The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go Chapter 37

 

The coachman approached immediately as I shut the carriage door and stared at me in surprise, pointing towards the carriage with my head like a person in agony.

 

‘Now I could see everything.’

 

I grabbed the carriage door handle and started to wonder seriously.

 

It was because there was no reason for that person to be sitting inside this carriage unless…

 

‘No, I must have been too tired these days.’

 

As I thought so, I opened the door again, thinking he wouldn’t appear this time.

 

“Ciel, if you keep opening and closing the carriage door, it might break.”

 

But the moment I heard Cedric’s steadfast speech and saw his unyielding visage again, I knew it wasn’t a dream.

 

I therefore kept denying the reality in front of me and shut the door once more.

 

“Come on, wait! Captain Minerva, where are you going!”

 

Thinking to myself that ‘I would never ride that carriage ever again’, I resolutely ignored the coachman’s call.

 

He then unlocked the door of the carriage, which was waiting behind him and similarly designated as heading into the city.

 

“Oh, Captain.”

 

“…”

 

At least it wasn’t an empty carriage, either. And the person in it was Paul, Cedric’s closest servant.

 

In front of him, who was awkwardly looking at me as he greeted me, was…

 

“His Majesty told me to…”

 

“Ah! No-no. I just have something to do in the city.”

 

“Paul, I always say this, but you never lie for anyone else. It’s so obvious, Paul.”

 

Having said that, as if giving up, I let out a deep sigh.

 

⚔️

 

“So, despite having just applied for a permit to leave, you apparently planned to take a secret trip”

 

“Yes.”

 

Cedric smiled brightly and nodded.

 

“Do you think that makes sense? I didn’t even think about hiding it, didn’t you just follow me?”

 

“No, it’s true.”

 

Cedric looked around and said.

 

“Because the Emperor couldn’t help but watch over the people’s lives forever. I couldn’t just keep hiding. I decided to take a look around the area. Furthermore, I wanted to, but I was unable to do so, due to the previous attack. It’s been so long since I’ve been hiding.”

 

Apart from following me, he seemed to be sincere about inspecting the city.

 

‘Was it okay for now?’

 

Initially, I wanted to stop Cedric, but the number of people tasked with protecting him was adequate, and they were all talented, so I settled.

 

Also, when looking at them hiding in every corner now, it seemed that there were quite a few more people deployed than at a glance.

 

It was difficult to have so many people deployed at once without preparations.

 

If I hadn’t taken leave today, I would have been sent as one of those soldiers, given how carefully the workforce was prepared.

 

‘Cedric was dressed more modestly than usual, and because of his hat, he doesn’t stand out that much… It’ll be fine.’

 

“Okay, I got it. So where are you going first?”

 

“Oh, you don’t have to move as I want.” Cedric smiled and tilted his head.

 

His red eyes sparkled brightly even through the brim of his hat.

 

“That’s fine. You were going to the market first, didn’t you?”

 

“Ciel knows me really well.”

 

“It’s easy to blend as a regular person there.”

 

With that said, I turned towards the agricultural market.

 

Then I saw Hillac and Sera move along with us. Beside them, the guards who were close to us also followed.

 

‘Let’s see, could we have gone faster if we turned left over there?’

 

It was then that I was slowly thinking of a shortcut.

 

From the side, Cedric’s voice was audible.

 

“Ciel, be careful!”

 

However, before he even said that, a devastating shock was felt on my left toe.

 

“Ouch!!”

 

The pain threw me off balance, and my body collapsed forward in an instant…

 

“Huh?”

 

The uneven ground with stone beaks sticking out of it was visible in sight.

 

Cedric’s strong arm wrapped around my waist the moment he reached out his hand to protect me.

 

I was about to hit the ground when a large forearm caught hold of me. I opened my eyes to find stones directly in front of me.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Cedric inquired, his voice full of surprise as he encircled my waist with his arms.

 

All kinds of thoughts rose like clouds in my head.

 

I considered myself fortunate that Cedric caught me before I fell to the ground.

 

‘It’s embarrassing…!’

 

At this age, it was embarrassing to trip and fall in front of a pupil without realizing a stone beak was poking.

 

“Ciel, are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, right?”

 

Cedric asked anxiously, as I looked around, my face turned red at the thought of wanting to bury my head in the sand.

 

Lifting my head, I endured the embarrassment and answered.

 

“Yes, I’m fine…”

 

When I slightly turned my head to the side, the transparent red eyes caught my gaze.

 

The hair that was half combed to the side was shiny.

 

The eyes that gleamed through the rest of the hair, which were slightly disheveled, burned as if they were swallowing up those who looked at them.

 

Like a dancing flame.

 

The flame, which blazed brighter than any other flame, seemed to sway over my ever-growing body.

 

At the same time, he constantly reached out to me, and he seemed to stare at me blindly.

 

‘If it’s a flame like that…’

 

It may be okay to jump in.

 

At that moment, I came to my senses.

 

“Huh?”

 

What was I thinking just now?

 

‘It’s okay to jump in?! What’s’ that…?’

 

When I recalled what I had just thought, my heart beat crazy.

