6931-chapter-39
“How on earth did you manage to endure in such a place?”
Duke Smirnov said, his voice choked with tears.
“No matter how much you call it an experience, I find it difficult to witness you, who are carrying out state affairs, suffering like this as your subject.”
“It’s really not uncomfortable.”
“If you’re okay with it, why don’t you stay at our house until you depart for another city?”
It finally got caught.
The Duke had taken the bait.
Nikolai gently smiled as he cast his fishing line.
But he couldn’t show his excitement and played it cool.
“I appreciate the gesture.”
“If it’s because of security concerns, we’ll thoroughly check the servants. If the fact that Your Highness came to the southe becomes known to other nobles, it could become problematic.”
“But I wouldn’t want to burden you. Just the generous hospitality today is enough to make me grateful.”
“Burden? There are empty rooms here anyway. If you stay in the official residence, you won’t have to encounter those who visit here separately. Also, we have separate training grounds, so you won’t have to go far into the woods to avoid people’s eyes in the morning.”
The knights nodded satisfactorily at his words.
The plan was going smoothly as expected.
Before departing, Nikolai had a request for Boris.
He asked Boris to reveal everything that had been concealed until now during the dinner.
It wasn’t really a lie, since he’d been hiding his identity and complaining about his accommodation.
For Nikolai, being able to see his beloved more closely and more often was a joy. For the Duke’s people, it alleviated their concerns about him, and for the knights, it solved their discomfort and reduced travel time. It was a plan that benefited everyone, except for Katya.
“Still, isn’t that a little unfair? If it’s discovered later that the Grand Duke stayed at our house while he was in hiding, it could be said that he received special treatment.”
While Duke Smirnov, being a noble who took good care of his territory, wouldn’t face any issues, corrupt nobles might raise objections.
“Yeah, the Lady has a point. If anyone at the house is uncomfortable with this, it shouldn’t happen.”
Nikolai said, deliberately leaving out the valid reasons she had presented.
The disappointed expressions from the Duke’s people directed at Katya.
“It’s getting late, so I should be on my way now.”
Nikolai said as he stood up from the table, but Laika, as if telling him not to leave, blocked his path and barked.
“Woof!”
From the butler, father, Bianca, and Laika, everyone was on Nikolai’s side.
The knights, who hadn’t finished their meal, reluctantly got up as well.
“If you insist, how about staying just for tonight and leaving tomorrow since it’s late?”
Duke Smirnov suggested one last time.
“Well… should I?”
As the Duke insisted, Nikolai responded with a smirk.
After the meal was over, the butker of the Duke’s household guided the Duke’s entourage to the study.
Katya pretended to go upstairs but rushed through the main entrance leading to the study as soon as her father, who had finished greetings, disappeared.
Then, she grabbed the edge of Nikolai’s coat from behind.
“Can I see you for a minute?”
Nikolai, who had been following her, stopped in his tracks, and the butler turned around.
Katya was obscured by his height, making her invisible to the butler’s eyes.
“What’s the matter?”
“I need to use the restroom for a moment, you go ahead.”
“I’ll show you the way.”
“It’s alright. I saw it coming here earlier.”
After Nikolai dismissed the butler, Boris, and the knights, Katya took him to a cramped warehouse nearby and closed the door.
As soon as the door was shut, she pushed him against the wall, trapping him with both arms. Nikolai looked down at her curiously.
“What do you intend to do with me in a confined space at this late hour?”
“Why did you lie? Earlier, you said you were invited! What kind of game are you playing?”
“I don’t like it when you call me a liar, but you’re not wrong so I can’t refute you.”
“Wow, now you’re shamelessly admitting it?”
“Between a married couple, there should be no lies, so I’ll tell you something special. You know what my plan is…”
Nikolai gestured for her to come closer.
As Katya raised her heels and brought her ear close, he whispered softly.
“I’m going to live here from now on.”
Surprised by his words, Katya lifted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Just as the Duke said earlier, I plan to stay here in Padovangrad.”
“No, who decided that?”
“Living with my family-in-laws has been my dream.”
Nikolai’s eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, confessing his long-cherished dream to the world like a boy.
“Is there really such a dream?”
“It seemed so blissful and beautiful. Besides, I want to be a part of it. Now, we are a family, right?”
His words left Katya speechless.
His unfortunate family history was known throughout the country.
When he was just ten years old, he lost his mother and couldn’t properly fulfill her dying wish.
Having to welcome the woman who had been his father’s mistress and concubine as his stepmother, he must have gone through so much at a young age.
