In the land of Golden Tsars (Attn:Wolfenium, MT/FanT closed)

[Wolfenium]

Responding to Vivio’s blurting, all she could hear is the loud knocking on her cubicle door by yours truly, Akulina, princess-in-disguise.

“Bozhe moi! Vivio, are you okay?” The Ruuzian princess asked with strong hints of concern in her voice. Akulina was indeed outside waiting for the little Wolfener in the restroom. While the Ruuzian is waiting, she was humming her favourite songs to pass time. Until Vivio’s yells have startled her, Akulina was taken aback.

“Is something matter?” Akulina said, sounding worried on Vivio’s behalf. “Sorry, I mean what did you mean by ‘no way’, is someone after you or something?”

Obviously, Akulina didn’t know Vivio’s inner dilemmas about her complicated heritage. Thus, the Ruuzian has the benefit of the doubt for now. However, the princess herself, a girl with a strong sense of justice, feeling compelled to help out Vivio. Whether the Wolfener likes it or not, Akulina has been taught by her family about duty and honour to help those in need - noblesse oblige as royals. Although, it can get her into trouble for better or worse.

"Ah," blurted Vivio, waving off her thoughts, "it's nothing, Ms Akulina! I'm just... thinking to myself! Yes..."

Flushing the toilet as she hurried out, Vivio tried her hardest to keep her mind off the haunting memory. This was not something she felt she should saddle Akulina with, not the least since it was not her business. The spectre that was Magdalene was someone only she should handle. Dragging outsiders into their business was only going to put them in harm's way. In any case, she doubted she would be here. Magdalene may be a powerful psychic, but she could not be everywhere at once. Racing back to the table, she tried her hardest to keep her mind on the trip. After all, she was here to have fun.

Back at the table, Nove twiddled her thumbs as she waited on the minutes to pass. The girls were busy chatting amongst themselves, perhaps growing bored. Shifting her eyes at Ratmir, she asked, "so... tell us a bit more about yourself. Food's not going to come any time soon, after all."

[Minroz]

“Ah!?”

Akulina was surprised by Vivio’s dash of exit.

“…Okay…” Eyes widened in shock, she could only utter her words in astonishment. “Hey wait up!”

While the princess has good intentions but she’s not the person who likes to pry into someone’s personal affairs, no matter how much she wants to help. Regardless, she’s going to leave Vivio alone for now, until the blonde Wolfener is ready for talk. However, unknown to her, a pony-tailed blond man have suddenly appears out of the men’s restroom.

“Hmmhmmhmm~.” Before he took notice, Vivio have bumped into him by accident.

“AH!”

“Oh nyet!” Akulina gasped as she rushed over to help Vivio. [“Sorry sir!”] She said to the man in question.

[“Oh, its fine, I’m alright.”] The man gave out a friendly smile, replying back in Ruuzian.

That man turns out to be Yusuf Zakariya, the Grand Librarian and one of the most powerful men in the Minrozian Court. To Vivio’s eyes, he reminded her of certain man she knows back in her fatherland. In other words, the little Wolfener have bumped into Yusuf Zakariya by accident.

[“But, are you alright, little miss?”] Yusuf asked Vivio, bringing himself down to her eye-level. [“Hm? Liliya, what are you doing here?”] The bespectacled man spluttered with eyes widened in surprise, now speaking in Mandarin. He actually mistaken Vivio for the little girl he knows back home.

Back to Ratmir and the Wolfeners, he’s waiting for Akulina to come back with Vivio.

“Hm?” Ratmir hummed in response to Nova, blinking his eyes. He wasn’t used to people asking about himself, aside from his friends. Although in this case, he’s undercover and he has to come up with good cover story to keep up his disguise as a tour guide. For a Ruuzian soldier, it’s difficult. He’s not one for lying but it’s for the sake of the mission and princess’s safety, he tells himself. Feeling frantic inside, he quickly tried to think of the story for himself. So, he better come up fast.

“Ah, errr…true, the food here might take a moment, haha~. While we have advanced technology that allows us to make food instantly, there’re still a lot of people who prefers their food to be cooked in the traditional way. Anyway…” Ratmir chuckled, attempting to change subject a little. But he chose to answer Nove’s question, “Since you asked about me, well…I’m nothing special.” Though, the Ruuzian sounded a little nervous. He then scratched his head in trying to come up with a good, fictional but believable tale about himself.

Finally an idea clicked in his mind, Ratmir then started spoke about himself, at least his fictional version for the cover story as an ‘ordinary’ tour guide.

“I hailed from the region called Sibiria, the most coldest place on this world and the most beautiful. I was born in the town called Belotsarsk and my family moved-in to Moskov when I was a little boy. Grew up there, my parents worked as businesspeople and I go to school and stuff until I graduated from university. Actually, I’ve happened to finished my time from the army, compulsory military service. Well, my motherland practised a system of military conscription for adult males, serving for two years. I’ve just taken this job not too long ago and I’ve ended up partnered with Akulina. Haha~.”

Ratmir hoped his cover story is convincing enough to Nove. He didn’t want to reveal Akulina’s true identity as a royal of his motherland. As for his cover story he telling to the Wolfen adult, it pretty much described his early life before volunteering to serve in Special Forces after his time as a conscript. Let alone a soldier enhanced by genetic-engineering, not like he’ll reveal his time in the Spetsnaz to the Wolfeners.

