#Igor Morozov | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

filhadoboto · 13 days ago

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The chosen one

Summary: During the reading of his mother's will, Aleksander Morozov discovers that, so that his inheritance does not end up in the hands of his hated cousin Malyen Oretsev, he will have to get married within a year.

AO3

chapter 1; chapter 2; chapter 3; chapter 4

Chapter 5 - The summer - part 1

As promised, summer brought his sister Ulla with it to the Little Palace.

The two siblings spent their first days together exploring the corners they had explored as children, reminiscing about happy times, games and mischiefs from their childhood. For the first time in years, the two entered their father's old refuge. The room was spacious, with large windows overlooking one of the side gardens, and still contained some of Andrey's things, such as his books and old letters. Ulla had vague memories of the place, and Aleksander, at his sister's request, told her about Andrey and all the stories he could remember.

In the second week after her arrival, Aleksander received an invitation from his godmother, Duchess Yelena Petrova, to spend a few weeks with her and her family at her home in the Lake District. Although they had planned to spend the summer at the Little Palace, they both decided to accept their godmother's invitation because if they chose to leave Ravka next spring, they would have little opportunity to see her, her three children Igor, Yulia and Irina, and her grandchildren.

To his great delight and happiness, when they arrived there he learned that two other people he held in high esteem had also been invited: Nikolai Lantsov, his best friend, and Genya Safina, his most beloved cousin.

Duchess Yelena Petrova was not only his godmother. She and Miss Genya Safina were related to him through his maternal grandmother, Mariya Morozova. Vladimir, Duchess Yelena’s father, was Mariya’s older brother. And Galina, Genya’s grandmother, was her younger sister.

Although he was encouraged to be close to Vasily Lantsov, the heir to the throne of Ravka, it was with the second son, Nikolai Lantsov, that Aleksander formed true bonds of friendship during his visits to the Grand Palace. The ties that united the Morozov and Lantsov families dated back to before the unification of Ravka. His ancestor, Prince Aleksander Morozov III, saw great advantage in joining forces with Yaromir Lantsov and helped him in his quest to unify Ravka, for he knew that a unified Ravka would mean an end to conflict with neighboring territories, create economic stability, improve internal trade, and improve the lives of all. Since then, the two families had always been close and had even strengthened their bonds through marriage between members of the two families.

On the very first night they were all together, Nikolai took him to a corner of the vast living room so they could have a private conversation over two glasses of wine.

“I hear you are not doing very well in your task of finding a wife, my dear friend.” he commented in an uncharacteristically serious tone. “And you do not seem to me to be as concerned as someone in your situation should be.”

Although Nikolai was his best friend and confidant, Aleksander decided not to tell him about his decision not to marry. Kolya would try to convince him otherwise with solid arguments that could weaken his resolve. Aleksander could even hear his friend saying that relations between the two families would practically cease to exist without a Morozov as heir to Morozov Hall.

“I still have time.” was his only comment in a calm, unconcerned tone.

Nikolai looked to where the others were gathered and back to him before suggesting, “You could marry your cousin. Miss Safina would make an excellent wife to whoever marries her, and who knows, your daughter might even become a tsaritsa.”

Miss Genya Safina was, in his eyes, the most beautiful girl in all of Ravka. And he didn’t think so just because of her physical appearance. Genya was an intelligent, smart, elegant, well-educated, and kind-hearted girl. In Aleksander’s opinion, she was the epitome of what a high society girl should be. And Nikolai was right, Genya would be the perfect choice to be the new Duchess Morozova. It was even strange that his mother hadn’t included Genya’s name in her list of suitable suitors.

He and his cousin had a great relationship and had a weekly correspondence with each other, sharing information about their lives, their families and the people in their social circle. And although there was mutual admiration and respect and the two were very similar, there was no possibility of them getting married.

Aleksander chuckled before retorting “My esteemed cousin Genya would reject me before I even finished speaking. Her heart has belonged to David Kotsky since childhood and I know she would rather be an old maid than marry any other man.”

“Miss Safina may not be willing to accept your hand, but I know that there are other single women in Ravka who are as beautiful, well-educated, and from good families as she is, and who would be delighted to receive a proposal from you, my friend.”

“The dozens of letters I have received so far confirm your words.”

Nikolai sighed deeply and said, “Please, Aleksander, tell me that you are not taking so long to choose someone because you are thinking of marrying for love.”