 

My face immediately turned red as I was immersed in the flood of embarrassment. Nevertheless, I couldn’t take my eyes off Cedric’s face.

 

“Are you really okay? Your face is red…”

 

Cedric strokes the cheek, looking as if he was genuinely worried.

 

“It’s hot, but I don’t have a fever —!”

 

“Ah, no!”

 

I was surprised and stepped back.

 

Until then, Cedric’s hand was still wrapped around my waist.

 

“Ciel?”

 

Acting surprised at the moment to hide my embarrassment since I stood with my back against him, as Cedric called my name

 

“The Imperial Knights Commander won’t have any issues with this.”

 

‘Argh! It’s making me crazy!’

 

Although I’m making an effort to act normally, it still seems humiliating, and I find myself biting my tongue.

 

I started to desire to delve into the earth’s mantle, descend to its center, and hide when I heard Cedric laughing.

 

“You’re quick-witted.”

 

He obviously noticed that I didn’t turn red because I was feeling sick, since I wasn’t. 

 

Cedric was initially quick to pick up on things, but he became much more quick-witted when it came to issues involving me.

 

This pounding heart of mine has not yet calmed, but a warm breath tickled my ears.

 

“Hmm?”

 

Goosebumps rose all over my body in the same voice as a beast who enjoys playing in front of prey.

 

As I looked around, Cedric was grinning oddly, his lips curving up differently than they had before.

 

At that moment, I realized…

 

‘This kid…’

 

Now I know that he’s determined to seduce me.

 

However, Cedric claimed he had to get something from the jeweler and followed me while keeping his hat firmly over his face, so the store owner wouldn’t notice anything.

 

No matter how much anyone looked at it, it seemed like he was making up excuses because he wanted to be with me, but now I understand because of what he said.

 

And now I’m regretting entering the jewelry store with Cedric.

 

“Ciel, can you put this on for me?  Just one more try.”

 

“No, I didn’t come here to buy a ring, I came to buy a magic stone.”

 

Having told Cedric to stay in the carriage because I was going to the jeweler to purchase magical stones.

 

But Cedric was already calling the owner without listening to me.

 

“Would it be okay if I start with another one?”

 

No, the thing he really wanted to buy was my ring. I sighed, barely holding on tightly.

 

“Sure. Instead of just one, you could try on ten more.”

 

Cedric’s face brightened at the owner’s words.

 

“Thank you.”

 

No, this owner! He likes it because you’re so kind, but if you say so, this crazy guy only steps on the accelerator without brakes.

 

“Come on, we’ve got permission, so let’s try one more time.”

 

Cedric picked up a ring with a bright red ruby with bright twinkling eyes.

 

Then he stared at the ring and spoke in a serious tone.

 

“It’ll be 2 millimeters longer than your left ring finger, but that should be fine, right?”

 

“Hold on, stop!”

 

Stopped him from putting the ring on my finger and said,

 

“How do you know the circumference of the ring finger of my left hand?”

 

“I’ve been holding your hand every day for the past eight years. Don’t you know that?”

 

Cedric nodded and placed the ring on my left hand’s ring finger.

 

“Oh, it looks good on you!”

 

“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that.”

 

“Howeverㅡ”

 

Cedric smiled and pulled my hand to his lips.

 

“It’s gorgeous.”

 

Then he kissed my ring finger aloud.

 

Ciel stared at the scene with cold eyes, but the jeweler looked at the two of them with a very intriguing look, as if they were spectators plucking popcorn at the cinema.

 

Sera, who was standing outside the window, was openly suppressing her laughter.

 

Ciel didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

 

‘How did he get to be such an expert at seducing currently?’

 

Did you get nagged by your ministers to get married?

 

“I told you to refrain from going outside…”

 

“Why, there’s only the two of us here.”

 

“Couldn’t you see the owner standing over there at the counter?” 

 

Cedric then turned calmly towards the owner and yelled.

 

“Could you pretend you didn’t see what you just saw?”

 

“Oh, of course! I could do that.”

 

When the owner responded enthusiastically with his eyes half closed, Cedric made a cheeky face and asked, “So, what’s the problem?”

 

“Should I buy another one?”

 

Cedric muttered, and I whispered in answer. In a very low voice that the store owner couldn’t hear.

 

“Again, I could not accept the ring that Your Majesty bought. So stop buying things.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Since I’m a civil servant, even though I look like this…”

 

“What’s wrong with that?”

 

I sighed and said to Cedric, who opened his mouth.

 

“It’s against the Kim Young-ran Act, argh! Not that, anyway ㅡ”

 

“The Kim Young-ran Act? What’s that?”

 

“Ah, no. Anyway, if this became known outside, people who work for the country to be able to receive such a big gift, there would be a lot of backlash.”

 

“Then don’t let anyone know. There’s no problem because I would buy it at my own expense, not funds from the national treasury.”

 

“That’s not the problem ㅡ!”

 

Just then, the door to the store opened and Paul ran as he entered.

 

Perhaps he had rushed in, but his face was red, breathing heavily.

 

Seeing that, Cedric’s expression changed in an instant.

 

“What’s going on?”