In one of the 460 rooms of the Winter Palace was a gym fitted with various gym equipment that can be dated back to the early nineteen-thirties.

In the middle, there was a boxing ring currently being used by two figures exchanging punches at one another.

They were, Alexander Romanoff, the future emperor of the Ruthenia Empire, and his head of security, Rolan Makarov.

Rolan went with a straight hook and Alexander dodged it in anticipation. Seeing an opening, Alexander returned with a counter jab. But little did he know, Rolan was expecting him to do it.

Before Alexander could realize what just happened, he was countered by Rolan’s lead uppercut.

Every nerve of his being tingled as he was about to imagine what would happen if that punch landed on his chin.

In the heat of the moment, Rolan’s uppercut didn’t go all the way through as he stopped his fist just a millimeter away from Alexander’s chin.

“It will knock you out, Your Majesty,” Rolan casually remarked.

“I’m aware of that,” Alexander replied, his voice slightly strained. “I think we should end this here.”

The two of them let go of their fighting stance after they agreed on a ceasefire. Alexander’s wiped the sweat off his face with a towel as Rolan is helping him remove his boxing gloves.

“I’m impressed that you hold out longer than I expected, sire,” Rolan commented, seemingly impressed. “Are you sure you didn’t receive formal training? Because from my perspective, you didn’t fight like a prince who I thought would be amateur, but a fighter, who already had experience.”-.

Alexander chuckled shyly. “You are praising me too much, Rolan. I still have ways to go before I can reach your level.”

“You’re too humble, Your Majesty.”

They laughed.

The reason they sparred at one another was simply because of his exercise regimen. After meeting the ministers of each department in the morning, he’ll have a lot of free time in the afternoon which he can use for training and exercise to boost the overall performance of his body.

He’s been doing it since he recovered from the injuries he had incurred from the assassination attempt on the royal family. He thought adding martial arts to his regimen would benefit him in the future in case Rolan isn’t around to protect him.

Although this whole regimen is nothing new to him since in his past life, he has been attending classes that teach self-defense, particularly mixed martial arts, boxing, and Krav Maga. Most of which he does during his free time.Overall, the reason was him adding it to his exercise routine and second if he still has the skills he learned from his past life.

It turns out that he still has it. It’s the reason why Rolan was impressed. As one who would normally think that a prince of a country would be an inexperienced fighter that would only last a second in a fight.

“I’ll look forward to our sparring match tomorrow,” Alexander said.

“Same goes here,” Rolan commented lightly.

As they stepped out of the ring a man in a royal imperial guard’s uniform entered the room.

“Your Majesty, you have a message from Prime Minister Sergei.”

He handed out a letter.

“Thank you. I’ll read it in my office,” he said as he grabbed the letter.action

“Yes, sire,”

Alexander proceeded to the bathroom and change into his formal attire—a red military jacket adorned with golden epaulets, blue trousers, and black knee-high leather boots. Alexander Romanoff went through the doors of the gym and down the corridor that led to his office.

Alexander sat on his chair and took out a letter opener from a drawer and slit open the envelope. He took the letter out of the envelope and read what it says.

It was news concerning the Yamato Empire accepting the terms of the Ruthenia Empire effectively ending the war between them. The terms were the Ruthenia Empire pulling its forces out of the Kingdom of Choson and recognizing its interest in the region. There were no war reparations and territorial concessions except in the region of Busan, where they’ll have to recede the territory to the Yamato Empire, leaving the Ruthenia Empire having no access to warm-water ports in the Pacific Region.

They may have lost but it was not a huge blow to the Empire except to the soldiers who died in the war.

Now that the war has ended, Alexander can now focus on internal affairs. This defeat would surely make some of the people who were patriotic to the empire disappointed. He has to promise them that this will not happen in his reign.

He picked up the telephone and dialed a number.

“Hello, this is His Majesty speaking. Yes, I would like to speak with the Minister of War, Alexei Lavrov please…I’ll wait.”

As the operator patch him through to the Minister of War, Alexander patiently waited in his seat, his eyes wandering around the room, looking at the gilded ceilings and exquisites furniture.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty, how can I help you?”

“I want you to give me a list of soldiers who have participated in the war at the Far East, I want the names who were killed in action, missing, injured, and so on.”

“What do you need them for sir?”“I want to honor their service to the empire by giving them monetary support. Oh speaking of that, I’ll also need the name of the soldiers’ families who died in the war. Can you do that?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I’ll gather the list as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Minister, I’ll be waiting.”

Alexander hung up the receiver. He reached for a paper and pen and began writing.

He planned to share the news with the people of the Empire about the war. So, he’s writing a speech.

…

Two hours later, Alexander reached out to the people through radio stations across the Empire to deliver his speech.

“People of Ruthenia Empire, it is with a feeling of deepest sorrow that I announce to you that the war with the Yamato Empire has ended. I am sure that you are all aware of the terrible losses that have been suffered by the Empire. We have lost so much, so many brave young men who never returned to their families from the Far East. We have suffered more during these past years than we ever did during the war against the Empire of Yamato.

The people of the empire were steadfast and loyal to the fatherland, some were able to regain their honor and pride during the war. Unfortunately, it was not enough to bring about a victory. But despite the many setbacks we suffered, there was one thing that was never lost, our will to carry on.

This war has served me a lesson and realization, that the Ruthenia Empire is lagging behind the great powers of the world. So I’m determined that in my reign, I promise to you my people that we will rise up from the ashes and bring honor and glory to our country. We will return to the great empire that we once were. So I humbly request your continuous support and prayers for the soldiers who have fought valiantly in the Far East from this day forward and wish that you will receive them warmly as they returned to their homes. We may be defeated but we are not broken, we will rise up and this will be our rebirth. God is with us.”

The speech was played all over the country. From broadcasting from the radio stations to the news outlets that printed out flyers and newspapers.

As Alexander gazed at the news he read.

He was not surprised that some of the folks had a negative reaction to the speech. Some were disappointed about the news, some were lacking the heart to accept the news at the moment, some were frustrated, and some accepted the news with enthusiasm.

It was quite expected for the people to react that way. Even though some wished for ending the war, the patriotism kindling in their hearts still outweigh their interest.

In the coming days, Alexander pardoned the soldiers who deserted the army during the war, give reparations to the bereaved families, and rewarded the soldiers who have distinguished themselves in the war.

For the soldiers who have died during the war, he held a state funeral for them. This is his way of acknowledging their service to the country.

Two weeks later, the prime minister visited him in his office.

“Your Majesty, I have news to deliver to you,” Sergei announced.

“What is it?” Alexander asked.

“To push forward your coronation, formally announcing you as the new and rightful emperor of the country, we recommend that you seek a queen,” Sergei said flatly.

“Yes, a queen. To be the consort of the emperor. A symbol of unity and hope for the people,” Sergei continued. “Your father, before his passing, has already made arrangements for you. You will meet her on the coronation day of Prince Licht von Hapsburg, the new king of the Austrean Empire.

“When would that be?”

“A week from now, Your Majesty.”

Alexander felt his stomach turn.