He hoped Nove accepts the version of his story. By the time, he finished speaking his story, a waitress arrived as she served a plate of sliced black breads with butter and a big saucer plate of pelmenis on the table. They’re entrees and the pelmenis themselves consisted of various meaty and vegetarian fillings.

[Wolfenium]

Vivio was genuinely confused. At first, she did mistake the man for Yuno. However, his first words quickly hinted her to the truth. After all, Yuno was back in Wolfenium with her mothers at work, and he likely spoke no Russian. Making an awkward smile, she blurted in broken Russian, "sorry. No speak Russian. I am tourist."

Her eyes darting around, she appeared a bit desperate for Akulina's help.

Back with Nove, the girl did not appear to suspect him. With the food being laid out, any queries the girls might have quickly vanished in the wave of hunger taking over. Nove herself did not seem too compelled to probe deeper. By her own admittance, she did not really feel it was nice to demand more answers. Sure, the circumstances of Akulina's appointment as their guide was quite suspicious, but in all, she could not sense any hostility from them. If she had to guess, the girl was probably some naive oligarch's daughter eager for some fun, in which case, she was probably in need of protection, something the girls ironically could give her.

"Sounds interesting," she mused, "we don't have that much wilderness where we're from. I'm just a city girl, so what do I know?"

That, of course, was Nove's cover story.

[Minroz]

“Hm?”

Yusuf blinked in confusion. The man was genuinely puzzled at first. He then quickly realized that the blonde little girl he’s talking to is not someone he knows, rather a girl who happened to strongly resemble his daughter.

[“Oh, sorry, my mistake.”] He made a warm smile of assurance in response.

From the sidelines, Akulina notices Vivio’s pleas for help; she immediately steps in to help. She conversed politely in Russian to the ponytailed Minrozian.

[“Sorry sir, she didn’t mean to bump into you. She’s tourist from the country not of Iclamia. She’s an outsider.”]

[“Ah, I see.”] Yusuf chuckled in response. [“Please tell her that I’m pretty sorry. Although, she does looked like my daughter back in my motherland. It’s my mistake on my part, haha~.”]

[“Thank you, sir.”] Akulina beamed happily before turning to the Wolfen girl, switching to speaking English.

“Vivio, don’t worry, he said he’s sorry for bumping into you. He also said you reminded him of his daughter in his home country.”

“Hm? You can speak Anglish (English)?” Yusuf spoke. His words surprised Akulina, she was not expecting him to know English.

“Err…da. Hahaha~.” The Ruuzian princess-in-disguise chuckled nervously, unsure what to say to the blonde hair and green-eyed gentleman.

Back to the Spetsnaz soldier undercover…

“I see, haha~.” Ratmir chuckled. “Well, since you asked about me, would you care tell me a little about yourself, ma’am?”

[Wolfenium]

“Vivio, don’t worry, he said he’s sorry for bumping into you. He also said you reminded him of his daughter in his home country.”

“Hm? You can speak Anglish (English)?” Yusuf spoke. His words surprised Akulina, she was not expecting him to know English.

“Err…da. Hahaha~.” The Ruuzian princess-in-disguise chuckled nervously, unsure what to say to the blonde hair and green-eyed gentleman.

"Yes," Vivio said, "sorry about the confusion. My name is Vivio Takamachi. I'm a tourist here, from Wolfenium. You reminded me of someone I know back home too, so I guess we're even. May I know your name, sir?"

Back to the Spetsnaz soldier undercover…

“I see, haha~.” Ratmir chuckled. “Well, since you asked about me, would you care tell me a little about yourself, ma’am?”

"Well..." Nove said, "let's just say I was adopted, became a martial artist and started training these munchkins. I don't like to talk about my life before. It's... pretty dark. I got juvie for it, so... I admit I wasn't a really nice girl then."

Of course, Nove felt reluctant to share the full story. Serving parole in juvenile prison seemed like a pretty vague way of summarizing her time as a cyborg commanded by a mad scientist to commit all sorts of heinous actions. Under anyone else, she would have easily seen her life wasted away behind bars for the rest of her life. But Nanoha and her gang were, if anything, incredibly lenient. In a system that preferred punishment over rehabilitation, the kindness shown by her former enemies had left her with a pang of far greater guilt and gratitude.

"It was Vivio's parents who took me in," she said, "they're with the police. Both women... don't ask. I don't know about their relationship, ahem..."

[Minroz]

Responding to the tiny Wolfener, Yusuf made a warm smile.

“Yusuf Zakariya. I’m an archaeologist from Minroz. I was here to assist with the Ruuzian archaeology. Nice to meet you, Vivio.”

He is being discreet due to the sensitive nature of excavating ancient artifacts from long-dead magical civilizations. He knows the girl in front of him is innocent but Yusuf don’t wish to put the girl into any potential dangers. Vivio reminded him too much of his daughter. For him, it’s better to give a little lie to save one innocent life than nothing; he has enough of seeing bloodsheds in his lifetime.

“Ooh, sounds fun~.” Akulina chirped happily, “What are you doing over there, all those archaeology stuff, sir?” She seems to forget her role as tour guide.

“Oh, nothing much interesting, I’m afraid. Just your usual pots and vases.” Yusuf replied, though chose to be more ambiguous in his answer. Old Empire artifacts are technically state secret on every level in Iclamian nations, it’s like founding treasure troves of gold and you want to keep it for yourselves. But there’re few exceptions in cases of bilateral alliances, Minroz and Ruuz are one of the examples of it, trusting each other to keep secrets since they’re both allies.

“Aww…” Akulina pouted in a cute way.

