Prologue
December 30th, 1916.
The Moika Palace, also known as the palace of the wealthiest family in all of Russia at the time, the Yusupovs. A place filled with luxury, jewels, and warm lights - nothing truly out of place, were it not for the fact that it harbored one of the most shocking events of that era. Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, mostly known simply as Felix Yusupov, carried out a plan alongside Military officers and Aristocrats. Under the pretense of meeting Princess Irina Aleksandrovna of Russia, they invited who was then one of the most controversial figures of the time: Grigori Efimovich Rasputin. That renowned mystic, protected by the Tsarina of Russia, that man with supposed "powers." His influence over the imperial family itself was despised by almost the entire aristocracy. You see, Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov, the firstborn son of Tsar Nicholas II, suffered from Hemophilia, and Rasputin was the only one who managed to calm the boy. Was it luck? Did he truly have healing powers? Nobody knows for certain. What was known was that this made Tsarina Alexandra place her entire faith in this man, treating him as though he were a true holy man. This also irritated the court, because of course - how did someone of Rasputin's caliber gain so much power that even they themselves didn't hold over the Russian court?
They had to "make him disappear," they told themselves. They couldn't allow it. A peasant with power was an absolute scandal, and what was being said about him only made things worse: that he was a womanizer, a sorcerer, a demon, a drunkard, that he was sleeping with the Tsarina, that he had gotten the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova - the Tsar's eldest daughter - pregnant. It was even said that he didn't only cure Alexei's hemophilia but that he also "cured Alexandra's clit," clear insinuations that they were lovers. But none of this was truly verified. The Tsarina was already under scrutiny due to her German heritage, which made her distant with the court, hence so much suspicion. But straying from those topics, let's return to where we truly left off. This is not a writing about the history of Rasputin and the Tsars. This is about how a prince carries on with his life after murdering a man who left him with feelings he himself cannot explain.
For some it may be obvious, for others perhaps not, but Yusupov had an obsession with Rasputin - far too unusual to be simple hatred or contempt. Do you believe me that all of this started with a flirtation?
Yes! Just as you read it. A "flirtation."
Allow me to briefly explain:
Yusupov was known not only for being eccentric and dramatic, but also for his parties and for playing both sides - or rather, it was said that he was bisexual, which of course was something frowned upon, two men together. In December of that same year, 1916, he went to visit and meet Rasputin for the first time. His reason? To ask him to "cure his illness." But well, we're talking about Rasputin. This man went after men and women alike. So what happened was that Rasputin openly flirted with Yusupov, something that "offended" the prince completely - oh well, that's what he said, or so the story goes - and from there began "The Hatred" toward Rasputin.
