Fortunately, according to the diagnosis of the court physician, Katya was able to avoid having a bald head.

The physician gathered herbs and applied them to her round forehead, securing them with a bandage wrapped around her head.

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

“You think I got hit while messing around with the Grand Duke, didn’t you?”

Katya said, detecting his true intentions and expressing her dissatisfaction.

“Oh, no! I didn’t have such thoughts.”

The physician denied with a forced cough, feeling a pang of guilt.

It was because of the worry that Duke Smirnov had about his daughter being indebted to the Grand Duke.

Could it be that he wanted to test Katya’s martial arts skills and challenged the Grand Duke, who held the authority of a military commander, resulting in receiving a blow like that?

As they were alone when it happened, there was no harm in the physician making such speculations.

No one had any idea that Katya and Nikolai would end up getting married.

Moreover, Katya enjoyed wearing pants like the men and had hobbies such as hunting and martial arts training.

As a result, it was natural to imagine her receiving blows in the military rather than in a romantic relationship.

“It’s because of me that you got hurt.”

Nikolai blamed himself, watching the treatment.

He realized that it was his fault since she got startled and hurt herself when she saw him right after waking up.

However, the physician interpreted it differently.

Of course…

“If you say it like that, it can be misunderstood!”

“Well, it’s not entirely untrue.”

“Ugh, anyway, don’t tell Father that I got hurt while being with the Grand Duke. Got it?”

Katya dismissed the house physician with a stern command.

As soon as he left, Nikolai approached her and let out a sigh.

Seeing the bandage wrapped around her small head made his heart ache.

“When I see you hurt like this, it feels like my heart is being torn apart.”

“Usually, people only think about it, not speak it out through actions. Who does that, anyway?”

“I’m just speaking what I feel. I can’t forgive myself for just standing by and watching you get hurt.”

“You’d think it was an assassination attempt or something, but I just put the whole thing together myself.”

“Come to think of it, since you dared to harm the future Grand Duchess, there must be consequences.”

After finishing his words, Nikolai walked toward the despicable assassin who attempted a heinous assassination on the Duchess.

He swiftly raised a quite sturdy table with one hand.

“Should I break it?”

“Are you doing parenting now?”

“Parenting?”

“That’s how our father used to do it when I was young. If I tripped and cried after stepping on a rope, he scolded it, saying, ‘You want to be hit!’ It’s exactly what the Duke is doing now.”

Upon hearing her words, he calmly placed the thing he was holding on the floor.

Judging by his expression, it seemed like he was ready to break it if Katya had given permission.

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

“I think the Duke will be a good father.”

Nikolai’s steps toward Katya came to a halt.

No, it was more accurate to say that all his actions stopped.

There was a momentary change in his expression, but it quickly disappeared, too fleeting for Katya to notice.

He immediately offered a faint smile.

“I won’t be able to become a father.”

“Why?”

“We’re going to divorce in a year, aren’t we?”

“Ah…”

“Why, are you planning to have a child with me in the meantime?”

Nikolai joked with a playful face.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind, but would you leave me if the child becomes a burden?”

“No, of course not.”

“It’s good.”

He laughed as he watched her pout and shout.

The two of them soon took their seats side by side.

Nikolai had come to see her today to draft a prenuptial agreement.

“A prenuptial agreement?”

“Originally, formal contracts are not verbal.”

“Oh, are you planning to deceive the people, Grand Duke?”

“No matter what, marriage is a serious matter. How can you entrust your life to me?”

“If it’s you, Your Grace, I can trust you.”

Katya said with firm conviction in her eyes.

Nikolai felt strange with the boundless trust she displayed towards him.

It was a different kind of blind faith compared to the loyalty of his devoted subordinates.

How could he leave behind such a lovely woman?

He became fearful. He was afraid that his love for her would make him want to give up all the plans he had prepared until now.

“Even if I cling to you after a year, I might not grant you a divorce.”

“But what if I fall in love with you, Your Grace?”

“……What?”

“What if I become deeply in love with you and don’t want a divorce after a year?”

He had never thought about such a thing before.

Nikolai had only been thinking about safely sending her back to the south after the contract was over.

He had never expected her to fall in love with him.

“Don’t say that.”

“What?”

“I’m not a man deserving of your love.”

Just when she was about to bombard him with a flurry of questions, he responded with an impassive answer.

His words somehow sounded sad, and it made Katya a little angry.

“Why?”

