CHAPTER 166: THE DEVIL’S LAW PT1

Lydia sat calmly at the terrace, though there was no calmness inside her heart. Her hands rested on the arm of her chair, her eyes fixed far away, almost as if she wasn’t seeing what was before her. She was trying to keep her face cold, her voice sharp, her emotions buried deep inside. Across from her sat a woman in her late thirties. Her dress was simple, her hair neat though a little loose, and her eyes swollen from crying. She looked weak, desperate, almost like someone who had been wandering for days with no rest.

Katherine entered quietly, carrying a jug of water and a glass. She poured slowly and handed it to the woman with gentle hands. "Here, drink," Katherine said softly.

The woman’s hands trembled as she took it. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice broken. She drank, and some of the color returned to her face, but her eyes still looked heavy with sorrow.

Katherine asked carefully, "Do you need anything else?"

The woman shook her head. "No... this is enough."

For a long moment, silence lingered between them. The air was thick with tension. Lydia finally spoke. Her voice was strict, cutting through the quiet like a blade. "Who are you?"

The woman cleared her throat and tried to sit straighter. "My name is Anna Petrovna. I am the wife of Konstantin Fedorov, the Baron of Svetlana."

Lydia’s eyes narrowed a little. She tilted her head. "And why are you here?"

Anna’s lips quivered. She clasped her hands together tightly as if in prayer. "I came because... because I need your help. You are the only one who can help me."

Lydia’s eyes turned sharper. Her voice was low and cold. "How so?"

Anna’s tears spilled again as she spoke. "Please, your highness. Help me. It’s my husband. He plans to divorce me tomorrow. Please... I have no one else. I beg you."

Lydia gave a sharp scoff. She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "Do I look like a priest to you? Last time I checked, not even the Czar himself can command what happens in someone’s marriage. So tell me, what makes you think I can help you?"

Anna’s eyes widened in fear, but she didn’t stop. Her voice cracked as she pleaded, "Because you are the Grand Duchess. People listen to you. If you speak, if you take my side, maybe he will change his mind. Please, your highness, I am begging you."

Lydia looked at her with an expression that was almost mocking. Her voice was icy. "If you came for help, the only thing I can offer you is a position as a lady-in-waiting. I plan on firing my current one. But as for your marriage—" She stood, brushing off her dress with an air of finality. "—that is not my concern. So please... leave."

She turned to go, but before she could take another step, Anna fell to her knees and grabbed her hands tightly.

"Please!" Anna cried out, her voice raw with desperation. "We have been married for eighteen years. I have no family, no home to return to if he abandons me. My parents are gone. What will happen to me if I am cast aside?" Tears streamed down her face as her body trembled. "He says I am barren. That is his excuse. But it is not true, your highness. I have been checked by many doctors, all of them said I am healthy. There is nothing wrong with me. I have tried everything, prayed every prayer, but nothing changes. Now he wants to throw me away. My parents left everything they owned in his name because they trusted him. I have nothing. Nothing at all. What do I do? Where do I go?"

Her words fell like sharp stones into Lydia’s chest.

For a moment, Lydia wasn’t standing in that terrace anymore. She wasn’t the Grand Duchess. She wasn’t the powerful woman everyone feared and respected. She was herself again... years ago.

On her knees.

Begging Ivan not to divorce her.

Crying until her throat ached.

Grabbing his hands the same way this woman was grabbing hers.

Pleading, trembling, praying that he would change his mind.

And worst of all... remembering how he looked at her then. Cold. Detached. Like her tears meant nothing.

A sharp pain rose in Lydia’s chest. She felt like crying, but she refused to let it happen in front of a stranger. Her face hardened. She pulled her hands away sharply.

"I am sorry," Lydia said, her voice like iron. "But I cannot help you."

She turned her back, leaving Anna still kneeling on the floor, her cries echoing in the terrace.

Lydia walked back to her chambers, but her steps were heavy. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, her chest rising and falling quickly. But still, there was no peace.

Her heart wouldn’t stop replaying the image. Anna’s cries. Anna’s trembling hands. Anna begging on her knees.

But worse than Anna, she saw herself. She saw her own broken body, kneeling before Ivan. She saw the hopelessness in her own eyes. She saw how powerless she was back then.

It was like a wound reopening inside her.

Her lips trembled. Her hands shook. She sat on the edge of her bed, closing her eyes, whispering bitterly, "Why does this memory never leave me..."

She clenched her fists until her nails dug into her skin.

Then came a knock on her door.

Her voice was tired. "Please... I want to be alone."

But Katherine’s voice was soft on the other side. "She is still waiting in the terrace, your highness. She hasn’t moved. I don’t think you should let her go like this. Please... help her."

Lydia let out a scoff that was almost bitter laughter. "Why should I? Tell me, Katherine. Why should I? When I was in her shoes, did anyone help me? Did anyone stand for me?"

There was silence for a long moment.

Then Katherine’s quiet voice spoke. "You are right. No one did. But now you can. You have the power now. You can protect women from situations like this. You are the Grand Duchess. You can be the one who changes things. You can be the voice for women who are powerless."

Lydia’s breath caught in her chest.

Katherine’s voice grew gentler. "I know you are a good woman, your highness. Don’t let your hate for his highness destroy that goodness. Please."

With that, Katherine left.

Lydia sat in silence. Katherine’s words hung in the air like a heavy weight.

The truth burned in her chest. She knew Katherine was right. The reason she had suffered was because no one stood up for her. If she abandoned Anna now, then what difference was there between her and the people who turned away from her cries?

And worse... if she let Anna go, it would only prove to men like Konstantin that they could keep crushing women without consequences.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Finally, she stood and walked back to the terrace.

Anna was still there, kneeling, sobbing quietly, her face red and swollen. She looked as if she barely had the strength to move.

When Lydia came closer, Anna struggled to rise but almost fell. A hand reached out and steadied her.

Lydia’s cold voice cut the silence. "I will help you."

Anna’s eyes widened with disbelief. "You... you will?"

"Yes," Lydia said. Her tone was calm but sharp. "But I want something in return."

Anna quickly nodded. "I will do anything. Anything you ask."