MLHRGD 04

#o4. The Wedding (3)

A faint smile appeared on Dmitri’s lips but quickly vanished.

“Then, I’ll be going. I’ll see you at the ceremony.”

Speaking like he was ordering a subordinate, the Grand Duke exited the room.

The bridal waiting room became quiet again.

Olga, who had been staying back, couldn’t hide her nervousness and came rushing over to Sasha.

“My lady! What do we do now?!”

“Hm? Why?”

Sasha tilted her head in confusion as Olga explained the seriousness of the problem.

“The groom not showing up to the wedding is a big deal! What should we do?”

“There’s nothing we can do. We can’t bother a sick person just because of a wedding.”

“But still…”

“His health comes first.”

“My lady…”

Olga felt frustrated.

Sasha called it “just a wedding,” but to Olga, it wasn’t just that.

A wedding was a sacred ceremony and a grand social event for both families and their noble connections.

“People will talk badly about you, my lady… How could I watch that happen… sob!”

The idea of her mistress being mocked and ridiculed filled Olga with sorrow.

“Um, Olga…?”

“Waaaah!”

“……”

Honestly, Sasha didn’t understand why Olga was crying like the world had ended over something like this.

There were far sadder things in the world than being gossiped about.

Still, Sasha tried to understand.

‘Olga is just overprotective. She’s probably crying because she thinks I’ll be hurt.’

People had once called Sasha “possessed” because she used to stare blankly and live like she had given up.

Olga had entered the estate just as Sasha began to recover.

Although she had been scared at first by Sasha’s bad reputation, meeting her changed everything.

The girl she was to care for was like an angel—a gift from the heavens to a woman who had lost her child.

From then on, Olga raised Sasha like her own daughter and heard all the insults Sasha had to endure.

Most people still found Sasha unsettling and whispered cruel words, even in front of her.

As just a servant, Olga likely heard even worse things.

‘Whenever a stranger visited the estate, Olga would always get angry or cry.’

Because of that, Olga was extremely sensitive about people insulting Sasha—more than Sasha herself.

Knowing this, Sasha couldn’t be cold to Olga.

“Olga.”

Sasha held out her hand to the sobbing Olga.

It was her habit to hold someone’s hand when she wanted to say something serious.

Olga, used to that habit, immediately took Sasha’s hand.

Olga’s hand was large, rough, and strong, unlike her soft heart.

The hand that always cared for her.

Sasha smiled gently.

“Shhh. Stop crying.”

“Sniff…”

“Who cares what people say? I don’t mind what they whisper at the ceremony.”

“But…!”

“As long as the people who love me truly celebrate, that’s enough.”

Olga felt Sasha’s words were genuine, not just her pretending to be okay.

And so, her tears slowly stopped.

“My lady…”

As Olga looked at Sasha with tearful eyes—

Knock knock.

A knock came from the door, followed by a strange man’s voice.

“May I come in for a moment?”

Sasha and Olga exchanged puzzled looks.

‘Who could it be?’

With the wedding about to begin, no one else was expected in the bridal room.

All the close relatives had already visited to give their blessings.

While they sat in confusion, the man spoke again.

“Hmm? No one’s in here? They said the bride was here…”

Whoever it was, he seemed to be looking for Sasha.

With a puzzled look still on her face, Sasha answered:

“No, you can come in.”

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

The door opened, and a man in his 30s entered with a kind smile.

Unlike the strikingly handsome Dmitri Volkov, this man wasn’t particularly handsome or muscular.

But with his warm smile and dark brown hair covering his forehead, he gave off a friendly vibe.

Very different from the sharp and uncomfortable aura of the Grand Duke.

‘Who is he?’

He looked like a noble from a wealthy family.

While Sasha studied the man, he also looked her over.

“Are you Alexandra Arban?”

“…Yes.”

“Ah! Nice to meet you, very nice!”

The man walked up and introduced himself.

