Chapter 72. Lip Seal
A… personal attendant?
And what exactly does he mean by doing more?
A few questions rose to mind, but I swallowed them down.
“F–fine, alright.”
I blurted out my answer without thinking — but Nicolai’s reaction was completely unexpected.
“I don’t believe you.”
“…What?”
“You agreed too easily. That makes it even harder to trust you.”
“You’re the one who said it was a good idea! Now you suddenly don’t believe me?”
Is he kidding me right now?
I barely held myself back from saying it out loud.
Nicolai turned his head sharply to the side.
“I can’t help it. You’ve already run away once before.”
I grabbed the back of my neck, feeling a dull ache of exasperation.
A desperate person digs their own well, after all.
“Want me to stamp it with a seal for you?”
“You once treated a signed contract like scrap paper.”
“Then should I kneel and beg instead?”
“It might make me feel better, but it would serve no purpose.”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
Petty, small-minded, miserly tyrant.
No wonder he doesn’t have any friends!
Maybe my thoughts showed on my face, because he gave a faint, amused laugh — like a mischievous child who just found a new toy to play with.
He makes my blood boil and then he laughs? Really?
Just like I’d done with Franz, I wanted to grab Nicolai’s cheeks and stretch them hard.
But this time, the one in front of me was the Emperor.
And he was staring at me with that deep, unreadable gaze.
…W–why is he looking at me like that?
The air in the room grew thick — too heavy to breathe.
A strange tension crawled up from the tips of my toes.
Then, he cupped my face gently with both hands.
“Swear it, Elizabet.”
My face burned as if I’d just pressed a hot pack to my skin.
But it wasn’t nearly as hot as his piercing turquoise eyes.
They ignited something in my chest — a fire fueled by thirst and yearning.
I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears, wild and uneven.
“…How?”
The sound came out halfway between a groan and a whisper.
My eyes fell on their own, and the moment I did, his lips parted slightly — as if he’d been waiting for that cue.
“Like this.”
His voice was low, husky, and damp — brushing against my ear like velvet.
Then his lips met mine.
Firmly. Completely.
There was no space between us.
His breath swept through me — dizzying, intoxicating, electric.
He tangled with me, surrounded me, consumed me.
Nicolai’s hand traced down along my neckline.
Zzt.
A current ran through my entire body.
His touch was slow, deliberate — moving from my shoulder, down across my shoulder blade, and along my spine.
He explored me with nothing but his fingertips.
Everywhere he touched left a deep, pulsing tremor behind.
Scarlet bursts of light danced behind my closed eyes.
I barely managed to stifle the moan rising up my throat.
Sensing that, Nicolai pressed his lips harder against mine — slow, wet, insistent.
My legs went weak. The only thing keeping me upright was the arm wrapped firmly around me.
The charged air and mingled breaths filled the narrow room.
When I finally gasped for air, Nicolai swept me off my feet — literally.
I didn’t even have time to scream.
He walked forward.
Destination: the narrow bed.
***
Claudia made her way to the Ice Tower.
The guards straightened at once, saluting stiffly.
“The prisoner?”
“He refuses to eat or drink, Your Grace. We fear he might die soon.”
“Those who bear grudges don’t die easily,” Claudia replied coldly.
And she was right.
Marquis Brendan’s eyes blazed brighter than ever — from behind the same iron bars that had once held his daughter.
“I heard you wanted to see me. Ready to confess?”
“I’ve committed no treason.”
“Empress Rose has escaped from prison.”
“I barely have the strength to breathe, let alone help my daughter escape.”
Marquis Brendan clenched his fists.
He looked entirely different from the rabid man who had once screamed and spat in rage.
Now he carried the composure of a man resigned to death.
This might go smoother than I thought, Claudia mused, and began.
“It’s true, though, that you spoke of rebellion.”
“What grieving father wouldn’t say things in anger after losing his child?”
“Calling that ‘anger’ is just an excuse. You know that, don’t you?”
“I did resent His Majesty — even dreamed of revenge. But I never acted on it.”
“I know,” she said simply.
Marquis Brendan’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you didn’t have the capability to start a rebellion.”
“So you imprisoned an innocent man knowing that? Why?”
“We needed an example.”
“!”
“There are plenty of nobles who lust after the throne. Instead of rounding them all up, it’s easier to send a warning — through you.”
Brendan’s ruin had sent shockwaves through noble society.
It was a carefully crafted message, designed by Nicolai himself.
Claudia had only carried it out — willingly.
If sacrificing a few great lords meant saving countless commoners’ lives, she would do it without hesitation.
“You can’t win in court without evidence!” Brendan snarled through clenched teeth.
“Do you really think I’d come unprepared?”
Claudia pulled a torn piece of fabric from her sleeve.
The marquis frowned, confused.
“This is a scrap from the dress Lady Elizabet wore when she was kidnapped. It was found in your house — a decisive piece of evidence.”
“You’re pinning the kidnapping on me now?”
“Whatever you say, the evidence points to you.”
The Dark Guild’s criminals had named Marquis Pipe and Count Blackfold as the masterminds behind Elizabet’s abduction.
