Chapter 4

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Before winter arrived, Princess Katjina was determined to get married, and so preparations for Niklas's wedding were rushed. However, his parents were unable to attend the grand ceremony.

Since the royal family did not grant permission, a tear-stained letter arrived from his mother, who remained in the territory:

"Please come and visit with your bride."

Niklas couldn't help but feel tears well up in his eyes.

If the empire hadn't developed steam locomotives... if our country hadn't acquired the right to purchase locomotives... if there hadn't been talks of building a railway between the Kingdom of Ruréo and the Kingdom of Lahti... perhaps life would have continued as it always had...

"Wasn't he one of the husbands in a polyandrous marriage?"

"Disgusting!"

"The idea of multiple men sharing one woman!"

"Horrible!"

Without the talks of the railway, Kastehermi wouldn't have married into the ducal family, and there wouldn't have been baseless rumors and gossip. To begin with, Niklas had never shared a bed with Yuriana. He often had tea parties with his brother and took evening strolls with her, but it was only to see his brother's jealous face. There was no deeper meaning to it.

"Niklas, you've remained single until now, so it's understandable that you're being called one of the husbands in a polyandrous marriage," Prince Adolph, who was the same age as Niklas, said with a straight face.

"I followed my duty and married at twenty, and I already have two children. In comparison, what about you? You kept Yuriana close at home and enjoyed frivolous romances with many young ladies outside. As the heir of the ducal family, you abandoned your duties and indulged in pleasure. You should have been well aware of the consequences."

Prince Adolph, who had called Niklas to his office, didn't even offer him a cup of tea before making his statement.

"You are about to marry a princess from a neighboring country, and this is a political marriage. The bride has changed from Princess Joanna to Princess Katjina, but you must not have any objections. It is your duty to serve Princess Katjina with sincerity."

Niklas, understanding this without needing to be told, clearly acknowledged it and bowed respectfully.

Thus, the grand wedding ceremony, involving both countries, took place in the capital's cathedral. Niklas sincerely pledged his vows and, unlike his brother's pretense, genuinely kissed his bride.

Princess Katjina, who was eight years younger than Niklas, was an intelligent princess with a tall stature. In heels, she was almost as tall as Niklas, and despite her younger age, she had a commanding presence.

Throughout the reception, he cared for his bride, and he skillfully handled Princess Joanna's seductive words. He remained loyal to his bride until the end and moved to the bridal chamber.

"No, no, no, no! Even though it's the wedding night, we won't be engaging in any physical activity! This has been approved by the kings of both countries," the bride declared in a Ruréo accent.

"I've heard rumors that you were one of the men sharing a woman. That's definitely a concern for disease! Women are the ones who suffer from infections, and recent studies in the empire have shown that it can lead to infertility. Do you understand so far?"

The bride looked at the stunned Niklas, assuming he had given the OK sign, and nodded.

"I asked my father to bring a specialist in Osimo's disease. For a month, you'll have to see this doctor every day. If everything is fine, then we'll consider the wedding night."

Princess Katjina was sitting on a sofa in the bedroom, and Niklas sat next to her, hanging his head.

"I was never part of a polyandrous marriage! I never shared a bed with Yuriana!"

"You can say anything, but you can't prove it. Even if you didn't sleep with Yuriana, you might have slept with other women. Sleeping with multiple women means you might have a disease."

Niklas stared at the princess sitting next to him. At eighteen, her skin was healthy and glowing, with a few freckles on her nose. Her emerald eyes, a trait of the Ruréo royal family, sparkled, and her ash-blonde hair, which had gentle waves, reached her waist.

"By the way, it's okay if you say, 'I won't touch you!' It's a common line in novels, but I don't mind at all!"

"It's a line from a novel..."

Niklas couldn't help but hang his head.

The two sons of the Lahtavaara ducal family were very popular among the noblewomen. Every young lady wanted to marry Niklas or Oliver, and there was fierce competition. Even with Prince Adolph of the same generation, the popularity was divided, but any woman would be captivated by Niklas's handsome face.

Princess Joanna, who visited the Kingdom of Lahti for the wedding, had hearts in her eyes and was clearly sending flirtatious glances at Niklas, despite her sister, Princess Katjina, being the bride.

However, Princess Katjina treated Niklas as if he had a sexually transmitted disease. She had even brought a specialist from her country, which was humiliating. Was it acceptable to have such a humiliating wedding night?

"I wanted to be scolded for thinking the world revolves around me when I return to the ducal mansion."

At such a time, he remembered his brother's words:

"Brother, don't boycott the wedding night. Please cherish and love your new wife."

Indeed, she was a girl eight years younger, so he needed to take good care of her.

"I won't touch Princess Katjina."

Niklas raised his hands and declared:

"Our country's people love rumors, and they say that interesting stories can travel three thousand miles in a night. I never imagined that rumors from our kingdom would reach your country, and I don't know how they've been exaggerated."

Niklas raised his hands in surrender and continued:

"So, can I tell you my story today? About the girl named Yuriana, whom my mother brought when I was young, and our relationship."

Katjina looked at Niklas with a "Huh" expression.

"Since we don't know each other, let's start with introductions. We can talk about the heir issue later, but if the worst comes to the worst, we can adopt from the family."

"Your brother recently got married, right?"

Katjina was probably referring to the possibility of her brother-in-law having children...

"My brother is in a white marriage, just like me. I don't know how long it will last, but we can't rely on others."

"Then, can you tell me what he did?"

"Of course," Niklas nodded.

"There should be no secrets between a husband and wife."

As he said this, Niklas slumped and threw his legs out.

From here, the rumors will spread, and the story will unfold. I plan to update at 11:00 AM tomorrow! I know it's been unbearably hot, but I hope this can be a bit of a mood changer!

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