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Ivan

"Are you done yet?" I asked Dimitri impatiently, eyeing the papers and files stacked up on his antique desk. The one I'd tried to get rid of, numerous times.

But Dimitri brushed me off each time.

He'll learn his lesson one of these days.

When the desk meets it's end due to overload and old age, I'll be right here with an 'I told you so'.

A creak marred the forehead of my best friend, the great king, as he signed a sheet of paper and passed it to his secretary before turning to me. "No, Iv. I'm not done."

"You haven't stopped working since the moment we reached Magadha," I accused, glaring at him. "Do you even remember that you're supposed to be showing Rose around? Introducing her to others, taking her to see the sights-"

"Ivan." Dimitri cut me off firmly. I had prepared a long rant, dammit. But Dimitri had an irritating habit of cutting off people's words.

"I cannot do that," he continued. "Look at this-" he motioned to the files stacked on his antique desk. "-I have things to take care of."

"I know." I sighed and rattled off the list. "The citizens of Halvi must be relocated as soon as possible. Traasa must be stopped. Not to mention, the Feast is just a week away and there are so many last details to take care of. I know, Mitya, I do. But Rose is also a priority."

I don't even know why I had to remind him about it. Dimitri can be quite a bit of a workaholic but that didn't mean he can forget about his fiancee, for God's sake.

Dimitri nodded, regret brewing in his eyes. "I know I should spend time with her. I do want that, Ivan. That is exactly why I'm working now, so that the workload will be lighter for the next week."

I guess I could see where he was coming from.

Rubbing my forehead, I leaned back on my seat, a plan unfolding before my eyes. "Let me take care of a few things for you."

Rose

"Where are you taking me?" I asked Ivan impatiently as I followed him to his car.

He opened the passenger door for me, shooting me an innocent smile. "Come on, Rose. Get in."

Huffing, I did as I was asked and waited for him to buckle himself and start driving.

"Tell me!" I ordered the moment the car started forward.

"Nope." Ivan chuckled cheerfully.

Someone's in a good mood...

"You told me to dress nicely," I stated. "I want to know why."

Ivan had arrived at Viktoria's palace suddenly, asking me to accompany him for an 'adventure'. He'd entrusted Viktoria and Lissa to pick a dress for me and help me get ready. As a result, I was now wearing a long, shimmery gray dress with elbow length sleeves, well fitted at the top. Below the bust, the dress flared out into a waterfall of gray, underlined by blue and silver.

My hair was felt free, just the way I liked it.

Dimitri had once confessed that he liked it too...

"Why would anyone be asked to dress nicely?" Ivan asked, jarring me out of the pleasant memory.

"What?" I frowned, pulling my mind firmly to the present.

"I asked-" Ivan said patiently. "Why would a person be asked to dress nicely?"

"Are you taking me on a date, Ivan?" I asked innocently.

"Heavens, no!" Ivan spluttered, causing me to almost keel over laughing.

"There's no need to look so horrified," I sniffed once I managed to control my laughter. "A lot of men would die to take me on a date."

Ivan recovered from his shock and smirked at me. "Oh, I know that. But you, my dear sisil are for one man only."

"Sisil?" I asked, confused. Was that russovian?

"Sister-in-law," he clarified.

What on earth?

"You're weird." I told him, leaning back on my seat and crossing my arms. "All I managed to learn is that I'm dressed nicely for some occasion."

"See, you understood me." Ivan grinned. "Which can either mean that I'm not weird or that you're as weird as me."

I looked at him for a moment, then burst out laughing at the same time he did.

"Oh god!" I gasped between peals of laughter. "We both may just drive Dimitri over the edge."

"No doubt." Ivan confirmed, still chuckling. "Poor guy."

"Speaking of-" I started, looking out of the window. We were passing through a broad road ringed on both sides by vast estates. "Is he still overworking?"

Ivan nodded. "You know him. He hasn't stopped working since yesterday night."

