What’s wrong with this man?

He’s not even a puppy!

Every hair on my body stood on end from head to toe.

Nikolai’s moist, hot flesh touched the sensitive skin inside my palm and then pulled away.

My whole body trembled.

Both cheeks flushed hot.

I bit my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut as dizziness suddenly welled up.

Nikolai was beyond shameless, he was arrogant.

‘Try anything. I’ll pay you back in kind.’

His confident gaze, as if egging me on, was irritating.

But if I were to suffer another palm attack, I wouldn’t be able to endure it.

Breathing heavily, I pulled away from Nikolai.

Douglas and Owen looked at Nikolai and me with confused faces.

“Excuse us for a moment!”

With a stiff smile, I dragged Nikolai out.

He followed obediently, seemingly quite satisfied with my reaction.

We passed through the narrow, maze-like hallway.

The heat hadn’t subsided at all.

Rubbing my palms didn’t help.

The hot breath lingered vividly like a branding iron.

The heat flower that started in my palms threatened to completely overtake my reason.

I pushed Nikolai into another private room that Burger King restaurant boasted.

After several deep breaths, I was finally able to part my lips.

“What are you doing in front of people?”

“Didn’t I tell you? That I would win the seduction game.”

“You must be on the verge of declaring defeat.”

“It was only on the verge. You haven’t won yet.”

Leaning his back against the wall, Nikolai tilted his head like a rebellious teenager.

Something heavy swelled up deep in my chest.

‘You turn my insides upside down and act so carefree. Do you know how hard I’m trying to save you right now!’

I clenched my fist, swallowing a silent outcry.

When did it start?

That Nikolai’s life became as precious as my own.

Even when dreaming of the guillotine, I was looking at him, not Claudia.

Nikolai, waiting forlornly for execution despite his powerful physique and lofty status.

Those empty eyes that had let go of everything.

I took in the final moments of the man called emperor until the sharpened blade fell on his neck.

And every night I vowed.

‘I’ll stop Claudia, even if it’s for Nikolai’s sake. As long as I’m here, I won’t let anyone kill this man.’

Nikolai didn’t know about this vow.

It didn’t matter if he didn’t know.

As long as he could remain a proud absolute ruler, it was all fine.

Even if it made me angry sometimes.

“Who is that man?”

“He’s someone I’m going to hire as Franz’s art teacher.”

“I didn’t recognize his face.”

“He’s a hidden talent.”

It wasn’t a lie.

It would be more accurate to say he was an escaped talent, but I planned to reveal Owen’s identity after persuading Nikolai.

“Why do you need Douglas to find talent?”

“Douglas introduced him to me.”

“Can’t you do anything without Douglas?”

“Don’t nitpick. Douglas is my friend. He’s also the literature professor Your Majesty appointed.”

Nikolai’s thick eyebrows twitched, so I hurriedly added:

“Not that I’m taking Douglas’s side.”

It was futile.

Nikolai’s green eyes began to take on a fierce light.

“You defend Douglas in front of me, eat with him, accept his help, and yet you say you’re not taking his side…”

Nikolai trailed off.

A tense atmosphere enveloped us.

“Are you dating him?”

I was dumbfounded.

How many times did I have to repeat the same thing?

I folded my arms and gritted my teeth.

“You know better than anyone that I’m not in a position to date anyone, don’t you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t you remember the contract? You wrote the clause yourself that I shouldn’t date other men.”

“I don’t know anyway. Even if I knew, I don’t know. So stop hanging around Douglas or whatever dog bone he is.”

His childish stubbornness made me laugh ironically.

‘He was like a puppy earlier, now he’s like a child. At least Franz is cute.’

I sighed and rubbed my throbbing head.

“Rest assured, I won’t break the contract.”

“You want me to be assured while you keep sneaking around with other men behind my back?”

“How long are you going to keep following me around, Your Majesty?”

“I just came out to buy something.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“How could I not know? You were making such a fuss, dragging two men along.”

It was such a brazen statement that it was suspicious.

Did he put someone to tail me?

Didn’t he declare that he needed to know my every move?

But Nikolai’s words made sense.

Douglas, boasting pure beauty.

Me, shining even when standing still.

Owen, exuding the unique charm of an artist.

Our group was enough to capture the attention of everyone present.

“If you just give the order, people will come running. What did you come out to buy yourself?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Why didn’t you call for a merchant?”

“I need to touch and examine it myself.”

“I thought you said it was nothing?”

Nikolai turned his gaze to the side.

His slightly twisted lips and slightly flushed cheeks made him look embarrassed.

“What on earth is it?”

“Wait. You’ll see soon enough, even if you don’t want to.”

“Is it a custom-made item?”

“It has to be.”

Nikolai brushed it off.

“Alright, when you’re done shopping, please go back quickly.”

“What about you?”

“I still have things to do. I haven’t eaten yet either.”

“I haven’t eaten either.”

“…Pardon?”

“Let’s eat together.”

“You’re going to dine with Douglas?”

“Consider it my sacrifice for your sake and feel honored.”