With Nikolai saying this now, it became difficult for Katya to refuse.
“Okay, I understand. But let’s keep our decision to get married a secret from my father for now. I’ll find the right time to tell him. Got it?”
“Alright.”
The moment Katya spoke, the anticipated time came closer than she had expected.
***
“Did you send a formal marriage proposal to the Duke’s daughter?”
Luka, stirring his tea in the cafe, asked Nikolai sitting across from him as if passing by.
“No?”
“Yes?”
“Huh?”
In the noble customs, everything, from the selection of a bride to the engagement, was determined under the command of previous Duchess. So Nikolai had no knowledge of the common practice of sending a marriage proposal to the bride’s family.
Since Nikolai would be conducting the marriage on his own, completely excluding Oksana, it was only right that he should follow noble tradition.
“Is it possible that the Duke still doesn’t know about this marriage?”
“I heard Tia will tell her father about it today.”
“It is customary among the nobility to send a proposal to the bride even after the marriage has been arranged.”
“I proposed to the bride, and she officially accepted. It’s a matter that’s already agreed upon between the parties. Why do we need to send another marriage proposal?”
“It’s part of the procedure.”
Luka said, looking bewildered.
He never expected to have to explain something so obvious.
Yet, on the other hand, he found it fascinating that the Duke was indeed going to get married.
“Why does such a meaningless procedure exist?”
“We all socially agreed to call such things traditions.”
“What a bunch of cowards. And why did you all make such a promise without me, the monarch?”
In response to Luka’s words, Nikolai slammed his sword on the ground, showing his frustration.
He was ready to confront these disloyal individuals at any moment.
“They have all passed away a long time ago. It’s a tradition.”
“A tradition, huh? So, does that mean everyone in the country is still following these outdated customs?”
“Well, the common people don’t go to such lengths. Usually, it’s more common for the marriage partners to seek permission from the other’s parents.”
“The marriage partners should be the ones doing it. Why do they need permission from the parents? Are the parents getting married?”
Listening to the endless loop of questions, Luka felt a sense of déjà vu.
Yes, his five-year-old niece1or nephew. We don’t know the gender used to do exactly this.
When someone answered her questions, the child would hold on to that person and continue drowning them in a sea of questions as if vowing to uncover everything.
“Think about it. After carrying a child in their womb for ten months and raising them with all their heart for at least 18 years, how would a parent feel if their child just decided without even saying a word? Imagine it from the perspective of the Duke, thinking of Katya as his daughter.”
Nikolai tried to put himself in the parents’ shoes and imagine how they might feel.
Just thinking of Katya, who was already cute and adorable like a doll, as an even younger child made his heart feel tight and blocked.
How did Duke Smirnov feel having a daughter like her?
This small and delicate being would have found it impossible to lead a proper daily life because of the constant worry and anxiety about how to navigate through such a harsh world.
How heartbroken would the Duke have been, witnessing his daughter’s growth?
How could someone just take away the daughter he had cherished so dearly as his wife without any permission?
“Scoundrel!”
Nikolai, who had become overly immersed in his thoughts, slammed his desk and stood up, shouting in anger.
He couldn’t bear the thought of some unknown man taking his precious daughter away.
In that moment, from Duke Smirnov’s perspective, he realized he was being overly possessive.
“Is that so?”
“You may be a year older, but you have a lot to learn!”
“No, are you doing this again? Yes? Your Highness! I am also a busy person, you know?”
After calling Luka first, Nikolai once again left him behind and disappeared in a huff.
Meanwhile, Katya was trying to seize the opportunity to confess everything to her father, the Duke.
However, despite the considerable time that had passed, she found it difficult to open her mouth easily.
They went for walks together, played chess, and spent such aimless hours.
It was during one of these moments when she thought Nikolai would come back that Katya mustered up her courage and closed her eyes tightly.
“Checkmate!”
“Father, the Grand Duke and I are getting married.”
Katya said abruptly.
At the same time, the voices of the two of them intertwined, creating a moment of silence in the study.
The radiant smile on the face of the usually cheerful Pavtiski Smirnov, who had just thought he won the chess game, quickly clouded over.
Ever since Katya grew up and became an adult, she would often switch to informal speech when discussing serious matters like this, even though she had always been polite with him.
“W-What did you say? Just now, you said…”
“In truth, he proposed a while ago, and I accepted.”
“Is this… forced upon you by His Highness?”
Her pitiful father’s voice was trembling.
He had been feeling content with the happiness of his eldest daughter, and now, what on earth was this sudden bolt from the blue?
