The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go Chapter 126 - Side Story 10

Not too big, not too small. But within it, I could feel a firm resolve.

 

“If I had to guess, the baby was probably conceived on our wedding night…”

 

“Ah, that does seem likely.”

 

“So I feel a little sorry about that.”

 

Cedric spoke with genuine remorse in his expression.

 

“We could have enjoyed our newlywed life just the two of us for longer, but because of me, you won’t get to and will have to go through hardships instead.”

 

“Well, but that also means Your Majesty will be taking extra care of me, right?”

 

I said to reassure Cedric, who looked downcast.

 

“And while being newlyweds is nice, we’ll still have plenty of time together even after the baby is born.”

 

“Ciel…”

 

“You haven’t forgotten, have you? We still have over 80 New Years to celebrate together.”

 

Only then did Cedric’s expression soften slightly.

 

“Right.”

 

“See? You understand what I’m trying to say, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah, I get it.”

 

“Honestly, I’m scared too.”

 

After all, I had never experienced pregnancy even before transmigrating here.

 

But ever since coming to this world, I’ve faced many things I’d never experienced before—and I’ve handled them well.

 

‘To be honest, even love and marriage were firsts for me this time.’

 

Yet I managed both just fine.

 

In the end, I was able to stay by the side of the person who loves me most—and whom I cherish most.

 

“But knowing that Cedric will be by my side makes me feel a little more at ease.”

 

At that, Cedric stared straight at me.

 

Then, after pressing a quick kiss to my cheek, he whispered, “Yeah. Always, for as long as you live, I’ll be right beside you.”

 

💫

 

Several days had passed since we learned about the pregnancy.

 

Even now, Cedric stayed glued to my side until the ministers practically begged him to leave.

 

‘If he keeps this up until the baby is born, it’s going to be a problem…’

 

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Caliberne spoke up.

 

[Ciel, just give up. That man’s already a lost cause.]

 

‘No, lost cause is too much. It’s not that bad.’

 

[Oh, so you’re defending your husband now? I’m so disappointed.]

 

Then, in a tone eerily similar to someone lamenting ‘Kids ruin everything,’ Caliberne complained about how unfair it was for me to do this to her.

 

‘Okay, okay, calm down.’

 

[Whatever. Hmph. You two go on and live happily ever after, then.]

 

‘Come on, why are you like this, Caliberne?’

 

Just as I was struggling to coax her out of her sulking, there was a sudden, urgent knock at the door.

 

“Captain!”

 

A voice so familiar it instantly lifted my spirits.

 

“Hey, when it’s just us, fine—but here, you should address me as Her Majesty the Empress.”

 

“Ah, right. My bad.”

 

“Hillac, you really are an idiot.”

 

The conversation coming through the door made me laugh out loud before I could stop myself.

 

[Looks like your comrades are here.]

 

‘Yeah.’

 

[They probably came to congratulate you. We’ll talk later.]

 

‘Oh, okay.’

 

[Alright. Have fun.]

 

Before I could even thank her, Caliberne’s voice abruptly cut off.

 

“Come in, everyone!”

 

I called out loudly enough to be heard through the door and slipped out of bed.

 

“Captain!”

 

The knights who entered beamed as they shouted in unison.

 

Among them, Sera and Mika—who had always been especially attached to me—rushed over the moment they stepped inside, clinging to me like children, their faces bright with joy.

 

Though they had naturally grown since we first met, and even more so after the final battle against Jayden Ackeleta, they still seemed youthful and radiant to me.

 

Meanwhile, James and Hillac, who bickered daily despite sticking together like glue, were already squabbling over the proper address of “Her Majesty the Empress.”

 

“Alright, let’s all go inside and sit down first,” said Sir Turka, watching over everyone with a kind expression as he gently mediated.

 

Only then did Sera, Mika, Hillac, and James stop what they were doing.

 

Once everyone had settled, I finally noticed the bouquet of flowers in James’ hand.

 

“Huh? What’s with the flowers?”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

At my question, James quickly stood and handed me the bouquet.

 

“Congratulations, Captain. We heard the news.”

 

There was only one ‘news’ it could be.

 

“Wait, did you buy these to congratulate me?”

