I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep Chapter 126

Caesar chose an ordinary marketplace as the date spot.
It was also the place where Katana’s old hut used to be.

“Why here of all places?”

I asked out of curiosity, since the scenery felt too simple for a date, and Caesar smiled.

“Remember how we came here once while running away? I thought it would be nice to come back.”

“Before? The two of us?”

“You know, the time we first went to meet Katana.”

“Ah…”

He must have been talking about that night, when we disguised ourselves by bundling up in robes.

‘All we did back then was pass through quickly to meet Katana, but… did it really stay in his memory?’

To be fair, we were still in disguise even now. He wasn’t hiding under a robe like before, but he was wearing a light shirt a noble’s child might wear, just so no one would guess he was the emperor.

I stole a glance at Caesar. I’d never seen him dressed like this before — not like sleepwear, but styled so that it looked casually effortless.

‘He feels a little like a stranger…’

“And actually…”

“Yes?”

“I heard there’s something fun happening today.”

Caesar suddenly grabbed my hand.

“What’s fun? And we’re outside — how can you just hold my hand? What if someone sees?”

“If they see, they’ll just think we’re a couple in love. No one here would know I’m the emperor.”

At the word “couple,” I was left speechless, unable to argue, while Caesar started walking quickly. I had no choice but to follow, pulled along by his hand.

“Wait. So where are we going?”

“To see something fun. We have to get there before it starts.”

“I mean, what is it?”

Caesar didn’t answer, only hurried his steps. Finally, he stopped in front of a small hut.

“This is… a shop?”

Instead of a door, the entrance was covered by a thick, black curtain. A few people ahead of us slipped inside through the split in the middle.

Not only the entrance, but the windows too were blocked with black cloth, giving off an eerie feeling.

“What do they sell here?”

I hesitated and started to step back, but Caesar tugged my hand forward.

“You’ll see when we go in.”

“Wait—”

Ignoring me, Caesar pulled the curtain aside and went in. Inside was a dimly lit room with rows of bench seats lined up before a small stage.

“What is this?”

“A puppet show.”

“What?”

With practiced ease, Caesar handed tickets to the clerk and led me to the far corner. I looked around in confusion, and soon the last few lights went out.

In the darkness, I instinctively gripped Caesar’s hand tightly. A soft chuckle escaped from him.

“A puppet show? Your Majesty, what on earth—”

“Shh—”

He pressed a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet. Right on cue, a bright spotlight snapped on above the stage, drawing everyone’s eyes.

Soon, a palm-sized cotton puppet appeared on stage.

“Wow…”

The little puppet, sewn from cloth, ran about the stage full of tiny props like trees, houses, and mountains.

Before I knew it, I was staring, completely absorbed.

Who knows how much time passed. When the lights came back on, I found myself clapping more enthusiastically than anyone else in the room.

“Did you see that? That was amazing! The way that tiny thing moved—”

Excited, I turned my head mid-sentence, only to find Caesar watching me with a warm, pleased smile.

“…Why are you smiling like that?”

“I thought you’d enjoy it. And seeing you truly like it makes me happy.”

I awkwardly cleared my throat and looked away.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

“Did you buy the tickets ahead of time?”

I asked while fiddling with the small puppet Caesar had bought me. It was a teddy bear sold in front of the theater, modeled after one that had appeared in the puppet show.

“I asked Alvin to take care of it. Apparently, it’s surprisingly hard to get seats up front.”

Caesar’s face was full of pride. I barely managed to stifle a laugh.

He must have been swamped with Ian’s affairs, yet somehow still looked into a puppet show during that short time. I figured Alvin must have had a hard time as well.

We wandered aimlessly around the marketplace. We stopped by the alley where Katana used to live, and even bought some street food.

At last, we ended up at a park and plopped down on the wide grassy field. Caesar laid out a handkerchief for me, but still — if the palace found out, it would cause a huge stir.

I stared blankly at the park. The bright weather, the fountain sparkling in the sunlight, the children laughing and running around — everything was just so peaceful.

“I’m glad we came out.”

“Right?”

