#68. The Original Heroine’s Final Choice
“It doesn’t seem to be a concrete plan.”
Kares bowed his head deeply, as if even mentioning the word rebellion was sinful.
“Even if it were, would it be strange? In their eyes, I’m nothing but a playboy or a tyrant.”
“Your Majesty…”
“I expected the military’s resistance. After all, the defense budget for the Inted Archipelago was drastically reduced.”
“The actual cut was only about ten percent, Your Majesty. And that was only because we expanded medical facilities to prepare for the spread of the Underworld Flower.”
“Do you think rebels will care about such reasons?”
Nikolai’s lips twisted in a cold smile.
“It seems the rebels were desperate to have Dame Claudia. They tried to persuade her persistently through her lieutenant, Jason.”
“The people adore her tales of heroism.”
“Dame Claudia was cautious, though. She disobeyed Your Majesty’s order to return, however.”
“I see.”
“It’s believed she entered the capital in secret. Her whereabouts since then are unknown.”
“Are you suggesting she may have conspired with them while she was there?”
“There’s no solid proof, but Dame Claudia poses a threat.”
“…”
“She’s far too close to Your Majesty, isn’t she?”
Nikolai turned his gaze back toward the training yard.
Claudia’s silver hair shimmered with a bluish hue as it fluttered in the wind.
A breathtaking beauty.
Power that easily surpassed the best of the elite knights.
A firm yet prudent temperament.
Claudia possessed a noble dignity unsullied by power—and a mysterious aura that captivated all who saw her.
Even I find myself curious about what kind of emperor she’d make. How could others not be? If Claudia ever cried for revolution, countless people would follow her.
An empire ruled by Claudia Hartmann…
If not for the Underworld Flower, he might have gladly handed her the throne.
To live freely as a man, traveling the continent with Elisabeth—it wasn’t such a bad dream.
But as long as the Goddess’s Wolf existed, it was a dream that could never come true.
A dream all the sadder for that reason.
“I can’t help but wonder why she accepted the position of Knight Commander.”
“So she could cut off my head anytime she wished.”
“Please don’t say such things, even in jest.”
“It’s no jest.”
“…What?”
Kares frowned.
Nikolai didn’t tell him the full story of his meeting with Claudia.
There wasn’t much to tell anyway.
And even if Kares knew, he’d only nag him for it.
Kares was the only loyal vassal to whom he could confide anything.
The only friend who knew the secret of the Underworld Flower and the Wolf.
And yet… even to him, Nikolai couldn’t reveal everything.
Small changes.
Lingering doubts.
Even those were enough to make Nikolai feel like a small boat adrift on a vast sea.
“Kares.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I think of you as my only true friend.”
“I’m honored.”
“If I ever had an older brother, I imagine he’d be like you.”
“Your Majesty, that’s embarrassing. Please stop.”
Kares grimaced, clearly uncomfortable.
Nikolai chuckled softly.
It was just empty bravado—a mask to hide his loneliness.
“Sometimes… isn’t it nice to speak like this?”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Still, hear me out. There are times I wish I could lean on you.”
“If you continue, I’ll summon the royal chef to punish you. I think you’ve eaten something bad.”
When Kares turned to leave, Nikolai called after him.
“Kares.”
He swallowed back the words he truly wanted to say—
I haven’t dozed off in the office lately—
and covered them with another.
“Whatever happens, I want you to stay in your position.”
“Are you saying something is about to happen?”
“There will be… a commotion soon.”
“Is it because of Lady Elisabeth? Or the traitors?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
A secretive smile curved Nikolai’s lips.
Kares narrowed his eyes.
“You’re not acting like yourself. The foul smell must be stressing you out.”
“Perhaps.”
“Then, for my sake, I’ll find Lady Elisabeth as soon as possible.”
“She must stay by my side. And I by hers. No matter what happens—no matter what comes.”
“I’ll reinforce the pursuit squad.”
“It won’t help, but… I’ll allow it.”
A strange light flickered in Kares’s eyes as he looked at Nikolai.
Biting the inside of his cheek, Nikolai wondered what this change in Kares meant.
Why hadn’t he said a word about the upcoming coronation of the empress?
I don’t want to lose you either, Kares. Stay with me as you are. Understand that even when I can’t tell you everything, I still trust you completely.
✦ ✦ ✦
Claudia had moved into her new quarters—
a spacious suite complete with an office, reception room, bedroom, and bath.
Considering she’d been under detention just a few days ago, the treatment was extraordinary.
She’d also been granted a mansion near the palace, but she chose to stay within it.
Under her bed, she slid a box containing the first edition of The Red Star of the Empire.
For the first time, she felt like she could finally settle in.
There’s a mountain of work to do. Elisabeth was right—the Imperial Knights are rotten to the core.
The previous Knight Commander she’d respected had been nothing more than a puppet of the four great noble houses.
He took bribes, leaked information, forged the ledgers, and embezzled funds.
Training had been neglected entirely, leaving the palace security in shambles.
The Crown Prince’s palace, in particular, was nothing but a den of fools with swords.
If Elisabeth hadn’t replaced the servants, something disastrous would’ve happened by now. She may have no faction, but she’s still the empire’s only heir…
Franz was both Crown Prince and a child in need of protection.
