39. Living with My In-Laws Was My Dream

“How on earth did you manage to stay in such a place?”

Duke Smirnov asked with tears in his eyes.

“Even though you’re traveling incognito, you’re still conducting state affairs. As your subject, it pains me to see you enduring such hardships.”

“I’m telling you, it’s really not uncomfortable.”

“If you don’t mind, would you consider staying at our house until you depart for the next city?”

Finally, he took the bait.

The Duke had fallen for it.

Nikolai, who had cast the fishing line, smiled faintly.

But he couldn’t show it, so he made a gesture of declining once.

“I appreciate the offer.”

“If you’re concerned about security, I’ll make sure the servants keep absolutely quiet. It would be troublesome if other nobles found out about Your Highness being in the South.”

“How could I impose on you like that? I’m already grateful for the generous meal you’ve provided today.”

“Impose? We have plenty of spare rooms. If you stay in the west wing, you won’t run into any visitors, and there’s a separate garden where you can do your morning training without having to go all the way to the forest to avoid people’s eyes.”

The knights nodded in satisfaction at those words.

Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.

Before departing, Nikolai had instructed Boris about something.

He told him to air out all their accumulated grievances during dinner today.

It wasn’t really a lie since they had many complaints concerning their lodging while hiding their identities.

Nikolai was happy because he could see his beloved more often and up close, the Duke and his people were relieved of their worries about the Grand Duke, and the knights were pleased because their inconveniences would be resolved and travel time would be reduced.

It was a plan where everyone benefited.

Except for Katya.

“But isn’t that inappropriate? If it ever gets out that the Grand Duke stayed at our house during his secret journey, people might say we received special treatment.”

While Duke Smirnov was an upright lord who took good care of his territory’s people, there was a high possibility that corrupt nobles would protest in such a way.

“You’re right. The young lady makes a valid point. We shouldn’t stay if even one person in the household is uncomfortable.”

Nikolai said this while completely ignoring the legitimate reasoning she had presented.

Everyone in the room shot reproachful glances at Katya upon seeing the Grand Duke’s dejected expression.

“It’s getting late, so I should get going.”

When Nikolai put down his utensils and stood up, Laika barked and blocked his path as if telling him not to leave.

“Woof!”

Alyona and the butler, her father, Bianca, and Laika were all on Nikolai’s side.

The knights who hadn’t finished their meal stood up reluctantly with disappointed faces.

“If that’s the case, why don’t you at least stay for tonight? It’s late, so you can depart tomorrow.”

“Well… should I?”

When the Duke made his final offer, Nikolai quickly asked.

After dinner, the butler guided the Grand Duke’s party to the west wing.

Katya pretended to go up to the second floor, but once her father disappeared after saying goodnight, she rushed to the entrance leading to the west wing.

Then she grabbed the hem of Nikolai’s chemise from behind.

“Could I have a moment with you?”

When Nikolai, who had been following, stopped midway, the butler turned around.

Katya was hidden from the butler’s view behind his tall frame.

“Is something the matter?”

“I’ll just quickly use the restroom, so go ahead without me.”

“I’ll show you the way.”

“It’s fine. I saw where it was earlier when we came in.”

After Nikolai sent away the butler, Boris, and the knights, Katya took him to a narrow storage room nearby and closed the door.

As soon as she closed the door and pinned him against the wall with both arms, Nikolai looked down at her with an intrigued expression.

“What are you planning to do with me in this confined space at such a late hour?”

“Why did you lie? Earlier you said you were invited! What are you plotting?”

“I’m hurt that you call it plotting, though I can’t deny since it’s not entirely wrong.”

“Wow, now you’re even being shameless?”

“Since there should be no lies between spouses, I’ll tell you specially. My plot is…”

Nikolai beckoned her to come closer.

When Katya stood on her tiptoes and leaned her ear in, he whispered softly.

“I’m going to live here from now on.”

Katya jerked back in surprise at those words.

“What did you say?”

“As the Duke said, I’m planning to stay here the whole time while I’m in Padovangrad.”

“Wait, who decided that?”

“Living with my in-laws was my dream.”

Nikolai’s eyes sparkled like a starlit sky, like a boy confessing a grand dream he had held deep in his heart.

“What kind of dream is that?”

“It looked so warm and harmonious. Let me be part of it too. We’re family now, after all.”

Katya was struck speechless at those words.

The whole country knew about his unfortunate family history.