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

“If that’s how you feel, why did you propose in the first place?”

“For a year, I will give my all to become a good husband. I mean it.”

“Does that determination only last for a year?”

“I can’t guarantee what will happen afterward. So, when the validity period ends, discard it without hesitation.”

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

“Since I can’t even trust myself, let’s be meticulous in writing this.”

Katya felt a slight resentment, but she pressed her lips together and picked up a pen.

Somehow, she had been feeling uneasy since earlier, but she dismissed it as unnecessary worries and shook her head.

She had no intention of canceling the marriage at this point.

Let’s think about the tremendous benefits she would gain from this marriage.

Perhaps it was even better for Nikolai to keep his distance from her.

If she ended up falling for him and resolved to remain as the Grand Duchess, it would only cause trouble for herself.

Wasn’t her dream of happiness not to be someone’s wife, daughter-in-law, nor the mistress of a noble family, and just enjoy life freely?

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

Above her lips, which were constantly moving, something glistened in the sunlight streaming through the window.

It was powdered sugar that had stuck from the snack.

Nikolai reached out and wiped the sugar from the corner of her mouth, as casually as he had stolen her tears earlier.

Startled like a rabbit ambushed by a predator, Katya turned her head to the side.

“W-What did you just do?”

“Huh?”

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

“Did I do that? I’m sorry.”

He apologized, admitting his mistake.

“Then, is it okay to touch after giving prior notice?”

“No!”

Katya asserted herself and wrote down a new clause on the paper.

?Do not touch each other’s bodies unless it is absolutely necessary. For example, when there is suspicion about being a contracted couple.?

Nikolai leaned toward her and read the clause, tilting his head in confusion.

“Who determines the criteria for necessity?”

“Common sense! It wasn’t necessary earlier.”

“I acted based on necessity. It could have been dangerous if I had left it alone.”

“Dangerous?”

“I might have wiped it away with my lips.”

Katya blushed and covered her mouth with her hand.

“No vulgar words…”

As she whispered the next clause, intending to move the pen, Nikolai stopped her.

“I’m not even loved by my wife, and all I have left is this mouth, and you’re not even going to let me express my feelings for you?”

“When did you ever tell me not to love me! Just say something bearable.”

“To what extent can you bear it?”

“I don’t know. But what you said earlier was, ugh! Too much.”

“How about kissing between a husband and wife.”

Nikolai shrugged and retorted.

Perhaps this was how Northern men typically behaved, but for Katya, who was inexperienced in love, it was truly exasperating.

“Let’s limit it to when others see us or when there are suspicions.”

“Then I should stay outside every day.”

“Although it’s a joke, I hope you won’t keep creating situations that lead to suspicion.”

“I’ve been caught.”

“It’s hard to tell where your sincerity ends and where your playfulness begins, Your Grace.”

Katya said with a hint of expectation in her eyes.

One minute he’s telling her not to love him, the next he’s launching another aggressive courtship offensive.

She wondered if his defensive attitude from earlier might have been a mere jest.

“At least in my eyes, you keep stepping on me.”

“I keep stepping on you?”

“Well, it even comes to mind before going to bed and appears in my dreams.”

“You seem to have a severe case of lovesickness.”

She replied curtly, out of the blue.

The Grand Duke felt relieved now that she seemed like the person he originally knew.

“So, did you see me in your dream too? Considering how startled you were when you woke up, there’s a good chance.”

Nikolai said that and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Katya, realizing that he was teasing her, clenched her fist and struck his arm with annoyance.

However, her hand only hurt, as if hitting a stone-like muscle with a feather-like hand.

Tears welled up in her eyes, indicating how solid it was.

“Why does everything you say always have to be a joke?”

“It’s because your reactions are so amusing. Even if I look like this, I’m naturally a serious person.”

“Who says that?”

“Just ask my subordinates. This side of me is only visible to you.”

“Hmph. I don’t believe it.”

“If you really can’t believe it, you can ask them directly. After we finish writing the contract today, would you like to go out with me? I’ll show you the knights’ training.”

At his words, Katya suddenly sparkled as if she had gathered all the stars in the sky.

It had touched her romantic fantasies about knights.

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

Unintentionally, she held his hand and jumped around happily. Seeing Katya like that, Nikolai suddenly felt a pang of discomfort.

Even though he had subtly changed his tone of voice according to Luka’s advice, Katya still hadn’t noticed.

But to be so excited at the thought of seeing other men.

A surge of jealousy rose within him.