It was natural for anyone to worry about the well-being of their loved ones, but in Nikolai’s case, it was particularly special.

Causing harm to others was forbidden in religion.

Since deciding to seek revenge against those who had made his mother and his own life miserable, taking lives had become inevitable.

Once revenge was set in motion, no matter how much he tried to minimize the damage, others besides the direct perpetrators would suffer.

It was evident that more people would experience hardship than he could imagine.

To condemn humans in the name of the gods was an abuse of power and deception against the gods themselves.

However, Nikolai, who had no hope to live for or fear of death, was not afraid of the divine punishment that would befall him.

When he groaned in pain and pleaded for salvation, the gods simply stood by and watched everything unfold.

Even if the enraged gods took his life for opposing them, it didn’t matter.

Fate or death, under the heavens, there was nothing left to fear for him. But ever since he met her, he became the most fearful man in the world.

Fearful that the gods might take her away as a punishment.

“I must be in awe of you.”

If not, there is no other way to express this emotion.

I have no means to control the fear I feel because of you.

Katya will never understand how much she means to Nikolai, even if he explains it in hundreds or thousands of words.

“Awe, huh? You’re exaggerating.”

Katya, who knew nothing, simply revealed her tidy self and brightened up with a cheerful laugh.

Every expression of hers pleased him, but especially when she laughed, Nikolai loved it the most.

When she laughed like that, it felt like the whole world regained its original colors.

It was like warm, yellow sunshine shining into his world filled with icy, cold, bluish-gray.

He always wanted to make her smile.

Every time he saw her, he couldn’t help but play pranks incessantly, which didn’t match his usual personality. Perhaps that was why.

“Is that why you couldn’t focus on the duel?”

Nikolai handed her the pocket watch that had fallen to the ground.

“I think I’ve picked this up for you before. Is it something precious?”

“Yes, it is. My father gave it to me as a birthday gift.”

“Since it doesn’t seem to be keeping the correct time, how about getting it repaired?”

He asked with concern, wondering if it had been damaged by the impact of the fall.

The time was approaching noon, but the watch still showed the early hours of dawn.

“Oh, it’s been like this even before I dropped it.”

“Is that how it’s supposed to be?”

“I deliberately set it to run slower than the actual time.”

“Then doesn’t that defeat the purpose of carrying a watch?”

In response to that remark, Katya smiled lightly.

“Actually, my mom picked it out for me, and my dad gave it to me, because by then she was in bed every day and couldn’t come to her daughter’s birthday party.”

A tinge of longing appeared on her face as she reminisced about that time.

The days when her mother was still alive felt vivid as if it were just yesterday.

“It was right after my mother received the terminal diagnosis. My younger sister was too young at the time to understand, but I knew. I knew that my mother’s time was running out.”

During that time, the Duchess Smirnov would vomit dark red blood on a daily basis.

Afraid that the children would be shocked and saddened by such a sight, she prevented them from entering her bedroom.

There were rare days when her condition was slightly better, and on those days, even though she couldn’t leave her bed, the Duchess would call Alyona to tidy her hair and clothes and welcome the children.

“Sometimes she would ask me to read out loud what I was reading at the moment, and my mother was very clever, because I was never very interested in studying, but after she asked me to do that, I became very keen on reading so that I could read it to her later.”

Katya said with a slight smile.

The Duchess, before losing her health, enjoyed reading books regardless of the genre.

To cater to his wife’s enormous reading appetite, Duke Smirnov had collected and stocked books from various countries, boasting the largest library in the south.

Young Katya spent her days lying in bed, reading any book to entertain her bored mother, regardless of the content.

Her current reading comprehension and literacy were achievements from that time.

Then, one day, the child happened to overhear the conversation among the servants in the Duke’s household.

The conversation revealed that the Duchess’s remaining days were numbered.

But she couldn’t help but think of her mother purposely putting on a healthy front in front of her daughters, and her father, who had been drowning his sorrows to fulfill his wife’s wishes.

“After that day, I used to cry my heart out in my room before going to see my mom. I didn’t want to cry in front of her.”

The child made efforts to be composed, but the Duchess probably noticed.

Whenever she came to meet her, her daughter’s eyes would always be red.

The doctor insisted that the patient shouldn’t be overwhelmed, so Alyona would set a specific time for the children to leave before she left her bedroom.

While the eldest daughter tried hard to hold back her tears and read a book, the youngest daughter would lie next to her and eventually fall asleep in her mother’s embrace.

“When Mom asked me what time it was while I was reading, I used to lie because I wanted to stay with her longer. I deliberately set the clock back by an hour or two.”

