109. The Princess Couldn’t Sleep
“How is it that at your age, you don’t properly know even one foreign language?”
Klavdia said gruffly while trying hard to suppress a smile appearing on her face.
Yet she became anxious that Katya might get upset or hurt and leave right then.
But surprisingly, she nodded with a smile.
“You’re right. If I had known this would happen, I should have learned at least one foreign language. I never dreamed I would marry the Grand Duke.”
“You truly are unqualified to be a Grand Duchess in many ways.”
How could siblings be so alike? The sister was also unable to be honest.
At least Nikolai was always honest about his feelings, except for now when he was lying for the divorce.
He used to bombard her with crazy courtship attempts that would startle people.
Katya suddenly felt sad missing those times.
Anyway, she decided to do what she could now.
Since she had pulled by clinging to Klavdia, it was now time to push slightly.
“If you’re busy, I’ll just go. The Grand Duke will be here soon anyway. Come to think of it, I can manage with interpreters. Boris, you know Charmantean, right?”
“Yes, of course…… Besides, Sir Pavel is also fluent in Arsetian. You don’t need to worry about interpretation at all.”
“Ah, is that right?”
Katya clapped her hands once and replied cheerfully.
Pavel had perfectly disguised himself as an Arsetian manager under the alias Fulano Mengano at the hotel where the Grand Ducal couple stayed for their honeymoon.
“And for Charmantean, Brunhilde would be the best.”
“Ah, right. Brunhilde, your hometown was settled by immigrants from Charmante, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. In our hometown, we use two languages.”
“To think we had a native speaker so close by. That’s really reassuring.”
While Boris and Brunhilde really intended to help Katya with interpretation, she actually had no such plans.
Katya looked up at the balcony again.
“We’ll go ahead first. Then, excuse us, Your Highness.”
Just as she curtsied by lifting both sides of her skirt and bent her knees, Klavdia called out urgently.
“W-wait!”
Katya’s lips curved gently as she briefly lowered her head for a farewell bow.
It was going according to plan.
After erasing the smile from her lips and raising her head, she asked innocently as if she really didn’t know why her sister-in-law was calling her.
“Yes? What is it?”
“As someone who is the woman of a ruler, it wouldn’t be a very pretty sight to use interpreters at official events when you can’t even speak Charmantean or Arsetian.”
“What matters is trying even if you can’t do it. The noble guests from Charmante will appreciate that I approached them first to properly serve them. Sincerity transcends all barriers.”
“No! I just can’t let this happen. We can’t tarnish the Grand Duchy’s honor. I’ll go!”
Klavdia exclaimed as if she had made up her mind.
“What? You’ll really do that? Don’t you need time for your dress fitting?”
“What could be more important than a state event? I’ll demonstrate since I have experience, so watch and learn well from this opportunity.”
“Thank you! I feel so relieved that Your Highness with your experience will help directly. How can you be so generous?”
“Hmph. Don’t try to flatter me. I’m only helping you this one time.”
“Yes! But please come down quickly. The Grand Duke might arrive first at this rate.”
“Alright. Wait right there.”
Klavdia hurriedly went inside while looking at Katya who was clapping and smiling brightly.
‘She really is such a troublesome child.’
Even while thinking that, her lips were unconsciously curling up, pleased by the praise.
Not realizing at all that she was being trained by Katya.
Though she hated her brother Nikolai due to Oksana’s long-term alienation, she was originally a warm-hearted person.
That was why Nikolai was weak against his sister who sided with Oksana despite being wary of her.
If Klavdia had been evil like Oksana, he would have cut ties long ago despite being a blood-related family.
While there was no justification to drive out Oksana since she was the former Grand Duchess, they could have married off the Princess to somewhere far from the palace or abroad.
But Nikolai didn’t force an unwanted marriage on his sister and let her stay at the palace as long as she wanted.
He trusted Klavdia enough to consider passing the Grand Duke position to her.
Though she herself didn’t know how dearly her brother cherished her.
“It’s nice to see you smile like that. Yes, a bride-to-be should smile like this.”
Oksana, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, spoke with satisfaction as she watched her stepdaughter return from the balcony.
Klavdia was surprised to realize only then that she had been smiling.
‘Katarina, was it? What a bewitching girl.’
Klavdia thought as she draped the shawl that was placed on the sofa over her shoulders.
