What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 155
“What do you mean, what have I been hiding?”
Kazhan couldn’t immediately answer Ysaris’s sudden question. There were too many things he could be caught on, but more than that, he couldn’t understand why she was asking this now.
It was clear that Ysaris had noticed something. But how, what, and how much had she figured out?
Kazhan tried to calm his pounding heart as he assessed the situation. He glanced at the book she had been reading for clues, but it was just an ordinary parenting book, barely opened to the first page. It seemed she hadn’t been reading it so much as staring at it while lost in thought.
“Tell me, Cain. Everything you’ve been hiding from me.”
“Ysaris.”
Kazhan quickly made a decision. No matter how the information had leaked, it was unlikely that Ysaris had uncovered everything he had hidden. If she had learned the full truth about the past, she wouldn’t be facing him with such calm.
She would have hated and despised him. Just like when he had first brought her to Uzephia.
At the very least, she might have looked at him with resentment, but Ysaris only showed distrust. It was clear that while she had some idea, she didn’t know exactly what he was hiding.
“No matter how much I love you, I don’t share everything. So, I’d appreciate it if you told me what you’re suspicious of. That way, I can explain.”
Kazhan’s choice was to narrow down the scope of her suspicion. If Ysaris had doubts about a specific topic, he could address that part alone.
But Ysaris wasn’t so easily swayed. She had survived Pyrein’s social circles as a princess without backing because of her sharp mind.
“I’m giving you a chance, Cain. A chance to confess the truth yourself and ask for my forgiveness.”
Red eyes met blue. Both of them carefully studied the other, neither willing to show their hand too soon.
In situations like this, the one who speaks first is usually at a disadvantage. Especially Kazhan, who was being interrogated, had no choice but to tread carefully.
He couldn’t stay silent for too long, nor could he reveal the wrong thing. Cornered in multiple ways, he was about to try and cleverly deflect when Ysaris struck first.
“Or is there so much to hide that you can’t even figure out what to confess?”
“Ysaris.”
“Stop calling my name and answer me, Cain. I’ve waited long enough.”
Kazhan’s lips twitched at Ysaris’s firm words. She wasn’t giving him any room to escape, and her directness felt unfamiliar.
It was a strange feeling. He had long grown accustomed to Ysaris treating him coldly, but the woman sitting right in front of him now felt distant in a different way.
Was it because he had only seen her warm side recently? Or was it because her guarded attitude was something he hadn’t seen in a while?
Kazhan absentmindedly touched the handmade hairpin resting heavily in his inner pocket. The wounds on his fingers, wrapped in thin bandages, began to sting.
It seemed there would be no good timing to give it to her today.
“I’ve made many mistakes. There are certainly things I need to ask your forgiveness for.”
Finally, Kazhan spoke. He began with a confession but subtly steered the conversation in a different direction.
“But I don’t understand why you’re bringing this up so suddenly. Did someone say something to you?”
“Is that really what’s important right now? I told you to confess your wrongdoings.”
“I don’t like gambling, Ysaris. I don’t want to do anything that would make you hate me.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to speak. Confess what you’ve done wrong and ask for my forgiveness. Then I’ll decide whether to let the past go or not.”
The conversation, which had been going in circles, paused for a moment. Kazhan, who had been quietly staring into her blue eyes, knew he shouldn’t say it but let a piece of his true feelings slip.
“…If it’s something you can’t forgive.”
He knew exactly how his past actions would look. First, he had killed her childhood friend and forced her into marriage, taking her by force. He had isolated her in Uzephia and left her to be the subject of noble gossip. Bringing in a concubine, oppressing Ysaris—all of it had been his choices.
There had been reasons for everything, but from the victim’s perspective, it was obvious how monstrous he had been.
