Pavtiski Smirnov fell into deep worry.

Even though he had been close to Nikolai all this time, he knew that Nikolai was notorious in the north as the ‘Grand Duke of Blood,’ a ruthless monarch. While he himself pledged loyalty from the heart, his concerns were different when it came to his daughter.

If, by any chance, she couldn’t resist the monarch’s intentions and was forced into a marriage that would sacrifice her happiness, it would tear him apart.

“Ah, Father! Who said I’m being forced into anything?”

“Well, it’s not exactly like that. But why all of a sudden…”

“Father, you know my ideal type. Handsome, powerful, kind, and someone who respects me. The Grand Duke fits perfectly.”

“Kind… you say?”

Pavtiski murmured, doubting his own ears.

Only his precious daughter would dare to use the word ‘kind’ to a monarch.

Then suddenly, the study door swung open with a loud bang, and someone rushed in.

“Duke Smirnov!”

“Yes, yes?”

“I have something to say to you.”

Nikolai, who had arrived unannounced in the presence of the father and daughter, rushed toward Pavtiski with frightening speed.

Suddenly, he knelt down in front of him, gripping the floor with both hands.

“Your Highness! What on earth is this…?”

“Duke, give me the your daughter! No, not like that. Father-in-law, please give me your daughter!”

With his forehead on the floor, Nikolai remained on his knees but raised his upper body to look at his prospective father-in-law.

“I heard commoners do it this way.”

The loyal servant’s face turned pale at the unexpected action of the majestic monarch.

Their positions and roles were entirely reversed in this divine relationship, but their expressions remained unchanged.

Kneeling and looking up, the monarch was still the monarch, while standing and looking down, the servant was still the servant.

Katya slapped her forehead at the sight of her father, stunned by the unexpected bow from the Grand Duke, and the prospective groom, his blue eyes glazed over, not knowing what was wrong.

“Oh my, dear heavens.”

This combination, father-in-law and son-in-law, was it even possible in this lifetime?

Meanwhile, even Pavtiski knelt before the prospective son-in-law and nodded his head.

“Why are you kneeling? I should be the one apologizing.”

“No, it’s not that. You have chosen my inadequate and lacking daughter, so I am even more apologetic.”

“Since you have granted me your precious daughter, I am more–”

“No, I beg no more–”

“No, no. I am more–”

“No, I am more.”

“I am more.”

As the two men continued to lower their heads, trying to be lower than the other, Katya couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

“Hey, how long are you two going to keep doing this? You’ll end up digging into the ground with your heads. Now, please get up.”

When she pulled their arms, the two men finally stood up from the floor.

Since they were not accustomed to kneeling, their legs were shaking due to the lack of blood flow.

Interestingly, Katya noticed that the son-in-law and her father were complaining about the pain from opposite legs like a mirror image. She was torn between whether she should laugh or hold back.

“Oh my goodness, really! Both of you, stay still.”

She bent slightly and unceremoniously slapped their calves to alleviate the discomfort before finally standing up.

Then, she seated her father on the sofa first and sat opposite Nikolai.

“In the north, everyone is in a hurry to marry off their daughters because they don’t want to give them to a bastard like me. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“As long as my daughter is happy, I don’t mind. And actually, I want to ask you something. My daughter is a beautiful and precious child to me, but in the south, there’s no man who wants to marry her. Are you really okay with this?”

“It’s actually the southern men who have poor taste, and I am the one who benefits from it.”

Nikolai said with a warm expression.

Though it had been a short time, Pavtiski Smirnov in Padovangrad had been a loyal subject.

Although he had only heard rumors, but when he checked with the local people, they actually loved and respected their lord.

When famine struck the southern region, Pavtiski Smirnov did not collect taxes and even opened the Duke’s barns to feed the people of the fief.

When Pavtiski realized that Nikolai was in hiding, he stopped seeing his friends, lest his secret should leak out on the man who was so fond of socializing.

Besides, he is a father who is afraid for his daughters.

To become the son-in-law of such a man, Nikolai truly felt lucky.

“From now on, I will think of you not as the Duke but as a Father. And you, think of me as your own son.”

“Yes, I will think that way.”

“Enough with the formalities. Where is a father who shows respect to his son? Oh, I should change too. Father-in-law, please speak informally.”

“I-I can’t do that. How could I dare to–”

“If I say it as a son-in-law, you won’t listen, huh? Then listen to me as your monarch.”

The Duke, feeling overwhelmed by the many demands from Nikolai all at once, took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the sweat from his forehead.

He was torn between following the etiquette of a vassal or the commands of his ruler.

Seeing her compassionate father in this internal struggle, Katya stepped in to save him.

