It took another week for Alexander’s business to be finished in Moskva, and once they were all done, he returned back to St. Petersburg. It was a hassle for Alexander. Once his personal aircraft is built and the airport large enough to accommodate it, his travel time between the two great cities of Ruthenia will be reduced.

In the Winter Palace, Alexander and Sophie were walking around the palace garden with their hands intertwined. They had been doing this ever since Alex returned from his business trip. He knew the importance of balancing work and family life, so this arrangement was good for both parties. In the center of the garden, there was a table set up with small cakes, sandwiches, cookies, and coffee. The couple sat at one end of the table.

A light breeze blew through the garden as the sun rose higher above the horizon.

“Dear…you’ve been doing so much work lately, I told you to not push yourself too hard. You have to take care of yourself,” Sophie scolded him lightly. Her soft voice held a motherly tone that made him feel loved and cared for.

“Unfortunately as the head of state of the Ruthenia Empire and the CEO of the largest corporation in Ruthenia, I don’t have that luxury. However, I’ll do my best to make sure I don’t overwork myself as I did a week earlier.

Alexander told a lie, there’s no way he would have a normal schedule, not in his line of work.

“You’re lying again, Alex…” Sophie pouted. Her face was full of concern for her husband.

“Whatever are you talking about, Dear?” Alexander said with a stiffened smile.

“Alex…a wife can tell at a glance when her husband is lying,” Sophie replied in a teasing manner.action

The couple chuckled together before returning to silence. Alexander was caught off guard by Sophie’s statement of her detecting he was lying. Well, if you thought of it logically, when a couple stays under one roof for a long period of time, the more they learn from one another.

But this silence needs to be broken, Alexander thought to himself as he racked up his brain to come up with a topic. But then he noticed something strange on Sophie’s face.

“What’s wrong honey? Why aren’t you eating?”-.

The slice of cake on the table in a variety of flavors was her favorite. She loves sweets and will enthusiastically eat any type of cake, but now, things are a little bit off.

Sophie looked down, embarrassed. She started twiddling her fingers together, nervously playing with it.

“Honey…” Sophie mumbled softly, still not looking up.

Alexander stood up and walked closer to his wife. Sophie finally looked up at him with a nervous gaze.

“Honey…I think something’s wrong with me,” Sophie admitted. Alexander stared down at her, shocked by her confession, and instantly reacted.

“Something’s wrong? What happened? Are you not feeling well? Is something hurt? Where is it?!” Alexander frantically asked as he cupped Sophie’s face with his hands.

“Nothing like that!” Sophie fumbled as she tried to hold on to Alexander’s hands. She placed them on top of her hands. “It’s just that…Alex…I think I’m pregnant…”Alex froze after hearing those words. His eyes widened, and his mouth gaped open slightly.

“Pregnant…how…when did you notice something strange in your body?” Alexander asked, his voice hushed.

“I don’t know…hon…but every time I woke up in the morning, my head hurt and sometimes I would vomit. I don’t have the energy to eat breakfast or lunch…and I crave more salty foods…I consulted with the royal doctor, Doctor Dmitri Semenov, and diagnosed me as being pregnant…” Sophie said, running a hand over her belly.

“Is that so…” Alexander spoke quietly as he stroked his thumbs along Sophie’s knuckles.

They stayed silent for a few minutes, trying to process what they were supposed to do now. Well, if he thinks about it, this is something to be expected. After all, they’ve been doing it quite a lot. He knows that one day this will happen and he is prepared for it. However, the problem is how he’ll react to this scenario. It’s not like he had a child in his past life or a girlfriend. This is something new. But deep inside, Alexander was happy, happy that their love had bloomed.

Alexander lifted her chin with his finger, making Sophie look into his eyes. He slowly leaned forward, kissing her gently on her lips. She melted into the kiss with a gentle blush creeping across her cheeks. Their lips broke apart after a while, both staring deeply into one another’s eyes.

“This is great news…” Alexander confessed quietly and pulled her up onto her feet. He wrapped her arms tightly around her back. “I’m happy, very happy.”

“Yeah…” Sophie murmured shyly as she buried her face into his chest, listening to his heartbeat, the quick rhythm of his heart, his warm breath kissing her neck.

They stayed silent for a moment before Sophie made a move to break the ice, pressing her hands against Alexander’s chest. She lifted her face up to meet his. Their eyes locked together with an unspoken expression, one filled with love and understanding. There was no need for words, just actions speak louder than spoken.

