#47. The Emperor of Night, The Emperor of Day
Simon’s eyes widened, his whole body trembling.
Marquis Brendan gripped his son’s forearm tightly.
“Don’t get caught up by that woman! All you need is the compensation money!”
Was that what he wanted to say?
Simon bit his lip, struggling to contain his anger, and swept his eyes over me with disdain.
“Fighting a weak woman is not chivalry!”
“To deny everything and then speak of chivalry? How contemptible.”
“Contemptible? You may try to provoke me, but it’s useless.”
“Are you truly going to back down?”
“I am merely avoiding a villainess’s trap. No one will blame me for that.”
Simon spat the words out like poison.
So that’s how you want to play it? But whether you like it or not—you’ll end up doing it.
Turning my back on Nicolai, I faced Simon directly.
Then, with a deliberate wink from my right eye, I unleashed my trump card.
Elisabeth’s ability in the original story—
that irresistible charm which captured a person’s heart against their will!
Though it had a few limitations, seducing Simon was child’s play.
“This is my final plea, Sir Simon. Please, wager your entire fortune and your family’s honor, and duel me.”
I put on the face of a fragile flower drenched in rain, pitiful and helpless.
I coyly covered my lips with my hand, then blew him a kiss.
Smack.
That was when Simon’s gaze transformed.
“As Lady Elisabeth wishes!”
His booming reply made Marquis Brendan swallow hard in shock.
Simon’s manner was utterly formal, his words filled with reverence.
Nicolai, who had been expressionless all this time, arched one brow ever so slightly.
Marquis Brendan shook his son by the shoulders, horrified at his sudden change.
“Simon! W-why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
“Lady Elisabeth is not someone who schemes with trickery.”
“What nonsense is this? You were the one who saw through her plot earlier!”
“A true man does not break his promise. If I fled now, I could never face myself again.”
“Simon!”
“Besides, it was Father who accepted this wager. As head of House Brendan, you must take responsibility.”
“You’ve gone mad! Absolutely not! She’s setting a trap for you!”
The marquis’s face flushed crimson like a strangled pig as he raged.
But nothing could shake Simon, already enslaved by Elisabeth’s irresistible charm.
At last, Nicolai spoke.
“Since the party himself has agreed, let the duel proceed as planned.”
“I am honored, Your Majesty.”
Lifting my skirts slightly, I offered a graceful curtsy.
Simon bowed deeply in return.
Only Marquis Brendan stood there, panting and seething.
“Your Majesty, I beg you! How can a knight duel with a mere woman?”
“I do wonder about that as well.”
“Oh, Your Majesty! At last you understand my concern!”
“But surely Elisabeth has thought of something. Tell us, how shall the duel be conducted?”
Nicolai turned his eyes toward me.
His tone was indifferent, yet in his green eyes flickered a faint trace of worry he could not hide.
Trust me. I have it all planned.
I met Simon’s gaze.
“We’ll duel in the art Sir Simon excels at most.”
“I can adjust to Lady Elisabeth’s choice, if she prefers.”
“No need. You instructed His Highness the Crown Prince, didn’t you? That means you’re the finest swordsman in the Empire.”
“I daresay I have trained to a standard befitting the title of knight.”
“Then a duel of swordsmanship will be best.”
“If Lady Elisabeth truly wishes it, then I cannot refuse.”
Simon nodded meekly, like a docile lamb. His concern was written plain on his face—concern that I would surely lose to him.
And for the first time that day, a spark of hope lit Marquis Brendan’s distorted features.
“My son Simon is the greatest swordsman in the Empire! Do you really think you stand a chance?”
“You’re right. If the finest knight defeats a frail woman, he’ll win nothing but scorn, won’t he?”
“What on earth do you mean?”
“Weren’t those your very words just now, my lord?”
The marquis stared at me as though I were possessed.
Even Simon was taken aback.
The only one unshaken was Nicolai.
“Your Majesty. As the marquis fears, if a noble knight duels a mere woman, the Empire will become a laughingstock.”
“You speak the truth.”
“Therefore, I humbly request the right to appoint a proxy. Please grant me this.”
“I grant it. Who will you choose?”
“Sir Claudia Rose Royce. I shall wager my entire fortune on her victory.”
Deep down, Claudia struggled to contain the surge of irritation rising within her.
Not only because Elisabeth had named her as a mere puppet.
How did she even know I was in the capital? Could she have guessed I dream of revolution, too?
Claudia knew it was an overreaction.
Most likely, Elisabeth only wished to humiliate and use her.
Turning a knight, who lived by honor, into a cheap gladiator for a frivolous bet—how very Elisabeth.
So typical of her to plunge others into danger while keeping her own hands clean.
“Douglas. Your former fiancée has dragged me into her muck.”
Claudia twirled her crystal goblet.
Douglas only smiled faintly.
“Didn’t His Majesty grant you the final say? You could refuse if you wanted to, couldn’t you?”
“Even if I could refuse, the fact that she dragged my name into some tawdry squabble—whether it’s about love or power—infuriates me.”
