What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 67
As the long story came to an end, Ysaris exhaled the breath she had been holding since the middle. Her mind grew tangled with thoughts of a past she had never even imagined.
Amid the swirl of emotions, a single memory surfaced.
<Mom, did you have a mom too?>
<I did. But it seems both my mother and father passed away when I was a baby, so I don’t remember them.>
<Then, did you grow up all by yourself, Mom?>
<Well, there was someone who looked after me… but I’m not sure if they ever thought of me as their child. They were always so distant. Why? Do you want to meet them?>
<Yeah!>
<It’s hard to get in touch with them right now, so let’s think about it if the opportunity comes later.>
So, it was Lena. And Mother passed away without ever contacting her in the end.
Ysaris fell silent for a moment before carefully speaking.
“Then… does that make Lena my grandmother?”
“What, grandmother?! I’m still in my prime!”
“R-right…”
When Ysaris awkwardly agreed, Lena’s eyebrows shot up before she let out a snort and relaxed again.
“I may have lived a long time by human standards, but I’ll pass on being called something so old. And I have no interest in playing family with people who’ll croak long before me.”
At that, Ysaris gazed at Lena quietly. She thought she understood now why Lena visited so infrequently and kept her distance.
She doesn’t want to form attachments. In the end, she’d just be left alone.
As Ysaris hesitated, unsure of how to respond, Lena spoke first.
“I haven’t paid attention to the continent in a while, but after meeting you, I looked into a few things. Your mother became a concubine of the Pyrein Kingdom. Honestly, though, to charm a king? I always thought she’d cause trouble with that pretty face of hers…”
Clicking her tongue loudly, Lena cast her gaze outside the window, watching the clouds drift lazily by without a care in the world. She muttered as she stared blankly at them.
“…That’s why she didn’t last. A naive country girl, thinking she could survive palace intrigue.”
Ysaris suddenly realized why Lena had avoided this topic until now.
‘She needed time to sort through her emotions. Or perhaps she didn’t know how to deal with me.’
That’s why Ysaris spoke up, almost without thinking.
“She was happy.”
“What?”
“My mother. She may have let her guard down and got poisoned in the end, but before that, she lived each day happily with my father.”
It wasn’t just an empty phrase when people said they fell in love like destiny. Lillia, a concubine from commoner origins, was unusually cherished by the king.
So much so that the queen had gone to extreme lengths to keep her in check.
Reflecting on a past where happiness and misfortune coexisted, Ysaris continued calmly.
“So, I don’t think she had any regrets. She lived a life so full of happiness that she didn’t even have time to look back at the person who raised her.”
Lena remained silent. Her gaze had shifted to meet Ysaris’s directly, her blue eyes piercing.
“…I see.”
After a long pause, Lena finally responded, a faint smirk lifting the corner of her lips.
“Well, then that’s all there is to it. Life’s nothing special, really. If she lived well, good for her.”
“Yes.”
“Pour me some tea. All this talking has made me thirsty.”
“I will.”
After quite some time had passed, the now-cold tea trickled slowly into the cup. The aroma had long faded, leaving the flavor dull, but Lena drank without complaint, moistening her throat.
“…Anyway, Liz.”
“Yes, Lena?”
“We got sidetracked, but there’s no need to worry about Mikael. I figured as much, but after hearing today’s conversation, I’m pretty certain he’ll be fine.”
“You said Tennilath’s side effects were severe, didn’t you?”
Ysaris asked anxiously, but Lena, swirling her cup lazily, replied.
“He’s been fine so far, hasn’t he? Either you’ve been suppressing the side effects, or Mikael hasn’t awakened Tennilath’s abilities yet, or maybe your maternal bloodline is naturally neutralizing the curse.”
“I’m suppressing the side effects? My bloodline neutralizes the curse?”
As Ysaris stared in confusion, Lena chuckled lightly.
“They say the emperor didn’t have nightmares when you were around, right?”
“But that only happened once, so I’m not sure. I don’t even know if he actually slept or not.”
“Either way, you’ve already awakened your ability. Whether you’re aware of it or not, I can see it. That unique flow.”
Lena tapped the corners of her eyes. Her brilliant golden eyes gleamed as though they held stars within them.