“I am Count Tula, Gregory Volkov. I’m Pavel’s uncle—you’re marrying him.”

“Ah, yes, Count Tula.”

But why had the groom’s uncle come here alone?

Not hiding her confusion, Sasha looked at him as he smiled.

“We’ll soon be family, right? And since we’ll be living under the same roof, I wanted to greet you first.”

“We’ll be living together…?”

“Ah! You didn’t know. My brother is busy, so I manage the estate. I also run the castle, so we’ll see each other often.”

So Sasha would be staying at the Volkov estate after marriage.

‘If he’s a count, he should have his own land and castle. Why doesn’t he live there…?’

Then Sasha remembered the story Olga had told her about the Volkov family.

The Grand Duchess died giving birth to Pavel. The Grand Duke left for war right after.

Even though many proposals came his way, he rejected them all.

He spent most of his time on the battlefield and rarely stayed at the estate.

Sometimes he came to the capital by the emperor’s order, staying even less in his territory.

He could wander freely thanks to a trusted relative who acted as his proxy.

‘So it’s this man?’

A younger brother would be more trustworthy than a distant relative.

‘Real brothers, huh…’

Sasha compared the warm, smiling Gregory Volkov to the stern, cold Dmitri Volkov.

The Grand Duke looked like a sharpened sword from years of war.

Count Tula, on the other hand, had the gentle image of a scholar.

But something felt off.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. I’m not as strict as my brother.”

Then why did Sasha feel a chill run down her spine?

“Ah! Since we’re family now, how about calling me Uncle Gregory?”

He smiled like he assumed Sasha wouldn’t say no.

She didn’t like his overconfidence, but—

“…Yes, Uncle.”

Sasha answered sweetly, hiding her wariness.

Count Tula smiled, satisfied with her obedient response.

“Good, good. You seem like a kind girl. Let’s get along well.”

He patted Sasha’s shoulder and continued as if he had just remembered something.

“Oh, and unfortunately, Pavel won’t be attending the wedding today.”

“Yes, I heard.”

Gregory paused at her response, then asked gently.

“You heard? From whom?”

“The Grand Duke came earlier and told me.”

“Really? My brother told you?”

For a moment, Gregory frowned, clearly displeased.

But it was gone in a flash.

Sasha noticed it, but by the time she did, Gregory was smiling again like nothing had happened.

‘What was that?’

While Sasha was still puzzled, he spoke again.

“I suppose my brother is paying more attention because it’s his son’s wedding. He usually doesn’t care much.”

“……”

Gregory muttered, then changed the subject with a look at Sasha.

“You might not know, but Pavel has always been sickly. He’s not pretending to be sick to cause you trouble.”

“I see.”

“But there’s one thing that worries me—he’s very stubborn.”

“……?”

Gregory gave a strange smile.

“Once the wedding date was set, he suddenly said he didn’t want to get married. He even stopped eating, locking himself in his room.”

Sasha blinked.

‘Why is he telling me this?’

She stared at Gregory.

Sensing her stare, he clicked his tongue like he’d made a mistake.

“Oh dear! I misspoke. Did I upset you?”

“…I’m fine.”

“Still, I’m sorry.”

He continued in a voice that didn’t sound sorry at all—if anything, he seemed pleased.

“Pavel is still young and doesn’t know much. If things don’t go his way, he tends to sulk.”

“I understand.”

“It’s not that he doesn’t like you, he just doesn’t want to be forced into marriage.”

“It’s okay. I’m not upset.”

“Good, good. You’re a good child.”

He praised her again.

“It’s fortunate someone like you is joining our family. Life with Pavel may be hard, but I hope you can get along.”

“Yes.”

After a few more words, Count Tula left the room.

The moment he was gone, Olga exploded.

“He stopped eating because he didn’t want to marry you? How dare he!”

“……”

“What if the Grand Duke lied too? Maybe he’s faking illness just to embarrass you!”

While Olga fumed in anger, Sasha calmly thought:

‘Is what he said even true?’