To be honest, I had expectations.

I believed I would hear meaningful eyewitness accounts.

My expectations were spectacularly wrong.

“His Majesty said he would protect Lady Elizabeth. How dignified and splendid he looked. If I were a woman, I would have given my pure heart to His Majesty.”

The young knight said with a dreamy, hazy expression.

“Is that all?”

“How could that be all? I also saw the two of them embracing.”

“…”

“It was as beautiful as a scene from a fairy tale. Honestly, I prefer Lady Elizabeth to the haughty empresses. She’s down-to-earth and treats us kindly. Also…”

“That’s enough.”

“Aren’t you curious about Lady Elizabeth’s strong character? I watched closely from right behind.”

Claudia barely managed to calm her boiling insides.

‘Is this the time to be watching your lord’s love affairs? It’s because of fools like you that the VIP seats collapsed!’

If she were the captain of the Imperial Guard, all these knights would deserve to be thrown in the brig.

Although she dreamed of revolution, Claudia was a knight who had sworn loyalty to the Hartmann Empire and the Yevrei Dynasty.

As a fellow knight, she could not forgive such negligence.

‘The entire guard has become lax because the Emperor is an outstanding warrior. But isn’t Elizabeth a powerless civilian? How could this happen again so soon after the kidnapping incident? What is the Guard Captain doing?’

She gritted her teeth.

Noticing the ominous atmosphere, the young knight slowly backed away.

Claudia sat up straight with her back erect.

She took a moment to steady her breathing.

The duel was not over yet.

Stray thoughts and agitation were not courteous to one’s opponent in a sword fight.

Even a moment’s carelessness could not be allowed.

However it began, this was Claudia’s fight.

Even if this wasn’t a battlefield, even if her opponent wasn’t an enemy, she could not lose.

She did not want to be defeated by anyone.

At least not with a sword.

“Prepare yourself, Lord Roseloyce!”

She strapped on her sword and went out of the tent.

It was then that she realized Simon had strangely changed.

[This is the timeline separator]

A new tent had been erected next to the witness stand.

Dozens of imperial flags were lined up in rows.

Tense knights surrounded it in several layers.

‘It does have a better view of the arena… but this is so embarrassing I could die.’

Sitting pressed right up against Nikolai felt awkward and mortifying.

When had they prepared this two-person chair?

I shifted back, rubbing my bottom against the plush velvet cushion.

A stern voice immediately flew at me.

“If you move more than a hand’s width away, we’re returning to the palace.”

“But…”

“Talk back and we’re returning to the palace.”

Nikolai cut me off sharply.

Instead of resuming the duel, he had accepted my conditions.

However, sitting next to Nikolai under the strict guard of the knights was quite an ordeal.

‘I’ve been alone with Nikolai many times before. But I’ve never sat next to him at an official event like this. Insisting I’m not the Emperor’s lover won’t do any good.’

I always wanted to be by his side.

I wanted to monopolize him without any other women around.

Even though my dream had come true, I felt as uneasy as if sitting on a bed of thorns.

I was neither an empress nor an imperial consort.

This seat rightfully belonged to someone else.

Just thinking about it made my chest feel tight.

When would I be free from the gazes of others?

Would such a day ever come?

“Simon seems a bit off.”

“Pardon?”

“His gait is unnatural. His toes are spread wider than usual, and his knees seem weak. His fingertips appear to be trembling too.”

“He must be tired. Victory is ours.”

Nikolai shook his head as he stroked his chin.

“An unexpected rest was given. Compared to Claudia who was maintaining the offensive, this break was advantageous for Simon.”

“Because he could regain his strength and reverse the momentum he was being dragged along by?”

“Why is he acting like that when he’s had time to calm his excitement? He’s not such a foolish knight.”

I too was impressed by Simon’s skills.

The fact that he was still dueling with Claudia was worthy of high praise.

Was it because of what Nikolai said?

Simon’s movements really did seem strange.

His fighting spirit had drained away, and his eyes looked particularly dull and unfocused.

“Let’s see what Marquis Brenden said. He was fuming that he’d kill someone, wasn’t he?”

“Let’s wait and see for now.”

“Claudia will finish this soon.”

The duel resumed.

Simon leapt up, kicking off the ground.

His speed and height were incomparable to before.

“Why is he suddenly like that?”

Simon swung his bastard sword.

Blue veins bulged on the back of his hand gripping the sword hilt and along his arm muscles.

It was superhuman strength.

Claudia’s body swayed greatly as she received Simon’s sword.

Claudia’s head snapped up.

Even from a distance, her bewilderment was palpable.

“Uwaaaaah!”

Simon pressed Claudia with an eerie roar.

His power, speed, and precision were on a completely different level from the first half.

It was as if someone else had put on Simon’s skin and was fighting the duel.

– Clang!

As the swords clashed, Claudia’s feet slid back in the dirt.

Simon’s strength was overwhelming her.

“The victor is me! Simon Brenden is the Empire’s strongest knight!”

Simon’s eyes glinted not with pride, but with madness.

Marquis Brenden clapped his hands, shedding tears.

“That’s my son! I believed in you, Simon! Keep it up!”

It was disgusting how Marquis Brenden changed his tune so easily even in front of his own son.