The disapproval and slight disdain in his friend's words stung, but Nikolai knew him too well and denying that this was his will would be the same as confirming his suspicion.

“I do not believe that it would be so tragic to marry someone for whom I have such noble feelings, Nikolai.” Aleksander replied.

“Men like us can’t possibly think of marrying for love, Sasha,” Kolya argued in a professorial tone. “We have to do what’s best for our families and our country. Or do you think Vasily is happy about having to marry Princess Ehri?”

“Given his behavior, I imagine he’s not eager for the wedding date to be set.” he replied.

“No, he is not.” Nikolai emphasized. “But the date will be set soon, and when the big day arrives, he will marry her without complaint. They both know that their marriage will strengthen the bonds of friendship and strengthen peace between our countries, just as our father's marriage to our mother did in relation to Fjerda, and that their heir will rule Ravka one day. And that is what matters. Whether or not they will come to love each other or hate each other to death has no bearing on the decision.”

Aleksander partly agreed with his friend. Yes, he had duties to his family, but unlike Vasily, he did not have to give up marrying for love because of these duties.

“And you, as an obedient son and a selfless citizen of Ravka, must be ready to accept marriage with any bride chosen by your family and who offers some advantage to our beloved country.”

“As an obedient son and a selfless citizen, I certainly am.” his friend assured in a proud tone.

“Even if you fall in love with someone who brings you no advantage other than your happiness?” Aleksander insisted.

“If it is necessary to give up my happiness to fulfill my duty to Ravka and my family, then yes.” he replied after a second of hesitation. “Duty always comes before love.”

“So, based on your argument, my selfless friend, the only hypothetical bride who could bring any gain or advantage to my family at the moment would be a member of the royal family. Do you happen to have a sister of marriageable age that I don’t know about? Or perhaps you, my clever friend, will magically transform yourself into a beautiful girl, steal my heart and make me the happiest man in the world?”

“No, I don’t have a sister you don’t know about.” he replied, as if he were taking his conjecture seriously. “And you should know that if I were a girl and still single, I would make the enormous sacrifice of marrying you to help you secure your inheritance, Sasha. You would be the luckiest of men to have someone like me by your side.”

Amused by his friend's response, he said, “And I suppose our children would have an even better chance of ascending to the throne.”

“Without a doubt!” his friend agreed, and with a smile, he added, “With my charm and intelligence and your beauty and strategic mind, our children would rule Ravka and change the world.”

“Don’t be so modest, Kolya! Our children wouldn’t just change, they would rule the world.” Aleksander corrected in a proud tone, which made both of them laugh at the absurdity of that conversation and put an end to that matter.

They then discussed other matters related to politics and the court. Nikolai, who shared his habit of sponsoring talents, but instead of in the artistic field, he did so in the area of science and technology, spoke to him at length about the new discoveries of his protégés and encouraged Aleksander to join him in financing an audacious project for the development of a flying transport. He was quite intrigued by the idea and promised his friend that he would pay a visit to his protégés' workshop when he visited Os Alta for the winter fête.

The two parted ways and, shortly after, he was sitting between Genya and Ulla. The conversation with his cousin was much more pleasant. Although she had expressed her negative opinion about the absurd clause in his mother's will, the conversation with her was aimed at getting as much information out of him as possible about how he had refused the hands of Elizaveta Medvedeva and Zoya Nazyalenskaya and how both girls and their families had reacted. Aleksander indulged Genya's curiosity and answered her questions in as much detail as his memory allowed and Ulla helped him by adding some details and moments that only she had witnessed.

Genya expressed her pride in his rejection of both of them and contributed to the conversation by telling him about the various and absurd rumors circulating about the subject. According to the rumors, Miss Medvedeva had not given up on getting married to him and blamed his misguided decision on grief. As for Miss Nazyalenskaya, she was feeling extremely offended by the rejection and a source very close to Zoya had informed Genya that the girl was thirsty for revenge and that she could not bear to have Aleksander's name mentioned in her presence.

They also talked about David Kotsky, the man Genya loved and wanted to marry. The two had known each other since childhood, and when she had just come out into society and received several marriage proposals, she refused them all and revealed that she had promised to marry David when they were children and that he was the only man she wanted to marry. This had taken everyone by surprise, but neither family had opposed their children's wishes. David Kotsky was the youngest of four brothers and had joined the navy a few years ago, and Genya was the third daughter of five siblings, and they were just waiting for David's promotion so they could get married.

