95. Welcome to Your Husband’s World

Katya handed a handkerchief to the teary-eyed Brunhilde when Nikolai, who had finished sorting out the situation, approached.

“I heard everything from the spectators.”

“What?”

“Is it true that you suddenly jumped out and provoked them first?”

He looked somewhat angry.

“Well, that’s not wrong……”

Katya felt somehow wronged.

While she had deliberately provoked them to make things bigger, she had only expected them to threaten her life, not actually try to kill her.

“So are you saying it’s my fault?”

“No.”

Nikolai cut her off firmly.

“Whether you’re the Grand Duchess or not, I can’t forgive them for daring to try to drown you. Even grinding them up and drinking them wouldn’t be enough.”

“Come on, don’t go drinking them up.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

The Grand Duke’s eyebrow raised disapprovingly as he looked at his smiling wife.

She was already cute and lovable just standing still, making his heart ache, but her smiling face was even prettier, leaving his heart in ruins.

But no matter what, he needed to address what needed to be addressed.

Before his heart weakened further for this adorable little Strawberry of the South, Nikolai forced strength into his rising lips.

Was this a couple’s quarrel?

Sensing the situation wasn’t normal, Brunhilde moved far away.

“But why do you seem angry?”

“I am angry.”

Katya blinked her green eyes at those words.

It wasn’t her fault. In the end, thanks to that, everything was resolved easily and ended well, so why was Nikolai angry?

“Why?”

“What do you think?”

“Was I too reckless?”

“‘Were you’?”

Nikolai repeated her questioning tone, seemingly displeased with the interrogative ending.

He now had his thick arms crossed.

“Are you angry at me?”

“No. I’m not angry at you, but at myself.”

“At Your Highness?”

“Yeah. I shouldn’t have left you in the cave last night.”

What? We’re going there?

Katya looked up at her husband with a puzzled expression.

“Since sneaking out was my fault……”

“It’s my fault for not anticipating you would do that.”

Oh, this isn’t right.

As Nikolai acted like everything was his fault, she felt guilty instead.

“I know Your Highness had no choice.”

“No. If I had woken you up and left together, even if I had to carry you, none of this would have happened.”

“I know you did it because you were worried about me. I came out because I was worried about Your Highness too.”

Nikolai lowered his upper body and moved close to her.

His shadow fell over her face due to their height difference.

“You were worried?”

“Of course I was worried!”

“But I’m…… strong?”

“Who doesn’t know that? Whether you’re strong or skilled in martial arts, danger is still danger! I just couldn’t stay still waiting anxiously.”

“Afraid of becoming a widow?”

“No! Purely because I was worried Your Highness might get hurt……”

Katya suddenly closed her mouth mid-sentence.

The seemingly indifferent man’s mouth split into a wide smile.

A smile spread across his entire face.

“Weren’t you angry?”

“I was angry at myself for leaving you in the cave and not finding you faster, but thanks to you, I’m not anymore.”

“You weren’t just deflecting your anger at me?”

“I couldn’t be angry at you in the first place, and how could I be angry when my wife says she came out because she was worried about her husband?”

Her husband’s face was beaming as he said this.

Why was he so happy just because she said she was worried?

“From now on, do whatever you want to do. Whether it’s provoking or instigating, I don’t mind. I’m not telling you not to.”

“……”

“Just when I’m there.”

“What?”

“When I’m by your side, you can do whatever you want, whether it’s dangerous or reckless. I’ll protect you and clean up after you. So……”

As Nikolai’s face suddenly came closer, Katya unconsciously squeezed her eyes shut.

His straight forehead briefly touched her round one, pushing against it, then pulled away.

“You keep thinking about me.”

“What?”

“I’m more thrilled than expected that you worried about me.”

“Why make such a big deal about that……”

“Should I get hurt so you’ll think about me? I can get hurt as much as needed.”

“That’s terrible!”

Katya unconsciously slapped her immature husband’s arm.

Nikolai’s smile didn’t fade even though she hit him.

Just then, Katya’s stomach growled.

“What do you want to eat?”

A gentle question came across.

“I’ll make you anything.”

“Just anything is fine.”

“Alright. Anything it is.”

Nikolai naturally held out his hand to her.

Katya unconsciously took his hand.

Though she knew it was to stay faithful to their couple act, where his hand touched felt hot.

As her palm burned like it was on fire, she worried if he would notice.

While walking hand in hand with Nikolai, she touched her forehead with her other hand.

Was this a forehead kiss?

