29. The Grand Duchess With A Bump

“How dare this trash–”

Nice words, gentle words.

Nikolai closed and opened his eyes, trying to contain his anger.

“You dare try to deceive me with such a significantly inferior perfume?”

“What? That’s impossible. I’m sure I correctly–”

Luka, who leaned in disbelievingly to smell it, immediately started coughing from the harsh scent.

Even he, who didn’t know much about fragrances, could tell.

That this was clearly different from the perfume they had found with Bianca in the shop.

“Why is this different from what we tested earlier?”

“Why are you asking me? Were you perhaps scammed? How pathetic.”

“The seller didn’t look like someone who would scam…”

Then suddenly, Luka frowned, annoyed by the arrogant and stiff tone.

“You don’t speak to Lady Katarina in this same manner, do you?”

“What manner?”

“You know, all this ‘thus it is’ and ‘was it so?’ kind of talk.”

“I speak to Tia the same way?”

Luka shook his head as if he had expected this.

The Grand Duke, inexperienced in romance, looked like he didn’t even understand what the problem was.

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s not technically wrong. It’s proper etiquette for a ruler to always speak this way, but I’m concerned Your Grace’s future Grand Duchess might feel distant.”

“Distant?”

“Romance is different, isn’t it?”

Nikolai carefully recalled recent events.

“I apologize. I didn’t recognize Your Grace and was dis-disrespectful…”

“To show proper respect to the Grand Duke…”

Katya, who had been comfortable around him until she learned he was the Grand Duke, now found him intimidating.

Seeing her use extremely formal language, it seemed she was addressing him more as the nation’s ruler than as a husband.

Indeed, there wasn’t much difference between how he spoke to the knights during training and how he spoke to Katya.

Was that why?

It was understandable that Katya would feel a sense of distance.

Nikolai wanted to treat her better.

He wanted to make her the happiest woman in the world.

And he wanted to be closer to her than anyone else.

Because she was now his only family.

But this made it difficult.

“You truly are my most trusted friend.”

“Suddenly?”

“Thank you for the advice.”

Nikolai rose from his seat with an enlightened expression and promptly walked out.

“Hey, how can you just leave after calling me here?”

The abandoned guest called out belatedly with a look of dismay at the host’s sudden departure.

***

“Your Grace, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

Katya entered the reception room while yawning.

Tears welled up under her green eyes.

Having just woken up, a strand of uncombed hair stuck up at the back of her head.

‘Cute.’

Nikolai almost said it out loud.

But since they weren’t even officially engaged yet, he quickly held back, worried she might feel uncomfortable so early in the morning.

Expressions of affection could wait until after setting the wedding date.

“I didn’t know you’d be sleeping. I’ll come back at lunch.”

“How can I send you away when you’ve come all this way? Please sit.”

Katya apologetically grabbed his shoulder as he tried to stand up, made him sit back down, and pulled a chair from across to sit beside him.

She wanted to hear his voice more closely, afraid she might fall asleep during their conversation.

Whatever the reason, Nikolai felt strange about how natural it felt to be sitting next to each other like this.

“Everyone in our family tends to sleep in, so we usually wake up around midday.”

“What time do you usually wake up? I don’t want to make the same mistake next time.”

“If there’s nothing scheduled, we just wake up whenever our eyes open. Ah, the Grand Duchess shouldn’t sleep in, right?”

Katya asked with suddenly alert eyes as the thought occurred to her.

She had heard that noble ladies usually wake up at dawn to start their activities, and the Grand Duchess would be no different.

No, wouldn’t she need to be even more diligent with all the visitors coming to the palace?

As she worried, she covered another yawn.

Tears gathered in her eyes, ready to spill at any moment.

Watching her intently, Nikolai naturally reached out to her face and wiped away the dangling teardrops with his finger.

“I’ll let you sleep as much as you want.”

“Even if you allow it, won’t others try to wake me?”

“Then I’ll quietly send them away, even if I have to send black tea.”

“Then they’ll sleep forever too.”

Katya was laughing at her own joke when she suddenly slumped forward.

Nikolai quickly caught her forehead with his hand before it could slam into the table.

“Did I just doze off again?”

She mumbled with her face resting on his large palm.

Nikolai carefully placed her face on the table, and she immediately stretched out her arms and slumped down.

Still dreamy and drunk with sleep, Katya turned her head sideways while lying down.

Her face showed determination to listen to Nikolai’s words no matter what.

“Tia, are you sure you don’t need more sleep?”