Aleksander offered to use his influence to expedite his promotion, but his cousin refused. David wanted to rise through the ranks on his own merits, and not only was she proud of him, she was willing to wait for him as long as it took for him to have enough money for them to marry. Aleksander understood David's desire to earn what he got, and he couldn't help but admire him for it.

---

Every meal with the group gathered there was lively and enjoyable and the days passed with ease and joy. Other families who were also spending the summer in the area joined them for walks, dances, dinners and afternoon teas ensuring that there was always a wide variety of people and topics to talk about.

Genya, Ulla and Irina, the youngest girls in the group, were the stars of every event and place they attended. All three had beautiful voices and played beautifully. They always tried to convince him to sing or play duets with them, but he only complied with their requests when they were at home, as he did not feel very comfortable in front of an audience made up of people he was not familiar with.

On a visit to the Koslov family mansion, Aleksander found himself thinking of his maid, Alina, as Count Koslov proudly led them through his art gallery and showed off his new acquisitions. There were specific paintings and sculptures, especially one by a painter named Konstantin Krupin, which Aleksander was sure would leave the maid with her beautiful, intelligent brown eyes shining with fascination, and others that she would certainly spend hours contemplating and studying every detail. He couldn't help but think about how much more interesting and fun the visit to that gallery would be if she were there with him and how he was, in fact, missing her and their conversations in the Little Palace gallery.

As he admired Krupin's magnificent painting and thought about his maid, for a few minutes he entertained the idea of visiting the artist's studio and purchasing some of his works, but then he remembered that whatever he chose would turn to ashes along with the rest of the Little Palace.

---

The walks in the park of the Petrov family mansion were always accompanied by Nikolai's anecdotes, who always had something to tell about his adventures during his years of service in the Royal Navy of Ravka or about something he had recently read. And Genya and Irina always entertained them with rumors and gossip from Os Alta.

One fine morning, Aleksander woke up feeling melancholic and let his companions go out for their morning walk without him.

He was sitting in the library meditating on everything that had happened in his life recently when Duchess Yelena sat down next to him and asked, “What is troubling you, my dear boy?”

“Nothing.” he replied in a calm tone.

“Aleksander, I’ve known you since you were born.” she replied, and there was a slight disapproval in her tone. “Don’t think I don’t know how to decipher each of your silences.” she added, and he looked her in the eyes. “You’re worried, and I dare to think it’s because you haven’t found a wife yet, and the deadline given by your mother is running out.”

“No, that’s not what worries me.” he offered sincerely. She waited patiently, and he took a deep breath before continuing, “I’ve decided not to get married. At least not yet. I refuse to do what she wants, even if it costs me my family’s entire fortune.”

There was a long moment of silence and he studied her for a few seconds before asking, “My dear godmother , are you not going to try to convince me that I should marry? Are you not going to tell me that I have a duty to preserve my family’s legacy?”

She gave him a patient smile.

“And is there anything I can say to convince you to do exactly what you are determined not to do, my dear godson?” she asked calmly in a motherly tone. “You are not the kind of person to make rash decisions. So I imagine that you want, above all, to free yourself from the control that your mother still tries to have over you even after death.”

Aleksander could not hide his satisfaction that this woman, who was so important to him, knew him so well.

“She was so sure that I would fulfill her will that she even left me a list of women she considered to be suitable suitors.”

His godmother was surprised to hear about the existence of the list and asked, “May I know the names?”

He mentioned the names to her and his godmother had a very similar reaction to his.

“If my cousin knew the son she had, she would know that you would never choose one of them, not even if she had left a clause in her will stating that you had to marry one of them to receive your inheritance.”

“I do not doubt that the thought occurred to her,” he commented. “But after leaving Ulla out of the will and placing my despicable cousin as the heir should I fail to carry out her last wishes, I believe she thought she was being generous in not specifying that I should choose from among the suitors she suggested, and thus leaving me to choose my own wife.”

“And yet, even though you could choose your bride, you still decided not to get married.”

“I wish to get married one day, but I want to marry for love and my mother knew that. However, instead of respecting my wishes, my mother wants to subject me to the same thing her parents subjected her to by forcing her to marry my father. But I'm not going to get married just because she made receiving my inheritance conditional on that.” he explained. “For years I resisted her pressure to get married because I want to have a different marriage than my parents did. I'll get married when I feel it's time. I'll get married when I find the right woman.”

