The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go – Chapter 53

Author: Nikss

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“Felix.”

The knight, who had been standing like a wooden stone, opened his mouth at the slender voice that seemed to collapse at any moment.

“Yes, princess.”

A woman in a long, pure white dress that covered up to her feet slowly turned her head.

“I’ve never worn a white dress before,” The woman whispered.

The knight saw the woman’s eyelashes quivering as she spoke.

He didn’t know exactly how she felt.

And what kind of answer she wants.

“Yes, you look very beautiful.”

‘That was the only answer I could barely pick and choose,’ The knight thought.

“It’s like…”

‘It’s like a wedding dress’. The knight who was about to say those words stopped speaking.

It was because he saw the purple eyes of the woman looking at him.

“Felix.”

A stream of tears flowed down from her eyes, drenched in despair.

“Can I do it?”

The knight knelt to her knees without speaking and wiped the woman’s tears with a handkerchief.

“…Of course.”

Nevertheless, the light did not return to her purple eyes.

“Don’t worry. I will always be by your side.”

The knight knew… That his words are as empty as the eyes of the woman.

As he looked into her empty eyes, he thought.

It was not a wedding dress.

‘Ahh.’

For a moment, I got goosebumps.

The only person to wear a white gown was at a funeral.

The very person to the funeral. Thinking of the empty color, the woman suddenly came to her senses and shook her head.

“Felix?”

“Ah, no.”

Trying to erase the horrifying sight before his eyes.

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“What?”

Cedric bit his lip and scratched his cheek in embarrassment, troubled at my reaction.

He seemed to know that I would be a little embarrassed to hear this news.

“What do you mean, sending the princess instead of the tribute…?”

“That’s what I want to say,” Cedric replied with a deep sigh.

“I have strongly advised them to reconsider, but it is reckless. How can they violate the rules of the empire that rules the world?”

“No, the Empire hasn’t paid much attention to Ackeleta’s tribute in the last 100 years. When there was a famine, we didn’t say much, even if the tribute was less than usual.”

“I mean, it’s just a cause.”

Cedric smiled bitterly and shook his head.

‘Wow, but this is really…’

I was so dumbfounded when I heard from Cedric, but what about Cedric, who first heard the news as the person who received the tribute?

‘A tribute…’

According to Cedric, Ackeleta openly said that they would send the princess as a ‘tribute’.

It’s like taking Persephine as a hostage.

No, it’s closer to a thing…

‘I never thought things would turn out like this.’

Although it’s still quite different from the original story, I thought that Cedric and Persephine would meet someday.

At first, I even tried to arrange their meeting.

Even though, Cedric hit the wall so hard that it failed.

“Ackeletta didn’t want to break off relations with the Empire even after they regained their territory. Rather, under the protection of the Empire, they were able to avoid attacks from neighboring countries.”

Cedric stared at me and smiled as I tapped on the table.

“As expected, do you think so too, Ciel? Ackeletta is too afraid of breaking off with us?”

“Um, well, that’s right.”

I answered, looking down at the brown mahogany table.

I was sorting out things on my mind. When a new variable appeared, it was necessary to prepare for it.

‘I can’t believe that Ackeleta voluntarily sent Persephine, who was originally scheduled to be forcibly taken from Ackeleta.’

It may be a little better than the first meeting between the two in the original.

At least Cedric wasn’t forced to bring her in this time.

However, it would be difficult for Persephine to have a liking for the people of the Empire even in this situation.

So it was equally important to be careful not to deteriorate the relationship between Cedric and Persephine.

‘It would take some time to make them get close, but I wish I could do that much.’

Of course, it would be even better if the two became so close and got married.

“By the way, Your Majesty,”

“Yes?”

“It seems to me that Ackeleta wants to strengthen the relationship rather than fear that it will break.”

“That’s right. I think so.”

Cedric’s red eyes turned to the map spread out on the mahogany table.

The camellia-colored eyes looking down on the faded map were fixed on Ackeletta, the southern part of the Empire.

“It bothers me, but it’s hard to say no. If we refuse outright, it sounds like I’m overly ignoring the Princess of Ackeletta.”

“That’s true.”

“So it’s a little burdensome, but I accepted it for now.”

“Well, I see.”

I shrugged, staring at the map.

“Hmm…”

“Why, Ciel?”

“No, I just thought of something…”

I think it’s similar to the situation I learned in history class in my previous life.

‘Maybe it’s not very different from the fact that the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty took the king of Goryeo as his son-in-law.’

However, unlike the usual one-sided request from a great power, Ackeleta once refused the Deamant, but now they cried and said that they would send their princess away.

Wow, I didn’t expect to use the historical knowledge I learned more than 10 years ago here in this world.

‘But if that’s the case, this is 100%.’

They want to use Persephine and Cedric to continue the relationship with Ackeleta.

