Picture: Tsarevich Alexei (and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna) with his Romanian Relatives, Queen Marie of Romania, Princess Ileana and Prince Nicholas of Romania.
JUNE 1914
Our ship was about to dock and all of us got called to change clothing. Olga got lots of help to get changed cause she had to look the best. I think she was already pretty but she needed to make a graceful impression said Lili. Olga was put into a sperare room to change while Tatiana and I changed in our room and the little pair in their room. We finished getting that and I asked Cian if he could braid my hair. He smiled and said sure. It turned out really good
(Hair)
Tatiana asked if he could do something with her hair, he smiled and nodded again. He styled her hair beautifully and she smiled and hugged him. Tatiana let me use some of her perfume because I didn't have any. While she sprayed me with it, same with Cian who had a spare of the bottle from Caoimhe who didn't mind. I looked at the bottle. Jasmin De Corse by Coty. "Do you fancy the smell, Astrid? I just adore it!" Tanya asked me.
"The scent is very strong." I managed to say before Tatiana sprayed the perfume in my mouth on accident. "Oh my! Astrid! I'm so very sorry!" Tatiana shrieked, it made Cian nearly drop the perfume on the floor. Making him look like he was juggling. Tatiana's eyes were wide when she realised what she had done. "It's okay!" I muttered with a scrunched up face. Let's just say the perfume smelt better than it tasted. I began laughing, Tatiana also began laughing. Then I was shocked, Cian began laughing. Not fake actually laughing. It was very shocking because he only fake laughed whenever anybody else was, he found this really funny. "I think we're done with the perfume," Cian said through his laughter, taking wheezy breaths and passing a handkerchief to me. I tried to get the taste out of my mouth, Anastasia suddenly barged in without knocking and she threw herself onto somebody's bed. It was Tatiana's bed. "Shvibzik! I just made my bed!" Tatiana groaned.
Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Tatiana! My feet are killing me!!" Tatiana just sighed and turned to Maria. She looked so beautiful in her dress, the small pair had matching dresses while me and Tatiana matched in ours. "You look wonderful! All of you! I just can't wait to see the queen of Romania again!" Tatiana smiled. "Yes... soooo excited." Cian said through clenched teeth, sarcastically. Despite never meeting her last time, he seemed to not be very excited for this. Caoimhe walked in and stood beside Anastasia on the bed. "She didn't really seem to like us last time." Anastasia commented. "Tatiana can make ANY queen like her! She is the most level headed out of all of us," Maria also commented.
"Don't worry, she'll likely adore you the most out of all of us in this room." Maria assured Tatiana. "I hope she doesn't notice me. Wait what if I get too high to go?" Cian gasped. "Cian, no." Caoimhe walked over and frowned. Tatiana smiled at the conversation before she froze realising like she had forgotten something. "I'll be back." Tatiana turned and Cian used his foot to hold the door open for her. Tatiana left the room without a word. "Where did she go?" I asked as Cian allowed the door to shut. Anastasia shrugged. "Mama probably." She said as she played with a strand of her hair.
"Quit it Anya, you are going to mess up your hair and we have to look especially presentable today!" Maria remarked. "At least my cheeks aren't as chubby as a squirrels." Anastasia commented. Maria stayed quiet after that. Anastasia laughed at her own joke and it made Cian look angry. He slammed his feet forward, his face making Anastasia stop laughing and cower back. "Stop being so rude Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova of Russia, or you'll be the one that ends up staying here in Romania. Far away from home, far away from Russia, and end up being Prince Carol's wife and kissing his stinky sweaty feet everyday." Cian yelled, his Irish accent coming out. Cian, Caoimhe and I couldn't stand what she called Maria. She was skinny, beautiful and perfect and didn't need to worry about her weight.
Anastasia looked at Cian in disgust, and fear. "Mama and Papa will not let them keep me! I'm way too young, and why does his feet have to smell so bad?" Anastasia yelled. Maria giggled and I laughed, Caoimhe began giggling and Cian smirked and began speaking, "There is many examples of large age gaps in the past,and it wouldn't be hard to convince the Czar and Czarina, especially if Tatiana speaks to them about it with them. He also doesn't even wash them by the way."