This made the wedding dress look more like just a white dress.
“Where are you going?”
The ladies-in-waiting who were attending to her dress asked.
“I heard the delegation has arrived, so I’m going to see them.”
“What? But His Grace the Grand Duke will go……”
“Nikolai is in a meeting at the Winter Palace now, so it will take time for him to reach the main gate. We can’t keep the noble guests waiting.”
“Then what about the dress?”
“Pick whatever you think is pretty. Mother, please help them choose what looks best.”
As Klavdia hurriedly tried to leave the room past her, Oksana quietly said.
“The bride should choose her own dress. Duke Klebov will be here soon, so wait.”
“What? Duke Klebov?”
“Men usually leave wedding preparations to women and show no interest, but isn’t he so thoughtful? I’ve sent Mikhail to the main gate, so don’t worry unnecessarily and choose your dress intimately with your future husband.”
She subtly pushed forward her own son.
It was a good opportunity to naturally put her son, who had been busy running away outside the Hersen Palace until now, in an official setting.
The Charmante Empire was the most powerful nation among neighboring countries.
It wouldn’t be bad for Mikhail to build connections with their nobles in advance.
When that child becomes Grand Duke someday, all these small experiences will become meaningful assets.
“Mikhail? He has no experience with protocol. I watched everything right by Father’s side when he was alive. I also saw everything Brother did as heir.”
“That’s why this is a good opportunity for him to learn. Besides, women shouldn’t get involved in politics.”
Even in this situation, Oksana was thoroughly trying to exclude her stepdaughter who clearly had succession rights to the Grand Duke position from state affairs.
Though Klavdia had always shown no interest in diplomacy or politics and followed her mother’s lead until now, today her mother’s insistence felt strangely stubborn and forceful.
“No. I should go.”
“What?”
“Did you forget? That I’m the eldest daughter of the family. How can the youngest greet guests when there’s clearly an eldest daughter?”
“Klavdia……!”
“Please tell the Duke I’m sorry on my behalf, Mother. I’ll go ahead now.”
Klavdia left the room without listening further.
It was her first act of defiance against her stepmother.
The Princess’s ladies-in-waiting bowed to the former Grand Duchess before following her.
Enraged, Oksana was about to throw her teacup but realized the dressmaker and staff were still present and only trembled with clenched fists.
Duke Klebov arrived just moments later.
“I pay my respects to Your Highness the former Grand Duchess.”
As he bowed formally in greeting, he looked around the empty room with a bitter expression.
“I saw the Princess hurrying somewhere in the corridor…… I suppose today is not the day.”
“I raised her better than to be so ill-mannered, and I can only apologize to you, Duke. I will strictly reprimand my daughter when she returns.”
“Your Highness. It seems the Princess does not want this marriage. Perhaps we should call it off while we still can……”
“No. Duke Klebov need not worry. I, as her mother-in-law, will take care of everything.”
Downstairs, Katya, who barely managed to meet Klavdia hurried toward the main gate.
While the two women went ahead, Brunhilde, Boris, and the ladies-in-waiting followed behind, with Pavel and his subordinates joining the procession partway.
Like the master of the Winter Palace, it seemed they were all chosen for their looks as the beauty of Pavel, Boris and the knights was enough to make these noble ladies’ hearts flutter.
The ladies-in-waiting whispered endlessly like young girls as they stole glances at them.
The knights were also noble sons, so they were of equal status with the ladies-in-waiting.
They had long noticed the admiring gazes from the ladies.
Conscious of the women, they deliberately ran fingers through their hair, rolled up sleeves to show muscular forearms, or exchanged meaningful glances in subtle seduction.
Of course, since they would surely face harsh scolding if caught by the strict Guard Captain Pavel, all this happened very discreetly so he wouldn’t notice.
While young love was blooming among the youth behind them, the atmosphere between Katya and Klavdia was more subdued in comparison.
Katya was thinking of what to say while enduring the suffocating silence.
Up close, Klavdia looked even sadder.
Her beautiful face like Nikolai’s had become so haggard that she truly looked awful.
Her eyes were bloodshot red as if she had stayed up all night, and puffy as if she had been crying.
Katya knew better than anyone the feeling of being unable to sleep from such distress.
She had been the same when staying at the Petrovsky family villa before her marriage to Ivan.
