Seducing the Tyrant Instead of My Favorite (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“You doubt my abilities, I see. Let me prove my skill.”
I interlaced my fingers and made a cracking sound.
I also rolled my neck a few times.
Next? It was time to expose the true identity of that old man, the Chief Physician.
“Healer, is there truly nothing unusual wrong with His Highness?”
“That’s right. As his Chief Physician, I know best. Heh heh.”
Did he really think I’d be fooled by that?
I glared at the Chief Physician, my eyes filled with icy disdain.
“You’re not even a qualified healer—just a quack.”
“What did you say?”
“Or perhaps the world’s greatest liar.”
“That’s an outrageous insult!”
The Chief Physician’s face flushed bright red.
Regardless, Nikolai’s gaze had already landed on the monocle I was wearing.
“Elizabeth. When did you steal that artifact?”
“I only borrowed it for a moment.”
“Did you boast just to show off your thieving skills?”
“You’ll soon be calling me your savior—just wait and see.”
I scanned Franz through Morasinthia’s eyes.
The White Light swirled around, beginning to render his body transparent.
‘As I thought—there’s a problem. Red specks are scattered inside his body like paint splatters—very faint, but still…!’
Without Morasinthia’s eyes, I never would have known what it was.
Nor would I have realized that leaving it untreated would cause serious trouble.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?!”
A chilling killing intent shot from Nikolai’s eyes.
I steadied my breath and spoke as calmly as possible.
“A trace amount of poison has been steadily accumulating in his body. Though not critical yet, we must administer an antidote immediately.”
“You mean someone is trying to assassinate the Crown Prince?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Elizabeth. Can you take responsibility for those words? This is a matter that could shake the empire.”
Nikolai pressed forward with a menacing air.
Meanwhile, Franz kept his head bowed deeply.
“Ask His Highness directly—he seemed to have noticed something already.”
“Poison? That’s absurd!”
The Chief Physician, now as pale as a corpse, raised his voice.
“I am a descendant of a renowned medical family that has served the imperial house for generations! If His Highness were poisoned, how could I not know?”
“Who said you didn’t know? You hid it deliberately. You might even have mixed the poison into his medicine yourself.”
“This is slander, Your Majesty! That woman is framing me!”
“Your Majesty, please summon a poison expert. We’ll quickly determine whose words are true.”
“Do not listen to the whispers of that wicked woman!”
“It would be best to invite someone from outside the palace. Even Your Majesty must realize that.”
Our eyes met fiercely across the air—Nikolai’s and mine.
He remained silent, as if refusing to make a hasty judgment.
At first glance, he seemed composed—but he wasn’t.
I didn’t miss the faint trembling of Nikolai’s fingers.
It was pitiful how desperately he tried to hide his agitation.
Yet, in another way, it was reassuring.
‘The idea that he was indifferent to his son was a misunderstanding. Perhaps he’s better than I thought.’
Why do I keep having these thoughts, even after repeated disappointments?
Could it be that I want to believe Nikolai is a good person?
[This is the timeline separator]Poison experts from the capital mobilized en masse.
The Crown Prince’s palace was packed with detoxification healers, apothecaries, and herbalists—no room to stand.
Their verdict was unanimous.
“The poisoning is slight but undeniable. There were no overt symptoms—how did you detect it?”
“That’s none of your concern. Spend any amount of gold necessary—detoxify the Crown Prince immediately and thoroughly.”
“We obey Your Imperial Majesty’s command!”
After the experts departed, Nikolai summoned the royal guard.
“Arrest the Chief Physician’s disciples, family, and servants. Investigate every single person who has entered or exited the Crown Prince’s palace—leave no one out!”
“Yes, sir!”
“However, confessions extracted through torture will not be tolerated. Take special care not to frighten the young valets and women. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Nikolai had such a delicate side?
His consideration for children and women made him seem different than before.
‘If he were a tyrant, he’d execute everyone without hesitation—but he’s calm and methodical. He knows exactly what to do first. Thanks to him, this won’t spiral into chaos.’
