What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 28
“Well then, rest well.”
“Yes?”
‘Rest well,’ not just ‘Rest now’ or ‘I’ll leave now’?
Ysaris watched Kazhan’s peculiar departure with a strange expression as he vanished beyond the door in an instant.
It seemed that not only she, but the Emperor himself was also in pain.
* * *
Bang!
Kazhan forcefully closed the door to his private study as he entered. It wasn’t just a bad mood; he struggled to control his emotions amidst the complexity.
In his state, Kazhan didn’t even register the noise he himself made. Ysaris’s words echoed relentlessly in his mind.
She found him even when she woke up. Even though she thought he was dead, she still couldn’t forget him. He was the first one she called when she was in pain.
Because she relied on him.
“Sigh.”
Kazhan habitually ran his hand through his hair several times before abruptly stopping. With a forceful grip, he clenched his black hair between his teeth.
He can’t be that kind of presence to her anymore.
He’s not the Cain Jenut she remembers, but Kazhan Tennilath bound by resentment.
“Damn it.”
He felt both injustice and anger simultaneously. He couldn’t grasp where things had gone wrong or how they had become so tangled.
Ysaris knew that Cain Jenut was Kazhan Tennilath. She had to have known.
If she remembered Cain.
But she didn’t. She hadn’t recognized the returned Kazhan and openly whispered love to another man during their engagement ceremony.
It was evidence that the alliance had shattered, a situation that seemed inevitable.
“…Then why?”
Why does Ysaris still seem to hold Cain in her heart?
Even if it’s not love, how does she remember Cain?
Was his covenant magic imperfect?
No, there was no issue with the manifestation of the magic itself. That’s why he agreed to use it on Ysaris.
Did he make a mistake somewhere along the line? Did the wording of their covenant with her go awry? Was there room for misinterpretation? Why did she only fulfill half of the bargain?
“This is driving me insane.”
Kazhan groaned in frustration, his mind tangled in complexity. Searching through his memories for an elusive answer, he paused abruptly as a scene surfaced vividly in his mind.
<Does Ysaris love him?>
<It’s a natural question to ask. He is my betrothed, Your Majesty.>
The day of Ysaris’s engagement ceremony.
Kazhan couldn’t recall the warmth in her eyes as she affectionately linked arms with Bariteon before he barged in. Upon hearing the news, he had rushed in a semi-irrational state, so it was only natural that he disrupted the proceedings.
Did she look at Bariteon the way she looks at Cain?
<Do you still miss him?>
<It’s a misunderstanding. I simply inherited it as a keepsake.>
<Can you now assert that you no longer love him?>
A few months ago, she received Bariteon’s ring.
Kazhan glanced at Ysaris against her expression. Seeing her silent demeanor, he proposed a single assumption in his mind.
If Ysaris had lied…
What if her relationship with Bariteon Kelloden was fake?
“No, that can’t be…”
Unintentionally, a subdued voice escaped her. She struggled to deny the thought that everything that had transpired might have been meaningless.
Yet, her desperate search for Cain while ill, and her demeanor when he was mentioned, undeniably suggested such a possibility.
Perhaps Ysaris didn’t betray Kazhan after all.
“…I need evidence.”
With slightly trembling hands, Kazhan turned away and headed towards the office of the clandestine intelligence unit.
His confused steps led him towards the direction where several covert operatives were soon leaving the palace for Pyrein.
* * *
A few days had passed.
Since the day she first woke up, no one had come to Ysaris’s room.
Neither Kazhan, nor Runellia, nor any other guests. Except for occasional visits from Dr. Lafaro for examinations, only the maids bustled about, attending to her needs and daily life.
Alone in her room could have felt isolating, but Ysaris oddly found comfort in it. Without encountering those who caused her stress, her physical health recovered rapidly.
Most of her days were consumed by sleep. When awake, she typically read books or spent long periods submerged in the bath.
At times, her routine resembled that of someone suffering from depression, yet occasionally she groped for hope, still intent on living.
Even if her sacrifices for Pyrein returned as complaints. Even if she was treated like a puppet by everyone, including her husband. Even if her pride was trampled, her body soiled, and all that remained was humiliation.
Ysaris, still buoyant in a state of suspension, somehow endured life.
“Your Majesty, Duke of Kelloden has sent a letter.”
“How is he faring?”
Ysaris asked, closing her book at the news of the forgotten figure. The maid who delivered the letter recounted the past events succinctly.
“He was initially accused and punished for harming Your Majesty’s health, but it was revealed to be a misunderstanding and he was cleared. However, I will accompany you in any future meetings with him.”
“Monitor my communication with people from my homeland, openly”
“I understand.”
Ysaris nodded without reproach at the response that did not deny her suspicion. It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Perhaps it might even turn out for the best. It would be difficult for Mikelun to casually scratch at her in front of others.
With a faint sense of resignation, Ysaris unfolded the letter. Her eyes slightly narrowed as she read through the words, knowing they had likely been scrutinized by someone else.
