The weather was conducive to interesting rides, and Nadia apparently loved to pamper her guests with unusual surprises. As she said, she lived on the outskirts of Moscow, in an old forest, so in winter they often traveled to the center on snowmobiles. This time, she led them to a place where a large, elegant sleigh stood, harnessed by two rows of beautiful black horses with long, intricately braided manes. The coachman, whom she named Danil, greeted them with a nod and invited them to the pews. They were lined with thick, hairy skins, pleasantly warming those who sat down. The girl reached under one of the benches for large blankets which everyone was supposed to cover with. The jackets, although warm, might not be enough. When they were ready, the man on the seat threw his reins, their mounts neigh merrily and trotted forward towards the dark forest. All the way they could hear the surprisingly pleasant jingling of bells strapped to the harness. It was the first time he visited her homeland. Usually it was she who appeared on his hill, which is why he even more agreed to be invited to Russia. It simply fell to him that he finally visited the mansion of his future wife. Robert thought about it, resting chin in hand and pretending to look around the snow-covered forest. At first he was more than negative, but with each meeting he gradually switched to the "neutral" version. Looked around at the faces of his friends. They looked enchanted by the views, especially Johnny and Oliver sitting opposite them. And she... Nadia was sitting between him and Enrique again. Exemplary upright, a slight smile on her lips, and he thought one of her eyes might turn in his direction every now and then, but he might as well take it as an illusion.
- It's so cold in here! - muttered the redhead, wrapping the blanket tighter around him.
- Oh, I forgot to death! Maybe you want to drink something warm? - she asked, and when three of them looked pleading, she turned to the green haired boy. - Oliver, I'll have to ask for your help. There's a chest under your feet.
They pulled it out with the redhead, the girl efficiently opened the massive staples and handed each of them a thick-sided mug, then pulled out a large thermos. She spilled a hot drink, and a pleasant, honey-spicy scent spread around them.
- Delicious! And immediately warmer ... What's that? - Oliver asked.
- Traditional Russian Vladimirskaya sbiten. Perfect during the winter, it is a brilliant treatment of colds. - the girl explained. - My hostess, Svietlana, cooks it every year from a 12th-century recipe that was reportedly passed down in her family.
She got him interested, and he took a sip. A warm, sweet, velvety liquid poured down his esophagus, warming him with aromatic cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. He had never had anything like this before. He was charmed by the combination of honey and spices. He felt a great desire to drink the whole thermos, but it completely contradicted his restrained nature and high personal culture. He didn't object when she topped it up without asking.
- Oh, here we are! - She rejoiced putting the thermos to the box. - Welcome to my home.
They heard the metallic clang of a heavy opening as they rode through the opening, then watched as two men dressed in thick overcoats closed openwork wings again. The sledge made a wide arc around the snow-covered lawn in two semicircles, facing sideways to a wide staircase leading to three arches and wide gates. The complex consisted of one main three-story building and two single-story long blocks on the sides, all made of red brick with painted white details. He was the first to jump out of the sled, then gallantly shook her hand. She looked a bit surprised, but took him gently, and after a while stood on the soft fluff. The front door creaked and a distinguished couple appeared: a tall man and a slightly shorter, slender woman, both in long woolen coats. A huge white and gray dog also ran out between their legs. He blasted himself down the stairs and a moment later fawned at her feet.
- Welcome to our humble thresholds! - the master of the house greeted them in a booming voice, approaching the newcomers. - Ruble, come back!
- Robert, you've finally come! - the woman chanted. - We couldn't wait.
- Mr. and Mrs. Koroliov... - He bowed at the sight of them. - It's an honor to be your guest.
- Beautiful dog! - marveled Enrique. - Husky, right?
- Exactly. Ruble is the alpha of my father's herd. - The blonde explained, ruffling the hair on the neck of the animal. - Leads in harness.
Robert watched her lovingly handle the fluffy dog, unresponsive as he happily licked her face. He had incredibly bright, blue, wise eyes, against which the Russian frost seemed to be a spring breeze. Suddenly Jurgens felt something run past him, all he saw was blonde hair and two dark ponies. When he turned around, the blonde was sitting in the snow, covered with two small bodies hugging her.
- Tetya Nadya*! - two children's voices squeaked.
- Moi rashery*! - she laughed at the sight of them. - Did you come with your parents?
- Yes, Tatiana and Dmitri are already waiting in the dining room. - The girl's mother announced. - Come on, warm yourself. You are definitely hungry.
Russian architecture amazed him. At first glance, the mansion looked like an image of glamor and wealth, but as he looked closer, noticed a host of traditional elements that softened the image. In fact, only the hall was dripping with gold, the rest of the rooms were decorated in a much more restrained style. The dining room turned out to be very bright, pleasantly lit, in the colors of beige and amber, with heavy curtains hung in large windows. As announced by the lady of the house, there was a couple waiting for them, about 5 years older than him and Nadia. A woman of medium height with hair as pale as a field of young wheat, elegantly pinned up in a bun, from which protruded a long, golden ornament with tiny, sparkling pebbles. Dressed in a bright sweater, with a row of thin bracelets and dark, close-fitting pants - Tatiana, an older sister, a talented artist and fashion designer. Next to her stood a taller, black-haired man with piercing, gray eyes, in an elegant, dark navy blue sports jacket, white shirt and brown straight pants - Dmitri, her husband, owner of a thriving IT company. They were introduced to each other, and only then did he learn that the little imps that tangled under their feet were their twins, Pietr and Olga. The Koroliovs decided to treat them with traditional Russian dishes. The obligatory appetizer was carefully served pieces of freshly baked homemade bread with caviar. Soon after they were served soup, pancakes with various variants of toppings, pelmeni, baked partridges and a large pot with beuf strogonow. He tried a bit of everything, stating that he might get used to Russian cuisine. As a dessert, a solid cup of ice cream stood in front of him.
