30. Prenuptial Agreement

According to the ducal physician’s diagnosis, Katya fortunately avoided becoming a bumpy Grand Duchess.

The physician applied herbal medicine to her round forehead and wrapped bandages around her head to keep it in place.

Even until the end of treatment, the physician kept glancing at the Grand Duke.

“You think I got hit for being cheeky with His Grace.”

Katya said disapprovingly, seeing through his thoughts.

“Ahem! I didn’t think that.”

The physician denied it with a cough, having been hit right on the mark.

He had overheard Duke Smirnov worrying that his daughter seemed to owe something to the Grand Duke.

Could it be that Katya had challenged the Grand Duke, the military commander, to a sparring match and received some disciplinary action?

As she got hurt while alone with him, it wasn’t unreasonable for the physician to make such assumptions.

No one even dreamed that Katya and Nikolai would be getting married.

Moreover, Katya preferred wearing pants like men and enjoyed hunting and martial arts as hobbies.

So naturally, people imagined military discipline rather than a lovers’ incident.

“It is my fault that you got hurt.”

Nikolai said self-reproachfully as he watched the treatment.

She had gotten hurt trying to run away in surprise after seeing him when she woke up, so it was his fault.

But the physician interpreted it differently.

I knew it…

“When you say it like that, people will misunderstand!”

“Well, it’s not wrong.”

“Sigh. Anyway, don’t tell Father that I got hurt while with His Grace. Understood?”

Katya sent the physician away with earnest pleas.

As soon as he left, Nikolai approached her and sighed.

Seeing her small head wrapped in bandages made his heart ache.

“It breaks my heart to see you hurt.”

“Who actually says such things out loud? People usually just think it.”

“I’m just saying what I feel. I can’t forgive myself for just watching you get hurt.”

“Someone might think I was the target of an assassination attempt. I just bumped into it myself while being clumsy.”

“Come to think of it, I should punish whatever dared to hurt my future Grand Duchess.”

After speaking, Nikolai walked menacingly towards the heinous attempted murder weapon that dared to bump the Grand Duchess’s forehead.

He lifted the quite heavy table with one hand.

“Should I destroy it?”

“Are you playing parent now?”

“Parent?”

“When I was little, my father used to do that. If I tripped over a rope and cried, he would scold the rope saying ‘Bad rope!’ That’s exactly what you’re doing now.”

At those words, he gently put down what he was holding.

From his expression, it seemed he really would have destroyed it if Katya had allowed it.

Seeing him like that, she couldn’t help but smile.

“I think Your Grace will make a good father.”

Nikolai’s steps towards Katya stopped right there.

No, it would be more accurate to say all his movements stopped.

There was a brief change in his expression, but it disappeared so quickly Katya didn’t even notice.

He soon showed a faint smile.

“I won’t be able to become a father.”

“Why not?”

“We’re getting divorced in a year, remember?”

“Ah…”

“Why, were you planning to have a child with me before then?”

Nikolai threw a joke with a sly look on his face.

“It might be fine for me, but can you really leave me if the child catches your eye?”

“That’s not true!”

“Well, that’s too bad.”

He laughed as he watched her shout in anger.

The two soon sat down side by side.

Nikolai had come to see her today to draw up a prenuptial agreement.

“A prenuptial agreement?”

“Usually, contracts aren’t just verbal agreements.”

“Come on, would Your Grace try to deceive your subject?”

“No matter what, marriage is a serious matter. What makes you trust me enough to entrust your life to me?”

“I can trust Your Grace.”

Katya said with confident eyes.

Nikolai felt strange about the infinite trust she showed towards him.

It was a different kind of blind faith from that of his sworn subordinates.

How could he leave such a lovely woman behind?

He became afraid. Afraid that he might want to give up all the plans he had prepared so far because of his love for her.

“I might not grant you a divorce after a year, being all clingy.”

“Then what if I fall in love with Your Grace?”

“…What?”

“What if I fall in love with Your Grace and don’t want to divorce after a year?”

He had never thought about that.

Nikolai had only thought about safely sending her back to the South after the contract ended.

Her falling in love with him was not within his expectations.

“Don’t do that.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not a man worthy of your love.”

He gave such a cold response, when just earlier he had been bombarding her with courtship.

Those words somehow sounded sad, which made Katya feel a bit stubborn.

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t be a good husband or a good father.”

“Then why did you propose in the first place?”

