The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go Chapter 135 - Side Story 19

 

Ignoring their reaction, Cedric spoke to them as usual, but the children only looked utterly confused.  

 

“Looks like the kids are staring at the kid,” I remarked, watching Cedric sit on the bed with them.  

 

“Even if my body has turned into a child’s, I still have to play the parent role,” he replied.  

 

As he said this, Cedric reached out to smooth Caspian’s messy hair from sleep.  

 

But the moment Cedric’s hand touched him, Caspian sharply turned his head away, rejecting his touch.  

 

“Huh?”  

 

Undeterred, Cedric reached out again in the direction Caspian had turned, but this time, the boy jerked his head the opposite way.  

 

“…So you still dislike me, even when I’m small,” Cedric sighed, looking slightly hurt.  

 

“I had hoped they’d see me as more approachable now that I look younger, but this is a complete failure.”  

 

“Seems so. At least they’re not crying, so they probably don’t see you as a complete stranger…” I replied, fixing Caspian’s hair in Cedric’s stead.  

 

With his pride wounded, Cedric turned to Ciana instead.  

 

“Come here, Ciana,” he said, spreading his arms warmly toward her.  

 

But for some reason, Ciana—who would usually crawl straight into his arms—remained motionless, staring blankly.  

 

“Ciana?”  

 

Even when called, she didn’t react.  

 

“Ciana, it’s Daddy. Daddy, okay?”  

 

Growing uneasy, Cedric desperately emphasized the word ‘Daddy.’  

 

“No.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

But Ciana firmly shook her head.  

 

“No.”  

 

In short, she was saying he wasn’t Daddy.  

 

“…”

  

Not only that, but after shaking her head, she completely turned her back to Cedric and crawled toward me instead.  

 

“Ahh!”  

 

“Yes, that’s right. Ciana.”  

 

Biting back a laugh, I picked her up, and Caspian also moved closer to me.

 

And the two babies, without even sparing a glance at Cedric, who stood frozen in shock behind them, began to babble excitedly.  

 

“…I want to cry.”  

 

Cedric muttered with a hollow expression, staring blankly at the backs of the two children.  

 

In the end, while I played with the kids, Cedric had no choice but to stay buried in the corner of the bed.  

 

Even though Caspian had never been of much interest to him, it seemed to hit him hard that even Ciana didn’t react to him.  

 

“Waaah!”  

 

“Kyaa!”  

 

Watching the children squeal in delight one after another, Cedric fixed his lifeless gaze on me and asked,  

 

“Ciel, are they having fun…?”  

 

At the very least, both children were clearly making expressions that anyone could see were full of joy—  holding each other’s hands or clutching the hem of my clothes.  

 

“Yes, it seems so.”  

 

“…I see.”  

 

Cedric’s voice grew even gloomier as he hugged his knees with both arms.  

 

“If you’re happy, then that’s all that matters…”  

 

By now, he seemed half-resigned.  

 

After about 20 minutes of me playing with them, the children gradually began to show signs of sleepiness.  

 

Caspian had already flopped onto the bed, while Ciana, who had been sitting up, quietly closed her eyes and started nodding off.  

 

Unlike Caspian, who lay down and shut his eyes the moment drowsiness hit, Ciana seemed to fight to stay awake—every time her head drooped unconsciously, she struggled to open her eyes again and sit up properly.  

 

Yet, she never let go of Caspian’s hand, even as he slept.  

 

“Alright, my little angels. It’s time for bed now.”  

 

Carefully prying their tightly clasped hands apart, I cradled Ciana, who was still sitting and dozing, in my arms and gently soothed her.  

 

Meanwhile, Cedric, who had been watching the children from the corner, picked up Caspian, who was sprawled on the bed, snoring softly.

 

Earlier, Caspian had been clearly reluctant to accept Cedric’s touch, but now that he was asleep, he rested quietly in Cedric’s arms with an angelic face.  

 

“Only letting me hold you when you’re asleep… Even for a father, that’s too harsh.”  

 

Cedric grumbled in a voice just soft enough not to wake Caspian.  

 

“At least you can hold him while he’s asleep. Isn’t that something?”  

 

At my words, Cedric’s expression grew even gloomier.  

