Nikolai did not answer.

In the heavy silence, I spoke first.

“It must be either Marquis Pipe or Count Blackfold. Or it could be both.”

“Duke Lehman is a cautious man.”

“Marquis Brendan is eagerly waiting for the bet. Excluding those two, Pipe and Blackfold remain.”

“I’m sorry. I should have handled this earlier.”

Nikolai lowered his head as if feeling ashamed.

He gnawed on his lips with his snow-white teeth.

He seemed unaware of how incredibly sensual his bright red, prominent lips looked.

At that moment, I too was captivated by his lips.

“What are you sorry for, Your Majesty? Those who used dirty tricks will deny everything.”

“If I had ruled the empire perfectly, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“If it were as simple as you say, the previous emperor would have solved everything.”

“?”

“Do you think you’re the only emperor troubled by noble landowners? Is an emperor some kind of god?”

“Elizabeth…”

“In a feudal state like the Hartmann Empire, the influence of lords is bound to be strong.”

Reading novels had made me quite knowledgeable about power struggles.

Moreover, I was an avid reader who had a thorough understanding of the original world setting.

Although it seemed like the emperor wielded absolute power, the reality was far from it.

Even Claudia, the female lead in the original story, had to face several crises because of the heads of the four great noble houses.

They pretended to support the revolution while using Claudia.

As soon as Claudia executed the original Elizabeth and Nikolai, they revealed their true colors.

Their greed eventually led to their entire families being wiped out.

‘If Claudia could do it, so can I!’

A well-founded confidence welled up inside me.

When I first possessed this body, everything seemed overwhelming.

I didn’t have the confidence to compete with Claudia, my favorite and the strongest female knight.

It seemed impossible to overturn the original story or avoid the guillotine.

Fear returned as nightmares every night.

‘But not anymore. I’m not alone, am I?’

Thanks to the kidnapping incident, Owen had completely turned to my side.

Convincing Boritz was only a matter of time.

Douglas and Susan would stand by me no matter what happened.

Although young, Prince Franz and Interior Minister Careth couldn’t be overlooked either.

And that’s not all.

Nikolai, the most handsome man and powerful figure in this world, was by my side.

Not as a friend, not as a lover, and certainly not as a husband.

But it was undeniable that he cherished me.

“No matter how strong the opponent is, I won’t give up. Because perseverance is the basic condition for victory.”

Not everyone who perseveres wins.

Even with tenacious perseverance, without luck, failure was likely.

Sometimes luck was more important than effort.

But giving up meant losing even the slightest chance of grasping that luck.

‘I won’t succumb to Elizabeth’s fate. Even the original story can’t control me. My life is my own.’

I wanted to live more desperately than ever before.

Because I now had people I wanted to protect.

“I didn’t know you had studied politics.”

Nikolai said with admiration.

I scratched my cheek and pouted.

“Just bits and pieces I picked up here and there.”

“You possess outstanding qualities and talents. All the young ladies of noble families combined couldn’t match even your toes.”

“You flatter me.”

“I’ve met many beauties and talented women. There were those as wealthy and elegant as you. But I’ve never seen a woman who possesses boldness, wisdom, and honesty all at once.”

It was the highest praise, but it felt like swallowing a red-hot blade, making my throat burn.

A shadow I could never forget stirred in a corner of my heart.

Nikolai was surrounded by countless women.

Flowers waiting only for the emperor’s touch would be exuding their fragrance in the harem.

‘The one who kidnapped me must be the father of that empress. The more Nikolai favors me, the more dangers will approach moment by moment.’

I had no intention of avoiding it.

I had to stay by his side at least until I stopped Claudia.

But after that?

Could I continue to stay by Nikolai’s side?

‘What am I really to you? A target to be seduced? A substitute for your first love? Or if not that, then…’

I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

I wasn’t confident I could handle any answer.

I wanted to hold onto his warm gaze and touch like now.

I wanted to enjoy this cozy time that only we two shared.

Forever, as if we were the only two people in this world.

“What qualities are you referring to that I possess?”

“Well… that is…”

“Surely you’re not suggesting I become empress?”

I asked jokingly.

Nikolai pressed his lips tightly together.

His round, wide green eyes trembled finely like willow leaves on a windy, rainy day.

Even the air surrounding him seemed to solidify.

‘Nikolai’s cheeks seem a bit red. Did we put too much firewood in?’

I glanced at the fireplace on the right wall.

A soft flame was adding warmth to the room.

If it wasn’t because of the heat, why was Nikolai acting like this?

Was he uncomfortable that I jokingly brought up the empress topic?

“Please forget I said anything. Oh my, empress. Just imagining it is terrifying.”

I shuddered with exaggerated gestures.

Nikolai’s face, which had been flushed red, now turned pale blue.

It seemed like a suppressed groan might escape from between his slightly parted lips.

His question was even more strange.

