#86. What Happened in Kalita (3)
After knocking down one thug, the man stepped in front of her.
Sasha looked at him with wide, surprised eyes and called out again.
“Pavel.”
But Pavel didn’t seem to hear her. He was busy dealing with the remaining thugs charging at him.
Pow! Pow!
It was hardly a fight—more like a one-sided beating.
It had started with four against one, Pavel surrounded, but now he was the only one left standing.
“Pavel.”
Only after the situation was over did Pavel turn to Sasha.
“Ah.”
Seeing Sasha’s surprised face, he carefully asked,
“Sorry. Did I scare you?”
“Uh… yeah.”
Still unable to hide her shock, Sasha watched as Pavel awkwardly rubbed his stomach and made an excuse.
“I think I’ve gotten more impatient since making the mana hole. I just can’t hold back.”
“Ah…”
Sasha remembered the side effects of mana holes.
‘They said your personality changes a bit depending on the element the mana hole holds.’
Since Pavel’s mana hole had the fire element, he seemed to have gained a fiery temper—quick to lose patience, quick to get angry, and acting on impulse.
‘…Dangerous.’
This time was fine, but who knew if they would be so lucky next time?
Sasha was about to warn him when she noticed Pavel scratching his head awkwardly.
“Your hand…!”
The back of his hand was scraped raw.
Worried, Sasha quickly raised her arm and grabbed his hand.
Holding it with both hands, she examined it from all angles, her face turning into a pout.
“You’re hurt…!”
“……”
It was just a few scratches, hardly worth calling “hurt.”
If the thugs who had been knocked unconscious by Pavel’s fists heard that, they would be furious at the unfairness of it.
But to Sasha, it didn’t matter what injuries the thugs got from Pavel.
What mattered was whether Pavel was hurt.
Whether the thugs who tried to rob the old woman were lying on the ground or not, Sasha was more concerned about the scratches on Pavel’s hand.
Just then—
“Thank you.”
The elderly woman spoke in a gentle voice.
“If it weren’t for you two, I would’ve been in serious trouble with those scoundrels.”
Though she used refined speech, there were occasional coarse words mixed in, making her way of speaking unique.
Sasha, smiling warmly, grew curious about the old woman’s identity.
But she couldn’t pry into the background of a stranger who had just been through something like that.
Instead, she spoke kindly.
“It was the right thing to do.”
“Still, thank you. …I guess I got careless, thinking about the past and coming out without any preparation. That’s how I ended up in this mess.”
Then she pointed with her eyes at Pavel’s hand, still held tightly by Sasha.
“Well, I’ll hand these men over to the guards, so you two should go on your way. That hand looks like it needs treatment.”
“Ah…”
Sasha blinked. Could they really just leave without cleaning up the mess?
After a moment’s thought, Sasha decided to accept the old woman’s kindness.
“Alright. We’ll head out first.”
Pavel bowed politely too, taking Sasha’s hand as they left the alley.
Once they were gone—
A man appeared behind the old woman, who had been watching them go.
Sensing him, she turned her head slightly to see a knight in a neatly buttoned-up uniform.
“Your Majesty.”
“Now, now.”
The old woman—no, the Emperor of the Empire, Empress Natalya—clicked her tongue.
“I told you not to call me that in public.”
“My apologies.”
The knight, commander of the imperial guard, bowed deeply.
Natalya smiled faintly and asked,
“Who were those two just now?”
“Pavel Volkov, heir to Grand Duke Volkov, and his wife.”
“Ah, the son of that stone-faced man.”
Remembering Dmitri Volkov’s stern face, Natalya chuckled.
Thinking how alike father and son were, she asked,
“Didn’t they say his only son wouldn’t even reach adulthood because of some terrible, unknown illness?”
“That’s what was believed, but a few years ago, he recovered and began heir training.”
“They also said he had a fierce temper and a bad hand, earning him the nickname ‘Devil.’”
At her probing, the commander explained what he knew.
“That rumor disappeared years ago. I heard the late Count Tula made it up out of malice.”
“Besides you, does anyone else know that?”
After a brief pause, the commander shook his head.
“No one.”
“Hm.”
