Seducing the Tyrant Instead of My Favorite (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Nikolai was brimming with composure.
His calmness only fueled my anger further.
I couldn’t possibly let things unfold exactly as he wished.
I spoke in the most composed voice I could muster.
“Even if you’re the Emperor, isn’t it shameful to force a lady of noble future into a marriage she never wanted? Besides, Your Majesty already has a child, doesn’t he?”
“Elizabeth Emster, a lady? Even the dog passing by is laughing.”
“Hmm-hmm.”
“Even counting just one-night lovers, I’ve had over a hundred. Compared to you, my harem seems downright humble—no, pitiful.”
“We were just close like older brother and younger sister. We only met a few times to share meals, that’s all.”
“How about making your excuse a bit more convincing?”
“But I never married!”
“That’s only because you will soon.”
Nikolai smiled sweetly.
It was a smile so beautiful and lovely it startled even my irritation-wracked heart.
But I wasn’t so starved for affection that I’d be bewitched by the villain who came to ruin my life.
“Is kidnapping your hobby?”
“Impossible.”
“You don’t seem like someone who’s only done it once or twice.”
“When necessary, one mustn’t hesitate. Persistence is essential too.”
It was a clear threat: running away would be useless.
The man standing statue-still beside the throne offered earnest counsel.
“Your Majesty, please release Lady Elizabeth. If you intend to welcome her as Empress, she deserves proper treatment.”
“And if she runs away? Kares, will you take responsibility?”
“She’ll remain well-behaved, won’t she?”
Kares looked at me with tranquil eyes.
As the Emperor’s closest confidant, Kares seemed precisely as reasonable as I’d heard.
Though kneeling on the marble floor, I haughtily lifted my chin.
“I won’t be ‘well-behaved,’ but I won’t run away either. I’ll walk out on my own two feet.”
Nikolai shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “See?”
Kares calmly replied,
“Mind your words. Here, a single phrase can bring disaster.”
“Indeed. Isn’t there someone whose hobby is punishing others over the slightest slip of the tongue? And isn’t that person’s specialty kidnapping?”
“His Majesty isn’t always unreasonable.”
“In this state, it’s hard to agree.”
I squirmed while still bound by ropes.
Did I look like a caterpillar doing shoulder dances?
Kares let out a sigh.
Nikolai, the mastermind behind all this chaos, watched me silently, lips tightly shut.
His gaze was relentless, as if determined to leave not even a single downy hair unexamined from head to toe.
Even an astronomer discovering a new planet couldn’t wear an expression as grave and fervent as his.
Though he prattled on about husband and wife, his eyes remained as cold as ice.
‘Why is he so obsessed with me? What’s his real motive?’
Deep in thought, Nikolai finally gestured with his hand.
“Untie her now.”
With the maids’ support, I rose to my knees.
Deep red bruises marred my snow-white wrists.
More troubling than the numb pain was the utterly incomprehensible man named Nikolai.
“Let them all enter.”
The Emperor’s command rang out.
The audience chamber doors—crafted from ebony oak and gold—swung open.
Thirty nobles clad in silk filed in one by one.
“We humbly greet His Imperial Majesty.”
The nobles bowed with practiced grace.
Their faces were familiar from portraits I’d studied.
‘The heads of the Four Great Houses are here. There’s even a council elder and all the top civil officials, including the Prime Minister.’
I hadn’t relied solely on Douglas’s help.
Using my seemingly inexhaustible wealth, I’d gathered every scrap of information about Nikolai and the political arena.
Money truly was wonderful.
Even devoted readers who’d memorized the original story didn’t know half the secrets I’d uncovered.
Yet Nikolai’s private life remained impenetrable—fortified like an iron fortress.
Even the industry’s top experts couldn’t get near it.
‘I anticipated the kidnapping to some extent. After all, this is the man who drafted that insane contract—what wouldn’t he do? But why summon the nobles?’
Nikolai wasn’t merely the careless playboy the public believed him to be.
He was hiding something.
And it certainly wasn’t just about his… lower half.
The enigmatic Emperor suddenly rose from his throne.
Step by step, he approached me across the flawless crimson carpet.
“Your Majesty?”
Tension thick enough to burst filled the grand hall, lavishly adorned with stained glass, chandeliers, and golden statues.
The nobles watched the Emperor’s every move with wide eyes.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
Even if he was my kidnapper—if the most handsome man in this world came this close…
And then, to top it off, kissed the back of my hand—what else could I do?
“!”
Soft, warm lips brushed against my skin.
The gentle pressure pressing down on my hand sent my heart pounding wildly.
Fireworks of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet exploded before my eyes.
I bit down hard on my lip,
afraid a breathy moan might escape.
“Elizabeth, why not accept the Emperor’s heart now?”
Nikolai’s voice dripped with honeyed sweetness.
His gaze, fixed on me, was profoundly tender.
He looked exactly like a man genuinely yearning for his lover’s affection—
enough to stir even my heart, though I knew it was all exaggerated falsehood.
‘His method acting is insane. If he became an actor, he’d devour the Oscars.’
The tingling sensation lingered stubbornly on my hand.
I rubbed it vigorously to erase that intimate touch, but it was no use.
It wounded my pride that I’d felt even a flicker of excitement.
“Your Majesty, why did you summon the elders?”
“I thought witnesses might help turn your heart.”
Nikolai’s luscious lips fluttered slightly.
A flash of cunning brilliance glimmered in his deep green eyes before vanishing.
Nikolai deftly donned Casanova’s mask once more,
then knelt on one knee before me.
“Elizabeth, will you marry me?”
The nobles gasped at this latest outrageous act.
