breaths Tatiana became furious.
"Mama and papa wanted me to tell that dinner is ready.." Tatiana said whilst angerly grinding her teeth and shivering.
Maria nervously chuckled "T-thanks, hehe he...".
The main Alexander palace dinning room
The family is getting ready for dinner as the servants have already prepared the meal for the Imperial family, a cups of soup on top of white and stitched cup mats, a large bowl of fruit and a large bowl of beef in the middle of the table, a champagne for the Imperial couple with two glasses specifically for Nicholas and Alexandra. The red wood table is covered with a table cloth with flowers spread out on the fabric and in the lace part of the cloth are diamond shaped patterns repeating across the cloth on all sides and edges. Imperial couple sat on opposite ends near one end of the table waiting for the daughters, soon enough their patience paid off as Olga, Anastasia, and Maria have came for dinner, although Tatiana appeared to be missing.
"Where is your sister?" He asked.
"I'm here!" Tatiana called from a distance as she enters the room with a new dress on. "I apologize for my late arrival, someone had to have a bit of fun at my expense." Tatiana glared at Anastasia, whos trying her hardest to hide her grin and short laugher.
Alexandra shocks her head disapproval.
"With that being assessed, lets have a family talk for once in the table. Its been awhile since the last time we talked about our daily lives since... well since your brother passed." Nicholas said, his tone slowly shifts to an almost sadden whisper at the end of his sentence.
The room is again drenched in silence as the mentioning of their dear Alexie serves as a bell for his recent unpleasant demise, especially with it still in recent memory despite it had happen 4 months ago. A young life taken away so soon...
"Well I enjoyed the company of Mr. Witte, he is fun to talk with, very pleasant. He is close to a best friend for me." Olga shared.
Nicholas smiles, "I am glad you two are getting along just fine, I wish me and him were like that."
"Who is Mr. witte?" Maria asked.
"He is my new political mentor." Olga answered nicely.
"Political mentor? What's a political and what's a mentor?" Anastasia asked.
"My dear, mentor is equivalent to that of teacher." Nicholas answered.
"Like Mr. Gillard?"
"Yes, but mentors tend to be more personal teachers than an average school teacher or a tutor."
"But you hired him, that doesn't count as a mentor." Olga tried to correct her father.
"What makes him your mentor is because he is willing to do it and not just for the sake of earning a wage."
Olga mouthed and nods.
"What about political? I want to know!" Anastasia enthusiastically asked.
Nicholas chuckles.
"You'll have to learn that yourself little one."
"Papa is right, its a very sensitive subject for anyone as young as you to know and to discuss about. I recommend you wait until you reach mine and Tatya's age."
"No fair! Hmph!" The soon to be 9 year crossed her arms.
"Pshh, too young." Maria snickered
Anastasia hits Maria at the upper arm. "Ow!" cried Maria as she places her hand on her upper left arm.
"Anastasia!" Roared Alexandra "Say sorry to your sister at once!"
Anastasia wanted to protest against Alexandra's wishes but her fear of the consequences outweighed her conscience. Anastasia groaned "Sorry."
Alexandra wanted to scold at her youngest daughter for not apologizing properly but not feeling she has the energy to argue with the most energetic of the girls she just sighs her frustration out instead.
9:20 PM, Big pair's room
Olga lays at her cot bed on her back staring the ceiling trying to sleep, the thought of going beyond the glamor of her aristocratic sheltered life to see the rest of Russia for herself tampers with her attempt to get a decent slumber. Olga pushed her blanket aside and got up from cot, she slowly walked towards the window with soft steps to make sure she would not disturbed Tatiana. Olga look on upon the window seeing the site outside of the palace gates, she sneaked to her drawer to pick up her book called Alice of wonderland and sneaked back to the window. The 14 year old Grandduchess looked down on the book cover and back at the window.
"Some day." She thought.
