#56. The Worst Incident in History
To be honest, I had expectations.
I believed I’d hear something meaningful—an eyewitness account that would tell me more.
My expectation was spectacularly wrong.
“His Majesty said he would protect Lady Elizabeth. He looked so dignified and magnificent. If I were a woman, I’d have pledged my devotion to His Majesty.”
The young knight spoke with a dreamlike, dazed expression.
“Is that all?”
“Of course not. I even saw them embrace.”
“…….”
“It was as beautiful as a scene from a fairy tale. Honestly, I prefer Lady Elizabeth to those haughty empresses. She’s plainspoken and kind to people. And…”
“Enough.”
“Aren’t you curious about Lady Elizabeth’s steadfast character? I was watching from right behind.”
Claudia forced down the rising anger inside her.
‘Is this the time to watch the lord’s romantic games? It’s because of fools like you that the VIP box collapsed!’
If she had been the captain of the royal guard, every one of those knights would have been thrown into the brig.
Even if she dreamed of revolution, Claudia had sworn loyalty to the Hartmann Empire and the Yevray imperial line.
As a fellow knight, she could not forgive such negligence.
‘They let their guard down because the Emperor is such an outstanding swordsman. But Elizabeth isn’t a powerful person—she’s a civilian, isn’t she? How long has it been since the kidnapping? How could something like this happen again? Where is the captain of the guard?’
She ground her teeth.
Sensing the sudden tension, the young knight edged back.
Claudia straightened her back and sat properly.
She took a moment to steady her breath.
The duel wasn’t over yet.
Distraction and agitation were no courtesy to the opponent you faced with a sword.
Not an instant of carelessness could be tolerated.
No matter how it had begun, this was Claudia’s fight.
Even if this wasn’t a battlefield, even if her opponent wasn’t an enemy troop, she could not lose.
She didn’t want to lose to anyone — at least not with a sword.
“Prepare yourself, Lord Rose-Royce!”
She strapped her sword to her waist and left the barracks.
That was when she realized Simon had changed in a strange way.
A new tent had been set up beside the witness stand.
Dozens of the Emperor’s banners were lined up in formation.
Tight-lipped knights wrapped around that area in several layers.
‘You can see the arena better from here… but I’m so embarrassed I could die.’
Sitting pressed up against Nikolai felt awkward and shameful.
When had they even prepared a two-person chair?
She scooted back, rubbing her butt on the plush velour cushion.
A stern voice snapped at them immediately.
“If you move more than a hand’s breadth, you’ll be sent back to the palace.”
“But…”
“Even if you complain, you’ll be sent back.”
Nikolai answered curtly.
Instead of resuming the duel, he’d accepted that condition.
Still, sitting side-by-side with Nikolai under the knights’ watchful protection was exhausting.
‘We’ve been alone together a lot, but never officially seated next to each other. No matter how much I insist I’m not the Emperor’s lover, it won’t help.’
She had always wanted to sit beside him.
She wanted him all to herself, without other women around.
Even though the dream had come true, she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
She wasn’t the Empress or an imperial consort.
There was someone else who owned this place.
Just thinking that made her chest tighten.
When would she be free of other people’s eyes? Would such a day ever come?
“Simon’s acting strange.”
“Huh?”
“His walk is unnatural. His toes are opened wider than usual, his knees seem weak, and his fingertips look like they’re trembling.”
“He must be tired. Victory is ours.”
Nikolai, who was stroking his jaw, shook his head.
“He was given an unexpected rest. Compared to Claudia, who continued her offense, that break worked in Simon’s favor.”
“So he regained stamina and turned the tide?”
“He was given time to calm his excitement — why is he like that then? He’s not an ignorant knight.”
I, too, admired Simon’s skill.
Just being matched with Claudia and still fighting was worthy of respect.
Maybe it was because I listened to Nikolai, but Simon’s movements really did look odd.
His eyes were the worst — the poison had gone, but they were dull, glassy.
“Seems like the Marquis Brenden said something — he was ranting about killing him.”
“Let’s just watch a bit longer.”
“Claudia will finish this soon.”
The duel resumed.
Simon pushed off the ground and leapt.
The speed and height were incomparable to before.
“Why did he suddenly do that?”
Simon swung his bastard sword.
Blue veins rose along the back of his hand and up the forearm that gripped the hilt.
It was monstrous strength.
Claudia, receiving Simon’s blow, staggered violently.
Claudia snapped her head up, wide-eyed — even from a distance, her confusion was obvious.
“Ughhh!”
With a bizarre roar, Simon pressed forward.
Strength, speed, precision — everything was on a different level from earlier.
It was as if someone else had slipped into Simon’s skin and was dueling in his place.
—Clang!
As the swords clashed, Claudia’s feet scraped across the dirt.
Simon’s power overwhelmed her.
“The victor is me! The empire’s strongest knight is Simon Brenden!”
Simon’s eyes glinted not with pride but with madness.
The Marquis Brenden clapped his hands and cried, tears streaking down his face.
“My son! I trusted you, Simon! Give it even more!”