Instead of panicking, Nikolai swiftly contained the situation.
He didn’t blame or pressure Franz either.
Unlike the original story, he seemed emotionally and technically competent as an emperor.
“I’m innocent!”
“Please spare me, Your Majesty!”
A few resisted roughly, but most followed the knights obediently.
I watched the arrests with great interest.
It would’ve been even more enjoyable if I’d had popcorn and cola.
‘I hope they catch the mastermind soon. Anyone who’d poison a child deserves to die!’
Justice was something I was as passionate about as monogamy.
It should be natural for good people to succeed and villains to fail—but reality was different.
The more wicked and despicable someone was, the more brazenly they thrived.
But this time was different. A man as relentless as Nikolai wouldn’t let the culprit slip away.
It felt rewarding, as if I’d done something righteous.
Nikolai suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“You and I have somewhere to go.”
His grip was firm yet painless—impossible to escape, but not harsh.
I decided to forget, just for a moment, the old sayings about men and women not sitting together after age seven or maintaining strict separation.
After all, I’d just realized I liked men with large hands.
[This is the timeline separator]Nikolai led me to the rear garden of the Crown Prince’s palace.
Colorful flowering trees exuded a bright, sweet fragrance.
The pergola, surrounded by blossoms, was comfortably furnished with luxurious furniture and silk cushions.
The fairy-tale-like scene made me smile involuntarily.
Valets served tea.
Nikolai leaned toward me as if urging me to reveal everything.
Beyond his interlaced fingers, his mysterious green eyes gleamed sharply.
“How did you know the Chief Physician was lying?”
How? Morasinthia’s eyes showed it clearly—but since he kept denying it, I figured it out.
But it was too early to reveal everything.
“It seemed odd that His Highness so adamantly refused treatment.”
“Is that all?”
“Have you heard the rumors about His Highness stripping valets of their clothes and shoving silver spoons into his former tutor’s mouth?”
“I haven’t.”
“Everyone says it’s due to His Highness’s eccentric temperament.”
“Pinch isn’t that kind of child!”
Nikolai spoke urgently, clearly worried I might misunderstand Franz.
Even a hedgehog thinks its own child is cute.
I smiled at the emperor’s unexpectedly human side.
“I know. The His Highness I saw was more mature than others his age.”
“You have a good eye for people.”
“Blood will tell—though his manner of speaking is rough… if His Highness acted that way, there must have been a reason.”
“So Franz found the culprit alone?”
“His Highness refused food served on golden plates but ate well from silver ones. What do you suppose that means?”
“That he doesn’t trust the people in the Crown Prince’s palace?”
“He even warned me to be careful.”
“Franz said that?”
“Might he have dismissed his tutors not out of malice, but to protect them—from being poisoned because of him?”
For a week, I racked my brain trying to persuade Franz.
But I failed every time.
I couldn’t even use my charm.
So I changed my approach.
‘Understanding Franz comes before persuasion. What is Franz thinking? What does he fear most? There must be clues in his actions.’
I slowly replayed Franz’s words in my mind.
‘If you want to live, tell them to run away immediately.’
‘Being surrounded by knights doesn’t guarantee safety.’
‘I know my own body best!’
The truth seemed to be faintly emerging.
But that wasn’t enough.
I gathered information about Franz from palace staff.
Though they were afraid to talk, no one could resist both my charm and bribes.
“We noticed His Highness became extremely sharp-tempered about a year ago.”
“Some say it was early adolescence.”
“That could be—but perhaps something major changed at that time.”
“What could it be?”
“We’ll have to find out. We need to uncover the mastermind behind the poisoning and open His Highness’s heart, don’t we?”
“Why didn’t Pinch tell me and tried to handle it alone…?”
Nikolai muttered regretfully, clearly pained at the thought of his young son worrying alone.
“Elizabeth. Do you have any idea?”
“Roughly.”
“Speak at once. I’ll reward you handsomely for your service.”
Nikolai’s eyes lit up.
