I’m the Only One Who Can Put the Tyrant To Sleep Chapter 131 - Side Story Chapter 1

It’s been a year since the wedding. Caesar and I enjoyed a dreamlike honeymoon.

Unlike his predecessors, Caesar ruled wisely, and the imperial power grew stronger. The empire, once shaken by Ian’s incident, had stabilized, and the vanished powers no longer tormented anyone.

We had no problems at all. At least, not until just a few days ago.

“Evelyn, did you have a fight with Caesar?”

Katana asked, looking at me with a bored face. I had just dropped by her research room at the top of the Magic Tower, as I often did.

“No?”

I denied it automatically, then added a moment later,

“…Maybe not?”

“‘Maybe not’? Then why hasn’t Caesar shown his face at the tower for days?”

“Well, maybe he’s busy.”

“He always came to pick you up, no matter how busy he was.”

I just shrugged without answering. I’d been wondering the same thing myself.

“Geez. Are you two really married?”

Katana shook her head and quickly looked away from me. She flipped through a thick book on her desk irritably—it looked like she was stuck on something in her research again.

In contrast, I was lounging lazily on the sofa by the tea table, staring at her back.

It had only been a year, but Katana had grown a lot. She was almost taller than me now. Her baby fat was disappearing, and there was a mature air about her face. She no longer tied her yellow hair into twin tails—it flowed freely now, which made her look even more grown-up.

“Katana, you don’t wear your hair in pigtails anymore?”

“Do I look like a kid?”

She was, but I didn’t say that—it would only make her mad.

“I’m too busy. I don’t even have time to fix my hair.”

To prove her point, her hair stuck out in all directions, a bit messy.

“Don’t you think you’re working too hard?”

“It’s not work.”

“Right, it’s just research for your own curiosity. I know that. But still, you’re pushing yourself too much. If I didn’t come to visit, you’d barely even eat.”

Katana flipped another page hard, clearly annoyed. The sharp sound of turning paper filled the room, and I just pouted. Soon after, I heard her quill scratching against paper, the strokes full of emotion.

Since becoming the Tower Master, Katana had worked without a single day off. No one told her to—she just buried herself in her research, scribbling formulas I couldn’t begin to understand.

Knock, knock—then a familiar voice called from outside the door.

“Lady Katana, it’s Whedon.”

“Come in.”

The door opened, and a tall, handsome man entered. Whedon Clark—a magician of the tower, and recently Katana’s personal assistant.

“Your Majesty, the Empress.”

Whedon bowed quickly to me. We’d met like this dozens of times before, but he still got flustered every time. It was kind of cute.

“Don’t mind me.”

I waved a hand. He bowed once more, scratched his neck awkwardly, and turned to Katana. The two started discussing magic, their conversation full of words I couldn’t follow. After a while, Whedon turned back to me.

“May I sit for a moment?”

“Of course.”

He sat across from me and quickly reviewed a few sheets of paper on the tea table. Watching him, I said casually,

“Whedon, you should take a break too.”

“…Pardon?”

“You work just as hard as Katana.”

“I’m doing what I want to do, that’s all. But thank you for worrying about me.”

He bowed his head politely. Though his face showed signs of exhaustion, his eyes were still sharp and bright.

Watching Whedon lose himself in his papers, I suddenly felt a bit envious. Katana too. Having something you love enough to give your whole heart to—that’s not something everyone has.

“I should get going.”

When I stood up, Whedon jumped to his feet, startled.

“Stay seated, it’s fine.”

Katana turned her head slightly.

“Leaving already? Alone?”

“There’s a whole escort waiting nearby, so not exactly alone.”

“You know what I meant. You really did fight, didn’t you?”

“I told you, no. Anyway, see you later.”

I waved vaguely and left the lab. Almost immediately, the guards and maids who’d been waiting out of sight fell in beside me. Even on the way back to the imperial palace, my thoughts were a tangled mess.

“Did we actually fight? Caesar and I?”

It was ridiculous that I, of all people, didn’t even know. But thinking about it—yes, Caesar had been acting strange lately.

It wasn’t just that he stopped coming to the tower. We hadn’t had dinner together in days, he returned to our chambers only after I was asleep, and left before I woke up.

The more I thought about it, the more serious my expression became. This wasn’t just a fight… Was Caesar avoiding me?

“But why on earth?”

That was the problem—I couldn’t think of a single reason. Not even a small argument that could have triggered it.

Thinking of how clingy he’d been just months ago only made it feel more unfair. Had he really gotten tired of me after just a year? Was this… the so-called “honeymoon phase” ending?

I told myself that was ridiculous—but the thought wouldn’t leave my head. By the time I arrived at the Imperial Palace, my face was set in a grave expression.

“Shall we go to your chambers, Your Majesty?”

Lost in thought, I asked the maid,

“Where is His Majesty?”

“He should be in his office at this hour.”

“Then let’s go there.”

I turned immediately toward the office. There was no point in overthinking this on my own. I might as well talk to Caesar directly.

“Let’s face this head-on.”

 

 

****

 

 

 

I crossed my arms and looked at Caesar with a displeased expression. Even though I had come to see him, he didn’t stop talking with Duke Bryden.

Of course, if they were discussing something urgent and important, I could understand. I had shown up unannounced, and this was the middle of his work hours, after all.

But he wasn’t always like this.

That was the problem — Caesar’s behavior lately had changed. Just a few days ago, he hadn’t been like this.

No matter where he was or what he was doing, I had always come first for him.

Whether it was Duke Bryden sitting before him, the Empress Dowager, or even a crown prince visiting from a distant empire — whenever I appeared, Caesar would immediately rise from his seat to greet me.

After hearing why I had come, he would hold my hand tightly and seat me beside him. Even when I told him not to bother, he never listened.

But now…

All I got was a brief glance. Caesar had only flicked his eyes toward me when I entered the office, blinked in mild surprise, and then continued his conversation with Duke Bryden.

From what I could hear, it wasn’t even a matter that required urgent attention. In fact, when the duke noticed me and tried to wrap up the discussion, Caesar stopped him from leaving.

What is this? What’s he doing?

I stared at Caesar relentlessly. There was no way he couldn’t feel my steady gaze, yet he stubbornly avoided looking at me. By this point, I couldn’t deny it anymore.

For some reason, Caesar was avoiding me.

After a long, awkward silence, Duke Bryden finally finished his report. He bowed to both of us, and sensing the strange tension in the room, he quickly excused himself.

“Your Majesty.”

Once we were alone, I finally spoke. Caesar, who had been staring fixedly at the documents as if glued to them, flinched.

“Are you busy?”

“Hmm… why?”

Why? Seriously?

Hearing him say that — rolling his eyes like he didn’t know what I meant — made something sting inside me. It felt like he was drawing a line between us, as if we were only supposed to meet when there was a reason to.

He was the one who had said he loved me. The one who’d begged me to marry him. And now his feelings had cooled this quickly?

“Don’t you have… something to say to me?”

“Something to say?”

Caesar looked at me, confused.

“Something you want to say. You’ve been acting strange these past few days.”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore — I asked outright. A mix of emotions flashed across Caesar’s face in an instant.

Surprise. Fear. …And guilt.

“I… uh…”

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. Then, at last, he lowered his head.

“Eve, I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”

Thud. It felt like my heart dropped straight to the floor.

I couldn’t stand it anymore.  I shot to my feet.