Watching the Marquis switch like that in front of his son made Claudia sick.
And Simon, who was pressing Claudia, made her feel even worse.
‘My favorite can’t lose! Claudia’s a genius incomparable to someone like Simon! But she seems tired too — what should I do?’
Nervous, she bit at her fingertips.
At this rate, Claudia might be severely injured.
“Your Majesty. Why is Simon like that? Could his skill improve so suddenly?”
“How could this happen….”
Nikolai’s lips parted weakly.
His beautiful face had gone pale.
An unfamiliar tension tugged at him with a sense of foreboding.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?”
“Stop the duel at once.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Nikolai sprang from his seat.
Just as he was about to declare the halt to the match, Claudia fell.
Simon’s sword aimed for Claudia’s throat.
It wasn’t to nick the red ribbon.
If his intent wasn’t to sever head from body, he wouldn’t plunge the blade down like that.
“Claudia!”
Time seemed to freeze.
Everything slowed, like a scene replaying in slow motion.
Thump, thump. Thump.
She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.
A sinister, viscous breath of death seemed to cling to her skin.
The terror that Claudia might die tightened her veins.
If she vanished, they could escape the original story completely.
Of course, she could save Nikolai and Franz too.
But—
‘I don’t want such an end. Claudia dying like that — no way!’
Even if she came to regret it later, she had to save Claudia.
She could not let Claudia die because of her.
In that instant Nikolai threw something.
—Sliccck!
The object shot like a streak of light — a dagger.
I only realized after Simon bled.
“Simon!”
The Marquis Brenden’s wrenching scream pierced the sky.
In the stunned silence, everyone froze, rigid.
The shadow of death sharpened.
The dagger struck precisely at a vital spot, and Simon’s massive body collapsed.
‘Isn’t that the one Douglas gave as a gift?’
He’d been gifted a dainty dagger as a get-well present — she’d carried it for a few days out of courtesy, then stopped. After the kidnapping incident, she never left it off.
Apparently Nikolai had found the dagger hidden inside her dress when he embraced her.
“I borrowed it without permission. Sorry, Elizabeth.”
Nikolai said.
His complexion was paler than the fallen Simon’s.
Was Simon really dead?
Why would Nikolai do such a thing?
Everything felt blurred, as if watching from behind a foggy veil.
Claudia, still tangled and disheveled, felt for Simon’s pulse with two fingers.
Then she shook her head.
“Bring my son back to life! Aaaah!”
The Marquis Brenden flailed as if dragged to slaughter and fainted.
All eyes turned to Nikolai.
There wasn’t curiosity in them.
Only fear filled every gaze directed at him.
Nikolai said nothing.
So no one dared speak.
But everyone knew.
News that the Emperor had killed a dueling knight would spread beyond the empire to the ends of the continent.
The empire was thrown into upheaval.
There was no point in hushed whispers.
As she walked with Nisa toward the Crown Prince’s residence, she heard the voices of servants.
“Sir Simon Brenden is dead? Killed by a dagger thrown by His Majesty?”
“He was practically winning.”
“Did His Majesty tip the scales so that Lady Claudia would win?”
“No way!”
“If Claudia lost, all of Elizabeth’s fortune would go to the Brenden family, right?”
“There’s even talk Elizabeth bribed from behind the scenes.”
“So Sir Simon was butchered — all because of that woman.”
Nisa made a sound behind the servants.
Startled, they froze like statues.
“Li-Lady Elizabeth?”
Their faces looked like they’d seen a ghost.
They didn’t know what expression to wear or how to handle her.
“I’m sorry! Pretend you didn’t hear!”
The servants fled in a hurry, and Nisa muttered as she watched them go.
“Looks like it will be noisy for a while.”
“Noise would be the least of our problems.”
“Lady Elizabeth did nothing wrong, did she?”
“A good image can crumble in an instant. Someone’s downfall makes entertaining spectacle.”
In a single day, Nikolai became a tyrant who murdered a promising knight.
I became the villain who incited the tyrant to protect my fortune.
The more beautiful the story, the easier it is to soil.
Rumors far spicier than Cinderella spread everywhere.
‘It’s a relief Claudia is alive… but everything else is the worst. What now?’
Sympathy for the Brenden household grew rapidly.
The nobles who’d been mocking the family’s decline now felt threatened.
“Demand a full inquiry!”
“This is a grave incident that shakes the foundation of the empire!”
The nobles rose like a hive.
Because of the crime of insulting the royal family, they couldn’t openly blame Nikolai.
Instead, they sought a different target to devour.
They turned their sights red with determination to pull me down.
I had expected some of it.
But I hadn’t expected this to happen in front of the Crown Prince’s residence.
“Stop. You will not be permitted to visit His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for the time being.”
Two guards crossed their spears in front of me.
Behind them, the steward of the Crown Prince’s residence wore a sour, mocking smile.
I couldn’t help smiling.
‘You don’t seem to realize — if someone wrongs me once, I’ll repay it tenfold. I’m the kind of woman who believes that is natural, the woman you call a villain.’
