What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 111
Ysaris had already been living in the palace for a month. Her wounds were almost healed, Mikael had grown a little more, and Kazhan’s working hours had decreased.
Ysaris and Mikael were still sharing the same room. With the palace servants maintaining a presence lighter than shadows, their life was hardly different from the time when it had just been the two of them. The only noticeable difference was that Ysaris no longer had to take care of household chores.
Kazhan remained their only visitor. He had previously met with the mother and child every other day, but recently, he began joining them for lunch daily. On some days, he even stayed for dinner.
Then, on the day Viscount Lafaro gave Ysaris permission to wear a corset again, Kazhan casually proposed something.
“Ysaris, I’m thinking it might be time to host a welcoming ball for you. It’s also an opportunity to officially present Mikael to the nobles. What do you think?”
“That sounds good. We’ve delayed it for long enough. But can you gather some things I’ll need?”
“Whatever you desire. There’s nothing in the empire you cannot have.”
Ysaris requested a registry of noble families and their profiles from Kazhan. She wanted to gather at least enough information to carry a conversation in high society.
Though Kazhan had kept all information away from her until now, this time, he granted her request. He figured it wouldn’t make much difference whether or not she knew who the nobles were—she wasn’t likely to have in-depth conversations with them anyway.
“Are there any among them with whom I’ve shared a personal connection?” she asked.
“No. Unless you count the nobles who resented you and picked fights.”
“…Was I really that unsociable?”
“It’s not about sociability. It’s because I cherished you too much that they grew jealous. I should have handled it better back then, but I didn’t. Would you accept my apology now?”
“Well, since I don’t have any memory of it, I suppose it’s fine…”
With a complicated expression, Ysaris leafed through the registry. She’d already found it strange that no one ever came to visit her, but she hadn’t imagined herself to have been such a loner. She had simply assumed it was due to Kazhan being overly protective.
“Who were the nobles who picked fights with me?” she asked.
“They’re not on the list. They’re all dead now.”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no reason to let seeds of rebellion live.”
Were they truly seeds of rebellion?
Pushing aside a creeping sense of unease, Ysaris redirected her focus. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts. The upcoming ball was Mikael’s first public appearance, and all her attention needed to be devoted to ensuring everything was perfect.
“So, there’s no one who’s on friendly terms with me? It’s supposed to be a celebration for me and Mikael. I can’t just sit there in silence.”
Kazhan stared at her as if weighing his response, his gaze slowly lowering. His shoulders slumped slightly, a subtle but clear display of dejection.
“Am I not enough for you? I can spend the entire ball by your side.”
“Well…”
Ysaris felt flustered once again. She could never get used to this side of Kazhan. Part of her doubted its sincerity, wondering if it was half-acting, but either way, wasn’t it proof that he loved her?
If only she felt the same. Her inability to reciprocate his feelings made her uncomfortable, and so, once again, she stepped back.
“Fine. I’ll stay within our assigned area at the ball.”
“But we’ll still have the first dance, won’t we? While we’re on the subject, why don’t we practice? I’d like to see how much you remember.”
“I already know all the formal dances. I may not have my memories as the Empress, but my years as a princess haven’t just disappeared.”
Even Ysaris’s natural refusal couldn’t deter Kazhan. He tucked his left hand behind his back, extended his right hand to her, and bowed slightly in a gentlemanly gesture.
“I just wish to dance with you, Ysaris. I want our first dance, the one you’ll newly remember, to be a moment for just the two of us.”
“…”
Hesitating, Ysaris ultimately took Kazhan’s hand. She couldn’t bring herself to refuse such a rare request from her husband, who usually kept his distance to avoid making her feel pressured.
What harm could one dance do?
Avoiding the soft smile spreading across Kazhan’s face, Ysaris let him guide her. When he interlaced their fingers mid-step, she noticed but chose not to comment.
The two of them arrived at the hall of the Empress’s palace, where they activated a magical device that played stored music. Dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun, a steady rhythm filled the room as they began moving to the steps of the dance.