Ratmir meanwhile…

“Oh, I see. I won’t pry it off you. I understand, haha~.” The Spetsnaz operative-undercover chuckled, he figured what Nove is trying to say in regards to Vivio’s parents. He’s not one to judge but he knew people who swing ‘that way’ himself. Although, Ratmir is straight and brought up in traditional values, he finds such same-sex relations confusing. In his honesty, Ratmir felt Nova is a good person to admit her faults. As far as he’s concerned, the redhead Wolfener is not a type to a bad guy, let alone a threat to Princess Akulina at least. But his duty as a soldier must come first, Ratmir cannot afford to let his guard down. Regardless, he continues the conversation.

“It’s okay to be guilt for any wrong-doings; then again we all make mistakes, great and small. But you don’t strike me as a bad person, Miss Nove. If not, you won’t be here, taking care of these kids. Let alone, babysitting them in a foreign country.”

A big plate of shashliks, a dish of skewered and grilled cubes of meat, Ruuzian ‘shish kebabs’, containing lamb, beef and pork.

[Wolfenium]

"An archaeologist," Vivio remarked, "that's pretty interesting. My name is Vivio Takamachi. I'm just a high school student, so... there's not much I can say about myself. Maybe you'd like to join us on our table. We can talk!"

---

"I guess..." Nove admitted, "I have my adoptive family to thank for. I wouldn't be given a second chance otherwise."

Biting into the shashliks like ravenous kittens, the delicately barbequed meat reminded them a lot of Fusou yakitori or Topazcan shish kebabs. Meat had long been part of the diets of various Ruberian peoples, from delicatessens to roasts. In their haste, the girls had ended up clearing half the plate, before Nove had to tell them to save some for Vivio and Akulina. Thinking over her words, Nove tried to break the impasse. She was not sure what else to talk about, but the food did give her an idea.

"I heard skewered meats were often brought over from nomadic societies," Nove went, "at least, that was the case for our shish kebabs. I don't know about your dishes."

[Minroz]

Chuckling, Yusuf smiled even further, Vivio reminded him too much of his youngest daughter.

“Haha, Thank you. But I’m afraid I must declined, little one. I apologized but I would love to appreciate your offer nonetheless. But do pardon me, I have a person I need to meet ba-” Yusuf is cut off when Akulina grabbed his hand rather forcefully.

“Don’t be silly, sir~. It’s rude to refuse one’s invitation. Especially from a young lady~.” The blonde princess spoke cheerfully, much to the Minrozian’s surprise.

“What?” Yusuf blurted in genuine confusion before dragging off to the said table by Akulina herself. For a little girl to pulled a grown man, this looks unusual. There’s more to Akulina than she shows.

Hearing Nove’s queries, Ratmir hummed in thought. History is not his forte despite being undercover as an assistant tour guide but he’s going to answer based on his experiences and interactions with his friends who more knowledgeable in subjects than him.

“Well, they are called shashlik. For most part, it is our version of shish kebab. Long time ago, Ruuz was teeming with various nomadic peoples, many of them are known for their fierce warrior culture. I admit I’m not an historical expert in that particular period. But I do know my motherland used to be ruled by handful of nomadic empires like the Bolgars, Menggus and Turkic hordes. On other hand, countries from Western Yuropa called Sechsmany and Orland used to rule much of the Western Ruuz in the Middle Ages. According to a friend of mine, who is a history expert and food addict, shashlik is borrowed from the word shishlik and it’s Turkic for ‘skewerable’ literally. In the older days, shashlik were a staple of Ruuzian fancy restaurants before becoming Ruuzian street foods in modern-day.” Ratmir explains despite how lax it is. But he’s trying his best to provide historic insights to the people who do not come from the world of Iclamia.

As soon as he’s finished his explanation, he hears Akulina from a not-so-long distance.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone~! Vivio and I…have returned.”

“Hm?” Turning around, the Ruuzian lad was surprised by Akulina’s actions. She was dragging a complete stranger at their table.

“EH!?” Ratmir blurted out his surprise. He doesn’t think it’s appropriate for a tour guide to drag a random foreigner in front of their foreign charges; even it’s done in good will. Then again, Akulina doesn’t have the ‘common sense’ of ‘common folks’.

“Hello everyone, we have a new friend at the table~. This is Yusuf Zakariya and he’s from Minroz~.’

“Erm, nihao, hehe~.” Yusuf scratched his head awkwardly. He could have refused directly but he didn’t want to be rude. As soon as he began observing the Wolfeners, the Minrozian archaeologist cannot helped himself thinking Vivio’s friends and guardian looked too similar to his daughter’s own. For now, he’ll try to humour his little Ruuzian host. But the man didn’t know this said little girl is the Ruuzian princess.

“Err, nihao…” Ratmir replied awkwardly in humorous fashion. He knew it’s not appropriate to dragged in other people but it’s difficult of him to scold Akulina, let alone correcting her in front of strangers. But the so-called ‘tour guides’ didn’t know Yusuf is a powerful man in the Minrozian Imperial Court. Luckily for them, Yusuf is too much of a nice guy to refuse hospitality in spite of awkwardness.

As if to break the awkward silence, a waitress have appeared and served each of them (except Yusuf), a soup bowl of borscht. The iconic beetroot soup of Ruuz.

[Wolfenium]

"Ah, I see," Nove remarked as she heard his description of the food, "I suppose the portability of it as a snack made it popular. No wonder it looked familiar."

"...Ms Akulina," she soon heard Vivio's voice, "I don't think we should..."