But this torn fabric had been discovered in Brendan’s estate.
Nicolai wasn’t the only one eager for a scapegoat.
The other great families had all decided — to throw Brendan to the wolves.
“I have a sacred relic from the First Emperor himself,” Brendan hissed. “If I offer it, His Majesty won’t dare harm me.”
“Or,” Claudia replied coolly, “you might choose to end your life before then.”
“I’ll never kill myself!”
“Who will care whether you died by suicide… or execution?”
“So now you’ll silence me too, after framing me?”
“Your heir is dead, and your daughter is a wanted criminal. There are already vultures circling your estate.”
“Ha… ha ha…”
Brendan’s shoulders slumped, his will to live slipping away.
“Think of it positively,” Claudia said softly. “Better this than a public execution, isn’t it?”
“You came all this way just to mock me?”
“You’re about to lose everything and die disgraced. Don’t you want revenge?”
“How could you even ask—!”
Brendan’s face turned crimson, rage finally breaking through.
Claudia’s eyes grew sharp, cold.
“Don’t die alone. That would be a meaningless death.”
“You’re trying to use me — to pit the Four Great Houses against each other?”
“If loyalty means that much to you, I’ll take my leave.”
“…”
“I wonder if they’ll appreciate your silence. The accused protecting the accusers — quite the irony.”
“If I expose their crimes, will you spare me?” Brendan asked, trembling.
“That depends on what you can offer.”
“You… you’re a frightening woman.”
“You haven’t even seen the frightening part yet,” Claudia said, her pale face glowing with a chilling light.
“Now tell me — what secret could turn the Emperor into a laughingstock?”
***
Sleep wouldn’t come.
Obviously.
How could anyone sleep, sharing such a tiny bed with Nicolai?
“I told you I’ll sleep on the floor!”
I glared at him, curled up against the wall.
He had his back turned, body curled loosely — not that it made his large frame any smaller.
And he’d taken his shirt off somewhere along the way.
When did that happen?
“I can’t let a lady sleep on a cold floor.”
“Then Your Majesty should take the floor instead.”
“Remember who you’re speaking to. Besides, I can’t sleep on hard surfaces.”
He said it with his eyes closed.
Each word made the smooth muscles of his back ripple slightly.
The heat I’d just managed to cool down flared up again.
“Then find another inn!”
“And let you escape while I’m gone?”
“You don’t trust me? I swore already!”
“I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”
He brushed off my protest like it was nothing.
I tapped his back with my fist in annoyance.
“Then at least put on a shirt!”
“I can’t sleep with clothes on — or on hard surfaces. Remember that.”
What kind of indecent excuse is that?!
My face flushed bright red.
I wanted to argue more but stopped myself — who knew if he’d decide to strip further?
“Y–Your Majesty?”
No reply.
Had he fallen asleep already?
His face was turned toward the wall, so I couldn’t tell.
His broad back blocked my entire view like a wall.
My gaze, as if drawn by gravity, trailed along the contours of his back.
His skin was smooth, gleaming faintly in the dim light.
If I pressed it with my finger, it would probably spring right back.
I swallowed hard.
He looked lean with clothes on, but where was he hiding all that muscle…?
He’d been shirtless the first night we slept in the same room too, but that situation was completely different.
Back then, I hadn’t been this… awake.
“Fine! Do whatever you want. I’m going to sleep.”
I yanked the blanket over myself and flopped down.
Silence filled the night.
Nicolai’s back rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
His scent tickled my nose — faintly smoky, warm.
I felt drowsy but couldn’t sleep.
My body was stiff with tension.
If I kept this distance, I’d probably roll off the bed.
As expected. There’s no way to sleep on this tiny thing without holding him.
Maybe he sensed my glare, because Nicolai rolled over.
Then he raised one arm — and draped it casually over me.
“Your Majesty?”
“….”
“Hey?”
“….”
“You’re heavy.”
He didn’t respond — just breathed evenly, deep and slow.
I was wrapped in his arms now.
His lashes were long and neat, his nose straight and sharp.
His jawline was so close I could feel my own breath bounce off his lips.
I could barely breathe.
So it’s not “just holding hands to sleep,” it’s “just holding me with one arm”? How can he sleep so peacefully like this…? Ugh, womanizer.
My thoughts began to blur, my eyelids heavy.
His arm no longer felt heavy — instead, it was warm, comforting.
That odd, fluttering peace filled my chest.
Listening to Nicolai’s steady heartbeat, I slowly drifted away — sinking, deeper and deeper, into sleep.
***
I woke feeling lighter than I had in a long time — body and mind refreshed.
Well, except for the few moments when thoughts of Douglas weighed me down.
If we keep pace, we’ll reach the Thirteenth Temple by sunset!
Hope surged through me. We might finally find the second relic.
And besides… it was my first trip with Nicolai.
While I was bright and energetic, Nicolai still looked half-asleep — his eyes slightly puffy, his hair tousled.
…Was it wrong that I found that ridiculously adorable?
“Your Majesty, did you sleep poorly last night?”
