Nikolai sat in his family manor's living room along with his sister, their parents and a few other relatives.

His family had requested the Grand Duke to come to their manor and discuss their proposal of marriage.

The family was dressed to the nines, wearing their best clothes to show the Grand Duke that their family wasn't to be taken lightly with Maria sitting in the middle.

Nikolai sat alone on one of the armchairs, a few metres away from the sofas as he calmly fiddled with the end of his braid, formulating a plan to steal the Duke's heart.