CH 8

“Did you say they hurt me?”

Katya asked, blinking in surprise.

She felt a little queasy that a man whose name she didn’t even know had made such a fuss over her.

Where had she seen this before, yes, in a romance novel?

A valiant knight rescuing a princess trapped in a tower.

So this is a common scene in love stories.

A question popped into her head, and without hesitation, Katya blurted it out.

“……Do you like me?”

She was expecting a heart-stopping no, but Nikolai’s expression was puzzling, neither affirming nor denying.

Katya’s cheeks instantly turned peachy at his attitude.

She had thought that romance was only possible in novels and theatre.

She thought of all the men who had asked her to marry them.

All of them had coveted the dowry of the Smirnov dukedom, but none of them had proposed because they truly loved Katya, the so-called southern wench.

During the social season, she reluctantly went to balls due to her father’s wishes, but everyone was too busy avoiding her when they saw her.

Katya had never been attracted to anyone in her life, and she had never been interested in a real, non-fictional man.

Thanks to her lack of romantic experience, she was completely out of her depth in this area, so it was understandable that she would panic.

‘Why won’t he answer me? Does he actually like me?’

Nikolai looked like the kind of man you imagine when you read about chivalrous heroes and romance novels.

For the first time in her life, she felt romantically attracted to a man whose face and body perfectly matched her ideal.

But technically, he was a commoner in Padovangrad, and she was the daughter of a lord.

It would never happen anyway because of the difference in status, so it was better not to start.

Being a lord’s daughter was no excuse for molesting the innocent, good-hearted mind of a commoner.

She didn’t want to be one of those ugly nobles who made commoner lovers before marriage, or even after, and then played with them and had illegitimate children.

“Ahem! Ahm!”

Katya cleared her throat.

It was obvious that the man considered her a commoner. She needed to draw a line in the sand before she dug herself deeper.

“I’m warning you, you don’t like me.”

“…….”

“I’m not the kind of woman you can handle.”

Katya rubbed the tip of her nose with her index finger and let out her prepared remark.

Uhm– I was kind of cool.

The corner of Nikolai’s mouth twitched upward as he stared down at her, drunk on her own lines.

“It seems like you’re overflowing because you’re so abundant.”

“Isn’t that right, I mean–”

“But I won’t know if I’m the right vessel to hold you, unless I hold you.”

“That’s what I mean……. Wait, what?”

The moment Katya, who belatedly realized what she was saying, was about to retort, Nikolai put his hand behind her knee and suddenly hugged her.

“What, what are you doing?”

“You said we’re going home. We agreed to go together.”

“Well, why should I come along?”

“Because your leg looks uncomfortable.”

Nikolai had already noticed that Katya, who had sprained her ankle, was unconsciously holding onto her other leg.

“It’s okay, I can walk on my own.”

“I’m not okay. How many years will it take you to get there with a limp? It’s much faster this way.”

“Because I’m heavy.”

Katya purred, her eyes watering.

“It’s not heavy. It’s too light.”

“Are you being sarcastic, or are you bragging about how strong you are?”

“On the contrary, I’m not bragging, I’m warning you. I’ve hardly ever seen anything as small and light as you, so I’m afraid I might be clumsy.”

It was the first time in his life that Nikolai had ever carried a woman.

The only men he’d ever carried in his arms before were wounded knights, each one as big as Nikolai, if not bigger.

Such men were easily carried, and by comparison, Katya was an uncomfortably small and light creature.

“What are you talking about? I’m bigger than average?”

Katya shot back with an incredulous look.

Nikolai swallowed hard to say that it was only in the South.

Long ago, the aristocracy of the Charmante Empire founded the Grand Duchy of Hersen in the northeastern part of the Western Continent.

Only the strongest survived the inhospitable land and bitter cold, and the Hersians of today were born, men, women, and children with massive bones.

Compared to the northern part of Hersen, the people of the southern part of the country, which has been in contact with many countries over the years, are relatively short on average.

Even Katya, who was on the taller end of the scale in the south, was a tiny child compared to the northerners.

“It’s a heroic ‘princess-carrying’ pose, and it doesn’t suit me. I’m a strong woman, I don’t need this overprotection.”

“Strong is acceptable. But no matter how strong you are, a wounded person is a wounded person.”

At that time, Nikolai’s body momentarily shook as he accidentally stepped on a rock along the way.

