108. The Savior Under the Sunlight
The Grand Duke’s advisory body was called the Senate, and typically Duke Oblonsky, as its head, would gather and report the Senate members’ opinions.
Of course, since the head could relay distorted opinions, all members gathered at Hersen Palace for regular quarterly meetings and irregular meetings when summoned by the Grand Duke.
Fall was the time to review the effectiveness of policies established in the previous year and announce new policy proposals.
The palace where the nobles’ meeting was held got its name ‘Autumn Palace’ for this very reason.
“My father hasn’t arrived yet?”
“Duke Smirnov has already cast his vote in favor along with a proxy, saying he would align with His Highness the Grand Duke’s wishes.”
In the nobles’ meeting, policy proposals were put to vote, with families of higher status, larger territories, and greater influence holding more seats.
Though new nobles outnumbered the boyars among Senate members in headcount, the boyars actually held more seats.
And the Grand Duke’s house held more seats than the total of all Senate members combined.
This meant the Grand Duke had the legal power to overturn any decision made by the nobles’ meeting.
Until now, many more houses followed Nikolai, but since most were new nobles, they had fewer seats than the boyars.
Though Nikolai had the power to overturn decisions, he hadn’t exercised it except when seizing power.
Now that Duke Smirnov’s votes had shifted to his son-in-law Nikolai, confusion was expected among the boyars attending the meeting.
“When we came up to the capital, I wondered why he didn’t depart with us—now I understand.”
Katya nodded as if finally comprehending.
The boyars who had wanted to stay loyal to the Grand Duke but couldn’t act on their convictions due to pressure from Oksana’s forces would now waver.
Though he was the former Grand Duchess’s son, Nikolai was still the surviving eldest legitimate son after Ruslan’s death, while Mikhail was technically illegitimate.
They had wanted to side with the Grand Duke internally but were watching from the middle.
Baptiski Smirnov had seen through this.
Votes at the nobles’ meeting were meant to be secret.
However, absent members’ votes were announced beforehand to prevent manipulation of results.
So he deliberately departed late so other nobles would know he cast a vote in favor.
Katya’s strategist tendencies hadn’t come from nowhere.
“Let me know what happens at today’s nobles’ meeting when you find out. I’m curious.”
Though she had no interest in politics before, she became naturally intrigued thinking about how the information gathered while secretly moving around the South with Nikolai was now bearing fruit.
Saying this, Katya left through the Summer Palace’s back gate.
She didn’t want to run into Oksana’s palace people unnecessarily.
While listening to Brunhilde sighing heavily behind her about how the dress hem was already dirty, Katya walked along the blue-green outer wall toward the main gate.
“Isn’t that the Grand Duke’s sister?”
Spotting someone, she pointed diagonally upward as she asked.
Boris and Brunhilde’s gazes followed her fingertip.
Standing on the balcony was indeed Katya’s sister-in-law, Klavdia.
Not having noticed them yet, she leaned her elbows on the railing with her chin in her hands, sighing as if the ground might cave in.
Though she should have stayed in the Winter Palace as part of the family, she was staying in Oksana’s palace with her sister-in-law Lyudmila due to poor relations with Nikolai.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Why is she wearing a wedding dress?”
“I heard she’s marrying Duke Klebov soon. The wedding seems to have been arranged hastily, so I think the tailor came to fit her dress.”
“Strange……”
“What do you mean?”
At Boris’s question, Katya murmured while looking up at her sister-in-law’s gloomy face.
“Even for an arranged marriage, the bride looks too unhappy.”
Her words were so quiet that the two couldn’t hear them clearly.
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“Nothing. By the way, Brunhilde, how did you manage to go to the Winter Palace? It should take longer round trip, but you came back surprisingly quickly.”
“Ah, I didn’t go all the way to the Winter Palace. I saw Boris somewhere on the way and quickly brought him along. Come to think of it, where were you headed earlier?”
When both women’s attention turned to him, Boris stepped back unconsciously in great embarrassment.
“Ah-ha, well, you see. I was just going for a walk to clear my head—”
“You skipped out on the nobles’ meeting just for a walk?”
It would be one thing if he was late from other business and decided not to enter, but it was different if he deliberately planned to skip during meeting time.
