How to rule a king

два́дцать шесть

AN: Sorry for the delay once again. I've been enjoying the last few days of my holidays abroad before starting university tomorrow. So here's an extra sized chapter to make up for it. Have fun & take care. XOXO

Alexei:

"What do you mean by 'the Japanese weren't the ones who attacked us at our wedding'?"

Ronja's eyes were wide with confusion as she lifted herself off my own naked body to sit beside me, gathering the sheets around herself to cover, much to my dismay, her creamy skin from my always hungry eyes. After two months spent with my insatiable self on a yacht she was well aware of the fact that I wouldn't get tired of seeing and feeling her naked body for a very long time always wishing to be with her more than once at night. Most certainly not now, after she just showed me the wickedness hidden beneath her innocence. Sighing, I fished my own pants from the wooden floor to cover myself. The mood was ruined, as I knew my wife wouldn't let me rest, much less let me have her again before I spilled every damn secret she wanted to know. So instead I helped her put on one of my shirts I had found lazily hung over the back of the comfortable armchair on the left side of the bed, before reaching out my hand to guide her from the bed into the dark living room where my collection of alcoholic beverages was located. If we were going to do this, I would need a drink. Or maybe two.

Ronja stiffly sat herself down on the dark leather couch, waiting for me to join her as she watched me pour myself a drink. I gulped down a shot of vodka before I took my place next to my wife, marveling at her beautiful facial features as they were gently illuminated in the dime light. What a lucky bastard I was. Gazing down on her still flat stomach underneath my shirt I couldn't help the burning desire for another round. Another round which might finally have me impregnate her. Ever since she had had me have her for the first time I had wished to give her another child. A child she would carry on her own. I wanted to see her growing round and heavy with our child as the months would pass. I wanted a little sibling for Vasyli to watch out for. A little companion in his ever so lonely world. Someone who would bring joy to the three of us now and later help my son rule our family's empire when his mother and I no longer could do so. Yet, it was only logical that due to all the stress I had put my family through during the last two months my wife had still to get pregnant. As the doctor had said, stress and a worried life weren't exactly helpful in this particular case. Growing up locked away in an oversized mansion while being spoiled rotten one could only imagine what kind of stress and worries my wife had suffered through when I forced her to leave the den only to be flown halfway across the world to flee on a luxury yacht which turned out to be a disguised warship after all. No wonder, my wife had thrown up her empty stomach's content every morning for the last few weeks. I wanted for her to go see the ship's doctor with me, yet she had simply shrugged it off, stating it was a normal reaction of hers in stressful situations as she told me not to worry about her.

Feeling Ronja's fingers intertwine with mine, I looked up to meet her worried gaze. I reached my hand out, gently placing it on the soft skin of her cheek as I hoped to soothe her with the caressing motions of my thumb.

"Don't worry about it, Милая мая."

The second I spoke these words, Ronja's face lit up with anger as she moved away from my touch.

"How could I not worry about it, Alexei? You force me to leave the den out of nowhere without any explanation at all and now two months, two freaking months later, you finally think about telling me the Japanese weren't the ones who attacked us not once but twice? How could I not worry?...Do you even know who's behind all this? Do you have any clue at all?"

By the end of her speech Ronja was raging with anger as she moved off the couch to pace in front of me while she shouted at me on top of her lungs. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had woken the whole ship in progress as she raised her voice.