“I don’t judge you for wanting to marry for love and have a different marriage than your parents, Aleksander, but don’t romanticize the idea too much.” she commented. “What I mean is that love is not always a guarantee of marital happiness. You can fall in love with a woman and love her with all your being, and then, over time, you may find yourself married to a woman who is not as compatible with you as love has led you to believe. Losing respect for the person you are going to have to share your life with is a terrible thing.”

Aleksander couldn't help but hear the wisdom in her words. Although his parents respected each other, they were so incompatible that it was impossible for love to blossom between them. And hadn't he seen this happen to other people around him? Men who were dazzled by a woman's beauty and vivacity, but after a few months of marriage realized that they had married women who lacked discernment, common sense and intelligence.

The opposite was also common, of course. Women were enchanted by a man's fine words or gallant appearance and after marriage found themselves trapped with complete strangers, as their husbands had practically invented a different personality to win them over and ensure financial security with their dowry. And it was not uncommon to find couples who despised and ignored each other at home, but were kind and loving in society.

And that was exactly the kind of marriage he wanted to avoid.

“Finding a life partner who knows how to listen and shares his opinions and tastes is much more important to a man than someone who makes his heart beat faster but is not compatible with the rest or is difficult to live with.” she continued. “My parents arranged my marriage to Duke Petrov and I never loved him, but my older children married for love and I was happy for them. If the Saints are merciful, my Irina will also find someone who loves her. But let me give you the same warning and advice that I gave them. Marrying for love is not always possible. Usually the best you can hope for is to find someone who is compatible with you or at least someone you respect, and then be happy if time adds love to the marriage.”

It was not difficult for him to imagine a life alongside a person who shared his ideas and tastes or to imagine the opposite, living with a person who had become a stranger after marriage. Unexpectedly, it was the personality of his maid, Alina, that his mind suggested to him as that of a mate who would be compatible with him and who would make him happy, while it suggested that of Zoya as the mate who would make his life a torment. He could not help but ponder whether falling in love with Zoya or any woman like her would have blinded him to her abundant faults and their innumerable incompatibilities.

The two remained silent until he commented, “So you think I should get married and secure my inheritance.”

“I think you should do what your conscience advises you.” she replied.

He nodded and commented, “My conscience tells me that I must take control of my own life and do what will bring me peace.”

“I imagine that the fact that the person you hate the most will inherit everything that is rightfully yours played no part in your decision.”

“I confess that I am not happy with the idea of everything being in his hands, but I know that my mother did this to manipulate me. She used my hatred for him to pressure me, to manipulate me into fulfilling her last wish. Just as she tried to use my love for Ulla by leaving her out of the will. She knew I would do just about anything for my sister.” he commented in a bitter tone. “I’m still surprised she didn’t put in her will that I should choose one of the seven on her list.”

“I prefer to believe that even she thought it would be too much to restrict your choices so much.” the Duchess commented, and then asked, “Does your sister know about your decision?”

“Yes, and she agreed to everything.” he replied.

“It makes me very sad to see how much Baghra has destroyed her relationship with her own children to the point where you two would rather live in poverty than fulfill her absurd last wish.”

“We won’t exactly be left in poverty.” he informed her with a satisfied smile. “I followed your advice years ago and made some personal investments. The current profits are enough for Ulla and me to live a good life, and if she wishes, I can pay a dowry befitting her social position.”

She gave him a proud smile and said, “And even if you hadn’t, know that you wouldn’t be alone, Aleksander. You and your sister are like children to me and you will always be welcome in my home.”

Aleksander gave her a grateful smile and said, “Knowing that I can count on the support of someone so important to me is a great relief.”

The two’s conversation was interrupted by the return of those who had gone for a walk, and Aleksander felt lighter after sharing everything with his godmother.

---

The next evening, after coffee had been served and the others had split up at the gaming tables, Genya led him to a window in a far corner of the room on the pretext of observing the full moon.

“I must apologize to you, my dear Sasha.” she began solemnly.

Feeling confused, he asked, “For what, my sweet Genya?”

“I overheard your conversation with Duchess Yelena yesterday.”

Aleksander did his best to hide his surprise.

