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#17. This Man’s Delusions
“So, you didn’t want the heirloom because of Douglas?”
“Why are you suddenly bringing up Douglas?”
“I thought you were trying to confirm your love by getting back the wedding gift.”
“I told you, it has nothing to do with Douglas!”
Nikolai still looked unconvinced.
Why is he obsessed with love when I’m a medium?
“That doesn’t prove you don’t love him.”
“Why would there need to be proof?”
“Because you two could be conspiring to get revenge on me.”
‘What delusions? Revenge? The tyrant really is scary.’
Nikolai was terrifyingly serious.
It made me even more bewildered.
“Shouldn’t you be questioning my spiritual abilities in this situation?”
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a medium or not.”
“Why?”
“Nothing would change.”
“…!”
“You will remain by my side, and I will never let you go.”
Nikolai spoke each word with force.
A fierce light, somewhere between conviction and determination, burned in his eyes.
My whole body went limp, and my heart skipped.
It was hard to control my emotions.
It was even harder to ignore Nikolai, who confronted me so intensely.
What was that?
Hot as a blazing fire, sinister as a wolf baring its fangs.
‘Possessiveness.’
The word flashed through my mind.
I tried to shake my head, but even that felt overwhelming.
‘Don’t waver, Elizabeth. We’re just discussing the contract. Remember, he’s the empire’s biggest playboy!’
I bit the inside of my cheek.
It took a moment for my breathing to normalize.
Nikolai clearly knew how to capture a woman’s attention.
He likely knew exactly which words would enthrall her heart.
Sometimes he pretended to be clueless, but it could have been a carefully calculated tactic to spark curiosity.
I poured the cold tea down my throat, still uneasy.
It didn’t calm me at all.
“I saved your son. Please remember that.”
“You didn’t conspire with Douglas, did you?”
“I was kidnapped before I could even think about it!”
“So it wasn’t that his innocent face fooled you?”
Nikolai asked sharply, seemingly haunted by some trauma.
‘Was Douglas’s defiance such a shock? To be tormented by delusions of revenge…’
Living as an emperor clearly wasn’t easy.
Sighing, I decided to appeal to his compassion.
“Douglas and I are just friends. Our relationship is nothing like you imagine.”
When I pressed for a response, Nikolai didn’t answer.
Instead, the corner of his mouth tilted upward.
His chin lifted slightly.
An arrogant ruler, wrapped in absolute beauty.
‘He always makes that expression when satisfied or pleased. I have no idea what he finds enjoyable.’
I had many questions for him.
Not about the guillotine nightmare, but about questions I couldn’t ask that kept me awake at night.
What kind of man are you?
What do you want from me?
Is your life all just a game?
Lately, I found myself thinking about him more often, without realizing it.
But I had to erase these thoughts.
It was the only way to survive.
Pushing my tangled thoughts aside, I tried to speak casually.
“You’ve seen how talented I am, right? Stop hesitating and approve it already!”
“Hasn’t Franz officially recognized you as an educator yet?”
“It’s only a matter of time before he does.”
It wasn’t empty boasting.
Now, Franz was practically in my hand.
“A wealthy woman like you wouldn’t want money. What could you possibly want for tuition?”
Nikolai treated my boast as a joke, but he seized the opportunity to reply.
“Start by giving me this.”
He drew Morasincia’s eye orb toward him from the tea table.
A flicker of surprise passed through Nikolai’s eyes.
“You’re taking it after giving it?”
“I’ll check on Your health later, too.”
“I don’t care.”
“You never know. You might have constipation.”
“Hey!”
Nikolai’s voice shot up.
I couldn’t help laughing.
Few had likely ever seen the tyrant blush.
“Teachers and professors are enough. An education officer is useless.”
Franz’s stubbornness remained.
Elizabeth stepped close beside him.
“Your Highness, may I have a word?”
Nikolai crossed his arms and watched Elizabeth whisper in Franz’s ear.
That was when Franz’s attitude changed.
“I misjudged. Please, take care of me, Teacher Elizabeth.”
He even bowed politely.
A sight hard to believe even with my own eyes.
“Let’s work well together from now on. Hoho.”
Elizabeth patted Franz’s head.
Franz, who had avoided Nikolai’s touch, showed no sign of displeasure.
‘Does she really have a mysterious power? If I follow her guidance, could I bring Pinch back like before?’
Faded hope beat wildly in my chest.
It was a new sensation.
But I couldn’t be careless.
Everything was flowing according to Elizabeth’s plan.
‘Even my heart is moving according to her will. I need to stay alert. She might be a bewitching villainess. Maybe even a witch.’
When I heard something happened to Franz, it felt like the sky was falling.
It was all my fault.
Nikolai had to control and anticipate every situation.
If he had protected Franz properly, none of this would have happened.
“Protect Pinch. That’s my last wish.”
Lyla’s voice stirred guilt inside me.
I felt anxious and flustered.