Peering over at Akulina and Vivio, Nove got a bit of a jolt when she noticed the young man being dragged in. Like Vivio, she could have sworn he looked familiar, though unlike Vivio, she almost never spoke to Yuuno personally, or even met him. Somehow, she never got the chance to talk to the esteemed librarian, and she certainly did not want to know how it feels to be being squeezed out of the lives of a lesbian couple.

"Um, hello," Nove introduced herself, as the girls waved at the Minrozian, "my name is Nove Nakajima, and these are my wards, Corona, Rio and Einhart. I see you already met Vivio, and our guide. Is... there anything I can help you with?"

"Eheheh..." Vivio could only chuckle in a sad tone, still a bit embarrassed by her guide's enthusiasm. Sure, it was her idea, but she never intended to haul him over by force. Akulina, though, was. She had no idea how she was going to make up to the poor lad.

[Minroz]

Luckily, Yusuf is too kind to be rude. In presence of little kids, it’s hard for him to get angry. He tries to be gentlemen to the people in front of him including the Wolfeners. For now, he’ll try to go along with Akulina’s antics for little bit. Truth be told, to him it’s a welcome change from politic intrigues in the Qing Court.

“It’s alright, ma’am. It’s just this little lady over here has invited me.” He points his finger at Akulina, who seems to be oblivious. Rather looked, the princess-in-disguised seemed to be looked pleased as she took Yusuf’s words as compliments instead. The Minrozian archaeologist to his credit tries to be friendly and polite in spite of being dragged into what appears to be awkward situation.

“Spasiba (thank you), good sir~. It is a lady’s duty to hosting guests, after all~.” The girl chirped, clearly lacking common sense in the areas of social interaction. Ratmir, knowingly understood Yusuf’s predicaments and Akulina’s social ignorance, can only made a sad chuckle, feeling embarrassed. The Ruuzian lad decided to talk something else as distraction.

“Your name? I do beg your pardon. I cannot help myself noticing your name doesn’t sound like a typical Minrozian. Judging by your name, are you of Turkic background?” Ratmir questioned, sounding intrigued. The lad has travelled in most parts of the world; he didn’t expect to see a man hailing from the Turkic minority in Central Yazhou under Qing rule. Central Yazhou is Iclamian Central Asia, the crossroads of the Muslim World and the Far East. The fact is Ruuz has plethora eastern minorities, from Central Yazhou Turks to Far East oriental.

“Oh yes, I am. You are not incorrect to say I’m not ethnic Yuan.” Yusuf admitted with a smile, referring the latter to the majority race of Minroz. “I am a Uygur to be exact. My ancestors migrate to Zhongyang since the founding of Great Qing. The lands my ancestors came from is called Uygurstan, it’s around Tianshan mountains and Tarim Basin. Between Mengguria and Tubotan Plateu. Hay Allah, I’m speaking too much. Hahah~. Well, assalam alaikum, friends~.” He greets everyone at the table warmly.

“Ah, nice to meet you, Mister Zakariya.” Ratmir replied with a greeting bow.

“Say, is this your first time visiting Iclamia?” Yusuf asked the Wolfeners. As soon as Uygur man finished his words, another waitress served a big bowl of Olivier salad and a big plate of meat pirozhki, Ruuzian puff pastries buns.

“Oooh! Pirozhkis!” Akulina went straight to her seat and began eating her food like a hungry bear. For a girl born in royalty, she eats messily when it comes to her favourite meat foods. Seeing her doing it, Ratmir could only sighed at her lack of table manners for a royal.

[Wolfenium]

Watching the girls stuff their faces, Nove responded, "that's quite interesting. It's not often we meet with steppe or Middle Eastern people. And yes, this is our first time. To be honest, Vivio's parents were supposed to attend, but they had urgent business to attend to, so she gave me and Einhart their tickets. Police work is quite tiring for them, I suppose. The poor girl rarely gets to see them these days."

[Minroz]

After listening in to Nove regarding Vivio, Yusuf couldn’t help himself but feeling sad for Vivio. It reminded him of his childhood. He can understand where Vivio’s come from. When Yusuf has no parents and was raised by his clan instead. Apparently, his parents have died in the airplane accident when he was a little boy and he can feel quite lonely from lack of parental care. But on the bright side, his friends and family relatives are there for him to keep company and vice-versa. And he’s grateful for it. On top of that, Yusuf is now a father and has children of his own. It did honestly made him feel guilty about being away from his kids but he always tries his best to be a good parent to his children whenever he has time. Despite

“Oh, I see.” The blonde man nodded in understanding, sounding bit morose. He looked at the other girls with a smile. “But she’s not alone.”

Yusuf decided to change topic, not wishing to turn the matter into something depressing.

“Hello girls, do you like the food?”

“Da, very much so! Thank you for asking, sir~?” Akulina quipped in response. The Ruuzian girl cheerfully eats her lunch.

“Haha~.” The Uygur man chuckles, scratching his cheek. “Please, call me Yusuf.”

“Bozhe moi! I forgot to ask.” Ratmir cursed himself, he looked at Nove. “Pardon me for asking, there’s something I forgot, did you Wolfeners have some allergies or some religious restrictions we should know of?”

A big bowl of Solyanka, a thick, spicy and sour Ruuzian soup being served by the waitress on the table. There’re three versions of solyanka - meat, fish and mushroom. The one serving on the table where the Wolfeners and their Ruuzan hosts are is meat. This soup contains beef, ham, sausages, chicken breast together with cucumber pickles, tomatoes, onions, olives, capers, allspice, parsley, and dill are all cut fine and mixed in a pot.