I sighed, trying not to worry about him. Last night, we'd left Halvi and reached Magadha by midnight. Dimitri had dropped me off at Viktoria's palace, hurrying away to begin a series of endless meetings and conferences.

His to-do list must be brimming with urgent tasks, I reminded myself. Of course, he doesn't have time to check up on you. Stop being so clingy!

This concept of wanting to be with someone all the time was beginning to scare me.

"Don't worry, Rose." Ivan said, obviously sensing the direction of my thoughts. "His schedule is hectic now but he'll be free after the Feast."

I nodded, trying to believe Ivan. "Of course. That doesn't bother me."

Ivan looked skeptical but said nothing more.

"So, can you tell me now?" I asked, wanting to change the topic.

Ivan looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Tell you what, Rose?"

"Tell me where you're taking me!" I demanded again.

Unfortunately, my demands fell on deaf ears.

Ivan kept on driving despite my constant pestering.

Where on earth were we going?

We passed estates and forests and more estates, the scenery growing greener by the second. There was no hint of civilization anywhere. The streets were deserted.

"You're not planning on murdering me, are you?" I asked Ivan seriously.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Rose. These are the estates of our ministers. I reckon if you holler, people will come running within seconds so I can't get away with murder."

"I'm glad." I said, sighing in mock relief.

The scenery changed, transitioning smoothly from the sprawling estates to a deserted hilly region.

"Tell me where we're going!" I said for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"Can't do that, my dear sisil," Ivan told me as turned the car into a curving road that led to the top of a mountain.

"Don't make me pull ranks," I teased him.

Ivan grinned. "You cannot force me, my Queen. I will brave the gallows if need be but I will not reveal anything to you."

"You do realize the gallows system are abolished a hundred years ago?" I said dryly.

Ivan just smiled as he brought the car to a stop.

Guess we were here-wherever that was.

We were now at the top of the hill we'd been climbing steadily.

There was an old, temple like structure in front of us, surrounding by well maintained gardens. The cliff dropped on either side of the temple, the hill smoothly descending to the earth from what felt like heaven.

The light of the setting sun illuminated the beautiful surrounding, bathing the structure in soft, golden light.

"Go on," Ivan urged, gesturing outside.

"But it's the middle of nowhere!" I protested but without heat.

"Trust me," Ivan smiled. "You need to go."

Rolling my eyes, I stepped out of the car.

Cool breeze enveloped me, making me pause and take a deep breath of fresh air scented with that unique smell of sandalwood trees.

"Have fun!" Ivan shouted as he turned the car around and drove away, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere.

"Have fun?" I repeated as I watched Ivan's car grow smaller and smaller.

"What does that-?"

I trailed off as his car disappeared around the bend.

So much for being his 'sisil'. Who abandons their dear sister in strange places?

It was especially bad since I was a stranger here.

Not knowing what to do, I turned to face the temple.

Made of sandstone, its beauty hadn't faded despite the clear indication of its age. It had narrow steps leading to a platform bound by tall pillars on either side.

I tried to look through the archway but could see nothing.

Now, I had three options.

I could wait for Ivan to come back though it wasn't much of a possibility.

I could call someone to come pick me up but what would I tell them? Hello, Viktoria? Yeah, it's Rose. Ivan abandoned me near some old temple so please, can you come get me?

Yeah...not happening.

Or, I could explore the temple as Ivan had obviously wanted.

Despite knowing that he wouldn't leave me here if it was dangerous, I braced myself and checked that my pocket knife was still attached to the strap around my leg.

Silently, I ascended the steps, peaking in through the door.

Again, I was met with darkness.

'Curiosity killed the cat, Rose' said a voice at the back of my head. 'Don't go in.'

But at least the cat died after satisfying its curiosity...I hope.

Cautiously, I pushed the old, creaking door and stepped inside the temple.

I found myself in a dark room which looked like the main room of the temple.

There was an archway to my right through which I detected a faint trace of light.

Drawing my knife, I slowly walked over to the archway which lead to a marble floored courtyard, beyond which I glimpsed another temple.