‘This may be why Cedric said he felt burdened.’

At that moment, I heard Cedric’s voice and immediately came to my senses.

“Huh? What are you thinking?”

“Oh, no. Just…” Ciel smiled and said it was nothing.

Cedric tilted his head, finding Ciel’s answer strange, but didn’t ask any more questions.

“Well, anyway. That’s what happened. I think Princess Persephine, who you once told me about, will be here soon.”

“Now I don’t have to show you the princess’ portrait.”

Persephine’s portrait was of course pretty, but her actual appearance was too perfect to capture in a portrait.

It’s better to see it at once than to hear it a hundred times, and Cedric may change his mind when he sees Persephine himself.

“No, well… Wouldn’t it be nice to see her face more?”

“…”

“No. Shouldn’t Your Majesty pay more attention to Princess Persephine for a while?”

“Why?” Cedric asked with a frown.

A piece of work.

Cedric has no interest in the fact that such a great beauty would come to him.

Once she walks by, he’d be enchanted by her beauty like a fish sinks to the bottom and a bird falls from the sky.

“That’s because she will feel uneasy coming to another country alone without anyone to lean on. On the other hand, I’m not in a situation that anyone should care about.”

“Well, the arrival of Princess Persephine doesn’t solve the problem with your mana,” Cedric spoke in a low, subdued voice.

His shining red eyes lit up, and his movement, which slowly bent his upper body, was as elegant and smooth as the gesture of a wolf preparing to hunt.

Before I knew it, his hand reached right near mine.

Seeing his fingertips, which were soft almost touching mine, I swallowed my saliva silently.

A distance that could be reached by raising his finger a little. The more I reflected on that fact, the more my hands seemed to stiffen.

“I will pay the most attention to you no matter who comes.”

“…”

“Ciel, you know that, right?”

His red lips curved like an arc.

A beautiful smile as if drawn with a brush. It was a dangerous smile that would devour me when I looked at it.

‘This is dangerous.’

As expected, he deserves to be a sub-male.

There’s no way that I wouldn’t get a sub-disease after seeing that face.

‘It’s best to avoid the topic at times like this. ‘

I looked as calm as I could and said, raising my head, “Of course, I’m not asking you to take care of the princess, even if you overdo it.”

“Then?”

“Although Ackeletta is a vassal state, there’s no need to sever ties with them.”

Even in the original, the relationship between Ackeletta and the Deamant Empire was not much different from what it is today.

In the end, Cedric, who forcibly brought the Princess of a dependent state, was defeated even though he had a mighty Empire.

To eliminate risk, it’s essential to maintain a good relationship with Ackeleta, even if it’s a vassal.

“Please pay attention, at least to the extent that Princess Persephine doesn’t think she was treated unfairly in Deamant. That’s enough.”

It’s difficult to make the two of them close, but that’s okay.

Without the elements of conflict, war would not happen easily.

As long as Cedric doesn’t harm the Princess, there won’t be any reason to take issue with it in other countries.

“This is a message for Your Majesty. I hope you’ll listen to me.”

Surprised, Cedric’s red eyes grew slightly bigger.

I meant what I just said…

‘This time, I think you’ll have a happy ending.’

Even if I don’t say it, I know Cedric will do well on his own.

But I hope it doesn’t go wrong this time.

Unlike the original, I want to live long. I couldn’t help but hope that those red eyes will shine for a long time.

That’s why I’m telling this to him.

Cedric, with his mouth open agape as if there was something he wanted to say, nodded and closed his lips again.

“… If you say so.”

The red eyes didn’t tremble at all. Looking into those eyes, I felt a little relieved.

“Well, be as good as you can and don’t do anything weird.”

“Do anything weird?”

“Anything like bullying or scaring the Princess. It’s unlikely, but just in case!”

I said in a hurry, remembering what Cedric did to Persephine in the original story.

“Well, I see. That’s what I was going to do, but I’ll try to be kinder.”

“And there’s one more thing.”

Persephine in the original had a lot of trouble while she was imprisoned.

That experience was a kind of awakening.

Even if Cedric does develop an interest in Persephine as originally planned, we could avoid the bad ending of the original book only if he did not lock her up because of his obsession like in the original.

“You must never lock the princess in her room. You can’t tie her with shackles or chains.”

“…”

I couldn’t hear Cedric’s voice, who was always answering well.

While I was counting the precautions with one hand open, I raised my head as the surroundings became quiet.

“Your Majesty?”

The moment I looked ahead, I was surprised.

Because Cedric’s red eyes were shining like a beast again.

‘What— what?’

His eyes, as if they had already lost their taste, were brimming with obsession.

And those eyes, for God’s sake, were on me, not on the letters from Ackeletta or the portrait of Persephine.

He raised his fingertips, and his hand, which brushed across my skin, completely covered my left hand and grasped it gently.

As if conveying the message that there’s no escape.