#26. The Tyrant Brought a New Empress Candidate
I didn’t eat the spicy pepper that Douglas had given me as a gift.
I only shook the crystal bottle filled with the peppers.
Clatter, clatter.
Listening to the dry seeds knocking against each other, I pictured Claudia in my mind.
“The knight commander’s uniform would look perfect on her. That longsword on her waist, her silver hair blowing in the wind…”
At least one thing was true—I really wanted to see Claudia.
I was dying to see my favorite character in the flesh.
It was terrifying, but if it was a fate I couldn’t escape, I didn’t want to run away anymore.
“But Claudia was never mentioned to like spicy food. Did the story change? Or was it some hidden setting in the original?”
Ever since I possessed Elizabet’s body, many things had changed.
Susan’s life had been spared, Douglas had written his hit romance novel much earlier, and I had become a tutor instead of the empress.
But the love triangle between Douglas, me, and Claudia was still intact.
If Claudia found out that Douglas had obtained the peppers to give them to me, she would be crushed.
In her eyes, I was nothing more than the villainess ruining Douglas’s life.
She might even want to execute me along with the empire’s greatest womanizer and femme fatale.
“This, dear people, is how dangerous love can be. Let’s stick to romance only in books! Down with couples, long live singles!”
I honestly felt like holding up a protest sign in front of the palace.
But Douglas, completely unaware of my turmoil, handed the prepared book to Franz.
“Found this in a secondhand bookstore. I thought Your Highness might want to read it right away, so I rushed over.”
The blue leather-bound cover was embossed with the title The Vanished Prince and the Magic Paints.
Franz tried to keep his expression composed, rolling his green eyes as if it wasn’t a big deal, though he was clearly delighted.
“A book that isn’t even in the imperial library. Well done, Marquis.”
“I’ve always loved the Vanished Prince series myself. Did you know the author was both a novelist and a painter?”
“A remarkable illustrator, too.”
“Though never a popular hit, he left behind many outstanding works.”
Douglas tailored the conversation exactly to Franz’s level of interest.
It seemed Franz was taken with Douglas—erudite, approachable, and far less pompous than most professors.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t like him from the start? You two get along just fine. Guess I don’t need to worry about literature lessons.”
The real problem wasn’t Franz—it was the burning gaze Douglas kept directing at me.
When the book talk ended, Douglas asked cautiously,
“Your Highness, may I speak privately with the tutor for a moment?”
In an instant, Franz’s cheerful face turned sharp.
“The marquis does seem to enjoy these little ‘private talks.’”
“Have I asked this before?”
“Regardless! If you’ve something to say, say it here.”
“Not even for a brief moment?”
“You must not know, Marquis, but Miss Elizabet dislikes leaving her post during work hours. Isn’t that right, Teacher?”
Franz tilted his head cutely as he asked.
Even when he was with Nikolai, he spoke formally, but now he could switch his tone so brazenly.
I wanted to smack him for it, but I forced a smile and answered kindly.
“Of course. I mustn’t leave my station for even a moment.”
“Elizabet.”
“Speak freely, Marquis Douglas. I’m sure His Highness will understand whatever you wish to say.”
Which really meant: don’t you dare say anything Franz can’t hear.
“Since you said your tastes have changed… may I take courage from that? As you know, Elizabet, I’m just a foolish, stubborn man.”
The suffocating silence clogged my throat again.
Douglas really was a good man.
Kind, warm, honest—and handsome.
Most of all, he loved Elizabet as she was, completely and sincerely.
How many men like that could there be?
Nikolai, on the other hand, pretends to be gentle only to suddenly turn violent. Acts tender, then vanishes to meet some new woman. He’s never honest, completely unpredictable, and brimming with prejudice against me!
The humiliation of the time Nikolai pushed my hand away still stung like a permanent stain.
Instead of fading, it grew darker day by day.
How could I erase this poisonous hatred festering like a mushroom?
Was it even possible?
“Elizabet, are you unwell?” Douglas asked, watching my pale face.
“I’m fine.”
“Please take things easy. I worry you’ll exhaust yourself.”
Douglas always thought of me, no matter the situation.
I didn’t want things to become awkward between us.
“But angering Claudia would be even worse. My only chance of survival is to put up walls…”
And yet, if I had more time…
If I were to live in this world until I was an old grandmother… would I ever meet another man like Douglas?
Would I really die here without even once experiencing love?
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“Of course not. I’m honored to have such a fine literature professor as you, Marquis.”
“…Thank you.”
“Please don’t hesitate to tell me if you need anything for class.”
The unspoken message: anything beyond class makes me uncomfortable.
Douglas caught the meaning, his face shadowed with disappointment.
“I’ve delivered the book, so I’ll take my leave.”
He rose from his seat.
Franz was happier than me to see him go.
“Off you go, quickly. We’re terribly busy.”
I shot the little brat a glare.
“Wouldn’t it be proper to send him off politely, Your Highness?”
“What? I didn’t do anything.”