“You may not see it, but it could benefit you, too.”
“You mean as a reward for helping that petty emperor’s mistress?”
“Elisabeth wouldn’t use you so carelessly. She always plans several moves ahead.”
“And your proof?”
“Call it a hunch.”
“The saddest hunch I’ve ever heard, Douglas.”
Yes—Douglas still loved Elisabeth.
Not only did he still love her, he even defended her selfishness and sang her praises.
Even when his own dearest friend, Claudia, was made into the sacrifice.
A hollow wind blew through Claudia’s chest, filling her head with rough, scraping grains of sand.
Sand she longed to spit out, but the invisible grains only grew in number.
Just like her hopeless feelings for Douglas.
“Douglas, you know what I’m struggling with, don’t you?”
“…You mean treason?”
“Call it revolution.”
“Revolution? The Empire is peaceful. His Majesty is not as debauched as rumors claim.”
“So, after teaching the Crown Prince, you’ve become a servant of the imperial family, have you?”
“Ladia, you’re the one blinded by bias.”
“Children starve in the slums, yet what does the Emperor do? Cloistered in Elisabeth’s skirts, making wagers!”
“I’m not defending poor policies, but poverty isn’t something a single emperor can solve. Before blaming him, perhaps look at the system crafted by all who hold power.”
“Then answer me this, loyal servant: the Emperor even cut the southern border defense budget in half. If Warden invades, what then?”
The southern border, plagued by pirates and constant conflict with Warden, was the most dangerous region of all.
Yet Nicolai had slashed its funding, forcing a massive redeployment of troops.
“When our order of knights returns to the capital, Inted will be swarming with vagabonds carrying nothing but rusted swords.”
“I’m sure His Majesty had his reasons.”
“I admire your kindness, Douglas, but right now you are neither kind nor pure. You’re simply blinded by love.”
Though she knew her words cut deep, Claudia didn’t stop.
Douglas gave a bitter smile.
“If I truly loved Elisabeth, wouldn’t I be the first to raise the banner of revolution? After all, if the Emperor falls, I might finally have my chance.”
“…What are you saying?”
“Sometimes I imagine it. What if the man who protects and possesses Elisabeth were gone? Wouldn’t she then be mine? Might she not choose me?”
Claudia was speechless.
Never before had Douglas’s eyes burned so fiercely—
and she knew that fire was nothing but desire. Possession.
Even she, with no experience in love, understood that no matter how long she lingered near him, she would never claim a piece of his heart.
“Ladia, just as there are tales of knights slaying tyrants and villainesses, perhaps there could be one of a reborn villainess who changes the world.”
“You’ve read far too many stories, Dougie.”
“Maybe. But I can’t help but cheer for that kind of tale.”
“Cheer?”
“Because maybe that villainess had her reasons. Maybe she was once good. Maybe she can change.”
“You truly want to believe that much in Elisabeth?”
“It’s not just wanting to believe. I do believe. Even if she does something unbelievable, I’ll believe her still. I swore I would.”
Douglas’s face shone with bliss as he spoke.
For another man’s woman.
Repeating vows for her sake.
Never realizing that each word was a sharp blade piercing Claudia’s heart.
And even if he knew, he wouldn’t care.
It was utter, helpless defeat.
Biting her inner cheek, Claudia made her decision.
I will fight as Elisabeth’s proxy. I will draw my sword before the tyrant and his mistress. And if an opportunity arises—I will never let it slip away…!
I was just about to lie down in bed when—
“What will you do if Claudia refuses your proposal?”
Nicolai suddenly slipped into the Canary Room without warning.
Calmly, I adjusted the front of my nightgown.
Even with a man breaking into my chambers in the dead of night, I managed to stay composed.
Sometimes, I amaze even myself.
“Good evening, Your Majesty. The moon is bright tonight.”
“Skip the pleasantries.”
“Why so sour? Didn’t you agree to leave this matter in my hands?”
“Simon is no fool. Unlike those who rely only on their family name, he has true skill.”
“Which is perfect. If he faces Claudia as an equal, he’ll have no choice but to accept defeat.”
“Few knights other than Claudia could beat him.”
“And?”
“If you chose anyone else as proxy, you might lose.”
“So that’s why you crept in like a stray cat—because you’re worried?”
A cool night breeze slipped through the half-open window.
Looking awkward, Nicolai closed it and drew the curtains.
The room became completely sealed.
And just like that, the air between us grew heavy and thick.
The Nicolai of night was nothing like the Nicolai of day.
By day, his eyes were cold, as if gazing at lifeless stone.
But now, they burned hot, like molten lava, relentless, as if they wouldn’t let a single hair of mine escape.
“I worry for you.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heartbeat raced, his low voice sinking into it.
There was something sorrowful, almost pleading in his tone, and I felt my chest begin to melt.
“Because of you, I am afraid.”
Nicolai reached out his hand.
Before his fingers could touch my lips, the strength left my knees.
I fell backward onto the soft bed.
And that was when his shadow loomed over me, dark and overwhelming.
