“The Count’s paintings are still selling for enormous prices. They’re so sought after that even forgeries can’t be sold.”

“What use is that? I can’t even show my face in public.”

“You could create forgeries yourself.”

“?!”

Owen’s eyes widened, almost bulging out.

I calmly brought the teacup to my lips.

Compared to the tea I drank at the imperial palace, the quality was inferior, but it felt incredibly fragrant.

“You’re telling me to forge my own work! Do you think that makes sense?”

“Don’t get worked up. Listen to me. It’s not just about the money.”

“Miss Elizabeth, you keep saying things I can’t understand.”

“You know that your works are so genius that not just anyone can forge them, right?”

Adding a compliment, Owen’s expression softened a bit.

“If forgeries indistinguishable from the originals appear, the art world will be turned upside down.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Has the real Owen returned? Could it be? Who is this genius artist who painted this? The social circles will be buzzing with talk about you, Count.”

“So what are you suggesting?”

“That’s when you, Count, with your reputation fully restored, will appear alongside His Highness the Crown Prince. Can’t you picture that glorious scene?”

“!”

“The nobles will be on their knees begging to buy your works. Party invitations will pour in from everywhere. You can leisurely pursue your artistic life while enjoying the finest cuisine every day!”

Owen nodded with a dreamy look in his eyes.

He seemed completely immersed in the rosy future I had painted.

‘In the original story, it was Owen himself who came up with the forgery idea. He created forgeries to raise funds for the revolution. Thanks to that, Claudia flourished.’

I’m sorry, but Owen and Claudia wouldn’t be able to meet.

Even if they did, they wouldn’t form a connection.

A smile spread across my face at the strange sense of victory in twisting the original story.

“I’m saying this as a fan who loves your paintings, Count.”

“It’s an appealing proposal, but…”

“Just make the decision. I’ll take care of all the minor issues.”

“…Is it really possible?”

“Do you think the heiress of Emster would engage in a losing business? Let’s make history together. Let’s flatten Penelope’s nose!”

Just as Owen was about to grasp my hand with a moved expression, a sharp scream rang out from the next table.

“Kyaak!”

That’s when I noticed the masked men.

I instinctively sensed it.

They were targeting me right now.

Men in black clothes and black gloves thrust a thick burlap sack towards me.

“Who are these scoundrels?!”

Owen shouted fiercely.

The masked men pulled out short knives from their sleeves.

There were four of them in total.

‘They must have sprung out after seeing Douglas and Nikolai leave. They might even get rid of one obstacle!’

They were reckless enough to attempt a kidnapping in broad daylight.

In desperation, I blocked Owen’s path.

“Wait! Your target is me, right? I’ll go quietly, so don’t harm anyone!”

For a brief moment, the kidnappers exchanged glances.

Their hesitation felt like the last hope to save Owen.

“What benefit is there in hurting that man? Your master wouldn’t want this to escalate either, right?”

I don’t know where such courage came from.

My mind was filled solely with the thought of saving Owen.

“Ugh!”

Owen’s body slumped forward.

One of the kidnappers had struck his vital point.

They threw the sack over my head first.

Light was cut off, and I could only hear muffled sounds.

Someone hoisted me onto their shoulder.

Blood rushed to my head.

‘Am I going to die like this? What if something terrible happens to me?’

I thought I had forgotten fear, but that wasn’t the case at all.

In that moment, the one I wanted to see most was Nikolai with his crooked smirk.

[This is the timeline separator]

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

Nikolai replayed Elizabeth’s voice in his mind several times.

The red, haughty lips.

The flowing bright red hair.

A pair of black pearls glistening provocatively.

The first flower bud of spring, a midsummer stream, the ripe autumn sky, snowflakes adding winter charm.

Elizabeth’s scent, lovelier than all of these, intoxicated Nikolai.

Of course, the appearance of an unfamiliar man was quite unpleasant.

Douglas’s handsome face still turned his stomach.

When the tail he had attached just in case reported Elizabeth’s movements, it felt like his whole body was being turned inside out.

‘It wasn’t dating or a romantic relationship. She clearly doesn’t seem interested in seeing other men. It looks like she and Douglas are just real friends and nothing more…’

His chest swelled with a childish sense of victory.

Even if it was because of the contract, he was the only one for Elizabeth.

No matter how much he checked, the uneasiness didn’t completely subside.

Though she had changed, Elizabeth was still a notorious femme fatale.

There were countless men like Douglas who were hung up on her.

Elizabeth was more noble than a flower blooming on a cliff, and freer than a bird soaring across the sky.

‘Compared to that, I’m a Casanova who’s had countless empresses. It wouldn’t be strange at all if Elizabeth gave up on the seduction game and left.’

Elizabeth closing her eyes and waiting for a kiss.

Elizabeth turning pale with embarrassment and bewilderment.

Elizabeth turning her head away first in suggestive moments.

All these Elizabeths were so lovable and also frightening, to the point where he could casually recall such awkward and ticklish words.

‘I was going to make up for it by inviting her to the training ground. But those wolves ruined it. I should have just killed them…’

The faces of those who insulted Elizabeth every night flashed through his mind.