[Wolfenium]

"Hmm... not that I know of, no..." Nove went, "I'm sure their parents would have let me know if they have allergies, and we're not religious anyway, so it shouldn't matter."

"Neither Titanism and Belkan Saint Church practice any dietary restrictions," Einhart explained, as her fellow girls helped themselves to the soup, "the various Crystallian sects, though, have various observances based on their principal deity. Topazcans generally abstain from pork and other 'unclean animals', and meat that isn't slaughtered based on their prescribed method. Amythysians practice fasting in the coming of religious observances, while Emeraldians abstain from meat altogether. I suppose it's based on the cultures."

[Minroz]

“Oh.” It’s what Ratmir could give a response to Einhart’s explanation of Astoli religions. The Ruuzian was fairly intrigued, considering he’s talking to outsiders who’re not from Iclamia.

“I see. You’re quite a knowledgeable girl.” He remarked.

“Hmm.” Yusuf hummed as if his mind is absorbing the information. As an archaeologist by profession, he finds the info fascinating as the religions Einhart mentioned sounded quite similar to Iclamia’s own, particularly the Abrahamic-like faiths. “Interesting…It sounds similar like our world’s faiths own in regards to dietary restrictions.” He says.

“My faith technically forbids the consumption of pork and other animals deemed ‘uncleaned’ in accordance to our dietary laws. Same goes for alcohol. It’s considered sinful to consume them. To put it simply, children, we’re no different from Topazcans.” Yusuf smiled. “Although, I’m not strictly religious per say.”

“I have friends who’re Muslims.” Ratmir pipped up. “In my faith, the Eastern Orthodox, there’re restrictions on eating meat and fish in observance of Holy Days and for spiritual reasons. This goes for fasting on selective days. Although, the Muslims are much stricter on fasting, they go for a whole month once a year.”

“I can testify.” Yusuf chuckled. “This is the one I could at least fulfill. Haha~.”

“Say girls, do you Wolfeners do fasting?” Akulina asked the Wolfeners cheerfully. “We Ruuzians do. But only at least once or twice a week depends on the said individual. For us, fasting is our way of deeper communion to God~.”

She said it with innocent ignorance yet infectious enthusiasm. However, the Ruuzian princess didn’t know the Wolfeners, let alone the Astolis as a whole, don’t have or share monotheistic faiths which centres on creator deity, comparable to Abrahamic religions. Hearing her queries, Yusuf just chuckled while Ratmir looked on bemused.

[Wolfenium]

"No... not at all..." Vivio blurted, exchanging nervous gazes with her friends as they halted their gorging for a moment. Fasting for religious procedures was unheard of for them, and religious festivals often revolve around feasting rather than fasting. It was no surprise, given the naturalistic nature of the Titanists and hero worship of the Belkans. Still, it seemed odd for them.

"Feasting is often the path of choice for those seeking closer communion with the gods, where we came from," Einhart stated, "usually of sacrificial animals and wine offerings. Fasting is something only Crystallians practice to a varying extent, not Titanists. The Belkan Saint Church is a hero cult, so it's not one to perform fasting in religious observances that often either."

[Minroz]

“Ooh, I see. That is fascinating to hear~.” Akulina nodded in understanding and interest. Even though, hearing foreigners who never fasted for something noble have puzzled her greatly. But upon listening about the Crystallian religion from Astol, the princess felt it sounded eerily similar to her Trithinite faith, as one visitor from Earth puts it mildly, ‘Trithinism is the Chrisitianity of Iclamia in most aspects’. Ruuz pride itself as being the spiritual successor to the ancient Reman Empire as the Third Reme.

Nevertheless, Akulina is a product of her Orthodox-oriented society. But this doesn’t stop her from being eager to know people and cultures from foreign lands. Remembering Yusuf’s presence, she turned her attention to the Minrozian.

“Say, why don’t you join us, sir Zakariya? There’s a lot of food~.” Akulina asked, taking a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

“I’m afraid I can’t join in. There’s someone I need to meet back. Just business with the Ruuzian government.” Yusuf politely declined. “My apologies.”

“Oh, I see.” The princess sounded sad and looking deflated. The sight of the sad girl made the kind-hearted Yusuf felt guilty. He didn’t want this but his profession requires certain degrees of discretion especially in regards to the classified subjects and state secrets, whether he likes it or not. It’s not a first time he’s in this kind of situation when discussing sensitive subjects with children.

“I have to go. But I hoped we meet again next time~.”

“Thank you, mister Zakariya~! God bless you~!”

Waving goodbye, Yusuf left. By the time he leaves, desserts have been served by the waitress on the table. One is ptichye moloko and another is stuffed baked apples. Ptichye moloko is a soft chocolate-covered candy filled with milk soufflé. As for baked apples, they’re one of Ruuzian favourite treats. Most of Russia has a northern climate, and the brief summers mean fruit is scarce. As a result, hardy varieties of apple are a favorite ingredient in Ruuzian cooking. Traditional Ruuzian varieties tend to be quite sour, but over the centuries, Russian cooks have found ways of making them sweet. First the apples are soaked in various syrups and sweet concoctions. Then the core is cut out, and the apple is stuffed with a sweet filling and baked.

“Yay!” Akulina perked up at the sight of desserts. She then nibbled some of them to satisfy her sweet tooth. Ratmir chuckles at the sight and continues eating his savory meals.

