Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Chapter 141 How to spend the longest night of the year (Part 041)

All the letters Louisa wrote to him were blank. It was Solovyov's own arrangement, at least on the surface. Without taking some special measures, it would be impossible to know what the other party meant.

Solovyov thought about preparing iodine tincture, but iodine had not yet been discovered. If he wanted to purify it, he would have to find a way to get it from seaweed, and he would also have to prepare potassium iodide so that it could be used together with alcohol of higher purity.

He had heard Elena complain from afar before. When she applied some disinfectant alcohol on her body during disinfection, her butt felt cold and not necessarily comfortable.

Some time ago, before the temperature dropped sharply, she and Alexandra had already set out for Berlin. This year they will spend the winter there with their husbands and return home separately in the spring.

It is actually not that difficult to start this technology tree. You just need to figure out the preparation process. Not to mention the iodine, the amount of starch is still relatively sufficient, especially since Russia has no shortage of potatoes.

But that's all for the future, he has to go to the palace now.

There were always large receptions in St. Petersburg. Louisa's complexion had improved and she tried to participate, but her delicate body could not adapt to the noisy environment. After going twice, she fell ill again.

She was lying on the sofa in her bedroom. It was the winter solstice, the day with the shortest daylight in the year. In St. Petersburg, due to its high latitude, the nights were still very long.

But these kinds of days were also Alexander’s favorite days, as he would not be back from the reception he was holding at the Tafred Palace until late at night.

Louisa knew very well that two of her four older sisters-in-law were married, Maria had just recovered from her illness, and Catherine was still lovesick at such a young age. On the one hand, she was attached to the Hussar Colonel who had gone to Paris, and on the other hand, she was playing a dangerous game with her eldest brother Alexander in letters.
She was lonely in the palace, Natalia had recently taken leave, and she often didn't even have anyone to talk to at night.

"You all should go and rest. I'm tired too and need to rest for a while."

"Your Highness, we are all resting. When you rang the bell to call for help at night, no one came."

"You don't have to worry about Lyubov. You take Masha and take care of her. I want to be quiet tonight and don't want to be disturbed."

"Yes, Your Highness."

All the servants left and hot water was ready in the bathroom. She wanted to take a bath first. As for why she didn't need to be served by others, it was because when she was a child in Karlsruhe, she sometimes took a bath with her sister or took a bath alone. This was more like the third level. However, she was different from Queen Louise of Prussia. She was taught strict etiquette since childhood, so she often behaved like a lady from a noble family.

The Queen of Prussia was also a beauty, but there was a difference: she lived more like an ordinary citizen.

Louisa buried her body in the water, leaving only her head outside. The hot water was of a temperature that satisfied her, and flower petals and spices were added to it. She then dug her head under the water and blew bubbles, making herself look like a mermaid.

But as for the mermaid, she might really be turning into foam now.

When she had stopped thinking about the story, she got out of the bathtub, dried herself, and went back to her study to continue reading.

She really liked this quiet environment, and she didn't know when the young major, who also had a day off today, would come over.

Although Solovyov often wore military uniform during non-working hours, it would be too conspicuous if he appeared in the palace.

His figure, combined with the Guards uniform, made him easily noticeable, so he changed into student clothes. Plus, he had a small face to begin with, so if you didn't know him, you'd think he was a student at an art academy.

In fact, Solovyov's body was indeed that of a genuine 19-year-old. The clothes Count Stroganov bought for him fit him well, and he could move relatively easily.

He went through the annex of the Winter Palace, where there was a usually unnoticed path that led to the Crown Prince's bedroom. He also knew that Alexander would be back late at night.

"Damn it, wearing these soft shoes in the middle of winter is just asking for cold."

But because of this, when he walked on the carpet at night, the sound was very light.

But if others saw him, he would be tiptoeing and wearing brown clothes.

You are "Musketeer Rat" today, right?
When passing by a mirror, Solovyov actually looked at his appearance.

"Little Xiaomisa is so cute today, she will definitely be favored by sister Louisa!" Unlike the military uniform, this outfit is more suitable for his current age.

He now looks like a completely Russian boy. Apart from what's in his head, he really can't tell. His catchphrases are often in Russian.

He was very familiar with the work of security protection, especially Lieutenant General Tarejin's defense, which was really poor and full of loopholes.

When he was able to successfully reach the door of the bedroom, he could see that the lighting here was very dim, and the candles on the lamps were also rather dim, but the light in the study was still very bright, indicating that Louisa was reading there.

The doors are all open, which is an old problem of the Winter Palace. The heating makes the house too hot. The windows of several rooms in the bedroom are not opened due to the environment. The wind is also strong in winter.

If a fire is lit inside, it can easily cause a dangerous fire.

Louisa was wearing pajamas and covering herself with a blanket. She felt warm curled up in it. Her feet were cold, so she curled up her legs and lay on her side in the blanket, which also made her feel very comfortable.

She was wondering why Misha hadn't arrived yet, even though the time shown on the clock showed that there was still half an hour before Solovyov's time.

When Solovyov came in, he also saw that Louisa had placed the recliner upside down today, with her back facing him.

So he chose to cover Louisa's eyes with his hands, and she trembled like a frightened deer.

"Who are you with such cold hands?"

"It's me, Louisa, do you want to feel it more deeply?"

"Would you like to use my shoulder?"

"Yes, you can warm my hands and my heart."

Puccini's opera had not yet been performed, so it didn't matter what he said.

