“If you were to call off this marriage even now, I would have nothing to say.”

Nikolai wrapped one hand around the side of Katya’s face, caressing her cheek, which was chilled by the night breeze.

“I was so happy to be with you that I didn’t realize that my unhappiness would extend to you.”

“…….”

“I know it sounds irresponsible, but you can abandon me as you are. Legally, you are my wife, and as promised, alimony and the Duke’s estate will be–”

“You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t have married you.”

Her blue eyes fluttered wildly as a word of regret escaped her lips.

When he said he didn’t mind being abandoned, he was both sincere and insincere.

If even Katya were to leave his side, would there really be anything left in the world to live for?

“I honestly didn’t expect you to risk your life, but that’s okay, I didn’t realize you were such a coward.”

“Tia…….”

“Isn’t this a fraudulent marriage? I married the Grand Duke because I like brave and strong men, but I’m suddenly regretting it.”

Nikolai, who had been nervous, laughed softly at her playful tone.

“A fraudulent marriage. I over-promised myself to win your heart.”

“It’s okay though, I’m stronger than you think.”

“What?”

“I’m going to hold on to both your sanity and your life from now on, so you better be on your toes. I don’t live in debt, so I’m not going to take alimony or anything, ‘ll only accept what I deserve after faithfully fulfilling the contract, okay?”

Grand Duchess Katarina said with such sternness.

As much as he had fought for her during their time in the South, she was determined to protect him from now on.

“You won’t regret it?”

Nikolai asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.

“No, regrets.”

“……I lied when I said I’m fine if you’d just discard me like this.”

“I knew it.”

Katya replied with satisfaction as he clutched at her sleeve like a child, obediently confessing.

She smiled, trying to reassure him, but it wasn’t really about her speed.

After facing so many enemies and interference, perhaps Nikolai had finally gotten what he wanted out of marriage.

He had chosen her, and Katya intended to fulfill her duties as Grand Duchess to the best of her ability.

The letter had specifically targeted Nikolai, but this assassin had deliberately targeted Katya.

It seemed that Oksana had not yet received news on Katya’s work.

If she had known, they would have mobilized the Council of Elders, the Grand Duke’s advisory body, to somehow invalidate the marriage.

It had been more than a week since their wedding was registered, so an annulment was out of the question.

‘And yet they tried to kill me.’

The assassin with his hand on the carriage had a pretty good head on his shoulders.

He wanted to take advantage of the moment when Nikolai was incapacitated by the loss of his lover.

The assassin didn’t know him well, but what if the forces of Oksana saw Nikolai in love?

A man in love becomes stronger than anyone else, but at the same time, more vulnerable than anyone else.

Katya knew he would be surprised after witnessing the accident, but seeing Nikolai about to jump off the cliff with her own two eyes was a bit of a shock.

The man who had seemed so strong broke down in an instant, like a man who had witnessed the destruction of his country.

Then she realized.

‘I have become the Grand Duke’s only weakness.’

Nikolai had been called the ‘Grand Duke of Blood’ all this time, and he had rushed forward with nothing to stop him.

To have a weakness was to be limited in one’s actions.

If his enemies turned their arrows and aimed for her instead–

‘In everything you do in the future, my lord, I may be a hindrance.’

For the first time that day, Katya regretted accepting the marriage.

After safely crossing the mountain, Nikolai and Katya arrived in the city of Vasnetsov a few days later.

It was a popular vacation spot with beautiful natural landscapes, architecture, and hot springs, and it was no exaggeration to say that it drove Hersen’s tourism business.

It was especially popular as a honeymoon destination.

Its location close to the harbor attracted people from all over the region, and it was a trendy city for culture and art, so there was plenty to see.

Prices were high, but even commoners dreamed of visiting Vasnetsov on their honeymoon.

When Nikolai first suggested a short honeymoon after the ceremony, Katya was against it.

“Can we go on a honeymoon undercover?”

“We rushed through the marriage without proper procedures. We had a simple wedding. I’d like a proper honeymoon, don’t you?”

“Well, still…”

“The knight who scouted out the next city we’ll be visiting hasn’t returned yet. It’ll be a while before we get an advance report anyway.”