 

“But doesn’t Caspian seem to recognize you? He doesn’t cry, and his reactions are the same as usual.”  

 

“That’s the problem. He consistently doesn’t like me much.”  

 

“And Ciana probably just doesn’t recognize you because your height and face have changed. Babies often don’t notice small differences.”  

 

“Yeah, I guess…”  

 

I had tried to comfort Cedric, even if just a little, but I wasn’t sure if it worked.  

 

“Sleep well, little ones.”  

 

Cedric whispered softly as he carefully laid Caspian down in the crib.  

 

Swaddled snugly in blankets, Ciana and Caspian breathed steadily, their faces occasionally twitching or their bodies shifting slightly.  

 

Soon, their tiny hands found each other and overlapped, and as they did, the twins’ movements noticeably calmed.  

 

“They always sleep like this, holding hands or pressing close. They do it a lot when they’re awake too, I think.”  

 

I spoke quietly to Cedric as we watched the children.  

 

In response, Cedric—who had been gazing at them with large, clear, affectionate red eyes—smiled and answered,  

 

“Maybe they take after us.”  

 

His voice was endlessly tender, as gentle as a spring breeze.  

 

“Just like how you always held my hand, and how I knew I’d never let go.”  

 

“…Maybe so.”

 

We smiled down at the two children.  

 

Even Cedric and I, who now share a bond so deep we could call each other our other half, didn’t meet until we were twelve.  

 

Before that, we both suffered because there was no one to understand or comfort our wounds, and we felt lonely knowing no one around us could.  

 

‘But our children…’  

 

I was glad that before these two could learn about the pain, scars, or loneliness of human relationships, they first learned how to share warmth with each other.  

 

To be honest, I hoped they would never have to experience the same anguish Cedric and I felt.  

 

But I knew all too well that no matter how much they were the prince and princess of the Deamant Empire, they couldn’t escape all of life’s hardships.  

 

Still, it gave me some relief.  

 

Children who knew how to comfort each other would be able to push through the pain, lean on one another, and move forward.  

 

“Ciel? What are you thinking about?”  

 

Clear crimson eyes looked up at me.  

 

“No, it’s nothing.”  

 

I brushed it off with a smile.  

 

💫

 

“Ciel, wait. Calm down and listen to me—”  

 

“I’ve never been more calm and composed. I’m speaking to you in a perfectly collected state.”  

 

I pushed against Cedric’s back as he stubbornly braced himself in the doorway, refusing to enter the bedroom.  

 

“It’s time for the kids to sleep. Stop being difficult and go inside.”  

 

“Difficult? It’s barely half past nine.”  

 

“Once it’s past nine, children should be asleep.”  

 

Cedric gave me a bewildered look.  

 

“I stayed up all night plenty of times when I was actually twelve!”  

 

“Well, that’s not happening today.”  

 

While he was still flustered, I quickly shoved him inside and successfully closed the door.  

“Be honest with yourself. If Ciana or Caspian stayed up all night when they’re older, say, twelve, would you just let them?”  

 

“Th-that’s…”

 

But Cedric didn’t seem to notice my expression and continued explaining.  

 

For some reason, the way he earnestly explained why he wanted to return to his original body felt oddly cute and endearing.  

 

“When I was bigger, I could hug you anytime, right?”  

 

Suddenly lifted into the air, Cedric made a startled, flustered expression.  

 

‘Well, I can just work harder tomorrow.’  

 

“Ciel?”  

 

“Just felt like it.”  

 

As I said that, I quickly kissed him on the cheek. Cedric then covered his right cheek as if someone had slapped him, looking completely dazed.  

 

“C-Ciel?”  

 

I smiled at his visibly flustered reaction. Then, I laid his stiffened body down on the bed and lay down beside him.  

 

“…Are you really going to sleep with me?”  

 

“Yes, I’ll just work harder tomorrow.”  

 

I cheerfully grinned at Cedric, who still looked shocked, and pulled the blanket over him.  

 

“And above all, Cedric, you’re just too cute.”  

 

Unable to bear the embarrassment, Cedric pulled the blanket over his head and hid beneath it.  

 

“Ciel, you’re really….”  

 

Seeing my husband genuinely flustered for the first time in a long while was incredibly satisfying.