[Wolfenium]

Bidding the scholar goodbye, the girls quickly turned their attention to their desert, gleeful smiles forming on their faces as they indulged in its sweet goodness. Overall, they did not appear too bothered by Yusuf's resemblance. Most of them had not really met Yuuno anyway, given his hectic work in the archives. His job, however, did bring up some important queries.

"Looks like he was hired as some advisor for the government," Nove went, digging into her dessert, "quite an insightful character."

"He could have at least joined us for dessert," Lio went, "mhh... so sweet~."

"Did you grow these yourself," Corona asked the guides, pointing at the stuffed apples, "I'd have thought cold climates would not be suited for orchards. We have dishes like Apfelstrudel back in Wolfenium. It's a Germanian pastry dish that spread south during the Victorian era."

[Minroz]

“Hm?” Akulina hummed, looking up at Corona as she munched on her marshmallow-like dessert. “Oh, that’s a good question. You are right in saying cold climates aren’t suitable for orchards.” The Ruuzian princess replied. “But we Ruuzians have found new ways to grow food so yes we can grow apples ourselves~. We also have peculiar regions to the south which are warm enough to grow food in great abundance~. There’s a word…hmm, I’ve forgotten which word in English, hmm, basket-case?”

“Da, Akulina.” Ratmir confirmed his ward’s words with a nod. Then it his turn to explain on his charge’s behalf to act the part as a tour guide. And he’s a fairly knowledgeable person thanks to his travels abroad. “We also have large-scale greenhouse farms in the north. I do not want to bore you girls with details, considering we’re having lunchtime. However, I can tell you with advancement of technology, anything is possible. That’s how we managed with our orchards in our country in spite of harsh winters. We innovate and we adapt. But there’s another thing, Ruuz may be a cold country but it’s not always cold. We have a good deal of summers once every year.”

“Enough talk, let’s just enjoy our desserts. After lunch, we’re going out for nice adventure.” Akulina chirped happily as she continued eating her desserts.

---

Hours later…

Red Square, the most famous city square in Moskov and the heart of the city. Built directly east of the Kremlin, Moskov’s historical fortress and the centre of the Ruuzian government, Red Square is home to some of the country’s most distinctive and most important landmarks. Its origins have dated from medieval times, when the Moskovite Prince Ivan the Great expanded the Kremlin to reflect Moskov’s growing power and influence as a rising kingdom. And just after the Kremlin walls were completed.

Many medieval Ruuzian cities built Kremlins, or fortresses, to protect themselves from invaders. The original kremlin in Moskov began as a wooden structure north of the Moskva River. As Moskovite power and wealth expanded, Prince Ivan the Great ordered the area now known as Red Square – which at the time was a slum or shantytown housing poor peasants and criminals – cleared. Ivan the Great built the Kremlin into its most splendid form, bringing Lucanian architects to build new fortified stone walls and structures.

Originally, the Red Square was known as Trinity Square in honour of Trinity Cathedral, which stood on the southern end during the rule of Ivan the Great. The Red Square has several names but the present name has been also used consistently. From the 15th century onwards, the Ruuzians began calling the square by its current name, “Krasnaya Ploschad”. The name derived from the word krasnyi, which mean beautiful in Old Ruuzian and only later came to mean red.

Irrespective of the case, the Red Square has long been a focal point in the social and political history of Ruuz and centre of Ruuzian life An important public marketplace and meeting place for centuries, the Red Square also housed, at various times, churches including the ornate Saint Vasily’s Cathedral, Moskov’s first public library and university, a public theatre and a printing house. It is also been the scene of executions, demonstrations, riots, parades and speeches throughout Ruuzian history, many of which centred on a white stone platform. The tsars would take to the platform to deliver their annual messages to the Ruuzian people, while those who defied royal will were executed in Red Square in front of large crowds. Even though, the square is more famous for as the site of large-scale military parades and other demonstrations designed to showcase the empire’s strength in modern times.

Many things have changed since the medieval-era, with major streets of Moskov radiate from the Red Square in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, the Red Square is often considered to be the central square of Moskov and of all Ruuz. Thus it remains an important centre of Ruuzian cultural life and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.

Amidst the traffic, the van has arrived at the local carpark which is part of the boulevard linked to the Red Square. This is the van where the certain tour group who have finished their lunch from Goluboy Kavkaz. First to exit the vehicle were Ratmir and Akulina, they halted and wait for the Wolfeners to catch with them.

“Okay, girls! Gather around~.” Akulina chirped, waving the tourist flag of her group. “This is it~. Welcome to the Red Square, the heart of Moskov~.”

She had planned for her Wolfen guests to take their time to gaze around the famed Red Square of Ruuz for a moment. Whenever they looked around, they can see locals and foreigners hailed from all over Iclamia, humans or other species alike, bustling about in the streets of Moskov and roaming around the Red Square. From towering skyscrapers to antique dated back from medieval times, one can see the interesting contrasts of the past and future of Ruuzian history resulted in an interesting blend for this Slavic-like country.

[Wolfenium]

Squealing at the scenery, the young girls did not waste any time getting out their cameras for a few pictures. Overall, they did not appear out of the ordinary from the vast crowds around them. Roping them back though, Nove tried to keep them in line. The square was a vast place to get lost in, and she did not want to worry the guides any more than she should.

"Sorry, they're a little too excited," Nove admitted, "so, where should we start first?"

[Minroz]

“That’s a good question, Miss Nove~.” Akulina chirped happily in response. “We’re going to have a little walk at Saint Vasily’s Cathedral. Would everyone kindly follow me~?”