Intricately designed pillars ringed the courtyard which boasted of marvelous view of the city to the right.

But that's not what held my attention.

The entire floor of the courtyard was covered with beautiful abstract patterns formed by petals of different colored flowers. Dotting the patterns were hundreds of tiny, earthen lamps, twinkling merrily and illuminating the entire scene.

Straight in front of me was a circle made of concentric bands of different colored petals. Right in the middle was a large, lotus shaped bowl filled with water. A few lamps were suspended on the water which was covered by pink rose petals.

Sitting beyond this decoration were two raised, majestic seats with a table in between. Wearing a rich cream tablecloth, the table was already set with decorative candles and cutlery.

But what really stunned me was the man who'd evidently arranged this.

Dimitri leaned against a pillar, watching me with a small smile on his face.

"What-?" I spluttered, gesturing to the setup.

Dimitri's smile widened at my obvious shock. He was dressed informally in black shirt and perfectly tailored charcoal gray pants. He was even wearing a gray waistcoat, which did marvelous things to his lean, muscled frame. His hair was tied back as usual with a few stubborn strands tucked behind his ear.

Overall, he looked like he'd stepped straight out of a fashion magazine.

My breath caught as I looked at him, touched that he'd done this for me.

"I-I didn't expect this," I told him, a slow, incredulous smile curling on my lips.

"Do you like it?" he asked, pushing away from the pillar to walk towards me.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to," he said, stepping closer to me. "Ivan helped."

"Of course, he did." I muttered, remembering his cheerful mood in the car.

Dimitri grinned at my words. "He did. This maybe a little late but-welcome to Russovia, Roza."

Without thinking about it, I threw my arms around him, surprising both myself and him.

"Thank you," I said, reveling in the feeling of his arms around me.

He chuckled, breath hot against my ear. "You're welcome."

Slowly, I pulled away from him.

His dark eyes locked with mine, momentarily rendering me speechless.

I felt my cheeks warming up as I remembered the hot kiss we'd shared in that tent.

After that moment, we spent the day in company of other people. That had been a single moment of absolute solitude, barring this one

"Did you have a nice day?" Dimitri asked, not moving away from me.

"Fine," I shrugged, remembering all the places Viktoria had taken me to. "I guess you were busy overworking huh, comrade?"

He laughed. "It's part of the job description, Rose."

I rolled my eyes. "No. It's part of your personality description."

"Are you saying I don't know how to have fun?" he asked, trying to look offended.

It was my turn to laugh. "Do you?"

We were- were we flirting now?

Dimitri smirked as if he'd just heard what I thought. He couldn't have, right? Unless he was some wacky old magician. "I know how to have fun, Rose."

"Words," I teased lightly.

But something told me that Dimitri wasn't just a regular, goody-two shoes kind of sweet guy. Not that there's anything wrong with them. But Dimitri was so much more.

Sweet and sexy.

A kind of man who knows how to have...fun.

Shaking away my crazy thoughts, I asked, "So, is this just a pretty decoration or are you actually treating me to dinner?"

He full lips lifted up again as he gestured to the seats. "After you, my lady."

"Thank you, my dear sir." I curtsied in jest before sitting down on the chair Dimitri had guided me into.

Dimitri clapped once after he took a seat opposite me. Two men appeared with trolleys laden with food that smelled heavenly even from a distance. They served us quietly and left.

"Smells delicious," I told Dimitri.

Dimitri just smiled in reply and waited until I took my first bite. Then he started eating.

Conversation flowed easily between us all through dinner. In fact, conversation always seems to flow easily between us. Had it always been like this?

While we were on the topic of monuments, I remembered to ask him something. "Is this temple not a public place?"

He shook his head as he put down his fork. "No. This locality is reserved for the nobles. The entire mountain range, more or less. The only public place here is the Central Palace. Apart from the palaces and estates meant for the royal family, several ministers have their estates here. It's a secure community. No one is allowed entry without authorization. This temple, in particular, belongs to our family."