Uncontrollable rage filled my throat and burned behind my eyes.
I had to kill them all.
Reason was useless against instinct.
If Elizabeth hadn’t been there, if her delicate cherry-blossom scent hadn’t calmed me, I would have chosen slaughter without hesitation.
I would have annihilated the group that dared to harm what was precious to me, spreading death and terror.
Nikolai had done similar things several times before, without hesitation.
‘If I had done that, Elizabeth would have despised me. She pretends to be selfish but cannot stand innocent people being oppressed.’
Nikolai could only maintain composure because of Elizabeth.
He didn’t want to disappoint her, the one who sensed Franz’s changes.
To be honest, he didn’t want to be hated.
Like when he was unconsciously drawn to Elizabeth’s red, full lips.
“Is it your method to toy with a woman trapped in a cage? Then you will never win.”
Her voice was haughty, but trembling slightly.
Elizabeth was different from women who desperately sought Nikolai’s touch.
Nikolai, used to ordinary women, felt shame.
More than that, he was shocked to be rejected by Elizabeth.
He feared he might never get close to her, never taste her sweetness again.
The only way to fully possess Elizabeth was to win the seduction game.
There was no other way.
“To win someone’s heart, understanding comes first. You can’t skip this step.”
Nikolai was about to take on a challenge he’d never tried.
He would try to understand Elizabeth and take the first step toward winning her heart.
At that moment, a servant brought the news Nikolai had been waiting for.
‘Even the heavens are on my side.’
A picturesque smile appeared on Nikolai’s lips.
It was time to reclaim the face that had completely fallen for Elizabeth.
“Congratulations on becoming an education officer, Elizabeth.”
“I will serve Your Highness wholeheartedly.”
“Let me introduce the new language professor and court literary scholar.”
“Was there someone like that in the palace?”
“You’ll see when you meet them.”
“It’s been a while, Elizabeth.”
Douglas smiled shyly.
His pink hair, reminiscent of pink muhly, and his soft brown eyes, like freshly baked bread, were unchanged.
His presence put everyone at ease, as always.
I was almost moved to tears by the greeting, but worry came first.
“You’ve lost weight, Douglas.”
“Elizabeth looks healthy. I can finally relax.”
“Why did you come to the palace?”
“The Emperor appointed me as language professor to the Crown Prince. I was also entrusted with the role of court literary scholar.”
“Who would come willingly when a predator calls?”
“Haha. Am I the deer?”
Douglas narrowed his eyes, smiling.
Nikolai immediately bristled.
“Who’s the predator?”
“Your Highness, why involve Douglas?”
“You speak too much, Elizabeth. His Highness merely gave me an opportunity.”
Douglas restrained me.
He seemed worried I’d incur Nikolai’s wrath.
“You’re desperate because you couldn’t catch Douglas. What kind of opportunity is that?”
“That’s…”
Douglas began to speak.
Before he could finish, Nikolai interjected.
“Being the Crown Prince’s teacher is a great honor. It proves you have respectable knowledge and culture.”
“I am deeply grateful, Your Highness.”
“You’re being given a chance to restore the honor of a marquis family wallowing in mud. Grace is being shown to a criminal who deserves execution.”
“I will not forget, Your Highness.”
“Do not act presumptuously in the future, Marquis Nettlton.”
Nikolai warned in a cold voice.
Douglas seemed to believe he truly received imperial grace.
“Douglas, this isn’t such a simple matter, you know?”
“I’m just glad to see Elizabeth again. I thought I’d never meet her.”
“You don’t know His Highness’s dark intentions!”
Nikolai hunched his shoulders, looking aggrieved.
“Who’s dark? You’ve never seen it!”
His slippery expression made me furious.
I tugged at Nikolai’s sleeve.
“Your Highness, may I have a moment?”
“Requesting a secret meeting?”
“Of course not!”
I led Nikolai out of Douglas’s line of sight.
Nikolai couldn’t hide his smile, curious about my intentions.
“Your Highness, have you forgotten the contract? We said we wouldn’t involve anyone else!”
“You revised the contract, so I will too.”
“What?”
“If you don’t like it, cancel the contract.”
Nikolai moved his face close to mine.
My fists clenched instinctively.
‘That sly fox noticed. He knows I can’t stop the seduction game. He called Douglas to pressure me!’
I couldn’t completely blame him.
I had already revised the contract in my favor.
“How did you revise it?”
“I just added one clause.”
“What clause?”
“Wouldn’t be fun if I taught you easily.”
Nikolai looked down at me, smirking, but only briefly.
“Your Highness, may I speak with Elizabeth alone?”
Douglas asked.
For a moment, the smile vanished from Nikolai’s face.
Like steam escaping a kettle, he exuded a condensed, dark aura.
“Alone? Alone for what?”
Did he not realize Nikolai’s formidable mood?
Or had he truly changed?
Douglas met the tyrant’s fierce gaze head-on and answered.
