I shouted without realizing it.

Did she hear that sound?

Claudia twisted her body just before Simon’s sword could pierce her side.

“Ah, thank goodness!”

With a sigh of relief, I smacked Nikolai’s shoulder repeatedly.

“Isn’t that cheating? The side is a vital point, isn’t it?”

“Are you asking me for a biased judgment?”

“That’s too cowardly!”

“She was just looking for a chance to counterattack while being pushed back. Take it easy.”

Nikolai frowned, seemingly displeased that I was cheering for Claudia.

The giant bastard sword raised the wind again.

“Uwaah!”

Simon let out a battle cry.

With a coldly hardened expression, Claudia blocked Simon’s sword.

– Clang! Clang!

Simon lunged at Claudia like a cornered beast.

Claudia defended leisurely while aiming for Simon’s neck.

– Swish!

The moment Claudia’s sword tip touched Simon’s ribbon, I sprang up, unable to contain my joy.

“That’s it now!”

But Simon grabbed his own neck and leaped backward.

“Not a chance!”

“Persistent, aren’t you.”

Claudia murmured lowly.

Simon wasn’t giving up the victory easily.

His skills were not just boasting.

But unlike Simon, who was breathing heavily, Claudia was serenity itself.

An expressionless face as cool as an ice shard.

Sky-blue silver hair fluttering in the wind.

I clenched my fists and cheered for Claudia.

“Cut off his head!”

“Killing the opponent results in disqualification.”

“I don’t care! It’s fine with me, finish him off!”

“Betting your entire fortune, you’ve got guts.”

“Claudia, fighting!”

I shouted through cupped hands while leaning over the fence.

I didn’t mind if my throat tore as long as it could encourage Claudia.

My upper body was half tilted outside the VIP stand railing.

It might be my imagination, but the louder my voice became, the fiercer Claudia’s attacks seemed to get.

“Urgh!”

Simon stepped back, sweating cold.

Claudia’s movements became even faster and sharper.

Victory was almost decided.

“Simon, you damned fool! You’re no son of mine!”

Marquis Brenden wailed, sensing defeat.

Marquis Pipe and Count Blackfold exchanged subtle glances.

They craned their necks, anticipating the final blow.

Nikolai warned:

“You’ll fall if you keep that up, Elizabeth.”

“I must watch the moment of victory closely.”

“The railing is unstable, it’s dangerous…!”

Before he could finish speaking, there was an ominous creaking sound.

Suddenly, the fence I was leaning on sank down.

My heart sank with it.

“Ah?”

With a single scream, my body fell downward.

No, it was falling.

Until Nikolai embraced me from behind.

“Elizabeth!”

Strong muscles squeezed my waist.

Nikolai’s scent rushed over me.

A loud noise erupted from below my feet.

– Crash!

The wooden frame and flags bearing the emperor’s crest fell helplessly.

One of my shoes also dropped onto them with a thud.

Acrid dust rose all around.

Shouts could be heard from here and there.

A drop of cold sweat rolled down my spine.

‘If it wasn’t for Nikolai, I would have fallen straight down. My leg bones would have broken. It could have been even more dangerous…’

Instinctively, I burrowed into Nikolai’s arms.

My hand clutching his clothes began to tremble belatedly.

The trembling wouldn’t subside.

Nikolai stroked my back with his large hand.

“It’s alright now.”

Pat pat.

His touch soothed my pounding heart.

“You don’t have to be afraid. I’ll protect you.”

His calm baritone voice reached my ears along my cheek.

Nikolai’s fragrant breath pierced my heart.

A back hug followed by a front hug.

Being held tightly in his arms suddenly felt unfamiliar and awkward.

The arms that completely enveloped my body.

The gentle hand as if soothing a crying child.

All of this was so vivid that another trembling began.

As the match was suddenly interrupted by the accident, everyone’s attention turned to me.

‘People are watching. We shouldn’t do this in public.’

I felt embarrassed.

But I didn’t want to leave his embrace.

Nikolai seemed like a man who existed to protect me.

The noblest knight in the world gazed at me with burning eyes.

The heat in them licked my entire body.

I felt like the female lead in a novel.

No, I felt even more special and precious than that.

Thanks to this man, Nikolai.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“Lady Elizabeth, are you unharmed?”

The voices of Careth and the imperial guards were heard.

I reluctantly left Nikolai’s arms and smiled awkwardly.

“I must have been too heavy.”

“Someone had sawn through it.”

Nikolai pointed to the surface of the collapsed fence.

The support had been cut diagonally halfway through from the bottom.

Though hastily built, it was a VIP stand for the emperor.

It wouldn’t have collapsed unless someone had damaged it.

Careth, the Minister of Internal Affairs, bowed deeply.

“I apologize. It’s all due to my negligence.”

“Interrogate everyone involved. Don’t leave out a single carpenter.”

“It doesn’t seem to have targeted Your Majesty.”

“As if a mere fence could threaten me.”

Nikolai furrowed his brow.

I muttered, feeling drained:

“So they were targeting me again.”

Careth kept his mouth shut.

A bitter light flashed in Nikolai’s eyes.

Another incident had occurred.

We were just waiting for the moment to round them all up, but we hadn’t even punished those behind the kidnapping yet.

This wasn’t a threat against me.

