What would happen if Nikolai found out about this situation?

Would he strangle Douglas?

Or perhaps do something even worse…

I shook my head as if to shake off the ominous premonition.

It was useless.

It was because of Nikolai’s low, growling voice that echoed.

“I should have told you that I need to know who you meet, who you talk to, and who you smile at.”

Goosebumps rose from the nape of my neck.

It felt as if Nikolai’s breath was tickling my ear.

Why am I so anxious when I’m not even on a secret getaway with another man?

‘Nikolai and I aren’t even real lovers, right? It’s not like I’m going to do anything with Douglas. And what if I did?’

Nikolai wouldn’t feel any guilt about meeting other women.

If he had taken me seriously, he wouldn’t have gone horseback riding with another woman.

The jet-black stallion.

The short-haired empress clinging tightly to Nikolai, front and back.

Every time I recalled that day, my heart would throb.

The hypothesis that Nikolai might not be a philanderer seemed plausible at times, but quickly became a vain hope.

I was just trying to fit the pieces together because I wanted to keep loving him.

Would Nikolai know that loneliness, the solitude of unrequited love?

‘Did he send the pursuit team because he missed me? At least his desire for me not to leave seemed sincere…’

Recalling the man who was so beautiful it was pitiful, I tossed off my hunting cap.

I also undid my hair that had been tied so tightly it pulled at my scalp.

My scarlet hair, reaching down to my waist, flowed down like a waterfall.

‘I should wash up and sleep. That’s the only way to stop thinking about Nikolai.’

Though it was a bit tangled, it didn’t smell unpleasant.

Thankfully, even though I couldn’t bathe, I had washed my hair in the stream.

“Where might the bathroom be?”

I looked around the small room.

Douglas answered with an awkward expression.

“There’s no separate bathroom in lodgings like this.”

“So that’s why they said they’d bring up a bathtub?”

“Here are the towels.”

Douglas picked up a towel that had been placed on the bed.

Seeing the towel large enough to cover my body, my cheeks flushed again.

Douglas, observing my reddening complexion, chuckled as if finding it cute.

“Elizabeth. I’ll sleep in the carriage.”

“Don’t say such things.”

“The fresh air has made me not tired at all.”

“Who do you think would believe that?”

“I really am fine. Please rest comfortably.”

After reassuring me, Douglas tried to leave the room.

I reflexively grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“Elizabeth?”

I wanted to speak as naturally as possible, but my voice cracked.

“…Just for tonight, couldn’t you sleep even under the bed?”

My hand gripping Douglas’s clothes trembled.

Whether friend or former fiancé, it was awkward to be in the same room with a man.

But I couldn’t let Douglas sleep outside alone.

This wasn’t a matter of etiquette, but of conscience.

“You’ve been suffering because of me all this time. You should sleep under a roof.”

“If I stay here, Elizabeth will be uncomfortable.”

“I’m too comfortable. Douglas, you’re like family to me.”

Douglas made a troubled expression.

Did he notice my lie?

Or was it because I said he was like family?

“I’m scared. Someone might come in.”

I hastily added, afraid Douglas might go down to the carriage.

He hesitated for a moment.

“If you lock it well, it should be fine.”

“The doorknob is too flimsy. The lock might break if you apply just a little force.”

It was just an excuse, but Douglas reluctantly nodded.

“Then I’ll sleep under the bed. I’ll be outside the door while you wash, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you for granting my request.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Douglas’s gaze as he looked down at me became distant.

“Elizabeth. Are you worried about me?”

“Of course. I’m human too.”

“I’m scared.”

Douglas’s voice scattered softly.

I asked with wide eyes.

“What are you scared of?”

“I want to be a man to Elizabeth, not just a person. But I’m afraid I might never be able to be a man.”

Douglas’s gentle brown eyes were terribly distorted.

I didn’t want to tremble, but I did.

I wanted to pretend I didn’t know what he meant.

But.

Without realizing it, I had become accustomed to the precarious heat emanating from men.

Because of Nikolai, not Douglas.

-Knock knock.

There was a knocking sound.

It was rather fortunate.

“Looks like they’ve brought the bathwater.”

“I’ll go check.”

Douglas stepped forward as if to protect me.

I was confused whether it was fortunate to be with him or not.

I felt reassured and anxious at the same time, as if I had swallowed a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

I turned my gaze to the side.

The lone double bed tightly gripped my heart.

‘What if I had to sleep in the same room with Nikolai? Would I be as anxious as I am now? It’s too small to share with Nikolai. We might roll off if we don’t cling tightly together.’

I told Douglas to sleep under the bed.

Yet here I was, contemplating sharing a bed with Nikolai.

As I was trying to erase these embarrassing thoughts, Douglas opened the locked door.

“Thank you for your hard work. Please bring the bathtub this way.”

Before his polite voice finished.

A dull sound rang out.

“Ugh.”

Douglas fell backwards with a short groan.

“!”

I covered my mouth with both hands.

Because behind the bathtub, an all too familiar man spoke with an all too familiar voice.

“Is this why you escaped from the imperial palace?”

Is it an auditory hallucination?

Or maybe a dream?

I rubbed my eyelids, but it was no use.

