Chapter 82. When Do Kisses and Hugs Happen?
Startled, I quickly lifted my head.
Nikolai spoke coldly.
“You’re answering before I even ask. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
Well, maybe I had been rude.
I lowered my gaze in silent reflection.
But Nikolai’s reproach didn’t stop there.
“You declared that you’d leave me, and now you have the nerve to question me?”
“I said I’d go back once I was done with my business.”
“And when exactly is that supposed to be?”
Once again, I couldn’t find an answer.
As if he’d expected that, Nikolai let out a dry laugh.
“You’re a woman who’s abandoned the Emperor three times.”
“When did I do that?”
“Once at the palace, once at the inn, and once at the temple.”
He raised three fingers and waved them right in front of my eyes.
I slapped his hand away, indignant.
“Abandoned you? I just went to do what I had to!”
“And do you think that means there’s nothing between us?”
Nikolai’s expression twisted as he threw the question at me.
Before I could respond, he asked again:
“Am I no longer needed?”
“…What?”
“You’re the one who invited me to the temple in the first place.”
The words I’d once said to him came echoing back.
‘Since you came all the way to meet me, let’s go together.’
‘It’s true. I’m the one who lured him there… and then said I’d leave alone.’
Nikolai pressed further, prying at my guilt.
“Didn’t you say you’d do anything I wanted if I behaved?”
“I only said that because I was worried you’d fight with the Holy Knights…”
I offered a weak excuse—of course, it didn’t work.
“You were the one who said that if I disobeyed, there would be no more hugs, no back hugs, no kisses, no sharing a bed, no riding the same horse. Everything would be over.”
“Th-that was…!”
“I obeyed every word you said. Yet all I get in return are cold stares and harsh questions.”
“Ahem.”
“So tell me—when exactly do those kisses and hugs happen?”
I stumbled backward as Nikolai looked at me with a sly grin.
Inside my head, another version of myself—dressed in scholarly robes and sporting a white beard—berated me.
‘Shameless girl! Saying such indecent things in broad daylight!’
‘It was just to persuade him!’ I defended myself inwardly.
‘Would a proud daughter of Korea go back on her word? You must keep your honor!’
So breaking a promise was dishonorable, but physical affection with a man I wasn’t married to was fine?
My Confucian morals were in shambles.
“I even endured it when you and Arkanso were acting all cozy together.”
I jumped in alarm.
“What are you talking about? I was just searching for a relic!”
“Oh, yes. In a sealed underground chamber where anything could’ve happened.”
“…!”
“Do you know how it felt waiting endlessly for you? Watching you return, drenched and disheveled, with another man?”
The way he put it sounded so wrong.
I suddenly felt like some wicked temptress.
Was he the kind of man who couldn’t stand seeing anyone next to me?
Thankfully, he didn’t bring up Laila again—the moment had passed.
When Nikolai spoke next, his playful tone was gone, replaced by something low and rough.
“How long must I keep waiting? Am I someone meant only to wait for you?”
I couldn’t answer.
No excuses came to mind.
Just looking at his beautiful face made my chest ache.
A shadow heavy as night pressed down on my heart.
‘I act like I’m the only one who’s been hurt, but Nikolai’s been wounded by me too. I’ve barely told him any truth at all…’
Sometimes I forgot.
Sometimes I deliberately ignored it—
that he was just a person, only twenty-eight years old.
I thought he’d understand me.
And even if he didn’t, I told myself that was fine.
But that, too, was selfishness.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But I can’t go back with you.”
I answered while clutching the second relic tightly in my hand.
In Nikolai’s teal eyes flickered a faint flame—one so delicate it looked like a single breath could snuff it out.
My lips were dry. My stomach churned.
I was terrified—
that the flame might die out,
that I might never see it again.
“Elisabeth, do you seek vengeance?”
“Of course.”
“What if I help you?”
“You’re the Emperor. You can’t risk being branded a tyrant because of me.”
After coming this far,
I couldn’t back down now.
‘Even if Claudia’s on my side, I can’t relax. If Nikolai turns tyrant, she’ll strike from the closest position—and the fastest.’
Appointing Claudia as Captain of the Imperial Knights had been a gamble.
And the foundation of that gamble was that Nikolai was a true Emperor.
If he chose the path of tyranny, he’d face the guillotine once again.
Every night, in my dreams, I saw him—
standing before the blade, never resisting, never fighting back.
A man who had everything, yet bore the most tragic fate.
A man I wanted to protect with my own hands—
even if it meant becoming a liar.
“I’ll go my own way. Your Majesty, please walk yours. I believe you’ll make the wise choice—for the Empire.”
Nikolai’s face went blank.
Only the quiet sorrow of someone swallowing grief remained in the air.