Anastasia made a disgusting face and didn't say anything afterwards. Maria smiled at him, like a thank you. "Mashka, do you want to sit down? You can sit on my bed if you want." I offered. Her smile was quickly wiped off her face as she looked over to the middle bed. She began frowning actually, the scene of her protest played in my head, she didn't want me with the big pair, she wanted me with her.
Maria slowly dawdled over to my bed, and sat down looking over at its spot. "You should have stayed." She murmured quietly. My face went paler, i felt pained. "I couldn't." I muttered. "I know, but I wish you stayed."
Before our conversation could go on any longer, the door clicked open and Tatiana walked in. "Mama needs to speak with you, Astrid, Cao and Cian can come too." She stated. She wasn't her relaxed and joking self anymore, now she was serious and looked rather tense. The small pair looked at us, than her. I got up and Tatiana lead us to Mama's study, she knocked on the double doors and we heard a faint "Come in." And we entered. Mama sat in her chair, dressed in very noble and royal and sparkly clothes, very fancy. Papà stood beside her with his hand on her shoulder. There was a chair that was across from them, empty. She looked to me and I knew I was supposed to sit there.
I walked over and sat across from her. "Hello Mama." I said quietly. Cian walked to the corner of the room and crossed his arms, putting one leg against the wall. Caoimhe stood next to the door with Tatiana on the other side of the door, inside the room though. "Hello Asta." Mama replied, saying it in the same tone as I did. "Why did you need to talk to me?" I asked them, my eyes narrowing. I looked into her eyes, she seemed gloomy and regretful. I looked at Papà but he just looked away.
"As you know, nobody knows you are our daughter." When that sentence started, everyone in the room tensed up, even i tensed up. "You can not call us Mama and Papa in public. You must call us Auntie and Uncle. You can't call yourself Astrid Nikolaevna." Mama continued. "You'd be Astrid Sergéjevna." Cian nodded. I sat in my chair, confused. "Why must I call you auntie and uncle?"
Mama looked at Papa, he knew it was his turn to speak. "When you were born, we were happy you were a healthy baby. But disappointed you were a girl. We loved you then like we love you now, but we were worried. What would Russia think of a third girl? What would happen in the future when your mama would be pregnant again? So no one knew you were born our daughter." The Czar paused but didn't look at me. I had tears in my eyes, what would the old Astrid think of the news? Would she react like i did?
Mama looked at me, and took my hand. Rubbing it. "You must understand Astrid that we would have never done it unless we were certain a boy was going to be born. We had to do it for Maria and Anastasia. We had to do it for our family." Cian stared at me, from his eyes i could tell he was saying 'Bitch they weren't alive, you're a shit leader and go jump off a cliff and die.'
I kept my head down, not reacting to this, the Czar continued. "At the time, Uncle Sergei was Alice and married to your Auntie Ella. We spoke to them and agreed that they will claim you. Hence why Cian said you would be Astrid Sergéjevna. So we announced to the public that you were born their daughter. When your uncle was killed and your aunt was going to become a nun we publicly announced we were going to keep you under our care. We were the happiest people in the world because we didn't get to see you often since you were publicly announced as Ella's daughter and stayed in their palace. It the end it all worked out."
Cian looked at me carefully. Studying my reaction. I just sat quietly, processing the information and wondered how the real Astrid Nikolaevna would feel about this? I only knew the family since 1912 but she knew them since birth. She would've taken the news harder. "I understand Papa." I muttered rather angrily. Cian stepped forward. I stood up from my chair and looked at mama, tears were filling in her eyes and she looked sorrowful. I looked to papà, his face contained all types of sadness. I turned to look at Tatiana. Tatiana was about to open the door when Cian said something that made her stop.
"I have a question." He looked at mama and papa. "If I get high, like.. too high. Will I still have to meet the Romanians?" Cian asked. Mama sighed.
"Cian. You are meeting the Romanians whether you like it, or you don't." Mama sighed. "Can I still get high though?"
"No."
"Ó ar mhaithe fucks tú cunt!" Cian muttered in Irish. He quickly walked over to Tatiana and opened the doors. Caoimhe followed him out followed by me and lastly Tatiana.
We walked in silence back to our rooms. Before we left Cian and Kiki, I turned to them. "Did you know this before me as well?" I asked them. Tatiana stayed quiet but nodded her head. "I didn't, I was rather shocked when I was told everything. So was Cao." Cian shrugged.
I sighed as we split into 2 and walked into our own rooms.