A suppressed groan seemed to escape from his slightly parted lips.

His question was unexpected.

“Why would becoming an Empress be a horrifying thing?”

“Where in the world would you find a commonerborn Empress?”

“What if?”

“The whole nation would scream. They made a villainess the Empress; the empire is ruined! The tyrant Emperor has finally gone mad!”

In the original story, Nikolai had intended to make Elizabeth the Empress.

Simultaneous protests erupted across the empire.

It was understandable, she was neither a noble nor had good behavior, squandering national wealth on luxuries.

This was also why many antirevolutionaries sided with Claudia at the time.

‘Elizabeth’s appointment as Empress would be a shortcut to the guillotine. I must prevent this at all costs.’

Of course, there was no need to worry.

Nikolai would never make me the Empress.

Even knowing that, I reaffirmed my stance.

“If you ever think of appointing me as Empress, drop that idea. Unless you want the worst ending.”

“You are not a villainess.”

“But I am a commoner.”

“There are important qualities that can’t be obtained through lineage or blood.”

Nikolai responded with a bitter tone.

‘Is he talking about the true qualities of an Empress?’

My heart swelled for no reason.

Who wouldn’t be happy to be highly valued by the person they like?

But we couldn’t be connected like that.

All the effort we had put in until now would evaporate.

Even our lives.

“You heard me. I don’t want it.”

“……”

“If I become Empress, I’ll be targeted for assassination every day, won’t I? A powerless, childless Empress has no happy ending.”

“……”

“Besides, I believe that one should spend their life with only one person to be truly happy.”

So, I had to get a grip on my feelings that were growing uncontrollably for Nikolai.

I had to go back to the temptation game, to the contract.

To only remember the moments spent with him.

To not regret it even if it disappears.

Let’s calmly accept the day that will inevitably come, like when leaves fall in winter.

Even though I had made up my mind multiple times, my eyes continued to follow Nikolai.

“I understand your thoughts.”

Nikolai spoke in a voice that was almost inaudible.

I was the one who pushed him away.

But when he said he understood, my spirit sank.

The atmosphere felt as abrasive as sand rolling in my mouth.

I fiddled with my silk gown and asked.

“Where are my clothes?”

“They were soiled with blood and sweat, so I threw them away.”

“I want to take a bath. I’ve sweated a lot.”

“I thought you might, so I wiped you down with a wet towel. They said you should be cautious about bathing for a while.”

“You say it as if you did it yourself?”

I asked, implying he shouldn’t joke about it.

Nikolai lifted his chin, as if quite proud.

“If not me, then who?”

“What?!”

“I was the one who cleaned your wounds with disinfectant, and the one who changed your clothes.”

“Why?”

“Do you mean to say you would expose your naked body to just anyone?”
Why is this man so shameless!

As if he’s not a playboy!

Again, the heat surged.

My heart also teetered dangerously.

I threw a feather pillow at Nikolai’s face.

“You… wolflike…!”

(This is a time separator.)

Despite the deep night, Douglas couldn’t sleep.

‘I couldn’t do anything when Elizabeth was kidnapped.’

A bitter sense of powerlessness and guilt overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

Even with the news that Elizabeth had been rescued, he couldn’t be genuinely happy.

She had been hurt.

It was Nikolai who had saved her before something irreversible happened.

When he closed his eyes, Nikolai’s gallant figure, racing on horseback, appeared like a phantom.

Although the rumor of him being a playboy was rampant, Douglas trusted his own judgment more than the gossip.

Nikolai possessed a dignity and grandeur that only those born into nobility could have.

In short, he had an overwhelming presence that could make others submit and naturally dominate everyone.

Furthermore, he was the only swordsman who could compete on equal terms with the genius knight Claudia.

‘It’s hard to describe how beautiful he is with mere writing skills. It makes no sense to feel inferior to him. However…’

Nikolai made no effort to hide his overt hostility towards Douglas.

It was because Douglas was Elizabeth’s former fiancé.

While Elizabeth considered herself a friend, Nikolai never let down his guard.

It was as if he could see through Douglas’s lingering affection for Elizabeth.

‘But I can’t give up. Being with him will only make Elizabeth unhappy. What she needs is a man who understands all of her.’

If Elizabeth hadn’t entered the imperial harem, hadn’t caught the Emperor’s eye, she wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

She would have been freer and safer.

Nikolai was no ordinary man.

He had several wives, including those from the four major imperial families.

Even if Elizabeth and Nikolai sincerely loved each other, their path ahead was nothing but thorny.

Douglas took out a small copper key from his pocket.

It was a key he hadn’t separated from since that day.

Holding a lantern, he moved to the library.

Even Susan didn’t freely enter the library.

Douglas unlocked a desk drawer with the copper key.

Inside the drawer was an old book.

‘If given another life… I want to completely change, too. Like the protagonist of this book.’

It was the book Elizabeth had given him while suffering from fever, gasping for air.

The author was not listed.

Nor was there any indication of when it was published.

Elizabeth didn’t answer any of Douglas’s questions.

She only uttered the phrase “another life” gracefully.