The Paleys (1921-1927) - An Alternate Romanov Story

Wedding Rush

Sofia, Bulgaria, March 1923

Irina

The wedding day for Princess Marie of Romania (who everyone affectionately called Mignon) and Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria arrived on a rainy March day, with a bitter winter chill that seemed bent on clinging to the Earth despite the imminent arrival of Spring. Irina was in the midst of her own rush of wedding preparations, but she welcomed the break and the chance to visit a city that had always fascinated her. This time, she was the only one of the siblings accompanying her parents. Since Natalia had already missed a few months of her school year, their parents had decided to keep her in Paris. Vladimir had given his usual excuse of the work keeping him at the Corps des Pages, but Irina knew full well that this was a part of his usual policy to avoid Olga.

In the meantime, following Irina and Feodor's official engagement, her lady-in-waiting, Maria, and Feodor's brother, Nikita, had finally taken the same step, announcing their plans to marry later in the year. While Irina knew this meant she would sadly lose Maria as her lady, the thought of gaining her as a sister-in-law more than made up for the change. The joy of seeing two people she cared for find happiness together softened any sense of loss, and Irina couldn't help but feel that their lives were becoming ever more intertwined.

As for the Bulgarian wedding, the bride's family was, of course, fully represented at the occasion. King Ferdinand, who had a soft spot for this daughter of his, looked emotional and even let out a few tears during the ceremony, Queen Marie tried a little harder than usual not to be the focus of attention and her oldest children looked more peculiar than ever to Irina.

Carol had gained a considerable amount of weight since the last time Irina had seen him and was in a foul mood throughout the ceremony and reception. Olga stood beside him, looking elegant and serene, but hardly ever looking at her husband. Her little daughter, Marie, who was now one year and a half, stood very upright and well-behaved between her parents, while Olga held the little boy, Mircea, who was six months old, throughout the entire ceremony, not letting even the baby's nurse take him for one moment.

Little Marie was a curious blend of her parents' features, with a somewhat distinctive head shape that was larger than average, her rosy cheeks and protruding lips a clear inheritance from her father, while her bright, crystalline eyes were the same as her paternal grandmother's. Her head was a mass of blonde curls, which her younger brother tugged at throughout the ceremony, eliciting no reaction from the stoic child.

Tatiana was also there with her little girl, Alexandra, who was just a couple of months older than Marie but was as dark as her cousin was light. Although she was the older one, she looked smaller, her hair was cut in the new style and her face was more oval than her cousin's. As she grew older her resemblance to her father was increasingly obvious and the only thing she seemed to have inherited from her mother was the gray eyes and the sleek figure.

Alexei, who was there more to see his sisters than due to any close relations to the bride or groom, bumped into Irina just as she was walking into the hall where the reception was going to take place. It had become increasingly difficult to see him these days. His studies at the university consumed much of his time, and with each passing day, he was drawn further into the complex affairs of governance. His uncle, Michael, had been grooming him for greater responsibilities, bringing him to cabinet meetings with growing frequency, entrusting him with minor state papers, and even involving him in a debate at the Duma earlier that year.

Perhaps it was the weight of these new responsibilities, but Irina noticed that he looked a bit more worn than before. His complexion was paler, dark circles shadowed his eyes, and he was thinner than she would have liked to see him. Yet, despite the fatigue that seemed to cling to him, his face lit up with a jovial smile the moment he spotted her. With a quick stride, he crossed the room and pulled her into a warm embrace.