#63. Please Let Me Go, Your Majesty
Hot breath brushed against my bare skin, seeping in like a fever.
As if vowing never to let me go, Nikolai tightened his arms around my waist with desperate force.
The heat that began from our lips spread wildly through my body.
My back arched,
and the breath I had barely been holding escaped from me.
“…Hnngh.”
Was that the signal?
Nikolai pulled me closer with all his strength,
as though he believed he could win back my heart that way.
The last threads of reason began to unravel.
And the empty space inside me filled with burning blossoms of desire.
Behind my tightly shut eyelids, flashes of light exploded.
It was sweet—and bitter.
Ecstatic—and painful.
Drowned in those two opposing sensations, I trembled violently.
For a moment, I almost wanted to crumble completely.
But I was Elisabeth.
The woman who carved out her own fate, unbound by ties or destiny.
A so-called villainess who never let love define her life.
Because love alone does not absolve all sins.
A woman’s love for a man does not grant her forgiveness for everything.
Still, I wondered—
When this kiss ends, what will become of us?
Are there really no kisses that last forever?
Our lips parted.
And the question vanished with the silence that followed.
It was time to say goodbye.
“Please… let me go, Your Majesty.”
Nikolai’s beautiful face crumbled.
His eyes burned red, and my heart sank with a thud.
If he were to cry, I thought I could never forgive myself.
Was it fortunate then—or not?
Wearing a mask of indifference, Nikolai spat out his words like venom.
“There will be no such thing as me letting you go.”
“I still have to leave. No… I will leave.”
Without waiting for permission, I turned my back on him
and took a step away.
“Elisabeth!”
Each step shattered my chest.
Each step crushed my heart.
That was how I walked away from Nikolai.
And in that moment, his cold command rang out—
“Guards. Arrest Elisabeth Emster for defying the imperial decree!”
***
Spring never came to the Ice Tower.
All year long, cold winds howled,
and frost hardened into ice.
For the prisoners confined there, the lightest punishments imaginable were exile… or death.
“I’m innocent! Elisabeth—she framed me!”
The eerie, grating voice rang through the icy tower like metal scraping against metal.
“Please, summon my father! If I offer the First Emperor’s treasure, he’ll save me! My father must not know what’s happened yet!”
Each time Rose exhaled, a pale cloud escaped her lips.
It was so cold her bones ached, yet there wasn’t even a brazier or a single blanket to keep her warm.
In that frozen tower, where even tears could turn to ice, only Rose and silence existed.
Or so she thought—until today.
“Judging by that loud voice, you seem to be doing better than expected.”
Rose froze, unable to believe her ears.
A woman with an ivory-colored hood slowly climbed the stairs.
This wasn’t a hallucination or a trick of the mind.
How long had it been since she’d seen someone who wasn’t a guard?
Rose crawled closer to the bars.
“Y-you’re…!”
“Shh. Quiet. My visit here is a secret.”
The woman pressed her finger to her lips.
Rose nodded obediently, like a scolded child.
The woman placed a steaming bowl of soup on the cold stone floor.
Rose’s eyes widened—the hard crusts of bread she’d been given were nothing like this.
“You brought this… for me?”
“Of course.”
“Oh… thank you! I knew you, of all people, wouldn’t abandon me.”
“Is that so?”
“I always wanted to be close to you. You were the kindest among the four noble consorts—”
“I told you it’s a secret. Your voice is too loud.”
The hooded woman’s voice turned cold.
She even pulled the bowl of soup back toward her.
Clutching her growling stomach, Rose begged desperately.
“I was wrong! I’ll do whatever you ask!”
“The once-proud, arrogant Rose Consort reduced to this over a bowl of soup… I never considered you a friend, but you’re almost pitiful to watch.”
“It’s all Elisabeth’s fault—that wicked woman ruined me!”
“You’re right. She even killed your brother.”
“W-what did you say?”
“You didn’t know? Sir Simon died in a duel.”
The woman feigned sympathy, but her tone hid a cruel smirk.
Rose didn’t care—she was too shocked to doubt her.
“His Majesty has abandoned our family!”
“Marquis Brendan is calling for blood—he wants the villainess and the tyrant both dead. He’s lost both his daughter and heir, after all.”
“But I truly loved His Majesty… He was all I had!”
“You shouldn’t have crossed Elisabeth, then.”
“Elisabeth… that woman…!”
Tears streamed down Rose’s bloodshot eyes.
Her nails scratched against the floor until blood seeped from her fingers.
The woman watched quietly, then asked,
“What if you could take revenge?”
“What could I possibly do, locked up here?”
“Think about it—what could you do if you were free?”
“…!”
“I’m the only one allowed to come here without His Majesty’s permission. I’m also the only one who can release you.”
Rose looked up at the hooded woman.
How could she defy an imperial decree?
