#55. The Back Hug, and Then
I couldn’t help but shout.
Had he heard it?
Before Simon’s sword could pierce her side, Claudia twisted her body.
“Ah, that’s a relief!”
With a sigh of relief, I patted Nikolai on the shoulder repeatedly.
“Isn’t that cheating? The side is a vital spot!”
“Are you asking me for a biased ruling?”
“That’s too cowardly!”
“I was just looking for an opportunity to counterattack while under pressure. Take it easy.”
Nikolai frowned, seemingly annoyed that I was cheering for Claudia.
The massive bastard sword stirred the air again.
“Ughh!”
Simon let out a fierce shout.
Claudia blocked his sword with a cold, hardened expression.
Clang! Clang!
Simon lunged at Claudia like a cornered beast.
Claudia defended gracefully, aiming for Simon’s neck.
Shwing!
The moment Claudia’s sword tip touched Simon’s rope, I couldn’t contain my joy and leapt to my feet.
“That’s it!”
But Simon grabbed his neck and leapt backward.
“Not a chance!”
“Persistent, aren’t you?”
Claudia murmured softly.
Simon didn’t give victory easily. His skill wasn’t just for show.
Yet unlike Simon, who was panting heavily, Claudia remained utterly calm.
A face as cold and still as ice.
Silver hair, sky-colored, fluttering in the wind.
I clenched my fists and cheered her on.
“Cut his neck off!”
“If you kill him, you’ll be disqualified.”
“It doesn’t matter! I don’t mind, so finish him off!”
“You’ve really got guts, risking everything.”
“Claudia, fighting!”
I leaned over the railing, cupping my hands like a megaphone.
I didn’t care if my neck got torn; if my cheering helped her, it was worth it.
My upper body leaned halfway over the VIP section railing.
Maybe it was my imagination, but the louder I shouted, the sharper Claudia’s attacks seemed to become.
“Ugh!”
Simon sweat profusely and stepped back.
Claudia’s movements became faster, sharper.
Victory was almost certain.
“Simon, you wretched man! You’re no son of mine!”
Realizing his defeat, Marquis Brendan roared.
Marquis Pipe and Count Blackfold exchanged subtle glances.
They leaned forward, anticipating the final blow.
Nikolai warned me.
“You’ll fall like that, Elisabeth.”
“I must witness the moment of victory clearly.”
“Your courage-seat viewing is dangerous…!”
Before he could finish, a precarious cracking sound rang out.
In an instant, the railing I leaned on gave way.
My heart sank.
“Ah!”
With a scream, I began falling.
No, I was falling.
Until Nikolai grabbed me from behind.
“Elisabeth!”
Strong muscles squeezed my waist.
Nikolai’s scent hit me in a rush.
Below, a loud crash echoed.
Boom!
Wooden beams and flags bearing the Emperor’s crest collapsed helplessly.
One of my shoes even fell onto the wreckage.
Thick dust rose in all directions.
Shouts rang out everywhere.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down my spine.
If it weren’t for Nikolai, I would’ve fallen straight down. My legs might’ve broken. It could have been even more dangerous…
Instinctively, I burrowed into his embrace.
The hand gripping his coat trembled belatedly.
The tremor didn’t subside easily.
Nikolai’s large hand stroked my back.
“It’s okay now.”
Pat pat pat.
His touch soothed my wildly beating heart.
“You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll protect you.”
A calm, deep voice brushed against my cheek.
Nikolai’s warm breath sank into my heart.
From a back hug to a front embrace.
Being held so tightly by him felt strange and new.
Arms encircling me completely.
Gentle hands, like soothing a crying child.
Everything felt so vivid that another tremor began.
The sudden accident had stopped the duel, and all eyes turned to me.
People are watching. This isn’t something you should do in public.
I felt embarrassed.
Yet I didn’t want to leave his arms.
Nikolai seemed like a man who existed solely to protect me.
The noble bodyguard’s burning gaze fixed on me.
The heat in his eyes licked across my entire body.
I felt like a heroine in a novel.
No, I felt like someone even more special and precious.
Thanks to Nikolai.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?”
“Lady Elisabeth, are you unharmed?”
I awkwardly stepped out of Nikolai’s embrace with a shy smile.
“Maybe I was too heavy.”
“Someone sawed through it.”
Nikolai pointed to the collapsed railing.
The support beams were diagonally cut from below.
Though hastily built, it was a VIP section for the Emperor.
It wouldn’t have collapsed unless someone tampered with it.
Kares, the Minister of the Interior, bowed deeply.
“My apologies. It’s entirely my fault.”
“Question everyone involved. Not a single carpenter should be left unexamined.”
“It doesn’t seem like it was aimed at the Emperor.”
“What threat could a railing pose to me?”
Nikolai frowned.
I muttered, drained of energy.
“They targeted me again, didn’t they?”
Kares remained silent.
A bitter light flashed in Nikolai’s eyes.
Another incident had occurred.
