Catherine and the Black Emperor

069. The Killer of the Hay Market

Royal Gardens, July.

"Your Highness, I truly cannot understand what makes the Grand Duke feel no love or desire for the Grand Duchess. Isn't the union of a man and a woman the most primal, instinctive impulse? How wonderful that feeling is!"

Mrs. Djogolovova looked at Peter in the distance and spoke with Sergei.

Sergei did not respond.

He certainly knew the reason; back when he brought Catherine, who was still Sophia, back to St. Petersburg from the Russian border, he had already found out about Peter's experiences before coming to Russia.

He made two deductions.

The first reason is the psychological pressure Peter experienced since childhood, which led him to expose his vulnerable self through physical intimacy when he was no longer willing to engage in sexual intercourse.

Peter's childhood and adolescence were horrific—stemming from the perverse behavior born of Brummer's twisted psychology.

Smallpox further ravaged his already unattractive face, making him even uglier, which deepened his inferiority complex.

In this situation, the intelligent and charming Catherine would not arouse Peter's desire, but would instead make him feel inferior, more aware of his own shortcomings and failures, and thus generate an unspeakable sense of shame.

As for the second reason, it is also the most direct.

Peter has a minor ailment, and he refuses to let the doctor cure it—phimosis.

A normal person would only see this as a normal physiological phenomenon, but Peter is clearly not a normal person.

Elizabeth actually knew the second reason; the doctor had told her, but Elizabeth, being a woman, undoubtedly ignored it.

"Your Highness, I await your explanation." Lady Djogolokova hoped to get an answer from Sergei.

After a brief pause, Sergei spoke: "Hasn't Madam noticed that the Grand Duke is quite interested in all the maids and servants around him? For example, Valentina, whom you dismissed."

"Yes, why is that?" Mrs. Djogolovova nodded immediately.

Sergei shrugged and smiled: "That's all I've discovered; the deeper reasons remain unknown."

"Then it seems I need to investigate further." Mrs. Djogolovova felt she had found the right direction.

This still-attractive woman, with her light blue eyes, sized up the tall and robust Sergei. The more she looked, the stronger the desire in her eyes became, as if it would burst forth at any moment.

"Your Highness, if it weren't for our close relationship, if I weren't already married, I would definitely want to experience the magnificence of a man as outstanding as Your Highness, even if it meant giving up everything."

Sergei looked at the charming woman and smiled jokingly.

"Madam, I wish I could lift your tired legs with my own shoulders, but I don't want Mr. Djogolokov to hold a grudge against me. So when you're itchy, you might as well find a tree, and that will show you how magnificent I am."

Mrs. Djogolovova was amused by Sergei and laughed heartily.

Sergei was indeed aroused by this ripe woman. When he returned home that night, he didn't even eat dinner before carrying Anastasia into the room.

An hour later, Sergei lay on the bed, drenched in sweat.

Anastasia shifted her position, her long legs touching the ground, and got off the table. After getting into bed, she obediently nestled in her husband's arms.

"I need to go out for a bit," Sergei said.

"Um."

Anastasia nodded softly, without asking where her husband was going or what he was going to do.

She always kept her husband's words in mind: "My job keeps me constantly on the edge of danger. The less you know, the safer you are."

Sergei left and headed to the hay market.

Anastasia stood by the window, watching her husband walk out of the mansion, and said softly, "Where is there any safety? You should know I'm your wife now."

Hay market.

Under the cover of night, a person cautiously peeked out from the alley, and after confirming that no one was around, whispered inside.

"Hurry! Be quick!"

Then four or five men carried boxes out from inside. These were long wooden boxes used for storing porcelain, but if there was porcelain inside, dry grass would stick out from the gaps in the boxes.

But these wooden boxes were all spotless on the outside.

The man named "Boris" had a full beard and watched his surroundings warily. At the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately order his men to stop working.

A figure appeared on the street under the moonlight.

This startled Boris, who was about to order his men to hurry up and carry the box back when he realized there was only one person there, and that person was short and slender.

"It's a woman!"

Boris felt reassured and signaled his men to take out their weapons.

The men then pulled out axes from behind their backs.

"Although it's a bit old, it can still fetch a price. Some people like it to be just the right size." Boris had already determined that the person who came was a little girl under ten years old, not as valuable as the "goods" in the box.

He gestured to his two men to grab the little girl.

Two burly men put away their axes and walked towards the little girl. They couldn't see her face in the darkness, but judging from her body, she was already developing, and with their shrewd eyes, they could tell at a glance that she had a good figure for her age.

"You must eat well, little girl."

A man grinned maliciously and grabbed the other man's shoulder.

The little girl ducked her shoulders to avoid the other person's large hand. A cold light flashed, and the hand fell to the ground with a "thud," scalding blood splattering onto the cold ground.

The man was stunned for two seconds before realizing that his hand had been chopped off. At that moment, a sharp pain came, causing him to let out a miserable scream and roll on the ground clutching his wrist.

The sudden turn of events caught Boris off guard, and by the time he came to his senses, his two former subordinates were already corpses.

The man whose hand was chopped off had his throat slit, while another man had a dagger stuck in his heart.

"Kill her!"

Boris realized that the other person was not what she seemed at all—a little girl who could be easily manipulated.

The three henchmen drew their axes again and charged at the little girl, but before they could, the little girl had already started running and charged at them first.

She leaped up, kicking the first man in the chin, then stepped on his shoulder, soaring even higher into the air to dodge the second man's axe strike. Spinning several times in the air, she kicked the second man in the head.

"call!"

The moment she landed, a third man came down with an axe. The little girl crouched down to dodge and then swept her leg away.

However, she underestimated the man's size and weight, and although she kicked his shin, she couldn't knock him down.

The man bent down and grabbed at her, and another dagger came out of the girl's sleeve, and another hand was chopped off.

"what!"

The other two men turned and rushed back, and the little girl flung the dagger away.

"Whoosh!"

A dagger pierced a man's neck, and due to inertia, the man fell backward and became motionless. Meanwhile, the little girl rushed towards another man, using her small and agile body to dodge an axe while grabbing his clothes and flying onto his head.

With two fingers like hooks, she dug them into the man's eye sockets without hesitation.

"what!"

The man fell to the ground, writhing in pain. The little girl landed steadily, calmly picked up the axe from the ground, and threw it at the man's head. She then picked up another axe and swung it at the man whose hand had been chopped off.

The axe spun and flew out, striking the man's head.

For a moment, the scene fell silent.