Don’t Tame the Tomboy

“Yes?”

“It seems like an important matter, so I was curious.”

Gregory had a subtle sharpness to him, despite his seemingly trivial exit, just as he evaded Katya’s crossbow.

It didn’t make sense for her to come out just to buy soap ingredients with her ailing body.

Alyona, who had been sweating cold sweat, finally opened her mouth.

“Milady has been showing a lot of interest in Ancient Language and music lately, so she’s looking for a private tutor.”

“And?”

“Since this perfume shop attracts a lot of noble customers, she asked me to come and request information. I told her I could go alone, but she insisted that she must go herself when making the request. So I had no choice but to accompany her.”

Gregory and Olen nodded in agreement, easily falling for her perfect lie.

“I see. She truly has a kind heart.”

“Come on, let’s get you out of here. She should rest when she gets home.”

“Then I will go ahead.”

Alyona bid farewell with a smile and as soon as she got into the carriage, it immediately set off.

Even if the two of them were to enter the perfume shop and inquire, the perfumer was astute and would quickly catch on, and would just play along.

As the carriage disappeared, Olen and Gregory raised their heads in unison, taking off their hats and offering a gentlemanly greeting.

In an instant, their eyes met, and without saying a word, they both turned around and forcefully opened the door to the perfume shop.

They both rushed inside at the same time, only to get their shoulders caught in the door frame.

‘Why did it turn out like this?’

The perfumer couldn’t help but inwardly sigh at the sight of these two who were burning with competitiveness and behaving foolishly.

After pushing each other, the two suitors entered the shop and rushed to the counter as if they were participating in a race.

“Recommend someone I can hire!”

“No, recommend my person!”

“Pardon? I’m not sure what both of you are talking about…”

“Lady Bianca is looking for a private tutor. She asked you to inquire about a tutor, didn’t she?”

“…Ah, that.”

The perfumer nodded casually, as he had a good relationship with Alyona.

He didn’t know the reason behind her lie, but for now, he decided to play along with their antics.

“You’ll be interviewing for a tutor soon enough, I’m sure, and I’d like you to give my recommendation to the Duke.”

“I’ll bring someone too! I’ll find a tutor who is well-versed in Ancient Language and music, so please recommend that person as well.”

“I understand what you mean. But I’m meeting both of you for the first time, so may I know your names…?”

The perfumer wrote down Olen and Gregory’s names on a piece of paper.

He planned to ask Alyona later about the details to describe in the letter he would send to her.

“Then, I’ll entrust it to the fine gentlemen.”

With the perfumer’s farewell, the two suitors walked outside.

Once again, their eyes met, and they turned their backs to each other, each going their separate ways.

“Hey, old man!”

Ignoring the familiar voice, Gregory deliberately turned away and suddenly walked closely beside Olen.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? As if you’ve seen someone you shouldn’t have?”

“Don’t turn around! It’s Ivan, Ivan!”

Startled by his whisper, Olen covered his face with his hand and quickly walked with Gregory.

But soon, he was caught by the person he had been trying to avoid.

“Where do you think you’re going like that?”

Ivan sneered, clenching his teeth.

“When I sent out the wedding invitations, everyone welcomed me like an honored guest. How did everyone’s attitude change so suddenly?”

Bianca’s suitors had asked Ivan to marry Katya in exchange for money, and were now avoiding him.

When Duke Smirnov sent out the announcements, informing people that the wedding was canceled, the southern social circles buzzed with gossip.

Bianca’s suitors were afraid that they would be caught up in unnecessary trouble by associating with Ivan, who had been dumped.

“Now you have nothing to gain from me, is that it?”

“W-We’ll find a way on our own, so stop pretending to be important.”

“Yeah! Didn’t our agreement already end?”

“End? You didn’t even pay me and kept your mouth shut. What kind of ending is that?”

Ivan approached with a grip as if he could strangle him at any moment, and Olen’s eyes widened.

Old Gregory hid behind Olen, who was like a son to him.

“W-Well, that was the success fee, wasn’t it? In the end, it was a huge failure, so how dare you ask for a success fee with any dignity?”

“That’s right, as the Count said. Since you broke off your marriage, you became a laughingstock, so of course we can’t give it to you.”

“That’s…!”

Unable to refute Ivan’s retort, Olen and Gregory quickly hopped into the carriage and left.

Just a moment ago, they were happily leaving together.

Unable to overcome his frustration with his clients’ sinister intentions, Ivan angrily kicked a nearby peddler.

The truth was, he had a lot of gambling debts.

Count Petrozsky had warned him before, saying it would be the last time he bailed him out of gambling debts.

If he were to get involved in gambling again, he would be completely disowned by the family, his father had added.

Ivan knew well that his father was a man who never went back on his word.