They ate their meal in silence, the time for conversation came when they went to the living room, with two large, maroon sofas and a tasteful chaise longue on which Tatiana sat, so that she could calmly watch the children playing on the carpet. The little ones immediately kidnapped their aunt to arrange blocks with them. She agreed, sitting next to them, studying the structures under construction and suggesting improvements. He was sitting directly behind her, propped on an armrest. He watched her act as a mediator between the impetuous but logical Olga and the calm, impossibly creative Pietro. The state of the house and the family were watching the broadcast of the match, but at some point it was interrupted, so they asked the boys to report on the missing element. They were clearly shocked by the bestiality of the national team, but the girl's mother breathed a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that her daughter was safe with Jurgens. He turned a searching glance at her. She was sipping water from a tall glass.
- Exactly, Nadia, did you talk to Robert about the descendants? - the woman asked quite seriously.
She chose the wrong moment, the girl was so surprised by the question that she choked on the drink. No wonder, they had only known each other for a few weeks. The children rushed to their aunt's rescue. The three friends looked at each other with indistinct expressions, then looked at him unanimously. He decided to intervene until she choked.
- There is still time for such topics. - he replied diplomatically.
- You're right, I think I got a little carried away! - the woman laughed pearly, ignoring her daughter's condition. - It's good that you have everything under control, Robert. We can breathe calmly with my husband.
Nadia looked at him with such relief and gratitude as he had never seen, especially on a face so ruddy with effort and lack of oxygen.
- If they actually decide to have children, it will be a very interesting bunch, Mrs. Koroliov. - Enrique added cheerfully, then squealed softly against his bony elbow between the ribs. - Ouch! Oliver!
- Oh, a coincidence, forgive me. - The green-haired replied calmly, attacking him with such glare that Tornatore almost fell into himself.
Robert was grateful to the friend for the support, the energetic blonde could make the situation very quickly worse. He guessed that Oliver, being the most astute on such matters, would find that neither he nor she were temporarily particularly pleased with the arrangement that had brought them together.
In accordance with the request, or even the recommendation of the Koroliov family, he could use the mansion as he liked, so when everyone fell asleep, he decided to hide in the living room as he liked best. He changed into comfortable burgundy pants made of soft fabric and a white shirt. Looking for an interesting book, he loosened the first two buttons so that the collar would not press against neck. Found what he was looking for and leaned back in the comfortable armchair. Jurgens enjoyed the undisturbed silence and the good reading when the door handle clicked. A slender creature in a dirty pink oversized sweater and gray socks above the knees, tied with black satin, passed through the narrow gap between the door leaves. She held a silver laptop in her hands. Stiffened at the sight of him and blushed to ears. He had never seen her react like that.
- I didn't know you were here... - she muttered, walking over to the other armchair facing him. - I'm not going to disturb you, need just a moment of silence. I found errors in financial documents, and need to straighten them out. I work best here.
Robert nodded, agreeing. In fact, she was at home, he had no right to forbid her anything. He watched as Nadia sat down on the soft cushion, tucked legs under her and placed the computer on top of them. She looked through the documentation with great concentration, every now and then writing down particular data in a notebook resting on the armrest. For some reason he couldn't concentrate on the text. Every now and then glanced in her direction, catching the next details of the outfit, the golden locks delicately falling on her face, which she stubbornly clutched behind her ear. She frowned slightly, then lifted eyes, catching him staring. He blushed slightly.
- Something happened? - she asked softly.
- Can I help you? Maybe we can handle it faster together. - he thought hastily.
- If you want... - she muttered, ruffling her hair and yawning loudly. - I guess it's too late for such problems, I can't find the source.
- It's strange that you get down to work so late. - he replied, looking over her shoulder and glancing briefly at the hanging clock. It struck 23:00.
He leaned in low to see better, resting his arms on the back of the chair. He smelled a subtle perfume. Realized he knew the smell, but somehow hadn't noticed it before. He watched the mass of charts and charts, trying hard to concentrate on the search.
- I have to solve it as soon as possible, then I won't have any time at all. - she sighed sadly.
- Why don't we switch to the couch? It will be more convenient.
She agreed. Instinctively, as if they naturally leaned on each other, placing the laptop on their lap. She was very warm. The search went much better, they solved the problem in a short time. For some unknown reason, he was reluctant to do so, but suggested that they go to sleep. Once again she agreed with him, and he could have sworn a sadness flashed across her face as each of them went their way after closing the door.
Tetya Nadya! - [rus.] aunt Nadia!
Moi rashery - [rus.] my rarascus!
{rarog (raróg) or rarascus (raraszek), according to Slavic mythology, the demonic spirit of fire; in folk culture, a tiny demon that brings good luck}