Louisa also needed to kiss him, which was really a clever move. Louisa turned around, crawled out from the blanket and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"It's not your turn today. I'll leave a mark on your forehead, but you don't have to be as careful as usual."

"But your Highness will be back late at night, Louisa."

"Yes, he is coming back. I will be with you in the first half of the night, and I will have to deal with him in the second half."

"But you have to consider your identity."

"I know you always think about me, that's why I like you. We spent a lot of time together today. Do you think I've gotten better recently?" "Louisa, you've recovered a lot. At least when I touched your ribs, the sharp feeling wasn't as strong as before."

"But I'm still very thin. I also want to be like Katish. I've touched her body. I don't want to be as plump as her, at least not like this, looking like she's just recovered from a serious illness."

In fact, Louisa often hugged the "little fairy" before she got married, so it was normal for her to envy the girl's health and liveliness.

"Louisa, your shoulders look much better. At least they are not as bony as they used to be."

This pajamas revealed a lot of the fair skin around the collarbone and shoulders. The most beautiful shoulders in St. Petersburg were undoubtedly those of the "little fairy". Even Maria Naryshkina could not compare with hers. And Louisa's shoulders and collarbones were not as skinny as they were some time ago.

"Yes, the medicine you prescribed for me is still of some use. I asked my maid to buy it from a pharmacy that sources its supplies from Siberia."

"That's right, but the salvia there is very different from the one native to China. It was planted on trial in Prince Yusupov's estate, and there were some mistakes in the selection. After all, it belongs to the Salvia family..."

"There are different categories, right? Come check again. I think my health is much better now than before."

"It can be felt. If it weren't for the fact that girls don't want others to know their weight, they would not want others to know it."

"What you said is true. I hope I can be fatter. Not like Her Majesty the Queen, but at least fatter than Sonya."

The Countess was indeed quite slim, which Solovyov had seen when he visited 17 Nevsky Prospect. However, Louisa was always surrounded by a group of slim girls. Little Natalia was also a slim beauty, and the people around her generally had the same body shape.

"The object you are comparing yourself to has some merits."

"Let's not talk about this for now. Don't be so long-winded. Read me some poems, whether they are translated Eastern poems or poems by European poets."

However, Solovyov did not have the habit of plagiarizing, nor did he want to plagiarize Pushkin. After all, Louisa was not a Russian girl. She was a pretty and lovely "Light Dragoon" from Baden.

If it were "Dragoon" or "Cuirassiers", the level would be different.

"Please allow me to recite to you Chinese poetry translated into French"

Louisa was very much looking forward to it, but she could also sense some meaning.

"This poem sounds good. Don't always translate heroic stories. This lovely poem is good. It scares away the birds. The scene of boating on the lake is really beautiful. It feels like there is a painting in front of you."

"Yes, it's a very beautiful view. Do you like rafting?"

"Of course I would, in the pond at Tafrid Palace, or in the English Park."

"Although I have known you for a long time, Louisa, through my service and duties at the palace, I still think that there was a sense of fate in that encounter in the England Park."

"The red line between us is indeed very delicate, moi"

Louisa took the initiative to put her face close to him, and the word "I" really sounded like mua, which meant she was going to kiss Solovyov again.

At this time, they naturally could not avoid each other. Solovyov's student hat was knocked off and the two men hugged each other tightly.

"Louisa" Solovyov felt that in today's situation, he was actually walking into a trap again. He could feel Louisa taking off his coat, revealing the high-end white shirt underneath.

"You don't look good in an art school student's coat. It looks best when you wear a white shirt."

Solovyov picked her up, but did not forget to pick up her mules.

"It's very cold outside, and it's covered with snow. Why don't we go to the yard and look at the stars?"

"But the meteor was observed last month, and there's nothing to see now."

"Yes. Also, Mishka, have you made a stethoscope?"

"right here."

Solovyov prepared a waist tool kit, which actually contained a straight-tube stethoscope.

"This is made of wood. I can't get ivory."

"Listen to my heart and breathing, my little doctor."

Solovyov picked her up and placed her on the desk, and placed the stethoscope on Louisa's chest to listen to her heart beating.

"Still a little weak, Louisa, but better than before, and your breathing is even."

"I feel much better myself, and I want to thank you too."

She sat up, stood on the ground along the side of the desk, and put on her shoes.

"How can I thank you, my little doctor?"

"Lisa, I'm happy to be with you."

He was speaking the truth, and Louisa liked his frankness.

"Although we can't be together all the time, you must come to see me often when you are in Petersburg. In the summer, we can look at the vast starry sky together and observe the stars in the sky through a telescope. You must tell me some stories and be more enthusiastic."

This was already made clear to him. Solovyov knew that the poison of love he was in here could easily cost him his life, but he finally plucked up the courage and took the initiative to kiss Louisa.

Louisa's nightgown was made of two layers of white silk, and there were many patterns on it to show the Italian craftsmanship. The material felt very similar to the skin of these well-maintained girls when it touched them. Even when they were hugging each other, Solovyov himself did not notice this fact.

Their relationship developed very quickly. They had a lot to talk about that evening, and they also spent a lot of time together.

It is too cold in winter and we cannot go out. In fact, there is more atmosphere in a garden or balcony somewhere in the palace where few people go.

Solovyov also noticed that Louisa was letting her hair down, which made her look even cuter and more like Psyche, and made people feel more pitiful about her.

(End of this chapter)