November 1907
"Mother," Alexei called out the moment an opportunity finally presented itself, catching his mother while she was alone with his father and momentarily free from speaking with the endless stream of guests. Truthfully, he had wanted to leave his own birthday celebration much earlier. However, he understood perfectly well that he could not simply abandon the nobles, aristocrats, military officers, and distinguished visitors who had attended the event for his sake.
Still, after hours of smiling, greeting guests, listening to congratulations, and entertaining both adults and children alike, Alexei knew he had already exceeded the limit of social interaction he could tolerate for the next several months. And so, here he was, politely asking for permission to retire and rest instead of simply slipping away on his own as he usually did.
Putting on the most exhausted expression he could manage, Alexei continued softly, "May I retire to my room now? I am rather tired already."
At first, Empress Alexandra looked as though she intended to refuse him, but the moment her eyes properly settled upon his face, her expression softened almost instantly. The exhaustion there was obvious. She could clearly see how drained her son already was after enduring hours of festivities on his own birthday.
"…You truly are tired," she murmured quietly.
Alexei simply nodded once while continuing his rather shameless act of looking even more exhausted than he truly was.
The Empress let out a faint sigh as she studied her son. To be fair, he had behaved exceptionally well throughout the entire celebration today. Unlike during most gatherings organized by the imperial family, he had neither attempted to escape midway through the event nor caused any trouble for his attendants. In fact, he had remained polite, patient, and surprisingly sociable for nearly the entire day.
After considering for a moment, Alexandra glanced toward her husband, who gave a small nod of agreement. Only then did she finally relent. "Very well," she said before gently patting Alexei on the head. She then turned toward his attendants and instructed, "Escort the Tsarevich back to his room and make sure he rests properly."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Sednev answered immediately.
Alexei smiled faintly at his mother and was just about to turn around when he felt her hand lightly stop him once more.
"Wake up early tomorrow," Alexandra reminded him with a small smile. "Your father and I have something we wish to show you."
Alexei blinked briefly in curiosity, though he ultimately only nodded obediently. "I understand, Mother."
Satisfied, Alexandra gently brushed a hand through his hair before finally allowing him to leave.
Alexei then departed the grand hall together with his attendants. As he walked away, several of his young friends noticed his departure from across the room and immediately watched him with obvious disappointment. A few even looked as though they wanted to follow him right then and there. Alexei almost laughed at the sight. Still, he felt absolutely no guilt about leaving early despite it technically being his own birthday celebration. He had already spent hours speaking and playing with them throughout the day, and as far as he was concerned, that was more than enough socializing for one event. Besides, they should have been used to this by now, considering he was almost always the first person to leave any party organized by his parents.
He nodded toward his friends one last time before passing through the massive double doors of the grand hall. The moment the doors closed behind him, Alexei let out a quiet sigh of relief as the noise, music, and countless curious stares were finally left behind. Lately, he had begun noticing more and more how the people surrounding him and his family, whether nobles, officials, or even guests at court, had slowly become bolder in the way they observed him. Some were subtle about it, while others practically stared openly, as though trying to judge, analyze, and diagnose him with nothing more than their eyes alone. Alexei could not help but wonder what things would become like once he reached his youth and became old enough for marriage. The mere thought of being constantly scrutinized by ambitious nobles and marriage candidates made him shudder slightly.
Sednev, who was walking slightly behind him, immediately noticed the slight shudder that passed through his Tsarevich and quickly closed the distance between them. "Are you alright, Your Highness?"
Nagorny and the others immediately looked over in concern as well. They knew Sednev well enough to understand that he would not ask such a question without first noticing something unusual. Even so, none of them stopped walking, especially since the Tsarevich himself continued forward without pause.
Alexei turned his head slightly toward Sednev before giving a small smile and waving a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. I merely thought of something unpleasant, that is all. Don't worry."
He then turned his attention back toward the hallway ahead and continued walking.
Sednev did not say anything further after that, though he remained noticeably closer to Alexei than before, clearly prepared to react the moment something seemed amiss.
Noticing this, Alexei simply let him be and continued walking in silence. As they gradually drew closer to his room, he suddenly remembered the countless gifts he had received earlier from his friends and the many guests who had attended his birthday celebration. The thought made him stop abruptly in the middle of the hallway, causing the entire procession behind him to halt at once as well.
He then turned toward Anya, who was walking near the back of the group, and asked, "Where are my gifts, Anya?"
Anya, who had been quietly minding her own business until now, looked slightly surprised by the sudden question. She thought for a moment before replying, "They are still in the grand hall, Your Highness. Why?"