I hated Simon even more for cornering Claudia.

‘There’s no way my favorite could lose! Claudia is a genius incomparable to the likes of Simon! Claudia seems tired too, what should we do?’

I gnawed on my fingertips anxiously.

At this rate, it seemed Claudia would be badly hurt.

“Your Majesty. Why is Simon acting like this? Can one’s skills improve so suddenly?”

“How could this be…”

Nikolai’s lips parted weakly.

His beautiful face turned deathly pale.

A tension I had never seen before pulled at an ominous premonition.

“Your Majesty. What’s wrong?”

“We must stop the duel immediately.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain later.”

Nikolai abruptly stood up.

Just before he could declare the match over, Claudia fell.

Simon’s sword aimed for Claudia’s neck.

It wasn’t to cut the red string.

If not intending to separate her head from her body, there was no way he could thrust his sword down like that.

“Claudia!”

For a moment, time stopped.

Like a slow-motion replay, every scene flowed by slowly.

Thump, thump. Thump.

The sound of heartbeats echoed in my eardrums.

The grim and sticky breath of death clung to my skin.

The fear that Claudia might die constricted my blood vessels.

If she disappeared, we could completely deviate from the original story.

I could protect myself, Nikolai, and Franz.

But.

‘I don’t want this ending. Claudia dying such a meaningless death. No way!’

Even if I would regret it, I had to save Claudia.

At the very least, I couldn’t let Claudia die because of me.

In that instant, Nikolai threw something.

– Swoosh!

Only after Simon sprayed blood did I realize that the thing shot like a beam of light was a dagger.

“Simon!”

Marquis Brenden’s agonized scream pierced the sky.

Everyone froze stiff in the dizzy silence.

The shadow of death sharpened.

The dagger had struck a vital point precisely, and Simon’s massive body fell over.

‘That’s the one Douglas gave as a gift, isn’t it?’

I had received a tiny dagger as a get-well gift from Douglas.

Seeing his sincerity, I carried it around for a few days.

After the kidnapping incident, I never went without it.

Nikolai must have discovered the dagger hidden inside my dress when we embraced.

“I borrowed it without permission. I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”

Nikolai said.

His complexion was paler than the fallen Simon.

Was Simon really dead?

Why did Nikolai do this?

Everything was hazy, as if watching events unfold behind a misty veil.

Claudia, who had groggily gotten up, checked Simon’s pulse with two fingers.

Then she shook her head.

“Save my son! Aaargh!”

Marquis Brenden, who had been writhing like a pig dragged to the slaughterhouse, fainted.

All eyes turned to Nikolai.

There was no curiosity in them.

Only fear was densely packed in the eyes looking at Nikolai.

Nikolai said nothing.

So no one else could open their mouths.

But everyone knew.

That the news of the Emperor killing a knight during a duel would spread beyond the empire to the ends of the continent.

[This is the timeline separator]

The empire was in an uproar.

Trying to hush it up was futile.

As I walked to the Crown Prince’s palace with Nia, I heard the voices of servants.

“They say Sir Simon Brenden died? Struck by a dagger thrown by His Majesty?”

“Apparently Sir Simon was on the verge of winning.”

“Did His Majesty intervene to ensure Lady Claudia’s victory?”

“Come on, that can’t be!”

“If Lady Claudia lost, all of Elizabeth’s assets would go to Marquis Brenden, right?”

“There are rumors Elizabeth was behind it all.”

“Then Sir Simon died a dog’s death? Because of that woman.”

Nia made her presence known behind the servants.

The startled servants froze like statues.

“L-Lady Elizabeth?”

Their faces were as if they’d seen a ghost.

I didn’t know what expression to make or how to deal with them.

“We apologize! Please pretend you didn’t hear anything!”

Watching the servants flee in a hurry, Nia muttered.

“It’s going to be noisy for a while.”

“If only it were just noisy.”

“But Lady Elizabeth didn’t do anything wrong!”

“A good image can crumble in an instant. Someone’s downfall is an entertaining spectacle.”

In just one day, Nikolai had become a tyrant who killed a promising young knight.

I was the evil woman who instigated the tyrant to protect my assets.

The more beautiful the story, the easier it was to tarnish.

A far more sensational tale than Cinderella was spreading to every corner.

‘It’s fortunate Claudia is safe, but… everything else is the worst. What should I do now?’

Sympathy for the Brenden family was rapidly growing.

Even the nobles who had been watching and mocking the Brenden family’s decline felt threatened.

“We request a thorough investigation!”

“This is a critical incident that shakes the foundations of the empire!”

The nobles rose up like a swarm of bees.

Because of the law against insulting the imperial family, they couldn’t openly blame Nikolai.

The nobles found a scapegoat to replace the Emperor.

They all had bloodshot eyes trying to bring me down.

I had expected this to some degree.

But I didn’t expect to face this in front of the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Stop. You cannot meet with His Highness the Crown Prince for the time being.”

Two guards crossed their spears in front of me.

Behind them, the Crown Prince’s steward wore a sardonic smirk.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘You don’t seem to know, but I’m the type of character who repays tenfold for every wrong done to me. I believe that’s the natural order of things – the woman you call a villainess.’