Chapter 20: CH 20

“Are you suggesting that you’re going to have a contract marriage with me?”

Katya asked, unable to hold back any longer.

This scene was a regular feature in romance novels and plays.

“That would be easy to say. It’s a time-limited marriage where you agree in advance when it will end.”

“But isn’t that a divorce on paper, practically an abdication?”

“If it’s an abdication, there’s alimony.”

“Alimony?”

“Originally, the religious world forbade monarchs to divorce. The doctrine is that divorce is an unforgivable sin because it breaks the family unit created by the gods, but that didn’t stop all divorces.”

In principle, divorce was forbidden for monarchs, but Hersen’s predecessor, Grand Duke Yuri de Vasily, found a loophole in the religious code.

If the wife of a monarch became devout in religion, he papal court in Archetia granted her an exception.

Yuri had Nikolai’s biological mother, Tatiana, forcibly sent to a monastery so he can marry Oksana, his mistress.

Tatiana languished in the cold confines of the monastery until an untimely death.

One of Nikolai’s first acts as Grand Duke was to enact a law protecting future divorced grand duchesses, so as not to make an unfair scapegoat like his mother.

Even if the law prevented divorce, there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be other monarchs like his father who would try to get divorced anyway.

“In the event of a divorce due to her husband’s fault, the Grand Duchess would be paid alimony, a sum so large that future dukes would not dare to divorce. And the Grand Duchess was also free to divorce her husband if he agreed.”

This led to several protests from the Papal court.

However, Nikolai pushed ahead and succeeded in enacting the law.

“And in addition to that, the dowry and property that an Grand Duchess brought to the duchy when she married would be transferred to her in the event of a divorce.”

“Owned by the Grand Duchess? Not returned to the family?”

“If I were to marry you and take the title of Duke of Smirnov, that would mean that the title and all of my property would belong to you upon divorce.”

As a daughter, Katya could not inherit the title or the estate.

So if the Smirnov sisters married, their father’s titles and estates would belong to the son-in-law he had designated as his heir.

If neither of them married, the title would pass to a distant, faceless relative.

So Nikolai’s offer to keep the property that her father had spent his life building was very appealing to Katya.

“Moreover, wouldn’t it still be more impressive to live as a former Grand Duchess than to live as a woman who cohabitated with a wastrel like Ivan and got engaged?”

With the title of Grand Duchess, the fact that she was divorced from Ivan would be quickly forgotten.

“So what do you have to gain by marrying me?”

“An exciting new life with you?”

Nikolai’s eyes formed a curved line as they became filled with bewilderment.

This was a dangerous man.

He was dangerously handsome, and every word that escaped his seductive lips was dangerous.

Even his clear eyes, which sparkled with an oceanic blue light, were all the more deadly because their depths could not be easily gauged.

Katya, who had been staring at him, mesmerized, snapped out of it.

“Other than that, there is nothing left for you, Grand Duke.”

“Why would I have anything left? I’d have a lifetime of memories to pull out before I die.”

“…….”

“Take your time and think about it. I’ll give you all the time you need.”

“What if I don’t take you up on that offer?”

“If you refuse, we’ll still be friends, if that’s what you want. You have nothing to lose by having the Grand Duke as a friend.”

Nikolai gracefully turned and said that he would be her backup.

Leaving the parlor, Nikolai stopped in his tracks and turned around.

“Tia.”

“Yes?”

“Someday, when you’re comfortable with me again.”

“…….”

“Will you call me Nikki, like yesterday?”

The answer didn’t come quickly from her.

“Because it felt so…… good to hear you call me that.”

With that, Nikolai left the parlor.

***

Nikolai sought out the Duke every day after that.

But for some reason, he always went to see Duke Smirnov without asking for Katya.

Katya, who had come out of the room to take a walk with Laika, quickly hugged Laika and hid behind a wall upon spotting a familiar silver-haired man below the stairs.

This time he was going to the study.

He had been here so often that he now seemed to be able to find it without the butler’s guidance.

What he might be discussing with his father in there, she couldn’t tell, because the Duke remained completely silent.

She waited with bated breath for him to pass, and for some reason, her stomach suddenly felt empty.

“Laika!

She looked up to see Laika running toward Nikolai, who has just come up the stairs.

Katya stuck her head out to the side and called to her in a low voice, but it didn’t reach the excited dog’s ears.