It was a provocation trampling on the emperor’s authority.

“Is the duel being stopped because of me?”

“Not because of you. Because of the culprits.”

“The underground prison will be full again. Please be considerate not to create innocent victims, Your Majesty.”

Nikolai barely seemed to listen.

There were too many liars wearing the mask of ordinary citizens.

Even now, they might be lurking around us with worried faces.

It felt like I had sunk too deep into a world I shouldn’t have entered.

The fear of being dragged deeper the more I struggled.

Reading my expression, Nikolai said:

“We’ll stop the duel here.”

“No, we can’t. Lady Claudia was about to win.”

“It’s dangerous. We must return to the palace immediately.”

“That’s probably why they cut the fence. To see us stop the match and flee.”

“Elizabeth.”

Nikolai made a pained expression.

I straightened my chest and raised my chin slightly.

“I’m not scared, Your Majesty.”

It was a lie.

But I didn’t want to back down.

“I am afraid. Afraid that you might get hurt because of me.”

Nikolai’s voice struck my heart.

His eyes wavered like a lost child’s.

This time, I firmly grasped his hand.

“You can protect me, can’t you, Your Majesty?”

“…”

“You can stay by my side so I don’t get hurt, can’t you?”

“…”

“If that’s difficult for you, I won’t insist.”

I said seriously.

Nikolai, who had been stiff all along, grinned.

“Even if you don’t insist, I will do so.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Even if you don’t want it. Even if you tell me to stop. I will stay by your side and protect you.”

I thought it had been winter all along, but when did flowers bloom?

I felt dizzy for a moment from the floral scent.

The man who brought spring was smiling at me.

‘When you leave, I’ll be winter again. But I won’t be cold. Because I’ll forever remember the scent, warmth, and ecstasy that spring brought.’

[This is the timeline separator]

Claudia stared at the collapsed VIP stand.

Amidst the bustling crowd, bright crimson hair shone vividly.

‘That woman seems to be safe.’

She squinted one eye.

Elizabeth.

No, she felt relieved that the woman who resembled Elizabeth was safe.

She found herself uneasy and unfamiliar with this feeling.

‘She’s a dangerous woman. Identical to Elizabeth on the outside, but completely different on the inside.’

She didn’t believe Douglas’s words that Elizabeth had changed.

That she had saved the crown prince.

That she had fought against the great nobles.

That she had taken measures to prevent the servants from getting hurt.

She was convinced that all of it was Elizabeth’s deception.

Until she saw it herself.

“Please take me without pain.”

Elizabeth, who closed her eyes before her sword, was as noble and beautiful as a goddess from mythology.

Elizabeth, beautiful?

Noble?

Claudia bit her red lips.

‘Am I being fooled too?’

She accepted the duel with Simon.

She summoned her using Douglas’s letter and ink.

She wanted to see through her schemes.

When Elizabeth approached, she realized something had gone terribly wrong.

Simple yet neat attire.

Dignified yet polite behavior.

Not a trace remained of the femme fatale who used to flirt with men while drunk.

“There must be stories of great knights like you defeating tyrants and villains. Then, couldn’t there be stories of reborn villains changing the world?”

Douglas’s voice dug into a corner of her heart.

Claudia shook her head from side to side.

As if doing so could shake off the ‘what if’ that was creeping up.

She couldn’t forget the woman she saw in the slums.

Did she say she felt affinity, sympathy?

Did she say she wanted to have a drink and chat?

If that woman was indeed the one she saw that day?

Wouldn’t the first impression, without any prejudice, be closest to the truth?

‘I don’t know how it happened, but the real Elizabeth disappeared. The villainess who tormented Douglas by clinging to him wasn’t in there.’

But Douglas was still only looking at Elizabeth.

His heart was as hard as a steel sword forged a thousand times by a blacksmith.

‘Who should I resent now? From whom should I reclaim Douglas?’

Elizabeth was a villainess.

So she could hate her freely.

She could even sympathize with Douglas for falling for the villainess’s tricks.

If he hadn’t fallen for evil schemes.

If he was simply in love with a beautiful and wise woman.

Claudia could only regret the time she spent never being honest and suffering silently behind the scenes.

“Sir Roseroyce. His Majesty has ordered the duel to resume. Will you be alright?”

A young knight who came to the tent asked carefully.

Many had become knights after hearing tales of Claudia’s heroism.

Claudia was wary of those who held excessive reverence for her.

Though sometimes their goodwill was needed.

“If you’re not busy, may I ask you a few questions?”

“It would be my honor. Please ask me anything.”

The young knight’s cheeks flushed red.

It was a good opportunity.

“Why wasn’t the duel stopped? There might be other dangers lurking.”

“A lowly one like me wouldn’t know, but it seems Lady Elizabeth wanted it. His Majesty urged returning to the palace several times.”

The young knight lowered his voice, glancing around.

“I heard their goal was to stop the duel. So Lady Elizabeth said we couldn’t run away.”

“It wasn’t an accident, but someone’s plot? Why did His Majesty allow it?”

“I overheard something… may I speak?”

“Is it about Elizabeth?”

“It’s about Lady Elizabeth and His Majesty the Emperor.”

An eyewitness account.

The corners of Claudia’s mouth drew a straight arc.