He had planned to use the success fee to repay a portion of the debt, but when Katya escaped from the villa, his plans fell apart.

The repayment date was approaching, and he was penniless.

Moreover, it was a date that had already been postponed several times, so he couldn’t delay it any further.

To make matters worse, he had borrowed money from a notorious loan sharks, so if he couldn’t repay it, he might even lose his life.

“Damn it, what should I do?”

Ivan nervously bit his nails, consumed by anxiety.

***

“Alyona, is this a threat or a plea?”

Katya asked, waving the letter she received from Ivan.

“What does it say?”

Katya threw the paper away in disbelief.

The letter, which started with declarations of love and fervent courtship, became more and more absurd as it went on.

“He’s begging me to meet him, saying he’ll do anything. But if I refuse to meet, he’ll threaten to sue my father for fraud in connection with our engagement.”

“Oh my, how can someone be so despicable?”

Alyona, who knew about what happened at the villa, trembled with anger.

“Give it here. I’ll set it on fire right away!”

“Just a moment. We should send a reply.”

“What? Respond to such a wretched letter?”

“Yes. Just wait a moment. I’ll write a response right away, so you can send it back to him.”

“Are you sure it’s okay? What if he becomes even more insufferable?”

“Don’t worry. I have my own plans.”

Katya flashed a significant smile and took out a pen.

***

The next day, Ivan, singing a tune, entered the Duke’s mansion after receiving a reply from Katya.

The letter contained a message asking to meet here at noon.

“I knew it would be like this. Katya, how are you going to escape from me?”

In the end, Ivan believed that she would come back to him.

It was because Katya had a secret she wanted to hide.

He expected her to meet him, if only to keep his mouth shut.

Feeling excited at the thought of seeing her, Ivan followed the butler’s guidance with light footsteps, like he’s dancing, and entered the drawing-room.

But as soon as he saw the man sitting on the sofa, all his joyful emotions vanished without a trace.

“Uh, how are you?”

Seeing Nikolai, his chest felt as if it had been struck hard, causing pain.

Is this the feeling of one’s heart-stopping?

Remembering the time he had tried to strangle him before, Ivan unconsciously covered his neck with his hand, but Nikolai suddenly clicked his tongue in disapproval.

His brow furrowed in displeasure, and Ivan felt resentful.

Who was the one who should feel bad right now?

“The Duke’s mansion is so spacious. Why do the two of us have to be in the same place?”

“I apologize, Your Highness. The Duchess mentioned that she has something to discuss with both of you in one place.”

“If that’s Tia’s intention, then I understand.”

Upon hearing the butler’s words, Nikolai quickly softened his expression and relaxed.

Ivan, with a frown on his face, sat across from him.

He had said it before, and now he said ‘Tia’ again.

Katrina’s nickname used by family and relatives was ‘Katya.’

But the Grand Duke naturally shortened it even further and called her ‘Tia.’

Katya, who used to despise being called by a familiar nickname by someone she wasn’t close to, strangely had nothing to say about that nickname.

The other person was the ‘Grand Duke of Blood,’ and although it was an urgent situation, but somehow the person called and the person who called seemed natural.

It sparked jealousy in Ivan because it felt like their own special nickname.

“Compose yourself. It’s making me feel disgusted.”

Nikolai, who had been looking only towards the door, warned him with a stern voice, his gaze now shifting to the side.

“I, I have a bit of a stomachache….”

He offered a cowardly excuse that no coward would believe, no matter who heard it.

Within the drawing room, time seemed to pass slowly, as if dragging on for both men, for a few minutes.

The butler reappeared, leading Katya with him.

“Katya!”

As soon as Ivan saw her, he leaped up with joy and shouted.

Not because he liked Katya, but at this moment, she felt like a savior to him.

The butler left, and Katya and Ivan faced each other while sitting, with Nikolai taking the center seat between them.

“I invited both of you here today to accept one of your proposals.”

“What? The Grand Duke proposed to you?”

Ivan exclaimed in surprise at Katya’s words.

“It’s not something he casually did, right?”

Upon hearing that, a vein bulged on Nikolai’s forehead.

He had never been unfaithful in his life, so he became angry at the thought that Katya might misunderstand and think otherwise.

Is this how he’s trying to discredit his opponent?

It was a petty strategy, but Nikolai found it annoying and frustrating. He even considered giving him a cup of strong poison to kill him.

“Tia, I am definitely not that kind of person.”

He defended himself with a forced smile.

Katya narrowed her eyes as if she understood his heart.

“Before deciding on my future husband, I need confirmation that both of you truly love me.”

“Of course, it’s true love! You are my first and last love, Katya!”

“Are you willing to stake your life on it?”

She asked Ivan in a gentle voice.