“You can figure out those things later. But for now, let’s have a meal. We’re all hungry.”

She gently touched her belly with her right hand as she spoke.

“Is that so? You shouldn’t go hungry.”

Nikolai smiled affectionately as he noticed her hand lightly patting her stomach.

Following his gaze, Pavtiski Smirnov looked at his daughter’s belly and suddenly turned pale, his mouth agape.

“Could it be…?”

“Huh? Father, what’s wrong with you?”

Katya, lowering her head in the direction her father’s eyes fell upon, finally realized what he was thinking and waved her hands frantically.

“Oh, no! Absolutely not, Father!”

As she desperately asserted her innocence, Pavtiski heaved a sigh of relief.

“Is that so? I was worried for no reason, thinking that young people these days are different from our generation.”

“Yes, Father, you know that, right? It’s impossible for me to sleep with a man outside of marriage.”

“But we shared a bed, didn’t we?”

Nikolai’s sudden remark caused Pavtiski’s jaw to drop once again.

“Yes, yes?”

“If you put it that way, people might misunderstand! No, Father! We only shared the bed, just slept next to each other.”

“Shared the bed…?”

“No, it sounds weird like that. We just lay beside each other.”

The more she tried to explain, the stranger it sounded.

Still shocked, Pavtiski pressed his hand to his chest and tried deep breaths to calm himself.

It was when Katya gave a sharp glance at her clueless fiancé.

“Errrr…”

The study door burst open, and the people leaning against it spilled inside like a falling domino. Bianca, Alyona, the butler, and the servants of the Duke all stood in the corridor, their ears pressed against the half-open door, eavesdropping on the conversation.

Seeing the scene, a composed Nikolai suddenly stood up and approached the door.

“Now that everyone’s gathered, let me introduce myseld. I am Nikolai de Vasily, who will soon become the eldest son-in-law of this household.”

“P-Pleased to meet you, Brother-in-law.”

Bianca, startled by his imposing presence, slipped up unintentionally. It was her first time seeing him up close, and she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Brother-in-law?”

“Oh, no! I apologize, Your Highness!”

“It sounds good. Keep calling me that, sister-in-law.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Bianca, thrilled, curtseyed lightly.

“I told you to call me Brother.”

“Yes, brother-in-law…”

“But did everyone gather knowing what we were talking about inside?”

The Duke asked the question, and the butler spoke up in response.

“In fact, today is the day for Lady Bianca’s home tutor interviews, and the candidates are waiting in the waiting room. The Duke decided to personally conduct the interviews with Lady Katarina, so we were wondering when you would be finished with your conversation…”

“Home tutor interviews?”

“Recently, theh Lady has developed an interest in ancient languages and music, so we are looking for a live-in home tutor.”

“Is that so?”

Nikolai crossed his arms and touched his chin as he turned around.

“Father-in-law, if it’s okay with you, may I conduct the interviews instead? Since it’s someone we’ll be bringing into our household, we can’t just let them in casually.”

He naturally referred to the Duke Smirnov’s estate as ‘our household.’

Though his way of speaking mixed honorifics and informal language, no one found it odd.

“Please do so.”

Hearing the response he wanted from his father-in-law, Nikolai smiled.

Feeling like they were already becoming family, he was in a very good mood.

***

Meanwhile, Luka, feeling that the previous conversation hadn’t ended properly, followed Nikolai and was waiting for him in front of the Duke’s residence.

“Oh my, why are you here?”

The elderly gardener was surprised to see Luka and opened the gate for him.

“Me? Are you talking to me?”

“Come inside quickly. The interviews have already started.”

“What do you mean by interviews?”

“Shortcut this way.”

Mistaking Luka in his commoner’s attire as one of the applicants, the gardener dragged him inside without proper guidance.

As soon as the gardener saw the passing maid, he asked.

“Has it already finished? This guy came late, and the gatekeeper didn’t properly guide him. Where did he go?”

“I thought everyone had arrived, so I went to the restroom. Oh, dear, what should we do? Come here quickly.”

Understanding the urgent situation, the maid hurriedly took Luka with her.

Seeing the Duke’s servants bringing the interview candidates, the maid briefly explained the situation, and they nodded before taking Luka to the interview room.

Everyone was genuinely invested in the hiring process, so they wholeheartedly helped this poor young man, treating him as if it were their own task.

“We’ll bring in the last interviewee.”

The Duke’s butler said so as he opened the door to the interview room. Finally realizing something was wrong, Luka tried to apologize, but he was already being pushed inside by the butler.

It was only after being pushed inside by the butler that Luka noticed something was off.

However, it was too late to apologize. Once inside, he saw a familiar face that made his eyes widen in surprise.

‘Why is my brother there?’