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👑 N I K O L A I 👑
The night had come with heavy rain, but Zoya assured them there was no storm coming, she would have felt it. The noise of the drops crashing down on the windows was calming but Nikolai wasn't able to sleep. The day had been long and exhausting with him showing the ladies the entire Grande Palace, but he couldn't put his mind to rest, it kept twisting and turning the events around to see what he had learned and what to do next.
Which one of the ladies suited his future best? Which one would honour his country? The answer to all of my questions wouldn't come after the third day. Still, he replayed the interactions with the bachelorettes over and over again. After a week, everybody will want to know what he was thinking which meant he had four days left to decide on what to do.
What if they will be the same as the last ones; without any clear signs how to get further with this? He sighed and sat up in his bed. The room was lit by the half-moon that shinned through the windows. Wide awake, he stared down to the gardens, watching the guards march around to see if everything was alright. He got bored of it quickly and decided to get up and wander around.
Maybe a midnight walk would get him tired enough to sleep for at least a few hours, the next day was completely filled, and he needed the energy for it. He got dressed and left his quarters, telling the guards in front of his door that he'll be right back. They didn't go with him when he strolled down the corridors, knowing he would send them back immediately if they tried to.
The Grande Palace was quiet and dark. Which was unusual, it was mostly filled with people who were chatting to each other, laughing loudly or discussing something in a serious matter in the bright daylight of the late ravkan spring. Nikolai strolled through the enormous ball room and passed various rooms, not knowing exactly where his destination was.
As he turned around the next corner, he saw a light coming from underneath the library door. He frowned. Did I leave a candle on? After the day had been called to an end, he had been in there to get a book that might occupy his mind – which had failed unfortunately - and he must have forgotten to blow the light source out.
With quick steps, he hurried towards the door with a pounding heart, hoping that the candle wax hadn't melted all the way down yet. Genya will kill me if I set the library on fire. And then Zoya will set me on fire. He roughly pushed the doorhandle down and opened the door at the same time, stepping inside to quickly see if he had indeed made a mess.
To his surprise, somebody was in the huge room, jumping at his loud and sudden entrance. Aneela Ceron let out a gasp and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, trying to calm her racing heart by taking a deep breath. "Your Highness."
Her long hair was tied together in a loose braid that fell over her left shoulder. She was wearing high boots, some anthracite pants and a white shirt with rolled up sleeves that was loosely tucked into her pants. Nikolai recalled having seen this combination of clothing, it was the Novyi Zem military uniform, Aneela was just missing the orange jacket.
