Catherine and the Black Emperor

042. Sexual intercourse

The wedding ceremony at the Kazan Cathedral lasted three hours.

Jeweled statues of gods, burning candles, fragrant aromas, and countless faces, as people repeatedly chant prayers and solemn hymns.

But for Ekaterina, the wedding was a source of pain and torment.

Peter's displeasure extinguished most of her joy, and the beautiful crown was unusually heavy, causing her unbearable pain in her forehead, which completely ruined her mood.

Elizabeth was not present at the banquet following the ceremony, which surprised all the guests.

"This was a wedding that Elizabeth had meticulously planned, and she just left halfway through," the Venetian ambassador muttered.

"Something terrible must have happened!" the British ambassador asserted.

But this did not dampen the spirits of the foreign envoys; on the contrary, they were even happier and enjoyed the banquet with greater enthusiasm.

Elizabeth didn't come, and Catherine didn't care; she simply took off her crown.

Elizabeth arrived late at the ball.

The guests did not notice anything unusual, but Sergei, who had worked on the secret committee for a year, knew very well that the Winter Palace was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, with countless secret police hiding in the shadows.

Having changed out of his distinctive attire, Sergei stood unremarkable in the crowd.

No.

He remains the focus of attention for some because he has invited the niece of the heir to the Swedish throne—a beautiful young woman second only to the bride in terms of looks—to dance.

Adolf Frederick, the heir to the Swedish throne, and Frederick Augustus, who succeeded Adolf as Bishop of Lübeck, were both Johanna's brothers (not Frederick the Great), and thus Catherine's uncles, and were invited to the wedding.

But Grand Duchess Johanna's mother was not present, and her father, Christian Augustus, was also not allowed to attend his daughter's wedding, which was nothing short of a public humiliation.

"Everyone has had a great time, so the dance is over for today."

The ball lasted only an hour and a half before Elizabeth announced its end.

Most of the courtiers thought that the Queen was eager for the newlyweds to consummate their marriage, but the foreign envoys saw through the ruse—Elizabeth had taken several ministers and left first, without even paying attention to the newlyweds.

Prime Minister Bestov followed Elizabeth away, glancing at Sergei as he danced with the young girl.

"Old habits die hard!"

Shuvalov whispered a reminder to him: "I told you long ago, your daughter is not suitable for him."

"I don't have a daughter!"

"Let's hurry up and deal with important matters with His Majesty."

After Elizabeth left, Peter completely let loose. He had no intention of sleeping in the same room as Sergei, Naryshkin, and others, and they drank together.

As night fell, Catherine waited in the bridal chamber.

This is an incredibly luxurious four-bedroom suite. Each room is spacious and opulent, with three silver curtains hanging in the walls. The bedroom walls are covered with scarlet velvet drapes, and in the center of the bedroom is a huge bed covered with a bright red velvet bedspread embroidered with gold thread.

Matrena and Gemma stayed by Ekaterina's side.

With the help of her servants, Catherine changed into a brand new pink nightgown from Paris.

"Your Highness, the Grand Duke will be here soon," Mattrena reassured her.

Ekaterina nodded.

"Your Highness, the Grand Duke has arrived!" Gemma ran in excitedly.

Ekaterina happily got out of bed and went to the door, but she was stunned because the people coming towards her were like a wave. How could so many people come at this time?

The first sound that came through was not the chatter or footsteps of the crowd, but the beating of drums.

"Keep formation, follow me!"

Peter walked at the front of the crowd.

He changed out of his groom's clothes but put on Holstein's military uniform and was accompanied by two white hunting dogs.

Behind him were Naryshkin and a squad of Holstein soldiers, who were beating drums and gongs like a victorious army that had conquered enemy territory.

Sergei followed silently behind.

Naryshkin felt this was inappropriate and had already approached him twice; now he was coming to him for the third time.

"Aren't you going to try to persuade the Grand Duke? What he's doing is incredibly disrespectful to the princess!"

Sergei's gaze remained fixed on Peter: "Did your persuasion work?"

Naryshkin shook his head: "The Grand Duke scolded me, but I have to admit that your advice would have been much more effective than mine. You are a very eloquent fellow."

Sergei replied nonchalantly, "That only works on women."

From this day forward, Peter's words and actions are no longer his concern.

No matter how absurd or incomprehensible, he couldn't ask for it more.

He had already gained Peter's complete trust; all that remained was to watch Peter stray further and further down the path of depravity until Peter completely lost the loyalty of the army, the support of the church, and...

Popular support.

Peter had finished inspecting his "army," and facing the Holstein soldiers banging drums and gongs, he raised his head and declared, "I will go in like Frederick the Great!"

He kicked open the suite door and waved his hand dismissively.

"go ahead!"

He took the lead, leading his hunting dogs, and amidst many incredulous gazes, led the Holstein soldiers into the room. Mattrea and Gemma, who tried to stop them, were stopped by the soldiers under Peter's orders.

Peter sat in a chair, a soldier took off his shoes, and then he strode confidently into the bedroom.

"Follow me."

Sergei spoke to Naryshkin and followed behind Peter, with Naryshkin quickly catching up.

Peter went into the bedroom, Sergei turned and stopped at the door, and Naryshkin almost went in, but then realized what was happening and turned to stand guard at the door as well, stopping the Holstein soldiers who were trying to enter the bedroom.

"Where are they? Sergei, Naryshkin, what are you doing? You dare to stop my men! Let them in!"

Peter's roar came from the bedroom.

Sergei remained silent, while Naryshkin, even more frustrated, turned his face to the wall, refusing to look at the Holstein soldier who entered the bedroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please make yourselves at home! Don't be shy! Please take a seat!"

Peter spoke to the many Holstein soldiers, paying no attention to Ekaterina, who sat alone on the bed covered by a blanket, her beautiful face now filled with tension and panic.

But she still defended her rights in a low voice: "Gentlemen, I didn't invite you in!"

"It's a tradition of European royalty!" Peter shrugged.

"But this is Russia!" Catherine got out of bed, still in her pajamas, and said to the soldiers in an extremely cold and stern tone, "Gentlemen, please get out! Get out!"

But the soldiers only looked at Peter, and seeing that he had not given any orders, they continued to stand or sit in their chairs. Some were eating grapes from the fruit plate, while others were admiring the Grand Duchess's exquisite figure.

Ekaterina turned to look at Peter, who was lying on the bed, looking at her defiantly.

Ekaterina clenched her fists, feeling utterly humiliated and wronged at that moment.

Her eyes were already red.

But she still forced herself not to let the tears fall.

Just then, Sergei walked in, with Naryshkin following behind him.

Ekaterina seemed to grasp at the last straw, and as she spoke to Sergei in spoken language, tears streamed down her face.

Your Highness, please help me.