“I was sure everyone had gone for a walk.”

“I stayed to answer some letters. And then, by accident, I overheard your conversation.” she explained.

He nodded slowly and asked, “May I ask what exactly you overheard?”

“You were talking about a list of suitors left by your mother and that you had decided not to marry.” she replied and asked in a hurt tone “Why didn’t you tell me about your decision before? I thought you trusted me, Aleksander!”

“You’re one of the few people I trust absolutely, Genya. And I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you.” he replied with an apologetic smile. “And from your expression, I see that I made the right decision.”

“I’d rather be worried and know what’s going on in the life of one of the people I love most than be caught off guard!” she insisted.

“You’re right, and if it helps redeem me in your eyes, know that until I told my godmother, only Ulla knew everything,” he explained. “I didn’t tell Nikolai either, and I’d like you to keep everything you heard a secret.”

Genya rolled her eyes.

“Yes, that redeems you in my eyes. And don’t offend me by asking me to keep your secrets. I would never betray your trust!” she said. He gave her a grateful smile and she continued “I have to ask. Are you really sure about this decision, Sasha?”

“Yes, my dear cousin. I thought about it a great deal before making this decision, and after talking at length with my sister, I can assure you that I have no doubts whatsoever about the matter.”

“But how can you think of giving up what is rightfully yours after all you have worked so hard to learn how to manage everything? Are you really going to give up and let everything fall into the hands of that jerk Malyen? He will spend it all on gambling, prostitutes, booze and those two fortune hunters he calls friends.”

Genya and he shared the same opinion about Malyen, for they were both well acquainted with the reputation and behavior of him and his faithful friends Dubrov and Mikhael. Malyen's taste for expensive things and exorbitant spending on gambling were known throughout the country and rivaled the taste and spending of tsaverich Vasily, although the former gambled in gambling houses and the latter almost exclusively on horse races in Caryeva.

“I’m sure he’ll have to work hard to spend it all in a single lifetime, even if he has help from his friends.” he commented in a light tone, but those words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Aleksander!” she scolded him in a stern tone.

He sighed and said, “As you yourself pointed out, I have prepared my entire life to inherit Morozov Hall and all its obligations. But instead of acknowledging this, my mother chose to put that absurd clause in her will, and I refuse to do what my mother wants, Genya.” he felt a lump in his throat and continued in a choked tone “I refuse to let her tell me what to do with my life even after she’s dead, and if the price for my disobedience is losing everything that’s rightfully mine, then so be it.”

Genya hugged him, and he hugged her back.

“Oh, my dear Sasha! There must be another way.” she whispered.

“If there is, I haven’t found it yet.” he whispered back.

---

Throughout his stay at his godmother's house, Aleksander witnessed how his sister and his best friend became increasingly close, when in previous years they were perfectly indifferent to each other's presence, interacting only out of politeness.

One morning, as they all took a walk after breakfast, Nikolai commented on how Ulla had become a beautiful, elegant, and interesting woman with whom he could talk for hours without noticing the passage of time. He talked about how she was different from all the other girls he knew, mainly because she wasn't interested in getting a husband, which had left him quite surprised, and he also highlighted how much they both were interested in the sea and everything related to it.

A few days later, everyone in the group became curious when Nikolai disappeared for almost an entire day. When he reappeared, they learned that he had ridden to the nearest town just to buy Ulla a gift of a book about sea legends that had been his favorite childhood book and that she had never read.

Aleksander listened and witnessed everything in silence. He observed their interaction with the intention of assessing whether his sister was feeling comfortable in Nikolai’s presence or whether he would have to talk to his friend and ask him to stay away from her. The result of his observation was that Ulla did not seem irritated when Nikolai sat next to her to talk, nor did she try to avoid his presence.

As always, it was through music that he got his answer about her feelings. Ulla not only played and sang songs at Nikolai's request, but she had even convinced him to sing, something Kolya had avoided before, but which he had turned into a habit because of Ulla's requests. And if there was any doubt that the two were comfortable with each other, it was destroyed when he noticed that his sister, who was very reserved, always smiled or laughed when she talked to Nikolai.

Aleksander was a very jealous brother, but he also wanted his sister to find someone who would accept and admire her for who she was and love her unconditionally in the way she deserved. And if the man who had caught her interest and was on his way to winning her heart was Nikolai, then Aleksander could do nothing but be happy for them both.

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