It caused Katya to cling to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

When she tried to pull herself up again, upset by her own behaviour, Nikolai spoke up.

“Stay like that, it’s dangerous. Didn’t I tell you, I’m clumsy.”

Nikolai remembered the glass menagerie his mother had given him as a child.

The small glass figurines of animals were so lightweight that even a child could hold them without feeling much weight, causing them to easily slip out of small hands.

There was a time when he accidentally dropped the most cherished rabbit figurine from his hand among them.

As it hit the floor and shattered, little Nikolai cried.

The brittle nature of the glass made it impossible to put it back together.

To Nikolai now, Katya was like that glass bunny.

Despite his seemingly casual demeanour, he was walking quite nervously now.

“I, I will never forget this debt!”

Feeling a little embarrassed, Katya clumsily thanked him.

Somehow it sounded more like an insult than a thank you, and Nikolai smiled.

The warmth of her body against the nape of his neck made him feel warm and fuzzy all the way to his chest.

The smell of her flesh, which he’d caught briefly when Katya had rubbed shoulders with him earlier, was stronger now, thanks to their close proximity.

He don’t know if it was soap or perfume, but she smelled good. It was warm and sweet.

Eventually, Nikolai reached the place where he had parked his horse.

Carefully placing Katya on the saddle, he noticed Boris and the Grand Duchy’s escort knights rushing in from a distance, trying to handle the situation.

If he caught Boris’s attention, it was almost certain that he would start nagging again.

Besides, if he said the wrong thing, Katya would know who he was.

“Your, Your Highness Grand Duke! I foolishly failed to recognize Your Highness. Please, forgive me!”

“Ple, please show… show me your mercy.”

Even those who had been attracted to his appearance and approached him would turn and tremble in fear when they learnt that he was the infamous ‘Bloody Duke.’

In fact, he never said he was going to kill them, but they would lie flat on the ground and beg for their lives.

He didn’t want to see Katya become like that.

She knew that the only reason she was comfortable with him now was because she mistook him for a commoner.

Soon he would leave this place and visit other southern cities.

He wouldn’t see her again after today. He wanted to be a normal person, even if it was only for the time it took to take her home.

Having made up his mind, Nikolai climbed on behind Katya before the aide could come over.

“Let’s go. Are you sure you can make it to Padovangrad?”

“Yes.”

Nikolai wrapped his arms around Katya from behind and took the reins.

At the sound of hooves, Boris, who had been inside the hut, paying the owner to keep them in, glanced back out the window.

When he scrambled out, the two horses had already left the shop.

“Oh, no!”

Boris sank to the ground in despair at his master’s escape.

The horse had a bridle, but Nikolai did not.

His heart began to race, fearing that he would run amok like an unbridled colt.

***

After a hectic gallop, they finally reached the border of the Smirnov Duchy in the middle of the night.

They weren’t in Padovangrad, but they were in the Duchy, and it was a relief to know that even if Ivan followed them, he wouldn’t be able to harm Katya.

“Take me to that tree over there.”

At her words, Nikolai turned his horse’s head in that direction.

Katya dismounted and untied the yellow ribbon that bound her hair.

She had decided to tie it to the branch of the largest old tree as a reassurance to Bianca, who would be arriving later, that she had passed through.

Katya held the ribbon and reached for the branch, but couldn’t reach it.

Seeing this, Nikolai leaned forward slightly and snatched the ribbon out of her hand.

Turning round, Katya saw his face right in front of hers and held her breath.

“Should I tie it here?”

Nikolai asked, looking down at her.

“Oh.”

He placed the reins in Katya’s hands, then extended his arm above her.

Unlike her, Nikolai reached for the branch without even trying.

In the moonlight, Nikolai’s shadow fell over her.

The shadow completely enveloped her, and Katya was suddenly aware of the difference in size between them.

Working quickly, Nikolai reached down and grabbed the reins.

With a snap, droplets of water fell down his face.

It had started to rain.

Nikolai casually pulled off his own robe, draped it over Katya’s head, and turned his horse around.

He planned to shelter from the rain for a while at the gloriette, a small pavilion on the hill that marked the entrance to the duchy.

When he reached the base of the roof, he dismounted, tied his horse to a post, picked up Katya, and set her down on the ground.

The rain grew thicker. It was a torrential downpour.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.”

As Katya muttered this, she looked around and spotted an inn looming over the clearing.

“Shall we take a break over there?”

Nikolai’s pupils dilated at the cheerful words.