Cursed Royalty

0.4. Elevated by suffering

Helloooo amigas.

I present you the first chapter narrated by Maria's perspective and the last fully related to her. So next, you will meet Lyudmilla, finally. But before, i will post another some some for give a full introduction.

This is a veery long chapter, so i hope you enjoy it.

Without further to say.

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July 20th

Maria's POV

Two days have passed since my arrival to Koldovstoretz and I am not gonna lie, everyone has been nothing but nice to me, a little too nice even. They treat me like I'm gonna break at any moment, especially Olenka, she has been following my every step and move and even though I really appreciate their concern their special treatment is just a daily reminder of what happened not even a week ago.

The only one that haven't even tried to be nice to me or at least not nicer than she should is Natasha, I had my first lesson with her yesterday and just like she said to me, she did not go easy on me.

"Come on- get up "Natasha's menacing voice came from behind me after my failed attempt of blocking the Depulso spell she casted to me "I'm surprised that Rasputin being Rasputin never taught you how to duel" the tall woman was now in from of me, studying my face.

"He never had a reason to" my voice sounded more like a whimper. I landed pretty hard on the floor and thankfully the floors from this room were cushiony which helped me not to get my skull cracked in two but still that didn't stop my head from hitting the floor like a bouncing ball.

"Well, tell that to your distraught uncle. I bet he's gonna give you a long list of reasons as of why you should learn how to duel" her sharp grey glance never left my face, not even after what she said. She didn't even hesitated when saying those words but when she saw that maybe she went too far, her lips went into an straight line and she offered her hand to me but I remained on the floor, speechless "look-"she sighed dropping her arm to the side "what do you feel?" I looked up at her in confusion-was she really asking me that? She was looking at expectantly "tell me Maria, what are you feeling right now?"

"I-i don't kno-"

"Yes, you do- you know exactly what you feel, so I'm gonna ask you one more time, what are you feeling?"

I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to come clean to the woman in front of me but the words burned in my throat, wanting to come out. They burned like a fire that I have been feeding the last couple of days and now, was out of control.

"Anger-"I mumbled

"And what else?" she kneeled in from of me, looking directly to my eyes. Reading them. Reading me.

The words started to come out of my mouth without permission, rebellious against my own will.

"Distain and impotence" a shaky breath came from my mouth "and guilt and loneliness and-"my voice started to crack, for fuck's sake, I didn't wanted to cry, not in front of her.

Natasha was still looking at me, but her gaze was not void or callous anymore, there was something else in there, a new feeling that was unknown for me to see there. There was an odd tint of sympathy and even kindness.

"Then you use them - you use those feelings to throw that mannequin to the other side of the room or torn it into pieces, you use them to learn how to cure someone from sickness, to control the darkest of the magic or to fucking do whatever you can Maria" her words were powerful just like her voice "You are the Divine Move in this game and one day you'll get back what belongs to you by birth, but this time you are gonna have to fight for it" she continued with the shadow of a smile on her face "one day you're gonna prove them how much of a Romanov are, but util that day arrives" she took my hand and helped me to get up, standing in front of her "you will prove to me the type of witch you are" she paused and tilted her face "Now, destroy that bloody mannequin"