Alexander Palace, Winter 1910
Marie and Anastasia came by the guardhouse today and had a snowball fight with me and my colleague. Soon a staff car carrying some minister arrived. We opened the gate for him while covered in snow. Amusingly, the little pair joined us in saluting the vehicle. We waited for it to pass us before resuming our snowball fight. Before they left, Marie gave me a flower which she had plucked from the garden, her gaze looking deeply into my eyes. When I told her that she was staring at me, she quickly covered her face in embarrassment and ran off.
A few hours later, Tatiana and I took a walk in the park. Anastasia suddenly pounced me from behind and ran off with my cap. While Tatiana was ordering her sister to give it back, I reluctantly chased after her and grappled her to the ground. Anastasia found my hands ticklish, so I proceeded to tickle her waist. She laughed hysterically but still refused to surrender my cap, clutching it tightly to her chest.
Tatiana saw her parents walking nearby and alerted me to their presence. I quickly helped Anastasia to her feet. I thought it best to let her be lest I incur the wrath of the tsar and empress for touching their daughter. Tatiana whisked me behind a tree for a moment, hoping they didn't see me. From there we resumed our walk. She came by the guardhouse afterwards with my cap and offered her apologies, promising to restrain her sister in future. I told her it was perfectly all right.
My colleagues believe that Anastasia would not trouble me if I learned to stop being such a weakling. She is a little annoying, though I have secretly grown to like her playfulness. I will not have the respect of my colleagues, but the company of a grand duchess is too good to give up. Sometimes when I'm on duty I would look in the direction of the palace, wondering if Anastasia will appear.
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