#34. The Emperor Outside the Window?
“What kind of medicine is it?”
“Well… it’s a bit difficult to explain if my brother hears about it…”
Susan, who had been so confident, glanced at Douglas out of the corner of her eye and nervously twirled her lips.
The way she fiddled with her hair and avoided eye contact suggested it was no ordinary medicine.
“Wasn’t it just cold medicine? What kind of medicine makes Susan act like this?”
I gestured for her to tell me secretly, away from Douglas.
Susan hurried over and whispered softly into my ear.
“Does such a medicine even exist?”
“I thought you’d be surprised. Hehe.”
“But this is…”
“I only made a single bottle just for you. I don’t plan to make more.”
“Susan.”
“I also hope you won’t have to use it. But you never know when it might be needed, right?”
I looked at the small pink bottle again, my eyes filled with awe and a little fear.
If what Susan said was true, this was nothing short of an amazing discovery.
It was clear that, someday, it would be a tremendous help.
“Did Grandpa research this?”
“I removed a few side effects.”
“Susan, you’re a genius!”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even found the books Grandpa wrote before he passed. I wouldn’t have been able to recreate this medicine.”
“Grandpa in heaven would be proud of you.”
Susan blushed and scratched the bridge of her nose.
It was astonishing that such a small, fragile girl had developed a medicine that even the royal pharmacists couldn’t produce.
Douglas, momentarily left out of the conversation, looked at Susan with a rare, warm expression.
“It seems Susan tries even harder to earn your praise.”
“Well, you did support her so much. She deserves this effort!”
“Don’t overdo it. I’d be worried if you suddenly fell ill.”
“You’re overthinking. There’s no fever, no fainting lately, right?”
“Complacency can lead to disaster.”
“Naggers aren’t popular with women! Isn’t that right, sister?”
Susan looked at me, seeking support.
“I agree with Douglas. Remember, health comes first, Susan.”
“Even you, sister?”
“I just care about you.”
Douglas nodded vigorously, which was rare for him, as if agreeing with me.
Susan pouted.
“You two are really the same sometimes.”
“?”
“Even when you scold, you do it with a smile, so it’s impossible to refuse.”
“It’s wise to listen to elders.”
“You treat me like a child too! I’m sixteen—I could be married and running a household by now.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her grumbling.
Douglas also let out a soft chuckle.
It was cute to see Susan, smaller and thinner than her peers, pretending to act grown-up.
With a slightly sulky expression, Susan spoke more maturely.
“Since I’ve seen you two smile, I’ll forgive you generously.”
“When your cold fully heals, I’ll show you around the palace. We’ll go for a walk together.”
“Really?”
“Promise me you’ll hold my hand so you don’t get lost.”
“Sister!”
Susan pouted again.
Once more, clear laughter echoed through the Canary room.
Being with the deer siblings used to make me feel slightly guilty and a bit awkward.
But today, I could simply enjoy laughing freely.
Perhaps Douglas had decided to remain friends with me.
I was relieved at the thought, though a selfish twinge of longing surfaced.
Unaware that someone might be watching.
Even laughing and chatting took energy.
After the deer siblings left, my fever rose again.
The senior court physician, who had cared for me tirelessly day and night, scolded me sharply.
I’d heard he was the highest-ranking physician in the court, but I had never seen him so agitated.
“Visitation is forbidden for the time being.”
“I’m almost fully recovered. The fever will break soon.”
“I know, but you must stay in bed for the sake of the medical staff!”
“Excuse me?”
“If you don’t recover quickly… I don’t want to imagine the consequences. But, in any case, many people, including myself, would be in danger.”
The senior physician, Geoffrey, shivered, his pale face like wax.
Judging by his appearance, it seemed he was suffering from a more serious illness than I was.
“Did His Majesty threaten you?”
“He also ordered secrecy.”
“Please tell me.”
“I cannot.”
“You’d like to, though?”
I winked at him mischievously.
He blinked in surprise, then softened and replied:
“Hmm. When Elizabeth asks, there’s nothing I cannot tell her.”
Of course. To live as the villainess in a novel, I deserved at least that privilege.
I cheered inwardly and asked again:
“What did His Majesty say?”
“He ordered that I devote more care than when treating the Emperor. To do my best as if reviving the first Emperor himself.”
“That’s extreme.”
“If I don’t fully recover within a week, he’ll send all the medical staff to the northern mines. No one has ever returned alive from there.”
“A week… How could a person survive that?”
“Do you remember the pharmacist who delivered the potion to Elizabeth on the first day?”
“I heard he had been a royal pharmacist for twenty years.”
“He’s probably on a carriage heading for the mines by now.”
“What?!”
The senior physician sighed as if the ground had opened beneath him.
“The medicine quieted her cough at first, but it worsened afterward.”
“That’s normal for a cold, isn’t it?”
“Her Majesty would not accept that excuse.”
“Truly a tyrant!”
At that moment, a strange crack sounded from outside the window.
A chill ran down my arm, an ominous sensation overtaking me.