Our family.

Sounds nice. Too nice, if you ask me.

Again, I pushed aside all my crappy thoughts and focused on the dinner which was amazing. And so was the company.

Before long, we were sitting on the steps leading down from the courtyard, looking over at the city bathed in the light of the setting sun.

"Your city is beautiful," I stated, looking at the wide variety of buildings below. At a distance, I could see a shimmering stretch of the sea.

"Our city," Dimitri corrected quietly. "It's yours too."

I smiled at his reply, feeling a little overwhelmed.

My city.

My soon to be home.

"Rose," Dimitri said gently, taking my hand in his. "Being the queen of Russovia doesn't mean that you've to forget about Loha. You're a Lohan and will always be. The only change is that you will now belong to Russovia too."

I stared at him in shock. "How did you know I was thinking about this?"

"Your expression," Dimitri said with a small smile.

I shook my head but let it go. "Do you think I can be what Russovia needs?"

Dimitri looked at me with an intensity that robbed my breath. "Absolutely." I couldn't doubt him when he was looking at me like that. Unable to help myself, I leaned over and kissed his cheek gratefully. "I'm glad you think so, comrade."

He smiled, as if he knew I wasn't revealing everything to him. "Remember, Rose...you can tell me anything. You don't need to pretend to be invulnerable with me."

His smile was warm but it held some other meaning; a meaning which I wasn't privy to.

"Only if you return the favor," I told him resolutely. "You need to stop hiding your emotions from me."

This had been bothering me for a while now. Despite our closeness, he always hid his emotions well. That damn mask of his was almost always on his face, even when we were laughing and joking around. The only time it hadn't been present was when we-when we'd kissed. But I couldn't think about that now.

"We're about to be married, Dimitri." I continued. "If we're going to make this work, we need to be confidants as well."

The thought that he was hiding something from me wasn't easy to swallow. I wanted him to be open with me.

Dimitri nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. I'll try. But it's not easy for me to-"

"-let someone in," I finished. "But this won't work if you can't do that."

"You're the only one who can guess what I'm feeling," Dimitri said quietly, his eyes distant. "You surprise me, Roza."

"How?" I asked, equally quiet.

His gaze fixed on me now. "By guessing things about me that no one ever has. It-it's scary at times."

I scoffed, trying to ignore the warmth spreading through my body at his words. "Hard to imagine you being scared of anything."

"You scare me, Roza." He confessed, his eyes smoldering.

His faces was mere inches from mine.

I don't know what made me do it. Most probably those eyes of his. But whatever it was, I couldn't help but lean towards him.

For the third time this evening, I gave into my impulses. I was reckless, yes but I seem to be breaking my own records now.

"I won't hurt you," I joked quietly, my face inches away from his.

Dimitri smiled, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"I'm not sure about that," he whispered, his breath fresh on my face.

Before I could say anything, his mouth descended on mine. The sudden flare of heat and electricity that rose up within me was shocking.

So was my enthusiasm.

Dimitri's lips, warm and soft against mine coaxed me into the kiss, forcing me to give into the heady passion that had ignited between us. My lips moved naturally against Dimitri's as I pushed myself closer to him. My hands were lost in his silky hair as he angled his mouth against mine to deepen the kiss.

I felt like I was on fire. Strangely, I wanted more.

The kiss was rapidly becoming something more...something I wasn't sure I understood. But I couldn't think about that-couldn't think about anything that wasn't Dimitri.

When we pulled away at last, Dimitri rested his forehead against mine.

"We should go," he whispered.

I hummed. "Where to?"

Dimitri pulled back to grin at me. "Our home."

Our home...


AN: I don't know if any of you have noticed that my writing has slipped, stuttered in the past few chapters. That is because I'm posting the previously typed version I wrote about what..2, 3 years ago? I'm so sorry, I think chapter 23 was when I stopped writing the new version and resorted to publishing the old, badly written content. I hope you bear with me, I'm in the process of rediscovering my romitri mojo :P

Wish me luck :D