The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go Chapter 10

⚔️

 

“What?”

 

In a frantic voice, Cedric yelled, “Hurry up!”

 

Surprisingly, footsteps that sounded like someone was running could be heard right outside the door.

 

“Where should we hide…”

 

There was nowhere to hide in the lounge. Except under the desk where the front was closed.

 

“Get in here right now!”

 

Hearing the sound of footsteps getting closer, I hurriedly pushed Cedric under the desk.

 

Then I returned to my chair and attempted an effort to act as if nothing had happened, asking, ‘What? The Crown Prince was here?’

 

“Ciel, come here too!”

 

‘What?’

 

Nevertheless, Cedric grabbed my hand and pulled me to the desk where we were both hiding.

 

We couldn’t sit side by side in hiding because there wasn’t much room underneath the desk.

 

I ended up having to sit back and forth, but if I did something wrong, I felt like my head was going to stick out of the desk.

 

“It’s too narrow… I—”

 

“Shh!”

 

Cedric pulled my body into his arms, pleading earnestly for silence.

 

Outside the door, the sound of footsteps came to a stop as his arms around my shoulders.

 

“Your Highness Cedric?”

 

It was the voice of an adult man. Just then, Cedric took a ‘breath’ and inhaled and hugged me tightly.

 

It’s like he’ll get caught by that guy if he let go of me 

 

‘Huh…?’

 

My cheek was being brushed by soft hair. The arms that were supporting me shook as I sensed them. It was too close.

 

‘What is this…?’

 

My heart began to beat rapidly as my mind grew blank.

 

“Your Majesty? Are you here?”

 

The voice of the man got louder. It seemed like he was right in front of the desk.

 

‘Oh no, I think we’ll get caught if he steps backward…’

 

I had no idea from whom Cedric was trying to hide, but I was anxious to witness his frantic response.

 

It wouldn’t happen, but I had the impression that the man could hear my racing heart.

 

‘Get out… Please leave…’

 

I might avoid this awkward circumstance that way, I hope!

 

“I don’t think he’s here…” said the man.

 

Thankfully, the footsteps that were near the desk vanished as they were. The sound of the man’s footsteps coincided with the door opening.

 

The sound of the man’s footsteps was getting farther away, and soon the sound of his footsteps was completely gone.

 

All that remained was the sound of the two of us breathing quietly under the desk in case that man would come back.

 

“Your Majesty, I think he’s gone now.”

 

Cedric replied with a slight nod, “Oh? Okay…”

 

He then turned his head once more to peek around the corner.

 

‘I mean, we should go out now that he’s gone.’

 

Still giving me a firm hold was Cedric. Despite the fact that he doesn’t have to continue to do that.

 

“Well, Your Grace, shall we leave now?”

 

“Huh? Oh, right.”

 

I was only able to escape his grasp after that.

 

I reached for Cedric’s hand and lifted him up after getting out from beneath the desk and breathing in the fresh air.

 

“Thank you for helping me hide…”

 

Cedric’s face was red, either from embarrassment or from being in a cramped space for so long.

 

“No.”

 

He confirmed that he was fine by shaking his head. He appeared more at ease than he had before entering the room.

 

“By the way, who’s that person?”

 

On second thought, I wondered if Cedric, the crown prince, would be afraid of anyone except the Emperor.

 

It occurred to me that there would be no one who would touch such a noble person recklessly, even though he was the second-in-command throughout the Empire.

 

At my question, Cedric scratched his cheek as if in trouble.

 

“Just a little…”

 

I listened to him.

 

With a faint smile, Cedric said, “He’s a scary man.”

 

⚔️

 

In the end, I was unable to identify the person Cedric was described as ‘just a little scary.’

 

I did so only once, and it was because Cedric didn’t appear to want to tell me who it was. I didn’t want to pry on something a young child was trying to keep secret.

 

‘Hmm, from my perspective, no matter how hard I tried to figure it out, I just couldn’t.’

 

At least Cedric was treated kindly by everyone I know.

 

They were all individuals who cared a great deal about Cedric, making it much harder to discern who they were.

 

Cedric didn’t appear to have an attachment for them either, but he didn’t avoid them either. He wasn’t smiling, but he also didn’t appear tense.

 

‘Well, if he doesn’t want to tell me first, I shouldn’t ask, I suppose.’

 

I was pondering as I made my way to the annex.

 

“Ciel!”

 

Somewhere, I heard a voice shouting my name.

 

When I turned around, Paul was coming in my direction.

 

“Paul!”

 

The fact that he was moving so quickly made me question what was going on.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

“Oh, no. There’s nothing amiss going on, so you can rest assured.”

 

As soon as I heard Paul’s breathtaking response, I felt relief.

 

Paul called out to me in a rush, and for a brief minute, I worried that something awful had happened.

 

“Just, I have something to tell you. His Majesty Cedric asked me to deliver this.”

 

“His Majesty?”

 

Paul nodded as he handed me a tiny gift after answering my startled question.

 

The small package appeared to be bulging on the outside as if it contained something.

 

And the blue ribbon was tied a little clumsily.

 

“What’s this?”

 

Paul’s brown eyes briefly shifted to the package before returning to me.

