CH 18

“So just let me know when the prank is over—”

“I’m here to propose, I want to marry you.”

“Wha, what did you just say?”

Katya asked, looking shocked.

The bell beside her tinkled, as if it had been knocked on the ground, and she felt tinnitus coming on.

“I said I wanted to marry you.”

No, why is this true?

“Why?”

“Why would I want to marry you? Because I’m in love with you.”

“No, I mean, why did you fall in love with me?”

“Specifically?”

“The more specific you can be, the better, because I can’t take your word for it.”

It didn’t make sense to hrt that after all he’d been through with Katya, after all he’d seen, that he’d feel the need to marry her.

If he truly was a commoner, it would have been understandable to some extent that he was drawn to the novelty of nobility, as it was something rarely seen in his surroundings.

But Nikolai’s real identity was the Grand Duke.

She wondered what he was missing to like her.

“I’ve fallen for you many times in my life, but there are three moments that stand out. First, that time you smashed your lute into a man’s skull; second, that time you raised your blade to my throat. And finally, when you cursed at the assassin and pointed a gun at him.”

“Put the knife down and put your hands up unless you want a bullet in your skull.”

“Listening to those words from the side, I can’t help but feel excited. It seems like I have a taste for fierce women.”

I hate to break it to you, but are you a pervert?

Katya swallowed hard to keep the words from escaping her mouth, surprised by the Grand Duke’s strange tastes.

He’d fallen in love with her at a point where most men would have cringed at the thought of a tomboy or a wicked woman.

“After all the disrespect I’ve shown the Grand Duke, even telling you to get lost and—”

“On the contrary, it was for the best, for the moment you stood in my way, I couldn’t breathe.

“Well, that’s a big deal, that you almost lost your breath. You shouldn’t be doing this, you should be going to clinic, okay?”

“I’ve been to the doctor. They said there’s nothing wrong with my respiratory system or my heart. Only you can heal me. It’s the case of lovesickness.”

He seemed so serious, Katya couldn’t think of anything to say.

Perhaps she was the one who had lost his mind?

“Well, do you want me to continue? Besides, you seem to have a talent for recognizing fine horses.”

“Horses?”

“The white horse we rode here this morning.”

“A white horse? I thought it was light gray.”

“After washing, its original coat became apparent. The breed you chose is called ‘Orlov Trotter.'”

Among the nobility in the southern region, there were those who collected high taxes under various pretexts. However, instead of paying taxes, they would plunder horses from ranches and sell them, and it seems that this particular breed got mixed in among them.

The breed was naturally gentle and quiet, but there were exceptions.

The horse had a temper unlike any of his peers, and he wouldn’t run if he didn’t want to.

They were also picky eaters and refused to be bathed or groomed by anyone other than their owners, making them a challenge to manage.

If such a horse was not fed well and was forced to work as a carriage without proper care and whipped, it would lose its physical strength.

None of them realized that the horse was a famous horse.

“From the person who sold the horses to the owner of the stable, no one recognized the breed except for you. You knew it was an Orlov Trotter from the beginning.”

Nikolai, who had known it was an Orlov Trotter from the start, scanned the horses with a hawk’s eye, and was inwardly surprised when she chose it.

“No, I didn’t realize it was an Orlov Trotter, I don’t know that much about horses.”

“Then it’s even more impressive that it’s instinctive, not learned.”

“…….”

This guy isn’t even flinching now, no matter what I say.

“He seems to have taken a liking to you and doesn’t listen to anyone else. I sent someone over there to negotiate the purchase of this horse for you. If they bring back the transfer of ownership documents, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

“The gift will be gratefully received………….”

The gift itself was nice, since the Grand Duke had ordered it, and Katya was very fond of the horse that had served her so well.

But she also knew it was a bribe of sorts.

He wanted her to receive his favors and attentions.

“Anyway, there is no other woman like you.”

“Even if it’s not common, if you look for it, you’ll find it. It may be easier to find than you think.”

“Although there may be similar people out there, there is no one in the world exactly like you. You are unique.”

“Uh, well…….”

“Therefore, you’re the only woman I want to marry.”

The barrage of confessions left Katya terribly embarrassed.

It was the first time in her life she had ever been so sincerely courted by a man.

Nikolai was everything she’d always dreamed of.

