Don't Tame the Tomboy - 36. Master of Mischief
36. Master of Mischief
He was a man who seriously considered blinding all other men so they couldn’t see Katya.
“Hey, Your Grace!”
“What? Is that not okay?”
Nikolai shrugged innocently, as if he couldn’t understand what the problem was.
It was a pure, 100% genuine smile.
Wasn’t this the very definition of pure evil—committing sins without any awareness of wrongdoing?
They say those who sin without malice are the scariest.
“I said it to make you laugh, but you’re not even smiling.”
“You call that a joke?”
“I have much to learn from you. Once you become my wife, teach me step by step. How to have conversations that resonate with others.”
It turned out that his words on the day he proposed were not a joke.
Where should she even begin to teach this hopeless man?
Since she had decided to take him as her partner, she couldn’t give up halfway and let him go. She had to teach him properly and send him out into society.
‘I’ll be this man’s guardian for a year.’
Having signed the prenuptial contract, there was no turning back now.
Katya felt a deep sense of responsibility as his wife.
The road ahead was long, but she resolved to hold this clueless man’s hand and guide him through the process of rehabilitation, step by step.
“When you start having thoughts like that, don’t take them seriously. Instead, place your hand on your chest and reflect on them slowly.”
She placed her right hand on her chest and grabbed his hand with her left, guiding him to mimic her action.
Nikolai, suppressing a smile, obediently placed his hand on his chest as instructed.
He pretended to be innocent, just to tease her, but seeing her so serious and worried made him want to mess with her even more.
“Wait for the voices of the gods. If it feels like a crazy thought, then stop.”
“And how do I hear the voices of the gods?”
“Didn’t you listen to the sermons at the temple? You pray and wait for their response.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
Nikolai nodded as though he had just gained some profound insight.
Not realizing he was acting, Katya sighed deeply without meaning to.
The thought of having to teach him even religious doctrines made her feel overwhelmed, but since they were getting married, she decided to take responsibility until the contract period ended.
“Alright, follow me. Put your hands together like this, close your eyes, and speak your concerns to the gods.”
“Do I just talk about my concerns?”
“You can confess your sins and ask for forgiveness, express gratitude, or ask questions about life. Now, close your eyes.”
Half-opening her eyes to check if he was following, she saw that he still had his eyes wide open, so she urged him again.
When the Grand Duke clasped his hands and closed his eyes, she finally felt reassured and closed her eyes as well.
Nikolai, however, peeked at her through slightly opened eyes.
Seeing her tightly shut eyes and the wrinkles forming on her brow because of it was so endearing that he almost kissed her forehead.
And then, a prayer naturally escaped his lips.
“I’m having impure thoughts that I can’t control.”
“Good, good.”
Katya nodded with her eyes still closed.
Nikolai bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his laughter and continued.
“I thought about the cause, and I realized there’s one thing.”
“…….”
“There’s a woman who keeps driving me crazy.”
Hearing his prayer, Katya tilted her head, sensing something was off.
Nikolai continued to move his lips as he gazed at her.
“That’s why we need to get married as soon as possible. Only then will this irreverent heart of mine be calmed.”
At this bold and unprecedented prayer, which sounded more like a declaration of war, Katya’s eyes flew open.
Before she knew it, Nikolai had leaned in close, suddenly right in front of her.
“I’m talking about yourself.”
“What kind of careless prayer is that? And what’s with you calling yourself ‘yourself’ in third person?”1T/N: i don’t know if this made sense. But anyway, in the previous sentence he used the word 자기 which could mean ‘oneself/yourself’ or ‘honey/darling’ it’s a wordplay
“Then after we’re married, are you still going to call me ‘Your Grace’?”
“What else would I call you if not ‘Your Grace’?”
“Then what should I call you?”
“Just something normal, like ‘Grand Duchess’ or ‘my lady.'”
“Too complicated. Let’s just stick with ‘honey.'”
“No way. It’s too embarrassing!”
The future Grand Duchess opposed the idea with a face full of goosebumps.
“Really? Then I’ll scratch your back for you. Isn’t that what couples are for?”
Nikolai casually slung an arm around her shoulders as if to console her and began leading her toward the place where their horses were tied.
It was time to feed his beloved wife lunch.
Sparring and training were all well and good, but the priority was to make sure she ate properly and gained some weight. Her thin arms and legs needed a bit of flesh so he wouldn’t have to worry about her being carried away by the wind.
“Ugh, don’t even dream about it!”
Katya said, letting him lead her but still making sure to voice her complaints.
She was absolutely unwilling to compromise when it came to terms of address.
“You’re so cold. Fine, I’ll just dream about it.”
“No, because then you’ll keep pushing subtly until it happens. Just give up from the start!”
“How do you know me so well before we’re even married? You really are my perfect match, aren’t you, honey?”
“Argh!”
Katya flailed at the mortifying word, shoving the sly snake of a man away before mounting her horse and riding off ahead.
Boris, who had been nearby walking Laika, approached with a bewildered expression.
“Did Lady Katarina leave ahead of us?”
“She’ll come back soon.”
Nikolai sat down on the ground for a moment, stroking Laika’s head as he spoke.