 

“It’s a cookie.”

 

“Cookies?”

 

Why cookie all of a sudden?

 

“Yes. He asked me to say thank you.”

 

“Ah.”

 

I suddenly understood the purpose behind Cedric’s sending this gift.

 

It must have been the reward from the earlier game of hide and seek.

 

“Did you do something good for His Majesty?”

 

“Oh, yes, well…”

 

I reacted in an awkward, head-scratching manner, “That’s right.”

 

“I see, that’s great. Thank you for taking good care of His Majesty.”

 

“Ah, no, no. It’s not even worth it.”

 

“I’ve lived almost all my life in the Imperial Palace, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen His Majesty give someone a present. I think His Majesty really liked Ciel.”

 

Additionally, for some reason, his typically frigid eyes glittered with an odd light of excitement.

 

“Oh, no way. His Majesty was so sweet and kind that he gave me a present.”

 

“Well, it’s true that His Majesty was kind, but…”

 

Paul, who was ready to respond to my claims, suddenly ceased speaking as if he had just had an idea and then resumed talking.

 

“Ah, that’s right. This cookie, his highness, put a special order to make it. He had asked to make it the most delicious, so he would appreciate it if you enjoyed it.”

 

That implies that the chef at the Imperial Palace prepared it.

 

‘Indeed, the meal was already delicious, but if the Crown Prince himself has requested it, then…’

 

“And this ribbon was tied by His Majesty himself.”

 

“Oh, I see.”

 

My lips began to smile for no apparent reason. That’s why the knot looked clumsy.

 

“Also, his Highness chose and added heart-shaped cookies himself.”

 

“Oh, I see.”

 

There’s a cute side to it.

 

[Wow. It’s heart-shaped, Ciel.]

 

“Ah yes…”

 

[Didn’t I already say that it’s a heart shape?]

 

Caliberne mumbled in an unusual voice after being silent just a moment ago.

 

‘It feels strangely more emphasized than usual.’

 

In conclusion, the Crown Prince himself placed the order for this cookie, and both its selection and its packaging were handled by him.

 

In a word, it’s very precious.

 

“Is it really okay for me to receive this?”

 

Paul answered without any hesitation, “Of course.”

 

It was a straightforward response, as usual, but it came quite quickly.

 

“I hope you enjoy it,” Paul replied in a lighthearted tone as he placed the item in my arms.

 

⚔️

 

As Paul knew, there were several heart-shaped cookies inside the package when I untied the sapphire-blue ribbon.

 

A note too.

 

<Thank you. Enjoy your meal!>

 

It was written in a sweet small font.

 

‘You write this way…’

 

Caliberne whispered quietly, “Hey, I think he really likes you.”

 

“I told you it wasn’t like that. I guess he gave it to me because I helped him hide.”

 

“You’ve never been in a relationship, have you?”

 

“Have you tried that? What kind of romance could you have with swords?”

 

“No, you could dream.”

 

“Who are you dating? What, are you going to date a rapier? Or a great sword? Or do you like daggers?”

 

“This is real. You’ve never done this before.”

 

“Yes. I haven’t tried it, what can I do? I’m going to eat all these high-quality cookies. Don’t covet them.”

 

“Oh, I don’t eat that because it’s dirty.”

 

Ignoring Caliberne’s words, I shoved the cookie into my mouth.

 

‘Sweet!’

 

“By the way, did he put that ribbon on purpose?”

 

“Huh? Maybe he just tied it up with something that looked pretty?” said Ciel.

 

“No, well, blue could be…”

 

“Yes. Why?”

 

“No, it’s just…”

 

I grumbled and chewed the biscuit, then Caliberne said,

 

“The color of that ribbon, no matter how I look at it, wasn’t that the color of your eyes?”

 

The hand that was about to put the cookie in my mouth stopped.

 

“…no way.”

 

I shoved all of my doubts to the back of my mind with just one word.

 

My mouth was filled with wonderfully delicious cookies.

 

⚔️

 

‘I’ve finished the class this morning, so I don’t have much to do.’

 

I wanted to practice swordsmanship on the battlefield.

 

Caliberne believed that a magic swordsman’s combat skills needed to be supported before they could effectively wield magic.

 

It meant that even those with strong magical abilities would struggle to use their magic effectively if they forgot to train their swordsmanship.

 

‘It would be better to practice in the dungeon.’

 

It was the time when I decided to change course.

 

A mumble came from the corner.

 

“What?”

 

There were not many individuals passing by in the empty hallway.

 

People occasionally remained silent even when I was around.

 

A scream could be heard right then.

 

“No! No!”

 

Sounds like… It was definitely Cedric’s voice.

 

My body’s blood felt cold all around. 

 

Cedric’s anxious tone when he requested that I hide him the last time was what made me think this.

 

‘Maybe… the person he previously claimed to be frightened of?’

 

I promptly started running in the direction of the voice.

 

I noticed a recognizable black hair when I reached the corner.

 

Furthermore, I screamed, reaching out my right hand to touch him. The sound of my voice filled the hallway.

 

“Your Highness!”

 

Cedric turned to face me at the moment, his eyes ablaze, and a stranger was holding his hand.