Their marriage remained unconsummated, and Oldenburg was believed by family and friends to be homosexual. Two years after their marriage, Olga met a cavalry officer her own age, Nikolai Kulikovsky, member of Russian-Moldavian Kulikovsky noble family, to whom she was attracted.
The couple's wedding remained unfulfilled, and Oldenburg was thought by their social circle to be attracted to men. Two years later, Olga met a cavalry officer her age, Nikolai Kulikovsky, from the influential Kulikovsky family, with whom she felt an attraction.