When he was just ten years old, he was separated from his mother and couldn’t even be there for her final moments.

He had to accept his father’s mistress, who had been his mother’s lady-in-waiting, as his stepmother, so how difficult must it have been at such a young age?

With Nikolai putting it this way, it became difficult to refuse.

“Fine then. But I’ll tell Father about our engagement myself when the time is right, so don’t reveal anything yet. Understood?”

“Alright.”

The time Katya spoke of came sooner than expected.

***

“Have you sent the marriage proposal to the Duke’s household?”

Luka, sipping tea at the cafe, casually asked Nikolai who sat across from him.

“No?”

“What?”

“Hm?”

Originally, everything from the selection process to the national marriage for choosing a Grand Duchess was decided under the direction of the previous Grand Duchess.

Therefore, Nikolai knew nothing about the common practice of sending marriage proposals to the family of the woman being courted.

Since Nikolai was proceeding with the marriage entirely on his own while completely excluding Oksana, it would have been proper to follow the nobles’ customs.

“Does the Duke not know about this marriage yet?”

“Tia said she would tell him directly today?”

“Even after the marriage is decided, it’s customary among nobles to send a formal proposal to the bride’s side.”

“I proposed to the bride and received her formal acceptance. When the parties involved have already agreed, why do we need to send another proposal?”

“Because it’s procedure?”

Luka said in bewilderment.

He never expected to have to explain something so obvious.

And on another note, it felt strange to realize that the Grand Duke was really getting married.

“Why do such meaningless procedures exist?”

“We’ve all socially agreed to call such things customs.”

“What fearless fellows! Why did they make such agreements without including me, their sovereign?”

Nikolai slammed his sword on the floor indignantly at Luka’s words.

He looked ready to go punish these disloyal subjects right away.

“They’re all long dead already. It’s tradition.”

“Tradition, you say. So all the people in the country follow such outdated customs?”

“Common people don’t go that far. They usually just ask the partner’s parents for permission to marry.”

“The people getting married should handle it themselves. Why do they need parents’ permission? Are the parents the ones getting married?”

Seeing the endless stream of questions, Luka felt a sense of déjà vu.

Right. His five-year-old nephew was exactly like this.

Once someone started answering, the child would latch onto that person and mercilessly drag them into a questioning hell.

“Think about it. After carrying a child for ten months, giving birth with great difficulty, and cherishing them for at least 18 years, how would parents feel if someone just took their child away without a word? Imagine if it was your daughter.”

Nikolai decided to try imagining from a parent’s perspective.

He tried to think of Katya as his daughter.

She was already as cute as a doll now, but imagining her even younger suddenly made his chest tight.

How must Duke Smirnov feel having such a daughter?

He probably couldn’t live a normal life, constantly worried about how this small and delicate being would navigate such a harsh world.

How emotional must he have gotten watching his daughter grow up?

What if some man just took away the daughter he had raised so preciously, claiming her as his wife without even asking permission?

“Thief!”

Nikolai, fully immersed in the role, slammed the table and stood up, shouting in outrage.

He couldn’t stand how despicable this unknown man was.

Then he realized that from Duke Smirnov’s perspective, he was that shameless man.

“Right?”

“Though I’m just a year older, I have so much to learn from you!”

“Wait, are you leaving again like this? Your Highness! I’m a busy person too, you know?”

Nikolai, who had called Luka out first, once again disappeared abruptly leaving him behind.

Meanwhile, Katya was trying to confess everything to her father while taking advantage of the Grand Duke’s absence.

But even after quite some time had passed, the words wouldn’t come easily.

While precious time slipped away as she went on walks with her father and played chess, she finally squeezed her eyes shut and steeled herself, worried that Nikolai might return soon.

“Checkmate!”

“Father, the Grand Duke asked me to marry him.”

Their voices overlapped as they spoke simultaneously, and silence briefly fell in the study.

The smile that had spread across Baptiski Smirnov’s face as he placed the chess piece down thinking he had won quickly clouded over.

His eldest daughter, who had been consistently formal in speech since becoming an adult, always reverted to casual speech when discussing serious matters like this.

“W-what? What did you just…”

“He actually proposed a while ago. And I accepted.”

“Perhaps… are you being forced by His Highness’s orders?”

The poor father’s voice trembled.

He had been enjoying small yet undeniable moments of happiness with his eldest daughter, but what was this unexpected news that came out of nowhere?