“Why is becoming empress such a terrifying thing?”

“Where in the world is there an empress of common birth?”

“What if there was?”

“The entire populace would be in an uproar! ‘Making a villainess the empress, the empire has finally met its doom! The tyrant emperor has finally gone mad!'”

In the original story, Nikolai tried to make Elizabeth the empress.

Simultaneous protests broke out across the entire empire.

It was understandable, given that she was neither noble, nor of good character, and squandered the nation’s wealth on all sorts of luxuries.

This was also why many who had been against the revolution sided with Claudia en masse.

‘Elizabeth’s coronation as empress is a shortcut to the guillotine. I must prevent it at all costs.’

Of course, there was no need to worry.

Nikolai wouldn’t make me empress.

Knowing this, I still hammered the point home once more.

“I’m sure you weren’t thinking of making me empress, but if by any chance you were, abandon that thought. Unless you want the worst possible outcome.”

“You are not a villainess.”

“But I’m still a commoner.”

“There are important qualities that can’t be obtained through status or bloodline.”

Nikolai answered in a bitter tone.

‘Is that quality he’s talking about really the quality of an empress?’

My heart swelled for no reason.

Who wouldn’t like being highly regarded by the person they like?

But we were in a relationship that shouldn’t be connected like that.

It was obvious that all the efforts made so far would be in vain.

Our lives too.

“You heard me. I said I don’t want to.”

“…”

“If I become empress, I’d be subjected to assassination attempts every day, right? There’s no happy ending for an empress without backing or power.”

“…”

“And I believe I should become a spouse to only one person I’ve promised my life to. That’s the only way to be happy.”

So I had to rein in my feelings that were uncontrollably drawn to Nikolai.

We had to return to the seduction game, to the contract.

Let’s just remember the moments spent with him.

Let’s not regret it even if it disappears.

Let’s calmly accept that day which will surely come, like leaves falling when winter arrives.

Although I had resolved this many times, my eyes kept following only Nikolai.

“I understand your thoughts well.”

Nikolai said in a voice barely above a whisper.

It was I who had pushed him away.

But now that he said he understood, I felt deflated.

The atmosphere became gritty, like sand rolling around in my mouth.

Fiddling with the innocent silk gown, I asked.

“Where are my clothes?”

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

“I want to wash up. I sweated a lot.”

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

“You’re speaking as if you did it yourself?”

I asked in a tone that suggested he shouldn’t joke about such things.

Nikolai lifted his chin quite proudly.

“If not me, then who?”

“What?!”

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

“Why?”

“Then would you have shown your naked body to just anyone?”

Why is this man so shameless!

Living up to his reputation as a playboy!

The heat rose again.

My heart also thumped precariously.

I threw the feather pillow at Nikolai’s face.

“You… wolf-like…!”

Even though the night was deep, Douglas couldn’t fall asleep.

‘When Elizabeth was kidnapped, I couldn’t do anything.’

A bitter sense of helplessness and guilt crashed over him like a tidal wave.

Even at the news of Elizabeth’s rescue, he couldn’t fully rejoice.

He was told she had been injured.

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

When he closed his eyes, the gallant image of Nikolai riding a fine horse appeared like a vision.

Although rumors of him being a playboy were rampant, Douglas trusted his own judgment more than the gossips’ tongues.

Nikolai possessed a dignity and majesty that only those born noble could have.

In a word, he had an overwhelming aura that could subdue others with a single word and dominate everyone as if it were natural.

Moreover, he was the only swordsman who could fight on equal terms with Claudia, the genius female knight.

‘He’s also someone too beautiful to be described by my meager writing skills. It doesn’t make sense to feel defeated by His Majesty. But…’

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

It was because Douglas was Elizabeth’s former fiancé.

Although Elizabeth only regarded him as a friend, Nikolai never let his guard down.

As if he saw through Douglas’s love for Elizabeth completely.

‘But I can’t give up. Elizabeth will only be unhappy if she’s with His Majesty. The person she needs is a man who can understand everything about her.’

If Elizabeth hadn’t entered the palace, if she hadn’t caught the emperor’s eye, she wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

She would have been freer, safer.

Nikolai was no ordinary man.

He had several wives, including empresses from the four great houses.

Even if Elizabeth and Nikolai truly loved each other, their path ahead was full of thorns.

Douglas took out a small copper key from his bosom.

It was a key he hadn’t parted with for even a moment since that day.

He walked towards the study, holding a lamp.

Even Susan didn’t enter the study freely.

Douglas opened the locked desk drawer with the copper key.

Inside the drawer was an old book.

“If I were given another life… I’d want to change completely too. Like the protagonist of this book…”

It was a book Elizabeth had handed over, breathing heavily, when she was suffering from a high fever.

The author’s name wasn’t written.

It was impossible to know when it was published.

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

Only the words ‘another life’ remained vivid.