“What’s going on?”
The maid checked and found a thick branch had broken against the window.
It was a clear day with no wind—perhaps a bird had brushed past?
A branch as thick as a child’s arm couldn’t just snap like that.
“Anyway, I’ll make sure to speak to His Majesty so the pharmacist can return safely.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Why?”
“The one sent from the family was incompetent, barely following orders. There was no problem with the medicine given to Elizabeth.”
“You could hire a new pharmacist this time?”
“I apologize.”
“Then may I recommend someone?”
The court physician looked puzzled.
Then, as if recalling something, his expression brightened.
“Ah! Is it the person who made that abrasion ointment you showed me?”
“She’s young, but her skill and passion are guaranteed. You may dismiss her if she doesn’t meet your standards.”
“How old is she?”
“Old enough to marry and run a household—no worries.”
Why hadn’t I dreamed of the guillotine while sick?
Why did my dreams always end so quickly?
“Execute Tyrant Nikolai and Villainess Elizabeth!”
At that moment, Claudia’s voice rang out in my dream, and a warm breeze blew from somewhere.
It was like freshly washed blankets dried in sunlight, comforting and clear like water flowing in a deep valley.
A mysterious wind that penetrated the strictest guards and even unlocked the window latch.
Whenever it brushed my forehead, the nightmare vanished as if it had never existed.
At first, I thought it was just coincidence.
Like finding two pieces of kelp in a ramen pack, or a traffic light changing just as I walked—a rare stroke of luck.
When the wind returned again, I realized that nothing in this world happens by mere coincidence.
“Your Majesty…”
The wind paused.
Through my slightly opened eyes, I saw a familiar silhouette.
The shadow backlit by the moon was enough.
His absurdly broad shoulders and the firm muscles beneath his white shirt were almost tangible.
A clean, refreshing scent lingered at the tip of my nose.
I thought my fever had broken, yet my veins burned again.
“You’re awake?”
His pleasant low voice mingled with the breeze.
I didn’t want to show it, but a smile spread across my face.
At the same time, the bridge of my nose tingled.
It was you. The one who saved me from nightmares every night and kept me safe.
Swallowing the saliva pooling in my mouth, I barely managed to reply:
“I haven’t slept yet.”
“You must sleep well to heal quickly.”
“I’ve slept plenty. You know that better than anyone.”
The silence was affirmation.
His expression, his eyes—everything confirmed it.
A happiness so overwhelming surged through my chest, it was almost painful.
It felt too good to be true.
Not only had the Emperor broken protocol by visiting, but Nikolai had stayed by my side through the long night.
It’s strange that the nightmares are gone too. Does Nikolai have some special ability?
No matter the reason, it didn’t matter.
Even if all the stars fell into the night sea, they wouldn’t shine as brightly as my heart did right now.
“You know well. About laughing with your ex-fiancé, and calling me a tyrant.”
Nikolai replied bluntly.
“Did you break the branch outside the window?”
“Consider yourself lucky the palace wasn’t destroyed.”
“Your Majesty!”
“Daring to give a sword as a gift. Impudent little thing.”
A murderous glare flashed in Nikolai’s eyes as he clenched his teeth.
“Were you spying from outside?”
“You would’ve wanted to know who you met, who you talked to, and who you smiled at.”
“You shouldn’t be where the sick are.”
“No one knows, so it’s fine.”
“How could you not know when His Majesty left?”
Nikolai just turned his gaze aside, his attitude arrogantly indifferent.
“People scold me. They say I might pass the illness to you.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve broken protocol for you.”
“Which makes it worse.”
I grumbled, annoyed at his critique despite his thoughtfulness.
Nikolai let out a low chuckle.
“Haha. You talking back means you’re getting better.”
“You won’t punish the physician for breaking secrecy, right?”
“I have no reason to be glad that I was discovered here either.”
“You seem happy.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d get sick because of… me.”
His voice deepened.
He must have blamed himself more when I wasn’t there.
I replied in a lively tone:
“Resting was nice. No one pestering me like Franz.”
“If work is hard, I’ll find a new teacher.”
“Are you going to keep breaking contracts like that?”
I was alluding to the last time he brought the new Empress.
Nikolai’s thick eyebrows twitched.
He seemed unfamiliar with the word “contract.”
So did I.
Though unspoken, I knew that what we were sharing had nothing to do with the game of seduction.
It couldn’t be defined in a few sentences, nor judged as victory or defeat.
Just being together made the air around us denser.
Our glances were cautious, yet a hidden intensity lingered, ready to flare at any moment.
Even just his hand on my forehead conveyed it.
“My fever hasn’t fully broken.”
Perhaps that was why.
His large hand, enough to cover my whole face, felt cool as mountain stream water.
I barely restrained the embarrassing urge to press my cheek against it.
My heart throbbed, my vision blurred.
It was all because of Nikolai, so I quickly changed the subject.
“What’s in the box?”
“You haven’t opened my gift yet?”
“I was surprised. It was unexpected.”