"Make sure they are delivered to my room tomorrow," Alexei said before pausing briefly and correcting himself. "No, bring them to my study instead. I want to check whether there is anything among them that I might need."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he spoke. Among the many gifts, there were bound to be several valuable items that Anna could quietly sell later. After all, he would need as much money as possible for his future investments, especially if he truly managed to convince Witte to work for him.
The thought also made him realize that he should probably ask about the gifts he had received in previous years as well. Until now, he had never truly bothered paying attention to them, since he had never felt any real need for money before. But things are different now.
He needed funds. No, he needed far more money than he currently possessed if he wanted his future investments and plans to become a reality.
"Uhm…" Anya hesitated briefly before continuing carefully, "Your gifts will still need to be inspected first before they can be delivered to you, Your Highness."
Alexei waved a hand dismissively. "Just make sure everything is accounted for. As for the items that are deemed unsuitable for me to receive, do not worry about them. Simply tell me what they are, and that will be enough."
Although puzzled by the request, especially since the Tsarevich had never shown much interest in his gifts before, Anya still nodded obediently. "Yes, Your Highness."
Alexei gave her a small smile before turning around and continuing down the hallway once more.
When they finally neared his room, Alexei immediately began unfastening the buttons of his formal shirt, already eager to rid himself of the suffocating layers of ceremonial clothing he had been forced to wear throughout the entire celebration.
The moment he entered, his wolves also immediately crowded around him, clearly eager for his attention after being left alone for hours. However, a single gesture from him was enough to make them obediently settle down and lie where they stood. Alexei would have liked to bring his wolves to his own birthday celebration, but his mother had absolutely refused the idea, leaving him with no choice but to leave them behind in his room.
Meanwhile, his attendants moved through the chamber with practiced efficiency, carefully checking every corner and making certain that nothing appeared out of place before allowing him to properly settle in for the night.
Alexei quietly watched them while removing the last of his outer garments before letting out a faint inward sigh. He patiently waited until his attendants finished their inspection before finally dismissing them.
"You may all rest now," he said calmly. "I will not be needing anything else tonight."
Sednev and Nagorny hesitated at the order, clearly reluctant to leave him alone so easily. In response, Alexei gave them a reassuring smile, silently conveying that he had no intention of sneaking out tonight, and he genuinely intended to keep that promise. After all, he truly was exhausted from enduring hours of endless socializing and formalities.
Even so, Sednev and Nagorny still looked suspicious, though they ultimately had little choice but to trust their Tsarevich. They could hardly remain inside his room all night simply to keep watch over him personally.
One by one, the attendants bowed respectfully before quietly withdrawing from the chamber until only silence remained behind.
Once he was finally alone, Alexei allowed his wolves to freely roam around the room again. Katya immediately sprawled across the carpet while Trezor lazily wandered near the fireplace or around his bed, clearly content now that the humans aside from their master had finally left.
As for Alexei himself, he climbed onto his bed and settled into a lotus position.
He was just about to begin cultivating when he suddenly remembered his mother's words from earlier, that she and his father intended to show him something tomorrow morning.
The thought made him pause briefly.
Alexei tried guessing what exactly it could be, but no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to mind. Eventually, he simply shook his head and dismissed the matter altogether. He would find out tomorrow anyway.
Letting out a slow breath, Alexei gradually emptied his mind of unnecessary thoughts before finally beginning to cultivate in the quiet comfort of his room.
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Alexei woke earlier than usual the next morning since he still needed to complete his usual exercise routine before going to wherever his mother intended to show him something. Although curiosity lingered in the back of his mind, he forcefully pushed it aside and focused instead on his exercises, washing up afterward before changing into fresh clothes for the day.
Once finished, he settled himself near the hearth with several documents in hand, reading through the proposal he had prepared for his father regarding the establishment of a sports organization whenever an opportunity to present the idea arose. Meanwhile, his wolves lounged comfortably around him, lying on either side of his seat as though guarding him while he read.
He had only been sitting there for about five minutes when a knock suddenly sounded from the door.
"Come in," Alexei called out as he closed the documents.
Sednev entered shortly afterward and immediately greeted him upon finding the Tsarevich seated near the hearth. "Good morning, Your Highness. Her Majesty requests your presence in the dining hall."
Alexei set the documents aside and stood up at once. His wolves immediately rose as well, clearly intending to follow him out as usual. However, just as Alexei was about to allow them to accompany him, he heard Sednev deliberately clear his throat.
