The Lives Of The Romanovs

Sweet

Vladimir

Early in the morning, I went to the sitting room closest to my bedroom. I telephoned Paul around 7AM, which made it 8AM in St. Petersburg. He was very glad to speak to me. I missed him terribly, more than I thought was ever possible.

"And then, Auntie Irina took us to the cinema. We watched a talkie!" Paul gasped. I gasped along with him for dramatic effect. I leaned back on the couch and smoke a cigarette while speaking to him. It was not completely awake yet and Paul insisted on telling me everything. It was difficult to keep up.

"Really? That is amazing."

"Daddy, when are you coming home?"

"I told you, my boy. I am not coming back until August."

"Oh...and what month is it now?"

"It is June."

"June, July, August...Dad, that is too long!"

I chuckled. "I know, I miss you. I promise that when I return, I will give you a tight hug and take you to get ice cream. And we can take Sneg for a walk around Tsarkoye Selo. Does that sound nice?"

"Yes. I need to go now. Cousin Michael and I are going to play hide-and-seek, and then it's lunchtime."

"Alright, I understand. But listen, Paul. I need you to continue to be well-behaved. I do not want to hear from Auntie Irina that you caused mischief. Be kind and empathetic to your Auntie. Also, brush your teeth before bed and say your prayers. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad." Paul groaned.

"I mean it, it is very important." I cleared my throat. "I will let you go now. I love you and I will talk to you soon."

"I love you, Daddy. Goodbye." Paul immediately put down the telephone. I set mine down and deeply exhaled. I was starting to become a bit homesick. Not because of I missed Russia, but because I missed Paul. My son was my home. Suddenly, the door to the sitting room opened and a young woman jumped when she saw me.

"Oh, I am so sorry! I did not mean to intrude." She shook her head. I stood up and put out my cigarette.

"You are not, I promise. I was just leaving."

A grin appeared on her face. "You danced with my sister the night of the ball. I am...well, I used to be Princess Nadezhda. I'm Eudoxia's younger sister."

"Ah, I see. You two looked quite a bit alike. I am Prince Paley, your highness." I bowed at her.

"It is lovely to make your acquaintance. I am sorry, but I need to use the telephone. My husband and children are still in Germany and I promised I would telephone them at this time."

"I will give you privacy then. It was nice to meet you as well." I bowed one more time and then left the room. The day continued normally with some games and meals. I stayed at Anastasia's side most of the day and gossiped with her about different things. We went on a walk around the castle in the afternoon.

She giggled and leaned into me. "Sir Greystone has been trying to flirt his way into my bedroom since I stepped foot into this castle."

"Are you going to let him?"

"Hmm," Anastasia made a noise. "Maybe, I have not truly decided yet. If I do, it will not be until the end of the summer. I want to play around first."

"You are naughty." I chuckled. Her and I shared another laughed. Anastasia linked arms with me and leaned into me again.

"I want to know about you and Princess Eudoxia. She has been all over you for sometime now."

"There is not much going on, honestly. Though, she is pretty and fun."

Anastasia gasped. "Aw, Vladimir likes Eudoxia. That is so sweet. Now you need to flirt your way into her bedroom and see how it goes."

"Oh, shut up." I rolled my eyes.

"Look at the both of us. We have everyone all over us. The only difference is that you can find love and I cannot."

"Why not?"

"Because of Cheryl. I cannot be with a man and lie about who she truly is. That is not fair to him."

"You need to find a man who will accept you and Cheryl both."

Anastasia shook her head. "That is not possible. It does not exist. Christ, I need vodka. Do you wish to drink with me?"

"I'm not sure. What about Sir Greystone?" I chuckled. Anastasia punched me in the shoulder.

"Shut your mouth! Come on, Volodya." She pulled at my sleeve. We made our way down the halls and downstairs. Her and I walked into the pub area, only to find Eudoxia and Tsar Boris sitting there. They both turned to look at us. Eudoxia smiled widely and waved at me. I couldn't help but smile and wave back at her. Today, she was wearing a light-yellow dress with a yellow-hat. Her hair was perfectly curled and her cheeks were red from the run. Anastasia nudged me in the arm and smirked.

"I see your girlfriend wishes to drink with you. Oh, I see Mary in the corner!" Anastasia pointed and walked away.

"Nastya!" I tried to grab at her arm, but she walked away. I looked over at Eudoxia again, who was waving me over. I reluctantly walked over to her and sat down at the bar. Boris quickly got up and left without another word. "Oh, I did not mean to disrupt."

Eudoxia scoffed. "Please, Boris and I already spend so much time together. Don't worry."

There was a moment of silence between us. The bartender came by and I ordered a whiskey. But she remained quiet while I did so. Suddenly, she cleared her throat and looked up at me.

"Have you been avoiding me?" She spoke softly. Yes, I was. I wanted to be in denial about my feelings. I was not sure if I was ready to move on.

"No! Of course not."

"You are a horrible liar, Prince Paley. Why have you been avoiding me? Did I say something to offend you?"

"That is not it, I promise. I just...I have been busy. I think I might go back to writing after all.

"Really?," Eudoxia smiled widely. "Oh, I will be the first to buy your book! That is amazing!"

"Well, I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Maria is gone, but I need to find a new muse. Why can't that be my son?"

"That is nice. I hope I can meet Prince Paul someday. From what you have told me, he seems like such a kind boy."

I chuckled. "Yes, he is." The silence fell between us again. Eudoxia was drinking a martini way too quickly. She almost seemed nervous. That is when she broke the silence and slammed her first on the counter.

"We should go to lantern festival."

"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows. Eudoxia sighed and shook her head.

"My God, I am nervous. Alright, I shall try this again. There is a lantern festival in Biarritz next week. People can make their own lanterns, drink, dance, and all sorts of different activities. My siblings refuse to go with me and honestly...I do not have any friends. Will you go with me?"

I grinned. "I would love to go. It sounds very fun!"

"That is amazing!" Eudoxia exclaimed and leapt up from her seat. "I have to go help Boris with something that I just remembered, but I will tell you more details soon!" She bent down and kissed my cheek before running off from me. I snickered and took a sip of whiskey. Anastasia jogged over to me and laughed.

"You have red lipstick on your cheek! You look like a man whore!" She laughed hard. I started wiping it, and looked at the red lipstick on my cheek.

"Anastasia! That is not funny!"

"You are right. It is hilarious!" She laughed even harder. I jumped up and took off. I needed to use the bathroom and smoke another cigarette.