“It makes me realize the world is full of sides like this.”

“Hm?”

I kept my eyes on the children as I spoke, recalling the recent incident with Ian.

“Not fighting, not wars, not words dripping with malice… but these small, beautiful things. If we look for them, there must be even more, right?”

“…Yeah. I think so.”

Caesar’s gaze also fell on the children playing.

We sat side by side, spending time that felt fleeting and empty, when suddenly Caesar spoke.

“It was from then.”

“What?”

The sudden words made me turn to him in confusion. Caesar was looking toward a flowerbed at the corner of the park, where some children were digging in the dirt with their hands, not caring if they got dirty.

“When you smiled at me with those muddy hands after digging up the flowerbed.”

‘Flowerbed? What is he talking about?’

I searched through my memories. A flowerbed… could it be…?

“You told me, remember? That after death, it’s just a new beginning. That no matter what it is, it’s never my fault.”

“Ah…”

At last, the memory resurfaced — words I had said long ago, not long after first meeting Caesar. When he lost control for the first time and withered all the flowers around him, and was drowning in guilt.

‘And whatever it is, it’s not your fault. I believe in you, Your Highness!’

“That was…”

The forgotten memory left me a little stunned. Back then, I only said it because Caesar looked so pitiful.

Almost as if reading my mind, Caesar continued.

“I know you didn’t mean it with some deep significance. That’s why it meant so much. Because you said it just to comfort me.”

“So… when you said ‘from then,’ you meant…”

“Yes. From that moment, I liked you.”

I stared at Caesar, shocked. He really had… just like he said.

‘But that was so long ago.’

Now I finally understood why he had said it was unfair. He’d liked me all this time, and I hadn’t noticed.

All our past moments flashed before my eyes — my careless actions, and Caesar’s reactions to them.

More than pressure, I felt gratitude. And more than gratitude, I felt guilt.

“Your Majesty…”

I placed my hand on top of Caesar’s, resting on the grass.

“Wearing that nice shirt was all for nothing, huh.”

“What?”

Caesar turned from the flowerbed, grinning playfully.

“Are you planning to spread it around everywhere that I’m the emperor?”

“Ah…”

I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth and glanced around. There weren’t many people nearby, and no one could have heard — but it was still careless of me.

Come to think of it, I’d called him Your Majesty back at the theater too.

“I’ll be careful from now on.”

“Don’t be careful. Just call me by my name instead.”

“What? How could I do that!”

I widened my eyes at him, but Caesar replied smoothly.

“You used to say it all the time when you were little.”

“When did I?”

“Didn’t you say, ‘Smile more, Caesar,’ like that?”

“T-that was just me imitating someone!”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Caesar turned fully toward me, taking the hand I’d laid on his and intertwining his fingers with mine.

“Your Maj— no—”

I almost called him as usual, then stopped myself.

“No one’s listening anyway. It’s just you and me. And we’re getting married soon, aren’t we?”

“W-what?”

Flustered, my eyes darted everywhere.

‘Married? I mean, sure, I planned to… but isn’t this too fast? And even if we do, shouldn’t I still call him Your Majesty?’

Caesar leaned closer and closer toward me.

“So, Eve? Do you not like my name?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Then why can’t you say it?”

“It’s just…”

Like he said, I’d called his name easily as a child, without a second thought. But now, when I tried, the word caught in my throat, refusing to come out.

My lips only moved soundlessly as I avoided his gaze. That was when—

“Your Majesty.”

A sudden low voice startled me out of my skin. The voice belonged to Alvin, who had approached without a sound.

“Ah! Sir Alvin?!”

“My apologies, my lady.”

Since we had left for the marketplace, Sir Alvin had been disguised as an ordinary noble escort, staying nearby. But he had always kept his distance and hidden his presence, so I had almost forgotten about him.

Realizing he had seen everything we’d been doing up until now, embarrassment hit me all at once.

“What is it?”

Caesar frowned.

“You must return at once. It’s…”

Tension filled Alvin’s face — it was clearly something serious. After glancing around, he whispered in a low voice.

“Ian Bryden has taken his own life.”