 

“Of course. We all went into town together to get them for you.”

 

“Ah, Captain! There’s this too!”

 

Sera pulled out a wrapped package she’d been hiding behind her back, grinning widely.

 

“We hope you have a healthy baby.”

 

“Wow, where did you even—”

 

These five, along with the rest of the knights, had been just as sincere and generous with their congratulations and gifts when I got married.

 

Now, they’d gone out of their way to celebrate me again—I was both touched and a little guilty.

 

“Thank you all so much. It must’ve been hard to prepare this in between training.”

 

“Ah, it was nothing! We just focused, finished our drills, and squeezed in the preparations in between,” Hillac said, waving a hand dismissively.

 

“Right! It wasn’t hard at all, so don’t feel bad,” Mika added, following his lead.

 

“More importantly, Captain, open this! You’re gonna love it.”

 

Sera, seeing the bundle I was carefully holding, smiled and said, “Ah, really? Then I’ll open it for you.”

 

And the moment she opened the bundle, I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

 

Mika, who had been watching me nervously as I untied the bundle’s string, quietly asked, “Do you like it, Captain?”

 

“Yeah, a lot.”

 

At that, the faces of the five sitting there instantly brightened.

 

“You brought only the things I love.”

 

“Yes, that’s right! You noticed!”

 

Sera exclaimed excitedly.

 

“At first, we thought about getting baby supplies or something. But we figured others would give you plenty of those…”

 

“And the imperial family would probably prepare even better ones.”

 

“Besides, we really adore you, Captain! The baby is important, but to us, you’re the most important—”

 

As the members’ words poured out nonstop, I nodded and smiled.

 

White Moon black tea, a hand-knitted blue scarf, sparkling jewels, cookies with the label of the most famous bakery in town.

 

“The jewels were Hillac’s idea.”

 

“Gasp, how did you know?”

 

“Isn’t it more surprising if I didn’t? And I’m guessing each of you prepared one gift.”

 

“Wow, you’re right.”

 

Honestly, it was both funny and endearing how obvious it was who had prepared which gift.

 

“Hmm? But what’s this?”

 

I picked up a small silver key that had belatedly revealed itself inside the bundle.

 

Everything else had a clear purpose, and the reason for gifting it was immediately obvious—except for this key.

 

‘Is it decorative?’

 

It looked too neat and pretty to be a functional item, making me wonder if I should buy a stand to display it.

 

Just then, a deliberate cough was heard.

 

“Captain.”

 

It was James who spoke up.

 

“Even though you like the other things, there’s something else you love the most, right?”

 

I immediately caught on.

 

“James, don’t tell me…”

 

“Correct. I did a pretty good job preparing this time, didn’t I?”

 

James wore a proud expression, patting his chest as he spoke.

 

“If you take that key to the blacksmith, they’ll exchange it for a dazzlingly beautiful new sword.”

 

Without realizing it, I covered my mouth.

 

‘Wow, that’s insane.’

 

As expected, the members who’ve been with me for a long time knew. Exactly what I’d love.

 

“Actually, this gift wasn’t something I prepared entirely on my own. I was a bit short on money, so the other members chipped in too.”

 

James scratched his head awkwardly as he spoke.

 

“See, this is why I told you so many times to save up properly.”

 

When Sera nagged, James made a face like he’d been hit where it hurt and quickly tried to change the subject.

 

“Anyway, the sword will be ready even if you go today. So just drop by whenever you have time.”

 

Whether he liked it or not, Sera didn’t seem ready to let him off the hook just yet.

 

Soon enough, Hillac joined in, subtly siding with Sera, and while Mika tried to mediate, the three of them started bickering as usual.

 

Sir Turka watched the scene unfold and chuckled warmly, as always.

 

“Everyone… thank you so much. I’m grateful you took the time to celebrate despite being busy, and every single gift is truly amazing. I almost feel bad for receiving so much.”

 

“Aw, come on! It’s only natural for our Captain!”

 

I laughed while watching Sera give a thumbs-up.

 

“Sera, Turka is the Captain now, not me.”

 

“Oh.”

 

After the battle with Jayden Ackeleta, I had been slowly preparing to step down from my position as Knight Captain.