"Your grandmother and your aunts are already there as well, Your Highness," Sednev said carefully. "Perhaps it would be wiser to leave the wolves here for now. Do not worry, I already had someone prepare their breakfast."
Alexei frowned slightly as he looked at Sednev before eventually sighing in resignation. He crouched down and gently patted the heads of his wolves one by one.
"It seems you lot still have to remain confined to this room for now," he said. "Do not worry. I'll make it up to all of you later. We can go out every night again once all the guests finally leave."
The wolves whined unhappily at first, forcing Alexei to spend another few moments petting and calming them before they finally settled down enough to accept their fate.
Only then did he stand back up and head toward the door.
"Let's go," he said toward Sednev and the attendants waiting outside his chamber.
It did not take long for him to arrive at the dining hall, and the moment the large double doors were opened for him, Alexei was greeted by a rather crowded room filled with members of his immediate family. His grandmother, sisters, aunts and their husbands, chatting amongst themselves in a lively atmosphere that immediately quieted the moment his arrival was announced and he stepped inside.
"You are finally here," his grandmother said the moment she saw him. She beckoned him over with a smile before continuing, "Come. Let us eat first before anything else."
"Brother."
"Brother."
His sisters immediately called out to him, and Maria even climbed down from her seat before hurrying toward him and grabbing his hand to lead him toward his place at the table. Alexei could only follow helplessly under the amused gazes of the adults around the room.
"My, my…" Grand Duchess Xenia commented the moment Alexei finally sat down. "You are almost as tall as your father already, I think. It won't be long before you surpass him."
Alexei smiled slightly toward her before replying politely, "It will not be long now, Aunt."
"Now, now…" his father suddenly interjected before the discussion regarding his son's height could continue any further. "Let us eat first before the food gets cold."
The knowing expressions around the room immediately told Alexei that everyone understood exactly why his father had interrupted the conversation, though no one openly pointed it out. Soon afterward, the prayers began, and once they were finished, breakfast finally started.
As the servants moved around the table serving food, Alexei's gaze wandered toward the far end of the room where several framed photographs had been neatly lined up side by side. He had already noticed them the moment he entered earlier, but only now did he properly pay attention to them.
His mother immediately noticed where he was looking and smiled knowingly at him.
"Once we are finished eating," Alexandra said with her usual small smile, "we will explain what those are for."
The moment she said that, Alexei suddenly developed a very bad feeling.
Especially after realizing that every single photograph displayed at the far end of the room seemed to contain young women and children.
He silently nodded toward his mother before returning his attention to the meal in front of him.
Fortunately, the servants attending the breakfast had already long grown accustomed to his enormous appetite. By now, none of them reacted anymore to the fact that his portions during meals were often larger than everyone else's combined.
Grand Duchess Olga eventually noticed it anyway and could not help but comment with an amused smile. "You truly are a big eater, Alexei. No wonder you are growing so quickly."
Alexei smiled politely toward her. "Thank you, Aunt."
Afterward, his eyes briefly wandered toward her husband, who seemed completely focused on eating his food and largely indifferent to the conversations happening around the table. Alexei had already noticed some time ago that his Aunt Olga and her husband did not appear especially close, while the man himself seemed to possess an unusually detached and nonchalant personality.
A complete contrast to his aunt Xenia's husband, who was quite close to his father and appeared active in court.
Still, whatever issues existed between them were hardly his concern.
The meal continued afterward with occasional conversations and laughter between bites, particularly from his cousins, Princess Irina and Prince Andrei, the daughter and son of Grand Duchess Xenia. Though Alexei was not especially close to either of them, he did not dislike them either. Unlike many noble children, the two at least understood how to behave properly and rarely acted overly familiar with him.
Eventually, dessert was served, and not long after everyone finished eating, his mother finally stood up from her seat before looking directly toward him.
"Come, Alexei," Alexandra said with a smile. "Let us show you something."
The bad feeling Alexei had been suppressing immediately intensified when he saw not only his mother stand up, but also his grandmother and aunts, all of whom wore smiles that looked far too amused for his liking. Combined with the photographs lined up at the far end of the room, the unusual interest the women in the family had been showing since he arrived, and the general atmosphere surrounding the entire gathering, Alexei had already more or less deduced what this was about.
Still, he rose from his seat while maintaining a polite smile and followed the ladies toward the display of photographs.
His sisters stood up as well and followed them while his father just sat there and continued discussing something with Grand duke Alexander, the husband of his aunt Xenia.
