Saving the Romanov family #2

«Перед расстрелом», фотореконструкция.
"Before the execution", photoreconstruction.

Ekaterinburg, 17 July 1918

We've successfully bluffed our way into the Ipatiev House. I convinced commandant Yakov Yurovsky that we were sent by Moscow to kill the prisoners and that he was relieved of his duties. I instructed him to order his men to leave behind their spare firearms, the Fiat truck, all confiscated belongings and the jars of sulphuric acid meant for destroying the bodies. The neighbouring Popov House, which was occupied by more Bolshevik guards, was also to be vacated.

Yurovsky was disappointed he wasn't going to partake in the execution, but ultimately never questioned me. He did request to be present at the execution and subsequent disposal of the bodies so he could confirm that the job's been done. I told him the Romanovs were not his concern anymore. One of the killers, Filip Goloshchekin, was here to oversee the execution on behalf of the Ural Soviet. Chief took him to a room and garrotted him without the Bolsheviks noticing. We later dumped his body far from the house.

We escorted the regicides to the entrance. Yurovsky tried to give me the communist salute to commend my "revolutionary duty", but I snubbed him. I was tempted to kill him for what he did or was going to do, but he's not worth it. The regicides had already herded the Romanov family into the cellar under the pretext of transporting them to another location. I couldn't wait to finally see them in person. By dismissing Yurovsky and his thugs, we had already altered the fate of the Romanov family.

Geralt and Aragorn stood watch by the entrance while Chief followed me downstairs. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the double doors. And there they were, all eleven of them, including four servants. I could hardly believe my eyes. They were positioned in the back of the room. It was quite dim because of the weak wall lamp and the window, which the Bolsheviks had nailed shut, made it stuffy. The four grand duchesses whom the Professor spoke so fondly of were now standing before me. Our face masks, gloves and rifles slung over our shoulders must've alarmed the captives.

I broke the silence by asking the man in front of me if he was Tsar Nicholas II. He nervously replied with a yes. I stepped forward and shook his hand, saying I was honoured to meet him. That seemed to put him at ease. He asked where Yurovsky was and was glad to hear of his dismissal. I returned to them the kitchen boy Leonid Sednev, who was being held in the Popov House, before letting them return to their rooms. The Tsarevich Alexei was staring curiously at me as his father carried him away.

So far so good, we've saved the Romanovs from death. Chief thinks I should've told them on the spot that Yurovsky was going to kill them, but I want them to enjoy the sleep they never had on July 17. The bad news can wait until morning. There's still ample time to complete our secondary objective, rescuing Elizabeth Feodorovna, Empress Alexandra's sister. Geralt and Aragorn will remain at the Ipatiev House while Chief and I will travel to Alapaevsk in the Fiat truck.