Duke Brendon clapped, tears in his eyes.
“Indeed my son! I knew I could trust you, Simon! Keep it up!”
The fickle Duke Brendon, even in front of his son, was pathetic.
Simon, who was pushing Claudia, was even more detestable.
‘My favorite can’t lose! Claudia is a genius incomparable to Simon! Claudia seems tired, what to do?’
I nervously bit my fingertips.
If this continued, Claudia would get seriously hurt.
“Your Majesty. Why is Simon like this? Can his skills suddenly improve like this?”
“How can this be…”
Nikolai’s lips trembled.
His beautiful face paled.
A tension I’d never felt before attracted ominous premonitions.
“Your Majesty. What’s the matter?”
“We must stop the duel immediately.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Nikolai abruptly stood up.
Just before the match was called off, Claudia fell.
Simon’s sword aimed at Claudia’s neck.
It wasn’t to sever a red thread.
Unless intended to sever her head from her torso, the sword couldn’t be plunged like that.
“Claudia!”
For a moment, time froze.
Like a slowmotion scene, everything flowed slowly.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of a heartbeat resounded in my ears.
An ominous, sticky breath of death clung to my skin.
The fear that Claudia might die gripped my veins.
If she disappeared, I could completely break away from the original story.
Of course, I could also save Nikolai and Franz.
However.
‘I don’t want such an ending. Claudia’s death? It’s absurd!’
Even if I regret it, I had to save Claudia.
At least, I couldn’t let Claudia die because of me.
Nikolai suddenly threw something.
[Dash]Whiz!I only realized it was a dagger when Simon spurted blood.
“Simon!”
Duke Brendon’s agonizing cry pierced the sky.
Everyone froze in the profound silence.
The shadow of the death god became clearer.
The dagger hit the vital spot precisely, and Simon’s bulky body fell over.
‘Isn’t that the dagger Douglas gifted me?’
I’d received a small dagger as a getwell gift from Douglas.
I carried it around for a few days to show gratitude.
After the kidnapping incident, I never left it behind.
Nikolai must have discovered the dagger hidden inside my dress while hugging me.
“I borrowed it without permission. I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”
Nikolai spoke.
His complexion was paler than Simon, who lay fallen.
Is Simon really dead?
Why did Nikolai do this?
Everything felt blurry, like watching events through a smoky veil.
Claudia, who had gotten up clumsily, checked Simon’s pulse with two fingers.
Then, she shook her head.
“Save my son! Aaargh!”
Duke Brendan collapsed, writhing like a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
All eyes turned to Nikolai.
Not a trace of curiosity remained.
In the eyes staring at Nikolai, only fear was densely packed.
Nikolai said nothing.
And so, no one dared to speak.
But everyone knew.
The news that the Emperor had killed a knight during a duel would spread to the ends of the continent.
(This is a time separator.)
The empire was in turmoil.
Hushing was of no use.
Nisa heard the voices of the attendants as they moved towards the Crown Prince’s palace together.
“Sir Simon Brendan is dead? And he was struck by His Majesty’s dagger?”
“Sir Simon was almost winning.”
“Did His Majesty interfere to make sure Sir Claudia would win?”
“Nay, unthinkable!”
“If Sir Claudia loses, then all of Elizabeth’s property will go to Duke Brendan?”
“There’s talk that Elizabeth arranged it from behind.”
“So, Sir Simon met a miserable end? Because of that woman.”
From behind the attendants, Nisa made her presence known.
The startled attendants froze like statues.
“El, Elizabeth?”
Their faces looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Uncertain how to react, or how to handle them, they were at a loss.
“Please forgive us! Pretend you didn’t hear!”
Watching the attendants hastily flee, Nisa mumbled to herself.
“It’s going to be noisy for a while.”
“As long as it’s just noisy, it’s a relief.”
“Elizabeth did nothing wrong, did she?”
“A good image can crumble in an instant. Someone’s downfall is always an interesting spectacle.”
In just one day, Nikolai had become a tyrant who killed a promising knight.
And I was a wicked woman who spurred on a tyrant to protect my property.
The more beautiful the story, the easier it was to tarnish.
A story far more stimulating than Cinderella was spreading far and wide.
‘Claudia is safe, thankfully… but everything else is the worst. What now?’
Public sympathy for the Brendan family grew rapidly.
Nobles who had mocked the decline of the Brendan family also felt the crisis.
“Clarification is demanded!”
“This is a serious matter that shakes the foundation of the empire!”
The nobles rose like a swarm of bees.
Because of the crime of lesemajeste, they couldn’t directly blame Nikolai.
The nobles found a scapegoat to replace the emperor.
Their eyes turned bloodshot to pull me down.
I had anticipated this to some extent.
But I hadn’t expected this to happen right in front of the Crown Prince’s palace.
“Halt. You cannot meet with His Highness the Crown Prince for the time being.”
Two guards crossed their spears in front of me.
Behind them, a steward from the Crown Prince’s palace wore a malicious smirk.
A laugh escaped my lips.
‘You must not know me well. When done wrong once, I repay it tenfold. That’s the nature of the woman you call a villainess.’
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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