7. Didn’t They Hurt You?

As time passed, Ivan believed he had tamed Katya.

To lower his guard, Katya perfectly played the role of a submissive wife.

Even when he insisted it was daytime at midnight, she agreed, and when he called the sun the moon, she concurred.

While biding her time for escape, Katya one day put on a pitiful expression and asked Ivan for a favor.

“I want to see Bianca. Could you allow it?”

“Now that you mention it, it’s been a while.”

“If you say no, I’ll just give up…”

“I’ll send an invitation to the Duke’s residence. Just dinner. No overnight stay.”

Pleased with her docile attitude, Ivan allowed it as if he was granting a favor. Katya embraced him with a grateful face.

She gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to pull his hair.

That afternoon, Bianca came to the villa.

“Sister!”

As soon as she saw Katya, she ran to her with teary eyes. Katya stroked her sister’s luscious blonde hair and whispered in her ear.

‘I want to be alone with you.’

Understanding her sister’s words instantly, Bianca nodded ever so slightly.

Sensing something was amiss with her now thin and pale-eyed sister, she instinctively knew the situation was serious.

“Congratulations on your marriage. May I call you brother-in-law?”

Ivan, intoxicated by the word brother-in-law, flared his nostrils unknowingly.

“Of course.”

“I brought a gift for my sister. Would you like to see it too, brother-in-law?”

“What kind of gift is it?”

Bianca took out a neatly wrapped package from her bag and said,

“I ordered nightwear and lingerie for my sister to wear on her first night.”

Though worried that she wasn’t good at lying, her sister displayed surprisingly excellent acting skills.

With her sister potentially in danger, Bianca was oblivious to everything else.

Snapping out of his fantasies, Ivan waved his hand dismissively.

“That’s not something I should see in advance! I’ll come back at dinner time. Enjoy your time together, sisters.”

As soon as they were alone in the bedroom, Katya told Bianca everything.

Ivan’s two-faced nature was enough to make even the kind-hearted and gentle Bianca burst into anger.

Upset and resentful over what had happened to her sister, she steeled herself and held back her tears.

“Let’s get out of here, sister! I can’t leave you in a place like this for another moment.”

“If we leave like this, do you think that bastard will let us go?”

“Then I’ll stay here and pretend to be with you, while you sneak out.”

Bianca held Katya’s hands tightly and said.

“How will you get out?”

“There are knights from the Duke’s residence waiting in front of the villa anyway. He won’t dare harm me. Even if he finds out later and follows, what can he do when I’m the only one in the carriage?”

Though reluctant to leave her sister alone, Katya eventually nodded at Bianca’s insistence.

With Bianca’s help, Katya managed to escape the villa by climbing down a rope made of blankets and curtains.

The villa was located in a remote area outside of Padovangrad.

Walking to the Duke’s residence was obviously impossible; she needed to rent a carriage or a horse.

Without looking back, Katya ran towards the rental shop for carriages and horses.

It was a stroke of luck that she had noticed it on her way to the villa.

Though the rental shop was quite a distance away, she could reach it before dinner time.

Even if Ivan realized Katya was gone and pursued her, by then, she would have already gained a lead.

Katya finally reached the rental shop as dusk settled in.

As she took money from the wallet Bianca had given her, she saw a man, who seemed to be the owner, heading towards the stable with someone.

His unusual build made him recognizable even from behind. He was the man who had bought the shamshir from her.

“What’s he doing here?”

Since Katya intended to rent a horse anyway, she followed them to the stable.

As soon as they reached the stable, the owner began showcasing various horses to Nikolai.

Since he had expressed interest in purchasing rather than renting from the start, the owner enthusiastically explained in detail.

Buying a horse from a rental shop where horses aged rapidly from long-distance travel seemed absurd.

He clearly had no knowledge of horses.

The owner was thrilled by the appearance of such an easy mark.

“This horse, sir, is a breed even supplied to the Grand Duke’s household—”

When he mentioned the Grand Duke’s household, Nikolai barely suppressed a laugh.

As the host of the jousting tournament, there was no way he was ignorant about horses. He was currently inspecting rental shops throughout the region.

This was because he had received a tip-off that a southern noble overseeing this business was evading taxes.

“Then I’ll take this horse.”

“Of course. An excellent choice!”

“Excellent, my foot!”

