Chapter 6.2

Once they were alone, Leonid slowly approached Katia. He stopped about two steps away and spoke to her in a gentle voice.

“You didn’t eat today.”

“Why… why are you doing this?”

“Katia, do you dislike me?”

“…I do. So please, just stop…”

“Then look me in the eyes and tell me.”

Katia’s head snapped up. Her tear-filled gray eyes met Leonid’s piercing blue ones. She steadied her trembling jaw, ready to say, “I dislike you,” immediately.

But the words wouldn’t come out.

Those soft blue eyes, which had been by her side during her most difficult moments, gazed at her with the same warmth as always. No, they were filled with even more earnest and desperate emotion than before.

“Please… don’t do this…”

“Katia.”

Leonid’s voice, calling her name, was calm, but it was evident he was suppressing a flood of emotions. Shaking her head, Katia replied. Her voice was tinged with a sadness she couldn’t hide.

“You could meet someone better than me.”

“No one is better than you.”

“No, there will be. Just like His Highness met Lady Ivans, you’ll find someone… someone who’s perfect for you.”

And that person isn’t me. 

Leonid caught her muttered words, his eyes narrowing slightly. He hadn’t even imagined she might be thinking something so absurd.

Before he could respond, Katia left. Leonid stood frozen in place, unable to follow her.

That day, Katia thought she had made her rejection even clearer. But Leonid continued to act as if nothing had happened and lingered around her.

The more Leonid approached her and tried to cross the line, the harder Katia pushed him away. She became colder to him, giving only curt responses. People around her would slyly suggest, “Leonid Karev likes you, why not give it a try?” but Katia pretended not to hear.

What troubled her the most was Leonid’s calm and warm smile, as if he hadn’t been rejected at all. Every time she encountered his kind words or gentle glances, her heart wavered.

He said he liked me. Would it really be so wrong to take his hand? 

Katia kept suppressing such questions that bubbled up inside her. The thought of herself, a mere noblewoman in name only, standing beside Leonid, the heir of a prestigious family, felt unbearably awkward and mismatched.

Moreover, every time she harshly pushed Leonid away, she caught glimpses of pain flickering in his eyes.

Why is he so fixated on me? 

Katia couldn’t understand what she was doing anymore. The days she wanted to run away from kept piling up.

“Ha…”

Clutching her queasy stomach, she entered her home. The stress had been building up, and lately, she’d been having trouble digesting food properly. 

Without even changing her clothes, Katia headed straight for her bed and collapsed onto it. Her unsettled stomach made her irritable and exhausted.

She felt like she might seriously fall ill if this continued. The thought made her stomach ache even more. Clutching her abdomen, Katia let out a groan and curled into a ball. 

Her body felt heavy, like waterlogged cotton. As she closed her eyes and emptied her mind, sleep quickly overtook her.

Katia, who had fallen into a deep sleep, awoke with a start when she felt a chill. The room, swallowed by the darkness of dawn, had been unlit for hours. Her clothes, damp with sweat, must have caused the chills. Sitting up, she turned on the small lamp by her bedside. The soft orange light gently warmed the room.

Changing out of her damp clothes into her pajamas, she thought to herself. Maybe her poor health was due to her period being imminent. But as she slipped her arms into her top, Katia froze.

Her monthly visitor had already passed its due date. Her body was usually so regular that she’d never skipped a cycle like this. Katia quickly grabbed her calendar. Scanning the dates with her eyes, she counted the days with her fingers.

“Ha, haha…”

The calendar slipped from her hands and landed on the desk.

Katia nervously ran her fingers through her hair. The sweat-dampened strands tangled around her fingers. 

This couldn’t be happening. Surely not from that one night. 

The only time she hadn’t taken contraceptives with Leonid was that single time.

“I must be crazy.”

She stared blankly down at her stomach. 

What was I supposed to do now? 

Her sharp mind was useless in this situation. She had never imagined she’d have to deal with a problem like this.

She headed to the bathroom, feeling dazed. First, she wanted to clean herself up. Perhaps after washing her sticky, cold body with warm water, something might come to mind. 

