“The most mysterious person from the Romanov dynasty” - this is what historians say about Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich. He was the nephew of Alexander II, the cousin of Alexander III, and the great uncle of Emperor Nicholas II. Despite this relationship, the ruling dynasty disowned him. She considered Nikolai Konstantinovich her disgrace, persecuted him and kept silent. They did not write about the Grand Duke even under Soviet rule. And then they forgot about him. Only in recent years has the veil of secrecy been lifted. The book tells about this extraordinary man, who lived a stormy, adventurous life. One of the literary sensations of the fateful 1917 was the publication of “The Chapter of the “August” Novel” in the Petrograd magazine “Argus”. A scandalous page in the history of the just overthrown dynasty has become the property of society. Russia learned about the “iron mask” of the Romanovs. Here is what the editors of Argus wrote: “Few people remember about him. His name has not been mentioned in the chronicles of court life for a long time. Only after the events of February 27 did he remind himself by telegram, about his submission to the power of the new government. Meanwhile, his character, position in the august family, his attitude towards it and court circles were exceptional. And before, many were aware of some circumstances from the life of the Grand Duke: a fantastic story of the theft of precious stones, the recognition of the prince as crazy, his life in Turkestan under the supervision of gendarmerie generals... The once famous American adventurer Fanny Lear, who turned the heads of many high-ranking persons in Europe, arrived in Russia and became interested in the eldest son of the Grand Duke, Admiral General Constantine Nikolaevich. This novel ended tragically for the young Grand Duke - with exile to Turkestan, where he remains to this day, and, expelled from Russia, Fanny Lear, wanting to rehabilitate herself from absurd accusations and rumors, described in detail her life with her august patron. And the personality of the hero of all these adventures, and the setting in which they took place, depicted by one of the characters, should interest anyone who would like to look at the life of the court, devoid of the thick varnish of officialdom. Some of the narrated episodes seem fantastic, but we should not forget that the truth is often more incredible fiction.” And now let’s give the floor to the woman he loved and remembered all his life.