Arc of Fire

Chapter 217: The Sun Also Rises

On the morning of August 11th, Wang Zhong opened his eyes, stared blankly at the canopy above him for a few seconds, before he remembered that he had taken up a guest room in the Tsar’s Summer Palace to sleep in the day before.

He reached to his side and, sure enough, Liu Xia had already been up for a while; the sheets were cool.

Ah, having a fiancée who’s too disciplined is not good either; wanting to cuddle for a bit in the morning is not even possible.

Just then, still drowsy, Wang Zhong saw a maid approach the bed, probably Nelly, so he sat up and grabbed her to pull her closer.

Nelly is sure to tolerate my babyish behavior with the heart of a mother!

Wang Zhong buried his face in Nelly’s chest and then realized something was off.

Nelly usually wouldn’t wear extra perfume, only smelling faintly of lavender.

But the scent wafting into Wang Zhong’s nose right now was quite expensive.

And this softness that rivaled Ludmila’s, could it be that Nelly is a succubus, capable of shifting her allure, and she throws dice every morning to change?

The next moment he tumbled out of bed and snapped to attention with a thud, “Your Majesty… no, I mean, Your Highness!”

Princess Olga: “So this is how you treat your little maids every morning huh!”

“No, not usually. It’s just the palace’s luxury that made me relax, and my head isn’t quite right,” Wang Zhong replied seriously, while picking up his pants to hold in front of him.

He felt he couldn’t give the initiative to the princess, so before she could respond, he said, “Your Highness, in these extraordinary times, you shouldn’t be entering guest rooms dressed as a maid at will. Another scandal in the Royal Family right now would make things even worse.”

Princess Olga: “I didn’t know you would do such a thing to a maid in the morning.”

“I wouldn’t do such a thing to a maid. It is… it’s the environment that’s making me strange, this lavish environment,” Wang Zhong asserted firmly.

Just as Princess Olga opened her mouth to speak, the door opened and Ludmila entered: “Alyosha, are you up… Ah, I see you are. I had Nelly bring over the breakfast cart; let’s eat here.”

Nelly pushed in a cart following Ludmila.

Princess Olga, with her back to the two who had just entered, seemed somewhat flustered.

Ludmila glanced at the back of the princess: “Is this a palace maid? I did mention that no one should come in before we leave, didn’t I? I need to complain to the head maid!”

Wang Zhong: “No, this is Ol…”

Olga immediately turned around, bowing to Ludmila: “I am very sorry; the story about the general drawing his gun yesterday has already spread among the servants, saying the general shot a spy that infiltrated the palace and saved the Crown Princess.

“Everyone admires the general, including me, so I sneaked in here! My deepest apologies!”

Wang Zhong hesitated, not understanding what trickery the princess was up to and could only scratch his head in confusion.

Ludmila sighed: “I can understand, but don’t do it again. You may leave now.”

Olga raised her head, moving towards the servants’ door while expressing her thanks.

“Wait a minute!” Ludmila stopped her, then inhaled sharply, “The Crown Princess?”

“No, I am…”

Wang Zhong: “She’s her body double! To prevent assassination attempts!”

Ludmila: “What are you talking about?! I’ve never heard of such a thing. Your Highness, what are you doing? With the current situation, you’re already the Crown Princess!” ?

Olga: “Alright, I know I was wrong. It’s just… I don’t know what came over me; last night I dreamed that the Prussians captured me, and then they were going to marry me off to their fat pig-like Marshal of the Air Force, a Mayer!

“And then at the wedding, Alyosha… Duke Rocossov came to save me driving a train.”

Wang Zhong exclaimed, “Driving a train?”

Where’s my tank then?

Olga: “Liu Da, when I saw Rocossov, I felt relieved. You must understand!”

Ludmila: “I understand. So shall we let him accompany you to sleep by your bed every night?”

Wang Zhong: ?

Olga smiled, “That would be nice; when I was little, brother would read me storybooks until I fell asleep.”

Looking back and forth between them, Wang Zhong decided it was best to put his pants on first and tidy himself up before anything else.

Nelly quietly arranged the food on the table.

Ludmila: “How old were you when that happened?”

“Around ten years old,” replied Olga, “Brother doesn’t do that anymore, but whenever he stays overnight in the palace, he comes to kiss my forehead and wish me goodnight.”

Ludmila was a beat slow to respond; she probably didn’t know how to react either, seeing as the Crown Prince had died on the battlefield, and her sister’s small request didn’t seem too much to ask.

By then, Wang Zhong had his pants on and was picking up his shirt when he saw his fiancée was at a loss, so he took the initiative to say, “Your Highness the Crown Princess, with His Majesty the Tsar in such a state, you must be strong and can no longer act so spoiled.”

Ludmila glanced at Wang Zhong with a look of gratitude.

Olga: “Your Excellency the General, as the war hero who will deliver a speech at the public memorial, you too must be strong and can no longer act spoiled with maids either.”

Nelly, who was arranging the utensils, looked up at Wang Zhong with a puzzled look upon hearing that.

Ludmila narrowed her eyes scornfully at Wang Zhong, her expression clearly saying, wait and explain this to me later.

But it seemed that Olga had her fun, curtsying with courtly etiquette: “Then, I wish you both a pleasant meal and a good mood today.”

