50. THE PRINCESS OF RAVKA

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👑   N I K O L A I   👑


The night was spent more awake than asleep to both of their liking. Neither of them wanted to leave the bed to start the day in the morning, knowing they would get separated the second they would slip out of the covers. Aneela clung onto him when he made a half-hearted attempt to get up and he didn't try again when she kissed him over and over again while he came up with reasons on why the two of them should get dressed together for their big day in between kisses, causing her to laugh because one suggestion was even stupider than the previous one.

She didn't want any helpers buzzing around while getting ready as well – Genya made a big deal out of that whole process and had assembled a whole team for Aneela. Nikolai had refused one right from the get-go, but Aneela didn't have the heart to tell the tailor she didn't want a whole morning filled with skin care, pampering and hair treatments.

Genya refused to hand over the outfits her and Kheru had made when she came to pick up the bride, claiming that it would delay the begin of the ceremony by a great time if the couple wouldn't separate right now. She ordered Tolya to not let Nikolai out of his sight and hung his suit next to his dresser and then dragged Aneela out to the corridor. His wife mouthed 'I love you' over to him before the already stressed tailor slammed the door behind them.

An hour later, Nikolai didn't know what to do with himself anymore. He had eaten something, had a visit from Zoya who gave him a quick pep talk, taken a long bath, went over his vows and now all what was missing was him getting dressed. Tolya had left the room to get them some water to drink; after practicing his speech to Aneela, Nikolai's mouth felt awfully dry.

He went over the words again and again, hoping the practise would ease his nerves. Getting them over his lips in front of a crowd wasn't the problem but the person they were directed to. Although Aneela was the one he loved the most in the world, he was so nervous to mess them up when he addressed her. Nikolai wanted to make it perfect for the both of them and he wasn't so sure if he wouldn't get too emotional when he would tell Aneela everything he had written down while he stared into her beautiful eyes that were always filled with so much love when she looked at him.

A firm knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in, Tolya."

On his way over to the door, he grabbed his night gown and threw it over. His face brightened up in surprise as it opened.

"Not the one you were hoping to see."

Nikolai raised his eyebrows. "Oh, the one I was praying to see."

Aneela's lips curled into a smile when she entered and closed the door behind her. "Why are you always half naked when I knock on your door?"

"I can tell by the knock that it is you and I just get rid of my shirt." He grinned with a shrug as he kept making his way over to her.

DANDELION || Nikolai LantsovWhere stories live. Discover now