“What?!”

Elder Healer Jeffrey heaved a sigh as if the ground had fallen beneath him.

“Your cough worsened after taking that medicine.”

“Colds tend to do that, don’t they?”

“His Majesty did not accept that.”

“What a tyrant!”

Just then, a strange noise came from outside the window.

I felt a ominous energy, enough to make the hairs on my arm stand up.

“What’s going on?”

A maid checked and found a thick tree branch had broken off by the window.

On a clear day without wind, could it be the work of a wild animal?

A tree the thickness of a child’s arm couldn’t just break like that.

“I’ll speak well of the apothecary to His Majesty so he can return.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Why?”

“He came into the family with little skill. He didn’t even follow my orders well. There was no issue with the medicine you took, Lady Elizabeth.”

“So, will you choose a new apothecary this time?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Can I recommend someone then?”

The court healer looked bewildered.

Only for a moment, then he brightened.

“Ah! Is it the person who made that salve you showed me?”

“He may be young, but I can vouch for his skills and passion. If you don’t like him, you can ignore him.”

“How old is he?”

“Don’t worry, he’s of an age to start a family.”

(This is a time separator.)

Why haven’t I had any nightmares of the execution block while I’ve been sick?

What was the reason they ended so quickly?

“Execute the tyrant Nikolai and the villainess Elizabeth!”

The moment Claudia shouted in my dream, a warm breeze blew somewhere.

A wind as cozy as a sundried quilt, as clear as water running in a deep valley.

A mysterious wind that unlocked even the sternest guards and the window latch.

When that breeze caressed my forehead, the nightmare disappeared like a lie.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence.

Like finding two pieces of kelp in a ramen packet, or the traffic lights changing to match my steps—rare but sometimes happening.

When the wind came again, I realized there were no recurring coincidences in the world.

“It was you, Your Majesty.”

The wind paused.

I saw a familiar silhouette through my halfopened eyes.

His broad shoulders and the solid muscles hidden beneath his white shirt were vividly clear in the moonlight.

His clean and refreshing scent tickled my nostrils.

I thought my fever had gone down, but my veins felt hot again.

“Are you awake?”

His pleasing baritone mixed with the breeze.

I didn’t want to give anything away, but a smile naturally formed on my lips.

At the same time, a sour feeling stung my nose.

‘It was you. You saved me from my nightmares every night and let me sleep soundly.’

I swallowed the saliva that had pooled in my mouth before finally responding.

“I haven’t slept yet.”

“You need to sleep to recover quickly.”
“I slept a lot during that time. Your Majesty knows better.”

Silence was affirmation.

Both his lips and eyes were full of affirmation.

A wave of happiness surged in, enough to make the inside of my chest feel warm.

Everything felt too good to be true.

It was unbelievable that Nikolai had stayed by my side all night, breaking the rule that emperors don’t visit the sick.

‘Is it strange that the nightmare is gone? Does Nikolai have a special ability?’

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

Even if all the stars in the night sky poured down, they wouldn’t be as radiant as my heart right now.

“I know well. How you laughed and talked with your former fiancé, how you treated me like a tyrant.”

Nikolai retorted gruffly.

“Was it Your Majesty who broke the tree branch?”

“Be grateful I didn’t destroy the palace.”

“Your Majesty!”

“How dare you gift me a sword. What a fool you are.”

A vicious glint appeared in Nikolai’s clenched eyes.

“Did you spy on me from outside the window?”

“I ought to know who you meet, who you talk to, and who you smile at.”

“You shouldn’t be in a place where a patient is.”

“No one knows, so it’s fine.”

“How could no one know when Your Majesty leaves your seat?”

Nikolai turned his gaze away in lieu of a response.

It was an arrogant demeanor, as if the consequences were not his concern.

“People curse me. They say I might have transmitted an illness to Your Majesty.”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve broken a tradition because of you.”

“That makes it an even bigger problem.”

It was the time to grumble, given that he had taken such good care of me.

Nikolai let out a low laugh.

“Haha. Arguing means you’re well enough to live.”

“Violating the taboo doesn’t justify punishing the healer, does it?”

“I have nothing to gain from being discovered here either.”

“You seem pleased.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would suffer because of me… a fool.”

Nikolai’s voice sank even lower.

He must have blamed himself more in my absence.

I responded in a cheerful tone.

“Why complain when the rest was good? No more getting hassled by Franz.”

“If work is hard, find a new teacher.”

“Will you keep breaking the contract like this?”

I obliquely referred to the time he brought a new empress.

Nikolai’s thick eyebrows twitched.

The very word ‘contract’ seemed foreign to him.

It was the same for me.

Though I didn’t say it out loud, I guessed that what we were sharing now had nothing to do with a game of temptation.

It was something indefinable in a few words and neither victory nor defeat could easily define it.

The air around us thickened just by being together.

The glances we exchanged were cautious, yet always hiding an underlying tension.

All it took was Nikolai placing his hand on my forehead.

“You still have a fever.”

Is that why?

His large hand, which could cover my entire face, felt cool like stream water.

I barely resisted the awkward desire to rub my cheek against his hand.

My heart fluttered, and my vision blurred.

All because of Nikolai, so I quickly changed the subject.

“What’s in the box?”

“Haven’t you opened my gift yet?”

“I was surprised. It’s an unexpected item.”