Natalya rubbed the head of her cane.
As emperor, she had informants bringing her news from all over the empire.
Especially for someone like the Grand Duke of Volkov, with such immense wealth and power, she needed to know every little thing.
She already knew these details about Pavel, but others likely did not.
“Northern folk always whisper among themselves and keep quiet to outsiders.”
“……”
The commander stayed silent. In moments like this, agreeing or disagreeing could be dangerous.
Listening quietly was the safest way to stay close to the empress without provoking her temper.
As expected, since the commander stayed silent, Natalya didn’t press the conversation.
“A new wind will blow.”
She exhaled slowly, almost like a sigh.
“Fortunately, I find this wind pleasant… but I wonder how the people here will take it.”
She gazed past the distant imperial palace toward the western district where the nobles lived.
The nobles of Kalita were like hyenas—hovering when they saw something they wanted, tearing it apart, abandoning principles and traditions in their greed.
How would they react to meeting a strong and capable heir so different from the rumors?
Thinking of them, Natalya’s smile vanished.
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes.”
The commander immediately brought the nearby carriage forward.
It took only a few minutes to reach Hildebrid Castle.
As they entered, Natalya spoke.
“Tomorrow, summon the Grand Duke’s son and his wife.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll have lunch with them, so prepare for that.”
“Yes.”
“And tell Ruslan to attend as well.”
“……”
The commander, who had been responding promptly, fell silent this time.
Natalya’s eyebrows shot up.
“Why no answer?”
“…Understood.”
A smile spread across her lips.
“Good. This will be very interesting.”
Her muttering was full of amusement.
“Ruslan needs a new wind too. Whatever he learned down south, he’s too smug about it.”
“……”
“No urgency, no passion. He does well without even trying, so he never puts in the effort. If he did, he’d be even better.”
“……”
“Only by clashing with someone similar, and maybe floundering in first love, can he become a good ruler.”
‘Will that really work?’
The commander thought skeptically, but Natalya was already smiling to herself, lost in her own thoughts.
What kind of waves would this northern wind bring to calm Kalita?
‘…Kalita’s going to be noisy for a while.’
The commander stopped imagining and stayed silent.
Back at the townhouse, Sasha immediately pulled Pavel into her room.
Opening a carefully packed bag, she took out emergency medicine she’d made herself and spoke in a stern voice.
“Sit.”
“Okay.”
Pavel obediently sat in the chair beside her.
“Hand.”
“Okay.”
Once again, he offered his hand without resistance.
Sasha gently took it and turned it over.
Tiny beads of blood dotted the scratches on the back.
Her brow furrowed in worry.
“It’s fine.”
“How is this fine?”
“It doesn’t really hurt.”
“Is that all that matters? If it gets infected, you could lose the hand…”
“……”
Seeing her upset face, Pavel closed his mouth. Trying to reassure her seemed to only make her more worried.
Silently, Sasha applied a thick ointment to the wound.
As it seeped into the cuts, Pavel gritted his teeth. This hurt more than getting the injury in the first place.
“Pavel.”
Hearing her soft voice, he forced himself to sound normal.
“…Yeah?”
“I know it’s not really your fault, and that it’s because of the mana’s influence, but…”
Sasha gently brushed her fingers over the wound.
“I want you to be more careful from now on.”
[Because I worry about you.]
Her unspoken thought was clear in her tone.
There was only one answer he could give.
“Okay.”
Satisfied, Sasha said nothing more. Pushing further would feel like nagging. He wasn’t a child anymore—she would just have to trust him.
But Pavel spoke first.
“If I do this again, stop me.”
Sasha glanced at him sideways.
“When I called you earlier, you didn’t even hear me.”
“Well…”
Thinking back, Pavel realized she probably had called him, but he’d been too worked up to stop.
“……”
Losing her trust like that, he had no excuse.
Sasha gave a small chuckle and closed the medicine jar.
Then Pavel spoke again.
“If words don’t work, grab me.”
“Huh?”
“Arm, waist—it’s fine even over clothes.”
Looking straight into her eyes, he said seriously,
“If you do that, I’ll worry about you getting hurt, and I’ll stop immediately.”