I stared at him blankly, then shook my head.
“Unlocking a lock with someone else’s key is useless—a new lock will just appear.”
“Time is of the essence.”
“There’s also a saying: ‘When in a hurry, go slowly.’”
“…”
“To win someone’s heart, understanding comes first. This isn’t a step you can rush through. Think deeply about it.”
“Is this your so-called special training?”
Nikolai sank into his chair and furrowed his brow.
“It’s a special method I don’t share with just anyone.”
I tried to appear relaxed, but it was useless.
Nikolai wanted more truth.
“I already know you’re smarter than I thought.”
“Should I thank you?”
“Your powers of observation, logic, and action are all impressive.”
“They say if a person does something they’ve never done before, they’ll die.”
“That doesn’t explain everything. How could you be so certain Franz was poisoned? Do you possess some supernatural ability?”
He was the type who wouldn’t back down until he was satisfied.
I brought the teacup to my lips.
After moistening my parched mouth, I delivered my prepared answer.
“Did you know I was gravely ill before coming to the palace?”
“I also know you suffered from a fever and had a change of heart afterward.”
“Since then, I’ve been seeing something faint and hazy.”
“?”
“Sometimes it speaks to me. Then, as if possessed by a healer, I can detect people’s illnesses…”
“So you’re saying you’ve become a medium?”
Nikolai asked skeptically.
“Exactly! You really are quick-witted.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I don’t believe it myself—and I don’t want to.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m barely keeping myself alive—why should I care where others hurt? I don’t want to see it, but it just appears, driving me crazy!”
It was partly a lie, but mostly true.
Nikolai was torn between believing me or not.
Seizing the moment, I offered Morasinthia’s eyes.
“I’ll return the artifact. I only borrowed it for your son’s sake.”
“Why did you need it?”
“Holding it strengthens my spiritual energy. Thanks to this artifact, I could clearly confirm the poisoning.”
There were several reasons I hadn’t revealed everything about Morasinthia’s eyes.
1. They wouldn’t believe me anyway.
2. I don’t fully understand it myself.
3. I might be exploited or used as a test subject.
4. I don’t want unnecessary attention.
Given they already doubted my claim of being a medium, it was unlikely they’d believe me even if I explained further.
Besides, I genuinely didn’t know much about it myself…
Most of all, I wanted to avoid the trouble of drawing unwanted attention.
Before the advancement of medical science, shamans, mystics, and clergy were treated as healers.
People believed illness was divine punishment.
They relied on dangerous, unclean superstitions and rituals.
In this world, healers’ medical knowledge wasn’t very advanced.
Perhaps basic hygiene concepts were just starting to take root?
Even now, commoners still rushed to temples to pray instead of seeking expensive healers.
If it became known that the artifact of the Healing Goddess had appeared—and that I was its wielder—trouble was inevitable.
I might even be exploited or made a test subject.
‘He still seems suspicious. How should I handle this?’
I carefully watched Nikolai’s expression.
But there was no need.
His attention was completely elsewhere.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (81)
Hahaha, Emperor Casanova has completely fallen for my dear Elizabeth.
Yes, yes, they’re meeting to kill her. I don’t feel that Douglas is as good as he seems, and Claudia too. I feel that they are conspiring together.
What is this? I feel like the emperor is surrounded only by deceivers. What kind of food is being served to the emperor? The story is very strange and full of villains and mystery.
Inline Comments (3)
Claudia had disliked Nikolai for a very long time.
Hahaha, how disgusting! She’s been completely manipulated for their own interests. I think there’s a group trying to get rid of Elizabeth and the Emperor.
It was astonishing that such a small, delicate girl had developed a medicine eve
What kind of medicine is it? It’s making me more curious
Nikolai, dressed head to toe in black, glared at her with eyes as cold as ice.
Oh my God, the hero has arrived! Hahaha, thank God! Thank you, writer! 🥺🤭💗
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Miioo
Hmm, I don’t think the emperor would act that way, but it’s good that she didn’t tell the truth either.