101. So You Can See Me Better

“Why did you do such a thing in front of the boyars?”

Boris sighed heavily as soon as he entered the study and closed the door.

The entire palace buzzed about the unprecedented event in Hersen’s history—the ‘Bloody Grand Duke’ kissing his prospective Grand Duchess in front of everyone.

The hundreds of bedrooms in the Spring Palace kept their lights on until dawn.

Everyone had stayed up all night, gathering in groups of three or five to discuss the incident.

“I know you two have a good relationship, but such displays of affection should have been done in private. Especially when the noble council might raise issues about marrying without the family’s approval.”

However, the actual perpetrator looked completely at ease.

Nikolai had been sitting at his desk since early morning, reviewing documents for the upcoming noble council meeting.

“Your Highness!”

He finally raised his head slowly at the anxious voice calling him.

“It wasn’t intentional from the start.”

“Of course it wasn’t intentional. But you needed to act more discreetly.”

“Well, I won’t deny that was my oversight.”

“I heard you even moved the Grand Duchess’s seat next to yours in the dining hall?”

“So what?”

“Doesn’t that violate Hersen Palace’s protocols?”

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’s seats had been designated for generations.

Though the Grand Duchess sat closest to the head seat, she had to sit on the long sides of the table like everyone else, as this was how subjects showed reverence to their ruler.

But Nikolai hated this.

It was something he had always wanted to change.

“Even in the South, I always sat next to or across from Tia during meals. I’m just doing the same here.”

“That was outside the palace. Inside, we must follow palace protocol—”

“Just because a custom has been long-held doesn’t mean it’s always right. If something isn’t right, it should be fixed. Fortunately, I have the power to change protocols.”

“What do you consider right, Your Highness?”

“I believe spouses should be equal in position anywhere, anytime. They should respect each other, not have one side revering the other.”

Boris tilted his head at those words.

“Aren’t you the one doing the revering, Your Highness?”

“Tia is an exception.”

“What?”

“Just looking at her makes me want to revere her.”

“Even to the point of lowering yourself, Your Highness?”

“If our eye levels don’t match, I can lower myself. Though things are more visible looking down from above than up from below, this way Tia can see my face better.”

Boris realized this was a metaphorical statement.

That sometimes spouses need to lower themselves to understand each other more deeply.

Sometimes showing their most vulnerable inner selves, sometimes letting the other win.

Though Nikolai had done so himself, he had never once wanted Katya to lower herself.

Every day since first meeting her, he wanted to grow closer than yesterday, closer than an hour ago.

That’s why he didn’t want to be a ruler in front of Katya.

He hoped she wouldn’t fear him.

He wished she wouldn’t back away from him or kneel in reverence.

He just wanted to be a man loved by her.

“I’m satisfied with having firmly impressed Tia’s existence on people through this opportunity.”

“Impressed indeed. It’s been tattooed on them. They’re probably still talking about it. When I woke briefly at dawn, I saw lights still burning brightly. It seems they stayed up all night.”

Though the Spring Palace was far from the Winter Palace where Nikolai and his people stayed, its massive size made it clearly visible.

Moreover, the unextinguished lights stood out starkly against the surrounding darkness.

“They’re the ones most interested in other people’s business.”

Nikolai shook his head with a smirk.

Once they entered the policy meeting, there would be much to do.

He planned to completely overhaul Hersen’s existing systems across society based on the information he gathered during his covert mission in the South.

Before that, the urgent task was establishing a firm position for Katya, who hadn’t yet received her Grand Duchess crown.

Otherwise, those who might disrespect or harm her could appear at any time.

A woman the Grand Duke loved enough to marry secretly without the family’s approval and personally request proper treatment for—that had been powerfully imprinted in everyone’s minds.

Now no one would dare openly disrespect her or try underhanded schemes.

That’s why he had taken action while handling the kiss incident.

Though phrased as a polite request, it was essentially a declaration of war. That he wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect toward her.

Knowing the Grand Duke would be watching from now on, even those who had planned mischief would have to back down.

“Will you not see the Grand Duchess? Should I send word for her to come here?”

“Let her sleep more.”

“What? It’s almost breakfast time?”

“I made one promise when bringing her to the palace. That I’d let her sleep in as much as she wanted here, just like at the Duke’s mansion. Promises must be kept.”

Said the doting husband.

“Yes, how could it be otherwise?”