Unable to watch any longer, Katya rushed over to them.

Nikolai’s expression brightened involuntarily upon recognizing her.

Realizing too late that his cheeks were about to lift up, he quickly wiped the smile from his face.

Yet, just looking at her made his lips twitch with a smile that threatened to break through.

He couldn’t understand why seeing this woman put him in a good mood.

“Hey, are you really the type to waste money like this?”

Katya scolded him bluntly, looking exasperated.

Flustered, Nikolai waved his hand to explain.

“After I sold it to you cheaply, how could you get ripped off like this?”

The owner, who was delighted to have a gullible customer fall into his lap, turned red at the appearance of the meddler.

“Ripped off? Do you even know what you’re saying—”

“What I’m saying is that it’s a painful truth. Just look at it; the coat is dull, it’s skinny, its eyes are cloudy, and it’s got crusts around them. Are you selling a horse without even treating it?”

When Katya sharply pointed this out, the owner, hit where it hurt, jabbed his finger at her and burst out in anger.

“Who are you to interfere like this, Miss?”

“What?”

“Do you even know this young man?”

At that, she made the large man bend his waist and wrapped her arm around his neck.

Thanks to that, they naturally ended up in a buddy-buddy pose.

Nikolai held his breath for a moment at the scent of her skin wafting from her nape.

Katya warned Nikolai with ventriloquism, “Smile, smile.”

He had no choice but to awkwardly smile along with her.

As a ruler, he found himself once again being helped by this small and delicate woman.

Nikolai felt like laughing at this novel situation but held it in.

In the North, everyone feared him, but this woman was different.

Even if she didn’t know his identity, just by looking at his physique, he was clearly not someone who seemed to need help.

Moreover, they were practically strangers who had only done one transaction.

It would have been easy to pass by, yet she was helping him by arguing with the rough-looking owner.

He realized she had a wide sense of involvement when she haggled over the price of the shamshir, but he didn’t expect it to be this much.

She was truly an intriguing woman.

“We’re somewhat close.”

“Somewhat?”

“Did I say somewhat? My mistake. We’re very close.”

“So, what’s your business here?”

The owner, having run out of words, asked bluntly.

“I’m here to rent a horse too. I’ll take that one.”

Katya pointed her chin at the horse she had already picked out. The owner brought the horse over to her and handed over the reins.

Katya whispered to the bewildered Nikolai, who was just blinking.

“You can ride with me. Save your money. You have to save to live well.”

She was boasting about money in front of the Grand Duke’s family, which is known to be the wealthiest among the royal families of various countries.

Instead of feeling offended, Nikolai found himself chuckling.

“I’ll go settle the bill, so wait here.”

Katya followed the owner to the office cabin to get the bill.

As Nikolai waited obediently like a dog waiting for its owner, he suddenly pulled out his watch.

There was still plenty of time before she would finish paying. Feeling an ominous premonition, he ran past the stable to the cabin.

Sure enough, he saw Katya having a scuffle with some men in front of the cabin.

The owner, who had recognized Katya in the bright light and had connections with Ivan, had called Ivan’s men who were nearby.

Ivan had stationed people around in case she ran away, and her portrait was posted like a wanted poster at the office.

“Let go of me!”

Katya gritted her teeth and resisted as Ivan’s men tried to force her into a carriage, but she ended up falling.

It was then that Katya, who had twisted her ankle, sat down in defeat.

Nikolai’s eyes turned fierce, and he swiftly drew his sword, cutting them down one by one.

He grabbed the last remaining man’s neck with one hand and lifted him.

“Are you an assassin? Who hired you?”

Katya, regaining her senses, hugged Nikolai’s waist from behind and stopped him.

‘What kind of strength is this? He’s like a rock, not budging at all.’

Feeling the sensation from her grip, the murderous intent in Nikolai’s eyes calmed down.

“They’re not assassins! They’re sent by my suitor. Please let him go now.”

At her words, Nikolai tossed the man he was holding to the ground.

The slashed men writhed in pain before eventually fleeing one by one.

Nikolai released her hands from around his waist and turned around.

Seeing that everyone survived, Katya sighed in relief.

“Phew, I was scared they were dead.”

“They deserved to die.”

“Do you have a grudge against them?”

“They harmed you.”

Under the moonlight, with his cold blue eyes, Nikolai said so.