They were only waiting for the moment of total capture, but the masterminds behind the attempted kidnapping hadn’t been punished yet.
This wasn’t a personal threat to me.
It was a provocation against the Emperor’s authority.
“Was the duel stopped because of me?”
“No, it was because of the two sides.”
“The underground prisons will be full again. Please ensure no innocent victims, Your Majesty.”
Nikolai seemed to ignore me.
Too many liars wore the masks of ordinary citizens.
Even now, worried faces might be lurking around us.
It felt like I had plunged too deep into a world I shouldn’t tread.
The more I struggled, the deeper I sank into fear.
Reading my expression, Nikolai said:
“The duel ends here.”
“No! Claudia was about to win!”
“It’s dangerous. You must return immediately.”
“They cut the railing to force us to stop the match and flee, didn’t they?”
“Elisabeth.”
Nikolai’s expression twisted in pain.
I straightened my chest and lifted my chin slightly.
“I’m not afraid, Your Majesty.”
It was a lie.
But I didn’t want to back down.
“I’m afraid. Afraid that you’ll get hurt because of me.”
Nikolai’s voice struck my heart.
His eyes flickered like a lost child.
This time, I held his hand tightly.
“You just need to protect me, Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Stay by my side so I don’t get hurt.”
“…”
“If that’s difficult, I won’t insist.”
I spoke seriously.
Nikolai, who had been tense the entire time, let out a small laugh.
“You won’t need to insist. I’ll do it anyway.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Even if you don’t want me to. Even if you say stop. I will protect you by your side.”
I thought winter would last forever, but when did flowers bloom?
The scent of spring made my head spin briefly.
The man who brought spring was smiling at me.
If you leave, I’ll be winter again. But it won’t feel cold. I’ll forever remember the warmth, the scent, the ecstasy spring brought.
Claudia gazed at the collapsed VIP section.
Amid the panicked crowd, crimson hair shone vividly.
That woman seems unharmed.
She squinted one eye.
Elisabeth—no, the woman who resembled Elisabeth—was safe.
She felt uneasy and unfamiliar relief.
Dangerous woman. Looks like Elisabeth but completely different inside.
She didn’t believe Douglas’s words that Elisabeth had changed.
That she had saved the Crown Prince.
That she had fought against high nobles.
That she had taken measures to protect the servants.
She was sure it was all Elisabeth’s trick—until she saw it herself.
“Please, take me without pain.”
Elisabeth, eyes closed before her sword, looked like a goddess from myths—aloof and beautiful.
Elisabeth, beautiful?
Aloof?
Claudia bit her red lips.
Am I being deceived too?
She accepted Simon’s duel.
Summoned her with Douglas’s letter and ink.
I wanted to see through her scheme.
When Elisabeth approached, I realized something was profoundly wrong.
Simple yet neat attire.
Confident yet polite manners.
Not a trace of the femme fatale who harassed men while drunk.
“There might be stories where a noble knight defeats a tyrant and a villainess. If so, could there not be a story where a reborn villainess changes the world?”
Douglas’s voice pierced a corner of her heart.
Claudia shook her head left and right.
As if to shake off the creeping “what ifs.”
The woman from the slums lingered in her mind.
Had she felt affection? A sense of kinship?
Had she wanted to converse over drinks?
If that woman was truly the one from that day…
Wouldn’t the unbiased first impression be the closest to the truth?
For some reason, the real Elisabeth is gone. The villainess who tormented Douglas is no longer inside her.
Yet Douglas’s gaze remained fixed solely on Elisabeth.
His heart was as unyielding as steel hammered ten thousand times by a blacksmith.
Now, who should I resent? From whom should I reclaim Douglas?
Elisabeth was a villainess.
So I could hate her fully.
I could sympathize with Douglas if he had fallen for her schemes.
If he merely admired a beautiful, wise woman.
Claudia couldn’t help but regret all the moments she had been dishonest with herself, silently agonizing behind the scenes.
“Sir Rose Royce. His Majesty has ordered the duel to resume. Are you all right?”
A young knight who had come to the barracks asked cautiously.
Many became knights after hearing Claudia’s heroic tales.
Claudia was wary of those who held excessive reverence for her.
Sometimes their goodwill was necessary, though.
“If you’re not busy, may I ask a few questions?”
“It’s an honor. Ask anything.”
The young knight blushed.
It was a good opportunity.
“Why wasn’t the duel stopped? There could still be other dangers.”
“I’m just a low-ranking servant, but it seems Lady Elisabeth wanted it to continue. His Majesty urged her to return several times.”
The young knight lowered his voice, glancing around.
“They said the purpose of stopping the duel was their plan. So Lady Elisabeth said we couldn’t flee.”
“Not an accident, but someone planned it? Why did His Majesty allow it?”
“I overheard something… May I speak?”
“Is it about Elisabeth?”
“It concerns Lady Elisabeth and His Majesty.”
It was testimony from a witness.
A faint smile curved Claudia’s lips.
