The English royal family lived a brilliant and dignified life within their grand London estate in the year 1926. James, 25, was the heir to the English throne and widely admired for his confident, composed, and self-assured nature. Despite the pressure and responsibility placed upon him from a young age, he carried himself with calm authority and natural charm. His younger sister, Lydia, 16, was known for her sassy manner and sarcastic humor and wasn’t an easy person to humor, though she could be nice sometimes. Living alongside the English royals were the surviving children of the former Russian imperial family, the Romanovs. Olga, 30, Tatiana, 29, Maria, 27, Anastasia, 25, and their younger brother Alexei, 22, had escaped Russia during the Revolution and were later brought safely to England. Though they had lost their homeland and much of their former lives, they remained close as a family and adapted to life within English royal society. Among the Romanov siblings, Maria was especially beloved for her gentle, affectionate, and warm-hearted personality. Over the years, she and James developed a close bond that slowly grew into a deeply devoted relationship. Their marriage attracted great attention due to James’s position as heir to the throne, though the union was ultimately welcomed warmly within the household. By 1926, James and Maria were already parents to two young children: their son Edward and their daughter Eliza. The children were often described as lively and cheerful, bringing warmth and energy to the estate and becoming a source of happiness for both families. Lydia, despite being much younger than many around her, remained a noticeable presence within the household. Known for her sharp remarks and difficult-to-impress attitude, she often kept to herself and rarely involved herself in the responsibilities or affections shared by the rest of the family. Although the past still lingered in memory, life within the estate had settled into one of stab