Handsome, strong, and respectful.

Even when she mistook him for a commoner, she thought the only barrier between them was their status.

The man she thought was a commoner has returned as a Grand Duke.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to be a Grand Duchess.

“I am the infamous madman in this region… No, I mean a tomboy. Do you think I am suited to be a Grand Duchess?”

“I’m second to none in that regard. The madman from the north and the wicked woman from the south, we make a good pair, don’t you think?”

Katya, who had no idea that Nikolai knew her nickname, was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a rat hole.

She hadn’t given her true name to hide the fact that she was the ‘Wicked Woman of the South,’ and now it was all for naught.

No, it didn’t matter now.

It was probably for the best, because no man in the world would want to marry a southern wench.

‘We make a good pair, don’t you think?’

Why did Nikolai sound like he appreciated that?

“You know from experience, a madman like me can only be controlled by someone of your stature. I want to be gentle in your presence.”

Nikolai suddenly remembered what had happened yesterday.

As soon as he saw Katya on the ground, he had lost his temper and lunged at Ivan’s men, slashing at them with a knife he could see.

Only then did Nikolai calm down and stop when she wrapped her arms around his waist and tried to stop him.

If Katya hadn’t stopped me yesterday, I would have killed them all on the spot.

“Are you looking for… a bride or a caretaker?”

“With you, I think both are possible.”

This man wasn’t taking no for an answer, and was even exploring her very nature.

“But why haven’t you taken a sip since earlier?”

Nikolai asked, belatedly realizing that the tea was still in Katya’s cup.

“What is it ……?”

“It’s a black tea from the north, and it tastes good.”

Nikolai’s blue eyes shone with a hint of anticipation this time, just as they had at the inn, waiting for her to pick up her spoon.

In fact, Hersen was the largest consumer of black tea from the Eastern Continent, until now all of it had been imported.

When Nikolai was still Grand Duke, he remembered his mother’s love of black tea and supported the work of farmers and scholars, and now Hersen could finally grow its own.

Hersen’s black tea had become so famous that it was actually being exported back to the East.

Nikolai, who was the first to grow black tea in Hersen, was called the ‘Black Tea Prince’ in the East.

Black tea itself became a symbol of Nikolai, ironically adding to the rumor that he was killing people with it.

But Nikolai never bothered to correct the rumor.

If you can’t expect respect from those who threaten your position, make them afraid of you.

On the icy streets of the Grand Duchy, being seen as less than will get you killed, no matter who you are.

Such was the case with Nikolai’s mother.

She must have heard the rumors, because she didn’t touch her tea throughout their conversation.

Now that she was so afraid of him, Nikolai felt a little regretful that he’d let the rumor stand.

At the same time, his mischievous side kicked in and he wanted to tease her.

“Do you think it’s poisoned?”

Nikolai asked with a straight face.

“No! It’s not like that – cough cough!”

He burst out laughing as Katya coughed in surprise.

“Did you know that black tea has slightly different names in different countries?”

“What?”

“Some countries call it black tea because of the red color of the brewed tea, while others call it black tea because of the black color of the leaves.”

“I see.”

Unable to figure out what he was trying to say, Katya smiled and agreed.

“Blood also turns black when it solidifies, so it’s similar to black tea. Isn’t it fitting that I’m called the ‘Grand Duke of Blood’?”

With that, Nikolai drained the tea from the cup in front of him and refilled it.

He gestured for her to join him, and with trembling hands, Katya reached for the handle of the teacup.

“I……. I just want to know before I drink it.”

“Tell me.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Katya asked, gathering her courage.

It would be nice if she drank it without pain and died in one fell swoop.

Nikolai finally laughed at the implied question.

“Oh, I see. Why would I kill you if I came to ask you to marry me?”

“You might get mad and kill me for refusing.”

“Are you going to say no?”

“……..”

“I was joking when I said that. You didn’t find it funny, huh?”

“You called that a joke?”

He said to a stunned Katya.

“There is a lot I need to learn from you. If you become my partner, please teach me patiently how to have empathetic conversations.”

“But my own ability to empathize isn’t particularly great either.”

“Well, as long as the teacher is even slightly better than the student, isn’t that enough?”

Nikolai smiled like a ray of sunshine as he expressed his willingness to take the course.