70. Boris Feels Wronged
Until Mikhail appeared in the Grand Duke’s household, Nikolai monopolized all the affection as the youngest son.
Tatiana, who became the second Grand Duchess, wasn’t loved by her husband at first, but eventually, when Grand Duke Yuri opened his heart to her sincerity, they had a happy marriage.
Ruslan and Klavdia, the siblings born a year apart from his first wife Yevgenia, truly adored their half-brother Nikolai, who was 6-7 years younger.
In his young days, Nikolai thought this happiness would last forever.
The massive storm that entered the peaceful Grand Duke’s household came after Oksana entered the palace as Tatiana’s lady’s maid.
Oksana, the daughter of Count Borodin, had married into Arsetia but divorced shortly after, almost like being driven out, and returned with her son.
Tatiana, who happened to meet her at a party, became friends with her and soon made her her lady’s maid.
She never suspected that everything was part of Oksana’s plan.
Tatiana didn’t know that she had been her husband’s first love.
Yuri, who had a secret relationship with Oksana before marrying Yevgenia, decided to marry her, but they broke up due to his mother’s opposition.
Yuri’s mother, who came from the new nobility, extremely feared that Oksana from the Borodin family becoming Grand Duchess would let the old nobility regain power.
Both Yevgenia and Tatiana, whom Yuri’s mother chose as her son’s matches, were from new nobility like herself.
“Hello? My name is Nikolai. What’s your name?”
“Mi-Mikhail, Your Highness.”
“When it’s just us, call me brother instead of Your Highness.”
“What?”
“I don’t have any siblings. I’ll be your brother.”
Due to their mothers’ friendship, Nikolai and Mikhail naturally became friends.
Nikolai always wanted a younger sibling, but since Tatiana was weak and doctors diagnosed that further pregnancies would be too risky, she couldn’t fulfill her son’s wish.
So instead, she introduced him to Oksana’s son.
The two boys were always together like real brothers.
Nikolai cherished Mikhail, and Mikhail followed him around so much that he would look for Nikolai as soon as he opened his eyes.
“I envy you, brother.”
“Why?”
“Your father is the most powerful person in our country.”
“Well, he is the most powerful since he’s the ruler, right?”
“Plus this wide and magnificent palace is all yours, and everyone bows their heads before you. I envy being called ‘Your Highness’, and all your beautiful clothes.”
Mikhail would sometimes whine like this to Nikolai.
Though the Borodin count family was a wealthy boyar family, no family could compare to the Grand Duke’s household.
At such times, Nikolai would secretly swap clothes with Mikhail without the adults knowing.
“How is it? Do you like it?”
“Yes! It’s really beautiful!”
“I wish you were really my brother.”
“Me too! I want to be a Grand Duke’s son!”
The crack in their friendship began after Nikolai learned about Mikhail’s true identity.
Everything happened in a whirlwind—from the revelation that Mikhail was his father’s illegitimate child to his mother Tatiana being falsely accused and deposed as Grand Duchess and driven from the palace.
When Oksana became the new Grand Duchess, the two boys’ positions reversed in an instant.
The brothers naturally grew apart, and even after Nikolai became Grand Duke, Mikhail always seemed busy avoiding his brother at the palace, whether from childhood guilt or wariness.
That was also why he often went south to meet friends even after graduating from Hersen National Academy.
“Mikhail?”
Nikolai asked Boris with narrowed eyes.
“Though it’s not certain if he’s directly involved in the Despot Club’s crimes, seeing how Her Former Highness’s side steps in to cover up the members’ misconduct, we can’t say His Highness Mikhail has no connection at all.”
“So all these friends Mikhail has been frequently hanging out with until recently are Despot Club members?”
“Yes.”
Nikolai pressed his throbbing forehead with one hand.
They say you can tell what kind of person someone is by looking at their friends.
The Mikhail in his memory was a good child, but many things had happened since then.
Though he didn’t expect him to still be the same as in his memories, it pained his heart to think he might be committing crimes.
“Is he in the south now?”
“What’s certain is that he’s not in the capital right now. Though we haven’t confirmed his exact whereabouts, it’s highly likely. Whenever he leaves the palace, he always goes to meet his friends in the south.”
He had a bad feeling.
Perhaps he might have to arrest his own brother with his own hands.
Though Oksana would surely intervene before it came to punishment, the very situation of meeting his long-unseen brother under such unpleasant circumstances wasn’t comfortable at all.
Just then, the door burst open from outside without a knock.
When Nikolai and Boris both turned their gazes to the door, Katya, who seemed to have run up as she was bent over panting, raised her head sharply, her strawberry blonde hair flying.
“Tia, you haven’t left yet?”
Nikolai approached with a worried face and stroked her arm.
“Did something happen?”
“Just a moment. I’m… too out of breath.”