The clueless mutt raised his front paws to greet Nikolai.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at the enthusiastic welcome.

Nikolai didn’t show any signs of resentment, even though the large dog’s tail was slapping hard against his leg.

Fearing that standing on his own two feet would strain the old dog’s joints, he simply bent down to make eye contact and stroke Laika’s head.

It was natural for dog owners to have a special vitality that was not found in anyone else who adored their puppies.

Katya had forgotten to hide, and stood staring at him as he played with Laika.

Nikolai, who had casually looked up, spotted her and stood up.

“I’m going to take Laika for a walk.”

Katya locked eyes with him and, feeling awkward, confessed without being asked.

“I see.”

“Let’s go, Laika.”

He tugged on the leash, and Laika sat down on her butt next to Nikolai, holding herself like a statue.

“What’s wrong with her, let’s go?”

Laika stuck out her tongue and looked back and forth between the two people with her big eyes.

Nikolai didn’t realize it, but the dog’s owner, Katya, quickly understood the dog’s intentions.

He wanted her to go for a walk with Nikolai.

Katya squatted down in front of Laika to try to convince the seemingly docile but secretly stubborn dog.

“Laika, if you go down now, I’ll give you two more treats.”

“Hehehe…….”

“Three then?”

“I like this person, sis. Passed.”

“Huh? Laika, you’re a girl.”

“……So, big sister.”

Wait a minute…….

Katya snapped her head up, suddenly realizing something was wrong.

Nikolai turned to the side, barely holding back a laugh.

Her face quickly flushed a bright red.

‘Why did I think it was obvious to converse with Laika in human language……!’

Katya exclaimed in shame.

“Oh, Grand Duke!”

“I thought that’s what the dog would say if she could talk.”

“You can even do vetriloquism?”

“Why, am I charming?”

“No!”

“You’re still as relentless as ever. I’ll stop bothering you, so go ahead.”

Nikolai held out both palms in surrender and turned toward the study.

By the way he walked away, it was clear he wasn’t here to press for answers.

Laika naturally followed him and walked beside him.

He grinned at the sight of his loyal follower and turned around to lock eyes with Katya.

“What am I to make of this? I think your puppy has already recognized me as your husband.”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that! Come here, Laika. Scary man, scary man!”

Katya gestured toward Laika and whispered in a very low voice.

“Tia.”

“What?”

“My hearing is sharper than I thought.”

“…….”

Isn’t that wrong? Katya muttered again.

“That’s why I can hear everything.”

“Oh, are you going to see Father again today?”

“No. According to the butler, Duke Smirnov is currently out.”

“What? Then why…?”

“Because the Duke told me before that I can come and borrow a book anytime.”

“Have a nice time, then.”

Katya bowed her head, greeted with a slight nod, and then turned around, holding the leash.

Walking alongside the lifeless Laika, suddenly Nikolai called out to her from behind.

“Yes?”

“You said before, you like knights. Do you enjoy jousting and such?”

“I like them, but they don’t happen often, so I satisfy my imagination by reading heroic tales and epics.”

“Well, if you have something interesting, I’d like to read it, so can you pick one out for me?”

“Then you’ll just have to borrow the book and leave quickly, okay?”

Nikolai gave a small laugh at that.

Had she come to the stage where she was self-conscious?

“Seeing what you’re doing.”

“How should I do it then?”

“If you keep acting cute like that, I might just want to squeeze you down completely.”

“Oh, really!”

Katya shot him an incredulous look and walked ahead of him.

Laika, thrilled to have Nikolai with her, bounced up and down the corridor, then sped off.

Meanwhile, Duke Smirnov had another visitor.

“What can I do for you?”

The butler flashed an awkward smile at the uninvited guest.

Without further ado, Ivan pushed his way in and rummaged around inside.

“Duke Smirnov, is he here?”

“He’s out for a while, but the next time he comes—”

“Never mind. I’ll wait for him, show me to the parlor.”

He ordered the butler unilaterally.

Ivan was furious now.

He had searched the neighborhood frantically after Katya’s disappearance, but had found no trace of her.

If she had gone home and told the truth, the duke, being the fool that he was, would have at least sent word by now, or at least filed a complaint, but he had done nothing.

So I didn’t think that Katya would have gone to the Duke.

Then, when we couldn’t find her, he sent someone to spy on her, and when he called to say that he saw her inside, he was furious and came running.

“How dare that lady scheme and deceive me? I won’t let this go!”