I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep Chapter 128

Caesar uncovered evidence of Rabies’s crimes.

It was revealed in detail how much evil Rabies had committed while he still held the position of Tower Master, back when Duke Spiegel was alive.

Among them were incidents involving magical devices he had made personally, which strongly supported the theory that Rabies had created the eavesdropping device this time.

In the end, all the wrongs he had done came back to him like a boomerang.

Viscount Krause denied fiercely, but no one believed her words. Public opinion quickly turned.

Thus, Rabies’s execution was decided.

Immediately afterward, Caesar announced that a new Tower Master was needed.

Officially, the Tower was the part of the empire farthest from politics. Mages of the Tower obeyed the Tower Master over the emperor, and their own thoughts even more than the Tower Master’s words.

Even the emperor could not touch the Tower lightly. It had always been that way, because mages were too rare and precious.

However, with such a matter at hand, even the mages of the Tower could not outright deny the need for change. And so Katana became the new Tower Master—the youngest Tower Master ever.

Of course, Caesar hadn’t used his position to make it happen. He had simply kept the promise he made to Katana.

The promise to choose the Tower Master with no prejudice, based only on ability.

Since Katana was the greatest mage in the empire, it was only natural that she rise to the position.

As so many matters were settled one by one, I was troubled by different thoughts.

Because of my marriage with Caesar.

Now that most things had been wrapped up, it was truly time to think about marriage.

A wedding requires a lot of preparation. It’s not something you can do just because you want to. From the location to the clothes, the guest list, even the color of the flowers to decorate the hall—there were countless things we would need to discuss together.

But Caesar had not said a single word to me about any of it. …No, to be exact, he hadn’t even proposed to me.

‘Am I just fooling myself?’

Yes, Caesar had spoken of marriage, and yes, he acted as if he would naturally marry me…

But suddenly, a wave of unease washed over me, especially with Katana’s words echoing in my head.

‘The proposal? How did he propose?’

A proposal…

At the time, I brushed it off, but now I felt anxious. Did Caesar have no intention of proposing to me? Or did he think it was so obvious we would marry that he didn’t need to say anything?

Knock, knock—someone rapped on the door. It was still early morning, before work hours. I wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Who is it?”

Puzzled, I opened the door. Standing there was Olche.

“Sir Olche? What brings you here at this hour?”

“I’ve come by His Majesty’s order, milady. He said you should get ready.”

“Ready? Ready for what?”

Behind Olche, I could see several knights. They seemed to be for escort.

“His Majesty wishes to go with you to Summerhill.”

 

 

 

 

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“It’s nice to be back in Summerhill after so long.”

Inside the carriage headed for Summerhill, Caesar smiled as he spoke.

“Yes, it really is.”

I answered halfheartedly and turned my gaze to the window.

When I first heard Caesar say he wanted to go to Summerhill, I had carried so many hopes.

Was he planning to propose there? To formally speak with my parents? Or at the very least… was it supposed to be a date?

But the message Sir Olche delivered was nothing like what I imagined.

He’s going to award my father a medal?

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t my father, but rather the region of Summerhill that was receiving the medal. And it was all because of the lottery project.

The national lottery, currently in effect across the empire, had been smooth sailing after a minor hiccup during its first round. Sales had steadily increased, and thanks to that, so had the treasury.

Finally, just last week, the total prize pool surpassed one million gold. To commemorate that, a medal would be awarded to Summerhill, the site of the pilot project.

“Not happy about resting at your family’s estate, Eve?”

Caesar gave me a puzzled look.

“Huh? No, I’m happy.”

I tugged the corners of my lips into a smile. He was right. Summerhill receiving a medal was something to celebrate, and it was also nice to spend time with my parents again.

They had even left the capital residence to come down for the occasion.

“Then, is there going to be a banquet?”

“No, I told them not to hold one. Instead, I arranged support for a festival for the townsfolk, to make it a little grander.”

“A festival… oh, the Flower Festival?”

Caesar nodded.

“I heard Summerhill’s flower festival is especially beautiful.”

“That’s right. The climate here is warmer, so spring comes earlier than in other places, and when the flowers bloom, the whole mountain looks as if it’s covered in pink. As you know, Summerhill has plenty of mountains.”

“Really? Now I’m looking forward to it.”

Caesar smiled and clasped my hand, and just like that, all my sulky feelings melted away. I returned his smile.

It might technically be about awarding a medal, but a festival was still a festival. If I thought of it as a date, then it was a date.

Hard to believe it’s already time for the Flower Festival…

It felt like only yesterday we had gone to see the Snow Festival, when Floria was kidnapped, yet here spring was already.

After a long ride, we finally arrived in Summerhill.

“Wow…”

The spring of Summerhill was breathtaking. Mountains in every direction were bathed in pink, and flower paths stretched beneath all the roadside trees.

“The medal ceremony is set for this evening. Until then, how about we visit the festival grounds?”

“Good idea. I actually haven’t gone there very often myself.”

The carriage entered an avenue lined with trees. Fallen petals had dyed the ground pink as well, and small stalls lined the sides, selling trinkets and snacks.

“Wow…”

I watched the lively crowd from inside the carriage, entranced, when the path grew narrower.

“Wait, didn’t you say we were going to the festival grounds?”

“That area’s too crowded. I thought we’d get off somewhere quieter.”

“Oh, that sounds nice!”

The carriage wound its way down narrow paths until it finally came to a stop.

“Shall we?”

Caesar stepped down first.

Huh?

I blinked, still inside the carriage. Normally, Caesar always offered his hand to escort me, especially when alighting.

Did he just forget?

I brushed it off and climbed down, only to see he had already walked a few steps away.

“Your Majesty?”

“Eve, come here a moment.”

“What?”

Without looking back, Caesar moved deeper into a narrow path, practically into the forest.

What’s going on?

I hesitated, but then followed him obediently into the woods. Summerhill, being mountainous, had forests close to town.

“Why are we going this way? Is there something there?”

I pushed past branches while asking, but got no reply.

“Your Majesty?”

His strides were so fast I had to clutch my dress hem and hurry just to keep up.

He slipped through a thicket, and his figure vanished into the shadows.

“Your Majesty!”

He said we were going to the festival, so why this? Confused and a little uneasy, I rushed after him—

And the moment I passed through the same trees—

“…Wow!”

I let go of my dress hem in sheer awe.

It felt like stepping into a different world. Tangled branches formed a round enclosure, sealing us off from outside. And everywhere—absolutely everywhere—was bursting with pink blossoms.

The branches arched upward, half-covering the sky, like a natural dome. A dome smaller than my room, but utterly enchanting.

I turned in a slow circle, marveling, until I finally looked back at Caesar.

“…Your Majesty!”

And this time, my gasp was even louder.

There he was, kneeling on one knee amid the pink petals, holding out a ring to me.

Sunlight streamed through cracks in the branches, falling in shining fragments that bathed him in radiance. He looked almost holy as he spoke.

“Eve, marry me.”

Looking up at me, face flushed as red as the blossoms.