“I’m going to be a father…” Alexander chuckled embarrassingly as this is going to be his first. “I’m still shocked but I’m happy that I’m going to be a father…”

“Yes…me too…” Sophie nodded, smiling happily. “I’m happy that I’ll become a mother of our child.”

Alexander knelt down and pressed his face to her belly. Inside it was their baby, a product of their union. His child…their child. He felt tears start gathering at the corners of his eyes.

“Honey…Uhm…how long are you going to hug my belly?” Sophie asked, laughing awkwardly and wiping away a tear that fell down from Alexander’s eye. But as she observed more, she found herself growing emotional too.

“I just want to stay like this for a while…” Alexander whispered as he nuzzled his cheek against Sophie’s tummy.

“Alright…alright…” Sophie giggled quietly before placing a hand over his head and ruffling his hair.

A few moments later, Alexander rose back up and gently caressed Sophie’s cheeks in his hands. His eyes gazed down at her, tenderly observing her features that were illuminated by the soft sunlight. He smiled softly as he leaned forward and gave her another sweet kiss. They stood in the garden embracing each other until their breathing steadied.

Now that Alexander’s seed was forming inside Sophie, there are now only two things he must fulfill as the future Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire, that is to marry Sophie and be formally crowned.

“Let’s return back to the palace, now that you have our baby forming inside you, you should be more careful and avoid stress…understand?” Alexander suggested, rubbing his thumb softly against Sophie’s cheek.

“I know…” Sophie nodded and as she was about to turn and walk, she was suddenly caught in Alexander’s bridal carry. “Wha…what are you doing Alexander?” Sophie stammered, her cheek flushed red.

“I don’t think I should let you walk…you will tire yourself…let me carry you back to the Winter Palace,” Alexander firmly said.

“But…are you going to be okay? I’m heavy…”

“Heavy? You, you’re as soft as a feather, love. Trust me. I’ve carried heavier weights than you, ” Alexander said confidently as he walked down the path leading into the palace.“Well…if you say so…” Sophie mumbled under her breath as she rested her head against Alexander’s shoulder.

***

In a place, whereabouts unknown. Several figures are sat around a long table, but none dare to speak.

One man sits at the head of the table, he is stroking a cat he has in his hands.

His mood, however, is foul and burning.

His heterochromatic pupils of yellow and green flit around the room, his scar across his face creased as it itches.

“The “fingers” we spent months sticking in Ruthenia,”, the figures shifted uncomfortably as he spoke.

“Has been severed.”, he finished.

The cat yawned lazily, being stroked by black-gloved hands.

“We have underestimated the spoiled brat of the Romanoffs, and as such, purged our flock from their ill-gotten lands with the help of their secret police lapdogs.” the last word was spoken with a tone of hatred.

“But it matters not, we have flocks across the world.” The man turns to a large map hanging behind him.

On the large map, colored pins are stuck on landmasses and islands. Each pin is either a base or a cell located in cities or places. Only Ruthenia is cleared of pins, the countries still having operational Black Hand cells all surround Ruthenia like an army of pins.

“Recently, the vile imperialists in Han Dynasty have conducted a sale of Manchurian lands to Romanoffs, disregarding the objections of the people living in those areas. Like the filthy monarchs they are.”

“Also, it has come to my attention that strange things are coming out of Ruthenia,” the man places the cat on the table and walks over to an object covered in cloth.

“They call this,” he reached out to pull away the cover, revealing the mysterious thing.

“The “Television”.”, the device imported from Ruthenia sat there, still factory fresh.

“From what I heard, the rich “pigs” are buying these in droves.” he turns on the television, and the evening movie of the day broadcasting from Ruthenia plays.

Those around the table heads all turn to look at the strange device, their attention is drawn to it like moths to a flame.

“As you can see, they are using technology to control the minds of the unenlightened masses with entertainment. Rendering them unable to make the judgment call and give up their free will forever,” he looked at the machine with malice.

“It will make them live in ignorance, purchase their happiness, and distorts the truth,” his teeth showing as he spoke with vitriol.

“Soon the evils that control the world, will control the people’s souls and even the collective consciousness to make freedom obsolete.”

“But fear not,” the man turns to the people whose attention shifted to him.

With a swing of his fist, his gloved hand smashed the screen of the TV. The device shorted and died as smoke comes out from the small electrical fires inside.

“I have something planned to destroy the Romanoff family.” The man waved away the smoke.

“By making the countries who buy any device that comes out from Ruthenia, pay in blood.”

With that, a man from the table stood up and the others follow.

“The Shepherd wills it!” they all saluted.