Nikolai asked while gently stroking her strawberry-blonde head.

“I’m completely fine!”

“Your eyes say otherwise. Let’s talk later.”

“How can I send you away when you’ve come all this way? Please sit.”

“I’m already sitting, Tia.”

“Everyone tends to sleep in… wake up when the sun…”

While Katya thought she was making sense, she was repeating the same words in her sleepy state.

“This really isn’t working for a proper conversation.”

Her slowly blinking eyelids finally closed.

She seemed to be completely asleep.

Her breathing became steady as she lay there with her cheek pressed against the table, apparently not uncomfortable at all.

“Tia, go up and sleep comfortably in bed.”

But this sleepyhead showed no intention of getting up.

Nikolai was about to call a servant to take her to her bedroom, but changed his mind.

He didn’t want to wake her when she was sleeping so peacefully.

He carefully lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sofa, laying her down.

Only after placing a cushion under her neck as a pillow did Nikolai feel at ease and move to sit on the opposite sofa.

As he took out a book he had borrowed from the Duke’s residence, planning to wait until Katya woke up, he noticed her precariously perched on the edge of the sofa.

“Tia!”

A startled Nikolai rushed over and moved her back before she could fall to the floor.

In fact, Katya had a strange habit of sleeping on the edge of the bed while sleeping.

Strangely enough, despite always sleeping like that, she had never fallen off the bed.

The only time she slept properly was at the inn, when Nikolai had unintentionally fixed her position by piling heavy blankets on top of her, worried she might get cold.

So Nikolai had no way of knowing about her sleeping habits.

“Huh, again? What’s the problem?”

Like a moth drawn to flame, he rushed back to the sofa where she lay, alarmed at how her body kept moving towards the edge as if cursed.

Nikolai could only feel at ease after sitting on the sofa and letting Katya rest her head on his lap.

Some time passed.

“Mmm–”

Katya woke up to the chirping of sparrows.

‘Strange. I thought His Grace the Grand Duke came to visit. Was it a dream?’

The soft pillow felt unusually hard today.

When she slowly opened her eyes, there was a shadow above her.

And she saw someone’s familiar sharp jawline.

Though she always had to look up at him due to their height difference, this was her first time seeing him from this angle.

‘Wait… Your Grace?’

Only then did she notice Nikolai reading a book with his upper body awkwardly twisted to the side.

He had stayed in that position for Katya who had fallen asleep on his lap.

When his head that had been turned to the side moved towards her, Katya instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

“Tia, are you sleeping?”

“……”

“I saw you open your eyes earlier.”

Katya, who had been pretending to sleep, finally opened her eyes.

Nikolai was smiling down at her.

Embarrassed, Katya tried to roll to the side and land gracefully on the floor.

Or rather, she tried to be graceful but ended up banging her head on the table instead.

“Tia! Are you alright?”

Nikolai hurriedly approached her as she lay sprawled face down on the floor.

“Someone’s hurt…!”

As he stood up to call the servants, Katya grabbed his hand while still lying face down.

“Your Grace, please just…”

“What? I can’t hear you. Are you conscious?”

“Can’t you just leave like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t get up.”

“Are you in a lot of pain? I’ll call a physician!”

“That’s not it! I’m just… too embarrassed… I’m fine so please just go.”

The usually wild tomboy confessed in a small voice.

Though she was used to bumping into things and getting hurt from running around wildly like an untamed horse since childhood, she didn’t want to show such an embarrassing sight to the man she was going to marry.

Nikolai held back his laughter while looking at her adorably, then slowly helped her up.

Katya sat up covering her face with both hands.

“Let me see. Are you really alright?”

When Nikolai carefully removed her hands, her reddened forehead was revealed.

“Does it hurt? What if you get a bump?”

“Then I guess I won’t be able to get married.”

“Why worry about that? I’m the one who’s going to take care of you.”

“The Grand Duchess with a bump?”

“Whether you have a bump or are bald, I’ll love you just the same.”

“Are you making fun of balding patients across the country? My father is showing signs of baldness too!”

“I’m sorry. I take that back.”

Nikolai seriously retracted his statement.

Their eyes met and they both burst out laughing.

“But I mean it. Even with a bump, you’d still be lovely.”

“But I don’t want a bump. Oh no, what should I do…”

“Alright. If you do get a bump, I’ll search every physician in the country, no, the world, to fix it.”

The Grand Duke made an affectionate yet solemn vow to his pouting bride-to-be.