Azur Lane: Kaiserin (Book 1)

Ch40: Hangover

I awaken with a mild headache though I cannot tell whether it's from the drinking I'd done the night prior or the loud beats of the drums being banged all around outside. Opening my eyes immediately improves my mood, however. There, beside me in bed, lies Rossiya. She's still fast asleep but despite it, I can't deny that she's absolutely stunning. 

I continue watching her for a few more minutes before reaching across the bed and caressing her cheek. She awakens with a start but immediately calms upon seeing it's me.

Me: Good morning.

Rossiya: Good-

She flinches as the beating of the drums gets louder and I can't help the laughter that escapes my lips. She pouts as I tease her about drinking too much but rather than allow her to continue to suffer, I slip out of bed and grab the bottle of water resting on the nearby table. Returning to the bed, I instruct her to sit up before handing it to her. As she drinks, I walk over to the pile of clothing my staff have left by the entrance to the room. There I find her clothing plus a fresh suit for me to wear whilst they clean my own. I also find a lounging Parseval who barely acknowledges my presence as I grab the clothing.

By the time I return to the bed, she's finished the water and is reaching across to attempt to place it back on the table without getting up. She fails and slips, barely managing to catch herself against the edge of the bed before tumbling out of it completely.

Me: I see you're enjoying yourself.

She blushes, embarrassed, but rather than tease her further I toss our clothes onto the bed.

Me: The bath is that way. You'll find the rest of the things you need there.

Rossiya: What about you?

Me: I'll be leaving to give you your privacy of course.

She opens her mouth as if to say something but decides against it and after a few more instructions on where to find things, I leave. Parseval follows me out of the tent leaving her behind, alone. 

Now that I'm outside, I find that the training isn't the only reason things are so loud. Rather, most of the camp has already been torn down and is missing. In fact, even as I stand at the entrance of my tent, I can see vehicles carrying away various equipment.

Roselyn: Good morning, ma'am.

Me: I see we're already on the move once more.

Roselyn: Yes, ma'am. We'll actually reach Stettin before our equipment so I figured it'd be best to send them off in advance to minimize the wait time.

Me: Very well. What of the training?

Roselyn: Well, Miss Friedrich has already left with Clarissa and her team. They should already be back in Scandinavia by now.

Me: Scandinavia?

Roselyn: I'm afraid so. She said something about wanting to train them to fight in "adverse conditions". I think she plans to take them as far north as possible.

Me: I see...and Roon?

Roselyn: She'll be having all those under her command force march all the way to Stettin from here on foot with all their equipment.

Me: All the way?

Roselyn: Without any stops, yes. However, I was able to convince her to at the very least have trucks travelling with them so that if any collapse they can be ferried to safety.

Me: That's good, at least. Roselyn-

Roselyn: Yes, ma'am?

Me: Do me a favour and go with her.

Roselyn: Ma'am?

Me: I want you to keep an eye on her for me and if necessary remind her that she's not allowed to kill any of them. Of course, that means you'll likely be marching with their party.

Her face pales at my every word until she's deathly white. Her mouth quivers as she tries to respond.

Roselyn: M...ma...ma'am? D-do you mean m-march a-all the w-way-

Me: Yep, the entire thing. Will be good training for you too.

Her legs give out from under her causing her to collapse. Nearby guards rush forward to assist her but a simple motion of my hand stops them in their tracks.

Me: It won't be that bad.

She doesn't respond but before I can address her further, something catches my eye back at my tent. Turning, I find Rossiya peaking out and when our eyes lock she mouths that she needs help. After ensuring that Roselyn knows that I wasn't joking about her going with Roon, I head back to the tent. 

Me: So, are you going to hide from me or...

Rossiya: I'm in here.

Her voice comes from the bedroom but as I enter I find her fully dressed and seemingly ready. 

Me: What exactly do you need help with?

Rossiya: Oh, I just wanted to tell you that the bath is free.

I raise an eyebrow at that but don't question it further. As I prepare to go to the bath, however, she speaks up once more.

Rossiya: Thank you for allowing me to stay here last night.

Me: Sure.

Rossiya: Uhm...

Me: What is it?

Rossiya: We didn't...uhm...do anything...well, you know?

Glancing up from the pile of clothes I'm filtering through, I find her shifting from foot to foot as she waits on my reply. Smiling, I drop the clothes back in the pile and turn to face her properly.

Me: What do you think?

Rossiya: I...well...I remember something happening but-

Me: Nothing happened.

Rossiya: I-ohh. So it was just a dream then...

Me: What did you dream about?

Her face goes red which in turn piques my curiosity.

Rossiya: Well, I-er...I dreamt about us having...well...

Me: Hahaha. Well, that definitely never happened so there's nothing for you to worry about.

She goes even redder at that and before long, she's fled the tent earning even more laughter from me. I suppose I'd be extremely embarrassed too if I'd just said something like that and it turned out to be a dream and nothing more. Though I must say, I never expected her to be so forward with it. Perhaps she's woken up a bit tipsy...no matter. I still need to have a bath. I can worry about that later.