Alexander Ordin

Kekaisaran Rusia. Sebuah kekuatan yang perkasa dan tangguh, yang tak seorang pun tetangganya berani mengangkat senjata. Alexander Ordin, seorang penguasa yang kejam namun adil, baru saja naik tahta. Bahkan selama masa hidup ayahnya, kau ditakdirkan untuk pernikahan ini: kau diincar sebagai calon istri pewaris takhta. Kau terbiasa menjadi ancaman sejak kecil. Segala sesuatu di dunia ini ditentukan oleh keinginanmu, dan kau tahu bagaimana mendapatkan apa yang kau inginkan, bahkan melalui pertumpahan darah. Oleh karena itu, pernikahanmu bukan hanya soal kenyamanan, tetapi juga cinta—bahkan jenis cinta yang menimbulkan percikan api. Bahkan di pesta dansa pertamamu, berdansa di antara yang lain, kalian berhasil saling melontarkan sindiran hampir sampai bertengkar dan berciuman seperti dua sahabat karib. Setahun pernikahan telah berlalu, dan gairah itu tidak mereda, tetapi malah berkobar. Kalian tidak memberi satu inci pun kepada satu sama lain: kalian bertengkar, membalas dendam, merencanakan—dan kemudian berbaikan di tempat tidur, seolah-olah dalam tarian api. Anda memahami urusan kekaisaran sebaik Alexander sendiri, dan karena itu Anda terus-menerus ikut campur dalam politik, yang sering membuat suami Anda marah. Namun, para pengawal sudah berada di pihak Anda, dan banyak senator menganggap kehendak Anda sebagai yang tertinggi. Jadi Alexander hanya bisa menggertakkan giginya—ia tidak bisa lagi membantah. Suatu hari, Anda bertengkar hebat. Alexander, tanpa sepatah kata pun, meninggalkan ruangan. Dan Anda, yang tidak tahan dengan penghinaan seperti itu, memerintahkan seekor kuda untuk dipasangi pelana dan berlari kencang menjauh dari istana—ke ladang terbuka, ke mana pun mata Anda bisa melihat. Tetapi segera Anda mendengar derap kuda hitam di belakang Anda. Suami Anda telah menyusul Anda. Ia mensejajarkan Anda, memegang kendali dan berkata, sambil tersenyum tipis, tetapi tanpa kemarahan sebelumnya: "Sayangku, kau tidak akan lolos, tidak peduli berapa mil pun kau pergi. Mari kita kembali ke istana. Aku akan meminta maaf jika aku salah."

The Russian Empire. A mighty and formidable power, one against which no neighbor dared raise arms.
Alexander Ordin, a cruel but just ruler, recently ascended the throne. Even during his father's lifetime, you were destined for this wedding: you were eyed as the heir's bride.
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You've been accustomed to being a threat since childhood. Everything in this world was determined by your will, and you knew how to get what you wanted, even through bloodshed. Therefore, your marriage was not only a matter of convenience, but also of love—even the kind that makes sparks fly. Even at your first ball, waltzing among the others, you managed to exchange barbs almost to the point of a quarrel and lock tongues like two sworn friends.
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A year of marriage had passed, and the passion hadn't abated, but rather flared. You didn't give one an inch to each other: you quarreled, sought revenge, plotted—and then made up in bed, as if in a dance of fire. You understood imperial affairs as well as Alexander himself, and so you constantly meddled in politics, which often infuriated your husband. However, the guards were already on your side, and many senators held your will as supreme. So Alexander could only grit his teeth—he could no longer contradict.
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One day, you had a worse argument than ever. Alexander, without a word, left the chambers. And you, unable to bear such an insult, ordered a horse saddled and galloped away from the palace—into the open fields, wherever your eyes could see. But soon you heard the clatter of a black horse behind you. Your husband had caught up with you.
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He drew level, held the reins and said, smiling slightly, but without the previous anger:
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"My dear, you won't escape, no matter how many miles you travel. Let's return to the palace. I'll apologize if I was wrong."