She walks ahead, waving her tourist flag above so the Wolfeners can see her. Ratmir meanwhile is tagging along behind them to ensure they don’t get lost in the crowd and keep an eye out like a guardian.

They’ve finally reached the famed Saint Vasily’s Cathedral, one of Ruuzian most popular icons of the Tsarist kingdom. The building is shaped like the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, a design that has no parallel in traditional Ruuzian architecture. As one Ruuzian author puts it, “a strangeness that astonishes by its unexpectedness, complexity and dazzling interleaving of the manifold of its design”. The said cathedral will foreshadowed the climax of Ruuzian national architecture in the 15th century. A unique architecture marvel in its own right, it is one of prime examples of differentiation between Great Ruuz from the rest of Yuropa. Saint Vasily’s Cathedral looms majestically near the Kremlin in Moskov and has stood watch over countless historical and political events in the country’s history.

The Wolfeners and their Ruuzian guides have finally stopped next to the statues which are in front of the famed cathedral. The tourists, locals and foreigners alike, have been taking pictures or posing for photos in front of the cathedral. Taking her cue, Akulina stepped in to talk about the church.

“This is the Cathedral of the Virgin on the Moat, also known as Saint Vasily’s Cathedral. It was first constructed in 1445 on orders by Ivan the Stern of the Rurikovich dynasty, the king of Moskovy who declared himself as the first Tsar of the Ruuzian Empire. This cathedral was constructed in honour of military conquests over the Tatar Khanates to the east and the church was built in its honour. It is also named after a saint who is known for having prophetic powers and was buried in this very cathedral in front of your very eyes.

Onto the building complex itself, it has made up of nine chapels, dedicated to famous Eastern Orthodox saints. However, they’re aligned like a compass. If you see the tallest chapels, four of them are raised to designate the position between heaven and earth. The brilliant colours of cathedral weren’t originally this colourful; it used to be white to match the white stone of Kremlin, while the domes are gold. It was just happened when the façade and the domes began to be painted in remarkable colours you see today, starting in the 15th century.

Regardless of the past, Saint Vasily’s Cathedral was one of the centrepieces of the Red Square and the most iconic heritage of mother Ruuz. ”

“Any questions?” Akulina smiled with her posture standing proud. She is a girl who is proud of her country and history.

[Wolfenium]

Looking behind her, Nove was... a tad disturbed by the lack of questions. The girls do seem eager for pictures, snapping up whatever they saw, but the nuances of fact bites seemed lost to them, though not too surprising, given their age. Thinking a bit, she tried to come up with a question to break the silence. Perhaps this one was a start.

"Who were the Rurikovichs," she queried, "Isn't that derived from a Nordic name?"

[Minroz]

“A good question~.” Akulina quipped in response. She cleared her throat before explaining, “The Rurikovichs are rulers of the old kingdom called Kyivan Ruuz and dozens of principalities and eventually the kingdom of Ruuz. The founder of the Rurikovich dynasty is from Skandinavia, the very Nordic region of Sechsmany, and this said founder is a Varangian warrior-princess Rurika. The Rurikovichs ruled the lands of Ruuz until 1410 and the Times of Trouble, and they were succeeded by the Remanovs. They are one of Yuropa’s oldest royal houses, with numerous existing cadet branches. The name Rurikovich is actually means ‘Son of Rurik’ in Ruuzian.”

She puts out a smartphone from her pocket and type in few clicks, the phone projected a small holographic image of what appears to be a fierce-looking woman, clothed in Viking-looking outfit and gear. By the looks of it, the projection has shown a warrior woman of fierce disposition.

“This is Queen Rurika herself. She is the woman who founded the dynasty which has ruled the Kyivan Ruuz and its successor states including the Kingdom of Moskov and by extension the Ruuzian Empire. With that said, one can say she’s practically the ancestral founder of Ruuz. In fact, according to tradition, Rurika and her sons were invited to rule the city of Moskov by the people of Novgorod. Her descendants continued to rule over Kyivan Ruuz and later Moskovy until 1398.

Her successor, King Oleg conquered Kyiv and established control of the trade routes extending from Novgorod, along the Dyaniper River to the Black Sea. His siblings and his sons further extended their territories and consolidated the dynasty’s rule. One of the later Rurikovich kings, Vladimir, compiled the first Kyivan Ruuz law code and introduces Trinithinism into the country. He also organized Kyivan Ruuz lands into a cohesive confederation by distributing the major cities among his sons. The eldest was to be a grand prince of Kyiv, and the brothers were to succeed each other, moving up the hierarchy of cities towards Kyiv, filling vacancies left by the advancement or death of an elder brother. The youngest brother was to be succeeded as grand prince by his eldest nephew whose father had been a king. Although, not without troubles. The successions were accomplished for most part in spite of continual civil wars, not all princes were willing to adhere to the system and prefer seizing their positions by force instead, not to mention the system gets complicated whenever a city rejected the prince who is designated to rule it. In the end, all the princess of Kyivan Ruuz met at Chernigov and decided to divide their lands into patrimonial estates. The succession for becoming king, however, continued to be based on the generation pattern. Nevertheless, distinct branches of the dynasty established their own rule in the major centres of the country outside Kyiv – Galich, Novgorod and Suzdal.”

Akulina pauses and sips her bottle of water after a lengthy explanation. Even Ratmir, her ward, was even put off by her history tidbits. He found it amazing. He wondered if Akulina should be a teacher instead of being a tour guide. But the princess-in-disguise isn’t done yet. She went back to the lectures with gusto.