The child showed the clock that had been set in advance, pointing at it with trembling hands.

Although the Duchess knew that her daughter was lying, she pretended not to notice, and Alyona, who was waiting in the corridor, also arrived later than the appointed time, wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

“I just wished that Mom’s time could pass by more slowly, even if it meant doing this.”

Even after the Duchess passed away and went to heaven, Katya didn’t adjust the clock to the correct time.

It was her way of remembering her mother, her own way.

Every time she looked at the clock that didn’t match the correct time, Katya reproached herself.

She vowed not to waste the precious time her mother had given her by exchanging it for her own lifespan.

Whenever the Duchess’s story was mentioned, tears always welled up, but now she had become an adult who could speak calmly without crying.

Nikolai, who had been watching Katya intently, took the clock from her hand and began to adjust the hands.

The clock he returned was set even later than before.

When Katya looked up at him, not understanding the meaning, Nikolai said this.

“I also wish time would pass more slowly when I’m with you.”

“……”

“I want to spend more time with you.”

“Your Grace.”

“So, we should get married quickly.”

Nikolai smiled innocently, like a child.

Seeing her soon-to-be husband, who had already become overly excited despite accepting the proposal not long ago, Katya also laughed and spoke.

“Why is the conclusion going that way?”

“I’m just urging, now. Let’s quickly inform our future father-in-law.”

“Our father, he might really faint.”

If the Duke heard that his beloved eldest daughter was marrying the “Grand Duke of Blood,’ there was a high possibility that he would collapse while grabbing his neck.

She didn’t know if his head, which he was diligently managing to prevent extreme stress-induced premature graying or severe hair loss, would suffer further damage here.

No, in the end, the conclusion was the same.

The Duke used to pay his daughters a silver coin for every ten gray hairs they plucked out with tweezers.

If his hair turned completely white, he would end up pulling out of his hair until he becomes bald.

“And you won’t really call him ‘future father-in-law,’ will you?”

“Why? Once we’re married, he becomes my father-in-law, so it’s natural.”

“Our father, if Your Grace would call him like that he would be so overwhelmed that he might faint again. He is delicate and fragile.”

“I’ll do well.”

Nikolai lifted Katya up and raised an eyebrow.

Seeing him trying to brush it off with a laugh, she realized that he didn’t have any particular solution either.

Looking at the not-so-bright allies around them, Katya thought she would have to think about how to talk to her father tonight while wracking her brain.

As they stood up from the ground and looked around the dim surroundings, the two of them finally realized that everyone else had disappeared.

“Where did they all go?”

“Shall we go look for them together?”

Nikolai naturally reached out his hand towards Katya, as if suggesting they go together.

Caught up in his charm, Katya, who was about to grab his hand impulsively, suddenly came to her senses.

She suddenly realized how awkward she’d felt when she’d signed the prenuptial agreement in the duchy.

“Come to think of it, something’s strange.”

“What is it?”

“Your way of speaking has changed.”

Katya, who realized it early on, found Nikolai’s face quickly brightening up.

“Really? I didn’t know.”

“Your tone has become a bit too casual.”

“Now that we’re living as a married couple, we should be like this. Otherwise, it’s too formal. Why, don’t you like it?”

“It’s not that, it just feels like we suddenly became too familiar.”

“We are familiar.”

“Between you and me?”

“You don’t think so?”

Nikolai asked with a disappointed expression, clearly showing his discomfort with her attitude of feeling burdened.

“Then would it be better if there was some distance between us?”

“A proper distance would be nice.”

“What would be the proper distance?”

He took a step back from where he stood.

“Like this?”

“What are you doing?”

“Is it still too close for you?”

Continuing to ask about the closeness, Nikolai kept stepping back until he reached the pier by the lakeside.

Where exactly would this prank end?

Katya, who was simply watching out of curiosity about how far he would go, finally widened her eyes.

If she took just one more step back, she would fall into the lake.

“Is this enough then?”

Nikolai asked once again.

As he tried to take one more step back, Katya rushed forward and firmly grabbed his arm.

Due to the recoil, Nikolai’s body leaned forward, and because of Katya’s embrace, they ended up in a position where she was holding onto him.

“It’s dangerous!”

Looking up from his embrace, Katya glared at him with resentful eyes.

The most lovable woman in the world, snugly in his arms.

My love, my bride.

The corners of Nikolai’s mouth rose slightly as he looked down at her.

“Yes, I’m fine with just this.”

The man said with a captivating smile.

Found it. The proper distance between you and me.