So they could go on a honeymoon in the meantime.

Katya quickly agreed.

It would be hard to get away once they were in the capital. It might be their last chance to travel freely.

Before the Duchess’s illness, the Smirnovs had traveled frequently as a family.

One of those trips was to Vasnetsov, where young Katya fell in love with the city from the first moment she saw it.

Under a sky tinted pink by the setting sun, the harmony of the watercolor-colored baroque architecture was mesmerizing enough to make her little heart skip a beat.

Her head swam with anticipation at the thought of seeing what she had seen that day again, but it was quickly replaced by disappointment.

“What is this… They said it would be a lucky day for the journey!”

As they entered the city limits, dark clouds began to form in the sky, and soon the sky turned ash-colored like smoke from a chimney.

Rain followed closely behind, shrouding the entire city in darkness as the sun’s retreat was accelerated.

Soon enough, they arrived in front of a hotel on the outskirts.

It was the geography of the place that made them choose it over other hotels in the city center.

It was an isolated place, bordered by a river, that minimized the amount of contact with other people compared to hotels in the city center.

Nikolai didn’t want his honeymoon interrupted.

“What the hell is that…… place?”

He muttered in shock as he dismounted from his horse at a site that looked nothing like the picture on the promotional flyer.

They’d been told it was the most historic hotel in Vasnetsov, and they’d picked it with high hopes, but the building in front of them could hardly be called a hotel.

Sure, it had once been Gothic, and supposedly in the ‘shape’ of a beautiful castle.

But somehow, ivy had taken over the exterior, and the walls were peeling paint and dripping with lye.

Amidst the groom’s determination to figuratively annihilate the flyer maker, in comes thoughtless Boris, blurted out his unsolicited opinion.

“Isn’t this what you call ‘I thought it was a romance, but then I stumbled upon the opening of a horror novel’?”

It was a poignant but accurate comment. It was an eerie feeling, the stuff of all kinds of horror stories.

Nikolai was now feeling self-conscious.

There was no way he was going to let his beloved bride sleep here on their first night.

“Let’s go back, Tia, even if we find another place now…….”

“It’s peak season, it’s like trying to catch a star from the sky to book a room in another hotel. But it’s not like you can spend your first night at an inn.”

His loyal subject retorted in an impatient tone.

Nikolai was tempted to sew up the mouth of the truth-teller, but he quickly stopped himself.

Katya must have sensed his inner thoughts because she tugged on his sleeve.

“I-isn’t vintage romantic? Who says you have to go to a fancy hotel on your honeymoon? It’s nice to think outside the box once in a while. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s inside.”

Nikolai couldn’t help but feel even more sorry for her as she desperately tried to find a silver lining.

“Just buy it.”

“Yes? What?”

“If you don’t have a room, you can buy the whole hotel.”

“Calm down, Grand Duke!”

Katya exclaimed, jumping up and down, tearing into him for really wanting to buy the hotel.

In the history books, most tyrants suffer their downfall through luxury and indulgence.

Nikolai’s was a different case, as he was spending his own overflowing wealth, not squeezing his subjects for taxes. But with so many enemies, she didn’t want to give them an excuse.

“Have I ever told you that I read a lot of mysteries in my youth? I’ve always wanted to come to a place like this. Doesn’t the idea of a clandestine murder give you heart palpitations?”

She was half-serious.

She’d wanted to try her hand at impersonation to see if she could handle it, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend her honeymoon here.

But there was really no other option now, and Katya was exhausted from the long journey.

To make matters worse, they’d traveled on horseback without a carriage, so they’d been directly hit by rain.

The nearest inn, if not a hotel, was another half-hour away.

The desire to clean up, eat, and collapse into a ball and sleep outweighed all the disadvantages.

“Achoo!”

Seeing his wife sneeze as if she had a cold, Nikolai finally relented and carried her into the hotel.

Still, it was a luxury hotel according to the registration information, so they should have medicine on hand.

They had just stepped into the lobby when a gentleman with a dignified mustache approached them with a troubled look on his face, waved his hand, and exclaimed.

[I’m sorry, but there are no vacant rooms at the moment!]