Chapter 70. In the Same Bed
What would happen if Nikolai found out about this situation?
Would he strangle Douglas?
Or… do something even worse?
I shook my head, trying to chase away the ominous thought.
It was useless.
Because right then, I could almost hear Nikolai’s low, growling voice.
“I told you, didn’t I? That I want to know who you meet, who you speak to, and who you smile at.”
A shiver ran down the back of my neck.
It felt as if his breath were brushing against my ear.
It wasn’t even as though I were on a romantic trip with another man—so why was I this nervous?
We aren’t even real lovers, Nikolai and I.
It’s not like I’m planning to do anything with Douglas.
And even if I did—so what?
Nikolai would never feel guilty about meeting other women.
If he’d ever taken me seriously, he wouldn’t have brought another woman along on horseback that day.
That jet-black stallion.
The short-haired empress pressed close against his back.
Just remembering it made my heart twist violently.
The idea that Nikolai might not be a womanizer sometimes sounded convincing—
but it always turned out to be nothing more than a desperate, fleeting hope.
I was only twisting reality because I still wanted to love him.
Did Nikolai even know that loneliness?
The solitude of loving someone alone?
Did he send the pursuit party because he missed me?
At least his wish for me not to leave seemed genuine…
Thinking of that beautiful, pitiful man, I tugged off my hunting cap and untied my hair.
The tight knot pulled at my scalp as crimson strands spilled down to my waist like a waterfall.
Let’s just wash up and sleep. That’s the only way to stop thinking about Nikolai.
Though my hair was a little tangled, at least it didn’t smell unclean—thank goodness for washing it in the stream earlier.
“Where’s the bathroom, I wonder?”
I looked around the small room.
Douglas, looking slightly awkward, answered,
“There isn’t one in inns like this.”
“So that’s what they meant by ‘bringing up the bath tub,’ huh?”
“The towels are here.”
Douglas picked up a towel from the bed.
It was large enough to cover a whole body.
My cheeks heated up again.
He noticed my flushed face and chuckled softly, as if amused.
“Lady Elisabeth, I’ll sleep in the carriage tonight.”
“Please don’t say that.”
“The fresh air did me good—I’m not tired at all.”
“Who would believe that?”
“Truly, I’m fine. Please, rest well.”
After reassuring me, Douglas turned to leave.
Instinctively, I grabbed the hem of his coat.
“Elisabeth?”
I wanted to sound natural, but my voice cracked.
“…Just for tonight—could you sleep under the bed, at least?”
My hand trembled as I held his coat.
Whether he was a friend or a former fiancé, sharing a room with a man felt awkward.
But I couldn’t let Douglas sleep outside while I stayed warm indoors.
It wasn’t about courtesy—it was about conscience.
“You’ve been suffering because of me all this time. You should at least sleep under a roof.”
“If I stay here, you’ll be uncomfortable.”
“I’m perfectly fine. You’re practically family, after all.”
Douglas’s face stiffened awkwardly.
Had he caught my lie?
Or was it because of the word family?
“I’m just scared,” I added quickly, afraid he’d really go out to the carriage. “That someone might come in.”
He hesitated for a moment.
“If you lock the door properly, you’ll be safe.”
“The doorknob is too flimsy. A little force, and the lock would break off.”
It was only an excuse, but after a pause, Douglas reluctantly nodded.
“Then I’ll sleep under the bed. While you wash up, I’ll stand guard outside the door.”
“Thank you—for agreeing to my selfish request.”
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Douglas’s gaze softened as he looked down at me.
“Elisabeth… are you worried about me?”
“Of course I am. I’m human too, you know.”
“I’m afraid.”
His voice dropped low, almost trembling.
I blinked, startled.
“What are you afraid of?”
“…That I’ll stop being a man to you. That to you, I’ll never be anything more than just another person.”
His gentle brown eyes were twisted with anguish.
I didn’t want to tremble, but I did.
I wanted to pretend I hadn’t heard him.
But somehow—
I’d already grown used to that dangerous heat radiating from a man’s body.
Because of Nikolai.
Knock, knock.
The sound at the door saved me—thankfully.
“They must’ve brought the bathwater.”
“I’ll go check.”
Douglas stepped forward protectively.
I couldn’t tell if I was grateful for his presence, or terrified of it.
It was comforting, yet felt like swallowing a ticking bomb that could explode any moment.
My eyes drifted sideways—
to the double bed sitting innocently in the middle of the room.
What if I had to share a room with Nikolai instead?
Would I have felt the same anxiety?
This bed’s too narrow to share. If we didn’t stick close, one of us would fall off.
I’d just told Douglas to sleep under the bed—
and here I was, imagining sharing one with Nikolai.
As I shook off the shameful thought, Douglas opened the locked door.
“Thank you for your trouble. Please, bring the tub this way.”
His polite words hadn’t even finished when—
Thud.