Nikolai, dressed in black from head to toe, was glaring at me with eyes as cold as ice.

“What exactly are you two doing here?”

An overwhelmingly intense killing intent flowed from Nikolai’s entire body.

With the illusion of being hit by hundreds, thousands of blades with my bare body, goosebumps rose all over.

Nikolai’s gaze fell on my disheveled hair.

And then fixed on the bath towel Douglas was holding.

White steam rose from the old wooden bathtub.

Why does it look so ominous, like the sigh of a death god?

And what is this premonition that someone might not survive?

There were hardly any people who welcomed the new Imperial Knight Commander.

It was the same when there was a major reshuffling of the knights.

Everyone treated Claudia as if she were a henchman of the villainess Elizabeth.

As the crimes of the former Knight Commander and knights were gradually revealed, the atmosphere began to change.

The seeds of change.

The first step towards reform.

Those who first noticed what Nikolai dreamed of and Claudia had begun were the reform-minded minor nobles and young bourgeoisie.

“More than half of those royal guard bastards died or were imprisoned? They looked so arrogant, it’s good riddance.”

“There was also a new recruitment notice for the Imperial Guard, wasn’t there?”

“They say anyone with skill can join, be they commoners or even mercenaries. As expected of the Silver Lady Knight.”

“I hope they sweep away all the corrupt ones at this opportunity. It would be easier to do business that way too.”

It wasn’t just people with expectations.

The prominent nobles were busy slandering Claudia.

“What would a lady knight from the frontier know about the imperial palace and politics?”

“The Imperial Knight Commander has always been held by an experienced senior knight. Yet now a green woman whose milk teeth have barely fallen out…”

“Lady Claudia was the villainess’s proxy. She might have ulterior motives while pretending to be righteous on the outside.”

“For a woman, it’s best to just serve her husband well, bear many children and raise them well. Tsk tsk, the sight of her waving a sword around beyond her station.”

The noble ladies had different thoughts from their husbands, who were overwhelmed by emotions that could have been anxiety or jealousy.

They also ignored the grumblings of their stubborn fathers.

Many noble ladies admired Claudia’s amazing talent, beautiful appearance, and groundbreaking actions.

The fact that Claudia resembled a character from a wildly popular romance novel also played a part.

“Did you see volume 3 of ‘The Red Star of the Empire’ that was published yesterday? I thought I was going to have a heart attack while reading it.”

“Doesn’t the genius lady knight who appears in volume 3 seem too similar to Lady Claudia?”

“To think that a righteous knight who seemed to only exist in novels actually exists. Isn’t it a blessing for the empire?”

“I felt thrilled every time Lady Claudia put those incompetent men in their place. I really want to invite her to a tea party.”

“I want to learn swordsmanship too, do you think it would be alright?”

Until then, Claudia was considered just another one of those figures who appeared like a comet in high society and then disappeared.

Fresh and unique, but forgotten as time passed.

Claudia shattered everyone’s expectations.

The fact that she, a mere Knight Commander, had raided Baron Brenden’s mansion became known.

The empire was thrown into great shock.

“Did you hear the news? Claudia has started raiding noble houses!”

“Isn’t Baron Brenden the wealthiest man in the empire? Even if Empress Rose was imprisoned, they shouldn’t be able to touch him so easily.”

“I heard Empress Rose escaped from prison? Baron Brenden helped with the escape and flight!”

“Is that all? They say he made a fortune through usury. He used that dirty money to plot rebellion!”

Even public opinion that had criticized Nikolai as a tyrant due to Simon’s death and looked at the Brenden family with pity was gradually reversing.

Duke Lyman, Marquis Pipe, and Count Blackfold gathered in one place to discuss countermeasures.

Despite the long silence, the conclusion was reached quickly.

“Let’s abandon Baron Brenden at this point. That’s the only way for us to survive.”

I tried to erase the ominous premonition and turned to look at Douglas.

Red droplets of blood had formed at the corner of Douglas’s mouth.

“Sir Douglas!”

I tried to support him.

Nikolai prevented that too.

“Your Majesty…”

Douglas, barely managing to compose himself, knelt on one knee at Nikolai’s feet.

“How dare you…”

The muscles in Nikolai’s jaw bulged.

Bluish blood vessels protruded on his tightly clenched fist.

Fearing he might strike Douglas again, I felt a sudden panic.

“You’re misunderstanding.”

“…”

“What you’re imagining didn’t happen.”

“And what am I imagining?”

The teal eyes resembling forests and seas pierced me.

The anger swirling within them.

The sorrow beyond anger.

The burning longing.

It was too much to bear fully.

“Well… that…”

A few words floated up in my mind and then disappeared.

My tongue had turned to stone.

I didn’t want to make excuses.

No excuse would likely be believed anyway.

But I disliked ignoring the misunderstanding even more.

At that moment, Douglas stood up.

“Your Majesty. Would you allow me to explain everything?”

For an instant, sparks flew in Nikolai’s eyes.

Before I could stop him, he pushed Douglas against the wall.

“Your Majesty!”

“Don’t say a word. Before I end this man’s life.”

Nikolai said through gritted teeth while pressing his forearm against Douglas’s neck.

But I wasn’t one to back down because of that.

After taking a deep breath, I raised my voice.