They Call Me Princess

Chapter Twenty Six: Worst Lover's Quarrel Ever

We finally arrived back at the doctor's home when the sun was setting. "Is this it?" Alexei asked with slight hesitation, more than likely knowing how unpredictable my brother was.

"Yes it is." I tugged him forward using our intertwined hands and jogged up the steps. Before I could knock on the door it opened, showing Nicholas standing there with his arms crossed. "Ah, fancy seeing you here. Does your torso hurt?"

I looked down and nodded my head. "Hm, I wonder why? It's not like you've been stabbed or anything!" I gave him a cross look from all of the sarcasm. He sighed and stepped aside, allowing us to come in.

I led Alexei in and sat on a nearby couch. He sat next to me and watched as my brother, his wife, and daughter seated themselves across from us.

"So this is your family?" I nodded my head. "That's my brother Nicholas, his wife Angelica, and their daughter Tatianna." Tatianna was giddily bouncing next to her mother with a large grin on her face.

"Hi!" She happily greeted and continued bouncing. Alexei smiled back and responded with a hello of his own. "I'm six! My birthday was last month! It was my first birthday with Auntie Izzy there!" I heard Alexei chuckle while looking and me and mouthing 'Izzy'.

I glared at him as he turned to continue his conversation with the small girl. "Is that so? Well, happy belated birthday. I have two nieces and nephew your age, I think you three would get along great."

I watched as a light filled her eyes. "I've never had friends my age. Grandfather forbid it." Everyone's smiles dropped as we looked at her. Alexei's eyes shifted from her to me and he seemed to be studying me.

"Tatianna, honey, why don't you go and play with your toys, okay?" The little girl nodded and walked into another room to play. "Sorry, she was raised on base and there were little to no children her age." Alexei nodded, but his face was still dull and seemed to be calculating.

"We need to talk about what has happened and what is going to happen." Nicholas was staring Alexei down, almost like he was criticizing him.

He probably was though.

"Nicky, darling, not tonight. We're all tired. Let them have some more time, okay?" Nicholas sighed and rubbed his face, it was then that I noticed the bags under his eyes.

"Fine. We'll talk later, but it will happen." With that the two walked out of the living area and into a guest bedroom.

Alexei and I sat alone in the silence. "What happened, after you were kidnapped?" I sighed and stood up while looking at where Tatianna went. She was too close by and far too young to hear anything we spoke about. "Let's go downstairs first."

He followed me into the basement and into the other bedroom. I sat on the bed while he closed the door.

"The three that took me were my friends back in military school. They honestly meant no harm, they were just following my father's orders." I cleared my throat as I remembered my childhood. Everything that I went through for nothing.

"He decided not to execute me and instead chose to parade me around, I was basically human propaganda. Nicky brought me into the ARR, and together we plotted against him. Obviously it worked."

We sat in silence for a while, neither of us knowing what to say. A small meow broke me from my thoughts and I looked down to see Stitch sitting by my feet. "There you are." I picked him up and began to pet him.

"You... Was your childhood like Tatianna's?" I chuckled a bit, knowing that he was going to ask that question. "Pretty much, I was forced to take lessons on every subject until I was fourteen. After that I was thrown into an all boys military academy."

Stitch jumped off of the bed and wandered off to... wherever, leaving Alexei and me alone.

"What about you? It seems we've only been talking about me." I looked up at him, his eyes already focused on mine. "Well, Sofia and Maria were even rowdier back then and loved to pull pranks on the 'Little Prince'. Not to mention the fact that they were spoiled rotten." I laughed a little while imagining what pranks they pulled.

"I had lessons in government, economics, and leadership mixed in with other things and when I was eighteen, I joined the army, upon my father's wish."

I hummed and rested my head against him. "You should change the bandages before they get any dirtier." I groaned and shook my head. "I'm too tired."

I heard him sigh and stand up, causing me to fall face first on the bed. He grabbed some bandages off a nearby dresser and stood before me. "Sit up so I can change them out."

I blushed and shook my head while sitting up. "That's okay, I'm sure that Angelica can do-"

He kneeled down and pulled my shirt up, while still keeping me covered. "Hold." I did as I was told and held the shirt just below my breast while he undid the bandage.

Once he was done he began to fix the new bandage around me. "Done."I quickly pulled my shirt down and turned away.

I felt the bed dip down as he sat behind me and wrapped me up in his arms. "How's your shoulder?" He rested his chin on my shoulder and nodded his head.

"It's fine, there's only a little scar." He rubbed my left arm, where I had a small scar. I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to think about everything that's happened recently.

Alexei pulled me under the covers after a while, especially because I was already half asleep. "Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up, okay?"

I nodded my head and snuggled close to him and rested my head on his chest. I chuckled when his heartbeat increased slightly, but I was almost asleep soon afterwards.

"We'll head home soon, and everything will go back to normal. No war, no fighting. Just us." He kissed my forehead and settled further into his pillow. "I guess this was the worst lover's quarrel in history, huh?"

He nodded his head in agreement before the both of us fell asleep.