“You should thank him properly. You can do that, right?”
I clenched my teeth and even shook my fist at him.
Franz immediately straightened.
“Thank you for the book, Marquis Nettleton. I’ll see you in our next lesson.”
“I’m honored, Your Highness.”
I thought that would be the end of this awkward encounter.
But then Douglas pulled out a thick pale-yellow envelope.
“What is this?”
Something rattled inside the wax-sealed envelope.
“An invitation. Will you accept it?”
“An… invitation?”
“You may refuse after reading it, though I hope you won’t.”
Douglas smiled, his eyes curving gently.
It was a smile almost impossible to push away.
And he knew it.
“He’s definitely changed. There’s a calculating side to him now.”
For some reason, Franz’s face remained puffed up in sulky irritation long after Douglas left.
“That man’s not what he seems. Men like that are the most dangerous. Are you listening, Elizabet?”
Ignoring Franz’s grumbling, I broke the wax seal bearing the Nettleton family crest.
Of course, I had no intention of accepting.
“Inside… there’s an invitation, and… a little container? What’s this?”
I fiddled with the small round case as I unfolded the invitation.
The words inside made it impossible to refuse.
Douglas had barely returned when Susan ran up to him.
“Did you meet Elizabet?”
Douglas fondly stroked his little sister’s reddish-brown hair.
“We didn’t talk much, but I gave her your invitation.”
“I slipped in a sample of my new ointment too! Do you think she’ll come?”
“You invited her in your capacity as her sponsor. I think she’ll accept. Let’s wait and see.”
“You think you’ll win her back with that kind of halfhearted attitude? Your rival is the empire’s greatest Casanova!”
“Even children these days talk like that.”
“I’m already sixteen. Old enough to marry, you know.”
“When did the little girl who clung to me grow up enough to argue back?”
Douglas still wore a faint smile.
Susan, however, was clearly displeased.
“This is no time to be relaxed. You have to marry Elizabet!”
“It’s not something I can force. But I do intend to do my best until the end.”
“You have to highlight your strengths! You did mention that volume two of The Red Star of the Empire is about to be released, right?”
“I was going to, but…”
“You forgot?! The overseas rights sold, and it’s even being made into an opera. You’re earning a fortune!”
Douglas shook his head sheepishly.
“To someone as wealthy as Elizabet, that doesn’t matter much.”
“Oh, come on! I’m not saying you should brag about money!”
“Hmm?”
“I mean you should show her you’re no longer just a poor struggling writer. Don’t you know that, writing romance novels of all things?”
“Haha. Don’t worry, Susan, I have my own plans.”
Her brother’s easygoing smile only earned him a doubtful glare.
“Do you really think you can win her back?”
“People aren’t something you ‘win back.’ I don’t want to approach Elizabet with that mindset.”
“You only ever say noble-sounding things. Meanwhile, the tyrant is making moves on her even now.”
“You know as well as I do, Elizabet isn’t someone easily won over.”
“But they say he’s so breathtakingly handsome you can’t forget him once you’ve seen him. And he’s the emperor! What if she falls for him completely?”
“It’s rude to make careless assumptions. Be more careful.”
Douglas chided her gently.
Susan puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
“I’m the only one anxious here!”
“I’m telling you this because I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”
“What do you mean?”
“Elizabet and His Majesty… they can never end up together.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Just wait. You’ll understand in time.”
Several days passed quickly.
I oversaw Franz’s daily life and checked over the newly reassigned palace staff.
Any spare time I had, I spent in the imperial library.
I spent lavishly on the information guild too, but there was still no word on the second divine relic.
Nikolai had vanished completely since that day.
Even Kares couldn’t give me any clear answers.
“So, even those under seduction won’t reveal the whole truth. The more you force what they don’t want, the stronger the resistance. The charm’s effects shorten, too.”
I copied my experimental results into my research notebook.
Now and then, I used Morascinthia’s Eyes to watch Franz.
With increased guards and thorough checks on all food entering the crown prince’s residence, no further threats had been found.
“The emperor leaving the palace for a whole week… maybe he really did have pressing matters. Maybe I misunderstood him again.”
Perhaps it was because I’d been apart from Nikolai, but my blazing resentment had cooled a little.
Whenever longing rose up, I tried to ignore it, reminding myself he must have had his reasons.
But then—
“His Majesty has returned,” said Bill, the new attendant.
Bill, once a servant in the harem, was a clever, diligent boy.
After one charm-laden wink from me, he had become my loyal eyes and ears.
“His Majesty has returned?” Franz’s voice rose.
My face lit up as well.
If Bill hadn’t added one more sentence, I might’ve even tidied my hair in the mirror.
“He brought back a new empress candidate. The harem servants are in a frenzy.”
The blow struck me like a hammer to the head.
It was more shocking than being slapped by a stranger in the street.
“So this was his ‘pressing business’? He went off to find a new woman while eating skewers? For a whole week?!”
My shock flared into fury.
What the hell was I going to do with this shameless womanizer?
