114. Hide and Seek
The current Emperor of Charmente and the former Grand Duke Yuri had a poor relationship.
So it was relatively easy to keep them apart without having to try desperately.
But now Yuri was no longer in this world.
It would be troublesome if the two decided to marry even at this point.
“The roses in the garden have bloomed beautifully. Would you like to show them to the delegation members?”
“That sounds good. Let’s do that.”
Norbert answered while hiding his annoyance at having his time with Klavdia interrupted.
Noticing his glance toward Klavdia suggesting they go together, Oksana quickly intercepted.
“Klavdia took a brief break from fitting her wedding dress, so if you’ll excuse her, she needs to go back now. The groom is waiting.”
Klavdia nodded with mixed feelings.
Though she desperately wanted to stay with him even if it meant going against her mother’s words, she also wanted to be away from him.
She felt that if she stayed with Norbert any longer, he would discover that she hadn’t forgotten him yet, and that she was wavering because of him at this very moment.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
She finally stood up, gave a formal greeting to her former lover, and headed toward the door.
Just as Oksana was feeling relieved that everything was going according to plan, the Princess who was about to exit through the door paused briefly as if she had forgotten something.
“His Highness the Grand Duke and his fiancée will fill my empty seat.”
At those words, Oksana’s face turned red and blue.
Though she had seen Nikolai and Katya on the balcony when she entered, she had planned to only take Norbert out, pretending not to notice them.
She intended to call Mikhail to greet the delegation in that spot.
Moreover, she hadn’t expected Klavdia to acknowledge Katya as Nikolai’s official fiancée with her own words.
She was unable to hide her bewilderment at her stepdaughter, who had foolishly played along with her schemes and only followed her words, suddenly acting this way.
As the gazes of those inside turned toward the balcony, Katya, whose eyes met theirs, came inside with her arm linked with Nikolai’s.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Her Highness the former Grand Duchess offered to show us the garden, so we were about to go together. Why don’t you both join us?”
Norbert said with a bright smile, readily agreeing.
“Thank you for understanding! Then I’ll go ahead!”
After giving a final greeting to Oksana, who stood alone with a sour expression, Katya left with Brunhilde, who had been waiting in the corridor, following the servant.
Nikolai smiled amusedly at his wife’s cheerful bouncing figure even from behind.
The Grand Duke, who had been quietly watching until his wife’s figure disappeared, moved to catch up with Norbert who had gotten ahead.
‘I feel like I’m forgetting something. Or not?’
Nikolai soon shook off the uneasy feeling and continued his conversation beside Norbert.
It would be much later when he would remember.
That Luka was currently in the Hersen palace.
***
Meanwhile, Luka, completely unaware that Bianca had arrived, left the Autumn Palace.
Right after the noble council meeting, he had been staking out to monitor his father, Duke Oblonsky’s movements.
As expected, Duke Oblonsky was heading to the Summer Palace to report this fact to Oksana.
Luka followed his father’s carriage on horseback.
If he got caught midway, he planned to say he was following to greet his father after seeing him at the palace.
It was the optimal espionage condition that he could enjoy as family.
Since he pretended to have no interest in politics at home, no one had yet noticed that Luka was working for Nikolai.
The Spring Palace was bustling with nobles who had come to attend the ball welcoming the delegation.
Though the Oblonsky family was currently staying at the Spring Palace, Luka had said he would only come for the ball.
This was because he might reveal his identity to Katya if he wasn’t careful.
The Smirnov family knew him as Boris’s relative who worked as a tutor.
As contracted, he had only taught for a short period before coming up to the capital, but when it was time to leave, fearing he wouldn’t be able to tear himself away if he saw Bianca, he left only a letter and departed while she was out.
His heart still ached when he thought of Bianca.
His lovesickness was so severe that it sometimes made him see illusions of his loved one as if she were right in front of him.
Perhaps that’s why he was focusing even more on his work.
It was while he was closely pursuing his father.
The carriage carrying the Duke suddenly stopped midway.
Thinking he had been discovered, he stopped his horse and drove it behind a tree, when he saw the coachman getting down from the opposite carriage.
The coachmen exchanged some words, then hurriedly went to inform their masters of the situation in a panic.
The masters stepped out of both carriages simultaneously.
Luka gasped when he saw who stepped out of the other carriage.
‘W-why is he here?’
It was Baptiski Smirnov, Katya’s father.
Come to think of it, it was natural for him to be here.
He must have come to attend the ball as well.
Seeing him brought to mind a certain face naturally.
The woman he longed for day and night.
Bianca Smirnov.
‘Bianca. When will there come a day when thinking of you doesn’t hurt?’
At that moment, Bianca stepped out of the carriage.
As he froze in surprise, she greeted Duke Oblonsky who was talking with her father, then immediately went behind the carriage.
She seemed concerned about the Smirnov family’s procession that had been following behind the carriage.
Just then, a white horse neighed and rushed past Bianca toward this direction.
Seeing everyone’s attention turn to the white horse at once, Luka quickly jumped off his horse and threw himself into the grass.
The white horse that had charged over with such momentum stopped gently as if it had never acted up, openly showing friendliness to Luka’s horse.
‘What’s this. Are they dating too?’
Luka, hidden in the grass, snickered before suddenly getting goosebumps all over his body.
It was because he remembered why the two horses knew each other.
The white horse was the Orlov Trotter that Nikolai had bought from the carriage office and gifted to Katya.
While staying at the Duke’s mansion, his horse had bonded with this Orlov Trotter and they had grown close.
Since only minimal personnel had departed on the day Katya left, Duke Smirnov had brought it along when coming up to the capital.
“Oh my, have you already made a friend?”
Bianca, who had rushed over urgently, said while fondly stroking the Orlov Trotter’s neck.
She didn’t immediately recognize that the horse in front was Luka’s horse.
The clueless horse whinnied and welcomed Bianca.
“Oh, come to think of it, this one looks familiar……”
It was a critical moment where the fugitive was about to be caught by the seeker.
