What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 124
It hadn’t been a good idea. All he intended to do was wipe away her tear stains, watch her sleep, and tidy her hair. Then, after straightening up, he would quietly leave.
Because he shouldn’t sleep beside Ysaris.
He had realized this truth on the first night of their marriage.
Kazhan had dreamed a nightmare. The day Ysaris held her engagement ceremony with Bariteon.
He vividly remembered Ysaris whispering teasing words with a smile and Bariteon scratching his chin awkwardly.
Time in the dream reversed of its own accord. All the moments Kazhan had spent with Ysaris were replaced by Bariteon.
The times they disguised themselves and wandered the streets, studying late together in the academy library, dining at restaurants, attending plays, playing by the river, dancing under the moonlight—every shared moment between Kazhan and Ysaris was erased, replaced by Bariteon by her side.
In the end, it always culminated in her tilting her head as though seeing Kazhan for the first time and saying one damning line:
That was the first time Kazhan influenced the nightmare. In a fit of rage, he strangled Ysaris with tears of blood streaming from his eyes.
‘Why?’
‘I threw my life away to be with you.’
‘Could you not wait and fell for another man?’
‘How could you!’
Of course, Ysaris couldn’t answer. Although filled with anger, Kazhan had no intention of killing her, not even in his dream. Soon, his hands loosened their grip.
And thank the heavens for that.
Because when he awoke from the nightmare, he found a distinct mark of his hands around Ysaris’s neck.
“I will never harm you, Ysaa.”
Kazhan whispered softly to the sleeping Ysaris. Though they no longer shared the same dreams, he was determined never to lose her to a momentary lapse. He had been careful up until now and would continue to be so—unless something changed.
But…
“Why doesn’t she remember me?”
Kazhan frowned as the long-repeating nightmare came to mind. This entire mess had started because, despite not betraying him, Ysaris thought Cain Jenut was dead and failed to recognize Kazhan Tennilath.
The questions didn’t stop there. The more he intertwined with Ysaris, the sharper his senses became. To think it was merely the natural end of whatever afflicted him was too coincidental.
Even back when they reunited at the cabin, his body had improved significantly. At the time, he’d dismissed it as the effect of seeing the woman he loved in person. But the curse of Tennilath was far from something so easily mitigated.
For now, the pressing matter was…
“The magic circle.”
Kazhan’s eyes turned icy. He hadn’t expected to be struck while within the imperial palace, where a barrier was meant to prevent any magic besides that registered with approved magical tools.
It was impossible without the involvement of high-ranking officials. Even those with the power and authority capable of such betrayal were bound to him by a blood pact. The fact that it had occurred was incomprehensible.
And it wasn’t just ordinary magic but a type that directly influenced living beings. Unless it was a unique bloodline ability like Tennilath’s, there was only one possible conclusion about the magic that had suppressed him.
“Forbidden dark magic.”
Kazhan clicked his tongue inwardly. Of all times, this troubling matter had to arise when Ysaris returned to the palace. His mind was a tangled mess.
He still hadn’t tracked down the assailants who attacked him and Ysaris.
“It might be the same group.”
Either way, his course of action remained unchanged: hunt them down and eliminate them all. Including the woman who dared impersonate Ysaris to crawl into his bed.
As he silently tallied his mental list of targets, Kazhan gently smoothed out Ysaris’s disheveled platinum hair. He gazed at her peaceful, sleeping face for a long while before rising to his feet.
There was too much to do, and no time to linger. His first priority was to return to the Emperor’s palace and identify the mastermind.
But just as he began to step away from the bed, he froze at a faint sound from the distance.
Dong… dong…
The morning bell chimed. Though it was an entirely ordinary sound, Kazhan couldn’t move.
As if the allotted time had come to an end.
“What…?!”
A flash of light burst from Kazhan’s abdomen. Geometric patterns surged across his body, stretching to the tips of his hair before disappearing in an instant.
Thud.
Kazhan collapsed onto the bed, unconscious. He remained motionless for hours until Ysaris stirred awake first.
