Within the confinement of the marble-covered building, Beliy Dom, the White House of Russia, I sat among the parliament members, listening without the slightest interest in their contents of the meeting.
"Grand Duchess, we would like to inform you of a few cases that you haven't reviewed from the past few years," one of the men spoke with a respectful bow. Moscow had a council with as much power as the government of a republic. The city was divided into ten districts and each elected its own council representative. Behind me was a white marble wall hung with the royal emblem of a two-headed eagle made of gold. I sat in my respective place, which was actually a throne for the Czar.
I sighed to myself, thinking of all the lineages and histories that had woven into this seat. I shifted my b
