Now that the new emperor and empress were crowned in the Assumption Cathedral, Alexander and Sophie walked arm in arm with their hands waving at the audience as they parade down the red carpet towards the exit.

A long march awaits the couple, greeting the people who were waiting for them in great anticipation. The crowds cheered wildly as the new royals made their way out of the cathedral where the coronation was held.

As expected the two royals make their grand entrance, greeted with deafening cheers and applause by the crowds who seemed to stretch out into the horizon. There’s no end to them.

It was an overwhelming sight that left both the newlywed prince and his princess in awe and speechless. It just goes to show how much the people loved their new Emperor and Empress.

Hundreds of Imperial Guards tasked to protect the royal couple took to their position along the street where the royal couple are marching, serving as a blockade to block the citizens trying to get the attention of the exalted pair.

Alexander, still wearing his smile, glanced at his wife, Sophie who looks like she is having the time of her life. Her arm is looping around his as she smiles brightly at the crowd.

He was entranced watching this view. This is probably the best day of his life, getting married to the one you loved.

Sophie, sensing his gaze on her, turns around to face him. She smiles radiantly and pulls him closer to her while resting her head on his shoulder.

She feels Alexander’s arms wrap around her waist and he kisses her forehead. They continue to walk through the street.

In the crowd, a kid broke free from his mother and ran up to hug Sophie. The beads on her skirt scattered all over the floor.

“Maxim!” Her mother shouted as she scurried off to retrieve the child, causing Alexander and the Imperial Guards alarmed and instinctively protect Sophie.

The little boy and the mother were about to be pinned down by the Imperial Guards but Sophie stepped in and signaled them to stop with a wave of the hand.-.action

“Your Majesty?”

“It’s okay,” Sophie tried to remove Alexander’s hand that was stopping her from her tracks.

“It’s dangerous,” Alexander whispered, his reason being justifiable. There are too many elements that want the royal family to be dead, one of which is the Black Hand. Even though he was assured that Ruthenia was cleansed off with terrorists, he can’t just take the chance.

“Alexander…” Sophie wrapped his face in her palm. “It’s okay, trust me,” she said with a reassuring smile.

With one last deep breath, Alexander finally released his grip and allowed Sophie to do what she wanted from the kid.

She knelt down and beckoned the Imperial Guard to release her from their grip. The Imperial Guard obeyed and the mother began apologizing profusely.

“Your Majesty…please forgive her. He’s just a kid,” the mother pleaded.

“It’s fine,” Sophie assured the mother before turning her attention to the kid. “What’s your name?”“Maxim! My name is Maxim.”

“Maxim,” Sophie placed a gentle hand on his cheek and gave a motherly smile. “You shouldn’t do that hmm? It’s dangerous and you could get yourself hurt.”

“I’m sorry…but I just want to say that you’re beautiful…Misses Empress.”

Sophie smiled at the simple childish blunder and pinched his cheek. “I’m delighted to hear that. You may return to your mother now.”

The Imperial guards immediately escorted the boy back to her mother who was smiling widely amidst the cheers. Sophie returned to his side and the wind blew her long golden hair, and people gathered around them.

“Beautiful huh?” Alexander said in a teasing tone.

“Oh…do you not agree?” Sophie replied, feigning surprise.

Alexander chuckled “You’re sweet to that child and with that alone, I can say with confidence that you would make a good mother,”

“Aw….” Sophie bashfully scratched her cheeks, her heart melting at Alexander’s words. “Thank you, dear.”

He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek and proceeded.

Not long after, they were stopped again but not by a crowd breaking through the rank of Imperial Guards but by the Imperial Guards themselves. Dmitri and Rolan were with them, their faces looking pale as if something bad happened.

“Your Majesty, we have to vacate you to the residence, something happened,” Dmitri informed as the Imperial Guards began to surround them.

“What happened?” Alexander asked in alarm, “don’t tell me, it’s the Black Hand again?”

“No sir, it’s different but we can’t disclose it here,”

“Your Majesty, we have to get you off this place,” Rolan began and initiated the emergency evacuation protocol.

Rolan moved the couple to the state car and as soon as they got inside the vehicle, they drove off towards Grand Kremlin Palace.

The reactions are mixed with the public. Their sudden retreat implied that something went wrong in the proceedings and Alexander’s security detail decided to call off the march. Whatever the cause, it would surely reflect badly on the new tsar.

