“Timekeeper?”

And what else are you going to add?

Several questions came to mind, but I kept them to myself.

“Y-yes.”

I answered unexpectedly, but Nikolai’s reaction was unexpected.

“I can’t believe it.”

“…What?”

“You’re too eager; I can’t trust it more.”

“Why suddenly doubt it when I say it’s a good idea?”

Are you kidding me?

I barely held back the desire to ask.

Nikolai turned his head to the side.

“It’s inevitable. You already have a history of desertion.”

He bit down on the back of his aching neck.

Because a thirsty person will dig a well.

“Shall I stamp it for you?”

“You treated even a contract with your fingerprint as a scrap of paper.”

“Then how about kneeling and begging?”

“It might improve your mood, but it won’t be useful.”

“Well, then, what should I do?”

Dwarf, rookie, stray puppy.

So, you have no friends!

It seemed my thoughts were clearly written on my face, and he smirked.

Like a mischievous child who found an interesting toy.

“Turning people upside down and making them laugh?”

I wanted to grab Nikolai’s cheek and stretch it like I did to Franz.

But he was the emperor, looking at me with a gentle yet profound gaze.

‘…Why, why is this happening?’

The air in the room became dense beyond its limit.

A strange tension rose from my toes.

This time, he covered my cheeks with both hands.

“Swear, Elizabeth.”

It felt as hot as applying a freshly opened hot pack to my face.

But it wasn’t as hot as the turquoise eyes piercing through me.

A flame ignited in my heart stained with desire and thirst.

I felt the heartbeat running far away in my eardrums.

“…What should I do?”

I uttered words that I couldn’t tell if it was a groan or an answer.

Unconsciously, I averted my gaze.

As if waiting, he lightly brushed his lips.

“Like this.”

Moist yet murky, his voice tickled my ears.

And our lips met.

Flesh touching with no gap.

The ecstatic, almost dizzying breath tickled the inside of my mouth.

He devoured everything about me.

Nikolai’s hand fumbled lower along my neckline.

Tingling.

A current surged through my body.

His hand moved covertly and persistently.

Stroking my shoulders, probing the wing bones, tickling the spine.

Only with his fingertips, he explored me.

Nikolai left a solid thrill wherever he touched.

Red flower buds burst vividly before my eyes.

I barely restrained the moans escaping with each breath.

As if regretting it, Nikolai lightly brushed his wet lips.

It felt like everything would collapse from toe to head, but being wrapped in his arms somehow held me together.

A tingling tremor, a heated breath, filled the narrow room.

When I exhaled in short breaths, Nikolai lifted me up.

There was no room for a scream.

He took a step.

The destination was the narrow bed.

Claudia headed for the ice tower.

The guards saluted with tense faces.
“Prisoner?”

“He neither eats nor drinks. I’m worried he might die like this.”

“One harboring resentment doesn’t die easily.”

Claudia was right.

Lord Brendan emitted an even more menacing gaze than usual.

Inside that iron-barred window where my daughter had been confined.

“I heard you came to find me. Are you ready to confess?”

“I did not commit treason.”

“Rose Hwangbi has escaped.”

“I have neither the spirit nor the energy to help my daughter.”

Lord Brendan clenched his fist.

The atmosphere was different from when he was spitting out rage with saliva flying.

I could feel the determination of a man prepared for death.

‘It might be resolved more quickly than I thought.’

Claudia opened her mouth.

“Lord, you did raise the issue of treason, didn’t you?”

“What can a grieving father not say in his anger over losing a child?”

“Calling it treason in the heat of the moment. It’s not an excuse.”

“I resented the Queen to the point of wanting her dead. I even dreamt of revenge. But I have never gone beyond that.”

“I understand.”

Unexpectedly, Lord Brendan opened his eyes wide in response to Claudia’s answer.

“What do you mean?”

“Lord Brendan, you are not capable of starting a rebellion.”

“Knowing I am innocent, you put me in the Ice Tower? Why did you do that?”

“I needed an example.”

“!”

“There are many who covet your position, not just Lord Brendan. Rather than arresting them all, it’s more effective to show an example and send a warning.”

Lord Brendan’s complete downfall in aristocratic society happened overnight.

It was a warning letter designed by Nikolai.

Claudia willingly became the executioner.

If it meant saving the blood of the people, sacrificing a few nobles was nothing.

“You can’t win the trial without evidence!”

Lord Brendan ground his teeth.

“Did you think so poorly of me?”

Claudia pulled a torn piece of cloth from her sleeve.

Lord Brendan looked more confused as he didn’t know what it was.

“A piece of dress Elizabeth wore when she was kidnapped. It was found in Lord Brendan’s house. It’s decisive evidence.”

“Are you accusing me of the kidnapping incident as well? Why did you do that?”

“I needed an example.”

“!”