Journey To the Past [ Romanovs x Reader] 🇺🇸

The best choice

Third Person POV

Little Barbara was jumping with excitement so typical for a 3 years old."We're going to Poland! We're going to Poland!" She squealed happily, jumping." Isn't it nice, auntie [Y/N]?"
"It is, for sure, my dear..." The young woman chuckled slightly, but her eyes were a little sad. She, herself , treated it as a duty and certainly not the nice one, when she went to Spain in 1914... Even though it was her mother's land.
With Barbara it was different. She was so excited and enthusiastic, genuinely happy to go to Poland and it made Hanna so happy, too... [Y/N] felt for a glimpse of a second somehow guilty for complaining so much in her thought, when she was going to Spain. Have she let her mother down then? It was her county after all...
The door opened and Hanna came in." Are you ready, [Y/N/n]?"
" Umm... Yeah..."
" You don't seem convinced. You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to..."
" No, no! It's OK!" [Y/N] shook her head. " Besides I've promised my goddaughter to accompany you, guys..." She smiled gently.
" You don't have to force yourself..."
" I'm not!" She sighed. " It's just...I don't speak Polish quite well, I would not want to make a fool of myself or make anyone feel uncomfortable..."
" Oh,dear, don't need to worry about it! My grandma is fluent in Russian!"
" Oh, what a relief...", She breathed out, but then she asked." Hanna...? If you have grandma there in Poland, why didn't you come to live with her after, you know...?
" After the fire?" [Y/N]'s sister-in-law asked calmly. " I actually was going to send a letter to her, the very same day you invited me to your uncle's birthday party, after I accepted your proposition, I decided to write it later and eventually I sent it two whole weeks later and instead of asking her to take me in, I ended up writing to her how I just can't stop to think about certain young count..."
" My invitation changed your plans..." [Y/N] mumbled.
" And life..." Hanna admitted.
" Sorry..."
" For what? Making me meet love of my life with whom I have wonderful daughter? [Y/N/n], please..."
" But you must miss Poland..."
" We go to Warsaw every month. Siergiey wants Barbara to learn Polish! He is the best husband I could ever ask for!"
" And we're going with you this time!" Little girl chained in.
" If I recall correctly, I been to Warsaw before..." [Y/N] mumbled and Hanna rolled her eyes." [Y/N/n], you didn't listen at the dinner, have you?
" Don't blame me! I don't get a good night sleep ever since 1927 when..." She stopped talking and lowered her head, soon enough feeling someone's arms around her shoulders.
"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to bring this up..." Her sister-in-law whispered.
" It's fine... l... Just need some time to... Get on with it." She forced a smile." So , could you remind me, were are we going?"
" To Lublin."
" Oh, yes...Is it a nice city?"
" Actually I don't remember so well...I wasn't there in years. Last time I saw grandma in person, I was like 4 or 5... But yeah... I think it's quite a nice place..." [Y/N] nodded at Hanna's words, then questioned. " Can I... Take someone else, along with the kids?"
" Of course! The more the merrier! Do you have any specific person in mind?"
" Actually, Yes! Yes I have~" [Y/N] smiled mysteriously. She knew exactly who needed a little "break."

______________________________________

Meanwhile ~

" Sis, you have washed this plate 5 times already..." Dimitri looked at his sister in concern. She did not react. And began to wash the same dish for the sixth time as the man tried to get her attention once again. " Polina.." No reaction still. " Polina!... POLINA!" He shouted it quite loud, so the sudden sound made her jerk as she dropped the wonderfully clean plate onto the ground it smashed into pieces." Oh, my God! Dima, what the hell?!"
" You are somehow absent today... Are you feeling all right?
" Yeah.. Sure... I'm completely fine! What makes you think otherwise... Hehe..."
" Maybe the fact you are wiping an air?"
" Am I?" She asked unconsciously grabbing the rag once again.
" Yes, you are." Her brother confirmed. " And this is certainly not normal." He put his hand on her shoulder. " Sis, what bothers you? I am your brother, aren't I?" But Polina only sighed heavily, not saying a word.
The door opened and Anastasia came in, giving her husband a questioning look. He shook his head, shrugging as she frowned her eyebrows in thought, then suddenly an idea appeared in her mind. " Polina, why don't you go out for a walk or something? I'm sure some fresh air would do you good..."
" Are you sure, Nastya? I shouldn't neglect my chores as a housekeeper..."
" Polina, above all, you are the part of our family and we want you to be healthy and happy. " Anastasia smiled." Besides, I'm really not this lazy as I seem. I can handle the laundry~" She winked, smirking.
" You mean I will have to do it." Dimitri corrected, raising his hand as his wife rolled her eyes. " And what else are you useful for?"
" Excuse me?!"
" Oh, of course, you are excused. But please, be so kind and throw out the rubbish."
" That's it! I am done! I divorce you!"
" Yeah , yeah, sure, but I will have to inform my family about it... My siblings, my parents... Oh, and, of course, my dear grandma!" He gulped at the last part. Anastasia was the favorite granddaughter of Doweger Empress Marie Feodorovna, who certainly would not be very pleased to hear that someone dared to show disrespect to her. And everyone was scared of that old woman when she was angry. Doesn't matter who would they be, everyone who prises their own life, wouldn't want to cross paths with the Doweger Empress...
" You know what,dear...? I think all this argument was pointless. We should help and support each other as a married couple, shouldn't we... I will go and throw out the rubbish. I'll be right back..." He rushed out of the room and as the door closed behind him, Polina laughed. It was the very first time Anastasia heard her doing that in a long,long time... She smiled to herself. In fact, both, her and Dimitri, didn't want to divorce. Not at all. They argued a little sometimes, but the situation from today was halfly made up. They just wanted to make Polina laugh and cheer her up at least a little bit... She was so sad lately and what was worrying the most, she did not want to say what was wrong..."
" Well, he changed his mind quickly." Dimitri's sister laughed.
" That's because he is scared of my grandmother."
" And you are using it to manipulate him~"
" With all due respect, my dear sister in-law, your brother often acts like a baby, I suppose, you know that..."
" Oh, how well I do...
" Prececly. That is why I have to treat him like one. You know, children have to be manipulated sometimes, so they know where to go and do not get any stupid ideas..." Nastya put a hand on Polina's shoulder. " Actually, most of men are this way. You have to be very careful and watch over them, so they don't get into trouble..."
" But not every one of them.
" Of course, there are few exceptions, for example,in my family, my father and brother." Anastasia smiled proudly." But unfortunately, those are very rare types..."
" You are talking about it in a way, as if you would talk about buying some dress..." Polina laughed.
" That's because, men are like dresses."
"Pff... Excuse me ?"
" I'm serious." Dimitri's wife said. " Men are like dresses. People can try to tell you wich one is the best for you, but when you choose something you, yourself do not like, because you don't want that person who helped to feel sorry, you end up unsatisfied with the result. That's why you should choose yourself, furthermore, do it very carefully. The wrong choice is waste of your time, money and hope. You don't look good or feel good. Pretty simple. Isn't it?
" Well, I suppose...