“For one year, I’ll do my best to be a good husband with all my heart. This is sincere.”

“So that resolution is only valid for a year?”

“I can’t guarantee the future after that. That’s why I’m telling you to discard me mercilessly when the expiration date comes.”

Nikolai placed a sheet of paper in front of each of them.

“I don’t trust myself either, so let’s write this as thoroughly as possible.”

Katya felt somewhat disappointed, but she pressed her lips together and picked up the quill pen.

And although she had felt something off since earlier, she shook her head, dismissing it as a needless thought.

She had no intention of calling off the marriage now.

Think about the tremendous benefits she would gain from this marriage.

Perhaps it was better that Nikolai was keeping his distance from her like this.

It would be troublesome for her if she really grew attached to him and decided to remain as Grand Duchess.

Wasn’t her dream of happiness to live comfortably doing whatever she wanted, rather than being someone’s wife, daughter-in-law, or the mistress of some family?

While struggling with what to write on the blank paper, Katya put a cookie in her mouth with her other hand.

Something sparkled in the sunlight coming through the window above her constantly moving lips.

It was sugar powder from the cookie.

Just as he had wiped away her tears earlier, Nikolai naturally reached out and wiped the sugar from the corner of her mouth.

Startled by his touch like a rabbit attacked by a predator, Katya quickly turned her head to the side.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you touching someone’s face without warning?”

“Did I do that? I’m sorry.”

He readily admitted his mistake and apologized.

“Then is it okay to touch after warning you first?”

“No!”

Katya wrote a new clause on the paper while huffing.

「No touching each other’s body except when absolutely necessary. Example) When under suspicion of being a contract couple.」

Leaning over to read her clause, Nikolai tilted his head and asked.

“Who decides what’s necessary?”

“Common sense! What happened earlier wasn’t necessary at all!”

“I moved according to necessity. It could have been dangerous if I left it.”

“Dangerous?”

“Because I might have cleaned it off with my lips.”

Katya gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

“No suggestive talk…”

When she was about to move her quill pen while reciting the next clause, Nikolai stopped her.

“You won’t let me even express my feelings when I can’t receive my wife’s love and only have these lips left?”

“Weren’t you the one who said not to love you? And please say things I can handle.”

“What level can you handle then?”

“I don’t know. But what you said just now was way too much!”

“What’s the big deal about kissing between husband and wife?”

Nikolai retorted with a shrug.

Katya, being inexperienced in romance, found it truly deplorable, wondering if Northern men were always this forward.

“Let’s limit it to when people are watching, only when suspicions might arise.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to stay outside all the time.”

“I’m saying this out of concern, but you’re not planning to deliberately create suspicious situations, are you?”

“Busted.”

“I can’t tell what’s sincere and what’s a joke with Your Grace.”

Katya said while glaring at him.

One moment he pushes her away saying not to love him, and the next he launches an aggressive courtship offensive.

She began to hope that his defensive attitude from earlier might have been a joke.

“At least my constant thinking of you is sincere.”

“You constantly think of me?”

“Yes. I think of you before I sleep. You appear in my dreams too.”

“Your lovesickness… seems severe.”

She replied somewhat curtly.

She felt relieved that the Grand Duke finally seemed more like the person she knew.

“Did you see me in your dreams earlier too? Given how you fell out of bed in surprise when you woke up, there’s a good chance.”

Nikolai burst out laughing after saying that.

Realizing belatedly that he was teasing her, Katya repeatedly punched the mischievous man’s arm with her fist.

But only her cotton-like fists hurt against his rock-hard muscles.

They were so firm it almost brought tears to her eyes.

“How is everything you say always a joke?”

“Your reactions are just too entertaining. Actually, I’m usually quite serious by nature.”

“Says who?”

“Ask my subordinates. I only show this side to you.”

“Tch. I don’t believe you.”

“If you really don’t believe me, you can ask them yourself. Want to go out with me after we finish the contract today? I’ll let you watch the knights spar.”

At those words, Katya’s eyes suddenly sparkled as if all the stars in the sky had been planted in them.

He had hit right on her romantic notions about knights.

“Really? I want to go, I want to! That would be so cool!”

Watching Katya grab his hands unconsciously and bounce around in joy, Nikolai suddenly felt his mood plummet.

Even though he had subtly changed his way of speaking following Luka’s advice, Katya still hadn’t noticed.

Yet here she was, so excited about the thought of seeing other men.

Male jealousy surged within him.