Though she usually had good athletic ability, she had pushed herself too hard running so fast without even paying attention to her breathing.
“Take your time… You can tell me later. First, sit down.”
He pulled up a chair for her to sit and poured water in a cup.
Fortunately, being the spa city of Vasnetsov, they could easily get clear mineral water.
Instead of cooled tea water, Katya gulped down the clear water in one go and placed the empty cup firmly on the table.
After taking a deep breath, she wiped her wet lips with the back of her hand and looked up at him.
“I’ve decided.”
“What?”
“I’m not going back home. I’m staying here.”
“Tia, what’s this suddenly…”
“I want to follow along on your undercover mission.”
Nikolai blinked in surprise at those words.
He thought she was asking to continue their honeymoon schedule as planned, but his lovely bride made an unexpected request.
“Why suddenly the undercover mission?”
“Your undercover mission is all for the country, right? I want to do my duty as Grand Duchess too.”
“I understand what you mean, Tia. But I maintained that even three days would be dangerous for you. That hasn’t changed.”
“As you clearly saw with your own eyes last night at the hotel, I’m quite useful, aren’t I?”
“Why would I not know how capable you are? But that’s not what we’re discussing right now.”
“Especially if you’re investigating Molnitsky Girls’ Academy, I can definitely help. Though I didn’t graduate, I did attend there.”
Having already made up her mind, Katya was unstoppable.
A peculiar battle of nerves took place between her usual stubbornness and Nikolai who couldn’t yield for his wife’s safety.
Boris was watching carefully, wondering if he should leave the room first in this situation that could spark a marital dispute at any moment.
That’s when Katya played her trump card.
“Have you already forgotten your promise to always lose to me?”
“What?”
Nikolai soon recalled his own words from the past.
Specifically, it was a promise he made on the way back after Ivan’s trial.
“Are there fights you’re not confident about?”
“Marital fights with you?”
“Marital fights?”
“I may be the sovereign outside, but at home you’re always my ruler. As your subject, I promise to show you unwavering affection and obedience while diligently maintaining this beautiful face that pleases you.”
His past self had come back to bite him.
“You said I’m the ruler at home, and you promised to listen to me. I’m making this an order. Please listen since it’s an order.”
“You’re using it like this?”
“Please lose to me this time too.”
Though Katya called it an order, she kept pleading with twinkling eyes like stars.
This was really unfair.
The logic was sound and the reasoning sufficient, plus she was being cute.
Nikolai now realized he had jumped into a fight he could never win.
“I shot myself in the foot.”
“So you’re allowing it?”
“Do I have a choice? You’ll do what you want anyway.”
He slightly pouted his lips while grumbling.
“I am quite stubborn. I’ve been a demanding child since I was young.”
“Promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
Katya leaned toward him in a listening posture as if telling him to say anything.
“When it seems dangerous, hide behind me unconditionally. No, don’t jump into dangerous situations alone in the first place. You have to stick close to me in any situation. Even if you go far, stay within my sight.”
“That’s not just one thing.”
“Can you promise?”
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
Only then did Nikolai sigh in relief, seemingly satisfied.
Since Katya was unpredictable, he wanted to make sure to get this promise from her.
Boris, who had been caught between the couple, suddenly cleared his throat to make his presence known.
“Ahem.”
“What, Boris. You haven’t left yet?”
“I’m hurt when you say that. You’ll regret treating me so poorly when you find out what I’ve prepared.”
“Can you cut it short? Both Tia and I need to sleep since we stayed up all night.”
Nikolai spoke to Boris with an indifferent expression while looking at his yawning wife with warm eyes.
Though Boris felt hurt by the clear difference in treatment, he wasn’t surprised having seen plenty of his doting nature even before marriage.
“I’ve prepared a separate room for Your Highnesses.”
“In the next room?”
Boris shook his head while twitching his eyebrows.
“I’ve secured a famous hotel in town, and the highest grade room at that.”
“…What? Didn’t you say everywhere was fully booked for peak season?”
“I subtly hinted to that hotel’s manager about wanting to compensate for yesterday’s improper reservation of Room 404 and getting involved in a murder case. After the hotel side took responsibility and contacted their partner hotels, they found a vacant room. Apparently a newlywed couple from the capital was supposed to stay there but canceled because they called off the wedding on their wedding day.”
The aide puffed up his chest proudly at his achievement.
“No need to be moved. Isn’t it an aide’s job to prepare alternatives?”
“Why are you only telling me this now?”
“Because you said you were sending the Grand Duchess away.”
“You should have told me such things in advance! Let’s go, Tia.”
An excited Nikolai picked up his already dozing wife and left the room without even saying goodbye.
“Your Highness, aren’t you going to… say thank you?”
Boris felt wronged despite his accomplishment.