His tone was so confident that Boris tilted his head in confusion. Sure enough, the sound of hoofbeats soon grew louder again.
Just as he had predicted, Katya returned like a boomerang, dismounting from her horse.
She had gone quite a distance before realizing she had forgotten something and turned back.
Nikolai, who had been expecting her return, stood and greeted her.
“Did you remember something you forgot?”
He smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth in an infuriatingly smug manner.
Laika, oblivious to the fact that she was essentially a hostage in this situation, simply panted happily, her tongue lolling out.
“Isn’t it unfair to use Laika as a hostage?”
“You’re the one who left behind the dog you adore like a little sister, honey.”
“Ugh! Please stop calling me that!”
“Honey, humans are always more tempted to do what they’re told not to.”
Honey?
For a moment, Boris doubted his own ears.
Witnessing this extraordinary scene from the front row sent chills down his spine.
What kind of reward was he supposed to expect for staying near this soon-to-be newlywed couple, who were practically radiating the heat of their budding romance?
Unable to comprehend the Grand Duke’s overwhelming display of affection, Boris squeezed his eyes shut and quickly made his escape.
“See? Even Your Grace’s closest aide can’t bear it and is running away.”
“He’ll get used to it since he’ll be seeing it often from now on.”
“Having to witness such indecent things—being an aide must really be an extreme job.”
“Don’t worry about other men in front of me. It makes me jealous.”
“That’s exactly the kind of thing most people only think about and don’t actually say out loud!”
As Katya said this, she picked up the leash Boris had left behind.
“Are you leaving? I’ll take you home.”
“I came here in my family’s carriage, so what are you even taking me home in?”
“I just can’t feel at ease letting you go alone. Shouldn’t someone escort you?”
“Right now, Your Grace seems like the most dangerous person to me.”
“Busted.”
Nikolai replied with a tone of mock regret, her words hitting the mark.
He truly was a master manipulator, skilled in mischief.
Whether she left first or waited to go together, she’d still have to deal with this serial confessor.
Katya already knew that her overly doting fiancé wouldn’t let her go off on her own.
Rather than wasting energy arguing, she decided to stay put.
“Shouldn’t you be watching the training? Just wait until it’s over, and we can leave together.”
“I already found the perfect spot for that.”
As if he’d been waiting for this, Nikolai led her to a wide tree shade nearby, where he pulled a blanket out of his bag and spread it on the ground.
“Isn’t this a blanket? How can you just lay it on the ground like that?”
“It’s fine. I can wash it.”
“But still—”
“I can’t let you sit directly on the ground.”
At his insistence, Katya eventually sat down on the blanket.
Laika, apparently liking the soft texture, quickly lay down on it, pulling it toward herself with her paws and slobbering all over it.
Noticing too late that Laika was enthusiastically licking the blanket, Katya cried out in alarm.
“Laika, no!”
“Whimper—”
Scolded by her owner, Laika reluctantly let go of the slobbery fabric, stretching her large paws out and lying flat on the ground. Even so, she seemed displeased, lazily wagging her tail and sweeping the dirt.
“Let her do what she wants.”
“But it’s Your Grace’s blanket! Don’t you carry it for emergencies?”
“You know about that?”
“I read it in a military book.”
Katya proudly shared her tidbit of knowledge.
“It’s already dirty from the ground anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Let her continue.”
Perhaps understanding Nikolai’s words, Laika happily resumed slobbering all over the blanket.
Though Katya had unintentionally become the villain in this scenario, she strangely didn’t feel bad about it.
No, in fact, she felt good.
After all, people naturally open their hearts to those who are kind to their loved ones.
“I guess it’s because it smells like Your Grace.”
“What smell do I have?”
Nikolai asked, looking slightly nervous.
Since Luka’s perfume scam had left him without the expensive fragrance he’d been waiting for, he felt a bit insecure.
“Um, I’m not sure—”
Without realizing it, Katya leaned in to sniff him, only to freeze mid-action.
It suddenly dawned on her that Nikolai was still shirtless, having hung his wet clothes on a tree branch to dry.
Noticing her gaze lingering on his bare torso, Nikolai pretended not to notice, seemingly inviting her to admire him all she wanted.
His confidence had clearly returned.
From a distance, the knights in training began whispering as they glanced toward the two.
“Why is His Grace shirtless?”
“Looks like his clothes got wet. They’re hanging over there.”
“But he has spare clothes. Why isn’t he wearing them?”
“Why do you think? He’s probably taking this chance to show off his body.”
“They say a thief who learns late is the scariest, and it seems our Grand Duke has quite the refined level of trickery, doesn’t he?”
As everyone watched the scene unfold with great interest, Katya suddenly took the shawl draped over her arm and placed it over Nikolai’s shoulders.
It seemed she was trying to be considerate, thinking he might be cold.
The knights, who had just witnessed the failure of his little scheme, burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs.
When Nikolai heard the laughter and glared in their direction, they quickly pretended to focus on their training again.
“His Grace has truly met his match.”
Though he might not realize it himself, Katya was a natural tamer.
And among her specialties was taming sly tricksters.