He reached out and gently brushed my hair.
Though he touched only the strands, heat rushed through my entire body.
“You’re right. I know that… I really do. But still…”
“Your Majesty.”
“When I see you, I just want to make choices for me—not the Empire.”
His breath warmed my ear.
Though I told myself to push him away,
I found my cheek resting against his chest as if drawn there.
His heartbeat pulsed through the layers between us—
the warmth of a man with living blood.
A trembling that only the two of us could create.
Our lips drew closer and closer—
“Your Majesty, promise me something.”
“I swear it.”
Nikolai smiled—a fleeting, fragile smile that grew even more beautiful for its brevity.
“For my sake, become a wise and just Emperor. That’s my only wish.”
A heavy silence followed.
Nikolai frowned, as if he couldn’t understand.
“What kind of wish is that? Is this because you’re some holy woman now?”
“You said if I won the Seduction Game, you’d grant whatever I wished.”
“Still talking about that? Wasn’t it you who broke the contract and left?”
He pressed a finger against my sternum.
The heat radiating from that single touch made me lift my eyes in shock.
Now was the time to summon my inner femme fatale.
“But I won, didn’t I?”
“What?”
“Admit it already—you fell for me ages ago.”
“…”
“You’re literally begging me not to leave right now.”
His gaze fixed on my lips.
A strange tension buzzed between us—
the air stretched thin, ready to snap.
Finally, his red lips parted.
“Don’t push your luck, Elisabeth.”
My heart, which had been fluttering wildly, plunged straight down.
Looking at me, struggling to catch my breath, Nikolai added quietly:
“The game ended long ago. Your eyes—they’re terrible at lying.”
“W-what do you mean by that?”
“If you want to keep playing, I’ll allow it. But…”
“But what?”
“Wait patiently, Elisabeth. Until the day you admit defeat completely—
and I make my wish,
and you listen.”
***
People believed that after escaping the Ice Tower, Rose had vanished without a trace.
She had been the first prisoner ever to escape, so it made sense.
But the truth was—Rose hadn’t even stepped outside the palace.
The woman who’d freed her from the Ice Tower had set one condition.
“Hide inside the palace—and eliminate Elisabeth.”
‘Eliminate her? Even the underworld couldn’t touch that woman! What am I supposed to do?’
Rose chewed on her filthy, cracked nails out of habit.
Her reddish-brown hair, unwashed for days, was matted with dirt and grease.
The foul-smelling rags she wore were something even the maids wouldn’t touch.
‘If it weren’t for Elisabeth, I wouldn’t have ended up like this…!’
She gritted her teeth as she dragged a bucket of water across the floor.
Though she was walking freely through the palace, no one recognized her.
Her disguise as a lowly scullery maid who handled the dirtiest work was perfect.
“Hey! You’re spilling water everywhere! Can’t you do anything right?”
A senior maid scolded her with a frown.
In the past, that woman wouldn’t have even dared speak to Rose.
Swallowing her rage, Rose bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Go to the Crown Prince’s quarters! His Highness is unwell, and they need more help.”
“I’ll go right away.”
Rose’s eyes lit up.
Her steps toward the Crown Prince’s palace were unusually light.
She’d heard from that woman—
that after Elisabeth ran away, Nisa had started working there as a maid.
At the thought of the traitorous Nisa, Rose’s face burned with fury.
She should never have spared that ungrateful wretch.
This time, she’d wait patiently.
There would only be one chance for revenge.
‘I’ll use the potion she gave me. With this, I can kill both Nisa and Elisabeth. And when it’s done, that woman promised to help me escape. I just have to endure until then.’
Rose clutched the small glass vial hanging around her neck.
She didn’t know that Simon had received one identical to it—
nor that one of the four noble Empresses had been hiding her true self all along,
and that Rose was now nothing but her puppet.
“You wish to meet the High Priest?”
Arkanso asked, clearly surprised.
I nodded.
“There’s something I need to confirm.”
“He’s a traitor who used God’s name to persecute the Saintess. He doesn’t deserve the honor of meeting you.”
“If he’s dragged before the tribunal, it’ll be even harder to get answers.”
“Then use me instead. Let me, your servant Arkanso, seek the truth in your stead.”
He bowed deeply.
His posture was polite, but his tone said he intended to defy me.
My head was already a mess because of Nikolai,
and his stubbornness pushed me over the edge.
“Is this your idea of loyalty? You won’t even grant a simple request?”
The words came out sharper than I intended.
As if waiting for that moment, Arkanso dropped to his knees.
“Saintess, please punish your foolish servant!”
Then, as though even that wasn’t enough,
he slammed his forehead against the cold stone floor.
What was wrong with this man?
He was terrifying!
