Irina walked through the hallway passage cladded in her uniform carrying the sword tucked in her belt and entered inside the Queen's bedchamber where Averinka was sitting in front of the mirror, dressed in her royal gown sipping her morning tea as handmaidens adjusted her head dress and the skirt of her golden and copper silk gown.

"Are you feeling well, my Queen?" Irina inquired and Ava put down the cup on the dresser and turned in the seat to properly see the girl's face.

"I am nursing a throbbing headache this morning, except that everything is fine." She answered massaging her temples, and then as if remembering something snapped her head back to Irina who suddenly became tensed under the Queen's scrutiny for some reason.

"What happened last night?" Irina suddenly stiffened at her question and it took her some time to ask what the queen had meant by it.

"I am asking you, what happened after I..."

The queen flushed knowing the presence of her handmaidens, and cleared her throat before speaking "after I acted rudely towards you." Irina sighed in relief that it worked on the queen and she didn't remember their last night encounter, not their shared intimacy least alone the kiss which shouldn't have happened.

"You ordered me to take my meals and then you went to sleep." Irina lied hoping it could work on the woman since it's always difficult to lie to Averinka without getting caught.

"Oh...I don't know I just felt...a little weird after waking up." The queen spoke rubbing her neck which she thought to be a cramped muscle.

"You overworked yourself last night." Irina answered and noticed from the corner of her eyes Vladimir entering the room to attend the queen to the royal hall and stood against the wall with crossed arms on his chest and then out of sudden, Averinka blurted out;

"My breasts are sore."

Vladimir broke into fits of cough at the Queen's blunt words and Irina turned tomato red, feeling her face heat up upon remembering the events from past night. She could still feel the lingering ghost of Averinka's touch on her skin and remembered moving her own mouth on the column of her throat and breasts, kissing and biting her and getting drunk on her blood and spice of her scent. Irina blushed again at the thought and when she looked up, Vladimir was staring right back at her with an arched brow and half-amused look on his face, which flustered the girl.

After the Tsarina was ready, she was escorted by royal guards along with Vladimir and Irina who were walking behind the queen at the end. When they had enough distance between the queen and themselves assured of not being heard, Vladimir decided to question the girl about the last night.

"So, what were you two doing last night to make the queen sore?" There was a hint of amusement in his voice which made Irina blush again. How could a creature like her blush too much?

"N-nothing..." She stammered but Vladimir could only hum in return making non-committal sound not believing her.

"I don't believe you child."

"I am telling you truth. We did not...err... nothing happened between us except she asked me to feed and then we rested." It wasn't a complete lie. She just omitted the details that he certainly didn't need to know but the man refused to give up on teasing her.

"I wouldn't even want to know where you bit her but given her soreness in..."

"You don't have to say it that loud!" The girl shrieked in horror which made Vladimir howl in laughter.

"Someone is embarrassed after a passionate night?" Irina gnashed at her teeth in rage.

"I will tear you to shreds." The man had a death wish and she could willingly grant it by ripping his neck with her teeth.

"Sure, sure." He smirked since her threats could only amuse him instead of scaring him, which further enraged the vampire but she said nothing and walked in silence.

They walked through the halls of the palace passing the servants and then trumpet was blared upon the Tsarina's arrival in the court. The Lords and Duke Vladislav stood up, when she entered the hall and waited for her to sit on the throne. Vladimir and Irina took the Queen's gloved hands and led up to the throne, waiting for the queen to sit and stood on the each side at the edge of raised ground of the throne. The lords took their seats in the court hall after the Tsarina and advisor Patronovich came forward in the middle of the court room bowing before the queen to proceed the court.

"The court is called to settle the matter of finding a consort for the queen." Patronovich addressed the court earning hums and nods from the other lords and advisors.

"The queen has proposed forth to choose Nordin's Prince, Edmund for the courting." Lord Adnorovich stood up from his seat in objection but bowed before the Tsarina to be granted permission to speak on the matter.

"If your Majesty allow the humble me to speak I'd like to address the flaw in this proposal." The man raised his eyes to look at the queen from his bowing position and the Tsarina lifted her hand allowing the man to continue.

"The permission is granted."

"Nordin Kingdom holds a strong geographical position but it wouldn't allow its prince to become a consort of Russian Tsarina without asking to merge both Kingdoms and ruler should be, but, a King." Averinka's brows furrowed and a sudden silence befell on the court.

"This cannot be allowed. Our land cannot have King of a foreign blood." Lord Dimitri interjected and murmurs broke through the court. Averinka pressed her fist against her mouth and looked towards her Uncle Vladislav who sat on her left, and acknowledge her with a nod to let Dimitri continue with his proposal.

"What solution do you suggest, Lord Dimitri?"

"Your majesty is well aware herself of the royal bloodline and it must be kept pure. If Prince Alexander was of legal age, the proposal could have been..."

"It cannot happen!" The queen stood in rage causing the silence to settle in the court. Irina had almost drawn out her sword but Vladimir stopped the girl and shook his head asking her to step back.

"I beg you pardon, your Majesty." Dimitri bowed in apology, and Averinka sat back on her seat hands clenched on the armrest of her seat.She stole a glance towards Vladislav, who was sitting pale and shaken like her.

"I am only saying, your Majesty that only Prince Alexander carries noble blood in him and your majesty knows that even marriages between siblings happen to preserve the Noble bloodline."

Averinka's jaw gritted upon Dimitri's suggestion and she had to force herself not to order Vladimir to remove the Lord from the court, but since Alexander was not of legal age it couldn't happen between them. Even if he were, she wouldn't have allowed it. The duke of state wouldn't have allowed it.

"But since, his highness is young and nowhere near the age to be called man. It cannot happen."

"What are you getting at, Lord Dimitri?" Averinka snapped which angered Irina. Dimitri couldn't possibly have been suggesting the queen to marry her own uncle.

"I am suggesting, Sir Iakov from House of Leronim is a suitable consort for you."

"The second cousin?"

"The sister of Leronim's house was wedded to your father and was your mother, and it may retain a Noble bloodline without threatening the territorial boundary of our state as a separate Kingdom."

Dimitri explained and Ava hummed in agreement. She had to court Lord Iakov, else the court would wait for Alexander to become of age and consort with the Tsarina to which state council couldn't wait and she couldn't agree to.

"The proposal made by Lord Dimitri is not unwise." Lord Patronovich agreed and waited expectantly for the Queen's final answer.

"It is an easy benefit to you and the crown."

"What do you speak of this matter, Duke Vladislav?" She must ask her uncle's concern on the matter before reaching any decision.

"I don't see any harm in this proposal, Your Majesty." The man spoke and Averinka turned raised her chin back to the court, and told her final decision.

"Joining the house of Leronim with Noble house of Alexanders could gain trust of the people and it can assure your position on the throne. Iakov may not be a King to Russia but the Queen's consort."

"In the light of proposal made by Lord Dimitri, and uncountered by anyone I'd like to send a letter of courtship to Noble Iakov." The court was dismissed and Averinka went straight to her bed chamber escorted by Irina and Vladimir, who held their silence and spoke nothing to the queen who had been quiet since leaving the court.

Irina wanted to disagree with the proposal, to strike down each member of the council to free the queen from the burden to bear a heir to the country, but she couldn't. She couldn't move in the palace without Averinka's orders and she swore to herself to protect the queen in this matter, if it meant inquiring the Queen's consort herself.