Nicholas's Wedding

After assigning the upcoming meetings for the next week and the week after, Nicholas finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He really didn't want to review any more divorce cases.

"Busy lately?" 

Empress Alexandra tenderly moved closer and began massaging the tired Emperor Nicholas II's shoulders.

The couple was currently staying at Anichkov Palace.

Their suite in the Winter Palace had undergone renovation in the past few weeks to welcome its new owners.

Before it was used by the new couple, the suite had belonged to Alexander II. The bloodstains from his assassination had even been preserved on the bed, and his last cigarette still lay in the ashtray.

When Empress Alexandra was ten years old, she had been forced to move from Paris to live in London. Therefore, her aesthetics and demeanor bore the influence of British style. Nicholas, too, admired the decor of several of his Uncle Bertie's mansions. Both agreed to decorate their new marital home in the new art style, with a strong British flair.

One could imagine the place filled with exquisite trinkets and palm trees, and furniture shipped from the luxurious Maple Furniture Store on Tottenham Court Road in London. As much as possible, Alexandra's favorite pale pinkish-purple color was used, especially in her boudoir.

Nicholas's taste was equally un-Russian: the new living room and the Emperor's study featured a lot of leather and wood paneling, resembling a modest English country house or a gentleman's club.

The difference was, Nicholas's dumbbells and barbells were placed there. He would occasionally work out, sweating and exercising to relieve his mental stress.

Had the current interior design not yet transitioned to modernism, Nicholas might have transformed his Winter Palace residence into a three-bedroom flat without televisions, computers, and other electronic devices.

Apart from the Winter Palace renovations, in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, where Nicholas was born, a giant bath was being added, applying the fashionable European spa trend.

Uncle Bertie also gifted Nicholas a few tall, imposing African warriors. These elegantly dressed Nubian guards stood silently outside his study.

"It won't be too busy afterwards... Tomorrow is our wedding day."

Nicholas often spoke succinctly about work, but then he took Alexandra's delicate hand and kissed her palm.

Cohabiting before marriage might still be too bold in this era, but Nicholas didn't care; he was still the autocratic emperor of all Russia.

"My happiness knows no bounds. I truly hope we can live heart to heart."

Alexandra responded to Nicholas's actions with a passionate kiss. Their relationship seemed like a product of convenience, but Nicholas was a considerate fiancé, which was enough for Alexandra.

They exhibited a blend of Victorian restraint and propriety, but in private, they often engaged in acts that would make one blush just thinking about them.

"Even your brief absences make me anxious, and I can't wait to see you," Alexandra breathlessly expressed her bridal passion while Nicholas kissed her chest. "I can't wait to be in your arms. I miss you so much it drives me crazy."

"How pitiful that no one kisses or caresses you!" Nicholas's fingers seemed electrified, leaving Alexandra weak and limp on the soft bed. "In my thoughts, I'm always kissing and caressing you, my angel."

Like all passionate couples, they created a private language for intimacy, giving their private parts nicknames.

His was "Big Boy," and hers was "Lady Pussy."

"I don't know why I can say such shy words, but with you, it feels natural."

"You're a shy Big Boy, but in the dark, you're not shy at all."

Their sweet breathing and conversation continued into the night.

At 11:30 AM on November 14, Nicholas, accompanied by his sixteen-year-old brother Michael, left Anichkov Palace in an open carriage for the Winter Palace.

His mother, Empress Dowager Maria, also left Anichkov Palace in a carriage, departing early to prepare Alexandra's wedding dress and jewelry.

Alexandra, not yet in her wedding dress but wrapped in a luxurious fur coat, accompanied the Dowager Empress to the Winter Palace.

There, Nicholas felt especially nervous, as this was the first wedding he had experienced in his two lifetimes.

The young Emperor paced and smoked in the Arab Hall of the Winter Palace, waiting for his bride, while his Alexandra, with the help of Empress Dowager Minnie, changed in the Malachite Hall, with a French hairstylist preparing her hair.

The hairstylist then readied the Romanov family wedding crown and a platinum crown set with diamonds.

Empress Alexandra wore Catherine the Great's diamond necklace, a massive piece of jewelry with 475 carats of diamonds, and matching earrings—so heavy that they had to be supported by wires around her ears.

She wore a silver brocade dress with a silver petticoat, ermine trim, gold embroidery, and a bodice encrusted with diamonds. Her 15-foot-long train required eight attendants and a steward to carry it.

Nicholas's attire was a bright red hussar uniform, holding a beaver fur hat adorned with ostrich feathers.

When Empress Dowager Minnie led Empress Alexandra through the palace, Cousin George remarked on how beautiful the bride was, "Nicky is indeed a lucky man."

The long wedding procession was led by Emperor Nicholas II, followed by the King of Denmark, the King of Greece, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, until they reached the palace chapel for the ceremony.

There, Nicholas's brother Michael and cousin Kirill, son of Grand Duke Vladimir, held two crowns.

Since the wedding was still within the mourning period for Alexander III, no reception was held.

When the European monarchs, all family, gathered around to congratulate the Emperor, Empress Alexandra stood aside alone. When Count of Paris approached, he found his daughter crying.

Half from joy and half because her dress was so heavy it immobilized her.

Afterwards, the Emperor and Empress returned to Anichkov Palace by carriage.

A new chapter of life had begun.