Katia unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach as she weakly moved her steps. Somehow, it felt as though there was a pulsing beat deep inside her abdomen.

The next day, Katia entered the palace with a face even more haggard than usual. After briefly greeting people, she headed straight to the aide’s office. 

The first thing she looked for was Alehin’s schedule. She scanned the schedule with desperate eyes. Finally, her gaze stopped on the part that contained the information she had longed for.

Katia’s fingers slowly traced the schedule. She muttered to herself that she only needed to hold out until then. Just eight days left. According to this schedule, both Leonid and Alehin would be out of the palace. Feeling anxious, Katia bit her fingernail.

“You’re here early!”

When someone tapped her on the shoulder, Katia jumped in surprise and let out a scream, “Ahh!” Her reaction was unusual, and Darius, who had tapped her shoulder, looked embarrassed.

“Why are you so startled? Acting like someone caught doing something suspicious.”

“No, I just didn’t expect anyone to come at this hour…”

Standing at her desk and tidying up, Darius glanced at Katia and asked.

“Did you not sleep well? What’s with your face?”

“I haven’t been sleeping well lately. By the way, I have something to ask.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re accompanying the inspection of the Remesas region, right?”

“Yeah. Why, do you want to go?”

“No, I have some matters at my family’s home, so I was hoping you could exclude me.”

At her words, Darius smiled lightly as if he understood.

“You didn’t come early just to wait for me to ask that, did you?”

“Well, that’s part of it…”

“Alright. It’s not a big deal. Lady Ivans isn’t accompanying us this time anyway, so it should be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure, sure.”

Darius waved his hand with a kind smile. Katia sighed quietly in relief. She had expected her superior to question her extensively about why the deputy aide wanted to be excluded, but surprisingly, he easily promised to take her name off the list for the inspection.

Feeling as though she had overcome a major hurdle, Katia’s mind calmed down a little. In a somewhat composed state, she was able to focus on her work. Even when Leonid came to talk to her, she was able to respond calmly. She even managed to smile while looking at his face, which left Leonid visibly perplexed.

Having made up her mind, Katia no longer fretted. It was just eight days. She told herself to keep her lips sealed and endure for eight days.

Immersing herself in work after a long time made time fly by. It felt like how things used to be, though it had been a while since she’d experienced this. 

However, the discomfort in her stomach remained. Her appetite decreased, and she lost quite a bit of weight. Seeing this, Jamil worried and suggested, “Maybe you should go to the hospital,” but Katia simply laughed it off.

Finally, the day of the regional inspection arrived. Since Katia wasn’t accompanying them, she stood at the front of the palace to see the departing group off. 

Alehin, dressed in formal attire, was the first to emerge, followed by the aides. As each person boarded their assigned vehicle, Leonid carefully approached Katia and held her arm. His expression was unreadable, and Katia turned to him with a blank look.

“Katia.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“I have something to tell you.”

“…Is that so?”

“I’ll tell you when I return… Let’s talk in three days.”

At his words, Katia didn’t nod but simply bowed her head in greeting, as she had done with the others. Leonid didn’t show any sign of disappointment at her reaction.

Soon, the vehicles carrying the Crown Prince’s entourage left the palace. Even in their absence, Katia still had work to do. This inspection was important, so among the aides, only Katia was excluded, allowing her to execute her planned actions without worrying about anyone’s watchful eyes.

Returning to her desk, she pulled out a piece of paper from deep within the drawer. She placed it into a blank white envelope and sealed it. Katia then headed straight to the Crown Prince’s office. She placed the envelope in the middle of Alehin’s desk.

By the time they returned and discovered the envelope she had left, Katia would already have left the capital.

Exhaling deeply as though relieved, Katia turned and left the office. With only her bag in hand, she hurriedly exited the palace.

Whatever Leonid had planned to tell her upon his return, she would never know. Katia smiled bitterly as she walked away. Whatever it was, she was too afraid to hear it. She knew her decision was the best one.