Even knights without loyalty to the crown should have guarded him out of honor.
Claudia’s jaw tightened.
Ultimately, the responsibility lay with Nikolai.
Failing to notice his subordinates’ corruption was incompetence in itself.
Forcing away her resentment toward him, she turned her focus to the book in her hands—
the second volume of The Red Star of the Empire, a copy she’d bought for reading while keeping the other pristine for collection.
She’d read it so many times the pages were worn, yet it never grew dull.
Just imagining Douglas writing these lines made her cheeks flush.
Douglas’s books were her one secret, guilty pleasure.
But that peace didn’t last long.
An uninvited guest arrived.
“We must move forward with our plan soon, Commander.”
It was her adjutant, Jason.
“I told you to wait at the garrison.”
He had disobeyed a direct order.
The palace guards—those fools with swords—had failed again to stop an intruder.
Their training is still lacking. I’ll work them to death if I must. And I’ll recruit more men with real grit.
Claudia sighed.
She hadn’t expected to throw herself so completely into the role of Knight Commander.
It was the best choice, but she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being swept along by something larger.
“I couldn’t stand still after hearing you’d accepted the position of Commander of the Royal Guard.”
“Why not?”
“The goddess of victory is with us! Commander, you could cut off the tyrant’s head right now!”
Jason’s eyes gleamed with fervor.
Had he always been so reckless and easily agitated?
Claudia exhaled in quiet disappointment at her own poor judgment.
“I have no intention of raising a flag of rebellion—not unless I choose to.”
“Then why did you drive out the emperor’s followers?”
“The ones I expelled weren’t his followers. They were fat, squirming worms.”
“But he’s a tyrant!”
“And what makes you so sure of that? Did you find the justification you needed?”
Jason flinched, caught off guard—then forced a pathetic smile.
“He indulges in luxury and debauchery with the people’s money! He uses women as playthings, neglects the Crown Prince, and has turned the Imperial Knights into a pile of trash!”
“Then why not enthrone the Crown Prince? Why put me forward?”
“The Yebrei royal line is beyond saving. The nation needs a new emperor!”
Jason’s voice rose, but Claudia’s face remained impassive.
“And you don’t plan to share power behind that puppet emperor, I suppose?”
“Please, don’t doubt my loyalty!”
“If you truly care for the nation, help me take down the four great noble houses.”
“What?”
“After entering the palace, I realized something was deeply wrong with this empire. The emperor’s conduct may be questionable, yes—but the ones truly draining the people’s blood are those four noble families.”
“Commander…!”
“That is the conclusion I reached with my own eyes. Hartmann needs reform, not revolution.”
Claudia despised womanizers like Elisabeth and Nikolai.
They lacked dignity, lacked self-restraint—how could such people rule an empire?
And yet… she had to admit it might be prejudice.
During her covert investigation through the archipelago, Claudia had observed the empire objectively.
The same held true for what she’d learned during the proxy duels.
“Everyone curses His Majesty, but compared to the late emperor’s reign, the nation is remarkably stable.”
“That’s absurd!”
“There are no oppressive taxes. No fear of war. Envoys keep coming to offer tribute.”
“But aren’t the nobles and knights all corrupt?”
“Corruption is the disease of the well-fed. Excessive comfort breeds decay.”
Jason refused to believe her words—or perhaps he simply didn’t want to.
She couldn’t entirely blame him.
She too had refused to see Nikolai’s true self—
just as she’d refused to believe Elisabeth could change.
If Elisabeth isn’t the villainess… then perhaps the emperor isn’t a tyrant, either.
That single thought, born from a letter, shook Claudia to her core.
It was self-denial—and therefore deeply confusing.
After her private audience with Nikolai, she’d finally reached her conclusion.
“Why are you appointing me as Knight Commander?”
“Watch what happens near me—the place closest to the center.”
“My sword could one day aim for your heart.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
“Is this bait, then? To frame me as the leader of a rebellion?”
“Don’t see only what you wish to see. See what truly stands before you.”
“…”
“I’m giving you a chance. If I’m truly a tyrant, then strike me down. If you can’t trust me, do it now.”
“Why are you doing this for me?”
“Because I want you to become the herald of reform.”
“…”
“Eliminating me and becoming the emperor of revolution—that’s also an option. The choice is yours.”
With those words, Nikolai lowered his arms.
His eyes closed, his posture completely unguarded.
No hint of a defensive stance—no hidden killing intent.
Even if it were a trap, Claudia could have killed him and escaped easily.
Yet Nikolai still offered his neck.
Is this desperation—or conviction?
In that moment, his image overlapped with Elisabeth’s in her mind.
A line from one of Elisabeth’s letters echoed in her memory:
“A revolution from within.
A revolution that spills only the blood of the wicked—please, stand with me.”
Thousands, tens of thousands of lives weighed upon her shoulders.
She had to discard impulse and emotion alike.
At the crossroads of choice, Claudia looked inward—
at her prejudices,
at her tangled ties,
at the feelings that had kept her awake through long, sleepless nights.
For the future of the empire and its people, she had to burn them all away.
From the ashes, Claudia made her choice.
“I will not be the Emperor of Revolution.
I will be the General of Reform—
the keenest and hottest blade that watches the emperor.”
Even if it meant joining hands with the woman she had hated most in the world.