If Elizabeth hadn’t stepped in, a massacre that would have gone down in imperial history might have occurred.

Recently, Nikolai had come to resent his own patience.

He wanted to wipe out all those scoundrels masquerading as nobles.

Not so much for the empire’s sake, but because they had insulted Elizabeth with their filthy tongues.

That reason alone was enough for their destruction.

“What are you looking for, sir?”

The owner in a leather apron fidgeted nervously.

Only then did Nikolai look around the saddlery.

Various riding equipment was neatly displayed, including horseshoes, bits, bridles, as well as riding crops and spurs.

“I heard there’s a skilled craftsman here.”

“You’ve come to the right place. We can make anything with the finest materials.”

“I need a two-person saddle.”

“We don’t have anything like that…”

“You can make one, can’t you?”

Nikolai shot back with a questioning look.

The owner shrank back, cowed by his intensity.

“B-but…”

“Is ten days enough?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible! Even the craftsmen won’t take on a two-person saddle. We’re already backed up with orders.”

No sooner had the owner finished speaking than Nikolai turned his money pouch upside down.

The owner’s jaw dropped at the sight of the pile of gold coins pouring out.

“Has your mind changed?”

“You’re giving me this much?!”

“A precious lady will be sitting in front. Pay attention to the seating comfort. She’s not used to horses.”

“With this much, I could buy dozens of horses and build a stable!”

“I already have plenty.”

“P-pardon?”

“I’ll be back in ten days.”

Leaving behind the dumbfounded owner, Nikolai walked out of the saddlery.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he imagined Elizabeth’s surprised reaction to the two-person saddle.

‘If she asks if I’m going to seat another woman, I’ll answer that it’s made solely for her.’

He looked forward to ten days from now.

He was dying to know what expression Elizabeth would make.

‘It’s a shame to return to the palace like this. Should I go back to the skewer shop? Ah, is she still full? Then where should we go? What do women like?’

It was a question he had never considered before.

Politics or war he could handle, but dating?

It was unfamiliar and difficult.

But not unpleasant.

He felt like he could do anything if it would make Elizabeth happy.

Even billions in gold wouldn’t be too much.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I would have had Careth investigate in advance. I’m not prepared enough.’

Nikolai pulled his hood down.

He was worried that the nervous excitement might show on his face.

As he hurried his steps, he suddenly stopped.

A sharp anxiety pierced his heart.

‘Elizabeth’s scent has disappeared! Could something have happened to her…?!’

With that thought, he started running.

The knights hidden to protect the emperor also began to run.

Cold sweat soaked his clenched fist.

Passersby scattered left and right, shouting.

The cafe where Elizabeth was waiting seemed too far away.

When did he come this far?

Why did he leave her alone?

An ominous premonition and bursting regret constricted his chest.

When Nikolai arrived, Elizabeth had already vanished without a trace.

[This is the timeline separator]

Kidnapping.

What a common plot device.

There was no such content in the original story.

Even if there was, I would have enjoyed it.

No reader dislikes seeing a villainess suffer hardships.

‘It feels awful to actually experience it. My hands and feet seem to be losing circulation. What was in this sack? Ah, the smell! My head hurts.’

I groaned in the back seat of the jolting carriage.

The fear of possibly dying had disappeared.

Because I had overheard the conversation between my kidnappers.

“Handle her carefully. Do you know how much ransom this wench is worth?”

“Ten million gold, right? I’d believe it even if you said it was the empress’s ransom!”

“Lower your voice. It’ll be a headache if that woman wakes up.”

“Just who is she?”

“I only heard she’s a wicked woman like a viper. They strongly warned us not to fall for her tricks.”

My ransom is only ten million gold?

How dare they undervalue the beautiful and intelligent heiress of Emster?

I gritted my molars.

The kidnappers didn’t know my true identity.

If they did, they wouldn’t be satisfied with such a paltry sum.

Then, who could have ordered my kidnapping?

‘Obviously not Simon’s father. He’s after my wealth. Is it one of the other three family heads? They might have joined forces. Kidnapping is all they could come up with? Tsk tsk. Such a lack of creativity.’

Clicking my tongue, I wiggled my hands and feet.

You never know when something might happen.

A pretty woman like me should be especially careful.

Above all else, I couldn’t stand the smelly sack any longer.

“Excuse me?”

“What?”

“Please take me out of the sack. I’ll behave.”

“Shut up! Don’t try anything funny.”

Bang, I heard the sound of a fist hitting the floor.

It seemed to be an attempt at intimidation, but it only hurt their own hand.

I spoke again in a calm and businesslike voice.

“If you just remove the sack, I’ll give you twenty million gold.”

“T-twenty million?”

“If you loosen the wrist bindings a bit, I’ll add another ten million gold.”

“What?!”

“Isn’t thirty million gold a good deal just for not completely untying me?”

I could hear the sound of them swallowing dry saliva even through the sack.

‘Their heads must be spinning. They’re probably suspicious too. But they’ll waver, right? You’re small fry who move for pocket change after all.’

Sure enough, a sharp reply came back.

“How can we trust your word?”

The minnow had taken the bait.

The initiative had passed to the angler.

And I was very skilled at this kind of fishing.

“Would you like to remove the sack first?”