“However, this system of succeeding princes and kings didn’t last long; this system also helped fragmented the country into smatters of bickering principalities. The princes vied with each other for control of Kyiv.

After the Monggu invasion in 1040, the Ruuzian princes were obliged to seek a patent from the Monggu Khan in order to rule as a king. Rivalry for the patent as well as for leadership in the Grand Principality of Vladimir developed among the princely houses, particularly those of Tver and Moskov. Gradually, the princes of Moskov became dominant, forming the Kingdom of Moskovy, which they ruled until their male line died out in 1398. That’s how the Rurikovich the first royal house of Ruuz ends. But the female line has lives on in the Remanovs and the Kurakovs~.”

[Wolfenium]

"Tough woman, isn't she," Nove quipped, "and quite a long history. What were their lives like? How did they live? How did they fight? Why am I the only one asking questions!?"

Yelling at the little girls fiddling with their cameras, the guardian seemed a bit ticked off at how little they were paying attention. Then again, she should not expect much more of them. History was not exactly for everyone. Even Einhart appeared to agree, glaring at Nove with a resigned shake of her head. Perhaps it was too much to ask of them. They just want to enjoy themselves.

"What was the queen like," Einhart queried, adding on to Nove's remarks, "and what other princes were notable then?"

[Minroz]

Akulina didn’t seem to be perturbed by the lack of questions by Wolfen kids. But she seemed pleased at the questions posed by Nove and Einhart. The Ruuzian princess began answering them.

“Oh yes, glad you asked, ladies~. Rurika’s time is quite barbaric. Life wasn’t easy in her days. Especially for most people who doesn’t have gifts for magic and strength. But Rurika is different. She is tough, intelligent and uncompromising leader. Not only a great leader, Rurika is a great warrior in her own right that she and her heirs helped established the entity called Kyivan Ruuz, the first incarnation of modern Ruuz. Alas, there’re not many surviving records regarding Rurika, aside from the fact she’s from Skadinavia and she’s a great warrior. Needless to say, she’s obscure at best.” Akulina sighed in disappointment.

She typed in few keys on her smartphone, changing projection to the painting mural.

“As for other notable princes. This is Rurika’s son and successor to the Kyivan Ruuz throne, Prince Oleg the Great of Kyiv, a dynamic leader of boundless energy, he expanded Kyivan Ruuz and setting up the foundations of a powerful kingdom. He also introduced Trithinism to Kyivan Ruuz after marrying the Byzantine princess for military alliance with the Eastern Reman Empire and for that, his conversion to Orthodox trithinity. He has brought the light of Our lord to the pagan people in the lands of Ancient Ruuz and he built the first church in the motherland to commemorated our acceptance of Trithinism.”

Akulina is unintentionally biased about the account of the conversion of her pagan ancestors to Christian-like Trithinism. She then moved on to next holographic image of a saintly-like man in medieval Russian clothing.

“Prince Vladimir the Wise, ruler of Kyivan Ruz, uniting the two kingdoms of Novgorod and Kyiv for a time under his rule and transformed into. He came to power after a bloody civil war between his brothers and he’s the youngest of them all. He was the first Kyivan ruler to codify legal customs into the government. During his reign, he was known for spreading Trithinity to the people of Ruuz, founding the first monasteries. These accomplishments during his lengthy rule granted his title, Vladimir the Wise. His expansion of culture and military might, along with his unification of Kyivan Ruz, left powerful impression on Ruuzian history. He bolstered borders and encouraged political alliances with other major Yuropan powers during his reign. Many towns and monuments have been named in dedicated to this leader.”

She sips her water bottle for a break. Ratmir is at the sidelines, feigns his interests in listerning. As much as he understood history, not all parts of history were quite interesting to him. Akulina then changes the holographic image to an icon picture of another Ruuzian prince.

“I’m going to mention this prince who is not the ruler of Kyivan Ruuz. But he is quite important to Ruuzian history. The reasons? He has laid down the foundations of Moskovy into an independent kingdom; his name is Prince Ivan the First. The fact is Moskovy was once a small duchy. Under him, Moskovy has transformed into a wealthy cultural centre. Power struggles and constant raids under the Monggu Empire caused the once powerful cities such as Kyiv to struggle financially and culturally. Ivan the first just took advantage of the situation, utilized the relative safety of Moskovy to entice a larger population and wealth to move there. He also uses diplomacy to broker alliances between the Monggu leaders and himself which saved Moskovy from many of the raids and destruction of other centres. One of his lasting accomplishments is his petition to the Monggu khan based in Sara to designate his son to one of the other Ruuzian principalities, Vladimir. This agreement created a line of succession that meant the ruling head of Moskovy would always hold power over one of the major Ruuzian states, ensuring Moskovy held a powerful position for decades to come.

For that, generations later, Moskovy eventually grew into a kingdom in its own right yet a vassal of the Monggu Golden Horde.” Akulina beamed proudly with a smile.

[Wolfenium]

"Ah, fascinating," Nove wondered, "have you ever broken away, though? With the Monggu?"

Thinking over Akulina's words so far, Nove could not help but spot a disturbing gap in her story. If the lookalike Yuuno was any evidence, it was almost as if the Ruuz never left the Monggu's services. She did not want to ponder too hard on it, but it appeared a distinct possibility. Still, she was sure the guide was not yet finished with her tale, though she could not help but baulk at her fellow girls' lack of appreciation for the subject.