It was obvious what those who’d deliberately ignored me were thinking:
—The Emperor’s utterly bewitched by this femme fatale who drains men’s blood!
—He should just keep her in the harem for amusement—why make such a scene here?
—Surely he’s not planning to crown her Empress?
—Even a notorious rake wouldn’t go this far! He’ll tire of her soon enough!
Unlike the scoffing nobles, the heads of the Four Houses—who had each produced Empresses—eyed me warily, their faces taut with tension.
They must have sensed Nikolai’s behavior was far from ordinary.
“Elizabeth can’t answer because she’s watching your reactions. She’s worried about the noble-born Empresses too—she’s softer than she appears.”
Nikolai casually wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
I tried to shove him away, but he didn’t budge an inch.
If I could, I’d write across his forehead: “I’m a clueless fool.”
Or maybe hang a sign: “Beware: Split Personality!”
“If you all bless our marriage, Elizabeth will gladly become Empress. What do you think?”
The faces of the Four Great Houses turned ashen.
The stares aimed at me grew even more hostile.
I bit down firmly on the inside of my cheek.
Now I finally understood the situation.
‘Oh ho! You want to use me to shake up the board? Do you really think I’ll obediently play along with my kidnapper?’
[This is the timeline separator]What would happen if a beloved Empress suddenly appeared among the harem, which had maintained an uneasy balance?
‘Some will flatter her, others will reveal their true colors. They might even try to depose the Emperor.’
Nikolai watched the nobles’ reactions.
Just as expected, they split into factions and began raising their voices.
“What fault is it for a sovereign to have multiple wives?”
“Everything must follow proper procedure and protocol.”
“It is the Imperial decree! As loyal subjects, we must obey!”
“How wonderful it would be if Her Imperial Majesty were here! We must hasten her coronation now!”
Recently, noble influence—centered around the Four Great Houses—had been growing.
More and more aristocratic magnates were seizing regional power behind the Emperor’s back and amassing wealth illegally.
I’d even received intelligence that some were secretly colluding with enemy states to build private armies.
The clever rats had hidden their tails well.
Nikolai, wearing the mask of a Casanova Emperor, had to distinguish loyal ministers from traitors.
It was a difficult and lonely task.
‘More dangerous than plague is the people’s fear and anxiety. I must keep secret the fact that carriers of the Underworld Flower are quarantined in the harem. The real problem is those power-hungry rats.’
But Nikolai’s attention wasn’t on the nobles counting their abacus beads—it was fixed on Elizabeth, who observed everything with a cool, detached expression.
The scent of cherry blossoms tickled my nose.
With the foul stench gone, everything suddenly felt clearer.
‘I thought she was just fragrant—but she’s far cleverer than rumored. She’s already guessed what I’m plotting.’
Elizabeth wasn’t flustered.
She didn’t interrupt with crude or blunt remarks.
Though she occasionally glared at me fiercely, she handled herself far better than Nikolai had expected.
Nikolai felt an inexplicable sense of pride for having chosen her.
‘Of course I’m not bewitched by her. I haven’t lost self-control. Never have.’
He had to convince himself of that.
He’d brought a woman unconnected to the Underworld Flower.
Even now, he worried she might flee.
He looked far more disheveled and pitiful than the playboy he’d pretended to be.
If he wasn’t shaken by Elizabeth, there was no shame.
If he was merely using her, he had no reason to fear change.
A diffuser to banish the stench of the Underworld Flower.
A spark to split the cowardly nobles apart.
Elizabeth’s usefulness was sufficient for that.
“Your Majesty, Marquis Douglas Nettleton requests an audience.”
Nikolai’s eyebrows twitched.
He didn’t miss the faint blush blooming on Elizabeth’s fair face.
He simultaneously wanted to drive the man away and verify Elizabeth’s former fiancé.
‘He’s just a hollowed-out, fallen noble. Meeting him in person would be a waste of time.’
He resolved to do exactly that—yet—
He met Elizabeth’s defiant black eyes.
Their gazes clashed, sparking faint embers.
She wasn’t a delicate flower—but a knight standing tall on the battlefield.
Did she have something to say?
Nikolai’s unforgettable crimson lips twitched slightly, despite his efforts to forget.
‘If you’re intimidated, just leave.’
[This is the timeline separator]“Please, Your Majesty, withdraw Lady Elizabeth’s appointment as Empress!”
Douglas presented Nikolai with a box containing Morasinthia’s eyes.
Before the Emperor and the formidable nobles, he showed not the slightest sign of intimidation.
He risked losing his life.
His entire house could face ruin.
Yet Douglas hadn’t forgotten his promise to protect me.
‘I underestimated Douglas. He’s handsome, kind, and principled.’
Why would a man risk such danger for a woman who abandoned him?
I couldn’t understand it in the slightest.
And that made me all the more grateful—and moved.
I had no idea how I could ever repay this kindness.
Today, I gazed especially long at Douglas’s unusually broad back.
“A treasure bestowed by the First Emperor. Back then, the Empire had Five Great Noble Houses.”
“I am humbled, Your Majesty.”
“So—you intend to use your Right of Dissent for that woman?”
“I do.”
“Do you even understand what that means?”
Nikolai’s eyes turned ferociously cold.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (90)
What is this now? Who is this? Why is Caris so in love with her? Has she bewitched him too?
Hahaha, Elizabeth is so sweet when she wakes up. The best thing about her is that she’s honest.
Hahaha, what? It’s obvious that the one who will fall in love first is Emperor Casanova.
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
Hahaha, yes, yes, well done Elizabeth! This rude Casanova must be disciplined.