A dull sound rang out.
“Ugh—”
Douglas let out a short groan and fell backward.
“!”
I clapped both hands over my mouth.
Because behind the bath tub stood a man whose voice and presence I knew too well.
“Is this what you escaped the palace for?”
A hallucination?
Or a dream?
I rubbed my eyelids, but it was no use.
There he was—
Nikolai, dressed head to toe in black, staring at me with eyes as cold as ice.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing here?”
The murderous aura pouring off his body was suffocating.
It felt like being struck by a thousand invisible blades.
Goosebumps ran all over my skin.
His gaze flicked to my loosened hair—
then to the towel Douglas still held in his hand.
Steam rose faintly from the old wooden tub.
Why did it feel so ominous, like a death god’s sigh?
Why did it feel as though someone might not make it out alive tonight?
Almost no one welcomed the new commander of the Imperial Knights.
Even when the entire order was purged and reorganized, the sentiment was the same.
Most dismissed Claudia as the wicked Lady Elisabeth’s lapdog.
But as the crimes of the former commander and his knights came to light, the atmosphere slowly began to change.
A seed of reform.
The first step toward revolution.
Those who noticed it first were the progressive minor nobles and the young bourgeois.
“More than half the Royal Guards are dead or imprisoned, right? Serves those arrogant bastards right.”
“They’ve even announced new recruitment for the Imperial Guard.”
“Anyone—commoners, even mercenaries—can join, as long as they have the skill. Truly worthy of the ‘Silver Lady Knight.’”
“If she wipes out all the corrupt ones, business will be much smoother for us.”
But not everyone was pleased.
The great lords sneered and gossiped.
“What does some provincial woman know about politics or the palace?”
“Traditionally, the post of commander goes to a seasoned veteran! Not some green young girl.”
“She was that villainess’s proxy, wasn’t she? Pretending to be righteous while plotting something else.”
“A woman’s place is to serve her husband and raise children—not to wave a sword around. Disgraceful.”
Their wives, however, didn’t all agree.
They ignored their husbands’ grumbling.
Many noblewomen admired Claudia’s beauty, talent, and daring independence.
Some even compared her to a heroine from a wildly popular romance novel.
“Have you read The Red Star of the Empire, Volume 3? I nearly fainted!”
“Doesn’t the genius lady knight in it remind you of Dame Claudia?”
“A real-life righteous knight—it’s a blessing to the Empire!”
“Every time she humiliates those pompous men, it feels so satisfying. I want to invite her to my tea party.”
“I want to learn swordsmanship too—do you think that’d be all right?”
At the time, Claudia was seen as a shooting star in high society—
brilliant, unusual, but destined to fade.
But she shattered everyone’s expectations.
News spread that she had raided the mansion of Marquis Brendan himself.
The Empire was thrown into shock.
“Did you hear? Claudia’s going after the noble houses!”
“But the Marquis of Brendan is one of the wealthiest men in the Empire! Even with Empress Rose imprisoned, that’s reckless.”
“They say Empress Rose escaped—and the marquis helped her flee!”
“That’s not all! He made a fortune in usury and used it to fund a rebellion!”
Public sentiment, once sympathetic toward the Brendan family and critical of Nikolai’s “tyranny,” began to shift.
Duke Riemann, Marquis Pipe, and Count Blackfold gathered in secret to discuss countermeasures.
Their silence was brief; the conclusion swift.
“We must abandon Marquis Brendan now.
It’s the only way we survive.”
Pushing down my dread, I turned to Douglas.
Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“Sir Douglas!”
I rushed to help him, but Nikolai stopped me.
“Your Majesty…”
Douglas struggled to his knees, bowing with one knee to the floor at Nikolai’s feet.
“You dare…”
Nikolai’s jaw tightened.
Blue veins bulged over his clenched fists.
He might hit Douglas again—
the thought terrified me.
“You’ve got it wrong,” I said quickly.
“…”
“It’s not what you think, Your Majesty.”
“Oh? And what am I thinking, exactly?”
His turquoise eyes—like a stormy sea—pierced into me.
Within them burned not only fury, but something deeper.
Pain.
Longing.
A desperate, consuming ache.
It was too much to bear.
“I… it’s just…”
Words formed and vanished in my mind.
My tongue felt heavy as stone.
I didn’t want to make excuses—
none would convince him anyway.
But I couldn’t stand to leave the misunderstanding unspoken.
Then Douglas rose.
“Your Majesty, please allow me to explain everything.”
At that, sparks flared in Nikolai’s eyes.
Before I could stop him, he slammed Douglas against the wall.
“Your Majesty!”
“Not. One. Word.
Before I wring the life out of him.”
Pressing his forearm against Douglas’s throat, Nikolai spat the words through clenched teeth.
But I wasn’t about to back down.
I drew a deep breath and raised my voice—
