Chapter 9

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Oliver, the younger brother, put it simply, but what exactly is doting? This question troubled Nicholas, the older brother.

Until now, women had always come to Nicholas, and he had never chased after anyone. Because he had never chased after anyone, the idea of chasing after a woman or seducing her with words of love was something he could not even imagine.

When he asked his childhood friend, Prince Adolf, he was told to always kneel before his wife and pour out his love like a waterfall.

"Oliver, what exactly should I do?"

So busy that he could no longer think for himself, Nicholas finally gave up on thinking.

"Brother, if you don't know how to dote specifically, just imitate me!"

"Imitate...?"

"This is for the continuation of the ducal family! Think of it that way and try your best!"

"I see... Just try my best..."

For Oliver, 'doting' was far beyond Nicholas's imagination. It was not a subtle or erotic form of labor, but truly, truly physical labor...

"Sir, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

The first method of Oliver-style doting was to never let his wife climb the stairs. Given that she was already wearing a heavy dress, it was unthinkable for her to climb the stairs on her weak legs! So, the husband would carry her up the stairs.

While climbing the stairs, Katja, who was afraid of falling, would wrap her arms around Nicholas's neck and cling tightly to him. This could be considered a perk, but the next day, he would always have muscle pain. Carrying a woman up the stairs was unexpectedly heavy labor.

Incidentally, the third most difficult stairs to climb were the front stairs of the Valkia-Pa ducal family, the second were the stairs to the ballroom in the royal palace, and the first, by unanimous agreement, were the stairs to the Royal Opera House.

The ducal family's box seats were on the third floor, so Nicholas had to carry her all the way up to the third floor. To be able to carry her up to the third floor with ease, Nicholas secretly started strength training.

The second method of Oliver-style doting was to always prepare his wife's drinks and food himself, and even taste-test for poison. Oliver's ultimate goal seemed to be to feed his wife by mouth in public and to let her drink from his mouth, but Nicholas thought,

"Isn't that impossible...?"

For a normal young lady, if Nicholas or Oliver were to taste-test for poison,

"Kyaa! It's an indirect kiss!"

they would probably squeal in excitement. However, neither of their wives would react that way. Katja was already used to having poison tests done in advance, so even if Nicholas did it, it wouldn't feel special.

As for Kastehelmi, her expression would disappear every time the poison test was done. Given her experience of nearly being kidnapped, she understood the necessity of poison tests, but she would mutter,

"I should have built up a tolerance to poison from a young age..."

and Nicholas could hear her complaints.

The third method of Oliver-style doting was for the husband to never leave his wife's side. He would only dance with his wife, pull her close, and stick to her side. If another man tried to ask his wife to dance, he would become furious. Normally, social events were places to gather information, and even during dances with other partners, one could gather information or enjoy the company of others. However, Nicholas firmly refused to do so.

As a result, the Lahtavaara brothers became quite noticeable at social events, and their reputation spread like wildfire.

◇◇◇

The daily newspaper reports on the Lahtavaara brothers' doting (or eccentric) behavior attracted a lot of attention. Initially, newspapers had reported on white marriages or forbidden love between the younger brother and his sister-in-law, but now they were chasing after the ducal family brothers' doting behavior.

At today's social event, it was reported that Mr. Oliver had finally succeeded in feeding his wife a single bite of ice cream, and at a tea party hosted by the Valkia-Pa ducal family, Princess Katja had fed her husband, Mr. Nicholas, a piece of cake. Despite the trivial content, many people were excited about these stories.

"Apparently, the younger brother's dream is to feed his wife champagne by mouth."

"What a dream! I'm speechless!"

"But the two wives are quite cold towards their handsome husbands."

"Cold? Are they salty?"

"That's right, they only give salty reactions."

"In the noble circles, there's a bet on when the two wives will finally fall for their handsome husbands."

"When do you think they'll fall?"

"Well, by next spring, I think."

"No, they'll fall by the time the snow starts."

"Maybe, but I think..."

While many of the citizens of the Lahde Kingdom were engrossed in the progress of the Lahtavaara brothers' marriages, Princess Johanna, who had delayed her return to the Luero Kingdom to study abroad, smashed a vase against the wall in frustration.

"Really, really! I can't believe this! How did it come to this!"

Johanna, known for her beauty, could be described as a showy beauty like a large rose compared to her half-sister, Katja. Compared to Katja, who exuded a naive charm, Johanna, with her sensuality, was undoubtedly more to Nicholas's taste.

Attractive men always gathered around Johanna, while only plain men approached Katja. At social events, Johanna would always watch this amusing scene.

"Katja, my beloved, I can't live without you. Please stay by my side today and don't dance with anyone else."

Watching Katja, who was monopolized by Nicholas's sweet whispers, Johanna snapped her fan in half.

"Rick! You said you could create a play to separate the two. Is it really happening? I'll be angry if it's a lie!"

"Of course, Anna! We're making sure the play can be performed properly."

"Really, really? You haven't wasted the money I gave you?"

"Of course not, Anna! I promise you'll love the content!"

Johanna, who had pushed her sister into marriage with a duke, deeply regretted it at her sister's wedding. Nicholas was an incredibly handsome and wealthy young duke with a promising future.

Since the young duke was eight years older than Katja, Johanna thought he would be more to her taste. If Johanna could win Nicholas's heart and take him from Katja, the bratty Katja would surely be devastated.

Johanna, who had disliked Katja since she was born, wanted to make her despair.

Initially, Johanna thought about taking Nicholas from Katja to make her despair, but after seeing Nicholas dote on Katja, she changed her mind. She decided to make Katja and Nicholas both fall into the depths of unhappiness.

"First, we need to ruin that man's reputation..."

"That's definitely possible."

Rick, who had been acting like Johanna's lover since she came to the Lahde Kingdom, smiled broadly and said,

"The performance starts tomorrow, so look forward to it, Anna. I'm sure you'll be captivated!"

The heat has been unbearable, with record-breaking hot days. I hope this can provide a bit of a mood changer! I update daily, so I hope you'll stay with me until the end!

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