&&. announcing his grace, ( nikita kurakin ), the ( 54 ) year old ( grand duke ) of ( far eastern russia ). he is often confused with ( keanu reeves ). some say that he is ( closed-off & inflexible ), but he is actually ( just & steadfast ). ( OOC: C )
part of the kurakin family survived the 1917 revolution by chance — and it was not the main branch. the main branch very much perished with the rest of the heads of the big noble families. that was what you got for living in saint petersburg. the branch that survived kept their heads down and attempted to blend into the mass.
czar aleksandr’s victory was celebrated by selected few, including the kurakins. nikita’s father practically raced to the other side of the country to welcome the new leader. it was time for the kurakin family to be reborn alongside the country. nikita learned of his family’s regained title weeks after they had been gifted it by the czar. this was because information had not been allowed to reach the military bases in the far eastern russia. young, 22-year-old nikita had had no chance of calling or receiving a letter from his family as a green junior sergeant.
nikita had had a plan: he’d do his conscription, stay in the army, rise up ranks and not get killed. this plan took a turn when he was told that somewhere in the future he’d have to become the duke of khabarovsk. nikita knew nothing about pubic administration. it was an issue. nikita chose to worry about it later — he had to concentrate on his career in the military if he wanted to become anything more than a junior sergeant.
later came much much later. over a decade later, a bit before nikita turned thirty-six. nikita inherited the ducal title from his father and had to put his military career on hold. it took a while to get comfortable in his father’s shoes. the toes were tight but the sides loose. he needed to make the position his own — which he did by adding military-like preciseness and transparency into the mix. the khabarovskian nobility eventually accepted the new administration and things began to function well. he had gavril to thank for that as well. gavril’s marriage to princess irina motivated people to be nice to nikita.
nikita grew comfortable in his position. he had learnt how to handle his subjects, he had learnt to stay firm without being unreasonable, he had figured a way to serve in the army while still keeping things rolling in his duchy. nikita’s work spoke for itself. if he kept it up, he would be alright. he wanted his duchy to flourish so he poured his energy into his work. he was particularly fond of being sent on international missions — to china, to japan, to mongolia... he knew the importance of the relations much better than someone from the west. the west didn’t quite understand how dependent far eastern russia was on their neighbours, how much wealth and prosperity the neighbouring countries could bring them.
then came alexei’s coronation. nikita was the first person who received a title from him. not long after alexei became the czar, nikita was made into the grand duke of far eastern russia. it was a great honor but part of him was reluctant to accept the title. it came accompanied by great responsibility, more work, and it gifted him with new enemies within russia.
nikita had to prove himself all over again and this time he wasn’t entitled to the title. he really had to show everyone that he was worthy of it. working alongside alexei was motivating though. nikita could respect a fellow military man and a person who was determined to improve russia.
as nikita secured his position as the grand duke of far eastern russia, he came to realize that perhaps his fondness for the romanovs had been misplaced. from the other side of russia, he followed the romanovs and their ambitious undertakings. did mother russia need what the romanovs were trying to give her ? nikita was unsure and absolutely certain that not one person from far eastern russia would get involved with it.
nikita has been firm in his stance and so far it has not been much of an issue. he is free to use his time and energy on a more important matter: china. the power struggle in the country is something nikita is personally interested in. he had great respect for the late emperor and cannot help but to feel sympathetic towards lixue who is trying to carry the torch.