Boris’s title was still the Grand Duke’s aide.
His duty was to assist Nikolai to the best of his ability in any situation.
Playing hooky was strictly considered dereliction of duty.
“Ah, that’s not it….. Laundry! His Highness asked me to pick up laundry!”
“Laundry? Was it important enough that he needed it before the meeting?”
“Yes! It’s extremely important. I can’t tell you exactly since it’s a work secret but……”
“You mean the stuffed animal? I noticed the Grand Duke always hugs it when sleeping before. He can’t have the meeting without it?”
“Ah, yes yes! That’s right! He secretly carries it even during meetings with nobles! He says he feels anxious without it, haha!”
As she had noticed before, Boris had no talent for acting.
Remembering the Grand Duke’s knights’ terrible acting when they put on a show to deceive Ivan before the trial, Katya briefly wondered if being bad at lying was a Winter Palace tradition.
“Really? That’s strange.”
“Huh? You don’t think it makes me less manly or anything, do you?”
Flustered, Boris blurted out whatever came to mind, unable to take back his spilled words.
“No, it’s cute, but very different from what I knew.”
“What do you……”
“I spent several nights in the same room with the Grand Duke, but he didn’t have anything like a stuffed animal.”
The caught liar’s jaw dropped in admission of guilt.
Katya had figured it out.
That even while being cold to his wife, Nikolai had sent Boris out of concern when she ran out.
“Boris, tell the Grand Duke.”
“……Yes? Tell him what?”
“Tell him not to do things he’ll immediately regret after turning away.”
“Your Highness……”
“I know the Grand Duke loves me most. Even my father would admit that, right? I may not detect every lie in the world, but I clearly know the Grand Duke’s words were lies. I’ll bet my wrist on it.”
“Your Highness, about the wrist……”
Boris, who had been listening intently with a worried face, interrupted at that extreme statement.
For a moment he thought they were at a gambling house.
Seeing his panic, Brunhilde behind them turned away to suppress her laughter.
“Shouldn’t I bet at least a wrist to make the Grand Duke realize his mistake? He should know his wife’s wrist might fly off if he keeps being stubborn and lying. Tell him to decide whether to live with a wristless wife or one with both wrists intact.”
Divorce wasn’t an option.
They’ll end up living together anyway.
“S-scary, Your Highness……”
Boris, a born scholar, trembled in fear as he spoke.
Despite spending half his life among knights with extensive mercenary combat experience, he had never heard such horrifying talk of wrists.
“Take that fear with you and tell the Grand Duke. That I will absolutely have this marriage. A real marriage.”
He nodded repeatedly while sweating profusely with a face white as paper.
Just then, a horn sounded from somewhere.
When they turned toward the sound, a servant was riding around in the distance blowing a horn as if trying to announce something.
“Why are they going around blowing horns like that?”
“It must be coming from Hersen Palace’s main gate. It seems the delegation from the Charmente Empire has arrived.”
“The delegation? Weren’t they supposed to come tomorrow?”
“I know. The ship must have arrived early due to good weather.”
The servant appeared to be heading to the Autumn Palace where the Grand Duke was with this news.
Boris, who had been thinking deeply about something, spoke as if reaching a decision.
“Your Highness, why don’t you go first and handle the protocol on behalf of the Grand Duke?”
“What? Me?”
“The main gate is closer from here. It would be impolite to keep the guests waiting.”
Katya immediately understood his intention.
To show her actions as the future Grand Duchess at an international event.
Perhaps it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Having made a decision, Katya suddenly waved toward the balcony.
“Princess Klavdia!”
The princess turned her head down at the voice calling her.
To her, wanting to escape this place, it was as welcome as news of victory.
Klavdia’s expression briefly hardened when she realized it was Katya calling her.
But Katya began speaking undeterred.
“It seems the delegation arrived early but His Highness is in a meeting at the Autumn Palace now, so there’s no one to greet the guests right away.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“If Your Highness doesn’t mind, would you come out briefly and keep the delegation company until the Grand Duke arrives? I’m not good at Charmentian and weak in Arsetian, the international common language.”
The princess’s face brightened at the thought of escaping this situation.
Under the warm sunlight, Katya appeared like a savior in her eyes.