No, since their foreheads just bumped together, could it be called a kiss?

Physical contact had become notably more natural lately.

Katya rubbed her innocent forehead, unable to protest to her contract husband.

When Nikolai started cooking in the kitchen, poor Brunhilde trembled anxiously, wringing her hands.

“Your Highness, I-I can do it……”

“These are dishes going into my wife’s mouth, what’s wrong with me making them?”

“Hey, isn’t it going to our mouths too? You’ll make enough for us to eat too, right?”

The knights leaned against the window frame from outside since it was too cramped inside and shouted.

The Grand Duke, who had naturally picked up a small pot intending to only prepare Katya’s meal while leaving the knights’ food to other knights, shook his head wearily.

“Is there a bigger pot?”

“Y-yes! Here!”

Brunhilde brought a large pot from the corner that wasn’t used often.

The knights who usually handled cooking during their secret journey joined in to help Nikolai.

Katya sat Brunhilde on the sofa and spoke to try to calm her.

“His Highness often cooks. Don’t worry, he’s good at it.”

“Th-that’s not it, I’ve just never seen a man cooking before.”

“Really?”

While there were more male professional chefs employed in noble houses, it made sense that Brunhilde, who had lived her whole life in a small town, wouldn’t know.

“I heard terrible things happen when men do kitchen work……”

“Hm? What terrible things?”

“That, that falls off.”

At those words, Boris stuck his head in through the window frame where he was leaning his arms.

“I saw everyone while bathing and nothing fell off, they’re all still firmly attached! Even robust!”

Katya burst out laughing at the crude joke, giggling along with the other knights.

Rather, when Nikolai turned around to say something to his subordinate who spoke without filtering his words in front of her, glaring at him…

“Why are you making such low-class jokes like a commoner?”

Pavel spoke seriously to Boris.

Everyone’s laughter died at his words.

Katya lowered her head with an embarrassed face, as if reflecting on laughing at a commoner’s joke.

“Isn’t calling it low-class going too far?”

“Did I say anything wrong?”

Watching Boris and Pavel bicker like natural enemies, Brunhilde finally burst out laughing.

One was the Grand Duke’s aide, and the other was the captain of the guards.

She had a good feeling that working under Katya would be enjoyable, as she would often see these two who would be working together.

***

After completing their secret journey to the south, Nikolai and Katya’s party stopped by her family home in Padovangrad to pack their belongings before heading to the capital.

“His Highness the Grand Duke has arrived.”

“Oh? I see. I’ll go out right away.”

At the servant’s message that Nikolai had arrived in the capital, Oksana, the former Grand Duchess, smiled and rose from her seat.

As she was about to leave immediately, maids rushed to her side to help her put on her outer garments.

Oksana felt like she was burning inside.

Though she was furious that none of the many assassins she had sent had succeeded, she carefully managed her expression.

Right now, she needed to act the part of the benevolent mother welcoming back her stepson whom she had raised like her own.

After getting fully dressed, she rushed down the stairs to the first floor, brushing off the maids’ attempts to stop her.

When she went out to the entrance, she saw Nikolai just getting out of the carriage.

“Your Highness!”

At Oksana’s voice, he turned around from looking inside the carriage.

She ran up and embraced her son as soon as their eyes met.

“My son, you’ve returned safely, contrary to my worries.”

Though her face was warm, the words she whispered in his ear had an edge to them.

Both Oksana and Nikolai knew well that the stepmother had not wished for her son’s safe return.

The Grand Duke carefully took her arms and slowly separated himself from her embrace.

If she was going to come out like this, he had no choice but to play along as the good son and match her rhythm.

“Were you worried?”

Nikolai asked with a smile.

“Of course I was worried! How worried was I when your replies were so sparse despite my frequent letters? I kept urging you to come back quickly, why were you so late?”

“There were some matters to attend to.”

“What matters? Nothing bad happened, I hope? This mother couldn’t sleep properly worrying all this time.”

“Not bad news, but good news.”

“News?”

Unable to figure out what he was plotting, Oksana could only blink.

“While staying in the south, I got married.”

“……What?”

This time she failed to manage her expression.

It was because the statement was completely outside her expectations.

“Tia, you can come down now.”

Nikolai turned back toward the carriage.

A woman with strawberry blonde hair stepped down from the carriage with his escort.

“Hello? It’s nice to meet you, Your Highness.”

Katya looked up at her mother-in-law with a bright smile as she curtsied slightly.

Katarina de Vasily, finally entering her husband’s world!