Then she slipped away.

Ludmila turned to Wang Zhong, “What’s with the coquetry towards the maid?”

Wang Zhong, “Ah, I just had her help me wash my face. It’s not what you think.”

“Then how about you demonstrate it.”

Wang Zhong, “Alright, come over and I’ll show you.”

“No,” Ludmila, with her hands on her hips, “Nelly is here, isn’t she? Demonstrate how you coquettishly ask a maid for help.”

Wang Zhong glanced at Nelly and thinking it better to get it over with quickly, he hugged Nelly around the waist and buried his face in her chest, “Just like this. Nelly, pat my head.”

Nelly looked at Wang Zhong with a disgusted face and reluctantly patted his head.

Wang Zhong quickly stepped away from the steel plate, “I’ve demonstrated. Are you satisfied now?”

Ludmila, “You actually do this sort of thing to Nelly?”

Nelly, “No, today is the first time. Someone pretended not to notice anything was wrong upon seeing the princess and took the opportunity to take advantage. He’s a habitual offender.”

Ludmila, “That’s true, he is indeed a habitual offender. He just took advantage of you just now.”

Wang Zhong, “Let’s not talk about this anymore, let’s eat, oh, are there any activities planned for today?”

Ludmila, “The Military Orders Department announced that we could have a free day today. And around five in the morning, Grandpa Mikhail called to say that the manor is ready for us to move into.”

Wang Zhong, “Got it. Free activities today, huh? Then, of course, I’m off to scrounge equipment from the logistics department. Where is the capital’s Ordnance Department?”

Wang Zhong’s main aim coming to the capital was to secure equipment and troops; the rest was just incidental.

He put on his jacket, sat down at the table, and started stirring the oatmeal with a spoon, while talking, “We need to check and see if there are any noble son’s observation cars like number 422, get one or two more, and form a tank platoon with crew chiefs and radios in every tank.

“Then, there are the heavy artillery and Katyusha Rocket Launchers; we need to get some of those too. And some of those temporary, emergency SU76 self-propelled guns as well.”

Ludmila narrowed her eyes, “You… don’t think that talking about this stuff is going to let you off the hook for this morning’s incident, do you?”

Wang Zhong, “Can’t it? Besides, I didn’t do anything heinous. It was the princess who ambushed me, and I just wanted a hug. I was actually planning to ask you for it! You ran away, and left the bed cold!”

At this, Wang Zhong felt aggrieved. Right, it’s all Liu Xia’s fault. If she’d given me a warm hug this morning, given me a good morning kiss, would this have happened?

Certainly not!

Ludmila sighed and sat down at the table, pulling the oatmeal closer to herself.

Nelly quickly poured hot milk into her cup.

Ludmila ate while speaking, “Then Nelly and I will go to the manor first, and Sergeant Major Grigori will accompany you to the Ordnance Department.”

“Alright!” Wang Zhong gave a thumbs up.

Grigori looked at Wang Zhong with a smile that was not quite a smile, saluted, and said, “General, good morning.”

Wang Zhong casually returned a sloppy salute and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s all around. They say you’re going to be a prince.”

Wang Zhong suddenly recalled seeing the real handiwork of an old friend in the game room yesterday.

The Tsar’s family might have ended as tragically as they did on Earth, but now… perhaps they could live out their days in a secluded villa?

And then be called back to serve as a court etiquette advisor when “War and Peace” is being filmed?

Anyway, judging by how eagerly the palace servants discussed the prospective prince, at least they don’t seem too opposed to having a Tsar now.

Grigori, “So, might I become an Imperial Guard then?”

“What do you mean? Are you unhappy being my security guard?” Wang Zhong retorted.

“No way. Because of your great popularity, I’ve become a hot ticket too. Last night was a blast.”

If it weren’t for Wang Zhong’s eagerness to pick equipment, he would have liked Grigori to go into detail about just how fun it was.

Wang Zhong climbed into the jeep, slapped the driver’s seat backrest, and urged, “Come on, drive.”

Grigori got into the vehicle and started it smoothly.

The palace guards seemed to all recognize Wang Zhong, giving him salutes without even checking his ID.

Exiting the palace gates, Wang Zhong saw all the officers on the street and asked, “Why are there so many officers?”

“This main street in front of the palace gates is now all officer’s quarters, housing not just the officers from the High Command but also residences for senior officers who’ve been called back temporarily. This street is now known as Officer’s Boulevard.”

Wang Zhong muttered “Oh” in response and suddenly, he spotted an acquaintance.

“Stop up ahead! Right by the curb in front of that cavalry officer in the lieutenant colonel’s uniform!”

Ante’s cavalry trousers had a very wide seam which was also brightly colored, so it was noticeable from a distance.

Grigori skillfully stopped right in front of the officer.

Wang Zhong stood up, “Colonel Kiriyenko!”

The cavalry officer, initially startled by the sudden appearance of the jeep, looked up at Wang Zhong’s call, “Lieutenant Colonel Rocossov! You’re alive too—oh no, I mean, the newspapers already told us that.”

Wang Zhong, “But there’s been no news of you in the papers! That’s great, you also survived!”

He got out of the vehicle and hugged the colonel, who he had met briefly before, with a warmth like that of an old buddy of 30 years.