Even high priests and nobles were denied visits here.
Where were the guards?
Was this her true face? Had everything before just been an act? Why would she want to help me?
A dark aura coiled around the woman—something Rose had never seen before in the palace.
Shivering, she rubbed her goosebumped arms.
“You came to use me, didn’t you? To make me kill Elisabeth with my own hands?”
“You’re quick to catch on. Does that mean you refuse?”
“So this is your true self!”
“You don’t have a choice, Rose.”
The woman chuckled behind her hand.
“You deceive everyone, and now you aim for the throne?”
“Only someone as wise as I deserves to possess the Hartmann heart.”
“If someone like you becomes Empress, the Empire will collapse! You’ll be worse than Elisabeth ever was!”
The woman, who had silently listened, nudged the soup bowl with her toe—
and spilled it.
“No!”
Rose reached out too late.
The soup seeped into the cold cracks of the stone floor.
“You should watch your tongue, especially toward the one offering you a chance at revenge.”
“You—!”
“Kill Elisabeth, and I’ll arrange your escape across the border.”
“R-really?”
“Revenge and freedom—both yours. Isn’t that a fair deal?”
“You could’ve just hired an assassin. Why come to me?”
Rose still didn’t trust her.
“Because only desperation creates miracles.”
“What nonsense is that?”
“You wouldn’t understand. People like you never do. Heh.”
The woman tilted her head with a sly, secret smile.
“I should go. Decide whether you’ll freeze to death here, or kill the woman who destroyed your family.”
“How can I trust you? You’ve deceived everyone till now!”
The woman pointed at the iron bars.
The lock that had been tightly shut—was now open.
Her whisper slithered into Rose’s ear.
“Elisabeth is under tight protection. Only someone close to her can kill her.”
“?”
“Use your maid, Nisa. The one who abandoned you and became Elisabeth’s loyal dog.”
***
Three full days had passed since I was locked in the Canary Room.
Propping my chin on my hand, I stared blankly out the window.
The holly hedge looked denser than usual, its shadows thicker.
The familiar scenery felt desolate and cold.
Was Laila feeling the same way?
“Lady Elisabeth, are you there?”
A small voice came from beyond the hedge.
I quickly looked around.
“Nisa? How did you get here? Visits are forbidden.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince showed me a small hole in the fence. It’s a bit tight, but I managed.”
“Is His Highness well?”
“Very well. But he’s blaming himself—he thinks you’re suffering because of him. He caused such a scene, insisting he’d rescue you.”
“Tell him not to. Everything will be fine.”
“For now, things are quiet. His Majesty forbade anyone from entering or leaving.”
So it’s come to that.
I let out a bitter smile.
“If he has enough energy to cause a ruckus, I suppose he’s recovered.”
“Lady Elisabeth… the situation is quite serious.”
“Tell me everything.”
“I’m not sure if I should…”
“I already know what to expect. Don’t hide it.”
With a reluctant sigh, Nisa confessed.
“Everyone’s rejoicing that His Majesty imprisoned you. Some think the punishment is too light, though.”
“What crime are they accusing me of this time?”
“…Attempted assassination of the Crown Prince.”
Of course.
It was the obvious move—yet the weight of it pressed down on my chest like a stone.
“The noble houses must be celebrating, then.”
“They’re also spreading rumors that you staged the poisoning to gain sympathy—saying you poisoned His Highness and then ‘saved’ him, earning the post of royal tutor.”
“I see.”
No one knew about the divine relic of Morasincia.
No one knew it granted the power to see through any illness—
nor that it had chosen me.
Even Nikolai had doubted me.
The nobles who sought my downfall would’ve easily sensed that tension.
“If convicted, the sentence will be hanging at the very least.”
“His Majesty would never abandon you, my lady. He’s only angry because of the Crown Prince’s incident. It’ll pass.”
“Hm?”
“Please endure a little longer. His Majesty will soon realize your innocence.”
So even Nisa misunderstood.
She thought I was being punished—
She doesn’t know Nikolai imprisoned me just to keep me from leaving.
If I play this right, I can use this situation to my advantage.
A solution began to form in my mind.
But for now, it had to remain secret—
for my own safety.
“Don’t hope too much, Nisa. His Majesty has already abandoned me.”
I forced my voice to sound lonely and resigned.
“What do you mean, my lady?”
“His Majesty must be exhausted. The weight of the empire is heavy even for him.”
“But he loves you, doesn’t he?”
So that’s how it looks to others?
That Nikolai loves me—without a single doubt?
Nikolai doesn’t love me. He simply can’t tolerate disobedience. He just couldn’t stand that something he thought belonged to him tried to escape.
My chest ached as though something inside had broken.
My eyes burned, and my nose stung.
But now wasn’t the time to cry.
“Nisa, I have one last favor to ask.
Something only you can do for me.”