Seeing his eyes immediately soften at thoughts of her, Boris left the study in disgust.

After he left, Nikolai, alone in the study, began touching his lips with his fingers.

Though he tried to act nonchalant, it wasn’t true.

No man could remain calm after sharing a first kiss with the woman he loved.

His heart was beating wildly.

The kiss with her had been too brief.

He wanted to do it privately, longer, in a space with just the two of them.

Her lips, which he had only yearned for with his heart and eyes before finally tasting them, were unbelievably sweet.

His heart beat rapidly.

Toward her, at a steady pace.

Though they had only spent one night in different spaces, he missed her as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning.

“I miss you, Tia.”

The urge to sweep away all these protocols and people separating him from his beloved wife without caring about procedures visited him again.

It was the 131st time today.

***

At that very moment when the Grand Duke was having bad thoughts again without his wife there to stop him…

At the Spring Palace, Brunhilde was exhausting herself trying to wake the sleepyhead Grand Duchess.

“Your Highness, please wake up! The morning sun has already risen!”

“Mmm…… Want to sleep more……”

“The Grand Duke said he’d let me sleep in……”

Katya mumbled, pulling the blanket over her head while standing on the border between dreamland and reality.

But Brunhilde proved a more formidable opponent than expected.

She immediately yanked off the blanket and made her sit up.

Katya, now kneeling on the bed, took advantage of the diligent lady’s maid’s momentary distraction with the tray to flop forward.

This left her in a position like praying prostrate in a temple.

Brunhilde grabbed the nape of her neck as she tried to enter dreamland again with her nose buried in the bed, dragging her back to reality.

“You can do as you please once you become mistress of the Summer Palace, but right now you’re essentially a guest here. You need to follow the rules here, you know.”

“Hmm…… So mean……”

“They said they’ll collect the dishes in an hour, so if you’re still sleeping then, you’ll miss breakfast.”

“I don’t usually eat breakfast anyway.”

“Then start now. You need to eat well to build strength to defeat any enemies.”

Katya finally gave in to her persistence and sat up against the headboard.

Soon after, breakfast was served before her.

Brunhilde put a fork and spoon in the hands of her mistress, who had already started dozing again.

“You’re even more impressive than Alyona.”

“Thank you for the compliment. I already feel close to her from hearing about her so often from you. I really want to meet Alyona.”

“You can see her when my father and Bianca come up for the wedding. If the national ceremony proceeds, that is.”

“I heard foreign envoys are coming, and nobles from across the country are arriving one by one for a commemorative party at Hersen Palace?”

“Ah, was that this week? Time flies. Anyway, it’s fortunate my family didn’t see that yesterday.”

Katya mumbled while tearing apart a white bread.

“The rumors are already widespread, so they’ll find out soon anyway.”

“I hope we won’t really get kicked out before even having the national ceremony.”

There was a difference between being a former Grand Duchess through divorce and being expelled without even having the marriage recognized after only a common-law relationship.

Unlike the former who could receive alimony and honorable treatment, the latter was essentially a deposed consort.

How much would her name be gossiped about in social circles, saying she was used and discarded after doing everything.

“By the way, why do you still call me ‘Your Highness’? They don’t recognize me as Grand Duchess here yet.”

“No matter what they say, the fact that you are this country’s Grand Duchess won’t change. Of course, I’ll be careful with my words when others are around to avoid trouble.”

“Right. It’s better to call me ‘Miss’ in front of others. I thought I wouldn’t be called ‘Miss’ anymore since I’m married, but this works out well.”

Katya and Brunhilde burst out laughing simultaneously.

“Then enjoy your meal.”

Brunhilde, about to leave the bedroom, suddenly turned around as if something bothered her.

“Don’t fall asleep during the meal. You know it’s really bad for your stomach to lie down while eating?”

“I know. You told me every day on our way up from the South.”

“After eating, you should take a walk to help digestion—”

“How cruel. When am I supposed to sleep then? Only at night?”

“Sleep is originally meant for nighttime.”

“I used to be someone who slept in late and took naps……”

Katya’s voice trailed off as she made a pitiful face.

Save me…….

“If you finish everything on the tray without leaving anything, I’ll let you take a nap.”

“That I can do!”

Brunhilde watched with satisfaction as her mistress rolled up her sleeves and started wolfing down breakfast, then opened the bedroom door.

She stopped in surprise at what she saw outside.

An uninvited guest had arrived.