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🌸 A N E E L A 🌸
"I'm sure this is not how the two of us had imagined our wedding night but unfortunately, this will have to do." Nikolai said and opened the door to one of the smaller guest rooms of the Grande Palace. "I'm already missing my comfortable room in Novyi Zem."
It was smaller than the one Aneela had during courting season and only had a bed, a dresser with a mirror and a small wardrobe in it. An opening in the wall covered with a dark cloth lead into the bathing room but that was it.
Zoya was concerned about word getting out that Nikolai and Aneela were back on such short notice which was why she suggested them to stay at one of the guest rooms who were the furthest away from anything, where nobody would suspect them or would accidently run into them.
"It's totally fine," Aneela said and entered as well. "We're only here for a few hours anyway. And I don't think we'll sleep a lot, either." Nikolai grinned at her phrasing and Aneela rolled her eyes before laughing. "I didn't mean it like that. We are riding to the boarder in a few hours."
"Please don't remind me." The smile was gone as he shook his head, exhausted. "Let's not think about tomorrow, okay? We should make the best of what has come of this bizarre situation and enjoy our ... can you even call this a room?"
"It's not that bad."
"It is compared to what you'll be sleeping in after this night." Nikolai let his bag of belongings drop to the floor and opened it. "Do you mind if I go and get ready for bed first?"
"No, not at all, do go ahead." She placed her bag on the drawer and opened it as well. Nikolai kissed her cheek on the way over to the bathing room. "Are my chambers as big as yours?"
"Our chambers, my love." Nikolai corrected and disappeared behind the curtain. "They are in another wing than the ones me and Zoya currently use. Decades ago, there was a King and Queen who actually loved each other and wanted to share rooms which was why they rebuild the wing into a little apartment. I figured it would be perfect for us."
Aneela grabbed her nightgown along with a towel. "I've never heard anybody mention them before."
His reply came along with some sounds of clothes dropping to the floor and water dripping. "As a child, the palace was very boring and I wandered around often, hiding from my teachers. I discovered them one day and always dreamt about renovating them when it was my time to get married and rule Ravka. Although they were filled with dust and covers thrown over the furniture, they are warm and cosy, spreading love and happiness. I'm sure we will decorate them into our own little home that we will enjoy until our very last days."
"How do they look like?"
"Well, you enter through the common room which leads into the bedroom. It is spacious, with big windows and the most beautiful view of the palace gardens. The furniture in there is gone now, I had everything removed when I was king, they were still in good shape but of no use if the rooms were empty. So, we get to decorate everything when we finally make our official return from Novyi Zem. Oh, and the common room has a balcony!" He added. "We can have breakfast out there in the summer. And it's the best place to have a drink and watch the sunset after dinner."
