Evangeline Amelia Bardott was the third-in-line of the Swedish throne, only after her father and older sister.
A few years back, the Swedish royalty had the change of succession law that allowed females not to be overtaken by younger brothers. However, there was also the rule stating that they would lose their claim to the throne if they were to marry a commoner.
No matter how rich and powerful the Romanov family was, in the end, they were still a family of commoners. Hence, Eva's future not to succeed the throne was carefully planned by the family.
Following that, her older sister would assume the throne while she would help strengthen it through marriage to the most powerful commoner in the country of Russia.
This had always been the grand plan; something that the girl had no power to resist.
However, it was not as if Eva was the type to disobey. Even if she had the power not to, she would still follow her family's arrangements.
Ever since she was very young, she had always been the perfect daughter. She grew up learning everything a member of royalty should, from music, fashion, management, to the most important of them all: ethics.
Her beauty and charm made many people adore her, and she loves them all back in return. She was a natural with the people and she sincerely loved to help those in need.
A perfectly-groomed princess.
But at the same time, her constant strive to be 'perfect' became her major concern. Because of it, she has a tendency towards excessive orderliness, perfectionism, and great attention to detail.
For that, she has a certain routine to keep her anxiety in order.
8 hours of sleep, 30 minutes of exercise, 15 minutes of morning yoga, lemon water, and a dozen other habits to make sure she was always in top shape, always her best self.
When she was sent to Russia, with her background, looks, and personality, she was easily accepted by the Romanov family. That was when she was introduced to the youngest son of the Romanov family, Viktor Romanov.
Although she was never given a choice, it was not too hard for her to quickly become attached to him. The young master of the Romanov family was a fun person to be with. With him, she found herself enjoying most of the time she spent. Furthermore, the young master was also very good-looking.
He was more than she could ever hope for. She might never understand love, but she had always been waiting for the moment she could finally fulfill her duty to the family.
Obediently following a man and accepting who he is and will be, isn't it also considered love?
Two years later, she still followed this charming young man. The time they spent together was enough for her to sense the person he really was inside. Despite how he presented himself, this young master was a broken person living in a mask, and it made her like him more.
'He needs me, so I will be there for him.'
When the apocalypse came, she did not even have a second thought and blindly followed what the Romanovs had prepared for her.
However, when the bunker opened and their lives took a sudden turn, she was scared. She was scared not for her life, but scared of living in uncertainty.
Will she still be able to continue her routine in this new world? How will she be able to become a perfect partner for this man?
There was a little hesitation in the beginning, but now she had finally made her decision.
Despite the unsettling situation, she chose to follow Viktor into the wilderness. Now that she had refreshed her mind with some yoga meditation, it was time for her to be useful. Her first task was to cook for him.
It was not that she did not know how to cook. She had all the necessary theories taught to her in her brain. But there were at least 12 different tools needed to create a decent meal, and she only had the one pan that she used to hit a man last night.
She tried hard to let go of her perfectionism and focus on what she could do.
"I need to wash my hands..."
"No cutting board…"
"No blender…"
"No oven…"
"Ugh... I need to wash my hands five more times…"
"This is too… No, please keep it together, Eva! You can do it. You have been given the appropriate lessons to do anything."
Fortunately, Viktor was always concerned about good cuisine, so he did not forget to bring a large number of ingredients and a few garnishes from the bunker.
With this, she decided to make stew instead.
The kid named Barry was very helpful. He was there to do the dirty work she could not, from skinning to gutting the animal and preparing the fire.
As for the rest of the work like cutting the vegetables, she was the one who did them.
It had been a while since she last cut the vegetables with her own hands.
After a lot of work, the stew was finally ready. This was the first time she made a dish using her own hands.
She carefully served it in a perfectly cleaned bowl before handing it to Viktor.
Thump-thump.
Her heart was beating fast as she waited for his thoughts on it, but his expression gave her all the answers she needed.
"It doesn't taste good, does it!?"
Suddenly, all the feelings of failure blew up within her. She could not stop her tears from welling up in her eyes as she began to feel despair.
Seeing her untimely breakdown, Viktor panicked.
"Don't worry, don't worry about it! You're a fast learner, so you'll definitely get better! I can't wait to try your future cooking!"
Hearing Viktor's words, she slowly calmed down. She stared at Viktor with determination. This will be her new purpose in life. She will thrive to become the perfect partner for him, even in the apocalypse.