Now that they are inside the vehicle with no unwanted ears hearing what Dmitri was about to disclose, Dmitri began.

“Your Majesty, sorry for pulling you out from your procession,” Dmitri bowed his head.

“I’m sure you have a good reason for it right? If it’s not a Black Hand, then what is it?” Alexander asked, holding Sophie’s hand.

Dmitri let out a sigh “Your Majesty, multiple bombings happened recently in the cities of Deutschland, Austrea, and other countries that border ours.”

“Huh? Bombings in countries outside our borders?” Alexander repeated, seemingly puzzled. “What does it have to do with me?”

“Well, Your Majesty, the reports state that the televisions suddenly exploded…” Dmitri revealed. A shocked expression plastered Alexander’s face.“What?!” He exclaimed in disbelief. “Are there any injuries?”

‘A manufacturing defect?’, Alexander thought

“There are sir but mostly fatalities. The total amount of casualty is yet to be confirmed but we’re talking about hundreds here…”

“Hundreds?” Alexander’s voice cracked and he turned to look at Sophie sitting beside him. His heart sank as the reality of the news dawned upon him. How did that happen? How could his television explode? What caused it to explode?

“We think that this is a major-scale terrorist attack, that’s why we are moving you to a safe place until we know more. Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei convened an emergency meeting with the ambassadors of the affected countries and things are not looking good,”

“I know…shit…” Alexander bit his lips. “Of all the times and places…why does it have to happen today?”

Sophie noticed Alexander’s trembling hand that tightly clutches hers. She squeezed it lightly. She couldn’t believe that this event would bring them so much worry and fear.

“This was supposed to be the most memorable moment in my life…why did this happen?” Alexander mumbled as he buried himself further into his seat.

“For now, Your Majesty, we suggest that you postpone the reception event in Grand Kremlin Palace later, this is to ensure the safety of the royal family,”

“Right…where are my sisters? Did you get them?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We already sent agents to pick them out of the cathedral,”

“Good…”

***

In Berlin, Vienna, and many other cities with Ruthenian TV reception outside of Ruthenia, the bombings have already ceased,

But the aftermath is still just as bad.

Ambulance services were overwhelmed by the number of people who needed to be taken to hospitals, volunteers used their cars, horsecart, and busses to ferry the injured and dying to the hospitals that are even getting packed.

Doctors, nurses, and surgeons pull a never ending shift as they try to save as many lives as their abilities permits. Some even fainted not just from exhaustion but the multitude of mutilated bodies streaming in.

Supplies of medicine were quickly used up, and additional medicine was requested from pharmacies and drugstores. Those who are not as badly injured are given brandy, heavy liquor, and laudanum to dull the pain in order to reserve morphine for those who need surgeries to remove the large bits of shrapnel, broken bone fragments, and close-up wounds.

When the blasts went off, gas pipes were knocked loose, and unattended kitchen stoves and lit table candles of dead occupants began to set fire to buildings.

People who did not have a television are now in peril as they are trapped in a pyre that was once their home.

Firefighters rush to save people and douse the flames, the fire trucks roar down the streets from their stations. Not even the firefighters are spared from the bombings as they had televisions as well to ward off boredom before they respond to reports of a fire.

Some of the stations are on fire as well, making it worse as the surviving firefighters has their workload by a hundredfold. The whole city is on fire.

With only cloth masks, helmets, and fire axes, the braver ones charge into several floors of tall burning buildings to save occupants crying for help. While those not as brave manned the pumps to hose down the raging inferno.

Due to lack of manpower, many occupants choose to leap from their windows for fear of burning alive. The lucky ones broke their legs or had their fall broken by trees near their apartment. The unlucky ones found themselves impaled on iron fences and smashed on the pavement below.

Even the firefighters aren’t spared as collapsing wooden floors and ceilings buried them under piles of flaming rubble.

Occupants who were not burnt alive found themselves choking and suffocating from the toxic smoke and lack of oxygen. They soon fell unconscious as their brain dies.

Some people took the pandemonium as an opportunity to commit crimes as they risked themselves to pilfer the valuables of dead bodies, enter burning shops to break into the cash registers, and even nabbed newly made orphans off the street to be sold into human trafficking.

The Black Hand agents, real perpetrators of the bombings either snuck off or blend in with the panicking crowd.