#37. Proof (1)
After Count Tula’s schemes were exposed, many things changed.
The biggest change was how people looked at Pavel.
Before, whenever they saw him, they whispered behind his back, calling him “the devil” or “the unfit heir.”
But after Count Tula’s crimes were revealed, people became very careful with their words.
They started saying maybe everything they had believed about Pavel had been fabricated by Count Tula.
His confident appearance when he brought back the Barudum flower…
And the fact that he hadn’t caused any trouble since Count Tula’s disappearance…
All of this influenced the shift in public opinion.
“Now that Count Tula is gone, you can see how composed young master Pavel is. His sharp attitude in the past must have all been because of the Count’s abuse.”
This belief quickly dominated the narrative, overturning Pavel’s previously terrible reputation.
“Poor boy. We all criticized him without even knowing the truth.”
“Exactly. The rumors were so exaggerated that even people far away in the capital knew about them.”
“It’s upsetting to think about how much he must have suffered all this time.”
Now, whenever Pavel left his room, pitiful and curious glances followed him everywhere.
Annoyed, Pavel frowned deeply and shut himself back in his room.
But he couldn’t stay in seclusion for long.
That was because of the second major change that directly affected him.
After Count Tula was gone, Sasha and Pavel moved into Velikor Castle.
Pavel, oddly attached to the small annex, didn’t want to leave it.
But Grand Duke Volkov was firm.
He refused to let Pavel stay in the old, crumbling cabin and had all his belongings moved.
Pavel grumbled but ultimately obeyed.
…Of course, it was really because he found out he’d be in the room next to Sasha’s.
At Velikor Castle, the two were given large, side-by-side rooms—the ones meant for the heir and his wife.
Seeing Pavel finally restored as the true, recognized heir, Sasha felt satisfied.
But when it came to other changes, she couldn’t say she was completely happy.
Life in Velikor Castle was exhausting from the first day.
First, Sasha was given a tour of the entire castle.
She had to memorize the names and purposes of over a hundred rooms.
“This is the banquet hall used for small parties, mainly opened in summer. During other seasons, they use the hall next door.”
She also had to learn what facilities were outside the castle.
“Is this the stables?”
“Yes. But we can’t go in now. They’re full of warhorses who are still unsettled from the battlefield, so it’s dangerous.”
And even things like—
“Are these all the silver dishes?”
“No, there are more in the storage building with the blue roof.”
Sasha thoroughly inspected every corner of the castle until she knew exactly what was there.
“Phew. This place is so huge and has so much stuff.”
When Sasha sighed, Olga—who had been guiding her—panicked.
“You must be overexerting yourself, my lady! Please go rest! Oh no, you can’t fall ill.”
With a worried face, Olga hurried Sasha to her bedroom.
Sasha stopped Olga from massaging her shoulders and instead had her sit beside her.
“Things must be hard for you too, right?”
“Yes. There’s a lot to do. It’s my first time as head maid, so I have a lot to learn, and I also have to manage all the new hires….”
In the meantime, Olga had been rapidly promoted to head maid.
It made sense—Sasha was now the young mistress, so her long-time caretaker deserved a proper position.
But even Olga hadn’t expected such a big promotion.
It had happened because of Count Tula again.
After his downfall, everyone who had supported him was removed.
The castle became short-staffed, especially in management roles.
The butler and the head maid—both loyal to Count Tula—had been executed, leaving vacancies.
So Olga was suddenly placed in the role.
Sasha was surprised but congratulated her. Olga was happy about her promotion.
But now, seeing her so tired, Sasha was worried.
“Olga, is it too hard for you?”
“It is hard, but I like it. I’ll work hard so I can be helpful to you, my lady.”
Olga clenched her fists.
She admitted she had been upset that she hadn’t been able to support Sasha much while they were living in the annex.
Sasha held Olga’s hand tightly.
“Just having you by my side is a big help.”
“My lady…!”
“I mean it. It’s reassuring just knowing I have someone on my side. So if it gets too hard, don’t hesitate to rest, alright?”
Olga looked at Sasha with teary eyes.
“Truly, you’re the only one who cares about me like this.”
“Of course. I care about you a lot. We need to stay healthy and live together for a long time.”
They smiled brightly at each other.
The atmosphere in Sasha’s bedroom was warm and full of laughter…
Meanwhile, in the conference room
Grand Duke Volkov sat at the head of the table, surrounded by his retainers.
“You still haven’t resolved it?”
He clicked his tongue, and the already heavy atmosphere became even heavier.
The retainers glanced nervously at the Duke.
Since Count Tula’s crimes had been exposed, the Duke’s mood had been consistently dark.
‘Our already terrifying lord has become even scarier!’
They had been walking on eggshells, afraid of drawing his anger and being crushed.
‘This is all Count Tula’s fault! If that man hadn’t caused such a mess, we wouldn’t be suffering like this!’
The retainers cursed the disgraced Count, who was now working as a slave in the mines.
After all his crimes were revealed, Count Tula was stripped of everything and sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor in the mines.
He probably wouldn’t survive for more than a few months, but that short life would be filled with pain.
He had not only lost the position of Grand Duke he so desired, but his beloved domain became Dmitri’s direct territory, and all his wealth went into the Duke’s coffers.
It was said that a few days after starting mine labor, he tried to bite his tongue and kill himself, but he was caught and whipped.
But despite his downfall, problems still remained.
Count Tula had rooted himself so deeply into the administration for over ten years that once his allies were purged, there was no one left to handle the work.
Everything from coachmen to administrative aides was paralyzed.
Even after recalling distant retainers and bringing out retired ones, there still weren’t enough hands.
The document Dmitri had just finished reading was another report on problems caused by the administrative vacuum.
He set the report down and ordered,
“Resolve it as quickly as possible.”
“Yes!”
The retainers replied in unison.
The Duke’s piercing gaze swept across them before he raised another topic.
“Have we heard back from Lord Sergey?”
“Yes! Lord Sergey gladly accepted after hearing the news.”
The Duke’s hardened face softened.
Sergey Molcharin.
He was known as the greatest swordsman of the era, a living hero who had ended a war that had lasted nearly thirty years.
Now retired and wandering, Sergey had been contacted by House Volkov.
They had asked him to become Pavel’s teacher.
The first reason was to provide the best instructor for Pavel, who had received a poor education under Count Tula’s unqualified tutors.
The second reason was that Pavel, though now the official heir, still lacked a strong support base.
A steadfast and highly respected figure like Sergey Molcharin would be a powerful ally.
Dmitri did not want a repeat of what had happened with Count Tula.
He didn’t want Pavel to be vulnerable when he was absent.
So even while buried in work, he carefully selected a tutor for Pavel.
Until Sergey’s arrival, he had even ordered Igor to temporarily teach Pavel.
As the head of the famous Medvedev family and the Duke’s closest aide, Igor would also serve as a strong supporter for Pavel.
The results were immediate.
“The young master is truly remarkable,” Igor said.
“He has an incredible talent for understanding things quickly, and his perseverance is admirable. But above all, his fundamentals are solid.”
Igor described what he had observed while teaching Pavel over the past few days.
“How did he develop such a strong foundation? Our young master might be a genius! Lord Sergey will be shocked when he begins teaching him!”
Even as Igor praised Pavel excitedly, Grand Duke Volkov remained silent instead of joining in.
Unlike Igor, he knew Pavel hadn’t learned everything on his own.
‘Alexandra Arban…’
Or rather, Alexandra Volkov now.
The Duke thought of his daughter-in-law.