As he drew nearer towards the pictures. He already felt a headache coming.
"Oh my…" Grand Duchess Xenia said teasingly as she lightly tapped one of the frames. "There are many beautiful young ladies here, are there not?"
"And all of them are princesses as well," Grand Duchess Olga added with a smile.
Alexei could already feel the trap tightening around him.
Meanwhile, his mother calmly stepped beside him before gesturing toward the neatly arranged photographs.
"We thought it would be good for you to begin becoming familiar with the princesses of Europe," Alexandra said gently. "You do not need to decide anything now, of course. We merely thought you might enjoy looking at them and perhaps find someone among them whom you would like to become friends with."
Alexei did not immediately respond. Instead, he silently stared at the photographs before him, reading the names written beneath each one.
Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark.
Princess Mary of York of the United Kingdom.
Princess Elisabeth of Romania.
Princess Victoria Louise of Germany.
And many more.
The longer he read the names, the more his head began to throb. A sharp, needle-like headache even threatened to form when he reached the names of princesses from countries that Russia would one day fight against in the future. The irony of the entire situation was almost enough to make him laugh.
Or sigh. In the end, he internally did both.
After allowing him several minutes to look through the photographs, Alexandra finally spoke again.
"Tell us," she asked with a faintly hopeful smile, "which among them do you like the most?"
Alexei inwardly sighed. He already knew exactly where this conversation was heading.
Slowly, he turned toward his mother before asking with complete bluntness, "Are these my future wives?"
His mother visibly froze at the question, clearly caught off guard by his sheer directness. But then, as the meaning of his words properly registered in her mind, her eyes widened even further in shock.
The rest of the room fell speechless as well.
Meanwhile, at the dining table behind them, his father suddenly choked on the food he had been chewing.
Only then, after seeing everyone's reactions, did Alexei realize that his wording had been slightly… off.
"I mean….." he immediately tried to explain.
But before he could continue, Aunt Olga reacted first and burst into laughter.
"You truly do have quite the appetite, Alexei," she said between laughs.
The rest of the room quickly followed after her, laughter filling the dining hall while his father finally managed to cough out the food that had nearly gone down the wrong way. Meanwhile, his sisters merely looked around in confusion, clearly unable to understand what exactly had caused the adults to react so strongly.
Alexei himself could already feel a faint sweat forming in his forehead as he hurriedly attempted to correct himself while still looking toward his mother.
"I mean…" he repeated awkwardly, "is one of these girls in these pictures supposed to become my future wife, Mother?"
Only then did his mother visibly relax, apparently having briefly misunderstood his earlier question and imagined something far more outrageous.
"Yes," Alexandra answered after regaining her composure. She smiled faintly toward him while deliberately ignoring the highly amused expressions still lingering on the faces of her sisters-in-law. "I already selected the most suitable candidates, and eventually, it will be up to you to decide which among them you like the most."
His grandmother immediately chimed in from the side.
"Ah, yes. After all the effort I went through traveling across Europe to gather names, portraits, and information…" she lamented dramatically while placing a hand over her chest. "Only for the final selection to become this small in the end. Ah, my poor old bones."
Alexandra flushed slightly at the comment but chose to ignore it entirely while keeping her attention focused on her son.
Alexei smiled faintly toward his grandmother before turning back toward his mother. "I understand, Mother," he said politely, "but I cannot truly know someone through pictures alone."
"You do not need to worry about that," Alexandra replied immediately, as though she had already anticipated the objection beforehand. "If there is someone you become interested in, we can always invite them to visit the palace in the future, or we can visit them instead." She then gently gestured toward the photographs once more. "For now, I simply want you to look through these every day and eventually give me your thoughts of who you liked amongst these pictures. Perhaps next month…" She paused thoughtfully before continuing, "or at the latest, by the first month of next year. Does that sound reasonable?"
Alexei already wanted the entire discussion to end as quickly as possible, so he nodded without much resistance. "Alright."
"Good." Alexandra smiled brightly at his agreement before immediately continuing, "Now then, let us continue looking through the photographs while I explain their personalities, hobbies, and family backgrounds based on your grandmother's… investigations."
"Spying," his grandmother corrected proudly from the side.
The room erupted into laughter once more.
And so, the rest of the morning passed with Alexei enduring his mother's endless explanations regarding European princesses while doing his absolute best to ignore the barely concealed amusement of his aunts, who clearly found his embarrassment far too entertaining.
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A/N: Please don't forget to rate and review the story after reading. And if you want to read ahead. You know where to look.