I was about to say I’d pass on such a sacrifice, but Nikolai took a step ahead.

My stomach felt heavy and nauseous.

Thanks to the stubborn uninvited guest, I couldn’t tell if the food went in through my nose or mouth.

Fortunately, Owen didn’t notice Nikolai’s identity.

He was too busy piling up empty plates like mountains and focusing on the food.

After the awkward meal ended, Nikolai ordered:

“Wait here until I return.”

“Happy shopping. Don’t get ripped off.”

“Don’t move an inch from this spot.”

“I won’t go even if you tell me to. Don’t worry and go!”

Nikolai, his face hidden by a hood, looked back several times with suspicious eyes.

‘If he’s that anxious, he should just go together. Whatever he’s buying must be a big secret.’

“I’ll also go buy the experimental equipment Susan asked for. It won’t take long.”

Douglas said.

I responded with a smile.

“Put it on my tab as Susan’s patron.”

“I want to help with Susan’s research too. Please allow me, patron.”

“Susan is lucky to have such a good elder brother like you, Douglas.”

“I leave Elizabeth in your care, Count.”

Douglas bowed his head to Owen.

I settled in the cafeteria with Owen.

The gentle breeze pleasantly tickled my cheeks.

Owen asked:

“Who was that young man eating like a machine? I’ve never seen anyone like that in my life. It made me lose my appetite just watching him.”

“That’s fortunate. If your appetite had increased, I might have gone bankrupt.”

“Ahem. Thanks to you, I ate my fill. Thank you.”

“Thank you for enjoying the meal.”

“I don’t know how many years it’s been since I’ve tasted such delicacies. It was worth risking my life to come back.”

Owen patted his stomach with a satisfied face.

It felt thrilling to have made good use of the original information for once.

“If you become the art teacher for His Highness the Crown Prince, you can eat such food every day.”

“Are you saying you’ll bring me to this expensive restaurant every day?”

“There’s no need to come all the way here. All the dishes you ate today were made by the imperial palace chefs.”

“How can the imperial palace chefs be at Burger King?”

Owen’s eyes widened.

He didn’t seem displeased at all that it was made by imperial servants.

“We rented out this entire restaurant.”

“W-what?”

“The imperial palace chefs took a day off and were dispatched here. Of course, I paid for that too.”

“Is that possible?”

“The Burger King chefs are filling in for the imperial chefs at the palace. With the special permission of the Minister of Internal Affairs.”

Careth, who was in charge of the palace household, was very helpful in many ways.

Of course, this plan would have been impossible without an enormous amount of money.

Now Owen seemed to have caught on.

“Why are you going to such lengths? For someone like me?”

“Because losing a talent like you, Count, would be a great loss to the empire’s art history.”

Owen’s reddish-brown eyes wavered.

He liked praise as much as delicious food.

‘He must have been starved for praise after being stuck in a coal mine and living in hiding. He must have been unsatisfied even when he was doing well as an illustrator. Because he couldn’t show his true skills.’

My prediction was spot on.

“I see Elizabeth has also fallen for my paintings.”

Owen replied bitterly.

I’m sorry, but I had never seen them.

“I didn’t know there was someone in the imperial family who understood art.”

“It’s been 10 years since you were exiled, Count. Both the world and the imperial family have changed a lot.”

“Even so, I can’t work for the Yevrey imperial family.”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

Owen turned his body away.

I spoke one last thing behind his back.

“If you intend to live according to the late empress’s will, I won’t stop you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It was Penelope who drove you to the coal mine, wasn’t it? It must have been revenge for you refusing to paint her portrait.”

“That woman tried to kill me for going against her orders.”

“What Penelope wanted wasn’t your life, Count.”

“Miss Elizabeth must not know about the northern coal mines! That place is a hell where no human can live!”

“If there was a guillotine, why send you to hell?”

“T-that was to inflict pain on me…”

“No. Penelope wanted to make the future of Owen, the genius painter, miserable. She wanted you to struggle in a wretched fate for the rest of your life.”

Owen staggered with a pale face.

Hiding my sympathy, I spoke in a cold voice.

“The only way for you to get revenge, Count, is to make a perfect comeback. His Highness the Crown Prince and I can help you.”

“By Crown Prince, you mean that devilish woman’s grandson?”

“Not a single drop of blood is shared between them. He hates Penelope more than anyone.”

“But…”

“Penelope became the queen of an enemy country. She became an enemy of the Yevrey imperial family too. Why do you resent only the innocent imperial family?”

Owen couldn’t answer.

He must have realized that his anger had lost direction.

But it would be hard to swallow his pride easily.

It would also be difficult to shake off the fear.

The mere fact of escaping was enough reason for execution.

“You can refuse the position of art teacher. But I hope you will paint again, Count.”

“I didn’t know the heiress of the Emster trading company could be so kind.”

“Thank you for the compliment, but I’m saying this out of thorough calculation. I intend to use you to make a lot of money.”

“How can a mere illustrator do that?”

Owen looked skeptical.

‘I’ll make sure you never make that expression in front of me again.’

With a winning smile, I moved my lips.