Arrival

January 11, 1923. St. Petersburg Port.

The chilly morning breeze passing by the colossal cruise ship of the RMS Queen Elizabeth blew a few strands of dark gray hair onto the young princess of the Britannia Empire as she sat beside her with a steaming cup of tea in hand. 

Resting her arm on the railing and her chin upon her free hand, she watched the people moving about on the port as they went about their daily business. At first glance, she was surprised to see so many people wearing happy faces as they laughed and chatted with each other. 

Diana expected the Ruthenian people to be miserable, pitiful, and suffering like any other backwater nation on Earth due to economic recessions and recent poor governance. But witnessing it for herself feels as though they are working for the future they hold dear as if they are trying to achieve something more than what they currently have and that gave her insights that things might not always be this dismal.